WhiteSoxFan

On the cruise that Marc and I just finished (liberty to Bermuda) the price difference between Jr a Suite and Grand Suite was just $20 total for 2 ! We were both able to upgrade for $20 - an amazing deal and if Marc hadn't pointed it out to me I would have missed it completely b/c I never would have been looking for that kind of deal.

Great deal!  Congrats on that.  That was my point, don't just check on the cabin you have booked but look for deals on upgrades.

A few points about price drops that I have found. Rarely do many of these "sales" that RC runs actually change the price of cruises that you have already booked.  Secondly the overwhelming driver of a price drop is demand.  Sailing the Allure, Oasis, Anthem or at peak times will never get you a price drop.  Less popular times of the year, ships or itinerary will be the thing that gets your prices down.

 

In 9 cruises I've had only 2 that had price drops.  One was the Mariner when it was on the west coast.  RC was having a hard time filling her and it was an August sailing.  I booked an E1 for myself, my wife and our daughter.  The price dropped three times plus I upgraded to the D1 deck 10 corner aft.  If  recall it dropped over $1200 for the three of us.

 

Also if you're interested in possibly upgrading check the pricing of higher catagory cabins than the one you've booked.  Sometimes you can get a good deal on those.  I once upgraded to the GS on a Jewel 4 night sailing that only cost me an additional $250 for 3 people.

We sailed out of SJ last January and we got up and took a taxi to OSJ and went to the fort and walked around some the morning of the cruise.  We then took a taxi back to the hotel to get the bags and then went to the ship.  The lines were minimal.  Because of the fact that the boarding time is SJ is so long with the late sailing, and the fact that people arrive throughout the day, I don't know if the lines are ever that bad.  They may actually be worse early because of the people who go in the day before all getting there early.  We arrived at the terminal around 12:00 as I recall and we zipped right on.

We will be sailing as Diamond for the first time in three weeks on a 4 night cruise out of Tampa.  I am aware of the Diamond lounge plus the drink vouchers that are given for three drinks during the normal Diamond lounge cocktail hours that can be used at the bars around the ship (excluding the MDR, Specialty Dining and the Champagne Bar).

 

I have heard varying reports as to what you can get at the bars vs. the lounge.  I like vodka martini's but the wife will occasionally have a cosmo and I've heard that because there is more that one liquor in it some bars will not serve them with the voucher.  Does anyone have experience with this?

 

 

Even for flights, I look at the maps of the airports so I know where to eat, kill some time at a bar, check in etc I visit seat guru to check out which seats to book/not book on my flights. I watch for price drops so I can be credited back or change flights if its worth it.

 

 

 

Good, I'm not the only one that does that.  

 

I think planning makes for a better trip. The only thing that you need to worry about is over expecting as then it will seem that the line has under delivered because of an expectation gap. This hasn't happened to me recently, but I have found myself in this place in the past, so I now manage my expectations.

 

This is good advice.  I always say go with anticipation and not expectation.

Going on Brilliance next month (that feels so good to say)

I'm with you there.  Less than a month to go for me.

We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan also.  Very nice and perfect location.  You still need a taxi to the port, but if you are sight seeing in Old San Juan the day before, it's perfect.

I've found, and this may be seasonally dependent, that the Sheraton requires a multi-day stay.  I could have booked it for a Thursday & Friday night prior to our cruise last January but not just for Friday.

Great photo Keith!

I'll have that same view in 4 weeks, and you in 6, boarding the Brilliance in Tampa.  Not that I'm counting.

Here's a look down the side.  There are no obsctructions.

 

 

Another thing to consider is that directly above you is the exterior promenade.  There may be some noise from that, but I haven't ever heard that complaint.

We had four of us, me, my wife, my daughter, and her friend when we sailed the Jewel last January.  We stayed at Ciqala Suites in a 2 bedroom, 1400SF unit that was more like a condo.  Living room, kitchen, 2BR, 2 Bath with a laundry room for around $350/nt as I recall.  They have studios, 1 BR, 2BR & 3BR suites.  There is no restourant but the have a small rooftop pool that is nice with a bar and appetizers.  You get a nice free breakfast made to order in the morning and you are only about 1 mile to the Pan Am pier.

 

It is not near the water but they do run a shuttle to the beach.  It is an easy taxi ride to OSJ.

I can say for sure that in 28 days I will be sitting in the outdoor area of the Windjammer eating lunch while looking at the Tampa skyline.  

Of the nine cruises that my husband has been on, he could only remember three of the ships' names. Of course, the last one caught on fire, so that's ingrained into his memory.

 

Meanwhile, I remember the name of every ship I've been on, and can remember much of the Royal Caribbean ships' features.

 

Now, the islands we've visited? Much of that has blurred together over time. That's not a surprise as I do cruise for the ship.

I literally lol'd at the first line.

 

I can tell you every ship I've been on, when, where we went, what we did and where our cabin was for all nine of my cruises.  I also could walk on any of those ships right now and know where everything is.  Of course maybe I just haven't cruised enough, ;)

If someone tells me that they've gone or are going on a cruise, I pump them for details. I'm always surprised when someone replies, "I don't remember who (which company) we sailed with." or "I can never remember the ships' names."

 

I'll try to ask for bits of information that might help narrow it down. Did you sail from Florida? Did your ship have a Royal Promenade? etc.

 

Out of the US, I have a general understanding of which ships are sailing from where and to where. That's part of my cruise nerd-dom.

Drives me nuts too.  I can't understand how people have no idea what their vacation is going to be.  Then when they come back and bitch about it I wonder how they can complain when you had no idea what to expect?

Thank you FloatMe, if we book MTD does that mean we'll be at a table for only 4?

We have always had a table just to ourselves when we pre-booked our reservation times.  I think if you just walk up you may be seated at a larger table with others.

 

Since you are going out of San Juan I definitely recommend flying in at least one day early.  I don't know from where you are traveling but flights tend to arrive in the afternoon to San Juan and any delay because of weather or aircraft issues may have you missing the ship. I actually recommend this for any cruise but San Juan in particular due to the travel distance and tendency toward connecting flights.

I always prefer traditional dining over MTD because I'm a traditionalist and I like having the same wait staff and tablemates every evening.

If your looking to just a little later that traditional early dining them go with MTD and pre-book your times for 6:30-6:45PM.  When we have done this they have always sat us at the same table with the same wait staff.  The only thing is if you like to sit at big table with the same tablemates every evening then go traditional.

 

Edited to add:  If you tell the wait staff you are trying to get out at a specific time for a show they will usually do their best to accommodate you.

So funny I actually eat better on a ship I think than at home - but I also don't allow myself to take

the elevators that much and the extra walking steps I take seem to help me -but yes I hate the feeling

of the "last night" on any ship

We do that also.  We almost always take the stairs.  The only time we might use the elevator is coming back from an excursion when we are on deck 10 (or 12 on the Allure).

 

I too hate that "we have to get up early and leave" feeling on the last night.

 

Given that we were on a longer cruise last time, we made sure to be active on port days and to hit the gym on sea days. We also made sure to hit at least 10,000 steps by the end of the day in addition to the gym. If we were short, we'd walk the ship until we hit our step goal.

I don't think we've ever had a problem hitting 10,000 steps.  We usually walk a couple miles on the track plus all the walking and up and down we do during the day.  We once had an aft cabin on the Freedom.  I was in the theater and had forgotten something.  I walked back to the cabin and back to the theater, that had to be worth 500 steps right there!

Great point about repeat itineraries. Once you have sailed into and out of a port a number of times it's not really all that exciting anymore.

 

Also great point about the privacy. Nothing like getting up while still in your jammers and sitting out on the balcony. That's a little less socially acceptable when you do it up on deck.

 

:)

So I shouldn't walk into the windjammer in my robe and slippers to grab a cup of coffee before having a seat on the upper deck?

This is such a personal preference type of thing.  We cruise every 1-1/2 to 2 years on average and always go with the balcony.  We just really enjoy being able to go out there.  We probably are on the balcony at least and hour or two a day.  We watch us come into and out of port plus just watch the ocean go by on sea days.  Very relaxing.  :)

 

C & A discounts also can make the difference more palatable. 

We always travel a day early so that eliminates some of the travel fatigue.  Food fatigue is something I have never experienced. Maybe we just do a good job of not overeating.  I like the portions in the MDR.  I like that I can order a appetizer, a salad, an entree and dessert and not feel crazy full when I leave.  

 

Plus I have never felt ready to go home at the end of any cruise,  Once I get off the ship, I can't wait to get home, but that doesn't mean I was ready to do so.

I love posting on social media while on a cruise, but then again, I am a geek!

Well even when you're on a cruise you're "working", unlike me. 

 

Another thing I be doing is enjoying a vodka martini every night before dinner.   MmmmmmmMartini!

I would be posting a photo from my balcony on this forum.

I guess my  real answer is I would be considerably more relaxed.  One reason is because I turn off my phone and forget about the outside world, especially work, for the length of the cruise.

I will pull out my phone in port if I have wifi (or we're in a US territory) and maybe send a few messages.  But other than that I don't go to the internet and I don't post anything on social media.

I wouldn't be on this forum. :)

Not that this is particularly helpful to the OP's question, but we have gone out of Port Everglades twice and both times we flew into Orlando and spent the night there.  It was cheaper for the airfare and rental car than the flights to FLL.  Once we returned from FLL, the other from MCO.  Both times we stayed the night at a Disney Vacation Club property so I saved there since I could use my points for the room.  The time we went back from MCO we spent a post cruise night at a DVC property.

 

If you don't mind the drive (and it's an easy one) then it is worth considering given some the pricing in and out of FLL.

Looks like you were a little tipsy when taking this photo ;)

It's artistic.   :D

 

Actually I just wanted to make sure not to drop my phone in the pool.

I hope that's a "before" picture and not an "after" one.

 

I still have a bit of stress thinking about a cruise a year and a half ago. A significant snow storm moved in during my flight home from Florida. By the time I got to my car, there was already an inch or two on the ground, and being late at night, not much was being done to clear the roads yet. Getting home was quite a challenge.

Definitely on climb-out on our way down.  It was late March, a time that we don't necessarily get a lot of snow.