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Gears

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Posts posted by Gears

  1. Recommended Canadian Travel agent

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    49 minutes ago, Rene Desmarais said:

    ok, so I'm trying to understand this.

     

    for every 1000.00 USD it costs  $32.85 CAD (1314.03 CAD x 2.5% FEE CC) current exchange rate

    So to avoid this 32.85  FEE CC, or any exchange rate,  you get an RBC Visa is USD currency to pay RCL's cruise invoice.    so  when it's time to pay off the RBC USD Visa balance,  you are using CAD currency? still  an exchange rate right there.   Why do all of this to save 32.85 CAD per 1000,00 USD?   unless you are always booking suites and above. then maybe.

    I don't see the cost savings..  by planning a trip for my family of 4,  usually we are happy with an interior room.  If cruise trip is cheap (depends on RCL promo) , then I bump up to balcony.

     

    Is my thinking wrong here?  it's not like I will be saving hundreds of dollars here

    I will explain...

    If you are an RBC customer, you can apply for an RBC Bank account and RBC Bank Visa. This is different than a US dollar account.

    RBC Bank is a US soil bank based in Georgia (this is legally different from RBC Royal Bank, the Canadian soil entity)

    To pay your RBC Bank USD Visa...(in high level basic terms):

    + In your Canada based online banking, open a $USD savings account. (this is still in Canada)
    + Transfer CDN funds from your usual $CDN account to your fancy new $USD. Here is where the 'buy USD' exchange is done and online is your best rate.
    + Go to your RBC Bank (the US entity) and do a cross border transfer from your CDN $USD account to your US $USD checking account (or chequing for us north of 49 types)
    + Transfer from your US $USD checking account to your RBC Bank USD Visa to pay it.
    + You're done.

    No ultra crappy buy/sell rate and no 2.5% foreign exchange charge. There is an annual fee for the checking account, but what you will save more than offsets it.

    https://www.rbcbank.com/

    Not sure what's going on these days, but you might be able to get this all setup online without having to go into the branch.

  3. Recommended Canadian Travel agent

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, monctonguy said:

    It's never worth paying more in USD of course....

     

    But very often …..every time I have booked in USD its been a been a better deal..even when it was about 40% exchange rate......just need to look and shop around.

     

    We get robbed here in Canada with the prices we pay for most things and the taxes we pay....cruise prices and deals are no exception to that!

    Yep. I buy my cruises from a US based TA and pay in USD. The direct RCL $CDN costs take an 'exchange cut' as do the $CDN credit cards. The least cost way is to online transfer CDN-USD and pay with those USD.

  4. Recommended Canadian Travel agent

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    20 hours ago, crisgold52 said:

    With the exchange rate one has to pay a conversion rate for CAD to USD transactions. Not everyone has a USD CC or bank account and Canadians lose out when paying USD high rates we are talking thousands of dollars  not like ten dollar items. This is why I personally opt to keep my business in Canada. If it's a $10 or $20 grocery item sure but I'm not paying over a thousand in USD which is how much travel costs which means I end up losing in the process. If MEI charged in CAD then they'd be worth considering. RCL is able to charge in CAD for direct bookings.

    Many Canadians are on the CERB or CESB OR CEBA now and conversion fees are a killer. 

    At today's bank rate per $1000 USD = $1314.03 CAD and this is before the 2.5% fee CC charge for foreign currency transactions. No thanks. Unless a person travels to the US slot and has a US credit card it's not worth it. ?

    Many Canadian banks have US subsidiaries that offer CDN residents US based USD accounts and USD cedit cards. Transfers and payments can be done online eliminating the 2.5% exchange fee. RBC and TD have this service.

  6. Let's talk luggage!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    One of our considerations is the weight of the luggage empty.

    The 50lbs limit/extra charge for over/depending on your airline policy of the day...is a factor. Our hard luggage is super light and durable. The largest one in our set is almost five pounds lighter than the largest in our previous soft set. It can make a difference. You typically get what you pay for.

  7. POLL: Will you sail on a cruise before there is a COVID-19 vaccine?

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    On 5/15/2020 at 8:33 AM, Gears said:

    From the news items out there, it seems that there might not ever be a vaccine (search 'can you get COVID-19 a second time'). I read two articles last weekend that outlined some medical community fears that this might end up having the same treatable characteristics as the common cold...and/or we're just zig-zagging our way to eventual herd immunity.

    Either way...cruise on.

    This is the kind of thing that may end up causing us a problem...

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/16/politics/uss-theodore-roosevelt-sailors-coronavirus/index.html

  9. POLL: Will you sail on a cruise before there is a COVID-19 vaccine?

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    From the news items out there, it seems that there might not ever be a vaccine (search 'can you get COVID-19 a second time'). I read two articles last weekend that outlined some medical community fears that this might end up having the same treatable characteristics as the common cold...and/or we're just zig-zagging our way to eventual herd immunity.

    Either way...cruise on.

  16. Diabetics not allowed on cruise

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    FAKE POST

    From the RCL policy:

    COVID-19 presents the most serious health risks to older individuals, the immunocompromised, and those with serious, underlying medical conditions.  Therefore, effective Monday, March 16:

    a.  Boarding will be denied to any person age 70 or older, unless the guest provides written verification from a qualified treating physician that certifies the person has no severe, chronic medical condition and is fit to travel.

    b. Boarding will be denied to any person with a severe, chronic medical condition, including those specified by the CDC. Guests of all ages will be screened prior to boarding, regarding underlying health issues that may prevent them from sailing, i.e.  chronic heart, lung, liver, or kidney disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or cancer.

  17. $99 Dollar Cruise!!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, KWong said:

    I actually just priced it out on google flights. The sticking point is that it's an open jaw flight, going cross-border.

    BUF-YVR/SEA-BUF is around $540CAD pp. This includes a 2 stop, 13 hour flight to Vancouver, and a 1 stop 7 hour flight back through ORD. Might be able to finagle something better with a discount airline.

    YYZ-YVR/SEA-YVR is around $680CAD pp. Direct flight to Vancouver, 1 stop 7 hour flight back through YVR. 

    If I'm being honest, I could live with the price difference because of the time and stops, plus I don't have to travel an extra 2 hours to Buffalo. 

    But either way, the cost of one person's flight is almost the same as the cost of an OV balcony for 2. So even if I could finagle the time off, it's probably not worth it.

    Go to southwest.com, you can't price Southwest flights online except on their website (or travel agent).

  20. Mayooo

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    16 hours ago, Mayooo said:

    Hi everybody,

    I’m trying to call royal Caribbean from the Caribbean (I live in curacao). But the 800 numbers do not work. I tried to use all the tricks but still no luck. I called the UK but they told me to call the US and gave me a number that did not work as well. Could somebody provide me with the correct phone number ? Thank you in advance 

    1-833-328-3260 or 1-669-272-1083 from Curacao.

  21. Caronavirus

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Cruiser nic said:

    I’m already regretting booking an RC cruise that I was told was superiors to the other companies. What a joke! 

    Realize the frustration, I would be too. But...the cruise industry is in uncharted waters on this issue. The dynamics are changing every six hours...I can't even imagine how a company who's business is travel and tourism would manage through this. The folks in the call centres...ouch.

    With a basic search I can find MASSIVE historic failures with each of those other cruise lines you listed. And they are all currently dealing with the exact same issues right now.

    Have a look at the over and above customer service RCL did with the Anthem of The Seas out of New Jersey a few weeks back when there were potential COVID-19 cases on a returning cruise. RCL did a bunch of things they DIDN'T have to do...and in almost 20 years of cruising I have never seen. Take solace in that case...and expect you will be taken care of in due course. 

  22. Cruise Nightmares (literally)

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    11 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

    So I should now know better than to fall asleep relistening to podcasts about cruising. I just had an “awful” nightmare where I somehow slept through pretty much all of the first 2 days of my cruise and only woke up at 4 am when nothing was going on. I started to panic when I realized that I missed both my Grease and Aquashow reservation as well as my Coco Cay cabana and that’s around when my alarm started blaring. So I know I can’t be alone here. Who else has had literal panic nightmares about cruising? Bonus points if they are low stakes but seemed like the worst thing in the world in the dream realm. 

    The short list...

    + Can't find my stateroom...spent the entire cruise dragging my suitcase around looking for it
    + Can't get a drink...yet everyone else has one
    + Missed the ship leaving a nightmare port of call
    + Swimming after the ship as it left embarkation port
    + Can't find a deck chair...oh wait, that wasn't a dream
    + They took all my clothes during a Quest
     

     

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