Atlantix2000

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

My only email issue is that all Royal Caribbean emails go directly to my trash.  …but I know that now so I just go there to look for it.  Yes, I know that I must add RC to my contacts list.  Didn’t help.

Spam filter or email sorting rule acting up perhaps?  I've got one coworker who sends meeting updates that go straight to my Deleted Items folder.  I've setup specific rules to keep these to my Inbox but they still end up in Deleted.  I can even manually run the rule and it moves them to my Inbox but they still get deleted on initial arrival.  I've given up explaining it.  Normal email and meeting updates from EVERYONE else work correctly though!

1 hour ago, Ann Wheeler said:

@Carlos A. No bid on Royal Up.  Not sure if it would even be available yet anyway.  My Sailings aren't until Dec 2023 & Sept 2024.  And I can't seem to get my Travel Agent to answer me.

Fortunately, you're plenty far out from your sailings.  Also, since you have cruise planner items, it's safe to assume your cruise is properly booked.  Depending on the size of the Travel Agency you are using, they may just be swamped with issues for people traveling sooner.  It would be good customer service to at least reply saying something to that effect though.

2 hours ago, KevinK said:

If they are staying with you in the same suite, I though all suite guest have access to the Coastal Kitchen.  If all of you are staying in a suite, then you have access to the suite lounge.   So no need worry about drinks isn't it?

You are assuming they are all in one suite.  I think the implication is that the 3 kids will be in their own nearby room.

The top part of the article doesn't mention pre-cruise but it's pretty generic.  Once you get to the different things you can buy with OBC, each section mentions whether it can be done on-board or pre-cruise (or both).  When this post first went up, the article wasn't even visible to me so either it was pulled for edits or it was only visible to insiders at the time.

Remember that with MTD, you don't NEED a reservation.  You can always just get in line for a table just like you can at any restaurant you visit on land.  Of course, just like a land restaurant, how long that line will take depends on the size of your party and what time you arrive.

1 hour ago, Liz Quick said:

How does the pricing work for Chops and Giovanni's with this package?  Is everything already included?  The website talks about a credit and a surcharge and it's very confusing.  

From the website:

What's Included

• Dinner at three specialty dining venues.
• For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $20 food credit, which can only be used once a day.
• For ships with this venue, Izumi Sushi is a prix fixe menu or $34.99 food credit.
• For ships with these venues, Teppanyaki/Izumi Hibachi is included, with a $15 surcharge, and Chef's Table is included, with a $49.99 surcharge. These will be charged once onboard.

The text is generic to apply to all ships.  Some restaurants are only on certain ships.  Even without knowing what ship you are on, we can say the following:

Bullet 1 - You get dinner at 3 specialty restaurants - Chops and Giovanni's are specialty restaurants so you can choose them.

Bullet 2 - Neither Chops or Giovanni's are a la carte pricing restaurants so this doesn't apply

Bullet 3 - This is about Izumi Sushi so this doesn't apply to Chops or Giovanni's

Bullet 4 - This is about Izumi Hibachi and Chef's Table so this doesn't apply to Chops or Giovanni's

In general, all food is included unless specifically noted on the restaurant's menu.  For example, there used to be a Seafood Tower appetizer at Chops that cost extra.  That one isn't there anymore but there might be something new.

Considering it's a 2 mile drive, the choice of company/uber/etc isn't too important in my opinion.

38 minutes ago, Southern Waters said:

Thanks for that explanation; it just illustrates my point.  Someone like me who's fairly new to cruising has no way of knowing what power solution is OK to bring other than no surge protection.  Maybe I should get an additional one of a different type and hope one of them makes it past the willy nilly port inspector.

It is confusing.  The safest advice is to bring something without a cord that gives you more USB ports.  If there are power outlets or a cord, there's a chance it gets confiscated.  In theory, a simple adapter that changes one European-style power outlet to one US-style power outlet should also be safe but I'm no longer willing to bet money on it.

2 hours ago, Water Baby said:

I have an upcoming 10-night Greek cruise this May and previously purchased the unlimited dining pkg for $262.98pp.  Today, it's advertised on all platforms as $211.99pp.  Unfortunately, you may not purchase online (when you click on the picture - your taken to the "Oh Ship!" webpage) within your respective "plan my cruise" planner.  I called RCC and had to ask for a resolutions representative, because the $211.98 price was not reflected on RCC's end.  Hopefully, RCC will honor the advertised price of $211.99pp.  A girl can only hope

If you actually managed to book it at that price, they might honor it.  But if neither the website or phone sales will sell it to you at that price, then I think it is clear they know the website is displaying something wrong and they have suspended sales until the price is fixed.  They have no obligation to honor a price that is not actually being sold.

9 hours ago, Babsy47 said:

Look on Amazon for cruise approved, buy one without a cord, and put it in your carry on bag (your purse or backpack). You should be fine.

There is NO such thing as cruise approved.  Some retailers put that line in their marketing so their products show up when you search.  ALL cruise lines ban surge protectors but you can find products that claim to be "cruise approved" surge protectors.  That should tell you everything you need to know about those retailers.

On 4/7/2023 at 6:17 PM, FoxboroCruiser said:

Thanks for the tip. I’m still looking for the drag feature but found the deck plans at the bottom where they are all in a Row and it is it true to life we’d be over the cupcake cupboard and looking at cafe promenade.  Better than near the bar I guess!

When using the drag feature, the individual decks aren't quite scaled the same.  For example, if you line up the rear elevators on deck 7 with the rear elevators on the promenade deck, the forward elevators will be off a bit.  But it's still useful enough to get the idea.

15 hours ago, Mrs L said:

I’m in the uk and need to take a travel adaptor with me, does anyone know if the my travel pal worldwide adaptor will be allowed as it says it is surge protected? This is the one we currently have. 

Your device is banned if it is a surge protector.  Yes, similar looking devices are used all the time because most aren't surge protectors.  However, surge protectors are a fire hazard on a ship so please don't knowingly bring such a device.

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

Oh, thanks, I thought it would be closer to PDCC with water taxis and all.

The Royal Beach Club will be almost a neighbor to Atlantis (less than a mile down the beach).  The water taxis will simply cross the harbor from the pier to RBC.  If they run frequently enough, it will even be faster to get there than Atlantis.

If I start the booking process for the cruise you described, this is what I see: Departs 4PM on Aug 5th.

2 hours ago, Dione Thomson said:

I saw it in the dinner package add ons.  4th bullet down.

That could easily be left over text that hasn't been removed in years.  There are still examples of Covid restrictions on Royal's website that no longer actually exist on the ships.  Most cruises don't have Holiday Celebration Dinners (think special Thanksgiving/Christmas/etc meals) either but that text is still there.

On 4/4/2023 at 3:55 PM, Linda R said:

Exceptions are hair dryer and curling irons.

These exceptions really make no sense.  Fire is the concern with surge protectors and they ban irons due to heat/fire but these other devices that generate heat/fire are somehow OK.

I can believe they have social media staff that monitor popular cruise forums/facebook groups/chatrooms/etc.  However, I don't believe they would interact anywhere except their own official social media channels.

I get what you are saying, however, I don't think Royal is trying to be sneaky.  Izumi-Hibachi is more expensive than Izumi.  The description of the available Izumi reservation should indicate which you are purchasing.  And if you only see one Izumi, the Hibachi option may already be sold out.  Without seeing your cruise planner, all we can do is speculate.

Pretty good benefits you've found!  But one thing you didn't mention was medical evacuation coverage (like medivac or life flight back to the US).  That's the expensive part which I think is one of the big things people are looking for when purchasing separate trip insurance.

31 minutes ago, Vlad said:

My question was never about debarkation day. Debarkation day isn't a problem. Windjammer opens at 5:45am

I clearly explained, problem is another day. When Windjammer opens at 7am.

Well, I don't see where you stated what day you're trying to do this or why.  But you did say you something about getting off the ship at 7:30AM.  Generally, that's something people are only going to be doing on debarkation day.  Most port days on most itineraries don't start before 8AM.  So maybe adding some more details of your specific cruise would be helpful.

13 hours ago, Ditchdoc said:

What am I over looking?

Current pricing from the RC site for Mariner on May 12.

Chops +1 (25% off)                          $83.99

Considering Izumi as the +1. When Izumi is selected, in the information it states:

"For ships with these venues, Teppanyaki/Izumi Hibachi is included, with a $15 surcharge."

So the price Chops + 1 is $83.99 plus another $15 or $98.99 total.

 

On the other hand, if you price each specialty restaurant separately:

Izumi (15% off)                 $45.95  (There does not appear to be any surcharge)

Chops (15% off)                $49.95

Total                                      $95.90

It cost $3.09 more to reserve Chops +1 than it does to reserve individual restaurants.

Am I missing something?

You're missing that the surcharge is for the Hibachi (teppanyaki) side of Izumi.  Regular Izumi (sushi) does not have a surcharge.  Your $45.95 price for Izumi is likely for the sushi side which would make the Chops+1 (choosing Izumi-Sushi) cheaper than Chops + Izumi-Sushi separately.  What's the price for Izumi-Hibachi separately?

1 hour ago, b_resh_uh said:

I mean, I'm not educated enough to know if you're right or wrong. All I know was every member of our party (five rooms) brought a simple "cruise approved" surge protector which had two USB outlets and three additional plugs and not one of us had any issues.

Well, enforcement is highly variable as you've seen.  A quick search will find plenty of threads here that will show the confusion over what gets confiscated.

I can't explain why some things get through when banned, but I can (attempt to) explain why surge protectors are bad.  In short, they are a fire risk because of the difference between the electrical system on a ship and the electrical system on land.  When a device plugged into an electric outlet or into a non-surge protected power strip goes bad, it will short itself out or cause a fuse or circuit breaker to trip.  On land or sea, that's where the story ends.  If that bad device is plugged into a surge protector, the surge protector tries to "save" the device.  But at sea, the lack of normal electrical grounding means the surge protector is going to quickly heat up and start an electrical fire.  And fire on a ship is a serious, serious issue.

In theory, they should allow non-surge protector power strips but there is usually no easy way to prove a device is safe.  Therefore, they are supposed to confiscate anything that looks like a power strip.  Sometimes they also take anything that provides extra outlets (even when there's no cord).  And sometimes, they let things through that are clearly banned.

Please do not bring your power strips on future cruises.

1 hour ago, Pooch said:

Mike???

Mike as in Michael Bayley - the m in mbayley@rccl.com email you suggested!

17 minutes ago, b_resh_uh said:

My recommendation would be to just get a cruise approved surge protector that expands your socket availability. We just did that on Odyssey and had more than enough plugs for everything we needed - night light included. 

There is no such thing as a cruise approved surge protector.  There are unscrupulous companies that put that on their marketing but it is NOT real.  Surge protectors are NOT allowed and anything that even looks like a surge protector may be taken from you and returned after the cruise.  Bring something that gives you more USB ports if you need them.  Bring a voltage adapter so you can use 120V devices in the 240V European outlets.  If the outlet configuration doesn't meet your needs you can ask your cabin steward for an extension cord to bring an outlet where you need it.

8 hours ago, Teresak said:

The refreshment package allows mock tails. My question is and please don’t judge. Can my grandson age 13 also get a Mocktail? In my mind they are alcohol free. I will call Royal Carribean if I can’t get an answer here. Thank you so much for your time.

I don't need to repeat the answer but I am rather curious: Why did you think anyone would judge a 13 year old for getting a mocktail?