firegal2539

Excited Cruiser, Along with Matt I let my Travel Agent handle the price drops on my cruises. A word of caution to you if and when you cruise again, it is best to leave a small amount owed just for the reason that if the price drops, you can call your TA or Royal and work with them to get the discount and if there is OBC, that added too! Very few pay for the cruise in full, most leave a small amount, about $100, until about 5 to 7 days before final payment is due. Candie

Jerel, I read approximately 4 books on a 7 day cruise. I only bring one with me for the airport, plane and terminal waiting. The rest of the books I get from the library. As soon as my feet hit the deck of the ship I am off to the library to pick up several books. My last cruise, not Royal but begins with a P, the library had only 150 to 200 books, what a let down. The first morning I went to the library to see if any more had been added and James Patterson, about 10 different novels were added and I grabbed 4 of them and read them all. I find it calming, relaxing and if I am not going to port I can spend hours reading. I don't like ereaders, for some reason I want the hard cover novel in my hands when I read. Candie

It has been a long time but my grandson was allowed to come and go when on Royal. It is not their responsibility to see if your child makes it to their cabin or their destination, it is the parents.

I am also on this cruise, I received a free cruise offer from Royal. About the MyVegas, I have been playing for about a year. You have to devote a lot of time playing. It takes 50,000 chips to earn $50 OBC, 100,000 to earn $100 OBC and a lot more to earn a free cruise. Right now I have 25,000 chips and am saving them for a free cruise. There is an option where you pick 10, 25, 50, or 100 spins automatically. That way you just have to watch it spin, in case you hit a bonus, but don't have to sit and push the buttons every time. The more you play the more chips you earn. (You only earn 25 bonus chips at a time). I spoke to a woman who between her and her husband earn about a million chips a year but they play about 3 to 4 hours each every day to earn those points. She works and while sitting at her computer at work, she will mute her phone and play automatic spins for a few hours. My work would never have allowed me to do that. It does take a long time to earn the points so just remember that. You can use the points for stays in hotels in Las Vegas and other things. Just need to look it up online to see the benefits. Also remember to link your phone and FB account together or the points are earned separately and you can't join them together. Candie

J_Keeble, You stop at the closest bar and ask for two glasses of soda at a time, it works for me every time. Thanks for all of the input on the Indy. I have decided to do a ice show, will get there about 20 minutes early so I get a seat and I am going to see Grease. I don't know what to do for excursions, we stop at Cozumel and Costa Maya. I am not a beach person or scuba, snooba, diver, so all of those are out, don't want a beach pass. There is an excursion in each city that is a city sightseeing but I don't know, doesn't sound to impressive. Someone on the Roll Call suggested Cozumel Bar Hop, they don't drink but said they had the best time of any excursion they have ever done. I am looking in to the bar hop.

Raye, Why are we all chipping in and buying the Grandeur? I am sailing on her in January 2018 out of Baltimore, I got an unbelievable deal on the cruise. Believe it or not, just doing a mock airline booking it was cheaper to fly to Baltimore than to Fort Lauderdale or Miami from Dallas. You can't buy the ship until I sail on her. How much will the chip in be (I am scared to ask).

I use Google and I have not been able to get on the RCL site for weeks. If I go through Internet Explorer I can get in. I called RCL and asked for technical support and was told they don't have a designated technical support, that the customer rep will try to help, absolutely no help. I am not computer literate but neither was she. She told me to clean out my cookies. OK if you say so.

My TA just made my CR reservation for my Indy cruise in March. It was a mess because it was the first time she has ever done it. No cruise line allows TAs to do casino reservations so she was willing to learn. It wasn't my TA that messed the res up it was Royal. It took my TA 6 hours on the phone with them to get it corrected. On a previous post I reported that I won a jackpot on the ship, over $1200 and no one gave me a win/loss statement. Two days ago I called the cruise line and was told it was an omission on their part and I would receive my IRS Form G from them by the middle of February along with a win/loss statement. Now I am scrambling to get them for the three cruise lines I sailed last year. So the answer is you will pay taxes on any jackpot over $1200 onboard and if they don't give you the paperwork, ask for it.

I want to sail on a Quantum or Oasis class. Matt I will be on Enchantment in February for a four day cruise, I will give you a review when I get back. I just booked the Indy for March and can't wait to get on her, never been and hear great things about her.

Hi Agadoo, I have two Royal sailings, one in February and one in March. I received an email about the February sailing that drink packages, internet and dining was 20% off. I had already purchased my dining and beverage package but called Royal and they canceled and refunded my money on both and rebooked both. I ended up saving a whooping $12, but I don't care it is money saved. I haven't heard anything about the March cruise yet.

You have set dinner time, 530 pm, which means that passengers are already standing in line at 5 pm, so be prepared. If you are late or just decide to go later in the evening, you will definitely wait in line. You will be at the same table, with the same people every night. I like this kind of dining, I have made some really good friends at the table. As Spiegeje said don't forget the Windjammer and the other free restaurants. On my reservation it was noted my mother was celebrating her 90th birthday. The dining room manager came to our table on the first night and told me they would bring a cake and sing to her on the night of her birthday and they did. She got a card in her room with a plate of 4 beautifully crafted candies.

Some of the time, you will wait in the cruise ship terminal. I have done that many times, the ship isn't ready until usually 11 am to let passengers board. Most cruise lines have gone to set window of time for you to board and some cruise lines really stick to it. It also depends on your tier level with Crown and Anchor. Passengers that are Diamond and above can board early without waiting in a long line to get the paperwork done.

Thanks so much for all of your input. Monorail I haven't seen Grease either, even the movie, I started to watch it but gave up.

I just did a Panama Canal cruise and although it was wonderful I would never do it again. Number one problem was the heat, every port day it was 90 to 95 and the humidity was about the same. The natives all say the same thing, "We have two season, hot and dry and hot and wet". Secondly, many of the ports are not for use by passengers. I got off the ship in two different ports and was told by a machine gun carrying guard (really instills confidence in the port) to either get on the shuttle bus that would take me out of the port area or get back on the ship. Nothing to do in the port. I absolutely loved going through the canal. A friend had booked a suite on deck 9 or 10, right at the front. We all went from 5 am until 5 pm and watched as we sailed through the locks. It takes that long, we were number 23 in line to get through. The only port I loved was Cartagena, it was absolutely beautiful. I could have spend many days there looking at the old and new cities. Many passengers on the cruise were disappointed in the ports, the weather and the amount of gun carrying police and guards in every port.

I searched for information about the Indy, I just booked at 5 day Western Caribbean in March on her. I wanted to know what everyone thinks of her, that has sailed on her. She has great reviews. Can you give me restaurants that I can't miss? What entertainment is onboard and can it be booked online before the cruise. I know there is an ice rink and a show. Are there any secret places that I need to know about. I almost booked the Ben & Jerry's Sweet, I had it in my checkout but I answered a phone call and 20 minutes later someone else got to it. Anyways any information/suggestions you can give me would be appreciated. I tried searching but I can't find any information on her. Thanks for your help.

I always get a soda package but when I order in specialty restaurants, they ask for my beverage stamp/card, same for the dining rooms, in fact anywhere you can't order soda or juice, with the exception of breakfast, without being charged.

You can choose the option to take your own luggage off the ship, if you feel that you can do that. You will be the first passengers off when it clears customs. On my last cruise in November passengers lined up on Deck 5 starting at 7 am, the crew tried to stop them, but when you have a stampede, five crew members can't control them. The line started at the elevators (blocking them so passengers couldn't get on or off) and went around the whole ship, almost back to the elevators. What was funny, there was a problem with customs and the very first passengers in line stood there until 9 am before they could disembark. If I could drag my large suitcase I would do the self disembarkation.

I took a Panama Canal cruise earlier this year and I was so confused about time changes. I think for five days in a row we went ahead, back, ahead, etc. No one knew what time it was. Passengers kept missing their excursions because it was so confusing. It was listed in the paper and on the loudspeakers but it was still confusing. I turn my IPhone off when I get on the ship so I can't even use it as a clock, I don't want any charges from my carrier. I finally bought a small travel alarm clock but I still have to remember to change the time.

I have been on the Voyager, Explorer, Jewel, Serenade, and Vision. In 2017 I am cruising on the Explorer, Enchantment, Grandeur, and Independence. I loved the Explorer but from everyone I have talked to they said I will fall in love again with the Indy. I can't wait to take a cruise on her.

5. This last one may sound a little nuts but... I'd like to see some volunteering excursions. ShoreTrips offers some, animal hospitals, seniors complexes, kids at schools. They seem like a good way to help locals and get a real feel for the community. They tend to also ask for donations of clothes as well as your time, I can see both helping. The ones I've looked at (haven't tried any yet) also give you some beach time at the end of the day. Royal should be all over that. Jerel, Fathom Cruise Lines (Carnival) tried this about a year ago and it failed miserably, it is no longer in business. In 2017 I think RCCL should add more cabin options for solo cruisers. RCCL has the Interior Virtual, Interior Promenade, Studio Ocean Views, why not Studio Balconies, just more options and a larger cabin than 100 sq. ft. and at a better price than double the cost of the cabin. Don't relegate us to just a tiny interior. I agree with the smoking ban or having it located in just one place on the ships. I think more intensive shore excursions with lecturers onboard who will accompany you on the excursion, doing things passengers never imagined were possible on a cruise.

https://www.amazon.com/Cruisetags-Cruise-Ship-Luggage-Tags/dp/B007UXMQXO/ref=sr_1_6?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1482459665&sr=1-6&nodeID=7141123011&keywords=cruise+ship+luggage+tags These are the clear luggage tags I bought on Amazon, they have the loop. A set of 8 for around $9 and I have been using the first two for over two years. They fit all cruise line luggage tags. I have never had a problem with them and I wait until I hit port to put them on, so less chance of them getting ruined.

I try to book every cruise, and I have 12 booked right now, at least 12 to 18 months in advance. I have several 2018 cruises book going through the end of 2018 and am now looking at 2019. If you book and decide to cancel there is no problem with a cruise booked that far in advance, also you get the benefit of cruise prices going down and getting the discount, or the prices could go up, which they usually do as soon as cruises are posted, and you have saved money. If you're not sure where you want to cruise you can put one or two on reserve and make your decision in a month or two.

My favorite is the A, B, C islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao or the Southern Caribbean with a stop in San Juan or starting in San Juan. I agree that a larger ship would be great, because of all the options/choices you would have.

DocLC, I just booked a Celebrity 2018 cruise to Norway out of the new port Dublin Ireland, did you see it? I got my email from Celebrity on November 28 and they sent it to their top tier members on Thanksgiving day so a lot of the inventory for the Norway cruise was already booked. I am so excited to be going to Norway, it has been a dream of mine for a long time. Like your cruise it has already gone up in price about $500 for an interior.

I book approximately 8 to 10 cruises a year. As soon as the itineraries are released I start looking and booking. I create a spreadsheet with all cruises listed, price, pay date, etc., then I figure out how much I can pay a month. I sometimes will book one or two cruises I am not sure I will get to take in case I can go I will have what I want reserved.