Cutigerlady

Right after we got off our cruise on the Harmony, we booked a last minute Christmas trip on the Mariner.  I really loved this ship!  I thought the size was perfect!  My kids had just as many things to do and it was super easy to navigate around.  We booked another trip on her for September, but L&S to 2021 recently.  

Another option is to stay at the hotel at the airport and take the shuttle to the port. It is very easy to get to the port from MCO!

I’m going with IT glitch!  My 2 L&S cruises in 2021 are missing. I’m guessing they are fixing the no remaining balance issue that appeared yesterday. 

Also, Johnny Rockets is free for breakfast. 

My husband and son did this class on our last cruise.  They really enjoyed it!  It sells out, so you will want to book in advance and it took almost 2 hours.  They said it was a great group of people and they came back very full!  I took my other son to Johnny Rockets while they were gone because sushi is not his thing!

I was able to switch from Independence of the Seas (Dec 20) to the Symphony of the Seas (Dec 21).  I would push your TA to call again!  In my case, I was on a Western and I was worried they were going to say Western + Perfect Day was not the same itinerary.  They did allow it because I was on a 5 night right before the holiday sailings and in 21 I didn't have many options.

There was a limit before the pandemic. If they think it is going to be crowded, they implement a return ticket process for some of the slides. They also started to add early entrance into the water park that you could purchase on board (I can’t remember the cost).  
 

When we first got into the park, they encourage you to ride the big slide while the line in short. We never had a problem with really long lines. The crowd thins out after lunch and then my kids rode the slides until their legs couldn’t climb the stairs anymore!  
 

We loved our cabana experience here too! 

I thought any time there is a price drop before final payment, you can call to get the price adjusted.  That hasn't changed with CWC.  I took the price adjustments in CWC for when the price drops after final payment.  I have called numerous times to adjust my price before final payment.

If you want the kids in a separate room, you have to be connecting, next door or across the hall. I don’t think they would allow the 1688/1388 combination. We were on the Mariner in two interior rooms in December with a 13 and 8 year old. I couldn’t get connecting rooms because we booked last minute. 
 

We are going back on this ship in 9/21 (pushed out from this year) and found the 2 BR suite was roughly the same price as 2 connecting balcony rooms.  
 

Our kids loved this ship!!  

17 minutes ago, erinsmom03 said:

We haven't been to Coco Cay since 1999. I wasn't sure which cabana to go for, Chill Island or South Beach. But I figured that either of them would be great, I'd just get the less expensive one and give it a try. One person posted that South Beach might be less expensive because it isn't as quiet as Chill Island...anyone else have any insight in the price difference?

I think South Beach is cheaper because it is farther away from everything.  If you want a quiet place, this would be what I would choose. 

Thought it was interesting that 45% are taking refunds, 55% FCC.  Millennials are asking for refunds, families (assume he meant Gen Xers) and Baby Boomers more likely to take the credit. Also mentioned that certain nationalities have higher propensity for refunds.

Certainly doesn't sound like anything will start much before the 4th quarter.  They don't want to begin sailings until their 4 pillar strategy can be implemented and that is still being worked out.  Sounds like China will be first to resume, then maybe limited sailings in US to Coco Cay.  Probably will use larger ships or amped ships which better support appropriate social distancing requirements.  

Analysts didn't seem thrilled that they are not seeking out more debt opportunities like competitors.  

Bookings for Q4 and 2021 are up, especially among loyalty guests.  I'm sure L&S is the thing driving that!  Doesn't sound like they are rushing to cut prices to fill ships.

I submitted a screenshot of the L&S rules from the website and gave them copies of the original receipt and the new receipt.  They did come back to me to confirm the cost of the new cruise and to make sure I didn't have any pending claims for the original sailing.  I just emailed everything to them.  

We found that once your teens are considered adults (13), it isn’t significantly more to book a second cabin. We prefer the extra space. On the Mariner, we stayed in 2 interior cabins and I would do it again in a heartbeat!  

I think that they are doing L&S to get us to select ourselves out of cruises at the end of this year for some of these Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries.  You must decide by August of this year. If the restrictions are still in place at the end of next year, I bet they offer something similar. We all think we got deals to push out our trips. They definitely did this for a reason!

I switched from a Western Caribbean to a Western Caribbean with Perfect Day. In my case there was no Western Caribbean itinerary that was even remotely close to what I had booked.  When asked what I wanted to switch to, I gave them the ship & date. When they brought up it wasn’t the same, I told them there wasn’t one that was identical to what I had, but it was the same itinerary type. The agent asked the supervisor and she okayed the switch. In my case, it’s the sailing right before the holidays, so I didn’t have many options to pick from. 

5 minutes ago, jp2746 said:

I just tried.  They told me that there were no options for me since they are not cruising out of San Juan until October and our cruise in August.  So, we are just out of luck.  I asked if we could change ships or ports and I was told no, you can not unless it is another ship going out of the same port to the exact same places. UUUGGGG!!!

 

I am really frustrated because I want to cruise this summer before school starts.  However, I am pretty convinced now that only Carnival will be sailing at this time.  So, I would like to transfer this cruise to next year and book something on Carnival.  I can't have two sailings booked and hope one gets canceled, but if our August gets canceled, it may be too late to book anything else.  

You should call back and try again.  I switched our departure port, ship and what ports we are going to. I had a similar issue that there wasn't another cruise in the time frame doing the exact same itinerary.  I told them that it says it just has to be the same itinerary type.  I found another 5 night cruise that said Western Caribbean for the same month.  I also have to work around school schedules, so I didn't have much flexibility.  

So after I had to call back after being hung up on and then resistance that I couldn't switch to a Western Caribbean with Perfect Day from a Western Caribbean,  the supervisor did end up approving the L&S.  There was not a Western for the same date and since this is the cruise right before the holiday sailings, I don't have much flexibility to move it.  I ended up saving over $6k from what the going rate is for the Symphony cruise in '21.

Edited to Add: I went from IAS to Symphony

Apparently I booked one of the rooms as a refundable deposit, so my next tact was going to be that I would just cancel and eat the $200 deposit on the other room. Fortunately, I didn't have to go this route! I was very patient, respectful and kept telling the agent I appreciated all of his help.  

30 minutes ago, CruisinCanuck63 said:

Keep us posted!

I started the conversation asking for the Symphony (5 nt Western with Perfect Day) and just said that there was not an exact itinerary match for 2021.  I have 2 connecting balcony rooms on the IAS (Western) and she didn't bat an eye at that.  She went to put me on hold to go to supervisor and hung up on me!! UGGH!!

6 minutes ago, CruisinCanuck63 said:

New day...different agent...different understanding.  This agent's interpretation was the itineraries had to be exact matches.  Couldn't move an Eastern to an Eastern with Perfect Day.

I'm sitting on hold now and this is going to be interesting because there is not an exact match of the itinerary I'm trying to move. One is Eastern Caribbean, one is Western Caribbean and one is Western Caribbean plus Perfect Day.  I love a good challenge though!

24 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

No, If they  move it prior to Aug 1 it transfers over at the same rate. If the new cruise in 2021 is lower they pay the lower amount. 

Thanks for clarifying because that’s my situation, the 2021 cruise is a lower price than what I paid for 2020!  Hmm, now I’m thinking I should L&S this one too! I thought I was going to have to cancel and rebook to get the lower rate. 

For my December 2020 cruise, the departure port and ship for that itinerary are different in 2021 and it would be better for me to lose the NRD and rebook!  The cruise would still be about $800 less than what I paid for the cruise for 2020.

Appreciate the heads up though because I've been wanting to move my September 2020 cruise out to that same date/ship for 2021 and for that cruise, it is a good deal!

I cancelled my cruise planner items on 4/14 and the credit appeared today.   The email I got the day I cancelled it said it could take up to 30 days, so I was happy with how quickly I got my money back. 

Mariner of the Seas September $52

Independence  of the Seas December $49
 

I noticed that other things dropped In price as well that haven’t budged in price for months. I haven’t seen my refund for an excursion I cancelled for the September trip last week yet. We are hoping the December trip happens, so I’ll take the gamble on purchases for that trip. Just will pay with Amex because they are great if you have a dispute. 

My payment date is not until late June. I’ve resigned to the fact we aren’t going on this cruise. Yesterday I cancelled our shore excursions. I’m going g to wait until the last possible date before PIF date to cancel in hopes I can either get my deposit back or apply it towards a new cruise. I’m ok with losing the $400. I honestly don’t know if my kids will have a Fall Break in September because one scenario I’ve heard is pushing back their start date and skipping the Fall Break. 
 

I just can’t imagine taking my kids on a cruise and dealing with quarantines or the idea I did something that put them at risk. My husband is an essential worker and who knows if he will even be able to take off time. Sometimes making adult decisions stinks!

We have one booked for mid September that I booked last September. More than likely, will be pushing it out a year because it’s for my kids fall break. I have a surprise trip booked for December, maybe that one will happen?  I’m waiting to decide right before final payment. I don’t want my $ wrapped up in a FCC, because with my kids sports schedule I don’t know how much availability we will have in the upcoming years.