manazca

Advice for the future: never look at prices after the final payment! If they will let you upgrade, great but as a final sale, new bookings only deal they may not. Just be happy that if the prices had gone up they don't charge you more.

I totally see the value of this advice. This is our 3rd cruise and I've never looked at prices after payment for the previous two cruises. But this time there are several issues ... (we are on different decks than my parents, they do not speak English, getting a JS for their first and only cruise we are offering them for their gold anniversary, us taking a CP cabin instead of an ocean view in order to afford the one large bill and now realizing but all would have been possible had we not planned in advance and instead booked it now :( I am sorry, I know it is no one's business, my error and bad luck :( Truly appreciate all the advice.

It's quite possible that there is nothing you can do. If the sale price is limited to new bookings only, it prevents you from asking for an upgrade. Your only recourse is to speak to the resolutions department. I don't have their number but if you call the general number and ask to be transferred to resolutions it should work.

Thanks! Does this advice apply to bookings through a TA as well or only direct from RC?

Although I have not done this in the past, I have heard of it happening MANY times. If the price drops for the category above you, you should be able to request a free upgrade to that category as I understand it. If you are in an inside for $1000 and an outside cabin is now less than you have paid, you can request the upgrade to the outside at no charge. If it is now listed for $1010 for the outside, you can pay the extra $10 for the upgrade to the outside cabin.

 

The one thing they will NOT do is if you paid $1000 and you are now past final payment and it drops to $600, you can no longer cancel and re-book for the $600 price, like you can up til final payment is due.

 

 

I am sure many others here will chime in too, but my advice is to act quickly since once those cabins are gone at the great price, there is no way to request the upgrade.

 

Good luck.

Thanks! That was my understanding, too. The TA will get back to me only tomorrow and I am not even sure the cabins won't be gone before then ... I guess my lesson here will be to not book with a TA anymore.

We are still cruise newbies ... Booked 2 staterooms through a TA (full payment date passed). I was still keeping an eye on prices and noticed that the next category of a stateroom is now cheaper (for our stateroom for example an upgrade is $800 less per room! For my parents a JS is the same price I paid for their cabin - their 1st cruise, 50th anniversary ...)

I called the TA, he called RC and said he was told that this is the Going, gone, gone price and it only applies to new bookings. Is there anything that can be done? I thought I had read about several people being upgraded when prices dropped after the final payment.

I feel terribly discouraged :( TIA!

Thanks again for sharing your experience with us. Have a smooth return home and good luck with the plumbing issues. We are boarding today. Happy Holidays!

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I can't wait to hear about your day in Nassau.

I don't know if we should plan a beach day given how little time we'll have before sunset or what other activities. How's the water temperature?

Have a great day!

Thanks everyone and sorry for my delay, crazily busy at work.

Given that we'll only have about 4.5h till sunset I think we'll decide on the ship what to do. I should contact Melia though as I read something about renovations. Thanks again!

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Thanks very much for your review. We are sailing on the Anthem on Saturday.

Regarding the internet packages: have you seen any promotions or is the price the same as in Day 1?

Have you seen kids at the shows (around 6-y old) and do you think kids could enjoy the shows?

Thanks and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

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I apologize if this has been answered before, I seem to only be able to find partial answers to my full query (inexperienced cruiser here + first time in Nassau).

In short, would you recommend a 4-h excursion (through RCI) to the Blue Lagoon on December 23rd (starting at 1:30pm it seems)?

In other words, can I plan a regular beach day given the water temp. and when it is getting dark that day? Many thanks in advance!

Thanks, I'll do (was hoping for some RCI feedback).

We'll be in Nassau on the Anthem around Christmas and I am trying to decide if the excursion from RCI is worthy, therefore posting here. It will be our first time in Nassau and some reviews on the RCI were not good.

Also, I am not sure if 1) 4 hours is worthy AND 2) if the weather at the end of December is adequate for a beach day.

I'll be grateful for any feedback!

A block from the Straw Market is a Pirate Museum that may be of interest to the child. Behind the Welcome Center they have horse and buggy rides. :) Also there is a zoo. http://ardastra.com/

Many thanks! I'll check them out.

Do you think that the water will be too cold for swimming? I read about the Blue Lagoon (beach day and/or dolphins) and it looks very tempting but probably less so at the end of December ...

Brevard Zoo / tree top trek (they have a special course for the little ones)

 

Dinosaur Museum

I think my daughter would absolutely love the dinosaur museum. I'll check it out, thanks. My DH on the other hand would probably very much like KSC.

Thanks, everyone. Much appreciated! With lot of reluctance I'll leave Disney for another time, I know rationally that's the best decision.

- How about Kennedy Space Center?

- Is there a nice beach close by or resort with all day passes? I suffer from chronic pain (neck and headaches) so maybe a quiet day wouldn't be too bad either. Just don't want to stay on the ship.

We will be in Port Canaveral on Dec. 22 with our 5-y old from 6:30am to 9 pm. 1. None of us has ever been at Disney and have nothing planned yet in the near future. I know my daughter would be thrilled beyond belief if we went there. From what I read that day will be super busy and we won't have enough time to enjoy (also expensive). However, I have a hard time letting go ... Is that truly the case? Would you recommend not even trying given the frustration we'll likely experience?

2. What would you recommend doing for the day?

TIA!

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We'll be in Nassau for the first time on Dec. 23 from 1pm-11:59pm. 2 adults and one kid (5-y). What are some of the things we could do?

My preference would have been a day pass but I understand it is getting dark quite early and it might be cold? Should we just explore the port (straw market?) and then get back on the ship?

Wish we arrived earlier instead of departing so late.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

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Another option could be Café Chianti. Never had a bad experience there.

Close to Salty's (still a good walk IMO) you can get the ferry for the other side of the harbour (Darmouth) and right in the terminal you have Wooden Monkey with excellent locally-sourced organic food and a great view of Halifax and the harbour from the other side.

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Many thanks for your responses.

It turns out it is Jersey City I had in mind (saw some of the hotel videos posted earlier in this thread), not downtown Newark. Sorry for the confusion.

Given the time we are arriving and the budget I think we'll pick a hotel in Elizabeth as suggested. Not sure where to buy a bottle of wine before cruising (we are not really drinkers but it would be nice to have some). Saw some discussion in this thread, haven't finished reading it yet, hopefully a solution has been found :)

Thanks again.

We're flying from Canada to Newark for an Anthem cruise in December.

1. Is a 1:30pm returning flight ok or is it a little early considering disembarkation?

2. We arrive around 6:30pm in Newark, cruising the next day. Where would you recommend staying overnight? Near the airport or downtown Newark? Which way would be cheaper? We would appreciate a nicer view but it is not essential. We'd like a nice place for dinner (2 adults+ one 5-year old) and maybe some stores nearby for last minute shopping.

Which hotels would you recommend?

Many, many thanks! (I've been trying to go through the full thread but I am extremely busy and couldn't make a final decision about our choices).

Thank you very much everyone. I appreciate all feedback.

I tried to find in the description of shows any indication of audience ( talking about the 3 for which we need reservations). We've been on the Allure last year and we didn't take her at Chicago but she did enjoy the water show and she can sit ok for that time if interested. She also enjoyed the Dreamworks experience, indeed. In general, she adores music and dancing.

I cannot see any feedback on The Gift, Spectra and the one about Queen's regarding kids. I might call RC and ask about the intended audience for these 3 shows.

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We just booked a cruise on the Anthem and I was wondering if we could take our daughter (5-y old) to the shows or if they are more suitable for adults only. TIA!

We are sailing on the Allure on August 24 and the TA called Royal Caribbean and was told that there would be no characters breakfasts on that cruise :(

I wonder if that's a mistake. Our 4-y old would so love them.

She was 3 years old when we did this. She did not know how to swim at the time. (She's now 6 years old and started swimming when she turned 4). You have life jackets on (as seen in the pictures).

 

Chankanaab is an amazing place, not only for the dolphin & manatee swims, but for the place itself. It's beautiful there and a lot to do. :)

Thanks for the quick reply! I can't decide between Chankanaab and Playa Mia :confused: Your reviews suggest both places would be great but we can only do one. Any help?

ETA: just saw the final recommendations, didn't look at those before, I guess I know now what your favorite place is :) Mhm ... what would my 4-y old like best?

Someone posted a review with great pics of the Playa Mia waterpark. It's deigned for younger children and looks perfect for a four year old.http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1851647&page=8

Thanks. It is actually one of her reviews that got me thinking about Chab and dolphins as well :)

Great insights, thanks!