BIBPhotography

Good Morning!  I am beyond giddy, excited, tickled pink and relieved all at the same time.  A little back story if you will.  We booked out Canada/New England cruise over 500 days ago and recently due to this terrible virus had our cruise cancelled for October of this year.  Originally the thought was for to re-book some other cruise for October heading somewhere different.  We found one for Oct 4 heading out of Galveston, and was excited to say the least that we might be cruising this year after all.  

So we contacted our TA and set the wheels in motion.  Final payment day was set for 7/6/2020, so we are in waiting mode for our FCC's to pay for this cruise.  Release date for the FCC's was 7/17, but my TA said we could request an extension if needed to pay.  Like most folks, having an extra $2500 to set out for a cruise immediately was not an option.  So wait we did, then CLIA decided to move the expected sail date to 9/15/2020, making us one of the 1st cruises out after the ban.  The thought of being a guinea pig, my company making me quarantine for 14 days after the cruise, and not knowing whether we would actually cruise or not really was not my cup of tea.  On 7/1/2020 I asked my TA to go ahead and cancel the cruise, requesting a refund.  Of course I know the situation and determined that I would not get the refund until 9/21/2020, 90 days after the request, if even then...

I just checked my bank account and actually 7 days after the request, my refund has arrived!  I honestly think my TA has some magic pixie dust she sprinkled on the request to RCCL, heck she might have even baked them some cookies!  Excited cruiser here!!!!

I've received really helpful info from this forum, so here goes with another FCC question!  Can FCC's be used to complete Cruise Planner purchases?

I'm confused most of the time 🤔

5 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Yes, it is one FCC per guest.  As long as the FCC’s are in the name of the guests on the reservation 

Thank you Ourusualbeach, I knew I could count on you! 😀🧡😀

This is all good information for those of us that have received a FCC for the first time.  Sounds like we have some very knowledgeable and competent TA's within the group.  So now I ask the question to you...

My wife and I are waiting for our FCC from a cancelled Canada/New England cruise.  I have understood that I can only use one FCC per reservation, but then I read the CWC document that was referenced and am confused.  According to the statement below, we should be able to use a FCC applied to each guest in the reservation.

29. Can my client use more than one Future Cruise Credit to pay for his/her cruise fare? At this time, only one FCC can be applied to each guest in a reservation. Future Cruise Credits are not stackable.

Does this mean that since I will receive a FCC and my wife will receive a FCC, that we both can use them since both our names are in the reservation?

So confused and trying my best to be able to speak with confidence when I talk to my TA!

TIA,

Cruisn' Santa Scott

Thanks for all your answers and suggestions about my refund.  I called RCCL this morning, waited on the phone for 47 minutes for someone to answer.  After speaking with the rep for about 3 minutes, she placed me on hold again for another 35 minutes, only to come back and give me the following answer...

"Your refund has been processed and you could receive it at any moment"

I had to laugh and ask the question, "At any moment, or within 45 days?"  Anyway, at least I'm on track!  Looking forward to tomorrows announcement about my Oct 11 cruise!

Thanks for the info guys and gals!  We cancelled the Cruise Planner stuff on 5/12, so hopefully sooner than later!  Just got news that Canada closed its ports till Oct 31, so my cruise is now in jeopardy!
 

Good Morning All!
Over a year ago we planned and booked a Fall cruise to Canada/New England area.  As we all know, life has a way of throwing you a curve ball sometimes, and it seems that Covid 19 is that curve ball.  As of today, we have not yet cancelled our cruise, and are being optimistic that it will happen! 🙏

What we have done is to cancel all of our excursions and cruise planner purchases just in case.  My question is this, if you have cancelled your cruise planner purchases, how long did it take to get a refund?  Now I know that it's taking a little longer for the refunds to happen and I'm ok with that, just wondering out loud, that's all!

Here's to your next cruise whenever that may be, and THANKS in advance!

5 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

If your friend is younger, or just young at heart, try this one:

 

Chase, who made the video, posts here occassionally.

Thats exactly what I was gonna post!

I can always count on you guys for a smile!

On 1/7/2020 at 5:14 PM, pierces said:

I carried a tripod on cruises up until I started noticing that I never took it out of the suitcase. Ship to shore shooting is better managed with a monopod and moderate shutter speeds. You will see quite a bit of movement even when the ship is docked unless you are in a very protected bay. While you are in motion, even a light swell will affect the ship enough to affect a longer exposure even if you really don't feel it. Even on the smoothest days, you can easily see the horizon oscillate by lining up your point of view with a rail. The back of the ship will usually be the worst for engine vibration.

 

Tripods on a cruise ship are usually more trouble than they are worth, especially at busy times of the day. You may find a use for it in the early AM for ship scenery and interiors but in a crowded area, even I as a fellow photographer would be shaking my head in mild to moderate disapproval. Maybe not as much as for the parents with the monster $700 SUV strollers, but disapproval nonetheless. 🙂

 

The D850 has excellent noise performance, so don't be afraid to crank the ISO up a little and shoot handheld. 

 

This was shot handheld as we pulled into Portland, ME shortly after sunrise. 1/500s - f/5.6 - ISO400 - 300(ish)mm

 

It held up very well on a 24" x 36" metal print.

 

Dave

Thanks for this Dave!  I'm heading to the Canada/New England area this Fall and am hoping for a shot like this!  Simply beautiful!!! 

Thanks for all the info!  We are cruising 10/11-10/18/2020 and cant wait!  Hoping to catch some great leaves!

Looking forward to meeting ya Chris!  I'll be on the Oct 7th cruise!  If a guy who looks like Santa pops in, its just me!

Okay, now I feel really bad!  I wrote the "novel" above after viewing the re-booking price.  Just went to the cruise planner and was able to re-book my Up, Up and Away ride for the original price, original time and original day!  I'm a happy cruiser and all those snacks were devoured for no reason at all!

Happy Cruising!

Ok let me start out by saying that I understand the reason behind creating extra cash flow, I mean someone has to pay for it, but this is ridonkulous!  I'm happy to report that my October 7th sailing of this year on Mariner is now doing  2 stops at Coco Cay.  Sweet, I get twice the fun and excitement instead of a sea day (which is also truly enjoyable).  The problem lies with the moves that Royal did that is now causing me some heartache and discomfort!

My original itinerary had me doing the Escape Room on day 2 (original sea day) at 10:00am and the Up, Up and Away Balloon on day 4 at 9:30am.  When I saw word that an extra day at Coco Cay had been added, I immediately grabbed my IPad and pulled up my calendar in cruise planner.  Now it hurt to see what they had done.  I was now scheduled for the Up, Up and Away ride at 9:30am on day 2 and and the Escape Room for 10:00am on the same day.  There is no way that that feat would be practical unless the balloon ride was dropping me off on deck 15 so I could make the escape room!

I called Royal at 10:00pm central time and spoke to a representative, who was nice, respectful and very helpful, although not truly forthcoming with information.  After a short stint on hold, here was his recommendation.  I could cancel and move one of my attractions to Thursday.  What a brilliant idea!  The process he explained was I could cancel and rebook.  Okay, I'm following that thought, but not truly thinking it through.  I wanted to keep my balloon ride on Thursday, so that's what I did.  Cancel Tuesdays balloon ride and re-book it on Thursday.  Ok, I'll do that.  He explained that I would receive a full refund within 5-7 days and all would be well.  WOW, what a great experience, nothing like I envisioned from stories I had heard.  I was expecting to be told "Suck it up buttercup, you're on a cruise, quit whining".  I expected to be on hold so long that my Santa beard would grow another inch.  Heck I even brought snacks and was hunkered down for the duration!  But no, it was a pretty good experience.  I was extremely happy with the call and hung up. UNTIL I CHECKED THE CRUISE PLANNER...

The price had now gone from $30.99 that I was getting refund for, to $84.99 for the same dang ride, at the same dang time of my original and the same dang day! ALL THOSE SNACKS I HAD BROUGHT THINKING I WOULD BE ON THE PHONE FOR DAYS, WERE IMMEDIATELY CONSUMED IN A FIT OF ANGER.  Not a happy cruiser!

I get it and it will all be ok, but come on Royal, all you had to do was push a button and keep my original info and not caused me all this grief!  I'm truly "LOYAL TO ROYAL"  and will remain that way.  I don't have a rich portfolio of cruises to brag about, heck this will only be my 3rd cruise, although I already have 2 more booked for next year, and I'll keep cruising with the best fleet in the world.  So with that being said, I'll pay the piper, enjoy my cruise and be ready for my October 7th Coco Cay=Extra Pay cruise!

On a different note, Royal did save me some money, I no longer need my dietician to tell me I'm an over eater!  Heck I'm a big fella, but I don't have an eating disorder, I have anger issues and I overeat when I get mad!  Just kidding guys.  Taking a bad situation and turning into something fun.  Hopefully you can find yourself laughing over this as I am!

Happy Cruising!
Santa Scott

Just booked ours a couple of days ago in the Cruise Planner for the Oct 7 sailing!

12 hours ago, Ttd224 said:

Does anyone know if the seapass card from the Symphony can have holes punched in them?

Just watched the "Sharon at Seas" vlog for their recent Symphony cruise.  They were told no they could not punch a hole because of the RFID technology.

I was able to book it awhile ago for my October 7th cruise.  At that time it was $30.99.  It's still in my calendar for the right time and day, but is no longer offered on the cruise planner for my sailing.  Guess it probably sold out on that excursion!

1 minute ago, ShillyShally said:

Thank you too!  Yep a nice lounger and attentive waiter helped when I pushed my limits 🙂

After the 2nd port on Freedom, I told my wife she could find me in the hot tube with a frozen concoction in my hand!  LOL

3 minutes ago, shipmate13 said:

The perk was buy one, get one free on wine. Same offer on coffee and a few other discounts. Not much but it was a nice jesture anyways. I am looking to see if they will offer 19.99 a day for my trip to New Zealand at end of month. If so, I will purchase again. This time for myself and husband. Not so sure it's a good deal for families. You have to just weigh in all the factors before deciding 

Thanks Shipmate13!

On ‎3‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 9:39 PM, shipmate13 said:

I purchased the KEY when we went on the Brilliance of the Seas a couple of weeks ago.  Since the offer for us was 19.99 a day and I was going on a quick 4 night cruise with my friends and left our husbands behind, I thought It was a great deal.  All of us women purchased it and I really thought it was worth the money but I only paid for me so it was under $80.00.  We pulled up to the cruise pier and walked immediately to the elevator in Tampa and upstairs to the KEY check in.  Waited in a separate area for just a few minutes and walked right onto the ship. The staff was there right inside the door and took all our carry on right off.  We went to Chops and had a wonderful relaxing lunch without having to go to the free for all at Windjammer which we did not eat at all cruise.  We had free wifi, and designated area for the shows.  A wonderful relaxing breakfast before disembarked on last day and our luggage waiting for us in a separate area.  I loved the KEY and will certainly look into it again on future cruising if they still have it.  I could not justify it if I was traveling with a family but if it was just my husband and I, then I would certainly consider the price.  They also had specials automatically added on our sea pass card for free wine, specialty coffee and other benefits. 

Thanks Shipmate13!  We are on Brilliance in a couple of weeks and are using The Keya s well.  Interested in knowing more about the free wine and such.  Was that because of The Key?

On ‎3‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 3:46 PM, ShillyShally said:

Departure - we usually self-disembark but this time I was travelling with a still recovering knee (surgery a few months back) so I didn't want to lug the bags

 Thank you for the great review of The Key!  We have purchased it for our upcoming cruise on Brilliance.  My first cruise was last June and I had total right knee replacement 3 weeks after cruising, soI was in pain during my sailing!  Good luck on your recovery and once again, THANK YOU!!!

We took our first cruise ever last June on Freedom out of San Juan.  Being our first cruise, I was considerably worried about catching our 10:25am flight from the airport.  We did self-assist (approximately 6:30-7:00am)  and took our bags off ourselves.  Being disabled with a bum knee, we were allowed in the first group off. So here is where the drama comes in...

I had already cleared my account at guest services the night before.  No problems there, I checked our account on the tv daily , just to make sure we were good.  We had the ultimate drink package, so my drinks were already paid for.  The morning of departure, we were in line early, but I had stopped off at Café Promenade for a quick latte and swiped my sea pass card for payment (remember, ultimate drink package), so I  as not expecting a charge.  Lo and behold, as the scanned my card at departure, I was told I needed to go back to guest services and pay my bill!  Yep, it was from my coffee that morning!  Guest services were extremely helpful and cancelled the charge, but that still put a crimp in my plans.  My wife was waiting right outside the disembarkation gangway with all our luggage and we had to hustle!  All in all it worked out and we were at the airport in plenty of time for our 10:25am flight.  A little stressful end to a wonderful vacation!

With a little planning you'll be bale to make it.  Just remember to check your account before heading down to the gangway!  I've already set that plan in place for my cruise on 3/23!  LOL

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 8:31 PM, CatLadyFemme said:

For dinner, we went to the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Definitely recommend a reservation. I appreciated they had a GF menu (also with sections about dairy free and nut free), as well as things labeled vegetarian. We decided to split a pitcher of Cava Sangria (made at the table), Queso Fundito (had asked for toast points on a separate plate), the Heart of Palm salad (meh), the vegetarian Paella (this was super good), and the Creme de Casalita for dessert (lit on fire at the table). Everything was decent, but this place is definitely more about the atmosphere for sure. I love stuff prepared at the table, so I was a happy lady.

Then we walked around the area, and watched a wrestling match spill out of the Orpheum into the street, heard a bicycle with a massive boom box, watched some motorcycles pop wheelies, walked by many venues with live music, found a $5 bill which we passed onto a homeless gentleman a block down, and then hopped a ride back to the hotel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 Thanks for the review of The Columbia!  It was recommended to me this week as a great restaurant.  We'll be cruising on the BOS March 23, so I'm following along and counting my days!

Enjoy your cruise CatLadyFemme!

On ‎3‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 6:37 AM, poleman88 said:

Sailing on Brilliance on Mar.23 for 5 days. Looking forward to your thoughts of the ship. Enjoy!

We are on the same cruise @Poleman88, looking forward to a little downtime !

Good morning all!
A question was asked in one of my other groups concerning smoothies and where she could get them.  

I did a quick search but did not find the answer, so of course I decided to ask the experts! Here is the original question.

For those who have been on the ship before ... is there a place/bar near the lido deck where my kids can order smoothies?

And of course, "Thanks in advance"!