notscb

On 11/3/2023 at 10:15 PM, KyloRen said:

grain of saltiness

Couldn't have said it better myself.

This website is so weird. On the same front page of this same forum is a 15 page live trip report where the folks appear to be having a great time on the same ship you mention.

Sorry you had a bad experience 😔

I've had several issues with "manage booking" and the upgrade fairy offering for me to upgrade the wrong room cabin type (despite my booking page showing correctly. I think we're seeing these issues from back when they took the whole site down for the site wide upgrade.

But I'll plug this-

-Make sure you clear all of your browsers cookies

-Try a different browser if that doesn't work

The issue may still persist, but it's worth a try to make sure your computer isn't just giving you an old version of what it stored.

I agree with @klfrodo. If cruise critic as a website isn't driving a certain amount of traffic, cruise lines aren't incentivized to do anything for it's user base.

3 hours ago, brazilgirl said:

more areas that were geared to quieter folk

I wonder if anyone who has cruised virgin more regularly could help us figure that out. It's good to know that there's a lot of music around as something I really enjoy about cruising is finding that quiet spot to relax, read a book and listen to the water.

I'm excited to follow along on this journey- it's one I've been looking at especially with the overnight in Ibizia! It looks like y'all are having a great time so far!

1 hour ago, retired dude said:

makes us think seriously about cancelling

What a weird thing to post on someone elses review without any context as to what specifically about the review made you rethink your own vacation plans.

10 hours ago, HansSlinger said:

Do we need to get there earlier?

Yes.You need to be onboard at least an hour before departure.

16 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

Just hope Galveston isn't too hard to get to from Houston Hobby Airport!

It's very, very easy- especially with how big the highway is between the two plus the abundance of transportation options (uber, lyft, galveston limo, salt water moms, the list goes on).

10 hours ago, jsglow said:

is it possible to just enjoy that port without any of that?

100%. As another poster mentioned, the quintessential experience is ultimately included (as it is on Carnival's private spaces) and there is food options included. The up-charges come for "exclusive" spaces and drinks.

Hey! I'll be on that cruise, too! I'm actually really looking forward to sailing into warmer weather. Congrats on that Casino deal...i'm sure you had to contribute your fair share to get it so might as well take advantage of it.

Honestly I think it would make sense to merge the loyalty programs across the Royal Caribbean Group as a brand. Form a business perspective, if you can break down perceived barriers between brands, you open the door for people to feel connected to the group at large.

What I'm imagining by saying this is that folks would feel free to follow the group as a whole vs. being loyal to just one arm of the group. That way, when someone considers a vacation in another part of the world, they'll look for and be open to an experience on another sister brand of the group versus finding a different travel provider to go with.

"Loyal to Royal" would take on so much more meaning if that meant that I could travel on Celebrity using the same status as on a Royal ship without having to do any extra legwork for matching.

Thank you for taking us along with us and offering us such a unique perspective! It seems like you had a great time despite the shore excursions dept. not quite meeting your expectations.

Beyond the survey, I'd send a brief email to their corporate office to let them know what happened especially since Alaska is a once in a lifetime cruise for many given the cost.

I'm looking forward to your next review!!

3 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

If you would have read the thread, you would have seen this being mentioned multiple times.  

I kept reading and did see that, I'm still very much amused by it.

9 hours ago, sunseeker2014 said:

maybe have a look at a map yourself

Lease self-aware comment made on this thread.

When you're heading south, it's not like you're going through a different ocean or something- it's the exact same ocean with the exact same weather challenges. What a weird claim to make.

On 9/28/2023 at 12:34 PM, iscruisingdunzo said:

I have the same issue as the OP. And I just checked the website and it states that the same ship is going to NASSAU 1 week later on the 11/19 sailing. 

Anyone else noticing that @iscruisingdunzo and OP @rockon391 are the same person but keep forgetting to switch their account for the reply they are giving 🤣🤣🤣 (see post #4 and #6 as proof).

I'm amused 🙂

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-vaccines-are-required-to-travel-on-a-cruise

...what does this have to do with travel insurance?

On 9/18/2023 at 1:58 AM, Beeline Cruiser said:

FINALLY they're painting the ship after being here for weeks!! 

Yikes, OP. You're really not doing yourself any favors in your own thread.

General ship maintenance happens all the time, year round, on every ship. The extreme conditions these ships sail in require it.

On 9/14/2023 at 6:34 AM, crazyank said:

This is a classic example of the American tipping culture gone completely out of control

This is a classic example of where people don't really know how these point of sale systems work.

Oftentimes, for most Point of sale (POS) systems, the option is to turn it on or turn it off and nothing in between. In the case you reference, if the grocery carry out cafe/sub counter should have a tipping option available, the entire store might need to have the option enabled because of the limitation of the POS system, thus making it an option for the normal checkout line.

People on these boards jump to the worst assumptions sometimes and reading through this thread has just been an eye opening experience.

40 minutes ago, Butterbean1000 said:

she couldn't be anywhere she could smell meat. I made her physically ill. 

Vegetarian here- honestly I've never heard of someone who couldn't be around the "smell" of meat. That'd be really hard to do since meat is being served literally everywhere.

Most plant based products don't really smell 100% similar. Your friend might just have stronger preferences than others.

They are definitely doing it- signup times were weird when I was on Radiance in May and the cost was a bit much so I chose not to do it. I don't think they had even announced it on day 1, but you can always try to go over and see if you can signup for it.

I'm really excited that they're rolling out more health-conscious options and vegan options onboard. The switch to cruise food from home food is always really hard for my family, as is finding a legitimate (well thought out) vegetarian or vegan option onboard besides the indian option. Don't get me wrong- the indian option is always tasty but you can only eat so much of it.

On 6/15/2023 at 9:10 AM, JamieLogical said:

What practical purpose could there possibly be for cruise lines requiring this information?

As others have pointed out, it's more to do with homeland security/customs than anything else. Passenger manifests must match and are usually pre-screened by customs long before you step foot on a cruise (which is why they ask for your ID information a month before).

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Elliot Group (though not a big fan)

You should check out Consumer Rescue- they're an offshoot of Elliott's original team and have been doing better work overall IMHO.

20 hours ago, MommaBear55 said:

challenge this through the credit card

That won't suddenly absolve OP's parents of the debt.

RCL will just go directly after them via collections and as another commenter pointed out, likely get them banned from RCL in the future.

OP, you should write a brief email (specifics only, no feelings, no extra details) to executive relations explaining the situation and asking for a reversal of the exact amount (give them the actual number) of charges given the situation.

RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com
Guestclaims@rccl.com

Wait a week for a response. If that doesn't work, work your way up- don't just email the CEO as the first line of defense- if they say "no", there's nobody else who can help you.

Friendly reminder (as another commenter mentioned) to clear your cookies for Carnival's website. While the issues might have to do with the way the site was updated, it's not helpful that your browser is storing pieces of it for later use on what is a "new" site.