Jump to content

monorailmedic

Moderators
  • Posts

    754
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    18

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    monorailmedic reacted to JLMoran in First RC cruise questions....   
    Hi @mando6599, welcome to the Royal Caribbean Blog forums! I can't answer all of those as I haven't yet sailed the western Caribbean or Enchantment, but I'll help with what I can.
    Most do not, as it's a requirement of Royal (and basically every cruise line). However, some agents will choose to share a portion of their commission with you in the form of reduced price, on-board credit (OBC), or other "perks".
    Many here work with agents from MEI Travel, which is a sponsor of the site. While they do not generally give any discounts or other perks, many here (myself included) can vouch for the service they offer in terms of watching the sales and repricing your cruise as the promotions change over time, answering questions you may have, etc. And they have occasionally had specials where you will get gratuities covered. Whether you can expect the same level of service from an agent who gives a lot of their commission as perks is something I can't answer, but anecdotally it seems that with the reduced commissions they make off of you comes some level of reduced service.
    Will reiterate what @coneyraven said -- midship and lower / central decks equals less movement. Not coincidentally, these are also considered better areas when pricing is figured out, so cabin categories get better (and prices go up) the higher and more mid-ship you're located.
    As far as noise levels go, the rule of thumb here is pick a room with cabins on the decks above and below. The worst areas to pick are under the pool deck, under or above any restaurant, or above the night club. You can find maps of all decks on a given ship at cruisedeckplans.com.
    If you don't even drink a lot of soda, I'd just buy a la carte rather than getting a package. The soda package only covers fountain soda, not soda in cans, and the cheapest you'll find the non-alcoholic package that covers specialty coffee and teas is $18 per person, per night.
    If you potentially need to change the date, you definitely need to book with a refundable deposit. Booking non-refundable locks you in to the specific sailing on that specific date, and changing to another date will incur a penalty of $200 per person.
    As @Keeves indicated, gratuity is not part of the original booking cost. You have the option to pre-pay it before sail date and lock in the rate, or pay it on board and chance the rates going up before you sail.
    Many here give an additional tip to their cabin steward and waiter / assistant waiter. Many also give small ($1 or $2) cash tips to bartenders on top of the 18% gratuity already added on to each beverage, as it can lead to better service if you mostly frequent one bar and get to know the staff there. Either is totally optional, and you can make the call at the end of your trip before you leave the ship.
    Sorry, @monorailmedic possessed me for a moment there... ?
  2. Like
    monorailmedic reacted to Matt in IPhone to iPhone messaging without internet   
    You should know that it's a loophole, and not a feature. That means it may or may not work and RC could close that loophole at any point.
  3. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from bobroo in I guess RCCL will soon follow suit?   
    When I read the release from NCL themselves it was confusing to be honest - as every line cancels your res if you don't pay.  All they're doing is improving their reminders/notifications that final payment is approaching.  My travel agent knows when to start harassing me, and smartly, he usually lies about the date to give me a buffer ?
  4. Haha
    monorailmedic got a reaction from mom2mybugs in I guess RCCL will soon follow suit?   
    When I read the release from NCL themselves it was confusing to be honest - as every line cancels your res if you don't pay.  All they're doing is improving their reminders/notifications that final payment is approaching.  My travel agent knows when to start harassing me, and smartly, he usually lies about the date to give me a buffer ?
  5. Haha
    monorailmedic got a reaction from DunkelBierJay in I guess RCCL will soon follow suit?   
    When I read the release from NCL themselves it was confusing to be honest - as every line cancels your res if you don't pay.  All they're doing is improving their reminders/notifications that final payment is approaching.  My travel agent knows when to start harassing me, and smartly, he usually lies about the date to give me a buffer ?
  6. Haha
    monorailmedic got a reaction from The Cruise Junkie in I guess RCCL will soon follow suit?   
    When I read the release from NCL themselves it was confusing to be honest - as every line cancels your res if you don't pay.  All they're doing is improving their reminders/notifications that final payment is approaching.  My travel agent knows when to start harassing me, and smartly, he usually lies about the date to give me a buffer ?
  7. Haha
    monorailmedic got a reaction from Boston Babe in I guess RCCL will soon follow suit?   
    When I read the release from NCL themselves it was confusing to be honest - as every line cancels your res if you don't pay.  All they're doing is improving their reminders/notifications that final payment is approaching.  My travel agent knows when to start harassing me, and smartly, he usually lies about the date to give me a buffer ?
  8. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from tdcackler in I guess RCCL will soon follow suit?   
    When I read the release from NCL themselves it was confusing to be honest - as every line cancels your res if you don't pay.  All they're doing is improving their reminders/notifications that final payment is approaching.  My travel agent knows when to start harassing me, and smartly, he usually lies about the date to give me a buffer ?
  9. Haha
    monorailmedic got a reaction from princevaliantus in I guess RCCL will soon follow suit?   
    When I read the release from NCL themselves it was confusing to be honest - as every line cancels your res if you don't pay.  All they're doing is improving their reminders/notifications that final payment is approaching.  My travel agent knows when to start harassing me, and smartly, he usually lies about the date to give me a buffer ?
  10. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from tdcackler in Uber or rental   
    Exactly.  It's annoying, but for me, not that serious as I'd much rather wait 5 mins for an Uber than pay far more for a less desirable trip in a cab.
  11. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from Matt in Uber or rental   
    This is a non-issue.  I take Uber/Lyft from my home about 40 mins north of FLL to MIA and PortMiami - trips that are over an hour.  South Florida is dense, but not as vertical as other cities, and has no significant mass-transit options, so long drives around here aren't nearly as uncommon as in other metropolitan areas.
    I'd really avoid renting a car, you'll just lose a lot of time to logistics and I don't think there is anything to gain in your particular scenario.  If you end up not wanting to use a ride-share service, I'd hire a car service.
    When you arrive at FLL you'll follow the signs to the nearest ride-share/commercial vehicle pickup area.  There are two, and they're well positioned so it's never more than a minute's walk at most once you're outside.  You can find pics of the signage and other Uber/Lyft tips for cruisers in S FL here: https://www.cruisehabit.com/uber-lyft-cabs-shuttles-how-get-and-your-cruise-easily-cheaply
    I will tell you that if you're sailing out of Terminal A, they should have made the pickup area much larger and changed when the lanes converge, so after your cruise walk all the way to the end of the pickup area before requesting a ride, and note the number of the post.
  12. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from tdcackler in Uber or rental   
    I can't speak to your specific experience, but something I learned from a friend of a friend who picked up some work for Lyft a while back was that for certain airports (and not sure if cruise terminals are like this as well), they require drivers stage in certain areas.  This is largely b/c of the laws worked out with local authorities that allow only cabs to be in the cab lines.  This means to pick up an airport fare, the driver may be required to be a bit of a hike away.  It may not be geographically far - but you know how airport traffic can be.
  13. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from tdcackler in Uber or rental   
    Not too much around there of interest, but do check out Knauss Berry Farms while in that area.  Great produce (esp the strawberries), fresh milkshakes, and awesome baked goods (people travel for hours for their cinnamon buns and pecan rolls).
    http://www.knausberryfarm.com/location.html
    Coral Castle could be another neat stop around there as well.
    https://coralcastle.com/
    You may want to hit Key Largo since you're venturing that far south, too.
  14. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from tdcackler in Uber or rental   
    This is a non-issue.  I take Uber/Lyft from my home about 40 mins north of FLL to MIA and PortMiami - trips that are over an hour.  South Florida is dense, but not as vertical as other cities, and has no significant mass-transit options, so long drives around here aren't nearly as uncommon as in other metropolitan areas.
    I'd really avoid renting a car, you'll just lose a lot of time to logistics and I don't think there is anything to gain in your particular scenario.  If you end up not wanting to use a ride-share service, I'd hire a car service.
    When you arrive at FLL you'll follow the signs to the nearest ride-share/commercial vehicle pickup area.  There are two, and they're well positioned so it's never more than a minute's walk at most once you're outside.  You can find pics of the signage and other Uber/Lyft tips for cruisers in S FL here: https://www.cruisehabit.com/uber-lyft-cabs-shuttles-how-get-and-your-cruise-easily-cheaply
    I will tell you that if you're sailing out of Terminal A, they should have made the pickup area much larger and changed when the lanes converge, so after your cruise walk all the way to the end of the pickup area before requesting a ride, and note the number of the post.
  15. Thanks
    monorailmedic got a reaction from Jason in Policy on Drones   
    Per their site you can bring them onboard but can't use them on the ship, or at Labadee or Coco Cay.  https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/can-guests-bring-drones-onboard
    I did this just last month and security saw it in the bag, told me not to fly it on the ship, and that was it.  
  16. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from JLMoran in When is your next Celebrity/Azamara Cruise?   
    As @JLMoran mentions we've got quite a bit of coverage on the podcast (and the blog), plus more to come covering specific topics and venues.  Overall we loved it and can't wait to go back in 25 days!
  17. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from JLMoran in Oasis to Cape Liberty in 2020?   
    There are plenty of exceptions to this for most lines.  While it's not common at all as you go up-market, you do see exceptions with contemporary lines as well - but I get your point that it's common to see 7/7 or 3/4.  The 7/7 is simple in that weekend embarkations make sense for guests who can use the leading Sat or training Sun (as the case may be) to go to or from the port of embarkation, plus I'd wager it's probably an easier psychological "sell" for folks to take a seven night sailing requiring just five days of vacation across a calendar week.
    The 3/4 pattern allows lines to offer weekend sailings (appealing to those local to the port for sure) as well as four nighters in between for those who aren't concerned with vacation time.  Even in cases where the net of the 3/4 night revenue is less than some of that lines seven night sailings, it may be that the line doesn't think the demand is there for that particular ship running seven nights, plus, not everyone is looking to sail for that long - so it becomes an alternative offering for those who may not have otherwise sailed.  This is especially true of first timers who may be apprehensive about longer cruises.  In fact, that's why you saw RCI put so much money into Mariner, so they could offer a great experience on those shorter sailings and lure first timers in.
    For the sake of mentioning some "regular" exceptions in the contemporary space, and sticking with the Caribbean (obviously sailings out of the NE and in the Med are a different ballgame), Carnival Conquest alternates b/w six and eight night sailings (eight nights allows them to get to the ABCs), and Independence of the Seas is operating four and five night sailings, and Navigator often sails nine nights to get to the ABCs.  
    Interestingly, there was one ship that used to occasionally sail seven night sailings from South Florida and visit the Southern Caribbean: Cunard's QE2.  Her service speed was 28.5 knots, compared to Navigator's service speed of 22 knots.  QE2 top speed?  34 knots, or 39MPH.  She was the only passenger ship capable of those speeds that regularly visited the Caribbean.
  18. Like
    monorailmedic reacted to JLMoran in Drink Prices ??   
    All cocktails are pretty much locked at $12 for non-Quantum / Oasis class ships, and $13 on Quantum and Oasis class. By default, that will get you the "well brand" of whatever alcohol the drink takes, but most of the time you can ask for a better brand and you won't get an upcharge. For example, I always ask for a reposado tequila (Patron Silver, 1800, etc.) when I get a margarita, and it's the same $12 / $13 as if I just got low-end Jose Cuervo. If Vodka is your spirit of choice, you can get Grey Goose for the same price as Smirnoff. Even venues like Boleros that may use a really premium liquor in their specialty cocktails still charge the same price.
    The only time you'll find the price go above that if you ask for a shot of some super-premium liquor, like some of the high end whiskeys that @monorailmedic is known to sip. IIRC, the bartender will always tell you up front what the price will be for those situations, so you shouldn't get any nasty surprises.
    The drink of the day is typically priced below $12, unless it comes in some kind of souvenir cup or a hollowed out pineapple; then you'll be looking at an up-charge unless you explicitly ask to have it served in a regular glass.
    Wines, like @jticarruthers said, are all over the map; but you can expect that any halfway decent wine (bearing in mind that I'm a bit of a wine snob, so my definition of "halfway decent" may be very different from yours) will be at least $12 or $13 a glass, and often a few dollars more; once you get to more high-end wines (which are well out of my price range), you're looking at  $30+ per glass. If you have the drink package, you'll just pay the overage on your Sea Pass card. I'll say that if you're a wine drinker, and you're on a Freedom class or smaller ship, Vintages will have your best selection of wines that fall within the price of the drink package, or just a couple of dollars over. I found on Anthem that Vintages had nothing that was at or below the drink package limit, and only a few offerings that were less than $20 a glass.
     
  19. Like
    monorailmedic reacted to JLMoran in When is your next Celebrity/Azamara Cruise?   
    Listen to the latest two episodes of the Cruise Habit podcast -- that gives their full review. ? 
  20. Like
    monorailmedic reacted to michelle in Shameless Plug Time: Check out our Celebrity Edge Live Blog   
    Was just on Celebrity Edge myself and loved the ship - the Entertainment was a little |edgy| as they wanted it to be
    But overall I really liked the ship and the décor, cabins etc.  Royal Caribbean still has better artwork in my
    opinion but the Main Showroom entertainment was much better than I expected
  21. Love
    monorailmedic got a reaction from Marc Van Niekerk in Shameless Plug Time: Check out our Celebrity Edge Live Blog   
    Hey Everyone!
    We're on Celebrity Edge for a three night preview cruise ahead of our seven night sailing in January.  Follow the live blog at the below link, and of course look for loads of pics on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.  I'll answer questions as quickly as I can.
    Spoiler: This ship really lives up to the hype.  Not perfect, but truly impressive.
    https://www.cruisehabit.com/tags/celebrity-edge-live-blog
  22. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from WAAAYTOOO in Upcoming Celebrity Cruises   
    We just got back yesterday from a three night preview sailing but we're back on in 34 days for the Jan 13, 7 night Eastern.  It's going to be nice to have more time onboard not feeling rushed to see and do it all.
  23. Like
    monorailmedic reacted to Oliver in Shameless Plug Time: Check out our Celebrity Edge Live Blog   
    I’ll be watching. Looks like a great ship.
  24. Like
    monorailmedic reacted to JLMoran in Shameless Plug Time: Check out our Celebrity Edge Live Blog   
    Or if you want to catch everything from CruiseHabit.com, and you happen to use an RSS reader like NetNewsWire, Reeder, etc. (possibly including news aggregators like Apple News and Flipboard), you can subscribe to the site's RSS feed and not only get their review of Edge, but every new article they post as it comes out! ? 
    From your RSS reader, just create a new feed subscription, and enter https://www.cruisehabit.com as the site URL. The reader app will figure it out on its own and then you'll have another source of cruise news and trivia in your news feed. And who doesn't need more cruise-related news and trivia? ?
    Pro tip -- do the same for this site, so you get all the updates from @Matt as they get posted to the main blog feed. You'll still have to come here for the message boards, but at least you can keep your browser window on that page and let the reader get the news.
  25. Like
    monorailmedic got a reaction from Sweety in Shameless Plug Time: Check out our Celebrity Edge Live Blog   
    Hey Everyone!
    We're on Celebrity Edge for a three night preview cruise ahead of our seven night sailing in January.  Follow the live blog at the below link, and of course look for loads of pics on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.  I'll answer questions as quickly as I can.
    Spoiler: This ship really lives up to the hype.  Not perfect, but truly impressive.
    https://www.cruisehabit.com/tags/celebrity-edge-live-blog
×
×
  • Create New...