TheBucketLister

I have found VOOM speeds/reliability pretty horrendous since the restart.  For example I was on Freedom and I had the Surf and Stream and I was not getting more than 3 Mbps (usually around 2.4 Mbps) download and a little less than 1 Mbps upload.  While this may be ok for basic web browsing, it still took a very long time to load pages, longer than the speeds should allow for.  Plus multiple connection issues, where I had to constantly logout and then log back in to the service.  So unless you are going to stream at all, save the money and get the basic surf package.  It cant be any worse...or can it?!? 😉

3 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

Reason #44 why we don’t have children.

Reason #44 why some people shouldn't have had children. 😉

9 minutes ago, lolalow said:

What kind of shows are reservations needed for and is there a way to find out before boarding the ship what the shows are and times?  Like is it loaded on the app. ahead of time?  We go in 3 weeks and I see nothing for shows.

Typically any production show, ice show, comedy show, headliner show, to name a few.  But pretty much any show in a theatre will need to be reserved.  I don't think those show up in the Royal Caribbean app until pretty close to embarkation day (I can't recall when they showed up in app for my recent Freedom OTS cruises), and if they do show up prior to embarkation, you will see a greyed out reserve now button and it will tell you that you need to be on ship wi-fi to reserve.

I am sorry, but why in the world would you want to do this and leave your two year old unattended in a cruise ship cabin?  If your child is going to hinder your enjoyment of the cruise, then don't take them.  You do you, but this seems pretty irresponsible.

They are pretty firm with the ages listed per group.  You can always ask and the worst they can say is no.  But go into the cruise thinking that it won't happen, and if they allow it for whatever reason, then good for you.  Please don't try and lie about her age, like someone on here asked if they could do.  They know the DOB of your kids and have access to that information and that will just make you look bad.

This happens on a bunch of different things in the Cruise Planner.  A lot of the times those banners, don't match the actual price/percent off when you either look at the price after clicking on it or adding it to the cart.

What is the significance of 10/31?  The 10/31 date (booked by) is to be covered under the Cruise with Confidence for that rebooked cruise, not for protection of the original booked cruise dates.  There are no more lift and shifts, and for any changes it would be under the Cruise with Confidence, where they will cancel the original booking and issue an FCC and then you have to rebook and they will move it (deposit).  Or am I missing something else here?

OBC if within final payment date, refund if not.

This also holds true for the adjusted final payment dates of 30 days.  I had a cruise where I made final payment with the original final payment date, and since they changed it to 30 days afterwards, and there was a price adjustment at about 50 days out, they refunded the difference opposed to an OBC, since it was still outside of the new 30 day date.

1 minute ago, binro01 said:

Usually you will need to have your current TA release the booking, or you can complain to Royal that your TA is non-responsive and hard to reach. Royal can then claw back the booking and you can then transfer it to the new TA

They won't just take your word for it, they will reach out to the TA first.

You have to first get the first TA to relinquish ownership of the reservation, then once that is done, you can give the booking to the other TA to take over.

3 hours ago, knittinggirl said:

The Diamond crown and anchor desk said it would be 50% for the rest of the year.

They are incorrect if speaking in general, however that may be accurate for Harmony.  Some ships are already sailing over that number.  Freedom for example on 10/1 (2900ppl) and 10/8 (3300ppl) are already over that amount.

41 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

Currently, all show reservations cannot be made until you are on board.  Then you can easily make them in the app.

Make sure you make the reservations as soon as possible on the first day.  I was recently on the Freedom of the Seas and almost all shows were full by the end of the first day, the only exceptions being the late night comedy shows.  This cruise had 2900 ppl and the following 3 day had 3300 people.  I had a 4 day in between where there were only 1200 ppl and there were no issues with booking shows for that cruise.  Three day cruises that are over a weekend tend to have the highest capacity of any itineraries.

For most ships now, the "all off" time is 9:00am, then back to back cruisers by 9:30am.  With self assist, you can get off as early as 7:15 am typically.

If price is of importance, I stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Airport West.  Don’t let the name worry you, I have never heard any airplanes from my room.  I typically get a rate around $70-$75 a night.  The hotel and rooms are very clean.  Plus the have a shuttle to the port for $12 per person.  Not all the bells and whistles as something on the intercostal or beach, but for a pre-cruise hotel, the budget price makes it a great option for those budget conscious cruisers.

It is about a 20-25 minute ride from the hotel to the port.

I am on the Freedom of the Seas now, and they do not have it.

6 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Only by phone.  You must call and ask.   Just a few modified cabins available.

"My son booked the cabin for 5.  Did it on line."

So, he didn't book online then? 😉

7 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

My son booked the cabin for 5.  Did it on line.  However, note it is a modified Junior Suite.  The walk in closet is a set of bunk beds, suitable for children-  You also have a sleeper couch, suitable for one.  As long as young children, comfortable.

Interesting, I have never been able to price or book for more than 4 on RC website.  Even for cabins that have a max capacity of 8 people.

I am really confused of this type of question? Does it really matter?  What purpose would it serve knowing ahead of time?  What are you going to change based on knowing ahead of time?  Are you going to cancel your cruise ahead of time because you think the capacity is going to be over a predetermined threshold of 48.6263748%?  I just don’t get it, someone please enlighten me.  You booked a cruise without knowing the capacity, so knowing should not change anything.

Besides, no one knows ahead of time so even a number is going to be the wrong number.

2 hours ago, brookmill18 said:

I'm not sure how far in advance I'd need to cancel it to get refund--assuming before the cruise starts. 

I don't believe it has changed recently.  If not, then Cruise Planner purchases have to be cancelled no later than 48 hours before your sailing for a refund.

Royal changed final payment for all sailings between 10/01/21 and 12/31/21 to 30 days prior to sail date.

Just got my RoyalUp accepted.  Sailing on the Freedom of the Seas on 10/01/21, and went from a inside stateroom to a connecting balcony  (not thrilled about the connecting part) for $50. So for a balcony stateroom, at a grand total of $394.60 for a single passenger, I am happy.

13 hours ago, sandc4e said:

This was what I was looking for in regards to the Cruise Planner.  https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Promotions/Snapshot_of_CruisePlanner_Offers

 

Looks like the sale has begun for the Cruise Planner sale.  No banners or anything but prices have been lowered on the sailings I have checked.  Plus this sale aded the UDP for a cruise that never had it available to book previously (from when I booked the sailing). 👍🏼

3 hours ago, sandc4e said:

This was what I was looking for in regards to the Cruise Planner.  https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Promotions/Snapshot_of_CruisePlanner_Offers

 

Thanks for that.  This is what I have been waiting for.  Booked a last minute cruise on 10/01 on the Freedom, and was hoping for their on again-off again cruise planner "sale", to be back before sailing.

3 hours ago, pyrateslife4me84 said:

That’s not hard to code. 
 

 

It is when your backend services are run on UNIX from the 1970s! 😉😁

I typically get my rapid antigen tests at CVS, luckily they have never taken more than 90 minutes for the results.  With that said, I do have a backup plan, just in case.  First, I make sure my appointment is the earliest time on the 2nd day prior.  That way it gives them plenty of time to give the results by the end of the day.  If that fails, and if I do not have the results by the evening the night before my cruise, I have bought the eMed RX tests as a last resort. This way I could do that test the evening before my cruise and get the result that evening, therefore having the required documentation for embarkation.