emen822

Unfortunately we didn't have the captain's corner on my recent Allure cruise.  I actually saw the captain one day in the hallway and asked...he said these things are slowly coming back.  🤷‍♀️ 

9 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

My guess: they probably updated the format of invoices for unassigned gty cabins.

Perviously it said obstructed: 0% with a note lower on the invoice that the  % obstructed would be updated when the cabin was assigned.  Of course, some people likely did not read or did not process that note. 
If the unassigned gty now says obstructed: pending, that’s better, as people don’t have to find/read a note elsewhere on the invoice.

 

Unlike Quamtum class balconies are not as big an issue on Wonder and her sister ships.  Personally I don’t really worry about obstructed balconies when I book gty on Oasis class.

 

Did you go with the lowest priced balcony gty which would be an XN, a neighborhood balcony gty or did you specify the more expensive XB oceanview balcony gty?

There was only one guarantee balcony type when I booked so I’m not sure if it would be XN or XB. They did tell me I could get a neighborhood or oceanview which I was fine with. I just noticed this today and wondered if anyone else had seen that on their invoices. I’ve had so many issues with this one reservation. 🥴

I booked a balcony guarantee cabin for my June sailing on the Wonder. (I’ve never done this before.)  And today after making final payment I noticed on my invoice it says “stateroom obstructed: pending”. I never noticed that before so I went and looked at a previous invoice for the same cruise and it says “stateroom obstructed:  0%”. Has anyone seen this before and is it something I should make a call about?  I know the chance I took booking a guarantee but I’m just wondering if that is the norm. 
 

thanks in advance. 
Mary

25 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

They've been on all of my recent cruises

Good to hear!  Thanks.

Hi all -

I'm going on the Allure later this month and was wondering if the Captain's Corner (talks) have resumed on any ships?  I know they stopped during Covid (or at least weren't on any of the cruises I sailed in 2021-22).  I always find them so interesting.

TIA!
Mary 😀

Yes.  We did this in October and it was very easy.  As soon as we dropped off the keys, the shuttle was ready to take us.  Enjoy.

12 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Doesn't surprise me.  If you change C&A levels and want the higher discount they will reprice it.  

That is crazy. 
In the end, because I was soooo insistent, he was able to make the adjustment to the cruise fare instead of adding it as a promotion. Glad this is over with!  I probably spent about 6 hours on the phone over the last few days.  😱

And just as an update … the guy on the phone is now telling me because my discount wasn’t applied the first day that I made the reservation, he cannot add it. He would have to reprice my cruise which is now about $1,000 more. Has anyone heard this before?

Wow. I thought I was the only person with these old next cruise certificates! 😆  I also had one from 2013 and thankfully it is my last one. It’s been nothing but problems and I’m currently on hold for the 4th time in the last few days for yet another issue with this same reservation (currently 57 minutes). My latest issue was them not giving me my diamond balcony discount because I’m in a guarantee balcony. 
 

My only advice is to go in prepared with everything you know and don’t hang up until you check the confirmation. 😂 The first call all they kept telling me was it was not valid. On hold for several times and then finally said it was valid but they had to manually add the obc.  Got the email, no obc and wrong room category.  Called back and got that fixed. Was working on the obc and got disconnected. Ugh. Was hoping they would call back but nope. Called again yesterday and got the obc finally added. Told me I wasn’t entitled to my balcony discount and came here to check with others and was told call back. So here I am again. What a waste of time. Good luck!

3 hours ago, nelblu said:

Did you do a mock booking and see the results.  I just did a mock booking CP balcony for Oasis in August '23 and the D+ balcony discount of $250 is included.  I don't think just because it's a guarantee that it would affect the discount.

 

Call again.

 

 

Thanks. 
Yes. I did the same and the discount applied. I’m on hold again. 😩

8 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

That is a false statement.  Boo on that person.  A balcony is a balcony is a balcony.

Thank you! 😊

Are you just talking about the MDR?  If so you can try sending an email to RCLDining@rccl.com explaining that you have three reservations linked and would like to sit together. I cruised with a large group back in 2013 and we were able to get a table for 12. I sent them an email beforehand and they arranged it.  I even had the table number before we cruised. 😁

So I finally have my summer cruise booked. It was a frustrating process with the hold times and then getting the invoice and something was wrong ~ 3 times!  

Anyway, I booked a guarantee balcony for the Wonder for June. I noticed that I didn’t get the balcony discount and the guy on the phone said that since I will likely get a neighborhood balcony assigned, that I wasn’t entitled to the discount. The discount was only for ocean view. Does anyone know if that is the case?  I have never booked one of those rooms before but when doing a fake booking and selecting that room type, it’s giving me a discount.  Hate the thought of calling again but I will for that discount. 😁

Thanks in advance. 
Mary

Thank you for your responses.  I'm sorry if I wasn't clear... I was just looking for a hotel in a safe area with stores, restaurants within walking distance.  We plan to take an Uber/Lyft to the port.  I guess I was trying to find out if there were any areas to avoid.

I am cruising out of Galveston in February with my two sisters.  We have cruised out of this port a few times before but always arrive late and stay near IAH.  This time we are flying in early on Saturday and would prefer to stay in Galveston as we never had the chance.  We don't know anything about the area but are looking for a nice, clean, safe area to stay, with eateries and stores (for wine, toiletries, etc.) within walking distance since we won't have a car.  Does this seem doable?  I have looked up hotels, airbnb as well as vrbo but again, I'm just unsure of the areas.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  

Thanks in advance! 🙂

Mary

Thank your for the live reports.  I will be on the Adventure on June 4 so I will enjoy this tremendously. 🤩  I may have missed it but what time was your boarding time?  And how quick did you get on?  I haven't sailed out of Bayonne since 2013 and it wasn't the best experience (as far as the lines .... and the weather but that's not Royal's fault 😁)

Thank you for the Uber info. We are leaning towards a shuttle now anyway.
 

As far as flying, we are leaving from IAH and are staying near the airport. The hotel has a shuttle but it starts at 7:00 am so trying to figure out our options. 

Hi, we are cruising next month out of Galveston and are making our last minute reservations.

We decided to fly home on Monday instead of Sunday but our flight is very early out of IAH.  Is Uber something readily accessible in Houston?  I know this may seem like an odd question but in NYC we can get it literally any time and our flight is 6:00 a.m. so we would need a ride around 4:00 a.m.  Just wondering if that would be an issue?

Also, I just read that Uber is not allowed for pick ups at the terminal.  Are they allowed to drop off?

Thanks for your help!

Mary

What is the earliest any of you have heard your bid was accepted?  I know if can be up until the day before sailing but curious to see if people found out earlier.

Mary

On 1/10/2020 at 11:25 PM, lake show cruiser said:

We got our transportation through Infinity Resort. They told us to email here to schedule the transportation. We emailed and he was very responsive and emailed us right back for confirmation. Here’s the email activities@infinitybay.com

We are thinking of going to Infinity as well.  I have emailed a few times and received a response within a day or two. 

Do you know how long the ride is from Coxen Hole to the resort?  I think we are doing the all inclusive package as it's our first stop on the cruise after two sea days and I'm sure we can use a nice relaxing beach day. 🙂 

On 12/17/2019 at 9:58 AM, KarlChilders said:

Sorry to take so long to get back.  I emailed the hotel directly.   activities@infinitybay.com They told me who to ask for for transportation just outside the port, and they were expecting me.  $20 each for the day pass and $20 each for transportation.  The driver/booking guy did try to upsell us on a tour before hitting the resort, but we just told them we wanted to go straight there and it was fine.  They were back 10 minutes before we arranged for the trip back to the ship.  transportation needed to be paid in cash.

We are thinking of going to Infinity Bay next month on our cruise.  Did you dock in Coxen Hole?  And if so, how long was the ride?

Also did you eat there?  We are debating the all inclusive as it's only $45 more than a usual day pass.  

Thanks for your help.

Mary

Thank you all for your help. After three calls we were able to get a price drop of about $150. We lost $50 obc but we also were able to pick out the room.  Final payment is due tomorrow! 
 

Mary 

My sisters and I booked a guarantee inside room for our cruise in February.  While checking the prices today (since final payment is just a few day away😁), I noticed the price for the GTY was now higher than "pick your own".  When I called, they said I wasn't able to switch to the pick my own room option.  She kept putting me on hold and I wasn't sure what the case was since this is our first GTY reservation.  But is that correct?  Just wondering if I should call back to get the additional discount.

Thanks for your help!

Mary

17 minutes ago, ryndam said:

 

Others may offer a differing opinion, but this property seems quite a distance from IAH. As others have mentioned, Houston, as a rule, is not a walking town. A car is a necessity, not a luxury. Most guests staying at properties that far from IAH either have their own vehicles or rent a vehicle during their stay. Not quite certain that anything will be close enough walking distance from this property.

 

Have you considered any of the properties along JFK Blvd.? There is a retail strip center adjacent to the Doubletree and across the street from the Sheraton with restaurants, a liquor store and a convenience store for toiletries. (It's Presidential Plaza Shopping Center at 15655 JFK Blvd, Houston, TX 77032.) There is also a Hampton Inn on JFK that has been recently renovated and walkable to this center (and a complimentary breakfast).

 

Keep in mind that all liquor stores in Texas are closed on Sundays, and those retailers that sell beer or wine cannot sell before noon on Sundays.

 

Rob

Thank you for your help!

I really have no clue about the area and was just searching for places that I would be ok to stay at 🤣. We only flew into Texas once before to cruise but our flight was cancelled at the last minute so we scrambled to find a hotel near IAH that same day.  My sisters also love having the airport shuttle 🤷‍♀️ and that hotel did offer it.  Now I'm off to research some more...

Thank you again!

Mary

On 9/12/2019 at 8:33 AM, Texas Tillie said:

Remember that Houston is a car place, especially out in the suburbs like you will be around the airport. As "ryndam" pointed out, there are many places to stay near the airport that have shuttles between the hotel/motel and the airport. Use a google search to see what eating places are near each of the hotels. I can tell you from observation that they will mostly be fast food places.

Thank you for your reply.  I did notice a lot of places were fast food and for one dinner, that's fine.  I do want to try Whataburger or something like that since we don't have those in New York.  😀  

On 9/13/2019 at 5:24 PM, aknguyen said:

Hotels along Beltway 8 in the Greenspoint area will not have anything to walk to nor would you want to walk there. It's not a great area.

 

Hotels off US59 and the FM1960 area also won't have much to walk to but it's a much better area and there are lots of food choices. There are sidewalks so you *could* walk it but like others have said, this is a car place. Not many people walk anywhere so things are very spread out.

 

What hotels are you considering? I am very familiar with the area and can steer you away from the worst ones if you want.

Thank you for the offer!  Right now I was looking at the Staybridge Suites on Canyon Lakes Trace Drive.  How does that seem as far as being able to walk anywhere?  We would likely just need to eat dinner and also stop to get some booze and toiletries.