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RickinSTL

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  1. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from Pooch in Ground Transfer Recommendations (Orlando / Port Canaveral)   
    Cortrans rocks! 
  2. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from DenV in Ground Transfer Recommendations (Orlando / Port Canaveral)   
    Cortrans rocks! 
  3. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from Lovetocruise2002 in Ground Transfer Recommendations (Orlando / Port Canaveral)   
    Cortrans rocks! 
  4. Like
    RickinSTL reacted to Lovetocruise2002 in Ground Transfer Recommendations (Orlando / Port Canaveral)   
    Cortran's also has amazing reviews on TripAdvisor. 
  5. Like
    RickinSTL reacted to steverk in Public Health Emergency   
    I've said all along that it is too much fun for the people who normally work in the background to be thrust in to the limelight.  They won't relinquish their new found power until forced to do so.
  6. Like
    RickinSTL reacted to LSUWAG in RC headed back to Jamaica in November   
    My notification for Harmony on Nov 28th
     
    "Itinerary Change
    As part of the guidance received from the CDC, we've implemented new boarding and arrival protocols and as a result, we'll need some extra time for check-in. We'll now depart from Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida at 5:00 PM, instead of 4:30 PM. Separately, to maintain your safety and wellbeing, we'll visit Cozumel, Mexico instead of Labadee due to the current political and security situation in Haiti. Regrettably, this impacts our visit to Falmouth, Jamaica because of its distance from Mexico. Instead, we'll visit Costa Maya, Mexico and we've swapped the order we'll visit our private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau, Bahamas. We know how much time and effort go into planning your vacation, and we're sorry for any inconvenience caused by this. We're excited to take you to new ports and know you'll have an excellent time! Below, please find our revised Harmony of the Seas November 28th, 2021 itinerary."
  7. Love
    RickinSTL reacted to kadmgs in All Things Galveston   
    I would recommend flying into Hobby. It's only a ten minute drive to Minute Maid from there, so you could Uber. 
  8. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from Galveston Steve in All Things Galveston   
    @Galveston Steve if I wanted to stay in Houston the night before to see the Astros play what airport would you recommend? 
  9. Love
    RickinSTL got a reaction from LifesEz in 4 Weeks on Symphony Review- Passenger Count, Royal Up, Crew, Safety Precautions   
    We were on the 11th cruise..  had a blast.. Kevin Philips in the pub was a riot every night. Landry (the comedian) was very cool too.. 
     
    Seeing all my friends that I haven’t seen in two years was priceless! 
  10. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from SpeedNoodles in Plan for the worst hope for the best Symphony September 4-18 21   
    We’re  on for your second leg, can’t wait to meet y’all! I was planning on doing a live blog, but it looks like you got it covered lol!  Whoop whoop! 
  11. Like
    RickinSTL reacted to Traveler in Plan for the worst hope for the best Symphony September 4-18 21   
    We are here , everything went very smoothly , more details to come but no issues with the PDFs 
     


  12. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from Traveler in Plan for the worst hope for the best Symphony September 4-18 21   
    We’re  on for your second leg, can’t wait to meet y’all! I was planning on doing a live blog, but it looks like you got it covered lol!  Whoop whoop! 
  13. Thanks
    RickinSTL reacted to twangster in Surprise! Carnival started testing AND masks. Are masks next for Royal?   
    Ships are going to have cases.  Nothing new.  Not newsworthy.  
  14. Like
    RickinSTL reacted to spursfreak21 in Pre board COVID testing for ALL passengers from Florida Ports though December 2021 Now   
    Isn’t testing still free at large pharmacy chains like CVS? I got tested last year due to a close contact and paid nothing. Has this changed?
  15. Haha
    RickinSTL reacted to cdixon22 in US Appeals court lifts CDC cruise ship restrictions in win for florida   
    Especially if the judge is female ?
  16. Haha
    RickinSTL reacted to MrMarc in US Appeals court lifts CDC cruise ship restrictions in win for florida   
    I wouldn't tell a Federal Judge he had a little one.  It sounds like contempt of court.
  17. Haha
    RickinSTL reacted to WAAAYTOOO in US Appeals court lifts CDC cruise ship restrictions in win for florida   
    It seems to me (as a totally NON-lawyer observer) that the 3-judge panel knew they were going to get their little pee-pees slapped.  Forgive the use of technical legal jargon.
  18. Haha
    RickinSTL got a reaction from Patta_Conna in Sharing my experience with RoyalUp.   
    @Mattneeds to pin this! Awesome information! 
  19. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from Baked Alaska in Sharing my experience with RoyalUp.   
    @Mattneeds to pin this! Awesome information! 
  20. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from cruisellama in Sharing my experience with RoyalUp.   
    @Mattneeds to pin this! Awesome information! 
  21. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from WAAAYTOOO in Sharing my experience with RoyalUp.   
    @Mattneeds to pin this! Awesome information! 
  22. Love
    RickinSTL reacted to Patta_Conna in Sharing my experience with RoyalUp.   
    Hi guys. I’m here to share my recent experience with RoyalUp, a program that allows people with existing reservations to bid for an upgrade to a higher room category.

    The reason why I’m sharing my experience is because prior to and after the upgrade, I had a ton of questions that I’ve been trying to look for answers all over the internet but couldn’t find any.

    Hence, I’d like to share my experience with everyone and hopefully it can give some answers to my fellow cruisers!


      A brief introduction: (or skip to the end for the answers to the “FAQs”)


      I’ve booked a last minute 4-night sailing onboard Quantum of the Seas in Singapore, also known as Cruise to Nowhere. It is basically a hospitality restarting program by the Singapore government with no ports of call. Strict restrictions are also put in place for the safety of the guests.


      I’ve booked a Junior Suite (J4) for me and my wife. The price displayed on the RC’s booking website was SGD 1399pp for 4-nights before pre-paid gratuities and port taxes. There wasn’t any other suite options left for booking, which I presumed was fully booked.


      Almost immediately after completing the reservation transaction, I received the RoyalUP email, and invited me to place a bid to a higher room category. Even though I could clearly see that none of the higher suite categories were available for booking, I still decided to give it a try at bidding for RoyalUp.


      Long story short, I placed bids on all categories, ranging from Grand Suite to Royal Loft Suite and kind of forgot about the whole RoyalUp thing. 


      Until around 24 hours before the sailing, I received an email saying that my bid for a Grand Loft Suite was successful. My bid amount was SGD 1210 per person hence SGD 2420 was charged to my credit card on file immediately.

     





      In general, I paid about $2710 per person ($1399 (JS) +$1210 (RoyalUp) +$100 taxes and pre-paid gratuities)


      I’ve checked the price of a Grand Loft Suite on a different sailing date, and it cost around SGD 5400 per person and before taxes. Which means, I’ve gotten nearly a 50% off the original price.

     
    From Junior Suite to Grand Loft Suite is a big jump. In terms of Royal Suite class, it was upgraded from Sea Class to Star Class.


     
    At this point, I was very excited! But at the same time, I have a lot questions that needs answers to.


     
    To be honest, even with a “huge discount”, SGD 2710 (SGD 5k+ for 2 people) is almost double the original budget hence to me, it is still a lot of money to fork out for a 4-day vacation.


     
    As we know, Grand Loft Suite is a Star Class suite and it is practically All-Inclusive such as free specialty dining, deluxe beverage package, internet package etc and it comes with a Royal Genie.


     
    So naturally, some questions flashes through my mind, and since it was an upgrade through RoyalUP:


     
    “Am I going to get a Royal Genie as well?”

    “Will I be treated differently in terms of services than those guests who paid the original price?”

    “How about the things I’ve pre-paid on Cruise Planner such as beverage package and internet package since my suite already includes all those packages?”


    I’ve tried searching for answers on the internet but I couldn’t find any.


    However, after I’ve completed my sailing, I kind of gotten all the answers I needed.


    So now, I’m going share them with you guys.


    My very own set of FAQs:

    Q: Am I going to get Royal Genie as well?

    A: Yes! Even though I gotten the upgrade 1 day before the sailing, the Royal Genie got in touch with me via WhatsApp on the morning of the sailing and she already took the liberty to arrange all the activities for us! She already pre-booked all the shows, specialty dinning and some activities such as iFly and Flow Rider. And she was extremely flexible and accommodating on all our requests to change meal timings, shows timings. All you need to do is just let her know your preference and leave everything to her.


     

     
    Q: Will I be treated differently in terms of services compared to those guests who paid the original price?

    A: Not at all. From my observations, only 2 groups of service crews knew you are an “upgrader”. They are the Royal Genie, and the cruise terminal staff. Usually, Genie will contact you 1 month before your sailing to get to know you better. However, she does know that you are an upgrader since she contacted you just 1 day before the sailing, not the usual 1 month. As for the cruise terminal staff, our information was given to them by the cruise line at the very last minute hence our information was “hand-written” on their paper. They did “congratulate” us on the successful upgrade by the Cruise Line which is why I knew they knew we were an upgrader. Nevertheless, they escorted from the moment we reached the terminal until being handed over to the Royal Genie. Very good service rendered.


     
     Q: How about the things I’ve pre-paid on Cruise Planner such as beverage package and internet package since my suite already includes all those packages 

    A: They will be refunded to you and the Royal Genie made sure of that. It will be under “refundable” onboard credit and you can requested to get them in cash on the last night of the cruise. Otherwise, it will be refunded to your credit card.


     
    Q: How about my SeaPass card? Will I be recognized as a Star-Class guest?

    A: You will be identified as a Star Class guest on your SeaPass card, not the original room category that you were booked on.


     
    Q: Do I get the same perks and benefit listed under Star-Class suite even though I’m an upgrader?

    A: Yes! Complementary Dining Package, Beverage package, internet package, complementary mini-bar for the whole cruise with replenishment daily, complementary room-service, complementary laundry (I don’t think they set a limit on the quantity of clothes). For Izumi, there is no limit in terms of the amount you can order. If you have a Ultimate Dining Package, I believe per meal you will get USD35 credit per person for Izumi as it is based on A-la-carte pricing. But for Star-Class, there is no limit on that. The wait staff made it known to you before you order.



    Q: How about those chargeable activities?

    A: For our sailing, the chargeable activities are iFly (~$40) and Northstar (~$20) and strictly by reservation only. However, with the help of our Genie, reservation was done before hand. There is no charges for Star-Class guest for these activities. However, you are only entitled to 1 free session for each of these 2 activities. If you would like to go for a second-time, you will have to pay the charges.


     
    All other FAQs regarding Star-Class:

    Q: Can Royal Genie fulfill all your requests?

    A: Yes and No. I’d emphasize that your request must be reasonable. If you would like to change your dinner venue to another restaurant at the very last minute, you can kindly check with her. Most of the times it can be fulfilled. However, if the restaurant is full, she might suggest to change to an earlier or a later time for you. I’m not sure what kind of magic they have, but I’m definitely against them pulling out other guests from their original dining timing just to slot you in. Firstly, you are putting Genie in a difficult position, secondly, you are causing unhappiness to the affected guests. So I’d suggest to give the Genie some leeway. Do not force you request onto them. If it can be done in a gentle way, go ahead. If not, please do not force or blame them.

     
    Q: Do I need to tip the Royal Genie?

    A: Absolutely. They are not a receiver of the automatically gratuity system on board. Hence, the tips relies solely on you. Royal Genie is not just a regular butler, they are there to learn about you and make arrangements for you which you didn’t even think of.

    My wife somehow mentioned to the Genie that this is our 2nd anniversary trip when we were casually chatting. (but did not mention in details). The Genie caught it and arranged for a surprise decoration and cake in the room for us. My wife and I were surprised as initially, we really can’t figure out how she knew about our anniversary. It is only when we tried to recall every single thing we said to the Genie, and realized that it must have slipped out of our mouth at certain point. Their attention to details are just simply unbelievable.

    Hope this post is useful for whoever is looking for the same answers as I did.


    Happy cruising!

  23. Haha
    RickinSTL reacted to joshgates in Adventure of the Seas - July 10th 2021 - How many questionable life choices can I fit into a week?   
    Ok, so it’s a week early but I’m starting while I’m thinking about it. Looking at the Adventure sitting in port getting ready to head off on its last sailing before mine doesn’t hurt either.
    I’ve lost track of how many cruises I’ve had canceled but earlier this year I booked the Grandeur for December thinking it might be my best chance to get on a ship next.  Little did I expect to see the Adventure sailings announced (or just how fast things would start up from the US).  Almost didn’t book since I’m not a fan of cruising in the summer, but after some internal fighting… YOLO.  Was sorely tempted by the first week, but in the end decided that if I’m going to book something for the summer why not just spend my birthday on the ship with no responsibilities and a drink package?
    This cruise marks a couple of firsts for me, first time on a ship embarking outside of the US and the first time flying in the day of a cruise.  The latter one worries me a bit…but I’m using Air2Sea and have the first flight out at 5am, connecting in Charlotte and landing in Nassau a little after 10am.  Hopefully this gives me enough leeway for the inevitable delays.  Worst case, I guess I’m swimming to Freeport and meeting the ship there.  Fine, sure, they have flights into Freeport but what fun would that be.
    To be clear, I don’t recommend doing this!  Life conspired against me making it my only option, how dare it give me exciting new opportunities.  I started a new job a couple days ago and other obligations are keeping me away from home until Thursday.  Figured it’d only be nice to give my new boss a few days of work before showing her where my real priorities lie.  Oh, yeah, and give myself time to do things like pack, finalize moving plans, etc.  What idiot thought it'd be a good idea to try and fit starting a new job, taking a vacation, and moving to a new city/state all into a month?  Don't answer that.
    Ok, preamble done.  If you made it this far you have my sympathies for how bored you must be.  Let’s set some proper expectations, here’s a few of the things you can’t expect:  quality, coherence, any sort of vague adherence to a schedule, good pictures, dressing in formal wear on formal night, and socks.  To not leave you completely high and dry though you can absolutely expect: alcohol, plans to change on a whim, inebriated answers to questions, sometimes even the ones that are asked, and sandals.  Feel free to google "tuxedo swimsuit", but I'm not sure I'm mean enough to inflict that sight on the other guests.  Maybe just for a Christmas card photo.
    As of now I have few plans:
    Friday 7/9 - work, pack, check in to flight, stay at hotel airport.
    Saturday 7/10 - Flight to Nassau, mani-pedi, lots of beverages.
    Sunday 7/11 - Freeport - Drink, read, repeat
    Monday 7/12 - CocoCay - Beach Club
    Tuesday 7/13 - CocoCay - Beach Club and the Helium balloon
    Wednesday 7/14 - Sea Day - Sushi and Sake lunch
    Thursday 7/15 - Cozumel - Cozumel Bar Hop
    Friday 7/16 - Sea Day - Doing inappropriate things, or reading
    Saturday 7/17 - Sadness, depression, flight home.  Maybe some beverages too.
     
    I’ve got the UDP, no idea what I’ll schedule for that.  To be honest I could easily subsist on random rolls/sushi/sashimi from Izumi all week but I’ll likely do a night at Chops and Giovanni’s.
    Things left to do:
    Pack.  I wonder how small of a bag I can use for this one… PCR test on Monday Verifly stuff Royal Health Questionnaire
  24. Like
    RickinSTL got a reaction from Baked Alaska in The Must-Wear-a-Face-Mask Protocol for vaccinated passengers   
    can they get it done by September 1? lol
  25. Like
    RickinSTL reacted to Hagar in First cruise!!   
    The things you don't get to are always a great "reason" to go back ?
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