DaveWithHat

The test kits may still be valid even if the date on the box indicates otherwise. You should check with the manufacturer of the kit as they will likely have revised expiration dates based on the serial number of the kit. 

Having extra kits is wise as we had one kit where the reagent bottle was empty.

Thanks for the feedback! We are looking forward to our first group cruise. It is also our first cruise out of Boston which we will be able to drive to instead of fly to! Oh and another first is that this will be our first cruise at the Diamond level!

My wife and I have signed up for our first Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise (Oct 2020). I know it is a long way off but we were already looking at excursion options and other activities. We know that the group cruises will sometime feature activities that are exclusive for the group. We are curious to know if any of these are known in advance so that we minimize the chance that we will book something else at the same time.

Book a second cruise out of Honolulu! 

I think the photo packages are by room. Our kids are older and stay in separate rooms and we only see them in our package if they are in the photo with us. 

In regards to the overall pricing it seems very high so we rarely buy any photos. I suspect there are many people who feels the same. I assume the RCCL team has done the pricing analysis to show that the high prices make them more money but I still cannot help feeling that if they made the prices more reasonable that more people would buy and they would make more in volume. 

I run a lot of road races where photographers take pictures of runners. They used to have the same concept regarding prices where they charged a lot photos. The newer model seems to be let the runners have free access to digital versions of the photos at a quality level that is suitable for posting online (Facebook, Instagram etc) but not good enough for printing. They also typically include the company logo in the photo so that when people post the photos they are getting free advertising. I think this would be a big win for RCCL.

We have had similar experiences with our TA where we are more aware of price changes than our TA even though we do not check every day. Also I think we have been on more sailings and listened to more of Matt's podcasts than our TA so from a general knowledge perspective there are times when I feel we know more about RCCL than our TA. Matt is always promoting TAs but I feel he gets exceptional service in part due to the number of cruises he goes on and because he promotes them so much. 

2 hours ago, CGTLH said:

Correct you get points based on the land tour and cruise. In my case I had booked the "8B" cruisetour on Radiance (13 nights) and was in a suite for the cruise part.

Total points earned was 26, 13 points for each night and an extra 13 points for staying in a suite for the cruise.

Thank you for the response. For the land tour portion of your trip were there any additional benefits as a suite guest? 

How many points do you get if you book a 7 day cruise to Alaska and a 5 day land cruise, 7 or 12? What if you book a suite for the cruise portion?

For ships that utilize Wowbands for room access is getting a card for accessing multiple staterooms an option?

I no longer see two options for internet access on my upcoming cruises. I am only seeing the Surf & Stream option and not the surf only option. The Surf & Stream Voom option is currently priced for my cruises at $11.99/day (30% off sale). I do not need the stream option and would prefer a 30% off the surf only prices. The last significant posting I could find on the topic was from the blog entry for Feb 7, 2017 titled "Guide to Royal Caribbean Voom WiFi Internet prices and tips" where the pricing and options were as follows:

• Surf & Stream Voom
  • 1 device: $17.99 per day, per device
  • 2 devices: $15.99 per day, per device
  • 4 devices: $13.99 per day, per device
  • Single Day Pass: $27.99 per day, per device
• Surf
  • 1 device: $12.99 per day, per device
  • 2 devices: $11.99 per day, per device
  • 4 devices: $9.99 per day, per device
  • Single Day Pass: $19.99 per day, per device

Does anyone know if they have consolidated their internet plans?

I had not considered that all passengers would have to exit the ship. That makes a lot more sense. Thanks for the reply!

I searched the blogs to see if this question has already been asked and answered but searching on "embarkation" and similar terms came up with many unrelated results so I apologize if I am repeating.

I see that Symphony of the Seas has the following two cruises:

Aug 2, 2018; Aug 9, 2018; Aug 16, 2018; Aug 23, 2018; Aug 30, 2018

It seems that the way these cruises overlap that some passengers will embark on Symphony on Aug 5th in Spain while others will embark on Aug 9 in Italy. The itineraries visit the same ports so If I am interpreting this correctly, the Aug 5th passengers may get off the ship on Aug 9th in Italy for an excursion day while others are embarking on day 1 of their cruise.

This seems very interesting from a logistics perspective.

1) Am I interpreting this correctly with passengers embarking on different days?

2) What happens if someone is supposed does not get off the ship at the end of their cruise? I get that their sea pass card will be de-activated but what if they went to the pool deck grabbed a chair and napped for the day? Is there a scenario where the crew would be frantically searching for passengers who have remained on board? 

3) Is this a new way to schedule cruises? It seems that it might sense in that the crew only has to move half as many bags etc since only half the ship may be getting off at either port. It adds a new dimension to shopping for a cruise if you are looking for the cheapest flight options or if you desire to spend a few days in a city before/after your cruise.

I am very curious to know how this works logistically.

Dave

Thanks for the feedback!

I am trying to compare the cost/value of a cruisetour vs booking just the cruise and planning my own land vacation. For comparison I am simply using interior stateroom pricing from 2016/17 RCCL printed tourbook.

The 7 night Seward to Vancouver interior cabin cruise prices start at $1119

The 7B Cruisetour featuring a 6 night land tour prior to the cruise has prices starting at $2602 adding $1,483 over the cruise only price. This is $247/night compared to the cruise portion of $160/night.

Considering that we will be traveling as a couple the nightly land tour portion is ~$500/night. I recognize the price includes transportation and travel guide as well as the convenience of having the trip planned and managed by someone else (a very big convenience)

One other dimension to this is that we may be traveling with children/spouses and and possibly some other couples (13-20 adults total). One view of this is that we could plan our own land tour (lodging, guide, transportation) getting a more tailored trip (and possibly save costs?) and the other view is that we would struggle to put together a plan that suits everyone.

I am assuming there is not much to be saved by planning the land tour ourselves and that there is a higher risk of having an unpleasant experience but we are interested in what others have experienced.

Dave

The US has good resources for travelers at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/

They also provide links to travel clinics where you can get additional advice and info.

Thanks for all the good feedback. I am wondering about meals on the land tour portion. If I would like to go up a few notches from Chef Boy-Ar-Dee at $4.50/can what should I budget? I know this is difficult to answer since expectations and tastes vary widely but assume that we would normally be fine with a typical hotel continental breakfast, simple sandwich type lunch and sit-down evening meal comparable to a chain restaurant or pub. Any guidance is appreciated.

In regards to traveling on airlines with a CPAP machine: While most airlines will state that as a medical device it does not count as part of your carry-on allowance, you will often find that once overhead bins are full you will not get much sympathy from the airline staff. I try to pack with the expectation that the only space I am guaranteed is the under-seat storage so I pack my CPAP & laptop in a single backback. My other bag will include items that are more easily replaced in the event that I have to check it in as I board the plane. 

I was not aware of the option to request an extension cord & distilled water and plan to request this for my next cruise.

We are getting ready to book our first Alaska cruise-tour and would like readers insights on the land-tour portion costs. Our expectations are that the excursion costs will be comparable to excursions costs for typical cruise excursions but the we will also have to budget for meals as well. What options are available? What can I expect on the train portions of the land cruise? Are there any good resources that can provide guidance here?