UkuleleCruiser

I wonder if Royal Caribbean will have released their July 2018 and December 2018 dates by my sailing on 12/26/16?

OK, so we are arriving at the Galvez on Christmas Day for a 12/26/16 Liberty of the Seas sailing... Their restaurant will be closed on Christmas Day, so we are planning to dine at The Grotto. We may not have a lot of time after driving all day and we may be exhausted... But are there any "don't miss" suggestions for late on Christmas Day?

Matt, I saw it on either day 3 or 4 of the 7 day.

I like day three.

They offered it on the Nov. 19th Adventure sailing as well, day 3 or 4 of the 7 day.  I don't recall the exact day as I had the drink package.  (that didn't come out the way I meant it)

day three would be awesome. I of course understand my mileage may vary...

On Liberty Last week the 10 drink card came out on Day 6 for 67.00 + 18% gratuities.

That seems a bit late. Unless we got it first thing and started out with mimosas. And bloody mary's. And more mimosas. And more... you get the picture...

We have a 33 drink "budget" based on $10 per drink. This could stretch the budget some. And we are also bringing on two bottles with us, which might cover the days leading up to when they offer the cards... Plus, alcohol is included in Chef's Table -- Probably won't be drinking heavily that day. And we are planning on the Champagne brunch and Galley Tour... More alcohol already included... I'm beginning to think we'll be pleasantly soused.

They key is for you to stop and take a lot of photos during your cruise. 

Exactly! So, if anyone is cruising with us on Liberty of the Seas 12/26/16 out of Galveston, either expect me to ask you to snap a pic of the wife and I, or just quietly slip away if you see us coming! :-)

I am very excited about sailing on Liberty of the Seas 12/26/16. My wife and I were looking forward to getting some good pictures taken, and have been trying to sign up for the $150 pre-cruise special for months now.  This is for the memory stick with all the pictures on it.

 

The photo people have told me that the offer would be available starting two weeks before embarcation. We are now 13 days before embarcation, and the offer isn't yet available. So, of course, I contacted the photo people again.

 

Now they say they may not have a pre-cruise offer available online ahead of time. She said I should look for the "early bird" offer on the ship, and that would have a similar savings. Except the price she's quote ins $250, not $150. Which is more then I will pay.

 

First of all, this isn't really a big deal: I'll have a great time on the cruise with or without the pictures. But what has everyone else experienced with this? What's the deal?

 

 

 

 

"Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze" -- Isn't that the old slogan?

May have to try Johnny Rockets this cruise... Last time, we discussed it but never got around to it. Maybe after we play a round of miniature golf?

"Full-time schedule of educational activities"? Would that include chowing down on Cuban food and drinking Cuban alcohol?

If the price drops on your cruise before final payment date, you can call and have the cruise rebooked at the lower rate.  You must be aware, however, that any promotions that were in effect at the time you originally booked (OBC, grats, bev pkgs, etc.) would be forfeited unless they are also in effect when you rebook.  In other words, you will rebook under whatever prevailing promos are being offered.

 

If the price of your cruise goes down below what you paid after your final payment date you can still rebook at the lower fare but whatever applicable cancellation penalty is in effect will be applied so it is rarely profitable to rebook after final payment has passed unless the reduction is REALLY substantial (and they never are).  What you CAN do after final payment date has passed is upgrade to a higher level cabin if the higher level is less than what you paid originally for your lower level cabin.  In other words, if you originally booked an inside cabin for $500 and the price dropped to where an oceanview cabin was now going for $499, they would upgrade you from the original inside using the current rate to an oceanview cabin with no additional charge.  The same rules apply regarding promos though.  It is rare for prices to drop that much but it does happen occasionally.

 

Cruise lines do not want to rebate money to you that they have already collected (or that you have already obligated) so they make it as difficult as possible for you to rebook at a lower rate.

Yes. On our next cruise (19 days!) we took advantage of that. We were upgraded from an Inside cabin to a Promenade View cabin. And we had to forfeit the $100 OBC we received from the original booking. Glad this doesn't work the other way, because the prices are now going up. We might be moved to a broom closet! :-)

Drink a couple beers and start booking things that sound good, and then thank myself later.

 

Kidding... mostly.

Might have to try that strategy!

OK, I am interested in whatever strategy people use in selecting and booking cruises. Here's mine:

 

I can cruise around the 4th of July or Christmas. So my strategy is to book out as far as I can with those dates, pay as little as i can on deposits, and then set up an autodraft check from the bank to pay for each cruise over time. A little out of every paycheck.

 

(I usually design the payment level to allow us to have enough money for specialty dining, excursions, whatever we want to do.)

 

Anyone else do that? Or is it just me? What do you do?

This would be great if you only want to drink at dinner

Mostly that's when we drink. Probably we'll have a welcome aboard drink on the first day. Whatever the Texas state regulations will allow us to drink. Of course, there could be bloody mary's or greyhounds with breakfast... Hmmmm...

FYI -- I got a knock-off Yeti cup. All my mug needs are now taken care of.

Duck tape, that'll help in all those situations, and should be ok to carry on ;-)

Genius!

Dan has a small Swiss Army pocket knife too and he's always very careful to leave it at home.  I'm surprised that they haven't confiscated yours yet, Ukulele Cruiser

Apparently, I have been lucky. What will I do if a gang fight breaks out? Or a zombie invasion? Or, God forbid, a hangnail???

I carry a little Swiss Army pocket knife -- The usual size, about 3 inches long, with toothpick, wine corkscrew, tweezers. It's incredibly handy. It's never been confiscated, but I have always worried about it. Should I continue to bring my knife and risk it? Maybe go to the tiny 1.5 inch model and just bring a corkscrew? (I'm bringing a corkscrew anyway!)

 

Anyone ever had one confiscated? Or are they not even forbidden?

Cheese plate. Every time. Never had any trouble getting a fruit plate either.

We'll be going to 4 ports.

 

Labadee we will obviously get off the boat, I rents beach chairs and my husband will do the zipline.

St-Marteen we have Leo Brown booked,

 

Puerto Rico, My husband will be doing the Tordo Verde zipline thing. I have nothing planned on this day.

St-Kitts, neither of us have anything planned, I was thinking maybe going to Nevis but still not sure how to go about it,

 

Is it ok to stay on the boat or is it weird? Will I be missing out on anything great on those 2 islands? Any recommendations?

Not weird at all. For a lot of us, this is the "luxury hotel at sea" concept -- Why leave that? My wife and I will get off the ship. But then we just spend a little time in the port area, look at a souvenir shop, grab a bite to eat and a local beer, and get back on the ship.

First timer so be nice.. what is the travel mug for??? :)

No worries: We're all friends here. Often I prefer to dink my coffee (or cold beverage in a Yeti cup) on the balcony, or out on deck, or sitting by the pool... The places where coffee and other beverages is available is often not close to your cabin/balcony/deck/pool. The cups provided by RCCL are smaller and have no lid. So your coffee could spill on the way, and you might not have enough to be satisfied. Thus, many people choose to bring a travel mug. Or Yeti cup. Or 7-11 Extreme Ultimate Giant Big Gulp Mug.

 

Looks like your first cruise is coming up in just a few days! What ship are you on? What are you most excited about? I remember my first cruise. It was awesome!

 

You may see a lot of complaints on these boards, but remember: A cruise is a week you are not cooking, cleaning, working, driving, or worrying. You will have a phenomenal time!

Go to 7-11 and get an Extreme Big Gulp mug.  I took one with me to military training in Louisiana one hot summer shortly after 9/11 before they got crazy with TSA.  I filled it with ice and it still had ice in it about 52 hours later.

 

Wow! That thing's enormous! Thanks for the idea.

I don't know how much time I'll spend in the casino because of the smoke, but I have never won on a ship. What's the best play? Slots? Blackjack? Do you play the max? What strategies do you have? And how much have you won????

I have been lucky enough to sail on Royal Caribbean six times now and definitely consider myself Loyal to Royal!

 

Does anyone know of any way to purchase Royal Caribbean merchandise off ship?  On my third cruise I began purchasing those square shot glasses with the pewter logo for each ship I'd been on.  It is a great and reasonably priced memento and I display them proudly, looking forward to the next ship I'll get to go on. The problem is those first two trips I neglected to buy them on.  Is there any way that anyone knows of (outside eBay and the like which I search constantly) to fill in those two missing ships (Adventure and Voyager btw).  Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.  [if someone is going on one of those ships in the future, I'd gladly pay the cost of the souvenir, shipping and an on-board drink ; ) ]

I have a Voyager of the Seas ship figurine. I am happy to send it to you. Please send me a private message if you are still in need!