DunkelBierJay

I found value with this card on Empress. I did not find value with it on Brilliance. Those are the two ships I used it on.

Empress -- has an AMAZING coffee bar -- just awesome -- features all the regular drinks plus a great set of Cuban selections

Brilliance -- Cafe Latitudes was just ok, and they really enforced the one punch per shot rule. Not the best value in my view.

Upcoming sailing on Allure -- I am not going to bother...Royal's complimentary regular drip coffee is really good, and if you mix in the free soft serve ice cream from the Windjammer or the pool deck, you have a better drink in my opinion at no charge (I have done that on other ships)

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I didn't even know they had Sixt in the US.  I have seen it in Europe a lot but never here. 

Yes, they’re expanding in the US quite rapidly. They are in a lot of major locations and in several across Florida. I enjoyed using their app so far. Apparently, all you need for check-in is your phone, and it unlocks your car, and you’re good to go. I have a Mercedes CLA reserved for about $78/day. If I live blog, I’m sure I’ll write about the experience with this company. 

Just now, jurrjurr said:

Where are you renting the car from?  Most rental car companies have complimentary shuttles to the port.  I usually rent from FLL and drop off at their closest location to the port.  I would recommend calling to see if they provide a shuttle or if you can change drop-off location. 

I am testing out Sixt which is off sight at FLL -- I have seen mixed reviews about them, but I want to decide for myself -- they don't have a shuttle to the port from the info I gathered so far, so the Lyft pickup would be easier than FLL (in my experience, it has been a pain). Otherwise, I usually use Hertz.

Adding to this thread...

We are sailing out of Port Everglades on Allure, and here is my plan...I am looking for critiques or better options:

1. Arriving in FLL day before and renting a car

2. Staying at a Spring Hill Suites in Dania Beach about ten minutes from the port -- will be at Dr Von D Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park on the day before to watch Harmony sail away and to verify that it is really Billy or a hologram every week

3. Embarkation Day -- 9:30 am I make an advance trip in the rental to the port to drop off all luggage. Return to FLL to drop off rental.

Option 1 -- Lyft to hotel to get fam. Approx 10:30 am use hotel shuttle or Lyft if shuttle not available to arrive at port by 11 ish.

Option 2 -- Lyft back to port to meet fam and check-in

Thoughts, critiques?

23 minutes ago, Matt said:

Who is "James"? Doesn't RC know your name is Jay???

Jay assumed James' identity from pre-school on in a grave conspiracy about the letter M on chalkboards...

30 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

So which ships are using this Royal App? I know Symphony is, and Allure? Any others?

Here you go...

So, this showed up on my Royal app for my Allure sailing after checking in...

must be “frictionless”

20 hours ago, Pooch said:

I don’t know which “middle aged entitled people” you know but this middle aged entitled person and her husband worked for 40 years, raised & educated 2 millenials and aid in the care of 4 grandchildren.  I assure you no one waits hand and foot on me!  So yes,  I deserve a little entitlement.  Maybe when you are my age, you’ll understand how “entitled” your comments sound.

Well written. I very much appreciate this response. I bit my lip hard on it and chose not to express what I was thinking which was best left unshared.

3 hours ago, Matt said:

Cruise Critic reports no stops cancelled (yet) https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8564

The tone of that article is hopeful...however with Allure being 37 meters longer than Getaway, I'm sure Royal is keeping it's options open and that we won't know for sure until May 10 if/when they try to dock.

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I'm guessing Costa Maya but have no basis for this other than the proximity of this port to the others on this itin.

Costa Maya is already on the itinerary...we are headed to Maya Chan, btw. The itinerary already had four ports, so I wouldn't be surprised if it ends with two sea days.

3 hours ago, monctonguy said:

If this has been announced, surprising that Royal hasn't contacted those that have cruises with that port, or would they wait till they are onboard to tell them about the itinerary change I wonder. As really the customer has no say  or input into this anyways.

I saw on C.C. that the itinerary two weeks before mine was altered, but I only saw that they cancelled Roatan. I didn't see any alternative ports.

41 minutes ago, twangster said:

That's the $100k question.  

Another cruise line wrecks the pier and now RC has a potentially upset customer base they have to deal with and scramble to find another port in an era where there are so many ships from so many cruise lines all competing for dock space.  

And it's not even hurricane season, yet...

I’m completely gutted over this because Roatan was a big factor in picking this itinerary. A decent consolation would be San Juan if that left turn after Nassau doesn’t mess up the timeline too much in the beginning of the itinerary. Maybe it would work at the end where Roatan was placed. I wouldn’t mind Labadee, because I’ve only scratched the surface there. Other than that, I don’t think there are any ports that can accommodate Allure unless Coco Cay’s pier is complete and unoccupied. There’s got to be a lot of dominoes that are affected by this. At any rate, the liklihood of ever booking MSC is pretty much nil now. 

25 minutes ago, Lindsay said:

How do you know what other ships will be in port when you are there??  I'd like to know for my cruise in September.  Thanks!

I usually go to Crew Center:

http://crew-center.com/cozumel-mexico-cruise-schedule-january-june-2018

If this doesn't get you what you are looking for, you may be able to get some other links by googling "cruise port schedule" and the port(s) you're visiting

1 minute ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

That is exactly the reason....according to the thread.

I think I found the same article you cited. It was easy on google. Not looking good — $10 million in damage. Btw, the captain of the Armonia is Ciro Pinto. I had to trash him and MSC on Twitter. Just think of preventing the tourism dollars a ship as big as Allure brings every other week  the merchants on Roatan just be seething.

A lot of people have seen the video...if not here’s the link:

29 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I saw a thread over on the other boards about this too. It said, the Roatan Tourism Bureau reported yesterday morning that "Allure of the Seas has cancelled the rest of the season there".  They said some smaller ships can still dock but Allure cannot. A lot of discussion around what exactly and how long "the rest of the season" is. That's all I have. 

I wonder if it has anything to do with the MSC Armonia damaging the dock the other day. 

I saw on a post on Ship Mate that Allure is ceasing stops at Roatan effective in May. I have a June sailing booked and would be cruahed if this is true. Has anyone heard anything?

I have used Allianz, Travel Guard and Roam right. They are all similarly priced for comparable coverage and the process is easy for each. I have never had to use it. 

55 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

I made a mock payment yesterday, did everything except the final button push and it seemed OK, I agree with @DunkelBierJay, either call or you might try a different browser.

Also...Alvaro, if you haven't cleared cookies in a while, that may have an impact.

21 minutes ago, Alvaro said:

I have been unable to make payments for my cruise which is in september, I never had this problems with the old website, just the new one. I keep getting a connection error message or a There Was An Error Processing Your Payment, Please Try Again Later message.

Sounds like it's time to give their customer service a call and make it over the phone

I understand that Central Park Balcony bookings on Allure get you a Giovanni's or other specialty restaurant lunch perk for 2 per stateroom. Does anyone know if this is available on embarkation day with the SeaPass card? Are SeaPass cards issued at check-in, or are they placed in staterooms?

I’ve been on Freedom and LOVED it! I am booked on Allure in June (made final payment yesterday) on a port intensive itinerary and am choosing to stay on the ship in Cozumel because I have been there a couple times...after my trip to the famous blue food truck (for tortas and tacos) and some cheap beer, I will return to the ship for the day. I recognize that the two ships offer two different experiences, and it will end up being a matter of preference. 

It looks like the death grip issue is cured...now for all those meteors pelting the back of the case...

23 hours ago, diesel2512 said:

We are staying in two balcony rooms, which is another thing that bothered me. We have 5 kids. They said they didn't have any rooms on the Allure,  side by side with a conjoining door, that could sleep 4 and 4, or even 3 and 4. Not just not available, but it doesn't exist??????? We had to book a room for 2 and a room for 4. As you can see, the math doesn't add up but he said my three year old can sleep in a pack and play. Ok so that's not going to happen. So I guess we will have to share a bed with our 3 year old for the week, not optimal!!!

This is an area where a good travel agent can help a lot. They may simply be booked up by now. From time to time things open up, and a travel agent can help with that.

23 hours ago, diesel2512 said:

We requested 5:30pm dining and were told it's waitlisted....it's 6 months out from the cruise....he also told me they just do that sometimes to dissuade people from booking early dining???

What they said on the phone is strange...One strategy is to take them to the Windjammer for their dinner and do a late seating with your spouse while your kids are in Adventure Ocean. You may be able to get it nailed down as you get closer, and you can always request it when you board. Just see the head waiter in the dining room.

23 hours ago, diesel2512 said:

I have read,( loosely quoting here) "If you cruise for the food, don't book RC; If you cruise for the entertainment, book RC." So how bad, truly bad, is the food in the main dining rooms? I thought this cruise was such a great deal $$$ but if we have to book speciality dining every night because the food is so terrible I would be looking at a $1,000 extra bump or more.

I have found the food and service in the MDR on my sailings to be really good. Don't believe everything you read -- the comparison may not be apples to apples. There may be some nights when the menu isn't exactly what you like... Feel free to try more than one entree, for example. It's really a matter of what you like. Royal is in the process of changing their menu fleetwide. I recommend going to the home page of this site and searching "menu" to see recent posts about it. You can make a Royal Caribbean cruise "all inclusive" and not buy anything on board and have a great experience.

23 hours ago, diesel2512 said:

 Do you buy the dining packages (like the ultimate for 168) for your kids 12 and under, or just add each kid as you go when you arrive? Is this package really worth it?

The dining package is a great deal compared to on board prices.

23 hours ago, diesel2512 said:

People say the buffet (I am understanding this is the Windjammer) is a hot mess and to avoid it at all costs. We are early risers (6-7am), would we be able to miss the crowds in the morning if we go there? 

I think my felling overwhelmed is because the DCL ships are so small and people obsessively record their trips. There is no guesswork. I can plan our entire vacation from my computer, day by day, meal by meal because everything is online from previous cruisers. I've struggled to figure out what the main dining even serves on the Allure! I can't find a menu for main dining!!

 If you are an early riser, I wouldn't worry about it. On embarkation day check out Park Cafe or the Solarium Bistro for your first meal instead of the Windjammer...the majority of people are just finding their way around, and it can be a little flustering especially herding little ones around. My plan is to go to Giovanni's for lunch when we board in June. It will cost a little, but it will be less crowded than the Windjammer. By the time we are done eating, our cabins will be ready. We have adjoining Central Park balconies with a max of 2 in one and 4 in the other (there may be something to what you wrote earlier about what's available on your sailing).

23 hours ago, diesel2512 said:

1. My 3 year old cannot have milk, do they offer Almond or Soy milk complementary or at all? 2. Can you skip main dining and eat dinner at the Windjammer if you come in late from port or just don't have the energy?3. Can I transfer my resi to a Travel agent at this time? Which travel agency do you recommend?

1. Check with the staff at one of the beverage stations in the Windjammer or Cafe Promenade. They can hook you up.

2. Absolutely! There are lots of complimentary options!

3. If you booked less than 60 days ago, you can transfer to a travel agent. There is an online form on this site's main page to a travel agency that sponsors it, MEI Travel. Pretty much all of us who have been on a group cruise have used them and they are courteous, professional and quick to respond. I have used them for other sailings as well. My agent pulled a rabbit out of a hat a couple times when I didn't expect it. His name is Brock, but I have heard good things about the others too!

4 hours ago, rjac said:

Good luck with that! I tried that yesterday, I felt sorry for the young man I spoke with. He was absolutely clueless. It's a shame that Royal is subjecting their customer service personnel to this kind of abuse!

I figured that would be the case for them, so I kept playing with the website, and was able to log in to my cruise planner from the home page. It prompted a login after I clicked on excursions. I couldn't get there logging in first. I printed My Calendar so I have a printed record of what I purchased in one place.

18 hours ago, rjac said:

So, has anyone called Royal to see what they're going to do about this mess? I tried and the young man I spoke with was absolutely no help at all. 

I tweeted at them requesting a timeline, and they just said to call their toll free number.

I was able to get to the cruise planner from the main login page, but it looks like you have to start from scratch probably because everything has not been moved over. I wish I had screenshots of my calendar for my next cruise. At least I have my email confirmations. Does anyone have fear that previously made reservations will disappear?