JTJT1

6 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Well, the quality of the ship can vary given the port and weather conditions.

And the quality can vary in entertainment from ship to ship.

And the quality of the staff and guest can fluctuate.

And the quality of the ship can vary given its age.

 

I guess in the end, pick an itinerary that sounds interesting at a price you can agree with, and hope for the best with everything else.

 

And given the state of the world these days, if you are lucky to get on any ship, make the best of it and enjoy the view.  Because many folks do not have the time or money or health to sail.

 

Wasn't complaining. We are fortunate in many aspects to have opportunity to travel often. The itinerary doesnt even matter, as I am happy not even getting off the ship 😂  However, some who we will be traveling with us this next trip are not as fortunate and I want to ensure they get the best value for money spent. 

To preface, we are somewhat new to cruising. Aside from a few sporadic sailings on Freedom & DCL ten-fifteen years ago, we have sailed Harmony in 2019, Harmony  fall of 21 & Indy this week. 
 

We want to book another for this fall with a larger group of family. There is of course a significant price difference between Harmony & Indy. However, this weeks sailing was less than stellar. The first night at dinner was fantastic. Then it went downhill. We also had a problem with the drain in our room that we reported the first day. Despite follow up, it was never resolved. We still enjoyed ourselves, but service/cleanliness in general  was much better on Harmony. 
 

Is this a typical “you get what you pay for” situation, or was this most recent experience just bad luck?  We would ideally like to book several rooms on Indy, but if service on Harmony is that much better, we will stick with Harmony. 
 

11 hours ago, Jkaczanowski said:

According to my 13 year old - in September, 12 year olds were allowed in teen club on Oasis but required a parent to sign something at the beginning of the cruise.  

This was our experience on Harmony.  My two youngest were 12 & 13 at the time.  They wanted to stay together, so they had me sign a form allowing the 12 y/o to join the teen program.  No issues.  

Where are you able to upload the vaccine card? We leave in two weeks, and I do not see any place on the app or the website to upload a picture of the card?

We have 2 FCC from 2 different circumstances.  One is from a shortened cruise, and the second is from a separate cruise where on the last night the toilets to our room and several adjoining rooms stopped working for about 18 hours.  

While looking at different options via NextCruise, the representative was giving us pricing based off using both certificates together. I just called to book, and that representative told me that each certificate has to be used for a different booking.  However, I dont see anywhere on the FCC where that is stated.

Can anyone clarify?  

4 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

I would hope anything you already bought would transfer over.

Nope,  they sent me an email showing me everything from the prior cruise planner has been canceled.   

For anyone that made the switch over to Harmony out of Port Canaveral, did you get a notification about cruise documents? Initially we had completed the online check in for the mariner but then we got switched over to Harmony. I called again this morning and was told to just show up at the Port with our passports.   

 Because the harmony was supposed to leave on the first, online check-in or printing of set sail passes is not allowed. Nor is the pre-purchase of Internet or beverage packages, etc. Assuming that means that I will now pay full price for any kind of packages once on board? 

1 minute ago, MandyMooToo said:

If it is going back to your credit card it will likely take days before you get it back.  Just a guess though.

 The phone representative and the updated reservation shows that they rolled all of the prepaid grats into the cruise fare itself. I spoke with a manager over the phone and she told me we would not be getting any amount refunded

RCI customer service is a joke.  Does anyone have an email or a phone number for someone higher than a manager at a call center?  Last night I spent over an hour on the phone regarding the switch from mariner to Harmony. I was told because we are still losing a night we would get one nights worth of onboard credit, and our prepaid gratuities refunded back to the credit card for one night.  I also have that in writing from two different people. This morning we got our new reservation and it was not showing any onboard credit.   So I’ve spent two hours on the phone this morning and even though I emailed them where I had it in writing they are refusing to honor it. 

RCI customer service is a joke.  Does anyone have an email or a phone number for someone higher than a manager at a call center?  Last night I spent over an hour on the phone regarding the switch from mariner to Harmony. I was told because we are still losing a night we would get one nights worth of onboard credit, and our prepaid gratuities refunded back to the credit card for one night.  I also have that in writing from two different people. This morning we got our new reservation and it was not showing any onboard credit.   So I’ve spent two hours on the phone this morning and even though I emailed them where I had it in writing they are refusing to honor it. 

Now I am really confused.  We were on Mariner out of PC on 9/2.  The email we received says that we now depart PC on 9/4 at 9pm and return 9/6 at 7am.  I just came across this though.....If it is actually boarding at 11:30, we will still go.  

1 minute ago, Racer26 said:

You aren't paying for anything.  They gave you 100% back in future cruise vouchers.

The issue that Im having is, I cant find anything in the same price range for a future cruise.  I booked myself, husband, and two kids under Kids Sail Free.  My son turns 13 in December, so I need to cruise before then.  And wait for another KSF promo.   Even pricing out the same ship in the same room category for just the 2 of us on any sail date is at minimum $460 more on a 4 day. 

If they would transfer our reservation to any date of their choice I would be more than content.  

So for 9/2 Mariner that is now 2 nights instead of 4, how do we find out what compensation will be? Think they will send an email or should I call?

We are in a JS that is supposed to be leaving on Monday. I would not be surprised if it were delayed though. We currently have room 1358 on deck 10.   It is located on the side towards the aft.   A few different rooms have opened up in the same category and I was thinking about seeing if one was better. I’m assuming after the hurricane it still may be choppy water but I’m not sure. Room number 1106 has opened up which is one of the six rooms on the 11th deck, Which seemed pretty cool. A room also opened up on the seventh deck aft but I think that one has a partially obstructed view but a larger balcony. What would you choose?

 Does anyone know how royal Caribbean handles delays? We are currently set to sail out of Port Canaveral on Monday. If things were to be delayed until Tuesday, would  they cover any expenses such as a hotel or meals?  Do they typically offer on board credit for the missed night?  Just trying to be prepared. I appreciate it! 

Meaning the Mariner that is scheduled for Wednesday will be allowed?

Does anyone know how RCI handles Delays?  We are set to leave PC on 9/2 to go to the Bahamas.  If the storm doesnt die down or stays North, that wont be possible.  

Do they compensate a hotel?  Do they issue OBC for a lost day?  

6 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We leave on Mariner Monday. 😎

We do as well.  My son has had this cruise planned out for such a long time, praying it will go on as scheduled.  Medically speaking he has had a tough year, and hopefully he wont have to face disappointment. 

We are leaving on Mariner out of Port Canaveral on 9/2.  Getting a bit concerned. 

Im so glad you mentioned using the Suite lines for MTD.  We are leaving on Monday on Mariner, and read a review that the check in lines were horrible.  We are in a JS, so hopefully it wont be too bad. 

I have read through the boards, but there are so many differences as to what the actual "perks" are for a JS.  We will be on Mariner next month in a JS.  

We got the JS mostly because there will be 2 adults and 2 kids in the room, and my other half is 6'5", so the larger bathroom & extra space was nice. Plus, this is a "getaway" trip for my kid who has been through a ton  medically this year, and just needed a break!

It looks like the additional benefits state priority boarding, robes & upgraded toiletries. CK dining one night was brought up, but we will be on Mariner so that wont apply.   Some people have mentioned they had the room service fees waived, others mentioned they were able to order from the MDR menu for room service, I read that JS guests can go to the suite podium for the My Time dining seating if there is a long line.  Are these YMMV or are there any other "perks" that will be offered?  GS is sold out, and OS is way out of my budget 🙂 

Thanks everyone!  This will be our first time with RCI since we were on the "Maiden Voyage" with Freedom of the Seas.  Kids prefer Disney CL, but now that they are getting older we are looking to switch over to RCI.  

Anyone sailing in September have bids get accepted yet?  We are on the Mariner.  There are still 7/8 owners suites left but no GS, which is what we wanted.  I placed a "moderate" bid a few weeks ago.

Nope.  We are currently in a JS on the Mariner on 9/2.  I saw a Guaranteed Suite come up a few days ago.  I called, and they said it would most likely be a JS, but had the potential of a GS.  We decided to stick with our JS because I love the location and was worried about getting a JS in a location we didnt like.  She said we wouldnt know the location until just before sailing.

I purchased tickets to the Observatorium for my family via Cruise Planner for September  Just now looking over everything, the fine print states it is for ages 12 and over.  My daughter is 11.  Do they actually check ages on the ship or should we be OK?  

Thank you everyone so much for the advice!  He is one of 4 kids, including an amazing older brother with autism who gets a lot of our attention, and my "mom guilt" just wants everything to be so special for him.  I know it will be without all the "extras", but if I can do it for him, I want to 🙂  I am going to try to work a ton of overtime in the next two months and just do what I can.  He gets tired easily, so I will take that into account.  Im hoping his new meds will help him gain some muscle tone before we leave so he wont burn out so easily.  We live in FL and he loves swimming/the beach so he is super excited for the water activities.  I will start researching to find out the best time for the things like Flow Rider & the slides, so he doesnt waste too much time in the sun waiting in lines.  He loves the excape rooms, so that will be a must do for sure and well worth the $$$ to him.  We eat pretty "clean" at home, so I will treat him with the soda package for sure! 

As far as disability services go, I think the only extra things he will need is an empty mini fridge for meds.  The JS we got is close to the elevators.  He does have anaphylactic reactions to bees, so if he does the kids club I will need to leave an epi pen of the wayyyyyy off change he would get stung by a cruise hitchhiking bee 🙂 He also needs to drink a ton of water, so I think I will need to order a case for the room just for the convenience.