Expat Cruise

What you and others are suggesting, that being aware of one's surroundings during travel, is somehow helpful against terror attacks, boggles the mind. Terrorists do an excellent job of blending into the scenery. You won't know about the attack until it's too late to do anything about it. Why not tell the truth? If you choose to travel, you may become a victim of a horrible attack? Then you should decide if you want to chance it. There is no shame in being afraid, but lying to yourself about your chances of escaping a targeted area is cowardly.

 

Take care,

Sharon

Sorry but you are wrong, if you watch, profile and know what to look for you can improve any situation. I do not drink, my hands are not full and I always know exits, security points, etc.

I have read of folks being able to get the port agent to rent a small boat and catch up to the ship if it has just left.

I would be surprised and shock if a Royal Captain allowed a small boat to approach and transfer passengers. It is very complicated to do this, yes the harbor pilots are put on and off ships but they are professional with years of experience.

From a liability standpoint it would seem to be grounds to remove a captain.

When you book a ship just out of dry dock you always risk the work not being completed and your cruise affected or canceled. That is one reason the price is sometimes discounted.

If you are on a US trip you can take your passport with you. But if on a International Cruise you will not have your passport as Royal collects them and holds them throughout the cruise. Your passport is returned at the end of the cruise with all required port stamps in it. So in those cases Royal can and does leave with port agents.

For US Cruises they will leave if they can find them in your cabin. As for costs 100% on the passenger. Some have asked why can't the ship wait or stop for those they see on the docks? Once the ship is untied and under power it cannot return, it could be consider to be another port call. Also if passengers knew the ship would wait they would be late and no ships would ever be able to depart.

The rule is simple be on time getting back which means be early....

Everything you say makes sense and you probably know what you are talking about. However, Suzcruz57 and a bunch of other people have signed contracts with RCCL that say that they get no refund if they the passenger cancels after a given date. The fact that RCCL has offered to release them from that (under the condition that the passengers decide not to opt for an alternate sailing) doesn't change the fact that they are obligated to RCCL until RCCL formally closes the agreement and returns the money. Right? If I decide to cancel a cruise 5 days before sailing, I can't just have the credit card company do my bidding and thereby avoid the late-cancellation penalties, which is what you are advising here.

OK you have raised a couple of different issues here. First yes people have signed contracts with Royal for the cruise. But long before these people signed contracts Royal signed contracts with Mastercard, Visa, and the other cards. Part of the contract is how disputes are handled, and Royal like every other merchant (the seller is the Merchant) agrees to follow the terms as set by this agreement.

But as a card holder you must have a valid reason to request a refund. If you do not then Mastercard (Using MC to represent all cards) will find for the merchant and say no refund.

Now lets look at a basic contract, it needs to have a few things, Seller, buyer, consideration (payment) and goods or services. You agree to pay a set amount to the seller, the seller agrees to provide a good or service. In this case you agreed to purchase a cruise, you paid for the cruise, Royal agreed to provide the cruise. On the ship and the time agreed too. Then after payment was made Royal is not providing the cruise, they have broken the contract.

Or to put in real simple terms you purchase a cruise from Royal they are not providing the cruise so you are entitled to a refund. If you purchase airline tickets and the airline goes out of business the credit card company must refund your money. When you pay with credit cards you have many legal protections, in this case a full refund.

We live in a different World these days, I'm not in Europe but in SE Asia. So safety is still a issue but I protect myself and my family. My home is located inside a private gated community, with armed guards at the main gate. My home itself is within a private compound within the community and has a 6 meter high wall around it.... And a private 24/7 guard with a shotgun who will stop anyone who does not belong.

I do not rely upon what others say to make life safe I put my systems in place so I am safe.

Would you expect him to say anything else? Even if he believed that the danger level was high he would never say so. The main goal of the company is to get passengers to cruise. Even if it involves some level of risk. Companies look at the risk vs return everyday and then make business choices.

A auto company looks at a safety item and determines that can make a safer car at a added cost of 300 million dollars a year. The accounts and lawyers look at the current design and determine that the payout and defense for lawsuits resulting from leaving it as is will be 25 million per year. What do you think happens? No design change, only when the cost becomes less than the loss will things change.

So Cruise Lines and Airports say they are safe to keep passengers traveling. If he said anything other than it was safe then I would be alarmed.

I have lived outside the United States for many years now so these travel Alerts and warnings are something I have had to deal with for years. You read them and always keep your guard up. Look around notice people and make safety your own issue, understand you are responsible for your safety, don't let anyone put your safety into question. And then just live your life and enjoy your trips.

We have cruised a number of times, but never really had to think about which pier the ship was sailing from. I looked at the Tampa website and the page with the Cruise Schedule says that the Vision sails from Terminal 2. But when I look at their other page 'Facilities & Terminals' it says that RCI sails from Terminal 3. I checked on my reservation information on RCI and I can't find out which terminal I'm supposed to go to. I know I've read other people say 'We're supposed to go to terminal X, but last minute they changed to terminal Y. How does everyone know which terminal they are supposed to go to?

 

Thanx

Erika

Good luck I have found Royal to be unless when you asked them these kinds of questions. I have a cruise leaving from Singapore which has two terminal, I called Royal and asked them which terminal the ship was leaving from.... could not answer that simple questions 48 hours before it was set to leave.

So while waiting on the phone I went online found the answer through the terminal port log not Royal. But then waited just to see what Royal said. After 45 minutes total and several holds I was told they need to contact resolutions and have them get back to me.

I would suggest you check with the terminal itself and they will then tell you.

We booked through a travel agent. They're asking me to fill out a form to cancel to get a refund, if not booking Empress at a future date or the Majesty. Can I still contact our credit card company? And go around all involved?

Absolutely you do not need to follow the travel agents rules or Royal's rules. Because both of them agreed to the merchant agreement with the credit card processing service. You just need to contact your credit card company. They will put the money back into your account if already paid off, or remove it from your bill if funds are still due.

I do not know if you paid Royal or the Travel Agent but it really does not matter, let them work it out. You are 100% protected under Federal law. And please do not fall for the old line "if you file a dispute you cannot use the services again"

I have several merchant change accounts and process cards and the agreement is very clear. We as the seller accept whatever ruling the credit card company makes and agree to take no actions again the card holder. If Royal or the Travel Agent came after a card member after the credit card company ruled for the card company they risk losing the ability to ever accept credit cards.

The card holder has all the power here, file and you will be refunded shortly.

Money saved, cruise paid for, cruise cancelled, money not returned for 4-6 weeks. Now what? Cancel vacation time off at work, go back to work. Thanks RCCL[emoji924][emoji19]

Don't play Royal's game. You paid with a credit card right? Just dispute the payment with your credit card company. Royal must follows the credit card rules. The credit card company will credit your account within 24 hours and then wait for Royals reply. In this case you cannot loose the dispute, Royal canceled the cruise.

Why should you be required to wait any time? It takes royal less than 3 minutes to process the credit card refund. The only reason they wait is to use the clients funds. That game needs to end.

Let me be clear: the Quantum Class is a poor relation and if it was up to me, the three ships would be sold to NCL!

While everyone is entitled to a opinion as a cruise passenger... as a shareholder who has made a very good return on Royal it is clear you do not understand the market.

The Quantum Class is the future backbone of the Royal Fleet. It is the correct balance between passenger size vs revenue. It is large enough to have a great return on investment but still within the size that most ports and port support staff can handle.

You maybe want to take a look at current Quantum Class ships leaving China, some of the highest rates per day found anywhere in the fleet. The new Ovation of the Seas could not even book the current cruises without at least one cruise being turned into a private charter. Quantum class means profit and market share.

So if you do not like the ships as a passenger pick another ship or cruise line as you should be happy with the product you are purchasing. As a investor owner I think management has provide the prefect class ship for today's market.

Dynamic Dinning just has not worked. In a idea situation it would be great if you could pick your time and place to eat. The problem is the ships cannot accommodate all the passengers dinning together, or to many passengers picking the same times and restaurants. The kitchen staff needs prep time and to stage the meals with traditional dinning they can prep and plan for the two main dinning times or turning of the dinning room two times per dinner meal.

When you throw Dynamic Dinning in it requires much more resources. And acts to separate the staff from the guest. It will always work for a small percent of the cruisers but the majority of the passengers will have issues and therefore it will fail. Royal has the largest cruise ships in the World and needs to turn and control dinning in order to process all guest.

I'm not criticizing anyone that wants to visit Cuba but besides jailing dissidents and other civil rights violations let's not forget Cuba:

 

• Stole millions from US companies doing business in their country
  
• Pointed nuclear missiles at the US
  
• Possibly conspired in the assassination of a US President
  
• Exported their revolution to three Central American countries
  
• Shot down two unarmed US civilian aircraft that were doing leaflet drops
  
• Emptied their prisons of some of their worst criminals and sent them to the US
  

Right or wrong, they're just a few reasons why some people have a different perspective on Cuba and who do you think benefits most from tourism to that country?

OK so do we also boycott Japan and Germany for the actions they took during World War II? Like it or not the United States is moving towards normal relations with Cuba. The cruise lines if they need do claim cruises for social reasons they will.

As for those saying the cruise lines can't just change ports I strongly suggest you read your cruise contract. They are not required to go to any port listed within the cruise information they can change as required and needed.

Royal will be cruising to Cuba along with the other major cruise lines, just to much money involved here. And if they cruise lines need to go around the edges of the law they will.

Exactly. The embargo is still in place. Cuba is not open to American tourism. A ship cannot just change it's itinerary to include Cuba...not under current laws. Americans still need to meet the approved categories for travel to Cuba, and cruises from the U.S. are going under the humanitarian flag and require volunteer work.

As of a few days ago:

Yes have a President that has a pen.

Reported by News Network Fox:

"The United States is removing Cuba from its list of countries deemed to have insufficient security in their ports, eliminating a major impediment to free flow of ships in the Florida Straits. The move marks one more step toward normalized relations ahead of President Barack Obama's historic trip to Cuba.

The shift clears the way for U.S. cruise ships, cargo vessels and even ferries to travel back and forth with much less hassle."

"U.S. cruise lines including Carnival are gearing up to start sailing to Cuba as Americans, ... The Obama administration has started giving approval to U.S. cruise lines to operate there, though they need corresponding approval from the U.S. government.

Millions of Americans are expected to visit Cuba in the coming years in a sharp increase, although a formal U.S. ban on tourism technically remains in effect."

In most cases Royal does not care what cabin you are in, if invited. Where you sleep is between you and the person the cabin is registered too. But you cannot get extra working key cards.

Royal only gets involved if your plans involve members of the crew. Most crew members are absolutely not allowed to enter passenger cabins. And passengers are never allowed inside crew cabins, unless directed by a senior officer, Captain, Hotel Director, etc.

So as long as the children or you are not members of the crew they really do not care and have no right to question guests.

You are right about that. I will not go to Cuba and would be livid if a cruise I'd booked suddenly had an itinerary change that included Cuba. I would be forced to cancel. Maybe someday when I retire from my job, long after the Castro brothers are gone, it will be an option, but not now.

 

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Well I strongly believe you will be livid. This is not personal against you but lets look at the facts.

1) Royal has applied for the rights to travel to Cuba from the United States.

2) Empress was brought back into Royal as a ship for the Cuba Cruises.

and then last week at Seatrade Cruise Global these comments were made in a round table about Cuba.

Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd

"What [Cuba] will do, and it's already doing in some sense, is create a halo of interest, and as people start to go and talk about Cuba, I think it will raise the Caribbean in total... It adds 2 percent or 5 percent to the supply of places to go, and it will add 10 percent to 20 percent to the demand for cruising."

And then these comments:

Vicki Freed, Royal's senior vice president of sales, trade support and services, recently told a group of travel agents that inventory on the Empress will likely be parceled out month by month.

“We’re not going out too far, because we’re waiting for Cuba to open up,” Freed said at a CruiseOne/Cruises Inc. training seminar. “The minute Cuba opens up, we know this is the right-sized ship for Cuba.”

“As of this moment, the Cuban government has not granted permission for any America-based cruise line to call to Cuba,” said Cynthia Martinez, a spokeswoman for RCCL. (This changed yesterday)

So you have the CEO bringing a ship back into the line to service the market. You have all three major cruise lines apply to Cuba to do cruises. And you have a senior VP telling travel agents that they should not book to fart out on Empress. That the minute it opens Empress is the right size ship and the only ship of this size in Royal.

Do you really think they ave spend millions of dollars just to sit this out? Do you believe they want to let Carnival or Norwegian get a foothold in this market?

This ship is going to Cuba as quick as the approval ink is dry.

I have tried to book fixed dining but there is no availability,I am on a waiting list

They said the same thing to me on the May 26 Dubai cruise, when I told them they would give me my dinning choice or I would hold them in violation of the contract for services and goods they quickly change and sent me a confirmation within about 10 minutes.

I did do this more than 75 days out so they had no power over the booking. If you are on a waiting list I would call them and say it is unacceptable.

Yet, Dynamic Dining worked perfectly fine for a whole season of Anthem out of the UK...

 

 

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If it worked so great why did Royal cancel on the Oasis Class Ships?

It could have been prefect for 10% of the people using it and if 90% had problems it was still a failure.

Where you on every cruise on the Anthem out of UK? Because to make a statement like that you would need to be and have talked to every single passenger. I have seen pod cast from the ship and it was not prefect in them people had problems.... so your "perfectly fine... whole season" is either a mistake or a lie.

Dynamic Dining is not going to work, it is a failure that Royal is still holding on to for this class of ships. It has been cancelled for the rest of the fleet. It will go the way New Coke went years ago.

While the restaurants are full in the Dynamic Dinning program I'm sure they have left open slots for other dinners. I cancelled my Dynamic Dinning of this ship and made them give me fixed time normal dinning. Which gives me all the choices, show up to my fix time or go to another restaurant, the choice is back with me.

I would not worry that you cannot book the dinning online. Just wait until on the ship.

This ship is coming to Asia and then Australia and then later in the year on to China. A very big difference from a ship heading to the United States. The market here (Asia) is not like the US Market, passengers will book just because it is a new ship.

The Europe Cruises are really just shake down cruises to test the ship, and the passengers are paying for this test period. I'm sure once the ship is sailing it will have the shows and the extras some people are looking for.

Completely different market so the campaign is completely different. I know passengers in China booking not based upon the cruise but the dates and it is the largest passenger ship in Asia.

You need to also look at this from another side. Royal has clearly stated that this ship was being brought back into the line to be use for Cuba, once Cuba is open. The cruises listed and sold really were just holding cruises to keep the ship working. Today Monday Cuba approved Carnivals application to begin cruises starting May 1 from Miami.

The Empress is set to go into service one day before that and Royal also has made application for service and it should be approved any day now. Do you think the rest of the cruises will happen? Do you think if the do they will be changed to include Cuba? Or do you think this ship will just go straight into service for the Cuba market?

What do you get for $200. Any decent HK custom suit will likely go for $500-700.

The only one who pays $500 to $700 USD is someone who has tourist written all over them. Again Hong Kong has two prices for everything Tourist and Locals.....and if you know the system and how to negotiate you pay the prices I said. A US$ 200 dollar suit in Hong Kong is a $2000 dollar suit in the United States.

Can you pay $400, $500, or more for that $ 200 dollar suit absolutely if you don't know the local rates.

Two cruise terminals in Singapore they are located close to each other. Most Royal ships dock at the Marina Bay Cruise Terminal, it is a short walk to the MRT, which is fast and cheap to the airport. But I to recommend taking a taxi, under $20 (Sing) and less than 30 minutes anytime of the day.

Traffic is not a problem in Singapore unless a major event is taking place like the F1 race in September.

I have had several suits made in Hong Kong. The quality seems to be good and the suits are made very fast. You can get a suit made for US$100.00 but most seem to be right around US$200.00. Prices can go higher depending on the material you select and how skilled you are at negotiating the price.

In any case it is much cheaper than US pricing.