aussievc

Someone posted this on another thread. It's the pricing onboard the Ovation.

I like most people on here have noticed that while the Ultimate Package has an actual 20% discount on it the Premium Discount only reduced the price from $49 PD to $44 PD for a 10% Discount. I contacted Royal and spoke to a rep who said he spoke with the website Techs and after some time they agreed there is a glitch/mistake with the system. He proclaimed that the problem will be resolved in 48 hours and to try again then, which I will be doing and then coming on here to let everyone know how it turned out. The cruise that I am on is Oasis 10.29.16 so for any of you who is on this one as well hopefully this will help and anyone who is not hopefully this will be a template for how to get it fixed... fingers crossed

Please let us know if there is an actual fix to the Premium package that reflects 20%.

It states "LIMITED TIME OFFER! 20% off onboard prices when you buy now."

In the past online and onboard prices were the same, never a sale. Now it says 20% off ONBOARD so I wonder if RC is going to charge more for these packages onboard versus purchasing in advance. Also, if you go to add cart without actually paying it will give you the total price including the 18% gratuity. So I priced the Premium at $44 for a 7 day cruise and it totals $363.44 which works out to $51.92/day. September last year I paid $404 I believe for the Premium package for 7 days. This sale saves me $40+ from what I paid last year so I'm going to purchase it. I'd hate to wait til onboard and find it it's more expensive than the original $49/day!!

It pays to call back if you get a no. We are on Oasis in June, 7 nights and we got the discount on the Premium 😊

Yeah, after I got off the phone I was contemplating calling back. Also, why would C&A rep transfer me to a regular agent for a beverage booking. Are C&A agents not supposed to be able to everything and more than a regular agent. I felt put off when C&A agent said I'll need to transfer you for that.

Which cruises have the sale, May sailings?

I called today and I was told only Allure sailings and 9+ night sailings.

If I purchase a 1 device package can I share the login with my group? Knowing that only 1 person can be logged in at a time.

There's 6 in our group so another question would be, If the 4 device package was purchased does that mean any 4 devices at any given time can be logged on at the same time?

So I called C&A to get more information and I was told I would be transferred to a Vacation Planner as they are the ones who book beverage packages. Once I was transferred I was told that only Allure sailings and cruises of 9 or more nights are offering the discount.

It seems that most of you on this thread have cruises departing relatively soon so maybe they are offering a discount because occupancy isn't very high and this way RC will sell more packages? My cruise isn't until September.

All the drink packages are showing up for my cruise in September at what looks like the regular price. Mainly interested in the Premium which is showing $49/day. Does anyone know the specifics for the 20% discount? Should I call C&A to check?

Has anyone done a Game of Thrones Tour in Dubrovnik? If so, did you do the tour through your cruise line or a private one? My group will be on RCCL Vision OTS is September 2017 and some of my friends want to do this tour and RCCL is offering it's own GoT Tour.

I'd appreciate any feedback/reviews.

Virginia

Really enjoyed your review!! I'm planning an Eastern Med cruise for 2017 with a bunch of friends. I'm lovingly referred to as the Cruise Director by my friends because I make all of the arrangements and they just give me their credit cards LOL. It seems from your review and others too that private tours are the way to go. Would you be so kind and list the tour companies you used or email them to at aussievc@aol.com. Your review has made me even more excited for this trip!! :)

Thanks!

Virginia

I never book a cabin that's a deck under a public area, I make sure it's a cabin deck above mine. Now there's no guarantee you won't have a noisy upstairs neighbor but in the past I had a problem with a public area upstairs. Especially late at night when things are being moved around for cleaning, items were being dragged across the floor and it was so noisy...every night!!

I learned this one the hard way. I just recently came back from Australia via LAX. TSA Pre was not printed on my second boarding pass from LAX but I figured no problem since I had already gone through security in Sydney. Unfortunately, when you exit customs at LAX, you exit outside meaning you must go through security to get to your connecting flight. I tried convincing the TSA reps I had TSA Pre, but no dice. The global entry at LAX was a breeze, though.

Were you definitely on a carrier that's part of the program for your domestic leg? Some people think all airlines are part of the program but that's not the case.

If you have time to see the airline agent sometimes they can enter your KTNumber and reprint BP. This doesn't always work but it can. I did it with Southwest and the reprinted BP showed PreCheck.

There's a long thread for 2017 deployments. Europe 2017, C&A members March 3rd, general public March 4th.

TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are 2 separate programs and fees, with 2 separate numbers, and 2 different interviews. GOES interviews seem to be at the airport, TSA interviews are conducted at private facilities. Both are easy and quick to do provided you are able to set up the interview quickly. And both rock!

Global Entry is not a TSA program, it's a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program. TSA PreCheck is another program.

I am in Las Vegas and both TSA and GE can be done at the airport at their respective offices. It depends on where you live and the airport near you. Some places will be off airport property.

Global Entry gets you TSA PreCheck all for $100 for 5 years. If you get PreCheck, which is $85 for 5 years, then decide later to get Global Entry this is where you would pay the seperate fee of $100. So Global Entry is the way to go for anyone considering international travel within 5 years. The GE card is not required for air travel as the information is electronically attached to your passport, however it is best to keep it on you when going on a cruise as some ports have GE signs which will lead you to expedited customs. Since these cruise ports don't have the kiosks (where you would scan passport) currently the card is your only proof. I got back from Oasis at PE in September, saw the GE sign and inquired and was led through a door that got me straight to a CBP Officer. No waiting, it was awesome!

So, for an extra $15 you get both programs and your KTN (Known Traveler Number) is the same for both programs. Make sure your KTN is added to your booking so TSA PreCheck is on your boarding pass when you check in. TSA PreCheck line at the airport will NOT accept your GE card. TSA PreCheck MUST be printed on your BP. Also, remember not all air carriers are part of the PreCheck program, for example Frontier. So regardless of your membership if you're not on one of the airlines in the program you will not be able to utilize PreCheck.

Darn! I was hoping RC would have the 2017 Europe cruises out today! :(

I just checked the eskimo site and they only have western med and cruises from Southampton listed as of now. I'm looking for eastern med so I guess I'll continue twiddling my thumbs.

Looking at reviews on Tripadvisor, I wouldn't book this place.

 

I have used Expedia a number of times & have even had them allow me to cancel a flight I made (within a few hours after making the booking) when I realized I had a work conflict. Cancel it with NO cancellation fees.

 

So did you find a lower price elsewhere & tried to get a price match?

FYI.....Regulations require full refund if canceling within 24 hours of booking airfare, regardless of who you book it through.

Went on Oasis last August and loved it! In Labadee we did the zipline across the water. This was the first time for all 6 of us adults to zipline and we LOVED it!!! We wished we could have gone again it was so much fun! If you have a GOPRO bring it!

Virginia

Is there anyone in the know, whether it's RCCL or any other cruise line, if Egypt will ever be a port of call again? I'm aware of the unrest in recent years so no need to "educate" me, lol. I know cruises still call at ports in Turkey and cruise lines closely monitor any unrest/situations there, so I'm wondering if Egypt is/will be considered once again for Eastern Med cruise. I'd appreciate if anyone has any insight. :D

Virginia

At the risk of hijacking a Galveston thread, I'll share my experience with Global Entry at Port Everglades on November 6, arriving on the Allure T/A. I saw the sign. Another gentleman asked the lady standing at the sign if this was the Global Entry line? Answer was yes, but you can only access it if you have your Global Entry card. We went over and were sent directly to the front of the line to clear customs. The customs agent advised that it wasn't "Global Entry" in the classic sense of the word...as in using a kiosk. But local authorities had made the decision to offer expedited clearance, basically a cut to the front of the line, to those who have Global Entry.

 

It was the first time the physical card has proven useful to me. A few days later, Port Everglades tweeted that this was now offered in all their cruise terminals. For what it's worth, I blogged about it here.

I had the exact same experience returning in September on Oasis. I had just collected my luggage and I saw a GE sign off to the right and I asked a lady nearby and she asked to see my card. She opened a door in the pony wall and let me through and I walked right up to an open CBP booth and was done in an instant! Greatest thing ever!! So keep an eye out for the GE standing sign at ports and ask if it's notclear where to go. There were no kiosks at Port Everglades.

I'm highly anticipating the release of the 2017 summer Europe cruises, specifically in June. Our group wants to do a 9-12 day cruise that stops at Greece and Croatia, possibly Turkey. Since I see there are avid cruisers here, do you recommend a certain ship over another? I've been on Majesty, Serenade, Explorer, Oasis, and will be on Liberty in September. I prefer Voyager class size or larger. Also, would RCCL be a good choice for Europe or is there another cruise line with better ports and shore excursions that I should look into?

There is no "best" or magic time to buy. You just have to do your research, find the range of airfares, and buy when comfortable. The don't look back!! That might be January. Using this years prices is a good start, but bear in mind many things drive air fares, and those can vary year to year.

 

First thing you will find in your research is that Venice is a pretty expensive airport to fly in/out of. If you want to sail in/out of Venice, consider Milan as the airport, and train in between.

Thank you CruiserBruce for the suggestion!

From past experience does anyone know the best month to purchase airfare to Europe, likely Barcelona or Venice, from the US for a Med cruise in June? Planning a group trip June 2017 for Med cruise on RCCL and I'm wondering how far out or close to sail date to get best price possible. I'm researching this year's rates/dates to use as example for when we travel next year. I saw that some of the airlines had ticket sales to Europe in January for this summer but I'm wondering if that is the best time or should we wait until closer to cruise? I have no idea what a decent price range is and what is too much to international destinations. I'm good at what is decent good or decent prices for domestic travel. Some of us are traveling from Las Vegas and others in our group from Los Angeles. TIA! :)

Thanks so much!! I will keep an eye out.

Does anyone know when RCCL will start selling cruises for Europe summer 2017?