orkaren1

Are they canceling all the ships at Coco Cay or just the big girls?  We are supposed to be there Saturday on Freedom.  Looks like it might still be windy but hopefully it won't get canceled because it is our only stop.

2 hours ago, edspec said:

Hello,

On the 6th I transferred $1200 of BA reward points to my RC cruise in April.  Denominations were 2 $500, 1 $150, and 1 $50.  The two smaller ones were credited to my account w/in a couple of days, the two larger ones still aren't there.  I called and was told that sometimes it takes up to two weeks before sail date, (April for me), before they show up.  Really irritated as I wanted to use them on drink packages...there is an okay sale now, $66/day and I'm assuming there will be a better one on Black Friday.  I could just buy the packages but I shouldn't have to.

Has anyone had experience with this?

TIA.

Did you redeem for OBC or for payment towards the cruise?  If you did OBC it should show up on your cruise planner within a week.  If you did payment towards the cruise it will come off your balance about a week before final payment date.

The redemption process is very easy and the OBC should show up on your cruise planner within a week.  Just make sure you keep or print a copy of the receipt for the redemption transaction and check your cruise planner to make sure the credit shows up.  I did a redemption for $100 a couple of months ago and it was still not posted after more than two weeks.  I called and they "found" the missing redemption and applied it right away but if I had not called it would probably have never been applied.

On 10/9/2023 at 11:26 PM, kimlet said:

I play MyVegas rewards but have been unsure how redeeming works. I am  hoping for the onboard credit.

Can you do that will cruises already booked. One cruise is for Mar 2024

Yes because you need your reservation number when you send the redemption info to Royal.

On 7/9/2021 at 6:16 AM, zebra36 said:

Tried to redeem both the $100 OBC and the $100 casino credit recently and was denied the casino credit  Not to sure how the twice in 180 days restriction  worked there unless somewhere there is a restriction of one reward per cruise which I have not noticed.

As others have said only one redemption per reservation.  I redeemed points for casino credit with no problem.  My husband has his own MyVegas account and tried to redeem points for OBC but was denied.  No problem because we play for free and will take any perk we can get.

My husband is in a motorized wheelchair that is a bit wider than a standard manual chair.  It is difficult enough to get him anywhere due to his disability so if something is in a hallway blocking his access it is probably going to get moved by me.

We have a beach club cabana booked for our Freedom of the Seas cruise in October.  One person in our group is wheelchair dependent.  Are the beach club cabanas level entry or are the steps to get into them?

Thanks

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

You will receive a notice to complete health safety questions on their app 1 or 2 days before your sailing.   We leave today and received ours on Sunday.

4 simple questions....have you had covid shot and booster (yes or no is okay)

Are you pregnant?   Any signs of illness in last 24 hrs?

 

They may ask you at the terminal check-in if any signs of illness, we were asked here too.

Thank you for the information.

Just did the check in on the app for our cruise in October.  It gave us an appointment time for check in but it says something about "see you for your wellness check" under arrival time.  Is this something done at the port in addition to the online wellness check you do the day before the cruise and if so, what is involved?  Just wondering because we are traveling with an autistic child and he needs to know what to expect ahead of time.  Thanks!

22 hours ago, FOPMan said:

By October, Brightline train service should be in place from MCO to Miami. It is supposed to begin service pretty much any day.

 

Brightline does provide accessible van service within several miles of its stations.

 

The trains are clean and efficient.

 

brightline.com

Thanks for the input.  I was thinking about the Brightline but roundtrip it would be about $400 for my husband and myself (plus $200 for my son who is traveling with us)  and we would still need to find a way to get to the Brightline station in Orlando (looks like they only have van/shuttle service within 5 miles of the station). I have found an accessible van rental that would work and will probably go with that.  Just trying to find some less expensive options.

I asked this question on the disabled cruisers board and it was suggested I also post it here:

Traveling from Orlando to Miami for a cruise in October.  My husband uses a power wheelchair but we do not have an accessible van to transport the wheelchair.  Can anyone offer suggestions for accessible transportation from Orlando to MiamI?  Thanks

Traveling from Orlando to Miami for a cruise in October.  My husband uses a power wheelchair but we do not have an accessible van to transport the wheelchair.  Can anyone offer suggestions for accessible transportation from Orlando to MiamI?  Thanks

Thanks for the suggestion.  We will be driving our own vehicle and were hoping to get a room for one night for under $200. I will check out the Riverside.

I have found similar issues with hotels, businesses, etc. that advertise as accessible.  I think most places just check off some boxes or list of accessible features when building without any idea of what might actually work for a person who is disabled.  There needs to be some type of review board that has wheelchair users and other disabled persons reviewing accessible features in a building or ship.

We will be going on a cruise leaving from port of Miami.  We are driving from Orlando and debating between driving the 4 hours the morning of the cruise or driving down the day before and staying at a hotel.  Any advice on decent and affordable hotels/motels not too far from the port that have good accessibility for wheelchair users?  Also would it be better to stay in Miami near the port or go further out and have a short drive the morning of the cruise?  TIA

23 hours ago, BTSEN5 said:

I am patiently waiting for my OBC from my BOA Visa to show up on my planner. I redeemed them back in December. I called the rewards desk and they said they would show up about 2 weeks before our cruise. That is this coming Friday. I will be making a call if they are not there. I have been waiting to sign up for the beverage package. 

 

I redeemed points for OBC yesterday and today got an email with receipt showing credit applied. I also redeemed points towards a “free” cruise about a week ago. Nothing is showing up from that yet but an answer to an email I sent they said it would take about 15 days for it to go through.  I would call if your points aren’t showing up yet

23 hours ago, sellwingri said:

Is a transport chair the same as a portable wheelchair?  I’m thinking of buying one for my port intensive Mediterranean cruise.  Will they take them on the bus on ship shore excursions? 

Transport chairs have four small wheels and are meant to be pushed by someone.  They generally are lightweight and easy to manage but the person using them will not be able to manuever themselves in the chair.  A portable wheel chair  (any wheelchair) has two small wheels in the front and two large wheels in the back with a rim the user pushes to roll the chair. They  usually can be folded for transporting in a vehicle.The person using the chair can move themselves by using the large wheels and don't need someone to push them.

I can't suggest anything about the possibility of getting sick from  Covid or norvirus on a ship other than practice good handwashing and wear a mask if it makes you feel better. Basically just like you would do on land.  As for the motion sickness, I have gotten sea sick on small boats on lakes but never on a cruise ship.  I take ginger capsules every day while cruising and they really work well for me without any drowsiness.   I avoided cruising for many years because I had many of the same fears you have but once I went on my first cruise I haven't looked back.  Best way to vaction there is and you and your family will enjoy it.

On 4/19/2022 at 6:52 AM, laurieal said:

Good morning from snowy (!!!) Montreal airport. 

 

I took the train from Quebec City to YUL yesterday and the journey was smooth and uneventful. 
 

Area for those remaining in their wheelchair on the train. 
 

 

Accessible bathroom on my train car. 
 

I was staying at the Montreal Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel. The accessible room was perfect for me for one night. Plenty of space to move around and a comfortable bed. 

 

 

 

 

 

I had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant with the first cocktail of the holiday. I had a quick look  around the airport, but I retired to my room early because the alarm was set to 4am. 

 

 

Did this hotel room have a roll in shower in addition to the tub?  My husband is quadriplegic so the type of set up pictured would not work for him.  Thanks for this review, I am always looking for information regarding accessible travel.

On 4/4/2022 at 8:21 AM, twangster said:

Lesson learned.  It's well known around here that Royal gift certificates can only be used for the cruise fare but from time to time we see exactly this sort of post when someone learns this lesson the hard way.  

 

It's the primary reason many people do not recommend RCI gift certificates.  

 

Now you know.  

I used one a couple of years ago for OBC.  I just went through the online redemption.  I got a notification that it was redeemed but it was not showing up on my cruise planner.  I called and was told that it would not show up until I was onboard, which is exactly what happened.

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

All reservations must be made after you board. Yes you can just show up for lunch, only on sea days. The first night pick is not a reservation, it is only a place holder for bookkeeping. As soon as you board go to any restaurant to make your reservations for the week. There is usually a kiosk set up in the promenade but lines are usually long. happy cruising 

When we did the UDP we went to a specialty restaurant for lunch shortly after boarding (included in the UDP package) We had a list of all the dining reservations we wanted for the week and while we were eating we gave our list to the restaurant maitre de.  He took care of all our reservations for the week.  Very easy.

Just now, mo&fran said:

Brevard county. Broward county is Ft. Lauderdale.

Computer auto correct, sorry.

Just now, orkaren1 said:

You would have the same travel time issues going to Seaworld.  Over an hour drive each way, crowded time of the year so you would be limited in what you would get to do,  and August in Florida is very hot. 

Oops, sorry I see you are traveling in April.  Weather is much nicer but you still have the travel times and spring break crowds in April.

2 hours ago, LivLove2Cruise said:

We are on the Anthem in April and booked the transfer to Seaworld.  I have been holding off purchasing tickets because of the timing concerns.  

You would have the same travel time issues going to Seaworld.  Over an hour drive each way, crowded time of the year so you would be limited in what you would get to do,  and August in Florida is very hot. 

As many people have said you just do not have enough time to try to do a trip to any of the Disney parks or Universal. Do something closer to the port and make Disney World/Universal an entirely different vacation.

Kennedy Space Center is interesting.  Cape Canaveral National Seashore is a great beach and there is a nature center and bird observation drive within the National Seashore area. Also Broward County zoo is not far from the port and is a nice place to visit.