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DDemuth

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Posts posted by DDemuth

  1. 7 hours ago, LadyB said:

    Thank you so much for your answer.  I was hoping to grab a cocktail when I got on board, but now it looks like I'll be heading straight to our restaurant of choice.

     

     

    Echoing KLA's response.  Where are your priorities?  Bar first, then reserve dinner.  Or at least send hubby to make reservations while you visit the bar...

  2. 4 hours ago, Loriann said:

    My question is....if we decide to dine at a specialty restaurant, are we expected to tip those servers at the time of the meal? Or are their gratuities also included in what I prepaid?

    Your prepaid gratuity does not apply to specialty restaurants.  If you pre-purchase a multi-day meal package, gratuity is included in the cost of the package and this is stated in the fine print that can be accessed from Cruise Planner.  The same language is not included if you pre-purchase a single meal but how the gratuity is handled does not seem to be consistently applied.  Some report that gratuity is included in the cover charge; other report that 18% is added to the cover charge and shown in the bill that you receive after the meal.  From my recent experiences, if you reserve a specialty restaurant when onboard you will incur the 18% surcharge over the cover cost, at least on Oasis class ships.

  3. 2 hours ago, LetsTryThisTech said:

    Their math has always confused me ...

     

    Simple!  It's higher math.... (I know this because my daughter is a math major and she explained it to me,... I think).  Increase the percent discount but raise the base price. It's no different than "Manufacturer's suggested retail price".  :14_relaxed:

  4. 54 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

    Ahhh, knew I was missing something, but the $24pp/per night is what they show on Cruise planner, so they are not calculating the lunches either.

     

    Probably because different itineraries have different number of sea days; some 2, some 3 for 7 night cruises.  But figure at least 2 additional meals, so an ave of less than $19 per meal.

  5. 8 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

    But it still bugs me, the ad for the Ultimate dinning package is "Dine more, save more", but yet it is more per night than any other package (Aside from booking the restaurants individually)

     

    But remember that the Ultimate also includes lunches in specialty venues on sea days.  That adds at least another 2 meals.

     

  6. 56 minutes ago, rjac said:

    To be served a Cucumber Martini at the 150, do you have to be dining there or can you sit outside(?) and have one without dining? :27_sunglasses:

     

    I haven't seen anyone sitting in the Park with one (and Trellis bar doesn't serve them).  There is no bar area in 150 CP; you order the drink and it is made at table side.  So while I won't say for sure that you can't convince them to make you one without dining, my guess is that one must dine there.  Also, it is served in a stemless martini glass that sits in an open ended glass globe that is filled with ice, so it would be difficult to order to go.

  7. So I'm a bit slow... speaking of reactions, I just now realized that the little number under my screen name and above location is actually a sum of all reactions to my posts;  my online reputation.  Compared to others on the board, it seems that I have a relatively poor reputation...;  so what else is new :8_laughing:   But the good news is that it is shown beneath my screen name.  Usually, my reputation precedes me :10_wink:

  8. On ‎1‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 6:42 PM, Ethan Bollom said:

    Going on Allure of the Seas over July 4th to the Western Caribbean. We are going to a few places that we haven't been to before and would love some of your thoughts about some cruise excursions that we should consider? We are going to Cozumel, Roatan, Nassau and Costa Maya. Need all the help we can get. 

    Thanks!!

     

    Costa Maya;  look into Almaplena Eco resort.  All inclusive, not crowded; south of Maya Chan, and most of the commute is on paved road.  Only the last mile or two over lunar terrain.  We had a great relaxing time there in Nov 2017.

    Cozumel;  want to try something active?  How about the 12 metre yacht race?  You can crew an America's Cup 12m sailboat and partake in a one-on-one race with another boat.  Option to be actively involved in trimming sails and winching, etc., or just sit back and watch the others do the work.  

    Nassau; with a larger group, consider a private rental with Cash Money WaterSports.  Can pretty much tailor your day with regards to activities and duration of activities.  Snorkeling, parasailing, tubing, etc.  Downside is that it can get expensive, but less so per person with a larger group.

  9. 6 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

    My husband once did a health missions trip to Mexico.  He had said he needed motion sickness pills for those roads and he does not get motion sickness ever.  He described the driving there exactly as @toodle68 in the post above.  I was afraid for him every day he was over there.  Such sad news though...

     

    Exactly.  We took a cab from Costa Maya pier to Almaplena resort down the coastal "highway".  A two lane road; no shoulder.  On the straight sections we maxed at 150 kph (90mph) in a cab with questionable maintenance (based on appearance) and no seat belts.  The thought did occur that one little mistake and we were history.  

    So sad for all involved; such a tragedy.

  10. It seems that the wipes are targeted for enveloped viruses and are very effective in eliminating those.  But Norovirus  is not an enveloped virus.  The active components in those wipes may not be effective in killing non-enveloped viruses.  The wipes simply contain detergents that dissolve the lipid membrane enveloped viruses.  Those active agents are probably not or less effective against non-enveloped viruses.  You can see that in that exposure for greater than 10 minutes is required to kill Noro.  Still best to wash your hands with soap; lots of it.

  11. 7 hours ago, twangster said:

    I have the the travel pack of this product for Noro.  $6.99 on Amazon.

    https://www.amazon.com/TRAVEL-Medical-Disinfecting-single-Bacteria/dp/B06XY8RFS8/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1513613831&sr=8-4&keywords=sono+wipes

    Just don't flush them, in the trash they go.  

     

    They are effective in killing bacteria, but I did not find any information about anti-viral activity. AFAIK, there are only a few wipes that kill both.  

  12. 6 minutes ago, L454S said:

    There is NO way to insulate yourself from germs and viruses on a ship with 4000 of your closest friends from all over the world. 

     

     

    Well, you are correct in that there is nothing that can 100% guarantee that one avoids illness in a setting such as what occurred on Indy.  But, >95% of passengers and crew were not afflicted and you can significantly increase your chances of being in that select group by heeding some of the suggestions offered in this thread.  

  13. 20 hours ago, twangster said:

    Some of those price fluctuations are just normal pricing volatility.  Fares change frequently based on demand for a specific cabin type, sometimes even hourly.  One minute a cabin class might be sold out, then someone cancels and it opens up again.  

     

    Sorry twangster, not buying that.  Booked a hump balcony on Black Friday and saw what cabins were available at that time.  Those same cabins are still available, so while I understand supply and demand, I don't think it applies here.  This is just RCI marketing trying to convince buyers that they're getting a great deal that's not.  Emperor's new clothes...

     

     

  14. It's all a farce.  We booked Oasis for Nov 2018 during the Black Friday sale at a really good price IMHO.  Looked again at the next 50% off second guest sale and the cost was over $200 more.  Then the each guest is 30% off Green Monday sale and the total cost was another $200 higher.  Now the Cruise Planner sale, where excursions are unchanged (at least those which were of interest to us) and rink packages were $2 pdpp higher.  Who is RCI trying to kid?  That said, dinner at Chops seems to have been reduced for both our upcoming bookings.  Will probably take advantage of that.

  15. Looking at the dining packages that are offered in Cruised Planner for an upcoming 2018 cruise, the small print states that gratuity is included in the cover charge.  Perhaps pre-purchased meals and packages are not charged extra gratuity, but onboard reservations are.  This would be consistent with our experience on Oasis earlier this month.  We pre-purchased a night in 150C and were not charged extra gratuity, but when we changed our FNDR from Sabor to 150C after boarding, the extra 18% was added to the bill for that meal.

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