JillL

7 hours ago, whitshel said:

It's cruise day!! 😁 Check out time at the hotel is 10am so we'll just head to the port then. Another gorgeous but cool day here in Galveston.

We have balcony #7408, a large corner balcony. I'll take a few pics and vids and post them.  We brought a couple hammocks so hopefully they fit out there.

Any questions or pics anyone wants, let me know and I'll be happy to post.   Couple more hours and we'll be on our way. 

 

BTW, this is the 1st post I've done thru Tapatalk, so hopefully it works. 

 

Ok forget that last comment, it didn't work. Added the pics, hit send and it said "I'm not logged in or there is another issue". So I copied and pasted here on the mobile site, let's see what happens. 

So excited to continue with you on your journey!  We are in 7708 in two weeks, which is exactly the same but a mirror image.  🙂

I am looking for feedback on The Key on the LOS from those who have already purchased it and cruised.  (I am not looking for personal opinions about the program itself.)

I saw initial reviews that indicated the LOS staff was not prepared, but that was after the first week the program was active.  With a little over a month now, I would like to see what the feedback is (more recently).

A specific question relates to priority port departure.  Our terms indicate that is included and is not specific to tendering.  Is that the case?

TIA

I hope your travels are safe!  I'm looking forward to following along because we leave on the LOS on the 20th.

Have a wonderful trip!!

Yea!  So excited for another one of your reviews.  I have been missing the entire bunch!  It's like getting a late Christmas present!!  

Congrats on getting through those final classes!  That's a huge accomplishment for anyone but especially with as busy as you are.

And Sakari is getting more and more beautiful!  It's been so amazing to watch her grow up over the years of your reviews.  🙂

Random thought... 

This is our sixth cruise but first on RC.  We have been on two other cruise lines (will remain unnamed but they are very popular).  While I am not excited about RC's website, which seems to have issues frequently, I just wanted to point out that I love how RC offers pre-cruise sales.  I have not experienced this with the other cruise lines, and I think it is genius!  (But the others may have changed since we sailed.)

We purchased both the deluxe drink package and 3 night dining package, which we had no intentions of purchasing originally because they dropped so much in price.  (We purchased for $45 and $60 respectively.)  

Way to go RC!  (Done with my two cents!!)

32 minutes ago, billsr said:

Hi,

 

I learned from this forum that if I prebook my drink packages/excursions on line before sailing, it is somewhat discounted.    I have a few questions:

 

1) I am wondering what the payment options are.   Do you pay in full by credit card or is it added to your cruise folio account?   

2) If I prebook my drink package/excursions and then a deal comes out; can I get my pre-booking refunded and rebook at the lower price?

3) What is typically the best deal on an adult drink package.   Right now it is showing 20% off.   Is this about the best to be expected.   We are 90 days out.

4) Drink package currently says "From 73$ CDN per day".  Not understanding the "From".   This implies some other pacakges that are higher priced but I only see the one adult package available.....so why "From" vs "Is".

 

Thanks

 

 

2

You can cancel and rebook.  The original booking will process as a refund to your card, so it may not show up the same day the new charge goes through. 

The lowest I have heard of is $42 US per day.  I booked at $45 US and am waiting/hoping for it to drop still; however, I sail in about 40 days...  probably slim change.

I think the "from" reference is because you can add Voom also, which brings up the cost.

Good detailed review!

When I read all of the feedback and suggestions for cruising with a young child, I felt as if I could have been writing it myself. Our son was just shy of four on his first cruise, and the overstimulation and not enough sleep combination led to quite a few cranky moments. But it gets much better as they get older. (He is eight now and quite the international traveler.) And all of the suggestions and things you brought, I was right there with ya.

One kid suggestion... Bring strong little magnets (can pick up on Amazon). Take the sheet from the pullman bed, and use the magnets to attach it to the walls or ceiling to make a fort bed. My son LOVED it, and it provided a little extra privacy for the adults.. if you know what I mean... ;p;) We've never had a steward that tried to take it down, so it stayed up all week for each of our cruises.

Thanks for the review!

Watch your Cruise Planner for sales. As the previous posted responded, the price can change. Ours has gone from $48 to $45 to $50, and has fluctuated several times between those three prices. I have heard the price can go as low as $42. I purchased at $45 and will cancel and repurchase if it drops to $42.

I read reviews frequently where people put a case of water in a bag (by itself) or just slap a baggage tab on it, and they always seem to make it to the room.

Paradise Beach is very nice and relatively inexpensive. It is only $3 to get in and $18 (extra) if you want to do the water blow-ups, which are very fun. They do ask that you eat $10 worth of food or drinks, but that is not hard to do. (It is not an all-inclusive.) The one thing that was nice was the pool is heated. This may not be an issue depending on the time of year, but we have been to Chankanaab a couple times, and their pool was freezing.

Chankanaab is a great place also. There are a lot of different activities, and there is good snorkeling right from the beach. The price is very reasonable for the general admission, but it varies depending on your activities. Also, they have an all-inclusive option. This is a great place for families because there are so many different activities.

On another cruise line (unnamed), kids can eat at the specialty restaurants for free by ordering off the kid's menu (regular one used for the main dining room). Does RC/LOS allow that?

You can Purchase the First Night Done Right in your Cruise Planner for $20 pp. I’ve eaten at Chops on Liberty 4 times and it’s always been super good. They do have the 16 oz ribeye and the crab cakes are euphoric.

I you pay for FNDR through your cruise planner, do you pick the restaurant, or do they assign you to one?

That sounds awesome great idea!

You should try the hammock idea, then answer all the above questions! Chairs/loungers; sofa bed/pullman; and hammock success.

:)

Soo just booked this cabin for August did you have loungers :)

You'll have to tell me. We go next January. :D

Another advantage of booking direct as opposed to many travel agents is 24/7 customer service, so anytime you see a price drop (rare as they might be), you can call and get the lower price. With some agencies, if you see a price drop on the weekend, you might have to wait until Monday to call, and by then the price drop might be gone.

To comment on the "rare as they might be" comments... we booked our cruise in August, it has dropped four or five times already. Albeit, small amounts each time but a total savings of $350.00. I prefer to be able to call directly (for the aforementioned reason).

No, not convinced... it seems to only bother selective people. Who are focused so much so on others, rather than the people they are with. Says lots about ones self.

 

Playing devils advocate once again, maybe they feel like my wife does. Loosing so much time due to work, every minute in physical presence of loved ones, even working at the table is still time with family. That’s not being rude.

 

Now, if he/she was playing candycrush, or watching a show. That would be rude. So lets give that person the benefit of doubt. Speculation is not burden of proof.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I agree.

They may be in the process of making a change to the itnerary. We had that happen on another cruise line. We booked for 1/20/19, and it disappeared. Come to find out, they changed it from a 7 day to an 8 day with an extra port leaving on 1/19/19. Because we had already booked, our price remained the same!

Thanks for the review. Can you give some more detail on the weather? I know it has been cold in Galveston. How long did it take to warm up as you were going south. Were the pools usable on the 1st sea day at all?

It all depends on the given time. We sailed mid December, and it was absolutely beautiful. We were at the pool all day the first sea day and last. But I have sailed at roughly the same time in years past, and it was cold on the way out and back in. Just depends on the weather that week.

We'll be in Costa Maya in April with our two children (ages 2 and 8) and my parents, as well as their friends (they're all seniors, relatively active).

 

I was convinced Maya Chan was a good place to spend our day. After reading a bit more on the boards, I'm concerned my mother may get car sick on the 20+ minute drive there. Any input on this? We've all been to Mexico many times, although this will be our first visit to Costa Maya. Now we did survive some crazy roads during a week we all spent together in Costa Rica, so I'm not sure how this may compare? But I also have kids to think about now, so I'm not sure of the safety aspect of driving to Maya Chan without carseats...I'd love your input!

 

The all-inclusivity of Maya Chan isn't necessarily a huge sell for us. Beer and mixed drinks aren't really our drink of choice, so that isn't a deciding factor for me. I do like the convenience of the flat $59 rate, including taxis though...

 

That being said, would Blue Kay be a better option for our crowd? Any option to snorkel from shore there? It seems a little confusing as to whether there's an entry fee or not, but either way, I've read it is $5 or less?

 

We'd just like beach chairs, umbrellas, bathrooms that are semi-clean, and a pretty beach. Bonus if I can snorkel from shore with my son.

 

If there's something else I should consider, I'd love your suggestions! I'm a little confused about what to do after reading the boards...Thanks!

I have been to both, and I think Blue Kay will fit your needs. Honestly, we would not go back to Maya Chan. It is an amazing place, but we are not huge drinkers either. With the grass build up and the unclear waters, it just doesn't appeal to us as we like to snorkel also.

We were at Blue Kay last month for the first time. One thing I will say (and you can probably find more on this in other threads) is Blue Kay is VERY inconsistent in what they charge. We were charged $15, which included cushions for the loungers and two drinks. They did not charge for my 7 year old. We were fine with that charge because we would have probably purchased two drinks anyway, and they seemed to be around $5 - $6 (mixed drinks). So it seemed reasonable. But I have heard others that got charged much less.

What makes Blue Kay great is the ocean... beautiful clear water and no grass! And there is snorkeling. It isn't the best place you will ever snorkel, but if you swim around, there is plenty to see. We even saw a lion fish there. And when I went under the bridge to the other side, there were thousands (not an exageration) of small gray fish... literally there was a HUGE wall of them. I am not sure if they are there always, but it was really cool. I swam into them and let them surround me. You can definitely snorkel from the beach with your son. As I said, our's is 7, and he had no issues.

The beach is amazing too. My son spent a good time playing there and building castles. (We brought our own small sand set. I do not believe they have anything, but we didn't ask.) There is no grass (to reiterate).

For the small taxi fare and the short ride, it is completely worth it. To get back, you just have to walk down the way a bit to the taxi stand.

Forgive me for being an RC newbie...

On another cruise line (to remain nameless), you can book specialty dining reservations at about three months out on their website. Does RC allow that also?

Also, if you make a reservation for the first night (assuming it's allowed), and you purchase one of the "first night done right" (might be misquoting the name) deals, can you use it for the reservation previously made?

Also, where do you go for the FNDR purchase?

Thanks in advance!

We also booked our first Royal cruise after only sailing Carnival. Like lele100 our biggest apprehension is the lack of included dining and the fancy dress code for the MDR. We will have limited luggage flying (1 carry-on size suitcase each) to Europe and I don't know what we will do at this point as we don't usually change our daytime clothes (capris/tshirt or sundress for girls and shorts/tshirt for boys) in order to eat dinner.

My husband and I generally do not do fancy, but I bring one outfit for the specialty restaurants and/or main dining room. I'll pack a skirt and top, which don't need ironing, and a thin pair of sandals.... Takes up minimal extra space in the luggage. I personally could care less if anyone notices I am in the same clothes...

I would consider $30 for 4 beers (or even margaritas) at a basic Mexican beach bar excessive. How was the pricing for food and drinks thereafter?

We ordered non-beer drinks. Based on the menu, they were generally $6. (I think one or two for $5.) So basically, $24 of the $30 was for the four drinks with $3 for the chair/cushion.

The food was reasonable from what I can recall. The menu was in pesos, but I think meals were around $8 - $10.

This is just crazy...even after telling this lady that claimed she was the management, that I was personally from cruise critic and the frustration of having people report back with different pricing can potentially keep people from coming there, they give yet another price.

 

 

 

 

I agree. I know that both times we have been there they have always let us run a tab and pay at the end with no problems.

 

 

 

 

Did it include anything else, other than the 2 drinks pp? Like bikes or snorkel equipment or kayaks or anything at all?

I honestly don't know. We had our own snorkel gear, so it didn't come up.

Is this charged up front? We always purchase food and/or drink but this arbitrary charging is not very professional. We prefer to run a tab. Don’t want to pay in bits and pieces.

We were charged $30 (2 adults) up front then ran a tab for food and drinks (after the first two).

Price variations continue... We were there last week, and Irene charged us $15 per adult ($0 for our 7 year old). The $15 included two drinks, which we would have ordered anyway.

We had an amazing time, so all was good!