karkee8807

You'll still have to talk to an agent at the terminal. When you get in at the desk they will be able to fix the issue with the credit card. Might take an extra minute, but it can be done, and in the end won't be a big deal. On our honeymoon we ran into a problem where the system put in my name on my husbands credit card when doing online check in because I was the first on the reservation. We didn't know about it until we checked in though. It was totally fine after they corrected it at the check in. Since they ask to see/verify the credit card you are putting on file, they can make those changes right there.

 

I get that it is stressful because it makes it look like it could cause problems on the cruise. But it won't. I am a very on top of it all planner and like to have everything perfect before leaving home and checking in. So this would frustrate me too.

 

And I agree, the website is awful. It always has been. I can't even count the number of times I have had a message about server problems pop up when trying to make a payment or look at the cruise planner since booking last week.

 

So try not to stress about it any longer. They'll fix it for you!

I have not found a reliable alternative.

Thanks, Bob! I think for as much time as I spend on Royal's website when I know I cannot book anything, I can spend the time going through when trying to find a better deal. If I don't find anything, no biggie, but worth tracking. I am pretty happy with our price for an 8 night promenade room.

 

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Is there a way to track a lower price other than going through the reservation up until checkout anytime there is a sale?

 

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Hi there!

 

My husband and I will be in St. Maarten in December on Royal's Adventure of the Seas.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a reliable tour company that I can look into to see what else is out there besides booking through the ship.

 

Also, do the ships dock right downtown Philipsburg? I also have read some threads about water taxis. We'd like to be able to walk around a little after the tour if time allows.

 

Thanks!

We used a small suitcase a couple of times, while it isn't a big deal, it does get in our way. Last time I packed out carry on in an over sized, zipped tote bag and we liked that better. This upcoming cruise, we will each have a back pack since we are flying this time. Our carry-on bags from the flight will be checked with our regular sized suitcase once at the port.

The 11 night. Royal doesn't seem to do a lot of Panama cruises. The ABC Islands are much more common to find. Serenade is smaller then Explorer. But I think a little smaller ship is fine for a more unique trip. Royal does a nice job keeping up with the older ships of their line. Plus, it also goes to a different continent. Even when we have no plans to book, I am always on the website toying around with "planning". The 11 night Panama is new too me. I was actually looking at both of these this morning and was impressed with both Panama is the one I would choose hands down if cost isn't a factor. But the Explorer looks very nice as well.

Thanks for posting this. I'm glad to be reading peoples thoughts since I am interested in booking a cruise for next fall while on my trip in December. I've never booked through a travel agent, so I am not sure which has more benefits.

Thank you!

That's what RC claims.

 

Thank you!

Thank you for this post!

 

I was just on Thenford Grey's website. We just booked a cruise for Dec for Eastern Caribbean. St. Kitts is the port we are most excited about. I was worried about booking through the ship because I wasn't sure we'd have the time to see more then a couple things. This tour looks like it covers a lot for the time and the price is excellent.

 

Did you feel like you had enough time at the stops? Caribelle and Romney sound like such a neat place. But then again, so does all of St. Kitts!

You can share a Voom package. If your husband logs out of the Wi-fi on his laptop you will then be able to log in on your device. You can’t both be logged in at the same time.

 

Hope that helps

 

 

That is good to know. I was wondering about that. Thanks, Sarah!

Nothing shorter than 24 hours.

 

 

Thank you, Mike.

I think food varies from ship to ship or personal taste. I also think that sometimes its just a fluke. But I get that it is disappointing when the food isn't great.

 

Most of the time I have always enjoyed the food on board a Royal cruise. We eat breakfast and lunch in the MDR when it is open. We eat most our dinners in the Windjammer, with most of those being good. We snack and stop for late night eats, it just depends on the ship where we go. Like Cafe Promenade is hit or miss, but we really like Johnny Rockets. Breakfast is alright in the dining room, but it is something nice to do on sea days. Room service breakfast is also just okay. We really enjoy MDR lunch. Now that my husband and I cruise together, we prefer the Windjammer at dinner so we can eat and then take advantage of a less busy ship. As a teenager, we always ate dinner in the MDR. The food was always great, but that was also 11-16 years ago. I have severe food allergies, so that also plays into factor where we eat. If MDR or Windjammer is heavy with fish/shellfish that night, we don't risk it.

 

When we were on our Carnival cruise, we thought the food was terrible no matter where we ate. But there were a lot of other problems with the cruise as well. A handful of other people we became friendly with had commented on the poor food/bad service/dirty ship as well. Some of them were also on their first Carnival cruise (but sailed other lines), others were die hard Carnival customers. But over all that cruise was not a great experience. If we were closer to a port, we would consider another Carnival since it most likely was just a one time thing. Since we are in the Akron/Cleveland area, travel to a port is a big cost factor if not leaving from the NYC area or Baltimore. We also think a newer ship and a longer cruise with Carnival might be better. But just are worried about another bad experience.

 

I haven't taken a cruise with NCL, but we would like to try it out sometime. I like that their Bermuda cruises are longer.

 

I'd recommend giving a Royal a shot again. I believe they sail out of New Orleans with Vision of the Seas. Liberty of the Seas is based out of Galveston.

 

Also, thanks for giving your opinion on Explorer. We are sailing on her sister, Adventure in December and really looking forward to the ship itself. Our last cruise was on Liberty when she was in Cape Liberty. We loved that ship. Liberty is a Freedom class ship, so a little bigger and more features then Explorer/Adventure. But after researching Adventure, the layout and style really reminded us of Liberty.

I haven't sailed in nearly three years so the Voom packages are new to me

 

My husband is thinking about getting the soda/voom package and bringing one of our laptops (if it includes the streaming option). In the past I just bought a smallest internet package (like 60 min or something) so I could check my email, check in at home and look up things online if we needed too. I always bought those packages on the ship.

 

I wanted to make sure there wasn't a minute package that is still offered on board.

 

We don't cruise until December so I know things can change before then even, but I like having everything that I can pre-plan, planed.

The coffee cards are transferable to different ships/trips?

We spent alot of today packing.

 

We were supposed to go to the galley brunch but they canceled it and didn't let us know. Luckily I called this morning to check the time and that's how I found out.

 

We had breakfast in the buffet and basically walked the ship soaking in the last day. Watching the flow rider, ifly, and circus in the sea plex.

 

Sales all over the place. We did some last day souvenir shopping. You always forget about that one friend at work, etc.

 

One last dip in the pool/jacuzzi. It wasn't as crowded as you might think. I forgot to mention but the outside pool screen shows something like "fail army" alot of the time. Kinda like America's Funniest Home Videos but worse LOL. I find it a weird choice.

 

We had Johnny Rockets for lunch. Can't get enough of those onion rings.

 

We watched a symphony concert in 270. You may think you're not a fan but then they play the star wars theme or the Jurassic park theme and you realize you are.

 

We're had dinner at the MDR at 845. That's late for them. We were almost the last ones out but they didn't rush us. I had the ghost cheese tart and Indian option and it was delicious and spicy! I like spicy. Hubby had coconut shrimp (so so) and surf and turf (excellent ). I had the apple pie which was great besides the raisins.

 

A scary thing happened at dinner. Hubby saw a very old woman slumped over and someone from crew administering a shot. I'm glad I couldn't watch but hubby did. Eventually the woman came around but just barely and they wheeled her out.

 

I imagine it was an allergic reaction but they're good about asking you your allergies/food restrictions and taking note of it so I'm not sure how she would have eaten something she shouldn't have.

 

We got our usb of pictures and watched the karaoke competition in 270. Right after that was their virtual firework show. Very cool for kids cause it's not super loud like the real ones.

 

We received the liquor we bought and put our bags outside.*We never got declaration forms*This is the first time were not carrying off ourselves. I hope it's not a mess.

 

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I had an allergic reaction in my third cruise in MDR. I'm very allergic to fish and shellfish, so anywhere I eat I make sure to mention it. I had ordered a vegetarian pasta dish but quickly had a reaction. Our poor server was almost in tears because he thought he did something wrong. Turned out a chef decided to garnish the pasta dishes with some salmon or something for some strange reason. Royal handled it pretty well too.

 

And thank you for your awesome post about Anthem. We almost booked her for our cruise in December but picked a different ship for the ports. Anthem is on our list for next year.

 

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There is just a soda package option to prebook. It could just be a system problem. I have been having problems logging to make payment. But I have looked at the soda package several times and it loaded ok for me.

 

Your post about having the soda package as a kid reminded of the stickers for the Seapass we used to get the soda package when we first started cruising. And it was only like $4 a night...

I haven't used that feature because I want to have control over where my room is located. So I am okay with paying a little more for the exact room I want. I like to research the ship and see where the busier decks are to try and pick something a little more secluded.

Sometimes you can even see what the obstructed rooms look like here on cruise critic or by googling the ships cabins and you can make your decision based off that. Also, keep in mind you could be below a really busy deck or right next to an elevator.

I haven't had much rain that I can recall. I have had rough seas from tropical storms, been in a cat 1 hurricane and have been totally rerouted because of a different hurricane. Just keep in mind that anything could change at the drop of a hat and you could be rerouted, delayed, have the the port days could flipped around or changed with different ports. You could feel the effects of a hurricane, but chances are very, very high you won't be in one. The hurricane we were in just happened to be the exception.

 

I would still sail in September and October.

I've been on 7 cruises, with my 8th booked. All Royal, but one..

 

We found a last minute deal with Carnival on an old ship for $189 a person (before taxes) interior room. I assumed it was fine since Royal keeps up with their older ships. I also don't mind interior rooms.

 

The ship was in horrible condition and smelled like old musty smoke and dampness. The entire crew was rude and unprofessional, with the exception of a bar tender and the check in lady. Little things ignoring us at the bar since we only had the soda package to they were screaming and throwing stuff down the different levels of the Centrum. We had to beg for hand soap for our stateroom, it never came. The food sucked. We pretty much ate burgers and chicken tenders the entire time.

 

I know 4 night Bahamas are common party cruises. I know Carnival is known for partying. But the guests were out of control. They were running around getting in other guests faces, ordering room service to other peoples rooms, throwing glass into the hot tubs, disrupting the peace...things that were something you would see Royal intervene with because other guests were uncomfortable.

 

My husband and I are pretty laid back travelers. We just want to have a good time and relax. We are also easy to please and are always friendly with crew because we see how hard they work and how mean other guests can get. We were shocked how bad this cruise was. The only thing going for it was the adults only area at night. Other wise we would just try to find places to hide out on deck away from everyone.

 

We both agreed we would never sail Carnival again unless we had a very good reason to do so.

 

Had we paid just an extra $50 to 75 more instead of the Carnival cruise we would have gone on Enchantment. So when I saw her in port, I nearly cried because I was so mad at myself for letting my Carnival curiosity get of the best me. We also would be leaving our next cruise with Royal as Emerald members. But instead, we will be one point away from Emerald.

 

However, I am interested in trying lines like NCL or MSC. I would love to use Celebrity too. I like that the points are transferable. I also am a huge fan of Captain Kate's instagram page and would love to take a cruise with her as our captain.

Thanks for posting these! The luggage valet looks like a great service. Definitely something to keep in mind for my cruise in December.

I have used this on two cruises. It was worth having it done. Planning on using the service at least a one or two times on my next cruise so we can pack less.

 

I also have read you can ask for it any day for 34.99.

I'm glad to see this posted. I didn't think about it being per shot.

 

I have been considering getting the card for when I am on Adventure in December. It seems like a really good deal since I will be on an 8 night cruise.

 

This card wasn't offered on my last cruise in on Liberty in 2015. Although, we did get a 10 cocktail card for $60, which we really liked. The weather was bad and we were rerouted from Bermuda to Canada, so I just assumed it was a one time special to try to make up for the changes.

 

From how I understood the card on the website, it is per drink. But now I might just wait until I board to make sure.

Since now the models (according to what I am watching on the Weather Channel) look like the Joaquin is going to go off the the east and stay at sea, what does this mean for Bermuda? We will be leaving Cape Liberty Saturday on Liberty of the Seas.

 

Went through Fay last year on Grandeur and a lot of what we wanted to do was closed or harder to get to because of the damage. If that is the case, I understand that. We'll find something to do and make the best of it. My concern is the people of Bermuda staying safe.

 

Is there a website or news cast anyone recommends for me to look at that is based in Bermuda?

I love Royal but I HATE their website. It is one of the worst websites I have ever used. I don't understand why huge companies have such bad sites. For example, I used to work at the corporate office for Kays/Jareds/JB Robinson, ect. Those websites are terrible and the company makes several billion dollars a year.

 

As far as Royal, twice in the last week I have had to call to get my reservation unlocked. Sometimes the cruise planner loads, other times it just spins and spins and spins. I have to open it in different browsers sometimes and half the time it works.I have two reservations on my account, one is for my husband's aunt and uncle. She was able to create her own account for their reservation. But because it was linked to mine she would also get locked out of the reservation, or it would lock me out. Or we'd be trying to pull up our cruise planner and it would be down. That happened several times.

 

In January we decided to take a last minute cruise. My last name had changed since our cruise last October and I could not change it online. I called RCL and the rep REFUSED to help me unless I gave him my password so he could "see" what I was talking about and wouldn't let me explain I was just trying to change my last name. I went and booked on Carnival that night. We did not really enjoy our Carnival cruise and decided to stick with Royal, but I can say that they had the most user friendly website. When I called again a couple months ago before we booked this cruise leaving Saturday, I spoke with a guy in Crown and Anchor and he changed my name right away. If only I had done that this past winter.