ARandomTraveler

Are you talking about the VAT tax refund? There's a minimum purchase you have to make in order to qualify for it, but if you make that minimum purchase, you can request the VAT tax to be refunded at the airport before you fly home. In order to do that, you have to get some paperwork from the store when you make your purchase. There's 2 ways they can do it. One is the easy way (which requires you to have your passport with you), and the other is the "hard" way. If you have your passport with you, the store will fill out some paperwork and give it to you in an envelope that looks something like this (below), which contains your purchase receipt as well as a form they filled out containing the amount of your purchase and how much of it was tax, your passport info etc., and it has a barcode on it. When you leave the country, there are kiosks at the airport where you scan the barcode on the top of the form, and you'll eventually get the VAT tax refunded to the credit card you paid with. If you didn't give your passport to the store, there's a bit more work that you need to do at the airport. You still need to have gotten this paperwork from the store, but since the paperwork won't contain your passport information, I think you have to fill out some extra stuff at the kiosk, perhaps show documents to someone in person, and then drop the envelope in a mailbox of some sort. I'm not sure how that process works because I did it the passport way. If you look at the bottom left of the envelope, you'll see the English instructions for using the kiosk. It says that if you scan your barcode and get a green screen with "ok. Form valid" then you don't need to do anything further (this is how it worked for me). If you get the red screen, it's because the store didn't do all the paperwork with your passport, and you have to go see someone (the instructions say you have to see someone at customs, but I recall there being someone on hand around the kiosks who could do whatever it is they do, and then after you see that person, you have to drop your envelope in a box for further processing). The store was mistaken, it's not automatic unless you gave them your passport and they filled out the form on your behalf. And even then, you still have to scan the barcode at the kiosk. If you didn't do that, you didn't complete the process, and I wouldn't expect the refund. Some stores can give you the VAT tax refund at the time of purchase (that's how this purchase in my photo below worked). I guess scanning the barcode is just for validation purposes.

Then maybe you should just consider the most realistic option, which is to pay the money to bring extra luggage. What you're trying to do isn't reasonable, which is why the rest of us were trying to offer a little humor, but also a bit of a reality check. It's like those shows on HGTV where a couple says they want a 5 bedroom home in a big expensive city, with a big backyard and a man cave and a gourmet chef's kitchen, but their budget it $200,000. Sometimes we can't have what we want.

Have you considered divorce?

First off - get rid of the formal wear. All of it. Second - it's the Caribbean, it's hot, you get sweaty, makeup just runs off your face anyway. Get rid of the makeup. Swimsuits are small, bring one cover up, and bring one pair of shorts or pants, and a sundress or two. And sunscreen. And pajamas. And a toothbrush. Option 2 - scrap the spirit tickets and pay for one of you to fly on a real airline. Go southwest, and you can bring 4 bags for free (2 checked and 2 carry on).

Nothing that they reported sounds out of the ordinary in the least. In fact, when looking at the photos they used to show how crowded things were, I thought "that doesn't look that bad." I guess if people go on a cruise expecting the ship to be empty and expecting it to be quiet and peaceful rather than fun and full of activities, then they didn't do their research, and they certainly picked the wrong vacation for themselves.

Is the dining package also supposed to be listed on the set sail pass? My refreshment package is listed, but not my dining package.

I looked at midnight last night, out of curiosity to see prices, and Icon wasn't an option for ships to pick from yet. I checked just now after seeing your post and it's there. Pretty pricey, but I guess not that much more expensive than the holiday cruises. Plus it's a new ship so that's to be expected. The question is, did they set prices "low" to start getting people to book, and then if people book as expected, they'll quickly raise the price? Or will bookings be slower than expected and the price will come down? I'm contemplating making a booking just for the heck of it, but I'm also really not all that eager to sail on this ship. I'd be booking it more for the "security" of having a booking just in case I change my mind and start getting excited about it, and just in case prices go up to a point where I'd no longer consider it.

So the check-In time is just when you get to go inside the terminal and show your passport and paperwork? Then what happens? Do you stand in a line and wait for them to start letting people board? Or do you find a chair and hang out until an announcement of some sort is made? And at that point, how is it determined who gets in line first? Is it a free for all, with people knocking down old ladies and running over babies?

You mean to tell me that if I had spent an extra $6,000, I could have gotten a cold wash cloth and chips? Dang it, I can't believe I didn't book that crown loft suite when I had the chance 😂. Im kidding - I know there's more to this room than what you mentioned, but by itself just simply doesn't justify the cost so I couldn't resist. I was looking into booking one of these rooms for my upcoming trip on Symphony, but since it's Thanksgiving week, the cheapest price that I ever saw posted for one was $4500/person, not including tips and taxes. Since this is our first time on an Oasis class ship, and there's so much to do, I figure we won't be in the room often enough for me to have felt we'd enjoy the extra space and bathroom. Not for $6,000 more than I paid for our balcony room anyway. Perhaps on our next cruise, if we go on a non-holiday, cheaper week when we'll actually utilize the extra space.

I'm not sure how I feel about the rest of it, but a lazy River seems like a cool idea, although admittedly a bit "out there," which is why DirtyDawg's comment about the Vegas structures made me think of it (except I was serious and I know DirtDawg was joking).

My Symphony cruise next month has been selling it for $72.99/day when "on sale" ($86.13/day with the 18% tacked on, which is $602.90 for the week). $77.99/day when not on sale ($92.03/day with the 18% tacked on, which is $644.20 for the week). Unless you plan to drink alcohol every day on the cruise, the other good option is to buy the refreshment (non-alcohol) package and then just pay out of pocket for the alcohol. Refreshment on my Symphony cruise next month has been $22.99/day "on sale" ($27.13/day with the 18% tacked on, which is $189.90 for the week). $29.99/day when not on sale ($35.39/day with the 18% tacked on, which is $247.72 for the week). Buying the refreshment package, even at the full, non-sale price of $247.72 gives you $396.48 of wiggle room to pay for alcoholic beverages out of pocket, which if you're not a big drinker, will save you money, especially when you multiply that by 2 passengers. For 2 passengers that's $792.97 to use for paying for drinks out of pocket. If between 2 adults you'll drink less than 52 alcoholic drinks (that cost $15) in 7 days, then do the refreshment route.

I'd love to see a lazy River that goes around the whole top deck.

And probably regretting it 😂 I'm kidding, but in all seriousness, everyone is different. I'm sure having extended family on the trip is a bonus because there's lots of help. The dynamics are different. It also depends on a person's expectations of how they'll spend their vacation, and what is relaxing and/or fun to them personally. I personally wouldn't do it again if put back in that situation, but I'm also someone who thought they wanted 4 kids and only had 1 because I realized 4 kids didn't fit into the lifestyle that I wanted to provide for my kid, or the lifestyle I wanted to live myself. And part of that was realizing that on vacation, I like to sleep in, I don't want to be constantly telling a kid to be quiet and sit still in a show so they don't disturb the adult passengers (which means I didn't get to see any shows). I want to sit down and enjoy dinner (which is hard to do when dinner takes 2 hours and you either have to entertain a kid for 2 hours so other people aren't disrupted, or you have to eat in the buffet with your kid while everyone else goes to a different dinner without you). And I like to do a lot of things that aren't conducive to having small children in tow, and it was definitely "not for me." And while toddlers can have fun anywhere, I can assure you that it was very upsetting to my child to not be allowed in the pool, and to not be allowed in the adventure ocean area where the toys were, and to not be able to run around in the big open areas of the ship because I wasn't willing to allow her to disrupt other passengers, and also didn't want her falling off the ship outside. Don't take that the wrong way to read that I didn't like being a parent. I loved it and still love it. I raised an awesome, extremely successful kid whose in the top 1% of everything she does, partly because I spent an exorbitant amount of time and money on her and her activities and her education. I made a lot of time sacrifices and personal sacrifices to raise her the way I did. I spent a TON of time with her (and still do). She attends a top 5 "Ivy League" school, and we're headed on another cruise together in a couple weeks, and we have a ton of fun together on cruises now that she's not 2 years old. We've done lots of cruises (and lots of other vacations) together over the last 18 years, and I've enjoyed every (ok not every) minute of it. But would I take another 2 year old on a cruise? Nope. I'd save my money (and save everyone the headache) and stay home. But that's the kind of parent I am. Everyone is different, and this particular poster might feel more like you do and think it's perfectly fine and they'll have fun. I'm just giving my opinion based on my experience and my parenting style (which I realize isn't for everyone).

Well, as I said, my experience was 18 years ago 😂 I just remember being on the pool deck of the Explorer and the railings were definitely wide enough for my 2 year old to fit though and it was a terrifying thought. It's not such an outlandish fear either - remember the baby that fell off the ship in Puerto Rico and died a few years ago? I know that was different since he/she fell through a window while being held by an adult, but the possibility is there, and therefore I wouldn't want a small child wandering anywhere close to the side of the ship. It's just not a fun experience, and your ability to go to shows and participate in all the ship has to offer is significantly diminished unless you can put your kid in daycare, in which case, why bring them?

Where does one get these "cruise points" that work like money?

My first time cruising 18 years ago was with my then 2 year old. My advice to everyone since then was "don't do it." It's not fun. It's not relaxing. You pay a bunch of money to take a vacation where you can't do most of the activities because they're either not kid friendly, or because kids need naps or have bedtime or just have short attention spans in general. You can't get in the adult pools with them, you have to constantly keep an eye on them so they don't run too close to the railing and fall off the ship. They aren't welcome in the kids club at that age, and any babysitting has to be done in your own stateroom. Etc etc etc. If you can leave the baby at home, and are comfortable doing that, do it. If not, my suggestion would be to save your money, and take this cruise 3-4 years from now (assuming you don't have more kids by then).

It's a little hard to find. Here are screen 4 shots to follow once you open the app. 1) Open the App and you should see this page. Click the arrow that I circled in red: 2) Scroll to the very bottom of your itinerary and click on the button that says "change ship dates. I circled it in red: 3) You'll now see a page that lists your upcoming cruises (I only have 1). Click there button that says "Browse our ships" (I circled in red): 4) You'll now see a page where you can scroll through all the ships. Pick a ship you want to see, and it will open a page with dates for future cruises you can click on.

The 7-day UDP on my upcoming symphony cruise has been back-and-forth between $207.99 and $219.99 for the last 6 months. The 3-day has been steady at $101.99 for the last 6 months. As of yesterday, the 7 day UDP is currently listed at its higher price of $219.99, but the 3 day has now jumped to $112.99, which is the first time it's gone up in price. I'm wondering if less people purchase the UDP on holiday cruises because they travel in larger family groups, and it's harder to get everyone to agree to purchase the UDP, and harder to coordinate reservation times for so many people. The reason I'm thinking this is because I originally expected to see the UDP sell out, or sell for a lot more money as the cruise got closer, but it's often showing the lower of the price ranges, and hasn't sold out yet. The cruise is less than 30 days away.

And for the cost of 4 drink packages per person, you can earn Diamond faster and get 4 whole free drinks.

I just read the email about the Icon. Looks very "pool heavy." Their email didn't focus much on shows or restaurants, and it seems like a very family-resort style ship for pool people. It looks interesting and I'm sure there's more to it than what they're showing.

Wait, symphony doesn't have a pool in the solarium? I thought it did.

Curacao. I still have an 8lb block of Gouda in my fridge from my last southern Caribbean cruise out of Puerto Rico 😂. Theres a seller right outside of the ship at that port. I'm sure you can also buy it in Aruba since I've seen the same brand of cheese in the Aruba airport.

Or if they go to any beach resort in the Caribbean that doesn't charge for chairs. Anyone who says they've never seen a chair hog problem hasn't traveled very much. I think the problem is actually WAY worse at beach resorts than on cruises because at least on a cruise you can get a chair off the beaten path (the deck above the pool, the lower decks, etc). On the beach there's a whole lot less options.

Do they have star class on the time travel cruises?

I vote YES on this. It would be nice if they'd actually enforce the policy. The problem is, the chair hogs come back and get mad at the staff member, and the staff member has no incentive or backup to want to put themselves in that position. What I foresee happening is the chair hogs making a big fuss about it until the only solution left is for the cruiseline to require paid reservations for certain deck chairs. They're giving people a chance to follow the policy and keep chairs free, but if the chair hogs continue their selfish behavior, it'll start costing everyone else money. That being said, there are beach resorts that require paid reservations for palapas now, and even though it ends up costing $75/day, it creates a much more civilized environment and completely eliminates the chair hogs. I'm ok with that if it comes to it.