Skid

Title: Cruise Away to a Stress Free Vacation
Do I use a travel agent, book online, or call??  And what are the benefits or downfalls?
Why would I go on a cruise instead of just traveling to that location?
Passports....
Sign up for their reward program.
 
Just a few off the top of my head.  Have fun with.  Maybe serve some tropical drinks.
 
 
 

Maybe not new to others, but I found this interesting site that lists which ship will be in what port for 2017, sorted by location.
http://crew-center.com/cruise-ship-port-schedules-2017

Maybe not new to others, but I found this interesting site that lists which ship will be in what port for 2017, sorted by location.
http://crew-center.com/cruise-ship-port-schedules-2017

On Oasis July 16th sailing and no water any place and no extra charges either!

I emailed Matt for posting on the Compass board but figured I'd post this link here in case the email didn't go through. Embarked from San Juan. Visited St. Thomas, Curacao, Aruba and St. Kitts.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8IxXYFC0sUVMUxVeUgybmo4dW8

Hi Skid,
 
I am at day 109 (I think) for Thanksgiving trip on Anthem now so I will set a 50 day reminder to request a window table. 

Someone posted this on Facebook and I thought it was a great picture.  It's the size of the Titanic compared to modern cruise ships.  I feel thankful I can afford a holiday at all, let alone a cruise holiday, but this picture makes me feel totally spoiled.  Not long until my next cruise  - we're getting excited!

That is correct as of May 2016 when I had it. What I did was make a payment on line. When the payment processed I called and asked them to make sure the insurance became effective immediately and to email a new invoice/confirmation, which they did.
 

FYI, I emailed them and got a reply that table assignments on the ships are done 50 days before sail date and to resend the request around that time frame. Again, address is [email protected]

Wait, it's not the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling?????  :)

I wish they would make all the indoor places (casino) non-smoking. Just about have to throw clothing away after playing in there. Can't wash them and if I put them near other clothes then they all smell like smoke. 

Couldn't agree more. The charge for these restaurants is even more ridiculous when you consider that you are not eating in the MDR or Windjammer that evening and you technically already paid for it. I just don't want to see the industry turn cruise ships into a giant strip centers at sea that are specifically designed to generate a certain amount of revenue per square foot. I worry we will have to buy tickets to shows in the coming years. My wife and I's favorite part about cruising is being able to go out to a great dinner, see an awesome show, and then go listen to great live music and dance late into the night all included in the cruise fare. I fear that is going away one small change at a time (Specialty Dining Fee, Room Service Fee, Escape Room Fees, Corking Fee, etc.). If this continues ships might as well have passengers with 1st class tickets that can afford to take advantage of all of the amenities and others with 3rd class tickets that can only access the Windjammer.
Obviously this is hyperbole, but I do see this as the general direction that the cruise industry is sailing. I think the question they are all asking each other around conference tables at Royal's corporate office is, "How can we generate more revenue from the passengers on the ship". While this a valid question for a business to be asking, I think they are going about this wrong. I think the question they should be asking is "How can we create the best possible experience for our guests while keeping all of the costs within the standard cruise fare?" In my opinion, the first question will ultimately lead to less revenue and ultimately failure while the second will lead to more revenue and success.
Even with all of the changes cruising is still the vacation with the best value. I just want it to stay that way.

Oh well.  So much for that.
 
What the hell - I haven't seen my feet in so long I wouldn't even notice until I went to
brush my teeth and realized that I suddenly got a lot shorter!
 
 

Although you may not want to lay out the money this far in advance, booking it now will protect you from any future price increase. If/when the sale happens, you can cancel it and buy at the sale price.

Just saw this new post on another site-good news:
Hi. 
I was on Anthem sailing July 15, 2017 and there were no Evian water bottles in the cabin.
I asked the cabin steward and he said they don't leave them anymore.
 

I know...im in the process of booking my river cruise and about 5 other trips...will do when i can!   I had a question though.   Its not a vig deal to cancel and rebook the drinks pkg, because its not limited.   What about dining and excursions.   I booked them early...if a sale happens,  am i playing with fire if i cancel and immediately rebook?  Im afraid i will lose them or the dining time.   Jane

That is a great question Jane! My first instinct is to book the new ones, then cancel the old. But I'm guessing the website wouldn't allow 2 bookings for the same person. Maybe by calling, a rep can put in the new order while cancelling the old??? Does anyone know the best way to handle this?

I did this on my Allure sailing without any problem. However, I was on the dining packages, so I couldn't prebook any of my meal times until onboard. You could search to see if they're available before cancelling and let that be the deciding point for you. 
 
@Skid The system will not allow you to book duplicates. The best option is to see if there's availability first by searching through the excursions and then rebooking if they're still available. 

Thank you all. 

I completely agree. If you can afford it, lock in the price now as you can always cancel later and rebook if the price of the package goes down. I do there same with gratuities and excursions. 

Although you may not want to lay out the money this far in advance, booking it now will protect you from any future price increase. If/when the sale happens, you can cancel it and buy at the sale price.

Although you may not want to lay out the money this far in advance, booking it now will protect you from any future price increase. If/when the sale happens, you can cancel it and buy at the sale price.

Although I have been on only 3 of Royal's ships, I believe your thinking is correct.

Thank You --- and yes, it was a great feeling ..... usually, when I call in, it may be a price drop of just a few dollars..... When I called on Sunday, my jaw just about dropped when I heard the dollar amount ..... Then, I shared with others on my roll call, and I know of another person who was able to save $140 on the same cruise.

Always a great feeling when that happens. I am happy it worked out for you and hopefully some others.