migirl2014

We were on the Adventures of the Seas out of San Juan in 2014.(think it was that year.) The sailing was the last scheduled sailing before dry dock. The boat experienced a propeller issue and we sailed Wed. Vs Sunday, lost several stops. I first learned about the issue on this website...called Royal and their customer service knew nothing.  Royal gave refunds on most of the cruise fare minus whatwe spent on drinks, Etc. $2500 credit voucher towards next cruise and bumped people to junior suites as MANY people left the cruise. I would not stay on a cruise that  has a boat going in dry dock after our sailing....it was not fun as we were lead to believe we would sail each day and the time kept getting moved out. The boat was also showing a lot of wear and tear on it.

We did feel that Royal tried to compensate us. Not sure what they would do now. That was our first cruise so their compensation allowed us to take our kids on a cruise the next year. Hoping new Royal Caribbean management would realize if they treat people well, that they'll keep coming back for years to come.

I don't think our original room was a connecting. It was room 12196 and they gave us now gave us  12200.I was thinking it might be due to others wanting to be near family. I probably wouldn't have minded so much if they had asked vs. Just change the room. I also find it ironic that I received a survey today! I have yet to fill it out but Ill be sure to share this situation. 

I called Royal and was told it can be added up to five days before sailing so I plan to call five days out if I don't see mine. I would be happy if mine shows up 2-3 weeks before we sail as that's less I have to try to do just before sailing.😊

We are on The Symphony of the Seas in March and I just noticed that our last few receipts show a different room two doors down from our original room. (same type of room as our original one that we chose). Has anyone else had that happen?

When I called Royal, the customer service rep couldn't tell me why our room was moved and why we were not notified other than the new room showed up on our receipt. Wondering if other things will get changed and just show up on our check in docs?

Nice room! Thank you for sharing.

Thank you

Does anyone know if junior suites only have balconies facing water or do they have ones facing boardwalk?

I tried looking on the deck plans and couldn't tell.

Thanks in advance.

Nice video tour! Thank you.

We sail March 2019 on Symphony and I show Escape the Rubicon in our Cruise Planner under Entertainment/Activities. It looks like you can add to your cart.  I think this just popped in a week or so...around the same time as the show schedules.

Thank you for the heads up on the beverage discounts as you helped me save money. If I see a better price, can I cancel on the cruise planner and buy at a lower price or do I need to call Royal Caribbean? Thank you!

Very happy to see POM is on the App. Interested to see how it works next spring break! Thanks for the thread.

Just thought I would share my thoughts on the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Miami Brickell Downtown which I stayed at from September 10th-14th. This hotel came recommended by the posters on this board. They weren't wrong.

 

First off... this was my first time ever in Miami and in Florida. I had chosen this hotel because it is close to Port Miami as well as close to the transit systems for both Miami Metromover and Miami Metrorail. While it is more expensive than what I usually pay' date=' I figure... it's a birthday vacation.... I can splurge. I booked this hotel through AAA under a non-refundable promotion rate, which was charged about 90 days out.

 

Nice hotel! Friendly staff! One of the nice things was that breakfast was included as part of the fare. (I liked the Bagel Guillotine Slicer so much, I ordered it for my own kitchen.) This helped reduce the meal expenses while I was staying in Miami. This isn't to say that the restaurants weren't bad in the area.... far from it. One of the best places to get a great snack was Coyo Taco which is located across the street from the hotel. When I arrived at 9:30 PM-ish on Monday evening, I headed over to Batch Gastropub which is located in the same building as the hotel. A Chinese restaurant is also in the same building, but was in process of closing, thus no comment on the food. (Side note: I saw that there was a Atlanta at Giants game that was just in the 2nd inning when I got to the restaurant. I was shaking my head.... why was the game running so late... then realized again.... I'm in EASTERN time, not PACIFIC time! duhhhhh) There are also a CVS, 7-11, Publix, and even a Ace Hardware within walking distance. If you are going to the CVS pharmacy, go east on SW 12th Street, then south on S Miami Ave, then east again on SW 13th Ave. Those intersections are signalized. (I had forgotten some athletic shoes, but picked some up at the Ross Store which is easily accessible via the free Metromover by the Bayfront Park Station)

 

It should be noted that this is a very secure hotel. The bell desk is on the first floor, while the front desk is at the sixth floor. Parking is on the 2nd-5th floors. Hotel rooms are on floors 7 through 15, but require a key card to access. This hotel is equipped with smart locks that can be unlocked with the Hilton App which apparently communicates via Bluetooth to the lock within about six feet. I would advise opening up the app on your smartphone when you are entering the hotel so that it can sync up. I still had a key card as a backup.

 

Another nice thing is that you can receive five packages at the hotel for free. I had ordered several items from Amazon and had them shipped to the hotel rather than try and pack them in my suitcase for my flight.

 

The hotel does have a swimming pool and a spa on the sixth floor... something that I did NOT utilize until my last night in Miami, especially since Miami felt warmer than Sacramento due to the higher humidity levels.

 

The hotel contracts out to a transportation company for transportation to the port of Miami. The cost is $8 per person plus gratuity, and leaves at 10 AM, 11 AM, noon, and 1 PM. You can sign up at the front desk the night before.

Thank you for this review as we will be staying here in March. We appreciate all the info about what is around the hotel, etc.

Our family stayed at the Bahia Mar and loved it! Very clean and in a great location. They have a walkway over a road to get to the boardwalk/beach area. I enjoyed getting up early in the morning for a run.

I have not stayed at the Hyatt so can't comment on that hotel.

Thanks for the help.

Question regarding price checking...when you enter the information on the RC website, do you go off the base price or do you need to take the "test" booking almost to the point where you book the cruise? I called Royal Caribbean as their base price on our cruise invoice shows $942 more than the base price on the website.

When I called Royal Carribean, I was told it was all a formula. (I was told that the website pricing is deceptive and you have to learn how to understand all the fees).

Any help or suggestions will be much appreciated!!!

Nice review...Will watch for next installment.

Has anyone heard if Port of Miami will get the mobile passport app?

When we stayed in Montego Bay we enjoyed the Hilton Rose Hall Museum. It's a short tour but interesting.