KatWoman92

Voyager class.  Our one trip on the Allure was fun, but it's just too much for us.  The Navigator is our favorite.  

On 1/13/2020 at 5:09 PM, LoveTheSoul said:

Carribean paddling.  

 

They offer Paddleboard and kayak rentals + roundtrip from port.

 

They also offer just Ferry+Port roundtrip.

We used Caribbean Paddling a few years ago.  We will use them again in September.  Rented two kayaks and paddled over to Pinel.  Taxi was on time to & from the ship.  Good people.  

It does.  Thank you so much!

Booked on a 5 day trip on Infinity next week.  Does anyone know what shows will be offered?

3 hours ago, peter_krynicki said:

I like Island Dogs on Front Street but they are twice as expensive outside of happy hour...

 

 Otherwise, The Half Shell Raw Bar or The Conch Republic Seafood Co. at the Bight.

 

Pjk    

Thanks so much for the suggestions!

Thanks in advance!  

13 hours ago, 5Stripes said:

 

I used to love air travel because no one could reach you for a few hours.  Then Wifi on planes.  I love cruises for the same reason.  Once that's free/cheap all my vacations will be in the middle of the desert somewhere.  

 

Our kids don't have phones yet and are too young to let roam about too much.   But I read about the messaging app being free and thought it might afford them some opportunities to get ice cream or watch a movie....  Plus it seems to have a location finder on it too.  The phones on Disney Cruises were awesome for this.  Trying to replicate that, for free. 🙂

 

If the boat doesn't sink because we didn't do it old school, or our kids didn't steal anyone's pearls, I'll report back with how it went.

I'd be wary of sailing on any ship with one of those newfangled navigation systems.  Make sure there's a guy with spyglass in the crow's nest.

4 minutes ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

 

When my wife and I took her four kids on a cruise for the first time, I felt this was too.  This was before the app.  I was like "no way I'm giving them a wifi package just so they can be on their phones!  So, the first evening, we made a plan to meet up at a certain location at a certain time to see what everyone was up to.  When the time came, my wife and I had to leave the lounge and wander to our arbitrary meeting point.  And the kids were in the same situation. They were like "we WERE having fun in the teen club but had to stop and come here".

 

I then realized that I could be hung up on my ideology all I wanted but it wasn't making the cruise easier for me either.

 

Yeah, we got them wifi and my cruise was better!

Same.  It worked great for us.  And, the cool thing about the app is that on certain ships, you don't even have to buy the wifi to use the messaging.  Bottom line is DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.  Not all innovations are bad.  

40 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

Yes, but the rest of us, don't want to babysit preteens for.  I think it's a great idea, to help limit the amount of freedom allowed. 

Holy cow, this thread! 

According to one poster, I'm a helicopter mom.  According to you, I'm giving my children too much freedom.  LOL 

32 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

In the old days, not many years ago, parents and kids communicated by words, not gadgets.  They were told what the expectation was, such as where to show up and what time.  They even had watches given to them.  If they violated any rules, they were punished, and any freedoms revoked.  Basically my kids were scared not to miss a meeting time.  We did this all without phones or gadgets. 

 In the old days, many years ago, people didn't have indoor plumbing either.  Not all progress is bad, for heaven's sake!  

8 hours ago, Mr. Candyman said:

And I'm sure the boats back then didn't have the high passenger capacity that they do now, that alone the cases of sexually assault that occur, so no I wouldn't let any of my kids float around the ship without having the ability to contact us.  Having a meeting point means nothing if they are unable to get to it.  

Exactly.  Loved having the app for my 13 year old, & the rest of the family for that matter, on the Allure in December.  It was great!  He felt more comfortable, too. 

And, get off my lawn! 

We get it. We get it. 

21 minutes ago, laslomas said:

 

I will be on Independence of the Seas in May. I am definitely keeping everything crossed I have better luck than you. Agree, super annoying.

 

We always tip our favorite bartenders at the end of the week.  I didn't appreciate feeling "shamed" into tipping extra on every drink.  Plus, we felt we had to watch our account closer each day to make sure that nothing had been added. 

1 hour ago, laslomas said:

So, is it a 50% chance that receipts will be printed? I am looking forward to my first RCI cruise for a while after the last 5 being on Celebrity. I always had the Beverage Package and never had to sign any slips. Before the Packages became a thing I hated having to 1) search my bag for my specs, 2) move to a well lit area, 3) work out what the slip actually means, and 4) make a decision concerning tipping. It sort of took all the fun out of relaxing in a bar, or by the pool with a beer or a cocktail. I hope I am on one of the lucky sailings where they are not bothering with wasting mounds of paper on the unnecessary printed slips. 🍺🍹🍷🥤

Which ship?  We sailed on the Allure last month and had to sign for every drink.  Every. Stinking. Drink.  Super annoying.  Especially on the particularly windy days by the pool.  Keeping my fingers crossed that you have better luck!

4 hours ago, tracy515 said:

I just noticed the current price for the cruise I'm currently booked on is lower than I paid!  I've heard I can get OBC if I contact RC.  Is that correct?  What do I do!?  Thanks!

Call them.  Even if you've already made your final payment.  The worst thing they can do is say no.  We got OBC and a voucher for specialty dining after a significant price drop on a cruise a few years ago after we had made the final payment.  Good luck!

8 minutes ago, papaflamingo said:

It wasn't "hostile," I'd say unsympathetic.  BUT, that's why I skipped it in my reference as well as not referencing Teacher42's answer in post 10.  One post doesn't "contribute to the overall tone," but Teacher's sarcastic response to reasonable posts certainly does.  My only point is that Teacher seems to want a lot of sympathy, and if not getting it, gets angry and upset and indignant.  Teacher set the tone for this thread. 

This thread can't be for real.  It just can't.  

36 minutes ago, suesnake2002 said:

We love 70's nite. And we do dress for it. And yes that is a wig. We also bring some white clothes. 

 

 

Yes!!  He totally nailed the "smoldering stare across the disco" look.  So much fun!

1 hour ago, Iamcruzin said:

Theme nights are popular on most lines. I could never understand why the cruise lines l never informs other passengers of these activities. They could do so in one of the many emails they are sending out along the way. 

We've only cruised RCI & Celebrity and have always wondered about this.  We're usually struggling to get all the necessary dining attire into our bags, not sure if we could fit our platforms & bell bottoms in there, too, but it'd be worth a try. Do any of the other lines let passengers know ahead of time about theme nights?  

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

Right, but this exact posting/issue could pop every month (and has) and the posts will be the same - at what point after the initial policy change/announcement is this no longer news?

Was useful information for a relatively new cruiser like myself and probably to others, as well.  More experienced cruisers who already know every exception/pitfall, can just simply move on to the next thread, perhaps?  Problem solved!  

2 minutes ago, Teacher42 said:

Dear Kat, We have no 'beef' against the cruise or the treatment on board the RCCL line. It is one of our favorites for 40 years, and was reason we did not hesitate booking another Grand Suite. We never had occasion before to alter a date and felt that everything being said to us at the time was 'ya-da, ya-da, ya-da. We just feel that everyone should be aware of all the booking loses that could occur if you do this or accept that.  Thank you for your kind support.

 

That's exactly how I read your post, Teach.  You were just passing along a frustrating experience in the hopes of helping others avoid it if possible.   Thanks again & Happy New Year to you!!

17 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

True. The tone of the OP set the tone for the replies. Unfortunate since there is some valuable information in the OP that can serve the casual cruiser that might not be aware of the ins-and-outs of the process that many take for granted.

 

 Still, you'd think by now many of the CC regulars should be able to see past the "tone" when giving their advice and write something like this....

 

"It's unfortunate that the booking agent did not explain the terms and conditions in a clear and understandable manner.  When booking a non-refundable fare, any change of ship OR sailing date will cause you to lose $100 per person of the deposit. Any OBC from a deal, such as booking on board, it subject to lose from changing the booking and subject to any other promotions at the time the change is taking place.

 

Let this be an expensive reminder to all that we all need to do our homework when booking or making changes to our sailing"

 

 

The tone of the OP?  This is the original post:

"Had wonderful time aboard Allure this summer. Booked on board the Symphony and got a booking bonus of $100 OBC.  We just changed the date of our Symphony sailing, same cabin and RCCL charged us $100 /pp change fee and took away our $100 OBC bonus.  Please be aware !  A $300 penalty!"

At the risk of beating an already (very) dead horse, what about the "tone" of that post could possibly be offensive to anyone?

2 hours ago, Teacher42 said:

News update for everyone. Our savvy TA has informed us that the $200 change fee is being immediately charged to our credit card and our NON-REFUNDABLE deposit is now $700.  Did you all read or were told of this at time of booking? Did you find this in BOLD type in the terms and conditions page?

I am sending good thoughts your way, Teacher42.  Hope the cruise turns about to be your best one so far.

2 minutes ago, El Abuelo said:

Not sure about that majority. Perhaps a less provocative thread title and some posts that focused on process rather than blame would help. 

 

If if there’s a message here, it is before making a large deposit one must understand specifically under what conditions it may be refunded.

I rest my case.  🙄

21 hours ago, Ramjet1997 said:

The problem with so many of these boards, many of the readers are "cruise experts" who relish giving crap to people who try to provide other readers information which they may not be aware of.  You have seen a slew of these "experts" with their rude and non productive comments.

 

You raise a very valid point that even a DATE change will result in an additional Royal screwing ($100 + $100 + loss of OBC).........Royal continues to change all of the rules to benefit them financially, and NOT their "loyal" customers.  Over the past several years they have become more and more like the airlines, charging for everything but the air that you breath. I am sure that they will continue down this path causing many of their smart, loyal customers to look elsewhere....

 

Thank you for your post.     

5

This.  SO much this.  I think the majority of us feel the same way.  Thank you, Ramjet!

And, thanks to the OP for the heads up.  

So cool.  Thanks for the pics!  Definitely have Edge on my cruise wishlist.