Lonedreamer

5 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Chris, which ship(s) are you considering?

Hi, currently looking at Oasis but it would likely be an Oasis or Quantum class.

6 hours ago, Tljcruiser said:

You won't need a bed for the baby.  You can just get a double occupancy balcony and use a pack n play.  Your friends could get a quad occupancy balcony beside you.  Just make sure the balcony dividers are removable on the ship you choose or you will be talking around a wall.  Enjoy your first cruise! 

Hi, thanks for that...my TA is saying that they won't let you do the pack n play in in double nowadays due to covid. For clarity, it's not our first cruise (we're fairly 'seasoned') but it would be the first we have ever done with another family who we want to be able to 'hang out' with 'despite' the kids and our first with a baby. 

Hi there

Just wondered if anyone had any knowledge if it was possible to find Dream Cruises the TV show in the UK, or anywhere it can be streamed, or well, just anyway that we could watch it in the UK. Unfortunately I cannot find it anywhere obvious over here.

(I know this is the RCI forum but couldn't figure what other forum this fit and it does include RCI ships so...)

Would someone be able to confirm whether or not you can use OBC on your account to cover gratuities (if they are added to your on board account during the cruise)

Thank you

Chris

Thank you all for your replies. I do realise you don't get 'all' the suite perks in a JS but clearly as it's cheaper than our balcony it's a no brainer to step up. Also regarding the pricing it is all very strange as if I put in my dad's C&A number (platinum) I get a cheaper WS than even my JS. When I switch to my diamond number I'm back to the JS bring cheaper than the WS but both are still more than my Dads WS! So who knows. 

It sounds like the general consensus is that I could book a more expensive WS and still end up with a JS anyway which is what I feared, I'll stick with the JS and hope that they send me the 'up' email (although I've only just switched my preferences to enable emails) and several people in the roll call had their emails a while ago. 

Thanks again 

Chris 

Hi there

Firstly could I apologise if there is any repetition in this question - I have done a search of the boards and cant quite find a similar situation but it may be that one exists somewhere!

Secondly, I am aware that it may be impossible to answer this question - I just wandered if anyone had any experiences that were similar or had any opinions on this matter!

We are sailing on the HOTS in March. We originally booked a specific balcony cabin, firstly because I have never booked guarantees since I started cruising (and am a bit of a habit builder) and secondly because it came with the all inclusive drinks package. (Semi useful because even though Im a non drinker at least I dont have to buy the soda package!)

Recently it was brought to my attention that there had been a price drop on suites and on review this was indeed the case, infact the price of a Junior Suite had actually fallen to below the cost of the balcony cabin I had booked. This has never happened before and I will admit was the source of huge amounts of excitement and I immediately called and upgraded!

My question is concerning the WS grade. The WS Suite guarantee has also massively come down in price and is also cheaper than the balcony cabin I paid for BUT is currently priced higher than the Junior Suites. I checked and there are a multitude of JS cabins left but also loads of GS and OS as well as the higher suite categories odd cabins. 

Now, I know I'd lose the drinks packages if I took the guarantee but if it being more expensive than the JS price suggested that you were 'likely' to get one of the higher grade suites then clearly it would be worth it - however, the suggestion seems to typically be that having a WS guarantee typically results in a JS so in this case I would essentially be paying more to lose the drinks and not choose my position. Do you think the cost of the WS vs the JS (being more expensive) has any bearing of the type of cabin you are likely to get, or am I safer sticking to my named JS cabin. (which I am very happy with btw - just wouldnt say no to a GS :-)

Christian

So, just a slightly different perspective from a permanent 'noob'.

One of the earlier posters is quite disparaging about the time new people take/get and it has made me want to reply (when usually I try to stay out of any 'debates' online)

When I did my last cruise it was as if it was a professional flowrider ship on which I (as a 'noob' and an extremely slow learner of this skill) was permanently having to wait hours to get a go, which within 20 seconds was over (based on my inability) due to the number of people who literally turn up at the flowrider at 9am and remain there until 5pm and who stay on for a number of minutes at a time.

As its a cruise I would have assumed that the activities on board are aimed at entertaining passengers en-masse and I actually feel that rather than complaining about the amount of newbies and having to wait long periods in the 'general' sessions they simply don't attend those sessions and stick to their allotted advanced sessions.

The queues in the general sessions can be incredibly long containing all the 'pros' as well as the complete novices and that in turn limits the time the no hopers like myself have to practice.

This quote posted earlier has really wound me up

....

"

Or when the noob falls in the first few seconds, and then is clueless as the staff member waves them around for another try, and they end up taking forever getting back down to load in again.

I don't mind when people get better and can load themselves. It was probably the most frustrating part of not having Advanced on Navigator: there was no incentive for people to get better and load themselves so they could participate in advanced. "

It's a CRUISE, and people have paid money to try out all the different activities available....surely if you want to flowride to that extent and seriousness pay for a week away at a place on land that has a flowrider machine...or alternatively, visit a beach?!?!

Its like slamming the ice skating because you want to skate like Torvill and Dean but people who cant skate get 'in the way'

Sorry if the original post wasn't clear.

Yes, I am hoping to join a 'shared' table, if such a thing still exists?

So I was wondering if they do, and if so if it is just a case of turning up and stating I'm willing to share?

I turned up at port having taken full responsibility for organising our entire groups holiday and realised I had literally brought nothing with me...no eticket or set sail pass or whatever other documentation there is in advance. I panicked and frankly was pretty near to tears before speaking to a lady who said it made absolutely no difference whatsoever. They took our names and checked them off a list, as they did with every other passenger, and then at the desk they just needed our passports.

It made absolutely no discernible difference in the end....however it did give me approximately 30 seconds of extreme terror and palpitations!

Hi there

I am about to embark on my first ever cruise alone. I am heading out on Anthem, so it will be dynamic dining. I have always previously done dynamic dining but always had a table for 2, so I am wondering, how does 'shared' dining work with dynamic dining? Do you just turn up anytime and say you are willing to share?...

Would be great if anyone had any experience with this!

Thanks

Chris

Thanks for the replies, its actually really important to us to have the bed near the balcony and unfortunately, there's just no way of getting RCI to tell you. As it is we've booked 11246 because on the plans it really did look like a banker to be a left side door, but the fact yours kat was a 248 cabin and the left hand door is a worry! I don't suppose you happen to remember if the door was on its 'own' or if you had a door next to yours....as on the plan it really doesn't make sense for the 246 and 248 cabin doors to be next to one another?

If anyone happens to know a user named "vegaslover" they could massively help me as I know they've stayed in the exact cabin! (From a review, not from stalking!!)

Hi there

We are desperately seeking cabin information relating to specific cabins on anthem of the seas and thereby looking for help from some quantum travellers.

I believe I have identified that left hand doors (looking from the outside) have beds that are near the balcony doors, whereas right hand doors have beds near to the entrance doors. That being said, I cannot find any information anywhere on whether certain staterooms are the left or right of their entrance 'area'. Obviously it would be easy with connecting staterooms, but the area that I'm looking at doesn't have any nearby and also due to 'bumps' in the ship design it doesn't work as consistently as you may think by counting along.

what I'm really looking for is anyone that has stayed in any of the staterooms ending 244,246 or 248 on any deck and if so, could you tell me if you had a left or right door and therefore a bed near the balcony or near the entrance door.

You need to use a vpn. I always book with a US TA now - better conditions and almost always cheaper

I don't suppose there are any available methods through which we could communicate directly that this site will 'allow' are there? It's just it seems I could really use some help but that help is censored!

I'm in the UK and can't seem to find any of this information, nor can I access the us website, am I losing the plot or do we simply play second fiddle and only get choices of cabins etc sometime on the future once people in the us have had the pick?

I'm a little confused as to why there is an expectation that something that was hugely popular and successful in the 80s would still by definition be enjoyable or relevant now (as long as you've read the book ;-)

Actually numerous things from the 80s are, on reflection, terrible.

This show has one memorable number that you may actually go home singing...and that's the one we all know anyway, it also has a huge amount of time spent with cast just exhibiting 'cat like' behaviour which becomes extremely dull when compared to the dance elements of something like Billy Elliot.

As I said, in the 80s people dressed up and acting like cats to a professional standard would have been a bit of a 'wow' moment (similarly to how special effects made films amazing in the 70s/80/90s period) but that doesn't mean that 30 years later those impacts will be the same....I'm pretty sure kids or adults nowadays aren't 'amazed' by ET flying into the sky on a bike.

There are massively better musicals out there on every level (number of 'big' numbers, dance numbers, humour, appeal to families, emotional impact)

If Cats was released now it wouldn't win any of the awards it won when it was released and I simply don't believe it would last in theatres.

You cant help but think that part of the reason RCI may have got the rights to this show is because its not playing anymore and is outdated (and therefore desperate) whereas other current (but probably more appropriate) shows may not have been willing to offer their rights.

Hi there

I have genuinely looked through a large number of the Labadee threads to see if there is an answer to this question but I cant find one.

Someone has said that you can buy drinks using your sea pass on the island, but I just wanted to know - would you need cash for anything on the island....or can you pay for excursions as well as drinks with the card.

Just trying to work out if we would need to take any cash out or if the card is enough.

Thank you!

CATS remains the second longest running show in Broadway history. It closed after an 18 year run. Lion King had nothing to do with CATS closing, just the fact that everybody had already seen the Tony award winning best musical multiple times.

I'm sorry to disagree with you, but that simply isn't true, Les Miserables is about to reach 30 years in London and Phantom is only a few years behind.

We are 'musical' people, my wife was a singer/dancer and I love musical theatre.

I have to say we found this show absolutely dreadful. The production was actually of a very good quality and the performing in my opinion was west end standard, however, the actual premise of the show was horrendous, the story (what little there is) was absurd and the overall experience extremely boring.

We stayed the whole way through but huge numbers did not return including the couple we were actually sat with who did a runner as soon as the lights went down for the break.

I truly think RCI have made a massively expensive error taking on this show....considering the TA audience compared to typical Caribbean audiences I can only see the show being even less popular with a younger more 'impatient' audience.

Maybe in the 80s a bunch of people pretending to be cats did appeal to children but in the modern world I'm afraid the show is outdated and children will not find it fascinating, their parents in turn, even if into musicals, will probably find the experience surreal at best and dull at worst.

Again, I think taking on this was a huge, huge error, the show is a 'serious' show and of all the 'serious' shows out there this really is the hardest work to get through - that is why it closed.

Its interesting because unless I've missed something I have yet to see anyone mention the risk from crew on board cruise ships. In my (brief) experience a lot of the crew seem to be international and i'm sure several must be from the region. Presumably they do occasionally return home - I would imagine in the unlikely event that a crew member did return to the ship in the incubation phase and then developed symptoms but carried on serving food, or cooking, or making beds etc there could well be the potential for an issue...but then who knows when the disease has previously been confined to a small area.

The 2 US cases really concern me because they were health care professionals treating the highest profile disease to have appeared for years....if they couldn't avoid it, what hope others!

Hi there

We are looking for some parking at Port Everglades...

Has anyone ever parked with 'simple airport parking' they are offering cruise parking at us1 parking.

I have also found Park N Go, but it is slightly more expensive - does anyone have any recommendations for parking near the cruise port.

I could totally understand why people who were 'inexperienced' or first timers etc might use a TA, but couldn't see the reason why people who knew what they are doing would....and in truth the forums are what confused me because there are loads of incredibly experienced cruisers who all seem to use TAs.

As far as I was aware TAs in the UK are not allowed to offer cheaper fares with RCI than they offer direct - But this could be a case of another area where its clearly better to be in the US than in the UK....

Our TA for the one cruise we used one for didn't offer us anything that the line couldn't offer and certainly didn't give us a cheap rate (in fact this was the cruise that slightly dented my joy of cruising when we realised how much more we'd paid than most people on board for an identical cabin)

I do understand that they may offer advice/suggestions though I suppose Im always weary of that because presumably they get commission from the lines and some may pay better than others etc. which makes them a biased source of information...

Not overly clear still why people who are D+ would need or choose to use a TA, but maybe I'm just being dense!

Really confused about the point of using a travel agent...basically I just don't 'get' it.

The first cruise we ever went on, I booked over the phone with RCI and then used the online system to do everything else...the next I used a travel agent and frankly have no idea what difference it made other than having to log into 2 different systems rather than 1. Our latest 2 cruises have both been booked directly with the companyand I can't really see what a TA would be doing that I can't do myself?

I'm probably missing something obvious, so please can someone tell me, what are the benefits of agents and why do people literally make a booking with a cruise line and then transfer it to a travel agent?

We had a very similar dilemma to yourselves, not knowing which RCI ship to take round the Caribbean. I'm a little surprised that more people haven't recommended the Indy. The Indy seemed like a great ship when we did it round the Canaries and to us seems to have the better port calls on its 8 night than the Oasis has on its 7 night. So in terms of compromising between size of ship and facilities and decent stops it seemed like a good bet. The best stop itinerary is arguably the cruise starting on Puerto Rico (the Jewel maybe?) but then the ship is smaller.

Lonedreamer,

 

DH and I are going in a couple weeks and in our mid 30's... Something in particular of why not recommending the train,

 

 

 

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Hi There

Ultimately it is all personal choice but I would say the train is not the most dynamic excursion available. We thought the entertainment would be very good whereas actually it was a group of 3 people standing in the doorway of the carriage (one of which looked frankly embarrassed) and singing 2 songs before moving on. The views were 'nice' although there were moments of seeing literally into peoples back gardens and a number of areas which to be honest are just 'waste grounds'. (abandoned old cars, washing machines etc)

Altogether considering our trip cost us over £60 per person it was one of the worst value trips we did on the honeymoon. We swam and snorkelled on an incredible catamaran and saw sea turtles for less £ than sitting on that train for 2 hours.

Like I said, everyone has different opinions and perspectives but we just didn't find our time on the train particularly entertaining and we would not go again.

Actually, they are giving it away as the funds have now been transferred to RCL as cancellation penalty in lieu of notice.

 

Thus, giving it back to the customer is 'giving it away.'

 

As with any CS situation, the question then looks at justification and so forth, but that doesn't change the revenue aspect.

Sorry, they have kept the customers money but have not provided a service. Whether or not the money is transferred internally does not change the fact that they have made money for providing nothing.

The fact that they have have taken the money 'as cancellation penalty in lieu of notice' does not change the FACT that they have used their T&Cs to take money and not provide a service.

I'm extremely confused as to your revenue argument. Their revenue is increased beyond the level it would be if the customer had actually taken the cruise because the customer is now not costing them anything.

Whatever, this is poor from a massive company that could easily have afforded to avoid causing this distress and who seemingly do not want to provide exceptional service where they go above and beyond.