firegal2539

Tdiaz, I hope you have the weather we had. Juneau was 70 degrees, sunny and the locals were just amazed as to how wonderful it was. Skagway was about 65 degrees, sunny and again the locals were amazed. Victoria was about 60 degrees and clear and partly sunny and absolutely beautiful. Captain Gjerstad was all over the ship and was absolutely customer oriented. I really liked him. I loved Graham, his adult only comedy show was hysterical. The only thing that bother me about the entertainment was all parties, 70s Disco Infusion, British Invasion, Crew Parade, and another one were held in the Royal Promenade, which means you can't walk through the Promenade, you can't go into the stores or cafes and bars because they are completely blocked. It is only about 30 to 1 hours long but still if I wanted coffee I would go to the Cafe Promenade and couldn't when all this was going on. I put a picture of the Promenade just before the show started. If the ballroom dance team of Sebastian and Amanda are still on board you have to see them. They are fantastic. The production shows were great and the ice skating shows were fantastic. Candie

iamjohnbamber, I just got off of the Explorer and Kivi was the comedian. He only had two shows and I went to see them both, even though they were the same. He was so funny, that I was still laughing about his jokes on the way to my cabin. I even wrote down a few of his jokes so I would remember them. Candie

Martin, It is my experience that there are more female solo cruisers. Sorry to say that men in general die earlier than women. Women have come out of their shell about doing things solo. I have also found out that women are scared to cruise solo. Worried about their safety, which everyone, not just solo or women cruisers, should be. Everyone should follow basic safety, don't go out of any main routes in a port. If you can book an excursion with a group, you should, don't wander off alone. It is all just common sense. Cruise Critic is a great website for all kinds of reviews. As I stated earlier, when you go to the website you can click on Community, up top, and it will take you to a page that you enter the cruise line, the ship and the month of your cruise to see if anyone has set up a Roll Call. Royal Caribbean Blog has helped me by answering questions and having suggestions before I even knew I was going to ask or know I needed that adapter, etc. Trip Advisor is another great site for reviews of things to do in port and private shore excursion companies. There are so many sites that do reviews and show pictures of cabins, decks, etc. You can Google all of them. Candie

Hi Martin, I have been a solo cruiser for about 7 or 8 years. I love it. First I would suggest finding your Roll Call for your cruise on cruise critic's website. You can join other passengers on the same cruise and talk to them for a year or longer before your cruise. At the same time sign up for the Meet and Greet that Royal will have. These are all ways of getting to know who you are sailing with. The Cruise Compass will list any solo events, there is always one before dinner time and from the event many solo cruisers go to dinner together. On Royal's website when you book a cruise it will ask you what time you want to dine and then what size table. I always pick the largest table so I can get to know people, usually very interesting conversations. For breakfast and lunch if you go to the dining room they will ask do you mind sitting with others, just say that will be fine. As Matt said, cruise ship excursions are for passengers so you will be mixed in with others. I have made several life long friends from dining with other passengers and going on a shore excursions with them. You will be surprised at how many solo travelers there are. Any more questions just ask me. Candie

I just got off of the Explorer 3 days ago. Graham was wonderful. He took part in every show, event, happening on board. His presence was known for sure. He did announce he was retiring in July but that Royal had asked him if he would be interested in filling in occasionally and he said yes. He is hoping to only fill in once or twice a year for three or four weeks at a time. To me it means Royal really values him. Candie

Doc, Great post. I wish I could say I am loyal to Royal, but I have cruised NCL, Holland, Princess and unfortunately, Carnival (I know they own Royal). Most of my future cruises, 10 of them, are on Royal but itineraries are important, so this year I have an NCL, booked it because I fell in love with the ship and wanted to try it again and a Holland America, the itinerary was so different I couldn't pass it up. If Royal would start adding different ports, I have always wanted to visit Charleston, SC and Royal does go there but from Baltimore and just not enough interesting ports. I did book a cruise in January 2018 from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale and back because it visited Charleston but am thinking of cancelling it because air is $700 round trip and I can't find a straight through flight and I refuse to pay for a hotel in Baltimore. I guess I will have to look at MSC. Candie

Bob_KY I have done over 35 cruises on various lines, but always use Royal more than any other. Since I have taken many cruises, Itinerary is important to me. I love the Caribbean but I am tired of the same old stuff over and over. I have noticed some lines are adding a few different stops which might entice me to book Caribbean again. It is kind of "Been There, Done That". Saying that, I have booked at 13 day Atlantic Coastal on another line that starts in Montreal, stops at Quebec City 2 days, Charlottetown, Halifax, Sydney, Bar Harbor, NYC, Boston, Charleston, Orlando and finally stops at Fort Lauderdale. When I saw the itinerary I immediately booked it and got an incredible deal on it. I have done a Canada/New England that was the worst cruise I have ever done and know this one will be a lot better. It is way in 2018, so I have a long time to wait. Experience is important to me, I want great, not good shore excursions, either ship generated or private, that I will remember for a life time. Price is very important, since I am a solo cruiser, I pay 150% of what other passengers pay. The ship and the cabin are important to me. I always look for odd shaped cabins that have more square footage. On board activities, sorry not interested in the Not So Newly Wed Game (I wish they would find something else to do besides this game), Bingo, no way, too expensive, Shopping talks, once you have heard one, you have heard them all, Belly Flop contest, etc. Some lines are doing new on board programs, Discoveries at Sea is one, that offer the passenger more than just bingo. It is a learning experience and I like that. Crew is important and I expect they will all be knowledgeable, considerate and helpful to me. I have taken 5 Alaskan cruises with my 6th one next week on the Explorer, this will be my last one. I love Alaska but 6 times is enough. Candie

Hi to All, Candie here. Royal got enough booked passengers to step down and take the May 19, 2017 cruise. These were all local passengers to San Francisco, so there would be no cost of air to Royal. What these passengers were offered was the May 19, 2017 cruise as opposed to the May 26, 2017 Alaskan cruise. Same ports, same everything. They were originally offered $100 OBC but finally gave $150 to each stateroom. A 50% off a future cruise, booked and taken within a year, from May 19, 2017. A free specialty meal. John, the person that I was talking to about this, said he negotiated on his own. When Royal offered $100 OBC, he told them $150 and a free specialty meal for two. Royal gave it to him. I wonder if the other passengers were smart enough to negotiate with Royal. John has only done about 150 cruises on Royal so I think they might treat him a little differently from other passengers. He and his wife are on the seas about 200 or more days a year. Thanks for all your input, still really tired of the OVER BOOKED word. Candie

I am really getting confused. According to RCCL and Matt"s posting the nonrefundable deposit is on suites and guaranteed cabins. But reading further it says it is on all bookings. So which is it? Royal"s comments were to keep the integrity of suite bookings, cancellation before final pay is why it is on suites. Royal goes on to say that travel partners (agents) pushed for this due to limited availability when trying to book. $25 is for interiors and ocean views of 5 days or less, $50 for balconies and suites. Longer cruises $50 interior and ocean view and $100 for higher. I agree with all posts but as in life a few people spoil it for others by doing 4 or 5 phantom (like that name) bookings. I have had to cancel several cruises for medical reasons and losing a deposit would really upset me. I cruise Royal and Princess and am now booked on Celebrity and Holland America. I know there are advantages to bring brand loyal but I want options and it seems to me that Royal is limiting my options. Carnival has done nonrefundable deposits for years. Maybe Royal is trying to become Carnival Junior.

That is too bad you waited over the 60 days. Just remember next time to call right away when you get home. My TA books my Casino Royal cruises. She said Royal wants the TA to handle the casino bookings. The casino rate is really discounted. Candie

Doc, The problem with this cruise is Royal was only offering the May 19th cruise, $100 OBC and a 50% certificate for a new booking taken within a year. They weren't flexible at all. My TA went into the agent portal and the May 26, June 2, 9, and 16th are closed with limited availability on the 23 cruise. If they seriously want you to give up your cabin then make an offer that will make you change. To me it isn't right for Royal to expect you to change with only 5 days before you have to leave. Just my opinion! Candie

Matt, What are you trying to tell me? Candie

There is a website called themecruisefinder.com. I don't believe it lists every ship that is chartered or has a group on it but it is a good site. I look about once a month for the cruises I have booked to see if any are now partially chartered by a group. I want to know because I was also part of the EmpressGate mess with 2 cruises cancelled. I have had 2 cruises cancelled when I sailed (notice I said when) NCL. A great travel agent really helps with that. I had a massive group on Old Time Rock and Roll on my last Royal cruise, almost 1000 passengers with a ship that had room for 3,000. They were a wonderful group but several venues were closed the whole cruise because of this group. On themecruisefinder.com just click on Browse Theme Cruises by Category, click the first category and look for your date and ship, then go to the next one. It takes a while but it really is helpful to see if your ship has a large group or is chartered. Candie

I am really getting tired of that word OVERBOOKED. I know that air and cruise lines do it but I don't understand it. I was just notified by Royal that my Explorer of the Seas Alaskan cruise is seriously overbooked, (term the representative used). They are calling passengers who live in the embarkation port area and have booked a interior room to move to the cruise the week before this one, upgraded to a Ocean View cabin with $100 OBC and a 50% off cruise certificate for a new cruise if booked and used within a year. A friend from San Francisco is on this cruise and he was called. He asked what "seriously overbooked meant", 10 cabins, 20 cabins, 50 cabins too many. The rep wouldn't say. He couldn't move because of a prior engagement but Royal told him to call back today to see if they would give him a better deal, a different date for the cruise, etc. He recommended that I call, even though I am not in an interior, and see what they would offer me. Royal doesn't want to play with me because I would have air cancellation fees, but the rep told me to call back on Wednesday to see if they had upped the offer. There is a large group, about 400, why don't they offer them a deal? Can someone explain to me, what will Royal do if passengers don't take the offer, offer more incentives to get them to change, just randomly bump passengers off and how do they choose those passengers? Why are they only calling passengers that booked an Interior, aren't they overbooked in all categories? Can't Royal see that the cruise is sold out so why do they keep selling cabins, I understand about cancellations before final pay, but I would think they could tell by the amount of passengers that have paid all or most of the cruise and the passengers that haven't paid anything but the deposit. Hopefully someone with lots of knowledge can weigh in and explain why they do this and how they will rectify the overbooking. Thanks, Candie

I found a list of the prices for Royal doing your laundry, pressing etc. It certainly isn't cheap. Here is the website for the http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/LaundryPriceList.pdf Just paste it in your browser and it will take you there. I have used Downey Wrinkle Release with not a lot of success. I usually will hang clothes in the bathroom when taking a shower because the steam helps. If you pack carefully, most of the time you won't have a lot of wrinkles. Candie

Christie, You really need to try the slot machines at the ship's casino. If you are looking for a way to pay your mortgage off, probably isn't going to happen. I spend most of my time in the casino when on board and yes many people have rules they play by. When I play Blackjack, as someone else said, when you take your seat at the table, you do change the flow of the cards, so I always ask the people I sit in between, may I sit here. Most always say yes, but then you do have some that will ask me to wait until the reshuffle. I believe when a new player comes in it does change the cards. There are lessons during the day, not at night, the casino is too busy, and you can learn to play all of the table games. If you don't know how to play any of the games, I would recommend not sitting in the first or last seat at the table, especially Blackjack, 3 Card Poker, Texas HoldEm. If you are the last seat, it is up to you to break the dealer for the whole table. As Tiny said make your presence known to the Casino Manager, so you can be rated for the Casino Royal. I always seek out the manager on the first day of the cruise, give him my name and from there on I am treated very well. I don't seek out the host/hostess, only the manager. Just try, you have nothing to lose but money. Candie

MonorailMedic recommended this power adapter to me and I love it. The outlets swivel,has 2 USB ports and takes up very little room. Can be bought at Amazon. Candie

Just got off of the Indy and Rob McNally was the CD but I only saw him at the Not So Newly Wed Game and the parade in the Promenade. Wasn't too impressed with him. Candie

kla, Isn't this your honeymoon cruise? If it is, hubby only needs underwear, 1 pair of shoes, 5 pairs and pants and shorts, 7 tee shirts, one dress shirt and then you get the rest of his luggage space. That was why you are getting married, for the extra luggage room. Guys, really black and white socks with sandals, shame on you! Attractive, huh!!!! Candie

As an added comment to my post, they can be quite expensive. I have rented three times and each time the price was different, leaving from the same port, Fort Lauderdale and same amount of days, all 7 day cruises. On the first rental is was around $150, the second was $170 and the third was about $150. But the peace of mind it gave me was worth every penny. Another piece of advise, make sure to leave it in the room when you disembark the ship on the last day. My last cruise in March several passengers had Special Needs scooters and brought them to the wheelchair assisted disembarkation, they thought they could use the scooter to get off the ship. The officer with Royal told them they had to bring them back to their cabin because Royal wasn't responsible for the scooter and couldn't guarantee they could get it back to the cabin for the passenger. I wouldn't want to receive a letter from Special Needs telling me they never found their scooter. Candie

An accessible cabin wouldn't hold two scooters. The cabin is larger but only for one scooter. I have used Special Needs at Sea several times and the scooter is in your cabin when you get on board and you leave it in the room when your cruise is over. The ruise line will not be responsible for the scooter. A word of advice, 99% of the time you can't get the scooter off of the ship in port. The crew is not allowed to assist you getting off and if the gangway is inclined up then down while getting off, the scooter will not go up the gangway. If it is a tender port can't use a scooter. Candie

I am one of those people that fly in the day of the cruise. Luckily I have made every single one of my cruises, have been late, but never missed one. I always book the earliest morning flight, which most of the time is at 6 to 6:30 a.m. and make sure that there are least two other flights leaving after my flight to the port city, that way if something happens I have two more shots at getting on a plane and making it on time to the cruise port. When I book, I always pick my seat. I know I can't do that with Southwest, which is one of the reason why I don't fly them very often, because I want to pick my seat. If I am not allowed to pick my seat, I will wait until the airlines releases more seats. My TA explained to me that airlines as well as cruise lines don't release all of their inventory on flights or cruises, some is held back and released at a later date. I don't know if that is true but it is what I have been told. I was told by American that is you call and book your flight directly with them, I would have a choice of all seats, but they charge $25 to book your flight. The same goes for cruise lines, when you look online, maybe 20 or 30 rooms in the category you chose show, but if you call the line they can give you many more cabin options. And as we all know the fare changes constantly. Candie

I tip the porters at the the terminal $2 and the transfer bus driver $1. The airport porters $2. I have actually kept a record of tipping until I board the ship and it can be as much as $25, that is money I could use in the casino. You can opt for prepaid grautituies. Don't forget Specialty Restaurants and if you don't purchase a beverage package drinks are expensive. Shore excursions cost money. There are many things you need money for. Candie

How can I get a cruise ship to Dallas Texas? Talk about landlocked. We do have the Trinity River where you can't get a rowboat down, no one goes near the Trinity because too many unidentified floating objects. I am four hours from Houston and won't drive because Houston traffic rivals Los Angeles traffic. Candie

I have used a lanyard for every cruise because I very seldom carry a handbag. A friend designed my lanyard. It is covered in beads made with sturdy cord and not heavy at all. People on board comment on it all the time and want to know where I got it. The ship lanyards are about $9.99 and flimsy. If you want a special one go to Etsy for hand made lanyards. Candie