DunkelBierJay

16 minutes ago, twangster said:

I always take my own bags off using self-assist but I do see people every cruise trying to do that with families including small children or elderly seniors where they are clearly struggling with their own luggage.  Some parties would be best to relax and allow the luggage process to work rather than pushing some folks in their group beyond their capabilities.  

In my case I had a 6:30pm flight and originally thought I'd have it sit at the airport all day.  When we finally started to debark there was a mass of people jamming the queues including people who didn't have luggage and I knew there luggage wasn't ready yet.  This did slow me down but those people were not getting in ride-share because their luggage wasn't ready yet.  I had a minor wait for a ride-share and I just made my 6:30pm flight arriving at the gate a minute before it started boarding.   Other people had already missed flights so they weren't in a hurry to hail a ride-share as they had a hotel stay before flying home the next day.  I didn't find it all that bad except for the queues on the ship to scan off one last time.  

Thanks. That give me a picture of what to expect if this happens next week. Our flight is at 5:45 pm, and it sounds like with self-assist and getting off in the first groups, you can express yourself to the ride share area. Now, I am wondering if we have to deal with another room night and whether our insurance will cover it. Checking with TA now.

24 minutes ago, USFFrank said:

In-port time at 2:40PM? I know that late is rare, but Ouch! And they say, don't book a flight out after your cruise till after 12:00PM. You would be lucky if you made a 4:30PM flight out today from TPA.

Agree...I think the terminal will be chaos with people scrambling to get out of there. I am following #serenadeoftheseas on Instagram, and someone posted a pic where it is totally socked in...they updated their comments a few minutes ago, and nothing has changed. If we embark today, it will be late this evening. Right now, I don't see it happening because the forecast has fog all day off the coast...if we embark tomorrow, I am checking insurance to see if it will cover an extra room night and am hoping for some OBC as the itinerary changes.

26 minutes ago, twangster said:

I've been on a fog delayed cruise arriving back into Tampa.

On board they asked us to vacate our cabins so they could be cleaned and readied for the next guests.

Departing the ship there was some chaos as people get antsy and want off the ship so they stop listening to crew and become a mob.

The problem with Tampa is that's a small cruise terminal.  They really need people to stay on board until luggage numbers are called because there isn't room in the terminal to stand around if your bags aren't offloaded yet.  Mob mentality and get-me-off-the-ship kicks in and people debark before their luggage numbers are called.  They have to leave the terminal and come back later for luggage which becomes a cluster since CBP requires you to have all your luggage when going through the customs process.  

Expect groups of people standing around outside the terminal having not listened and now having to wait until they can go back to get their luggage.

Do you recommend self debarkation and not leaving bags out the night before? What's it like getting an Uber/Lyft to the airport with all that going on?

I wish I thought of checking his twitter, thanks! In the meantime, I received an update from Royal that more info will be released at 11 am.

I extended check-out by an hour and a half and will go find some serenity for breakfast rather than the chaos of the Embassy Suites lobby restaurant and go with the flow.

I would love to drop bags with the porters at the regular time, but don't know how this affects their schedule or if we will even be able to do it. Any thoughts, recommendations on minimizing terminal chaos??

We are embarking on Serenade out of Tampa today. The port was socked in this morning, and as I did my morning walk, I went by the terminal and realized the ship may be delayed in disembarking the current cruise (she was not docked). So, I looked up Serenade on Marine Traffic which their AIS positioning feeds into, and she was stopped outside of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge about 40 nm from the port. It was a couple hours ago, and I realized she wasn't going to be in port until later. As I write this, she is not moving, but Marine Traffic later updated with an in-port time of 2:40 pm. Concurrently, I received a text not mentioning the fog delay, but saying check-in on time. So, that's what we will do, and I have a plan for hanging out at a waterfront cafe if we can instead of the terminal...probably the Columbia Cafe.

My question is...if you have experienced this yourself, what kind of chaos does this generate in the terminal? My experience at terminal 6 is that they are efficient, but have been prone to delays. What have you done in this case, and what would you recommend? Another is...given the delay, how long will it take for the ship to clear customs typically in order to start boarding.

This post is for my mental well being and to kill time before getting on board...or, knowing when we will get on board...thanks for reading/commenting

A travel agent is always recommended. This site has a great one as a sponsor. MEI Travel has a link on the main page. You can pay how you like. Most people put down the deposit and have their travel agent make regular payments until the final payment date 90 days before sailing.

A lot of people recommend Quantum or Oasis Class as a first cruise...the variables are itinerary, port of departure, class of ship, cost, type of stateroom....etc.

My first cruise was on a Vision Class ship, so it is different strokes for different folks.

So the deck plans show a monstrosity of a Hooked Seafood on the port side of the Aqua Dome and nothing is listed on the starboard side which shows a very large food venue. Any guesses about what it will be? A giant Mason Jar?

https://www.planetcruise.com/en/icon-of-the-seas/deck-plans#deck-plans

Curious...when is that sailing, and how did you run the pricing?...I did a dummy booking for Indy 3 nighters through April 2023 and chose to pick the room, did the adder for mid-ships and came out with a total of $912.76 total for two people.

My thought is it depends on whether there is more than one Royal ship in port on a given day. I think the larger ship prevails for the new terminal if there are two ships.

It's part of the terms you agree to when booking. If it is a non-refundable deposit, that's on the customer and not the cruise line. They incur a cost to deal with you whether you go through with the cruise or not if you engage them. They should have a way to offset the labor and infrastructure to deal with the public who don't end up using them.

• About 45 days prior to sailing I'll be able to check in and I should do that attempting to get the earliest slot possible. -- Yes, obsessive people like me open the app at 12:00:01 in the timezone of the embarkation port and check in. Pretty much guarantees an early slot.
• On Embarkation day we're going to be driving into Port of Miami.  I expect that I can park there and the walk from car to terminal is not far.  Is that right?  Are we talking 100 yards, half mile?  The garage is right next to the terminal and parking and walking is short and easy.
• Then going to the terminal will I see porters outside?  When I do, I give them my luggage (and tips of course) and they send it on toward the cruise.
  • Is there generally a line for porters? If there is any kind of a wait, it will be short...no problem here.
  • In videos I've seen some really long lines outside the terminal.  Any idea what I'm seeing there? Not sure about the context...this has not been my experience.
• Then, after porter, I enter the terminal and get in line for security.  There my carry on's will be x-rayed and someone will review our paperwork. Most likely, someone will screen you for vax documentation, test, set sail pass and maybe passport before entering the building. Have hard copies at the ready...this will make it go quickly.
• After that, we go to a holding area until we are called to board the ship. After entering the building, you go up the escalator and then to security...it goes smoothly and quickly.
• Then we board and I should connect to wifi and book shows right away. Most likely, with the new check in procedure, etc, you wont wait in the terminal long, if at all. You should be able to connect to the ship's wifi right upon boarding.
• Complete the muster drill in the app and then go to the muster station. Some ships have crew at muster stations at noon. If you boarded before then, go to a bar and try a drink as you watch the video on your phone.
• Expect my room to be available in the 1:30 range -- Yep
• Expect to see my luggage late afternoon. -- Yep

Boarding a ship for a cruise is nothing like the nightmare of dealing with the airport...it is a well organized, almost fun process now that is full of anticipation as the lump in your throat grows while walking on the boarding bridge staring at the monstrous ship you are about to call home for a few days.

On 7/27/2022 at 1:15 PM, Toby said:

I think the only rub we have is they don't pick us up from the hotel until 11:15 am.  Given the approx. 90 minute ride to the port (I make an assumption we will be stopping at other hotels) I need to take that into account when choosing a port check-in time window.  We are in a suite so we have do have a +/-1 hour cushion to play with.

Ah...I get that....One thing I have done that has been successful in the past is a one-way car rental. There used to be a Hertz office two minutes from the port. Currently there is a Budget office about four minutes from it...still very close, next to the Radisson. It has a shuttle to the port which could work if you don't mind waiting a few minutes. I used this company the day before and on embarkation day of my last cruise. I ended up using my Port Canaveral hotel shuttle because the wait was in the air conditioning instead of outside at Budget.

after hemming and hawing, I booked GoPort shuttle and it worked out well getting back to the airport on debarkation day. It may be slightly more difficult if you fly in the day before, but their website is easy to use.

On 7/18/2022 at 2:10 PM, Fuzzywuzzy said:

We stopped getting off the ship in Nassau due to prior unpleasant visits. That being said I have been looking at the day passes being offered by the Colonial Hilton and the new Margaritaville Resort in the event of being on a cruise that makes a piss stop in Nassau.

I did Margaritaville a couple months ago, and I am not sure it is worth the money unless you want a sort of a water park experience. I went up to a mezzanine area inside the hotel where it was quieter and had a great view (I later realized my day pass didn't work on the door) that had a bar and in infinity pool which was nice, but the bar wouldn't order food to be delivered. So, I went downstairs to get lunch to take back up, and it was mediocre and over priced. The funny thing, is that I ordered a $9 Kalik at the bar while I was looking at Junkanoo down to the left...maybe 50 feet away selling the same 3 for $10....Next time, if I get off the ship, I will pack light and just go to Junkanoo. I keep giving Nassau a chance, but it's always just yucky.

I detect no difference in the time to be served with or without the drink package. You still get the CVS sized thermal printed receipt process either way. I can't wait till these go away.

I like it loaded with horseradish

I have TSA Pre-check and haven't noticed so much of a pattern as inconsistency between airports and times of day. When I travel with my wife who does not have TSA pre-check, and I maybe added a ticket for her at a later date after mine, and I go through the pre-check line and she doesn't, I get through quicker about 60% of the time. She gets through quicker about 40% of the time. It all depends on how may pre-check buiness travellers are ahead in line.

On 7/6/2022 at 5:50 AM, 1sttimecruiserhere said:

Good morning! My husband and I are on the fence about prepaid gratuities. We have watched many videos that prepaying is a very popular choice.We have also heard from friends that they cancel gratuities and pay crew as they go. We typically leave at least 20% tips for services and I'm wondering if we end up prepaying if that actually hurts crew overall. Looking for opinions please!!

Tipping 20% is great, however, on a cruise you are tipping 20% of what? Main Dining Room is complimentary, and the stateroom attendant gets a portion of the pre-paid gratuity. I don't know what percentage. One thing that pre-paid gratuities does is cover everyone that delivers service to you and you don't have to keep track of it. Without it, would you tip the head waiter, waiter and assistant waiter? I know that I would forget to cover the head waiter because I see that person less than the others, and the contribution they make is more behind the scenes. I like practice Matt's approach above and always give an honest review in the post cruise survey. I also find that I get really good service with eye contact, a smile and good manners...I would do it anyway, because interacting with the crew on board is one of the best parts of cruising, IMO.

Really sad the OP disappeared...they could have received some reassurance that Explorer is a great ship, Amplified or not. Maybe the "refit" was an article about a dry dock dealing with the regular propulsion and standard maintenance on mechanical issues. Judging by the way the post was written, I doubt they will be doing a sky pad or water slides...

TAs are independent contractors who either hold a CLIA number and other industry certifications or work for an agency (I think almost all are 1099 contractors with them) and have been trained. Customer Service reps with Royal are trained by the cruise line and can't book outside their company's system.

Brock does a great job for me.

Flights would be covered if you book air2sea, but you lose some flexibility...personally, on a recent cruise, I couldn't use a commuter airline with Air2Sea recently because it wasn't in their system. So, I did third party insurance and booked the flight on my own saving about $300. I have found third party insurance to be close to the same cost as getting it through my TA or Royal. I also always book refundable.

pretty easy...if you don't have an easel for the phone, you can prop it up on a glass or something

Coco Beach is fun if you haven't been there. I never miss Ron Jon Surf shop when I am there. Other than that, there are three pretty good restaurants near the main RC terminal...the area is pretty much a long stretch of strip malls.

5 hours ago, bryresangel said:

The last cruise we went on, the muster station was open as soon as we boarded (we were in the 11:30 group). We literally did the online piece while waiting to board, and the VERY FIRST thing we did was go to our muster station. It was nice because it was on the same side of the ship as we boarded, near the next set of doors to get into the ship. It could not have gone any smoother!

I had that intention on my last cruise. I sailed from Port Canaveral and went to the bar at Grills, had breakfast and a beer with a view of the ship to my left and did some work. At 10:55, I paid, got up and walked next door, and was on board about twenty minutes later. I went straight to my muster station, and it was closed until noon. So, I bought a beer at Playmakers and did some work.