Lovetocruise2002

1 hour ago, tonyfsu21 said:

No luck with RU once again, but….. We were on Indy by 10:55 am hanging out sans kids! 

No kids is way better than RU lol

17 hours ago, Annie Evs said:

We’ve bought the UDP for Wonder. Does this cover breakfast at Chops grill during sea days? Tia

Chops is not open for breakfast on Oasis class ships. The only time they might open it for breakfast is for overflow Pinnacle guests. I think I remember @WAAAYTOOO saying that before.

If you win a SC upgrade, you either have to cancel the packages yourself prior to the Cruise planner closing, or your Genie can cancel it for you once on board. Royal will not automatically refund those on their own.

IMO If you self carry your luggage and get off the ship early, totally doable. MIA is only about 20 mins away from the port of Miami. However, curbside Terminal A (assuming this is your terminal) at the port is awful if you debark after 8am so make sure you get leave before that.

35 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

We are headed out on Indy tomorrow and I’m awaiting news on a GS upgrade. Hopefully my luck turns around!

Fingers crossed for you!  

8 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

I agree. It’s pretty much a craps shoot unless you are Royal Caribbean royalty like @Mattor @Lovetocruise2002

I've only won twice lol

15 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

It is time for the shenanigans!!!!

Oh boy...Here we go! lol

And Happy Birthday!!

21 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

It all depends on how much of the Liberty suite perks you would use.

Oh, @SCNurse this comment reminds me of another thing. Suite perks on LB are not the same as Oasis or Quantum class ships. You won’t get complimentary VOOM, there is no CK. So basically with the GS on LB, is access to the suite lounge and breakfast at Chops worth trading UT? 

I will be perfectly honest. We have not sailed UT yet (booked for next March), but we just sailed LB last August (2023) and we did not enjoy the ship too much. We booked LB solely based on itinerary (it was going to Canada/NE) and once onboard, we found her to be lacking compared to her sister ships (Freedom/Independence). Now, UT is a whole other class, so it really isn't a fair comparison, but the thing we found lacking the most about LB is the she has not truly been amped. We missed things like El Loco, freestyle machines, even hand washing stations at the WJ (LB doesn't have these). The entertainment was typical of Freedom class ships, but the ship itself seemed a bit more run down than Indy and Freedom. For that sailing, it did not matter to us as much because we were off at the ports a lot, but I personally would not do LB again unless it was an amazing itinerary or she gets amped.

5 minutes ago, calvink669 said:

@Lovetocruise2002Marla sent you a message in her email today.

"Oh.. say hi back to Sabrina, she and her family were so kind and friendly towards me. I will always remember them "

No other updates on the upcharges lol

Aw...I miss her too. She is genuinely really awesome and fun. Thank you for letting her know that we are thinking of her.

The suspense continues lol…let us know what happens when you get on board. I am even more intrigued now. 

1 hour ago, calvink669 said:

Interesting response from Marla on this subject.

 

"The Food & Beverage shoreside team is actively working on updates for those items that are/were upcharge onboard the Icon. We have addressed the concerns raised aiming to provide clarity before your upcoming cruise."

So, the suspense builds until we board I guess.

 

I interpret that as: Don’t know, not willing to commit to anything. 

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Mods, please can we shut this one down ?  Nothing useful here.

1 hour ago, Someone_else said:

On which grounds? Am I not allowed to raise my concerns?

All has been said thougj, I think, but I think it can remain active in case someone has another idea to assist?

If we can remember this, then we can keep this thread open. But it’s getting close….

12 minutes ago, calvink669 said:

probably a blessing with the lower deck so close to the aft balcony.

Seriously, once you get on board, to Deck 16 Swim & Tonic, look up. You won't be sad that you did not win the RU.

10 hours ago, mashley1021 said:

Thank you so much! 

I believe we were on Odyssey together for NYE? The other Ashley (Ashley Dillo) told me about you and I was too much of a wimp to introduce myself when I saw you in CK and around this ship.

Anyways, hopefully you are able to take this type of sailing in the future!

What?! No way! That makes me sad, next time please come say hi. I love meeting people from this RB Blog community.

That was the sailing that almost did not happen for us either because of health issues with my Dad, so when you mentioned your Mom, that resonates with me.

We also will be spending some time in Rome in July after our Voyager sailing. Can't wait to follow your adventures!

9 minutes ago, happy cruisers 2 said:

This is what I intend to do on Monday.  We booked flights through Air2Sea in Dec. 2023 for a Sept. 2024 cruise.  Original departure time was 1:45pm, which we liked.  After 5 changes by the airline (one in Dec, three in March and now again today), we now depart at 5:14pm and arrive at 10:22pm instead of 6:53.  Of course September is still a few months away, so who knows how many more changes this airline could still come up with?!!  So aggravating.  It makes no difference what you select initially, it seems that it will always change and not in ways you will like.

For a September sailing, assuming you did not make final payment yet, you are still free to change flights and you would not be charged a change fee by Air2Sea. 

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

Yet you keep winning… makes one wonder if you’re just keeping the secret formula to yourself.

No secrets here. And I only won twice lol. 
But my gut tells me that it is easier to win with 2 people, rather than 4. 
And @mom2mybugs, why not just bid on all that you are interested in? That way if you win, you’re good with any of them. For Icon inaugural, we bid on anything that we would be happy to move to. But I bid the highest on the room category that I suspected was still in inventory. 

Have you tried to call them? I book frequently with Air2sea but have never tried to change after final payment. However, with a 2 hour difference, it would not hurt to call and at least ask if they will waive the change fee. 

Just now, smokeybandit said:

And no one really knows how the system decides which one.

Exactly! Gave up guessing long ago! 

This is the official interim page.
https://www.facebook.com/share/bmabYSpVFuWfVZtG/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

The other one is a fake.

You can bid on as many as you want, but the system will only let you win one. 

We can all help @Matt by reporting the non-legit page. 

Omg...some of these tangents from live blogs lol...first Batman and underwear math, now lucky red undies 

An add on comment re: Oasis rink...it's definitely smaller. Back in the days of our first few cruises (20 something years ago), Hubby used to drag his hockey skates on board. He no longer does that. Not only is it pure chaos, but the ice surface is awful for moving around. I know nothing about skating or ice surfaces, but Hubby tells me it's not worth it. He and the kids still go for a skate each time we cruise, but don't expect much. 

This type of sailing is on our bucket list!

I am glad that your Mom is able to go with you guys. Such a blessing!