Skid

1 hour ago, melmar02 said:

BUT, he hasn't wanted to book another until the kids go on their first, and we can be sure it's a good fit for them

I love your entire post!!

With the cruise in just 39 days (YAY!) you will know soon enough if the children will sail again. So if the pricing is not prohibitive, I'd suggest you book now with a refundable deposit. If it's a go for them you can keep checking if repricing with nonfundabke works out for you during all the future "sales".

Happy sailing! I hope your children absolutely love it!

21 minutes ago, Joe01 said:

Navigator - Hugo Arenas until mid August then Cory Rogers (for 2 months?).

Was kind of looking forward to Hugo, but for 4 days, doesn't matter much. Actually never hear Cory's name. Any info?

Although the Caibbean and not the Med, we did 12 nights on Anthem in 2016 and loved it. After doing 7 night cruises, the feeling of knowing that instead of packing you still have 5 more nights was amazing! As fast as every vacation goes, the more days the better.

Conversely, we have a 4 night coming up...that makes me think "why even bother". Haha. But hopefully that will hold us over until our next 12 night (Southern Caribbean) in May.

3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Need to find a way to squeeze 3 into 2.  Ah, the struggles of a product junkie

No need. Anniversary cruise should be similar to honeymoon cruise. Hence, more time in cabin so less need for product. Problem solved.

15 minutes ago, sk8erguy1978 said:

Have a garage sale to get extra cash for a short sailing! 

Haha. We've done that a few times. Usually make between $200 & $500 and get rid of a lot of unwanted stuff. Funniest one ever was when 2 older women were arguing over who would get a 50 cents toilet bowl brush!! (No, it had not been used.)

21 hours ago, melmar02 said:

I'm sure it will be excluded when the sale hits - thanks for posting so I can start planning again!

 

Summer is excluded from the Kids Sail Free promo. They did not list summer in the exclusions, but they did leave summer out of the effective dates.

KIDS SAIL FREE applies to new bookings made between July 24 –31, 2019 (“Offer Period”). Kids Sail Free provides free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger on select 4-night or longer Alaska, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, CaribNE, Coastal, Europe, Hawaii, and Repositioning sailings departing between September 1, 2019 – May 15, 2020 and August 31, 2020 - December 17, 2020. 

Well, it's not a cruise and it's not the color of the Caribbean, but it sure helps! We are only about a half hour away and are here now. Like I've said before, do not judge NJ by the turnpike!

Live vicariously through all the live blogs. They bring back good memories of your own past cruises even if it's not for the same ship. They also give you ideas for your own planning.

1 hour ago, Matt said:

Looking forward to following along! Can't believe you didn't start this live blog super early, as you pioneered!

You keep saying that, yet we all know that you started that trend. 

15 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

Wow, some memory

Nope....not my memory...your screen name.

@Lovetocruise2002 @hayley_bopp @Boston Babe and I think maybe, although he didn't say it here, @JohnK6404 in June? And I'll include myself for August!

Truly sorry if I missed anyone.

Oh yes...following!

5 minutes ago, Susie said:

already booked 2 cruises  on Oasis class ship so now I worry.   

I cannot speak to the allergy aspect, but if you do happen to have an issue, know that the ship is big and beautifully laid out. If you need to avoid the park, you will still have an amazing cruise with a lot to do. 

26 minutes ago, ellcee said:

I don't want to spend extra $$ on plants. 

Not even sure why, but that made me laugh out loud (in a good way)!

9 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We really like Jet Blue.  If we didn't have status with AA we would be flying JB out of DCA.

The thing I DO like with American is that they always give us TSA Precheck and Jet Blue doesn't. Next flight is on Jet Blue though.

2 minutes ago, BB1 said:

I was looking at Jet Blue to go to Ft. Lauderdale but my cruise is out of Miami and we would leave on a different airline. It's logistics.

FYI, we take a shared shuttle from port of Miami to FLL for $15 per person. With that there is usually still a savings because flights to/from FLL are usually less than Miami.

1 hour ago, Matt said:

Reasons I prefer JetBlue over Southwest:

• You can pick your seat
• Free WiFi
• Free DirecTV & Sirius XM
• Even More Space seat upgrades worth the extra cost IMO
• New fleet of planes
• Competitive pricing

Another thing in their favor, especially compared to American, is that they sometimes have some decent flight availability when booking with miles/points.

1 hour ago, BB1 said:

What would be the earliest flight out of Miami  that you would you book to return home? Hopefully stress free.

Unless I really messed up during my research and booking, I don't think Jet Blue goes from my area to Miami, just Fort Lauderdale (and West Palm Beach). So we'll be sailing from/to Miami but have to fly to/from Fort Lauderdale. Our return flight is at 1:35. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable with anything earlier. We are not first off the ship people

9 minutes ago, jdown077 said:

Right now for my Symphony Sailing in Dec. it's ~$11/day for VOOM and ~$14/day for VOOM+SURF.

As usual, they have no consistency whatsoever. Usually they charge more for everything Symphony. But now I think they may be going by the number of days and really sticking it to us.

My 4 night on Navigator is $14 and $12 but my 12 night on Adventure is $16 and $13. It will be interesting to see what they come out with for the Key on Adventure when the time comes. 

7 minutes ago, YOLO said:

So how is it possible to cancel an existing Cruise Planner purchase and re-book it?  Do I need to call RCCL directly to do that?  This sounds easy in theory, but hard in practice...

 

It is actually very easy. Go on cruise planner. At the top click on order history. Open the particular order you want and click cancel. Then just order again. Refund will be to original form of payment and will take a few days. If you had bought it using on board credit, that OBC will show in your account immediately so you can then use it for the new purchase. I have done it several times.

Of course, you can call also if you prefer.

1 hour ago, dodgestang said:

But then yappy pees on people's shoes.

Or worse if you're in flip flops. This warrants yet another request to @Matt for an "eeew" reaction.

1 hour ago, Andrew72681 said:

Is there actually bottled water available for the $2.00 it has in the calculator? I’d assume they priced it like the sodas. 

I guess that number was just plugged in for example.

1 hour ago, KimS said:

That is SO Cool   Thanks, doesn't look like it's worth is, but gonea recalculate!  I can click on it & it comes up on here.( My Large laptop )  Would love to get this APP on phone - will try to see if I can……..just  tried to copy but it wouldn't let me.  lol…...

Thanks again,

KimS

Try this. It should open in your browser and the bookmark it (add to your favorites).

https://connect.calcapp.net/?app=9tts3#/

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Nope. It’s $3/bottle. I made it a point to ask on Anthem two weeks ago. 

Thanks.

Are you packed yet? Hehe. I have only a little while till October on Navigator, but still jealous and in love with Symphony. Have a GREAT time. Safe travels. Can't believe you didn't start your live blog yet!!

25 minutes ago, KimS said:

if the Refreshment package is worth it

You can use this great drink calculator developed by @Grenadyr to see if a drink package would be beneficial.

Happy sailing!

41 minutes ago, ellcee said:

My unsolicited advice - Don't underestimate the sun's rays.

^^^^This. If it happens to be somewhat cloudy do not make the mistake of thinking you are safe from burning. Not seeing the sun shining brightly upon you doesn't mean that the UV ray's are not just as harmful. Some of the worst sunburns I have seen were on cloudy days.

16 hours ago, DublinFC said:

That looks like a great spot for some relaxation.  We have a cabana booked on South Beach when we make it there.  Im wondering if these will be what we get or if they are doing something different?  

It was terrific. We were there on Symphony during the second week that Perfect Day was open. There were 6464 passengers aboard and they said that 5800 got off. And with all those people, this is how South Beach looked at about 11AM. Relaxation at it's best! At that time in our area were 15 beach beds and 20 bungalows (we paid $219 for the bungalow and that included food delivery, water and floating beach mats). Next to us were the beach loungers. I actually don't know where the cabanas were.

Having seen a LOT of Broadway shows, Cats has always been one of my least liked (sorry @JLMoran and @mom2mybugs). Unfortunately, my wife really likes a lot of the movie cast members so it appears I may have to see the movie. Have mercy on me!

18 minutes ago, CraniumDrain said:

Are you allowed to lock luggage during embarkation time when the cruise line has your luggage until it is delivered to the room?

Yes, but only with TSA approved locks.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-luggage-policy