robntawn

2 minutes ago, molly361 said:

I believe from what I have read on here that means you won that bid.

Fingers crossed but so far no email and credit card not charged. 

1 hour ago, snowbird1 said:

I guess because they have your CC information now and an agreement so that probably covers why you can’t cancel out of course it probably should allow you to raise your bid.

The rules state that you can change or cancel your bid up to 2 days before sailing. It won’t let me do either. 

2 hours ago, TimeToGetNauti said:

Based on others in this thread, your guess is as good as anyone elses.  They say pending til they make a decision on if you want that bid. I think someone else reported this similar thing happening, but they one of the expired bids were accepted.  I could be wrong. I would assume you are still in the running for the GS and will find out by the night before your cruise. 

Here's the weird thing: I am unable to modify or cancel pending bid, and am unable to rebid on expired bids.  When I go to the direct URL for Royal Up and enter my name and confirmation number, it says I am ineligible for upgrade.  Weird all around.

1 hour ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

I received ANOTHER one today.  😮 

Royal is definitely consistently inconsistent.  Good times!

1 hour ago, snowbird1 said:

Rob, they are still sending me Royal Up emails for this cruise.  I have no interest in them especially since I have to pay for 2 nd I am solo. 

The whole process is cryptic.  There are reports on the website dealing with Faces that indicate acceptance of bid for 1000pp from balcony to GS on same sailing.

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Did you bid high?  Pretty sure that's a very hot ticket

Mid range.  Minimum bid was 700 and we bid 1260 pp.  I am unable to modify bid at this time.

Leaving 11/2 on Symphony and booked in regular balcony currently.  Submitted 3 bids for upgrades to JS, GS, and OS 2 weeks ago.  Checked today and bids for OS and JS say "Expired", but bid for GS says "Pending".  I checked my CC and no activity.  Thoughts???

On 6/15/2019 at 6:46 AM, Hmonster said:

 

Could you post or message me Ms. Cardenas' email address?  Thank you.  I would like to communicate with her, but would rather email than call.

 

I believe it is ex-co@rccl.com.

Perhaps a better bet is to send concerns regarding the program and it's implementation directly to Mr Bayley, and your concerns will be forwarded to appropriate party.

What appears to be the problem (to most people) is the lack of uniformity regarding perks and poor training of staff regarding the program.

Lots of conflicting information regarding Key offerings on different ships, which is quite frustrating.  The program has been around long enough now and staff should be consistent with implementation.  I voiced my concerns about the program to management, specifically asking about private hours, early embarkation, luggage drop-off, and number of Keys sold per sailing.  My upcoming sailing is aboard Symphony on 11/2/2019. Here is the reply that I received from management.

Hello Rob, 

Thank you for contacting the Executive Office of Royal Caribbean International. Your correspondence to Mr. Bayley was forwarded to my attention and I appreciate the opportunity to respond on their behalf.

I’m sorry to hear about all the misconceptions you have been seeing regarding the Key program.  Please note that there is only one version of The Key program, however there are certain restrictions depending on where the ships sail out of. 

During your specific sailing, there will be less than 200 guests that have purchased The Key amenities. As far as the private hours on marquee activities, like the FlowRider, Rock Climbing wall, and Ripcord by iFly, Key guests receive one peak hour per attraction between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, please understand that if the weather and/or itinerary does not enable us to offer this, the crew will find the best alternative time to offer the private hour. The Oasis and Quantum class ships now have VIP lanes installed for quicker access to these activities. 

Also, carry-on luggage and priority boarding is available on all Key ships but it is not offered in Vancouver, Canada or any ports in Australia. 

Rob, we trust the information provided has been helpful and will assist you with resolving this matter. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach me via email or directly at 1-800-256-6649 ext. 11756. We truly look forward to the opportunity to welcome you on the Symphony of the Seas and demonstrate our commitment to service.

Sincerely,




Daniella Cardenas
Executive Office
Royal Guest Experience Management

I did send a follow up email requesting information on what the VIP line is and what benefits are conferred.  I will post response when I get it.

I can only hope that RCCL personnel are diligent about checking Key status prior to extending benefits, especially reserved seating, private activity hours and priority embarkation/debarkation. I don’t think there is a requirement for everyone in the same room to purchase it, but those that don’t should not get benefits. 

I fear that it will end up similar to Priority Boarding on Southwest. In that case, only 1 family member pays extra for early boarding and then saves a row of seats for other family members who didn’t pay. Not cool, but rarely enforced by staff. 

You can can bet that I will be “that guy” who complains if I see this happening in November. I paid extra for my wife and I to both get these benefits, and I expect others to do the same. 

On 4/13/2019 at 7:23 AM, Ronaldo807 said:

Robntawn - do you mind sharing what email address you sent this to? Thanks.

I tried to send DM, but it is disabled.  

4 hours ago, Ronaldo807 said:

I messaged Royal on FB and was told that embarkation lunch is not included even though specialty dining restaurants may be open. Your package begins with your first dinner onboard. You can dine at any of our venues during the operational hours (again this contradicts embarkation day). Playmakers is included with the package and hibachi is now included.

 

Take it for what it's worth, but that's from Royal.

That's exactly what I was told when I contacted corporate office (Tamika Thompson).  Playmakers and Hibachi included, no embarkation lunch, lunch on sea days IS included, no tapas in Vintages, and $35 credit for ala carte restaurants such as regular Izumi.

I also want to add that I sent my question directly to Corporate office, and Tamika works under Mr Bayley.  Perhaps she is a better and more knowledgable source than FB.  Hopefully.

Anyone know if POM (Symphony) is offering Luggage Valet yet?

3 minutes ago, Loonbeam said:

More likely they just move a stanchion a row back if they have a lot of reservations.  I think the net final will be that while resos are not required, they will be strongly recommended to guarantee a seat in the key section, and those with resos will go in early, others will come in later and get the remaining key seats until full.

 

I would think that it is similar to Star Class (and perhaps Pinnacle) in that there are areas blocked for every show and you just show up when you want to go. 

On 12/21/2018 at 12:51 PM, morganmpink said:

FYI, I am not sure if its true for your ship, but The Key was 20% off today in Cruise Planner. I had already purchased it, canceled it at the old price ($24.99) and repurchased today. Saved over $100! 

I also did this for the Nov 2 Symphony sailing, which will be quite busy and lots of lines.  Well worth it, in my mind.  Thanks for the heads up!

Just got off Harmony at 0620 this morning (self assist) and breezed through Customs, called a Lyft to FLL, checked in, and are now having breakfast waiting for our 9:05 flight. Super easy and fast. Plenty of time for an early flight.

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I don't think there is that much of a difference as far as to what you would see. There are parades pretty much all day on Sunday so the streets will be crowded. Seeing as you don't dock till 6pm on Sunday I would pick either Lafayette Square or the Intercontinental since they are on the river side of the parade route. Trying to cross the route when parades are passing is never fun and that way if you are late you won't be stuck on the wrong side from your tickets.

 

 

 

 

 

The big parade on Monday evening is Orpheus. Proteus is rather ho hum so be sure to stay for the main event as it is a stunning parade.

 

 

 

On Tuesday the two big draws are Zulu & Rex. They are completely different parades but both are a must watch. I looked at the prices of tickets for the different stands and the Intercontinental tickets are more expensive and I don't see that you get anything for that other than you get access to toilets inside a building rather than porta-potties. I would maybe splurge for Tuesday on the Intercontinental since the Queen of Carnival (The Rex Organization) and her court all sit in the private reviewing stands (not where you would have access but close) so the riders in Rex tend to throw lots to the revelers at the hotel. Zulu starts very early, so don't dawdle getting there.

 

 

 

All of these stands appear to be general admission seating so getting there timely will get you a better view. Wear your comfy shoes and dress in layers. Mardi Gras is later this year so the weather will be warmer. I have worn shorts plenty of times during Mardi Gras during the day but it will still drop to needing a light jacket in the evening. Don't forget to bring a bag for all the loot you will catch. :)

Awesome advice, as usual. Thank you!

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It’s funny how subjective things are. I thought The Fine Line was one of the best shows I’ve seen, on par with some Vegas Cirque shows.

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Nolatravelgirl: I hope you’re still here. We are getting closer to the grandstands opening for 2019 bookings and I wanted to pick your brain some more. We will be booking grandstands for all 3 days, and I wanted your opinion for each of the Bacchus, Proteus, and Zulu parades on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday respectively. Please keep in mind that we don’t dock until about 6:00 on Sunday evening. We are avid walkers without mobility issues.

I am hoping you can give me your insider opinion, choosing between Poydras, Lafayette, and Hotel Intercontinental grandstands for each parade.

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As an owner of a legit service dog, this is the best news Ive read in a long long time. People that bring their ill mannered, untrained PETS onboard under the disguise of a "emotional support animal" give us all a bad name. Kudos Royal Caribbean. Now ENFORCE it!

This^^

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Best news I’ve seen all day. Way to go, Royal!

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Thanks everyone! It worked!

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What’s up with all the obnoxiously large pictures that accompany most posts? I’m seeing them while using Cruise Critic app on my iPhone.

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Thank you all for your input and pic collages!! ARCCruisinNana!! PERFECT!!! :)

 

Since I'm sailing in August Robntawn, I might be able to share the Chef's Table menu with you, IF we decide to go!

 

Countess5 - Since I sailed on the Harmony previously, I completely forgot about the curtain separation in the Solurium, and for $95/pp once would LOVE to think that the atmosphere would be the same as Oasis/Allure, since it was quite lovely over the library on the Allure.

 

With all of this input in mind, since we have the Royal Visa card and a sizable OBC coming to us for our sailing in August, we may book it on board - Kinda hoping they get their act together on it, since isn't a nice location part of the whole Chef's Table experience!!

 

 

 

 

Ha. That would be great!

We did attend aboard the Harmony in 2016, and I must agree that the location left a lot to be desired. It was indeed noisy and seemed like it was an afterthought.

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