zimmerman

If you go in to the app and select a cruise, you can see it/them.

Explorer of the Seas (Greece and Croatia)

Welcome Aboard

Taste of Italy

Taste of France

Taste of UK

Taste of Mediterranean

Taste of Royal

Welcome to Bon Voyage

I booked direct, would I just call customer services?

We sail in about 35 days and have already checked in.

We’re in an inside cabin.

Looking at the website it’s possible to book a balcony for not that much more than we’ve paid.

Is it possible to change cabin types?

Have already submitted our royal-up bids (coincidentally the same amount/difference that we could book the cabin for). 

3 hours ago, Biker19 said:

This is from RCL's SEC filing last quarter. That is only revenue, not actual passenger count and is for all RCG lines, not just RCI.

 

Where were those cruises in Q2?

How many of those cruises were in Europe versus the US for example? Surely that’s going to skew that data?

After much anticipation… it was a damp squib.

couldn’t check in on the app (Italy midnight or UK midnight).

app says 12th

online says 13th

will try again tonight.

It’s like most things, it comes down to budget.

we can only afford inside cabins / balcony if the right deal is available (and we always get the drinks package). At that end of the market, the equivalent all-inclusive hotel isn’t that great (or comparable, in my experience).

The ‘ok’ food on the cruise is more than compensated by the convenience and variety that a cruise offers.

I dare say, if we were in the bracket where we could afford a suite then the equivalent budget for an AI resort might be more appealing.

It’s all relative… you can get an all inclusive hotel that has crappy food, local spirits and even worse entertainment. Or you can get great food and great drinks.

Similarly, cruises can have terrible entertainment too.

I think we only made it through more than 50% of one show on our Alaskan cruise last summer.

Tried searching older topics, but didn’t see the answer to this specific question.

my checkin opens 12th July

is that midnight local time for the cruise (Italy) or it’s it linked to US times (I’ve seen reference to 00:00 EST, 23:00 CST or 21:00 PST… might have remembered them slightly wrong).

12-Jul 00:00 Italy = 11-Jul 23:00 UK

12-Jul 00:00 EST = 12-Jul 05:00 UK

or does it not really matter…eg  if I logon at 7am (uk time on the 12th) i will still be able to get an early boarding slot?

how competitive are those early slots?

(we’re just one family of three, so it’s not like we need to coordinate with loads of other family/cabins).

thanks

Presumably the bid up process doubles as market research; “what will people pay”

they must get valuable insight to how much someone (who they already know are in which price range) are willing to pay for more expensive cabin types.

Thanks all.

Due to cruise out of Ravenna at the end of August.

Only our third cruise (all RC) and we’ve never previously booked anything. Keep seeing chat on here that suggests making reservations for shows and stuff.

Are there any things I should/need to book?

we have dining and excursions sorted.

just wondering about the skating shows or access to skating or the slides etc.

Anything I should be doing, as soon as we board (or even before)?

planning on an early check-in, so will hopefully be able to beat the rush (if we do need to make bookings).

thanks

1 hour ago, Thisguylikestocruise said:

Got the deluxe beverage package for my first time. Is there a receipt to sign after  each transaction? Also, can you carry a bottle of beer over to Sorrentos to have with pizza, or does it need to stay at the bar?

Nope.

Might already be known (and this sort of thing might be commonplace); just received notification that our Croatia/Greek itinerary has been updated.

No idea if this is for all sailings or just ours.

Depends what you want of a trip (and how deep your pockets are).

We did Alaska (from Vancouver) and  didn’t do any excursions, still loved it.

For transparency only a couple of the ports were particularly nice. So you would be cruising for the sake of cruising (not necessarily the stops).

we were lucky enough to see the glacier (I don’t think every cruise manages it).
 

We did a trip to a bear sanctuary in one of the ports and walked the Totem trail. The bear place was very reasonably price  (maybe $20 or something).

We got to see the salmon, seals and bald eagles along the way too. Saw some flashes of whales from the ship too and got an escort from a huge pod of porpoises on the way back to Vancouver.

Depends what you normally go for; I didn’t mind being excursion-less.
 

*We did do a whale watching trip out of Vancouver so that met that need. We also had two weeks doing lots of stuff pre/post cruise so maybe that help pacify us not doing excursions.

46 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

in a restaurant alone on a cruise is a fantasy of many people.  when i got on oasis last time i went to the solarium. totally alone for at least 15 min. sure it was weird but man....no lines, perfect service. all sparkling clean . i think no one knows it's open on embark day.  even had goulash once!

I feel guilty with how attentive and willing cruise staff are at the best of times; having a whole brigade and manager and sommelier et al all wanting to help us was a bit much 🤣

It wasn’t that bad in fairness, and I think I will book it again for embarkation day regardless. Worth it just to avoid the clamour of the windjammer as people set about getting their moneys worth before we’ve even set sail.

If I book, is service added on to the cost quoted? I’ve already pre-paid service if that makes a difference.

Annoyingly, I’ve noticed US customers are quoted prices 20% (well, nearer 21.5% to be  more accurate) less than what we are quoted in the UK.

Is there a way of me securing the US price 🙂

sort of related… is there a general behaviour for when to use/avoid the speciality restaurants?

On a cruise last year, we booked in to Chops for lunch on embarkation day. Avoid the chaos in the windjammer AND start the cruise with a good lunch.

However, it was empty aside from us.
So it did lack atmosphere.

it hasn’t been very busy on other lunch times (Chops or Royal lunch)…. But this was especially quiet.

We don’t have the means for endless speciality dining (but do prefer them)…. So we tend to do a lunch on sea days as a treat. But it was kind of weird sitting there on our own. Is embarkation day usually avoided/quiet or is every cruise different and it’s luck of the draw?

When people say “just phone up”…. what number do I use?

got stung for some pretty big phone bills this summer after spending a while on hold to RC

I’m a novice cruiser (had only been on one cruise before, in 2018).

In the lead up to an Alaskan cruise (Serenade of the Seas) I frequented this forum. It made me apprehensive about what to expect in terms of food and service. Had we made a massive mistake?

I can only say that the whole experience matched our previous experience. The food was just as we remembered it from our previous cruise and the service was still tip top.

Maybe we got lucky?

Either way, we loved it and have another RC cruise scheduled for 2023.

Am I transiting through the US? Presumably so?

How/where do I register though?

We’re going on the 7th from Canada 👍

Do they have to pre-book it though, or just turn up?

We cruise 7th August (next Sunday).

got one last Sunday and the other today.

Maybe a topic all of its own.

how much is an acceptable tip (in addition to the pre-paid gratuities)?

I know it’s subjective and it’s also relative to one’s one means… but is $10 (for a 7 night cruise) insulting?

My 10yo isn’t vaccinated. I know we need a PCR check and then there is an antigen check on boarding day.

I’ve just received a second email from RC saying “This is a reminder to schedule your boarding day antigen test for COVID-19”

but I can’t see where/how I ‘schedule’ it. After the first email, I presumed that we just show up at the location.  This second email has me concerned I should be formally booking something. No links in the email(s) and can’t see anywhere in the app.

Alaska cruise from Vancouver (testing at the Fairmont). We have an 11:30 boarding time. Was just planning on turning up at the Fairmont at say 10:00.