jegoodman

I would like to go to Kyoto.  There are no shore excursions showing up for there.  Hoping it's not too difficult to get from the Osaka Port to Kyoto.

I would say so Marc.  I can't wait to try her but I've noticed so far that the shore excursions for 28 March are extremely lacking.  There are some showing as available but I doubt there will be any more to choose from since I realize there will be very few English only speakers on the ship.

I'm definitely interested in how this all turns out.  I'm happy with my aft cabin even if it turns out to be the smaller one (which I actually booked).  I have sailed in the studio balcony on Ovation and after initially feeling it was too small... once everything was unpacked and put away it was just fine and I liked it as well as the huge balcony... it was either 7248 or 7250.. I don't remember.

Odyssey of the Seas (which will be Spectrum's sister) just had its deckplans released.  The cabin I have will not exist on Odyssey as that area (for now) is showing as a Concierge Lounge.  Odyssey will be home ported in Florida.  When I looked at a few of the Caribbean sailings, the studio balconies available all appeared to actually be Studio balconies.

I am interested in the resolution of this topic.

I am booked in cabin 13728 aft balcony on Spectrum on 28 March 2020.  I booked it as a studio balcony.  ALL websites with deck plans show this as a category 1C... yet, I was able to book this as a studio.  I wonder if this is going to be a small cabin and as others have said, the websites (including Royal Caribbean's) hasn't been updated, or if it will be a bonus normal sized cabin.

Interestingly enough, when I booked it through the travel agent website it showed as king bedded where all the other studio balconies showed as double.

Thank you so much for this information, little Britain.

Thank you Joseph.  I learned the hard way that Crown and Anchor doesn't have a clue.

Thank you Dennistory!

I seem to be getting conflicting information.  I am thinking of taking a cruise on Spectrum of the Seas next March  (in and out of Shanghai doing Japan).  I called Crown and Anchor and got 3 different answers to the same question....  Where is the Diamond Plus Lounge Equivalent and are there any dining benefits?

Answer 1:  Gold Lounge, No dining benefits

Answer 2:  Silver Lounge and you can eat dinner at the silver restaurant (formerly Solarium Bistro)

Answer 3:  Silver Lounge, NO dining benefits.

Does anyone know for sure?

It really is a shame it's not offered anymore. It was a great Ambassador for signing up to go for their dinner. In fact, the lunch hooked us in to going twice for dinner!!

Thanks... somehow I thought that would be the answer.

Last year the Tamarind on Eurodam was open a few days of the sailing for a complimentary lunch. Does anyone know if this is still the case or if they've eliminated this perk?

I was in 4127 on Eurodam last year. I don't have a picture but what the other poster said about cabin 4130 pics are correct. I was VERY SATISFIED with my view. Yes, there's an obstruction but I felt I had a very decent view. The obstructed cabins have floor to ceiling windows unlike regular outside cabins so that even enhances the view.

I was so satisfied that I have Cabin 4130 on Eurodam on a Greek Isles cruise next month.

It is unacceptable that you have had to waste so many calls without any luck. It is also downright embarrassing that you thought this was a relevant issue that needed the attention of the CEO of a publicly traded, multi billion dollar, international company.

 

People need a serious reality check. This could easily have been resolved onboard. I wholeheartedly hope that people who contact the CEO for issues like this are ashamed and embarrassed for themselves.

Wow! The OP tried every remedial option at much time, expense, and to no avail. The OP took it up to the chain and was "passed along". There's no excuse for horrible customer service. I've cruised RCL for many years and each year the service both shoreside and on the ship gets worse. The CEO needs to be notified that he has issues. No, he doesn't personally read the emails but has a staff to look into issues.

I travel as a single and a few years ago RCL wanted to charge me 250% to book as a single. I am prepared to pay 200% (charge for two people). C&A took it up the chain to no avail. I wrote Goldstein's office and after a 2 minute call everything was fixed. It's called fairness and RCL is known for its inconsistent policies.

By the way, issues don't always get solved aboard the ship. The Purser's desk it teeming with some great help and some horrible help as is the dining room. The OP was told by RCL it was no problem yet when getting back to the TA RCL said it was a problem. That's BAD!

There's a travel insurance website that compares plans and prices.

www dot insuremytrip dot com

You put in your dates, amount needed to be insured, age, etc. and you will probably get comparisons from 20 companies.

Since most travel insurance is age rated it's hard to say what % you should be paying. I usually pay 4 or 5 % and it's worth every penny. I was supposed to go to Thailand on a land tour in February. 6 days before I got appendicitis. Of course I was at 100% penalty and with insurance I got my money back. You never know what can happen!!

After seeing pictures of the view from Eurodam 4130 (port side) I decided to book the cabin on the starboard side which is interestingly enough 4127. I'm hoping I end up with the same kind of view. If I do, it should be awesome.

This is for the May 20 Baltic cruise.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Thanks all for your help.

Thank you.

Has anybody sailed in cabin 4061 or 4062 on Eurodam? I know it's supposed to be fully obstructed but have seen pictures of same cabin view on Nieuw Amsterdam and there is a view above and around the life boat.

Also have the choice of cabin 4130.

Thanks in advance.

I booked a one-way yesterday from Copenhagen to LAX. I'm flying Norwegian Airlines. HAL's price through Flight Ease was superior to Norwegian but HAL's customer service was a total flop. Norwegian is a budget airline and seat selection, luggage, and even food are usually extras. My travel agent told me that she had a pop up that said the fare included all the above but when she spoke to HAL the agent said that everything was a la carte, included none of the above, and they would never have a pop up on their reservation page. Long story short, I decided to book it anyways and YES, everything is included as now confirmed by the airline.

I just don't think their agents are well versed in booking flights and G-d forbid they get hold of their contract with the airline. The whole process should have been easier.

When I used Ramsey (albeit 4 years ago), we were picked up and dropped off right next to the ship. No hassles at all.

I'm sorry about your bad experience with Ramses. I used them last December for a group of 14 for a day tour of Cairo then the next day for a day tour to Alexandria. They were perfect. The guide was fantastic, the driver was great, the vehicle was perfect, and everything went smoothly. The communication with Georges of Ramsey was always flawless and the follow up was fantastic.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ramses.

I am truly sorry though that you had a bad guide. I guess that can happen with any company and I'm sorry it happened to you.

Not sure how strenuous the actual tour is but we have some mobility impaired in our group. Ramses has said there's no problem staying by the minibus. Also, with a smaller group.... (this is a guess not a fact)... you might be able to get closer for parking. In any case, I think you'll be treated to great once in a lifetime views.

Thanks Montreal Maria for the great review of Ramses. So far Ramses has been fantastic in dealing with them BEFORE the tour. It's nice to read that the great service happens during the tour. We're a group of 12 and looking forward to touring Egypt. We have a day tour to Cairo the first day and then a full day tour in Alexandria the second day.

I finally got prompt responses from Ramses. For some reason, his emails were bouncing to me so I sent him an alternate email address and replies came very quickly. I had the same problem with Nile Blue.

I have tried 3 different emails to this company. Today, I even tried using another of my email addresses.

Let's see if I finally get a response.