Cruisin_n_Boozin

1 minute ago, Pratique said:

I only see Mariner and Odyssey.

5 minutes ago, Pratique said:

I think this is the correct answer since they were planning to keep the island open after dark.

On Nov 29th showing 3 ships, all showing the same time 0700-1700

For what it's worth, it looks like only two ships on Nov 13th

COVID aside... at one point they thought it was a good idea, so logistically it does beg the question (as many others have asked) where would they dock?  

38 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

It all depends on:

 

YOUR needs 

YOUR budget

the ship 

the itinerary 

Wow! Great insight! Thanks for sharing.

Keep in mind, many things, like cabanas, will book up very quickly.  While you will be in the first booking window, still expect to book as soon as the window opens.

Other things like brunch, Palo/Remy, etc won't fill up as quickly.

12 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

They might get some bookings if they are real promotions and not just dynamic pricing.

I'm guessing they will keep extending like they have for the last 2 months

IMO... If cost was equal, you can't beat a Disney cruise, especially with kids (assuming those kids like Disney).  The shows every night are better than anything you will find on Royal.  Rotational dining is awesome because you get a different menu and atmosphere every night, in some very nicely themed restaurants.  The service on Disney blows away Royal (and that is not taking anything away from Royal, as they absolutely have world class service, but Disney takes it up another notch).  Disney includes Soda for everyone at the restaurants and self serve on the pool deck.  If you order a soda at a bar then you will have to pay.  Unfortunately they don't offer drink packages so that is a negative to many.

For the kids, the kids clubs are 10000x better than anything Royal has.  My kids have fun on Royals, but I have to drag them out of Disney's.  Perfect Day is better than Castaway Cay, so that's a W for Royal.  Though Castaway Cay is still pretty fun.  Disney has more quick service food options so you can get a burger/hot dog/sandwich/pizza etc all at the pool deck which is nice.  Oasis does a good job with quick service, but with Disney it is centrally located.

But to round it off, I started with "If cost was equal".  Unfortunately it has gotten significantly more expensive to sail on Disney.  In most cases more than 2x the cost.  Because of that we almost always sail Royal now.  If I was in a position where cost wasn't a factor I would be exclusive to Disney.

Of course everyone has a different opinion, this is just mine!

No

2 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 If decisions were being made based on what was best for the majority of people we'd be at work, going to restaurants and buying furniture.  

No doubt... All this stay at home and work from home has really left me itching to BUY FURNITURE....

21 minutes ago, lovetotravel1977 said:

I know OP is joking, but I do wonder if there will be an increase in riverboat cruises in places until all international ports open up.  The trips are just very long.  I think the Pittsburgh to St. Louis was 10-12 days the last time I checked.  

Viking is doing Mississippi River cruises starting in 2022 (or 21... dont remember)  I actually think that would be fun.

Just now, bouhunter said:

If this wasn't meant as a joke, you might want to check a map 🙂

You've never taken a cruise from the midwest to California?  You are missing out.

If you can figure out a cruise to Vegas you let me know lol

14 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Actually it isn't very different.  You would still need to work under an Agency's umbrella.  You will still need to pay them some sort of fee, generally upfront as well as monthly retainer, just like a franchise.  They would need to cover things like E and O insurance or you would have to have your own policy. 

I have owned many small businesses, have cruised over 85 times and paid thousands of dollars in commissions to our TA.  And never once considered doing it myself.

 

Plus, if you have a good TA who shares commission with you, you would make out better than doing it yourself.  Since ours is part of a huge umbrella agency, our savings, either in discounts through group pricing or refundable OBCs, average around 8-10% savings each time we sail.  We would never recoup that having to share 50% with the host agency and having to pay startup/monthly fees.

Agree to disagree I guess.  What you are talking about is now no different than the cashier at McDonalds.  That franchisee has to provide insurance, training, etc.  The cashier is then paid for his services (which although a set amount, is still a percentage of revenue).  Anyway, I still do understand what you are saying.  Have owned a small business and paid franchise fees as well, just seems to me that the host agency passing that expense on to it's "employees" is shady, but perhaps that is just the way it works in that industry!

All that being said, I appreciate the info and insight!

4 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

That is how every franchise setup  works, so not unusual at all.   Better than McDonalds.  That is $45,000 before you even put up a brick. 

Different from a franchise.  I would not be a franchisee, I would be treated as an independent contractor.

9 hours ago, Fireworks77 said:

Becoming a TA now? Unless your a sadist I would not advise that.

The prep for a colonoscopy would be more enjoyable.  At least with the Colonoscopy prep you are only cleaned out from the inside, and everything goes down the drain over a few hours, not slowly over time.

Lol, like I said, it wouldn't be to gain any additional income, just to book my own travel.

But to that point, no I wouldn't pay a $500 "program fee" or whatever they want to call it right now.  Seems silly to me that a "host agency" would charge an upfront fee, and take half of the commissions.

My family travels enough, so as I sit quarantined at home, I am wondering if there is benefit to becoming a TA so I can collect commissions on our travel.

I've noticed quite a few of you on here have taken this route.  Just curious what that process looks like.  Do you join an agency or create your own LLC, etc.

Just curious!

Thanks

1 minute ago, NordicPrince said:

There will be no cruises until it is OK to gather in large crowds. When do you think that will be?

 

I live in NY/NJ area. People are getting the virus and dying.  My 65 year old cousin in excellent health got it and died.

 

What is wrong with these people?

The point is, you said "No one is cruising in May!!!"...

No one was questioning that... That is like me saying "Strawberries are red!".  It is a fact, but irrelevant to the conversation.

6 minutes ago, NordicPrince said:

I must be drinking something in my Kool Aid.

 

The cruise line has already announced that they have suspended sailings thru June 11.

 

Why is the OP being strung along?  Because the TA wants to keep any possibility of keeping the commission as long as he can and staying in the good graces of the cruise line. We're just doing what the cruise line says? What a pile of bull turd. Because the cruise line wants to hold on to any cash it has for as long as it can. What they're doing is almost fraudulent! They only cancel in batches so they can stagger their refunds.

 

Please OP wake up and smell the coffee. You're not cruising in May. It's a big scam!!!

 

And for you TA's shame on you for being self serving and not being beholden to your customers. In the end you will reap what you sow. I don't envy the position the virus has put you in but let's act responsibly and not in a self serving manner. If your ship is going down at least go down with your dignity and integrity intact so when this clears up you can rise again with your reputation in place.

Final payment is due in May, not sail date of May...

6 hours ago, SarahD112 said:

Can you imagine what the cost of a Disney park ticket would be if they have to drop their attendance numbers by 50%? If only half the normal number of people can enter a park each day? The demand will be so high that they could put any price they want on it. For less crowds, people will be willing to pay it. But if rides operate at 50% capacity - every other row blocked off for instance - then lines won’t be any shorter. So you’d pay more and the same long waits? Hmmm... 

It's an interesting point you bring up.  Initial thought is, similar to cruising, I would be willing to pay more for a 50% capacity trip to Disney or cruise.  But as you stated, if attractions are at 50% capacity as well, it defeats the purpose.  Would be less stressful walking through the parks, but lines would still be the same.

I am guessing that they would create a FP+/Virtual Queue hybrid that everyone has to use so there wouldn't be standard queues.  In that case, may still be worth the additional cost for an overall more relaxing experience.

8 minutes ago, bouhunter said:

As others have asked, are they threatening to charge another 300.00 to your credit card??

 

Regardless, I wouldn't cancel until just before final payment.

I am reading it as they have already paid in full for the whole cruise.  To make the math easy, let's assume the total cost is $1000.  They paid a $200 NRD then $800 for the cruise.  They would get 100% of the $800 back because it is outside final payment, but instead of refunding $800, RCI is saying they would only refund $500, because the deposit amount should be $500 instead of the $200 that they actually paid.

I am confused about the booked onboard vs booked through costco.  

Either way, like everyone said, just wait for the cruise with confidence to extend.

20 minutes ago, canadakath said:

In the hopes of being able to take our Christmas cruise, I was looking at the drink packages today.  Can anyone tell me what beers would be excluded from the drink package on the Navigator based on this fine print: "Package does to include room service, mini bar items and souvenir glassware, specialty beers as listed on bar menus, or super premium category beverages above $12"

 

We are craft beer drinkers, and we were fine on the Harmony a couple years ago with their small selection of (macro-owned) craft beers.  Just want to make sure things haven't changed and now anything non-standard is considered "specialty".

I am guessing this is just fine print in case they ever get something fancy.  There was nothing on the Navigator (beer wise) that we couldn't get when we went in December.

13 minutes ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

Have you guys successfully booked and paid for your drink/excursions etc from your cruise planner?

 

I've been trying for two days and it rejects all the email addresses (4) I put in even a brand new one that I put in as a dot com address?

 

Needless to shorex and customer service were less use than a chocolate teapot (you can eat the chocolate). Perhaps RCI doesn't need my money.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

No issues here

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I would never use a debit card for online purchases anyway. Maybe if there was a fee to use a credit card.

Totally understand that.  I got in credit card trouble when I was younger and try to avoid except for hotels/rental cars/etc

10 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

You would think this is automated. If one uses a debit card, it takes a bit longer. 

That's the hope.  It was a Debit Card initially.  The re-purchase was with a credit card incase they try any funny business