firegal2539

MamaKeys,

I, as well as another blog member WAAAYTOOO, had either two or three cruises cancelled. They cancelled my first on, put me on another, cancelled that one, put me on a third one and cancelled that.

Listen or read carefully about the offers the cruise line gives you. If you don't pick the two or three cruises they offer to switch you do, you can book your own or your TA can book another cruise but it will be at today's price. Your cruise that was cancelled might have been booked a year ago, which would have been less the today's price for the same cruise. You end up paying the increase cost and only get OBC for the trouble. After 3 cancelled cruises I was offered a 14 day Panama Canal, but I had to go on the date they offered and I did, a great cruise, no extra cost. I think RCCL knew after three cancellations that they had better do something amazing and they did.

Candie

What WhiteSoxFan said is correct. On the larger ships they have reservations for the shows a month or more before sailing and they book fast. I usually make my reservations online because you have to stand in line and the seating can be pretty bad. Since I am a long time cruiser, I believe in booking excursions way before the cruise, but I also like to book private excursions not offered by the ships. You have to be very careful doing this and I wouldn't recommend it for a first time cruiser. My first time in any port I usually do an excursion that introduces me to the port city and the culture, after that I venture into other excursions. BTW, the specialty restaurants offer reservations online, so if you want to book any meals at one of these restaurants, I highly advise to do it before getting onboard. On my last cruise in March on the Liberty, every specialty restaurant was booked full before we sailed and the ship was not taking any new reservations.

Candie

Monctonguy,

I do what you do. I walk the ship, at least the parts they let me into. I find where the library, internet cafe, etc. are. By the end of the first two hours I have my bearings and can pretty much find everything from there on out. I love to people watch. I usually find a window seat that over looks the Royal Promenade and watch the crazy people. It is funny to me that you can usually tell the first time cruisers right away.

Candie

WAAAYTOOO, so sorry I haven't been on the blog since this post in May. I started a new at home business and am working about 12 hours a day. I am not complaining I am loving it. The only thing is it interferes with my cruising. This year I have only taken 2 cruises and have a 14 day in October. The last two years I have taken 8 cruises per year and I am missing it. I have only booked one or two in 2019.

Anyways, the Liberty was wonderful all the way around. The casino was very nice and the finally got answers to several questions about my rank/standing in the casino and explained how to move up. There were several jackpots won in seven days.

Hopefully I will have time to get on the blog. Candie

Todd,

I just got off of the Liberty OTS last Sunday and the Connoisseur club was still there. We did not have a 70's party, don't know why but there wasn't one. I don't usually attend those kind of parties because I have to use a cane and I tend to get pushed around, banged in to and I don't want to take a chance of falling. I can't remember what they had instead. There was very little Royal Promenade stuff too, which really surprised me. I will say that this cruise, because of the ship and my cabin is probably my first or second best cruise and I have taken over 40 cruises. The only comment I had was the Cruise Director left a lot to be desired. He just didn't have the normal cruise director personality, he was quiet, very quiet.

Candie

I don't remember if the zero charges were on it, I don't think so.

My last cruise in February I went to a kiosk and printed that information myself. I got the same statement you did on the last night but I received one through email after I got home with all charges on it.

Tony, Raye, and Anyone Else,

I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with RCCL Club Royal because I am on the Liberty the first week of May and wanted to know my ranking. Of course, they couldn't tell me. What the representative did tell me is the new ranking system and what each level is called and what you get for the level. I am going to list them below. Just remember this is just one representative's information and somehow it will change with each rep you talk to.

Step 1 is called Choice and you need to get from 1 to 2,499 points on a cruise. With the Choice level you qualify for rewards certificates and point redemption.

Step 2 is called Prime and you need to get from 2,500 to 24,999 points on a cruise. With the Prime level you qualify for the Choice benefits and the convenience fee waived and free drinks in the casino.

Step 3 is called Signature and you need to get from 25,000 to 99,999 points on a cruise. With the Signature level you qualify for the Choice and Prime benefits and priority check-in and one (1) comped device for WiFi and a short comped cruise. Also the rep stated she thought there would be Signature events on the cruise.

Step 4 is called Masters and you need to get 100,000 points on a cruise. With the Masters level you qualify for the Choice, Prime and Signature benefits and two (2) comped devices for WiFi, priority seating pretty much everywhere, usually a 7 day comped cruise, special Masters only events, dining, meetups, etc.

I hope this helps and as I said it is only what one rep told me. Supposedly RCCL is suppose to email all Casino Royale members before their cruise and let them know what their level is and what they qualify for. But if they don't just go to the Casino Host/ess.

Hope this helps. Candie

I have rented all my scooters for Special Needs at Sea. It is in your room waiting for you when you board. There are some places that scooters can't go. The MDR is one. I know people will say they do but as soon as you arrive at the desk it is driven away and put at the front of the MDR because there is no room in the dining room. You are not allowed to park it in any hallway because carts and people can't get by. Some bars/lounges don't allow them. You can move all over the ship but I find some times the scooter  can be a pain to get on and off the elevators and into certain areas. Don't get me wrong I am glad I had the scooter for all of my cruises but sometimes they can cause problems. Oh, you can't take it off the ship. The crew is not allowed to help with driving it off of the ship on the gangway or helping load it on or off the ship.

Garnet21,

I have been a solo cruiser for the last 10 years and I love it. I love the meeting of new people (friends) when eating in the MDR. I have met so many people that I still keep in contact with and have even cruised with again. The only problem I have found is one cruise I was seated with a family. Everyone there was related in one way or another and I was the only oddball, so I asked the maitre'd to switch me to another table and it was perfect. I don't want to sit alone, I want to mingle and talk. My last cruise, a few weeks ago, I was the only woman with five men, that one was fun. 

Give it a try, I think you will enjoy yourself. 

I just got off the cruise from hell, Grandeur, January 2, and 250 passengers had Norovirus and 150 more had an upper respiratory infection.

I am highly allergic to hand sanitizer, too much alcohol, so I buy a special one from Amazon that costs over $14 a small bottle. Passengers sure get agitated when I don't use the sanitizer as I enter the MDR or buffet, but I can't.

While on the Grandeur I talked to a woman who noticed a couple in the buffet coughing and sneezing and covering their mouths with their hands and then getting stuff from the buffet. No joke, she took their picture with her phone and brought it down to Guest Services, showed it to someone there and asked that they find them and quarantine them for the rest of the cruise. SERIOUSLY, what would be your reaction if a crew member came up with a picture of you coughing in your hands and told you that you now needed to stay in your cabin for the rest of the cruise. I just don't believe people any more. I don't even know what my reaction would be.

Candie

You have to do the White Pass Railway in Skagway if you are stopping there. It is about 3 to 4 hours long and it is amazing. You learn so much about Alaska and the gold miners. I also did the dog sledding but it was cold and didn't enjoy it. But the coldest excursion was the helicopter to a glacier. I was a popsicle by the time I boarded the helicopter to go back.

I would definitely say you can skip the panning for gold, that was a terrible excursion and a big waste of money.

Candie

Just coming off of the Grandeur January 2 cruise, (yes that cruise) and was promised my cruise certificate before I got off in Port Canaveral. Never got and on the morning of debarkation went to Guest Services and they couldn't help. Was told that the casino staff was unavailable and to call CR, which I did. They reduced my certificate, that was originally $300 (according to the casino hostess) to $100 and was allowed to apply it to an existing cruise.

For the first time in my life I didn't want to argue with a cruise line, so I just took the $100 and used it.

Candie

Coneyraven,

The CD is Bob Leininger who is the oldest CD I have ever sailed with, he is 57. Nothing wrong with his age but not for a CD. The only time I saw him was on his TV show. He didn't attend anything else. The AD was Tornado Tanya. Bob spent most of the time on his TV show plugging his book about being a CD that is for sale on Amazon .

Candie

32 days.

 

I am sure many of you read Matt's Post Roundup of the Grandeur of the Seas problems, "Grandeur of the Seas had to go in for immediate repairs to fix an issue with her rudder earlier this week.

During a sailing, Royal Caribbean notified guests that Grandeur of the Seas was experiencing a technical issue which limits the operation of one of the two rudders used to steer the ship. As a result, the ship would be delayed in returning to Baltimore by two days.

The repairs took place on January 11, with the ship returning to Baltimore on January 13.  This caused the current sailing to be extended by two days and the next sailing to be shortened by two days."

I am not here to complain but when friends and coworkers asked me about this cruise I honestly couldn't say it was a great cruise, a good cruise or a bad cruise, it was just a cruise. I enjoyed myself somewhat with the limited things there were to do. I actually had time to read 5 novels because Royal doesn't give movies to watch in your cabin.

According to Captain Thor the rudder went out at 2 a.m. but many passengers including me, at 2 a.m. heard a very loud, long bang, the ship shook and immediately slowed down. It felt like we hit something. From that time on we limped around in the ocean. First Captain Thor was directed to take the ship to Freeport, but after turning around and heading towards Freeport for 5 hours, he was told that he wouldn't be able to work on the ship there and was told to go to Port Canaveral. Two days later we made it. I elected to get off of the ship, since it was the day we should have returned to Baltimore, and I needed to be at work the next day.

Many other things happened on this cruise. We were scheduled to go into Charleston, SC, first port, but Charleston closed the port and the only reason we docked there, three passengers were taken by ambulance to the hospital. Captain Thor asked passengers to not get off the ship since the whole city was closed down and he felt serious injury could happen if we did, but still many passengers got off to find a city totally closed. The next stop was Port Canaveral, which was having record low temperatures and all excursions that were outside, airboats, etc., were cancelled and part of Disney wasn't open. Next port was Freeport, it poured down rain, Nassau came after that and because of the weather we couldn't use tenders for CocoCay so we stayed in Nassau for two days.

Then on the way back is when the ship had it's problems. To add more misery, over 250 passengers had Norovirus and over 100 had upper respiratory infections, all were quarantined if they went to the ship's doctor. Only 2,000 passengers and 1/4 of them sick.

I don't blame Royal for any of this, Captain Thor couldn't control the weather, the ship problems, sickness, but he could control his crew and many of them were over worked, stressed, because of the illnesses on board and were very short, sharp and curt to all passengers. I understand this, but it doesn't make it correct for crew to treat passengers that way. I was one of the few passengers who tried not to go to Guest Services because there was always a line of 50 or more people and most were so upset all they did was yell at the crew working the desk. I realized how bad it was when I discovered all of the dancers and singers were working the soda machines, in the buffet clearing tables, doing washy-washy. Even the galley staff that I never see helped out at Guest Services.

Voom was mostly non-working because all passengers were trying to use it at the same time. The manager of the Internet Café tried to explain this to all but they didn't listen and still tried to get on the internet. I finally gave up after spending an hour just trying to connect to Yahoo so I could get my TA to find me a flight home and never connected.

I had a nonexistent cruise director, no passengers ever saw him, he didn't do the production shows, he didn't do the parties, the only thing I saw him do was the Love and Marriage game show and his television show. He was the worst cruise director I have ever had.

To say it was an interesting cruise, that would be correct. Again, I can't say I had a great, good or bad cruise, it was just a cruise. I truly did feel sorry for Captain Thor, he didn't deserve the passengers wrath. And sorry I guess I did complain.

Candie

I just got off of the Grandeur (called the cruise from hell) and Bob Leininger is the cruise director. He is the oldest CD I have ever had, 57, and I am not age bias since I am old as dirt but he didn't take part in anything, not the parties, M & G, shows, etc. He had zero personality and managed to talk about his book he wrote and for sale on Amazon about his life as a CD. The only time the passengers saw him was on his t.v. show. 

Anyone going on Grandeur soon you have my sympathy and hopefully everything will be fixed.

Candie

If you will go to jhrewardife.com it tells you all about the program. It is for John Hancock insurers. Yes it is legit.

Candie

Kayla,

I have to agree with you, everyone seems to stop and talk smack dab in the middle of a walkway. On my last cruise, one of the bars was in the middle of a walkway and a MDR was off on one side of the walkway. Passengers would always stop right in front of the MDR to decide if they wanted to have dinner there, go for a drink at the bar, go to a show, whatever, and there was no way you could get around them.

My last cruise I decided someone needs to write the "Guide to Elevator Etiquette on a Cruise Ship for All Ages". The whole cruise was seriously spoiled by passengers trying to get on the elevator. I had several experiences on my 10 day cruise, including the elevator was full, you couldn't have fit a toothpick in there but when we stopped on Deck 9, an elderly couple decided there was enough room for them. He put his hands on the door to stop it from closing and she tried to wiggle her 200 plus pounds into the elevator. When she did this, the elevator signaled it was over capacity and she stood in the doorway with hubby asking what that noise was. I finally looked at her and said "It tells us that the elevator is over weight capacity, which it wasn't, until you tried to cram yourself in it." I am serious, everyone on the elevator cheered me. I am sorry, but that couple was rude beyond belief and, yes, I was too, but someone needed to say something so they would get off. After almost 5 minutes, they turned around and left.

The other experience was the elevator had room for one more person and a family of 4 decided to cram in. All 4 of them had just come from the pool and were soaking wet and dripping water everywhere. The teenage boy was right up against my body, (I got to know him real well), when he got off, there was a water stain all down the front of my blouse from being pressed up against me and becoming my new best friend.

I use a cane to walk and there are people who always tell me to go before them but I won't do it because they have waited longer then I have to get on the elevator. The days of people being polite are long gone.

So, who wants to write the elevator etiquette book, you could also do proper line etiquette too! 

Candie

Believe me it is no fun to be quarantined with the NoroVirus on a ship. Enclosed in a 180 square foot room. While on Enchantment I had Noro and for 58 hours I was stuck in my room.

Also, I am allergic to all of the alcohol in the sanitizers, so I have to buy some from Amazon that are non alcoholic. I know passengers stare at me when I refuse the sanitizer. There could be reasons why I don't use it.

Candie

I have taken around 40 cruises and am heading for Diamond Plus on Royal. Can't wait to get there. I also sail on Norwegian. There is only one ship I love in their line up and it is the Escape, their newest, until Bliss come out and I am trying to book that right now. NCL seems to give a lot more to the high ranking Latitude members. I am Platinum on NCL, heading for Platinum Plus. I brought the information with me for my status on both RCL and NCL on my last Escape cruise and NCL gives more, plus they give amazing discounts for playing in the casino. Last year I got 3 free cruises from NCL.

I have sailed Princess and I am a Ruby member, heading for Diamond, but I don't like there two big ships because there are no Ocean View staterooms, Interior and then Balcony.

As other people have said, cost factors in, ports, food, etc. I find the specialty restaurants on NCL to beat RCCL hands down. My last cruise in October on RCCL was the worst meal at a steakhouse I have ever had. The steak was tasteless, asked for medium well, got it well and the sides were just luke warm. 

I planned a huge Meet & Greet on the NCL Escape cruise, over 125 passengers attending and the officers were so amazing to us. Talked for about an hour. My RCCL cruise the M&G was a flop, officers just introduced themselves and left. (Before everyone gives me flack, I know they have a job to do but what can 30 to 60 minutes to speak to the passengers do to your schedule.)

I am taking my first HAL cruise in 2018, can't wait, doing a Montreal to Fort Lauderdale repositioning and there are only amazing things said about this cruise, just can't wait. 

I have 4 RCCL cruises book for 2018 and 2019, 2 NCL and 1 HAL. I wish I could remain loyal but I find the differences intriguing on the other lines.

Candie

Bobroo,

I recently retired after 30 years with our local fire department (not a firefighter). We used the Pelican for so many things. With firemen, they act like 3 year old boys, and purposely try to destroy every thing they can get their hands on.

I would love to have one of those Pelican's now so I could do what you did.

Candie

I found this one picture of cabin 9510. It is a Superior Ocean View, I think and this is just stock photo. None for the other cabin. Candie

I have had a LUG bag for about 4 years now. It was invented by a woman who was driving back and forth from Dallas to Canada about every two months meeting with her fiance. It is an amazing bag and I use it every trip, as my carry on and in port. At least once or twice in the airport, port or ship, people stop and ask if that is a LUG. Two flight attendants had to bring theirs out to show me that they had them also. It has so many zippered compartments, it is waterproff, but it is expensive. It is called the LUG Puddle Jumper.

https://www.luglife.com/products/mini-puddle-jumper?variant=39503239441

Candie

I finally got to talk to Stephanie with MEI, so helpful, and finally I am booked on a Royal Caribbean Blog cruise. I am so excited. I get to meet the ALL KNOWING and ALL POWERFUL, MATT. I am going out to look for an autograph book tomorrow just so I will have his autograph.

WAAAYTOOO you had better sign up for this cruise so that we can finally meet and spend all our time in the casino.

Candie