Goodtime Cruizin

I think that the early May prices were a big pricing mistake by RCI. It appears that they started a sale without making sure that they had their cost points in line.

 

The price jumps that happened the second week of May, shows that they may have made an oops and quickly made up for it.

 

I LOVED the May Sale, we got JS's for 2 B2B cruises for less than we were willing to pay for D1 balconies. We jump from Gold to Platinum to Emerald in just 4 legs, and will be in striking distance to Diamond with just two more cruise dates.

I used to think that the May 1 thru 7th of BOGHO prices were mistakes as well. But I'm beginning to believe otherwise now. RCL is on record for stating in the near & immediate future, disounts at or near sailing dates were going to cease. I starting to believe now their price strategy was to discount very heavy upfront. The pricing in the first week of May was very very good prices. I don't see how a company the size of RCL could or would allow a 'mistake of this nature to last for a full week. Cabins on many different cruises was snapped up during this week. We booked three cruises ourselves. Just my theory anyway. If it holds true, I like it. It rewards the loyals with great pricing and those who plan ahead. Those that don't, well they will pay the supply & demand pricing.

have booked.

The price has skyrocketed and now they're offering a $500 OBC for each passenger. They could give us $1250 ea OBC with this new pricing and it would still not be enough meet the pricing from May 3rd.

MDR, unless the specialty restaurant is comped. :D

I've only been on 3 RC cruises and to be honest, I'm already getting a tad bored with them. To the point we passed on the MDR one night and decided to just do the Windjammer. We've enjoyed Chops & Sabor in the past as well.

If you decide to book your time(s) on the ship... do two things.

1. First identify the starting time of any evening show(s) you want to enjoy.

2. Then go your assigned dining room and make your reservations accordingly.

These should be your first two stops as the MTD popular times can go quickly.

Exploding toilets...LOL

True story... while on the Navigator this past March, one time our toilet would continue to fill up and the only way to stop it from overflowing was to flush it. It then would fill up again in a bout 90 seconds. I bet I flushed it for 25-30 times before maintenance got there.

We enjoyed the ship but we were one of the many that was one the cruise where the Galveston port was shut down due to an oil spill. We never left the port until Wed. Because of this, the crew and passengers were a bit on edge etc. We all made the best of it and finally we sailed to one port only, Cozumel. But alas, RCL was good to us all and gave us full cruise fare refunds plus a 25% off our next cruise.

But the ship itself was great.

Well it appears that it's possible to do this. And most of the posts find that the maturity of the child is a key ingredient. Having said this, I wouldn't myself. I'd kind of force the issue and have my child join us on shore. It's a great opportunity to build some family memories. Of course I would make sure that he/she would have something that they could enjoy.

Hanging with other kids etc will occur often enough while we're all on board. There is/will be plenty of time for this activity. But trips & excursions to explore other activities and cultures together, is pretty special. I'd be a bit selfish and take them with me. They'd most likely learn something, enjoy it, and if they don't, they'll get over it soon enough.

Too long... :mad:

377 days.

Avoid any & all holidays, summer months and spring breaks if you are looking to reduce the number of kids that sail as most families are limited to these time frames due to schools in session.

If you've received a price drop on your scheduled/book cruise(s) that is active and current for others to review for possible booking, please post it here...

Ship, Sail Date, Category, Price drop

My thoughts are that RCI booked a huge amount of cruises during the first week of May and they are just filling the empty cabins w/ the sail.

2014 is about gone.

2015 is booked real solid on the cruises I've researched.

2016 is the year I think we'll get some huge discounting for a very short period of time, much like what we all saw in the first 7-10 days of May 2014.

We will be sailing on the Allure in Jan 2016, My wife and I in a balcony state room and my Son's in an interior cabin across the hall. At the time of my crusie, my Son's will be 24 and 20 years old. Here in Wisconsin, my youngest Son can leagally drink if either my Wife or I are with him (Having a beer at a Friday night fish fry). Can I buy my Son a beer on the ship? Thanks in advance for your response.

There are rules in place. But responsible folks know how to handle themselves. I'm familiar with the Wisconsin law and can only suggest that you do what you think you need to do. All should be fine. :cool:

1360 , nice and quite...

I find it quite amazing that somebody would lay down an expensive phone on a table in a public place. it is common knowledge that these thefts happen all the time. In any city one has to have their wits about them.

 

My OH and self were in Barcelona earlier this year (not on a cruise). We didn't feel at all threatened or even think we were going to be robbed because we had taken the right precautions to keep our belongings safe.

 

We did see many tourists dithering around, looking at their maps, looking lost etc and more importantly, totally unaware of anything going on around them. Obviously, this makes for a prime target in any place, you don't have to be in Barcelona to be robbed.

 

I think the problem in Barcelona has escalated because it has become one of the main cruise ports in Europe. Therefore, the thieves know there will be a lot of easy pickings in a small area, but why make it easier for them by leaving something of value on view on a table, it's just madness. Sorry, can't be sympathetic when it is such a common crime wherever you are.

No one asked for your sympathy.

The FACT is I've owned phones since the earliest days including bag phones (for work). I've never had a phone stolen or lost for that matter. Perhaps the area of town you live in it's common place.

I posted this in an effort to warn others of what occurred and can occur. If you feel you don't need the warning... then move along and take your sympathy with you.

I just tried to do a mock reservation for both of the two cruises we have booked via the RCL website. Each time, they both the price page forze up and locked, so something is definitely up! Time will tell.

What are the rules for getting price drops during the BOGOHO sale and the WOW sale? If you originally purchase during the sale, can you get the drop if the sale is still on going? If you get a price drop today the last day of the WOW sale can you get the OBC? I'm confused as to if it needs to be a new booking. If I got the drop and OBC in an email receipt am I good?

I suggest that you call them! Ask for the new rate AND the OBC.

I suggest that if you wish to use MTD and you wish to go around.. say 7pm, that one of the first stops you make after boarding is to the MDR. Go to the entrance of your assigned floor level (typically the 5th floor & your Sea Pass will tell you what level/dining room). Someone will be there accepting reservations and table requests. You can also tell them that you wish to be seated with a group. If you wait too late, you'll likely find that you will be required to go to dinner after a certain time. I suggest that you make this a very early stop, if not the first stop as you board.

Enjoy your cruise!

per the RCL website, saildates of 1/10, 1/17, 1/24, & 1/31 are showing "Not Available". I can't imagine that the ship is chartered 4 weeks in a row.

I'm hoping they add Sabore'. The best Margaritas on Navigator is served from this place! :D

According to a certain website I use to verify rate increases/decreases (that ends with Fish), they are showing that the prices as flat lined (no increase/decrease) and with no rates posted or updated since April 21st, 2014. This is occuring for the following sail dates in early 2016...

1/10

1/17

1/24

1/31

I can't imagine that (4) different sail dates are chartered, all in consecutive weeks. I hope they are adding the specialty restaurant, Sabore' as this place was fantastic. We just got off Liberty a few weeks ago and Catacombs was basically wasted space, as it was never used on the cruise at all. This is the same area that RCL used on the Navigator to add Sabore'.

We sail on the Liberty on 2/14/16, so I hope it's completed and ready to go.

Liberty is still N/A from the Jan 10th 2016 cruise until Feb 7th 2016. Has anyone heard any additional information why?? Dry dock?? We are booked on the Feb 14 2016 cruise and this is making me nervous.....

 

Thanks!

We're booked on the same cruise, Feb 14, 2016

Taxis are very plentiful in Barcelona. More so than any port we have visited thus far. I do not think you'll experience any issues. RCL also made arrangements for multiple buses to transport passengers to the airport. You should not have any issues w/ transportation.

I just returned from the Liberty a little over a week ago. She's a great ship. We were in cabin1630, 10th level balcony on the hump and yes, I do think the balcony and also the cabin was just a tad larger.

A few things I personally noticed that may or may not mean much to you, but here goes....

Europeans do not drink much whiskey, as such, the ship had NO Corwn Royal except for the Sky Bar. I'm thinking that few would drink whiskey during the day, so therefore, the Sky Bar had the only bottle on the ship. Form the MDR, Boleros, Schooner Bar or anywhere else.

The MTD was backed up very late. I would recommend that you get a plan and set reservations the day you board the ship. It worked for us. It appears that the 6:30 -8:30 times were booked solid and many could not get in until much later.

Saturday Night Fever had two showings. Thurs @ 7:30 & Fri@ 9:30. We selected Friday Night.

Formal Nights were nice and were indeed formal. Although, many opted for the specialty dining on formal nights.

Another recommendation, if you plan to enjoy Chops Grill on the last night, book very early in the week or you'll eat very late that night.

Boleros had Latin music all week for entertainment.

Schooner Bar had a pianoist that was talented, but pretty eccentric and strange. He could play a pretty good piano but he pretty much expected all eyes on him and no talking, etc. I can't remember his name, but you'll see what I mean. Also, he doesn't desire to fulfil any requests etc. The ship did have an excellent guitarist that traveled around. He was a soloist but could play extremely well. You should try to catch his act. There was no comedy act, but the magic show was pretty good. We never had a reservation for any program including the ice show.

The itenary was very port intensive. Up early everyday. We only had breakfast in the WJ once. It was good as usual and EZ to nvigate. We ordered room service each day so we could eat & quickly leave the ship. We did eat in the WJ once for dinner as we just did not wish to take in a 2 hr dinner as we were tired. So we hit the hot tub for a bit to unwind and then hit the WJ before the show that night. The food was great. Sorrentos & Cafe Promenade offered great pizza, sandwiches, and cookies etc as well. Saturday was our only ship day and as such the ship was busy but still spacious. They cooked by poolside BBQ Ribs & Chicken w all the trimmings. "Saving" or holding poolside chairs was not an issue as there was chairs everywhere.

Smoking areas. For this cruise anyway... port side of level 4 and level 11 (around the pool), and portside on 12. This may change when the Liberty hits stateside but for the Me Cruise, smoking was allowed in a lot more places.

The waitstaff was very pleasant everywhere we went. The Cruise Director was good as well. We really enjoyed the ship. The stop at Nice, France early in the morning is breathtaking. I recommend that you take a moment to take in the view. The Liberty is tethered and this stop is the prettiest stop/port on the trip. (or at least our trip)

Embarking was not so good as the day we embarked there were 7 ships at the port which created a HUGE traffic jam in Barcelona. We, with luggage in tow walked over 3 kilometers including across the bridge to reach the terminal. I recommend that you arrive earlier than 11am to avoid this. Once at the terminal, check in was smooth.

Disembarking was VERY easy. Taxis were very plentiful. In fact, Taxis were everywhere in Barcelona. You can also take advantage of the buses that RCL set up. (for a fee)

I was going to make a long drawn out review but I think this will siffice.

Hope this helps a few other plan their cruise!

I had to leave in my reply your comment about Customer Relations. In my company we have a "10 foot -10 second Rule". It means if you come across a customer within 10 feet of you, then within 10 seconds, just smile or nod your head. The goal is simple contact -- not necessary to engage in a conversation unless the customer opens it up. But it will go a long way to improve the image of Customer Relations. We are a fairly large scale retailer, and yes we have responsibilities for merchandising etc, but nothing should stop an employee from being able to employ the "10 foot - 10 second Rule". Yet some employees still can't/won't do it.

I've never heard of the 10 foots 10 second rule but I like it.

In fact, my initial response to this thread was, a "Smile". I truly recognize that there are many, many people on th ship to serve and assist. But when I come across someone for the 2nd time on the ship that is not happy, smiling and wanting to do their jobs, I first report them and then 2nd avoid them. I've only done this once but the bartender clearly did not want to be around. He never smiled and was always grumpy. I avoided him after my 2nd encounter.

I typically will go out of my way to engae my servers, get & use their names. I have found that they tend to do the same in return.

Can you just show up for MTD or do you need a reservation time in advance?

 

There are only two of us, and we don't mind sitting with other cruisers.

 

Thanks

I think perhaps each Cruise might be a bit different, but here's my routine...

After boarding the ship, I go to Guest Services to determine the dates/times of any of the Broadway Plays that we might be interested in. We then go immediately to the MDR and schedule our times accordingly. We ask for a table by the windows w/ a group at the same time except for the Broadway Play night.

May I suggest that if you elect to have the same dining time each night, that you go to the MDR and book your time. On our last cruise, the MTD was backed up pretty bad and some were not even sitting until 9:30 / 10pm

We love MTD and it's flexibility. Enjoy your cruise.

With the ever growing issue of theft identity, the theft of a cell phone & it's value is more costly that the device itself. Stealing a phone and/or laptop imo should hold more weight in terms of punishment when found guilty. That's for another debate I guess. As would be the types of crime and how to handle them from the States to the Mediterrean.

Just don't leave anything you value on a flat surface while touring the Med.

When & where are you sailing?

The Liberty is a mighty nice ship! She'll be sailing out of Galveston soon and we have booked a Carribean cruise in Feb 2016.