Sailor_to_Cruiser

Even if you are able to bring up a menu on the TV to change the input, (I have done this) they have disabled the HDMI ports on the TV's on MOST of their ships. Oasis, and Brilliance have them disabled, but I found that on Vision I was able to connect a tablet and it worked. (disclaimer: I have never been on Navigator so I don't know how the HDMI ports are on them)

Go to the Loyalty Ambassador's desk and ask. They will gladly give you one. That's what I did when I became platinum.

I have never had to give a reason to remove gratuities. They just ask "you're going to pay them personally?" which I just agree to. (which I do by the way). Its just easier for me to budget this way.

I just think it is a CRUISING thing. We all do it, even if you try to deny it.

That room, from the UK site is showing GBP£1884 for stateroom 9292. At $1.27/GBP that is USD$2393. I have mentioned this discrepancy in prices before. I have toy'd with the thought of having someone in the US book a cruise for me to save some money. On the other side of it, European cruises seem to be the same or cheaper on the UK site than the US site. Who knows how RCCL comes up with their pricing plans?

Odd tan lines you would get with these.

I have not had any price changes on any of my cruises due to Brexit, or exchange rates, or anything. Did you transfer your booking to a TA or just using RCCL? (This is one good reason to use a TA). The price you got from the Next Cruise desk should be the price you have to pay. Your original paperwork is your contract to pay. I do not see how they can change prices in mid contract. (they are not mobile phone companies after all). Phone RCCL and ask. Tell them you had agreed on a price X months ago and don't understand why it has changed. Don't be too hasty to cancel, unless you re-book another cruise so as to not loose your deposit. Are you sure that the 700 is in GBP and not USD?

So. . . The exchange rate from USD to GBP went up $0.03 per GBP. That is a 3% raise in the last 12 hours. Looking at the Cruise Planner, my prices for drinks and voom are the same as they were yesterday, rather than reflecting the 3% change. That means if I was to buy right now, I would give Royal Caribbean an extra $23.46. Multiply that times the number of British passengers, (and there are probably quite a few of them given it is an European cruise), That adds up to a ton of extra cash for RCCL. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for the photos. They are really helpfull with making our decisions.

We are booked on Symphony maiden voyage April 21, 2018 from Barcelona. We now want to add my wife's parents to the trip, but her father is disabled and in need of wheel-chair access. So I reach out to the knowledgable Royal Caribbean Blog folks to gain from their universal knowledge on all things cruising: 1:) Are they charging extra for the accessable stateroom over a normal stateroom of the same category? 2:) How is the room in the stateroom around the foot of the bed and such for wheelchair movement? 3:) He is a big guy. . . Is the roll-in shower large enough for him to sit in a shower seat for bathing? 4:) The itinerary includes Msarsaille France, Pisa, Rome, Naples, and Palma de Mallorca. How awful are the cobbles on the streets? I know you can find streets that are not cobbled, but is it going to detract from the joy of visiting these cities? Any and all information I can gain from your wisdom and experience is greately appreciated and will be accepted with the utmost of attention. (enough of the sucking-up now. Just help me please)

How about the ones that get off the elevator and stand right in the door to figure out where they want to go? Blocking the way for anyone else to get on or get off. I think it is primarily due to the conglomeration of different nationalities with different traditions and ways of doing things. Like an American going to the UK. In the US we drive and walk on the right, in the UK they drive and walk on the left. Leads to a lot of bumping into others. (and then there are the rude ones from certain nations (not gonna mention any in particular here.))

My complaint is when an elevator shows up, and you have to walk to the other end of the lobby to get it, someone onboard presses the close doors button as soon as the doors open so you have no chance to catch it. Once again, not following good elevator etiquette.

My last two non-Caribbean cruises did not show this either. It says "special offer" but I don't see it. I'll keep you posted.

Here is an appropriately censored screenshot

So, I have booked a cruise on Symphony's very first sailing out of Barcelona on April 21st 2018 (wish it was 2017). Looking at drinks packages, when I put it into my shopping cart, it says "Deluxe Package Special Offer Non Caribbean". I know that I am not sailing in the Caribbean, so what else does this mean? Are prices going to be different just because its an European cruise? (Of course they are. I just had that thought after I wrote that. It makes perfect sense, but why do they need to differentiate it on the purchase?)

Symphony of the Seas is now available to add to your cruise planner. Time to start buying. Talk about excited!!!

How about free room service? Maybe they could "add" that feature to their cruises.

On our Formal Nights, I wore a long sleeved, button up 'dress' shirt, no tie and dress trousers, my wife wore a knee length cocktail dress. No one batted an eye at us. 8 days left - I'll bet you're excited. Enjoy your cruise. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Looking at the attached photo, the 230v socket is 2 prongs, but the metal bit at the bottom of the socket (one at the top also) is actually the grounding "plug".

I broke down and booked the inaugural cruise on Symphony for 21 April 2018. Gotta fly to Barcelona for it but hey - It's a Cruise! When I try to go into the "My Cruises", Symphony isn't even listed so I cannot yet add my reservation to get a countdown. Google tells me that I have 404 days to wait. Excited is not the word for it.

Your wife can use her BOGO offers, but if you get the drinks package, it supersedes any C&A offers. She cannot use yours. I guess you just loose them.

Disembarkation by us was at about 8:45. I think they want everyone off by 10:30. They have to clean and re-stock before the next passengers come on so they want everyone off pretty quick. I only took one excursion during the cruise. (Havent covered it yet in the live blog). I took the Dune Dinner Safari in Dubai. I would recommend it. Take a camera, do not wear tennis shoes (sandals are better) and do not sit in the very back of the 4x4. A great night though. In Abu Dhabi, go to the mosque. It is quite breathtaking. It can be done without an excursion. Taxi should cost about $20 USD. The distance to the cities varies by port. If you look at the Cruise Compasses for this cruise I have submitted to this blog site, they include the port information guides for each port. That can give you some idea of what to expect. If you would like you can give me your e-mail and I can send you them so you can print them out. Enjoy your cruise.

The attached are the benefits they dont tell you about until you are onboard. Gold Member Benefits.pdf

So, what you are saying is that the time that was to be spent in the UK market is being used for completion instead? I kind of assumed that the UK press did it to us with Harmony reports. I guess I cannot fault RC for that. I'd kind of do the same.

I guess I'll have to keep my eyes on their website.