DunkelBierJay

We did this exact scenario on our last cruise. There were no issues with getting an extra card from guest services so that kids can stay with kids and adults with adults. It worked out great throughout the cruise.

I recently arrived at the terminal and handed luggage to porters at 10:15 and was on the ship at 10:45

According to the Port Canaveral Instagram page, Port Canaveral was officially re-opened at 12:30 Eastern Time today! What a relief for the residents and employees that have been affected. Not to mention a favorite cruise port for many.

1. How is the wifi on Navigator? Has anybody used it since the "upgrades"?

 

I am on Navigator right now and I must say that voom is working pretty well. We had some problems during the first two days in the North Atlantic but since we are in the Mediterranian Sea it is good. I always can stream Netflix and Amazon videos and listen ti my spotify. Had some issues wirh Periscope, but now it is also working fine

 I watched Dirk's scope this morning as they sailed away from Cartagena, and the quality on my phone was slightly grainy, but overall pretty good.

You really don't need Euros until you get there. When you decide to get cash, use an ATM at a well known, established bank whether it's in an airport or not.

Just google banks for the country where you are arriving, and get some tide-me-over money there. You can always get more in whatever city center you find yourself in. 

This seems like a high stress thing going in, but rest assured, it's really not. The best exchange rate is with an ATM even considering fees, etc.

If you stumble across Mystery Dinner Theater, you might want to pre-book that if you really want to do it...or, you could probably get in on embarkation day. It is usually on the first night...

Here are some thoughts...

1. Some sailings, I believe 7 nights or longer include an option to have laundry done in the middle of the cruise. I believe the cost is $30, and your room attendant will leave a bag that you can stuff as full as you can. There are other posts about this throughout the site

2. I have not seen where this is available where I have sailed

3. Either you can Pre-pay your gratuities or have it added to your SeaPass account and you will be charged afterward. $13.50 for standard rooms and $16.50 for suites. There is no expectation to tip ,ore than this unless you would like to. I have found that bar tenders really like a little real cash. I have tipped my stateroom attendant at the beginning of the cruise if I want my cooler emptied

4. I have not been on Serenade

Does anyone recall how long the discounts stay available for bev packages, VOOM, etc on various cruises? Are they usually available up to the week before the sail date or the final payment date? I want to hold on to my money as long as I can!

I think our focus will be just to relax, see the beach, look at people,  lots of good food and probably some shopping for the girls :-)

I recommend looking closely at the various accommodations on Key Biscayne. It is 30 minutes from the cruise port with all kinds of amenities and fantastic hotels and beaches.

part of the cruise experience for me is getting to know the bartenders and talking to them. 

This is the quintessential point that this forum and Matt's blog promotes. 

In the few cruises I have been on, one of the most rewarding experiences is interacting with the crew, especially the bar tenders when they aren't slammed with drink orders.

There is no reason to try to buck the system...doing so causes you to miss out on the full experience. Frankly, I feel sorry for those who put so much energy into cheating.

When I was on Freedom in June, the Pub's menu listed Murphys Stout, and I almost jumped out of my skin with excitement. Sadly, the bartender said it hadn't been available for some time, so I was stuck with Guinness.

Has anyone actually seen Murphys on a RC ship in the US recently?

I've actually been told that changing the card you want to use isn't a big deal

It isn't. I lost the cc I booked with on the way to my last cruise, and moved it to another one with no issue upon check in. There wasn't even a delay.

So I do have proof today that they do adjust the base fare to keep the actual cost pretty consistent during sales.

This is true...I am tracking fares on a future cruise on a Voyager class ship, and here you go...as you can see, the likelihood of the fare even getting close to where I have it booked is pretty much nil. This speaks to the earlier you book, the more you save.

I searched by ship and got this...I should have looked for trans-Pacific instead of repositioning.

April 22 -- Explorer does a 22 night trans-Pacific to Seattle with the price starting at $1,634.00

April 17 -- Radiance does a 16 night trans-Pacific to Honolulu with the price starting at $1,839.50 followed by a 10 night Hawaii cruise going on to Vancouver for another $1,477 for an inside stateroom.

Who wouldn't like 26 nights on the Radiance? It looks more like Explorer would be more realistic since it has two stops in Hawaii. I assume these are the only two RC ships that re-position from Australia to North America for Alaska cruises.

After the Periscope broadcast yesterday, I looked at airfare to Sydney from Dallas and Atlanta and wow, are the fares good right now! They are only about $200 ish more than one-ways to Europe in the spring.

I then looked at the RCL website and searched repositioning, and filtered it by "Repositioning" and "Asia & Pacific" and nothing came up.

Is this better posed to a TA? I want to see if there is anything out of Sydney or Brisbane that repositions to the Seattle or Vancouver at any time.

If there's a discount available for the package on your sailing, it may be worth it to call RC UK to book it -- or just call them to book it anyway. The website may have settings specific to the US, so that may explain why you haven't been able to do it. Just a guess.

#FreeMatt

...as long as you haven't passed your final payment date on the random cruise....

Anyone know when May 2018 cruises come available, we were hoping to book onboard next week and take advantage of the nice on board discounts and "free cash".

 

Only cruise I can see at the moment is one to Hawaii, which as amazing as it looks is not that close to us in the UK.

You could probably book a random cruise while on board, and when the May 2018 itineraries are announced change your booking to the cruise you want.

Yes

With the BOGO announcement, I made a new cruise watch list. I have several transatlantics on it, but want to look further out than what is available right now. I couldn't find anything on when new deployments will be announced. Does anyone know when these will be announced next?

Click on the link below to see my goofy attempt at a Vlog...

https://youtu.be/gfmSm-_Prg8

I walked by smokers on deck 4 port side several times a couple weeks ago

I don't think you would go wrong with either. I've been to many of those places, but not concurrently on a cruise. Those itineraries are mouth watering on either ship. I love the train to Paris idea, but beware that the cost to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower may well be more than the train ticket. I paid a fortune getting my family to the top a couple years ago.

Our family of five state in a suite in the airside de Inn, just a stones throw away from the port. If you rent a car from Hertz, their shuttle is free, and it's virtually in the hotel parking lot. I attached a phot of Freedom of the Seas from my room.