HealthCraig

I know, I know. The title sounds so pathetic, but I just got off a 4 night cruise on RCI Independence. It was my first solo cruise. I want to preface by saying I had fun and would do it again. However, the longer I was on board, the more lonely I felt. Again, I know that sounds pathetic. I’m not the type of person who’s afraid to talk to strangers, but I did have a hard time trying to make conversation. It seemed everyone around me were with family and/or friends, which is what I expected. I even went to different mingling activities, all of which were duds. No one showed. So, what are some tips you all suggest to combat the weird feeling of being alone while surrounded by thousands of people? I’ve got another solo cruise coming up in a few months and now I’m nervous if this happening again. 

I’m seriously not trying to be a Debbie Downer, just sharing my experience. I’m currently on Indy (stopped at Coco Cay now). I’ve had two spa services and each time once I was done, I was bombarded with the tech trying to sell me products that cost more than the service. I get Royal is trying to make money since sailing started back, but this was too much for me. My relaxation went from 10 to 0 in two seconds when they started telling me I need a bath soak to “draw toxins out of my body.” I don’t remember being pushed SO HARD to buy products the last time a sailed (Jan. 2019). This makes me 100% not want to get any type of spa services in the future. Have any of you experienced this? 

Just wanted to share my experience. I’m currently at Coco Beach Club and I must say I’m very disappointed for the price. It seems a little disorganized. My main complaint is the food. I got surf and turf. Everything was cold and the service took forever. I get they are

understaffed and I totally feel bad for these servers, it’s not their fault. I feel the amount of money I paid is just not worth it. I know I would have had an amazing time at a “free beach” while eating “free food.” I guess my expectations were just too high for the price. 
If you’ve been to Coco Beach Club, let me know what you thought! 

I bought the specialty dinning package just to try it out. My calendar says a courtesy reservation was made, but it doesn’t show what restaurant it’s for. How can I determine what restaurant it’s for and when/where should I make reservations for the other nights on board? 

I’m boarding Independence tomorrow in Port Canaveral. I have a few things I need ironed when I get my bags to the room. What is the protocol? Do I need to call an attendant when I get my luggage?   

4 hours ago, Crander said:

Yes!  Already have a roll call going at:

 

Norwegian Epic - January 22-29, 2023 Southern Caribbean

 

Join us there!

 

PS - your user name threw me off at first!  My name is Craig too!!

Thanks for the invite! I’ll come check out your thread. I started this thread for the LGBT+ guests under the G&L roll call. 

8 hours ago, RKHOOKER said:

RC couldn’t find my final payment. After 10 emails & 12 phone calls they admit they have the funds in their bank account, but, can’t allocate it to my cruise. It has been allocated to another cruise that I’m not part of where my FCC’s have been allocated without my approval in a group booking by a TA. *****! I’m sailing in less than 2 weeks. RC are a joke! My upcoming B2B cruises will be my last with RC as they are just too difficult to deal with. If they ever sort out my missing FCC’s, I may be forced to do one last cruise to use them if I can’t get a refund.

It’s crazy how apathetic RCI is to all of this. These companies need to realize word of mouth is a serious business. Ex. I’ve never sailed on MSC, and I never will because of all the terrible stories of heard. RCI is up there with MSC at this point 🤷🏻‍♂️

3 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Call and ask the supervisor to loop in someone from accounting. They are the only ones that can see the entire trail. We ended up having to do this twice before everything was worked out.

 

As a last resort, send an email to mbayley@rccl.com and lay out exactly what is happening to you (politely, of course).

The supervisor I’m on the phone with has “elevated” the issue with accounting and says we will get an answer within 48 hours. However, I set sail July 4th and the supervisor is telling me my reservation is likely to be canceled because of this issue. I can’t wait 48 hours. This is insanity. 

Help! This has happened a THIRD TIME and now the customer service supervisor says my reservation is in jeopardy of being canceled because of it. He says there’s nothing he can do. I’m about to lose my S*#@. Is there another number I can call to help resolve this?

Anyone sailing on NCL Epic out of San Juan on Jan. 22, 2023?  

12 hours ago, The Scurvy Pirate said:

Just happened to me this morning.  Paid the balance due on the cruise.  Did a screen shot and print out of the screen that said it was paid in full.  I believe I made a mistake in that after payment I went to check the guest information.  I noticed that the phone number was wrong (it was saying I was from vietnam) so I corrected the phone number.  I then went to my e-mail to look for the paid in full receipt and shockingly got one that said I still had a balance due of over double the amount.  In looking at the new receipt all of the various "discounts" had been removed.  I got through to RCI pretty quickly and it has been escalated to resolutions to fix it.  Luckily, I paid in full two weeks out so hopefully it will be resolved before the payment deadline.

 

Quick update. Within two minutes of posting this, RCI had emailed me the paid in full receipt, so all is good.  They simply changed the cruise fare to make the numbers work, without re-inputting the various discounts.  Still very strange.

I’m still dealing with the issue. I’m not sure what I’ll do if I get to the port and they say I still owe. I’m just so over it. 

I’m currently on the phone with RCI AGAIN after they say they accident refunded part of my cruise and I need to pay them again. This happened 4 days ago. On Tuesday I spent 3.5 hours on the phone trying to resolve the issue. They finally told me I had to pay them after they issued the refund (which no one requested). I paid it and got an invoice saying I was paid in full and they added notes to my account saying I was paid and everything was good. I get an email this morning saying I have an outstanding balance again. I’m on the phone now and they tell me their system once again refunded part of my cruise I must pay them again, even though this mysterious second refund doesn’t show on my account. Has anyone had issues like this? It’s insane. I will never cruise with RCI again. 

49 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The Epic has both separate and CoEd steam rooms and saunas. 

Okay, I'm taking your word for it haha! I just tried chatting with an agent and they couldn't find an answer. 🙃

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

The separate steam and sauna has not changed since the ship was built. Lots of clothes-optional folks with jiggly bits. 

Jiggly bits - ha! 

7 hours ago, Cruising Lynne said:

The Jewel class ships have separate steam rooms and saunas in the men and women areas. I love the sauna with all the windows. You can see out the front and side of the ship. I enjoy using the Co-ed area with my husband and then enjoy some time to my self. We meet back at the room later.  He showers in the men's area at the spa so that when I get back to the room I can head right in to take my shower without rushing so he can have a turn.

When was the last time you were on a Jewel class ship? I would like to book a cruise, but it seems these cruise lines change up the ships and rip out these separate steam rooms/saunas. 

Hello,

Does anyone know if any of the NCL ships have separate steam room/sauna facilities for men and women. I know a lot of cruse lines are starting to do coed steam rooms and saunas, which I'm not really a fan of. 

Bump

Bump 

I’m sailing July 4th. I uploaded my vaccine card two weeks ago and it still shows they are trying to validate. Should I be concerned? I don’t want to get to the port and they say they can’t validate my card. I also have my official vaccine record from my state health department- just in case. I’m sailing out on a holiday, it’s not like they can call my health department to verify that day. 

Hi all!

I’m taking my second cruise ever next month. My first cruise was on Freedom back in 2019 (so a lot has changed since then 😂)

Could any of you let me know how fast check-in/embarking happens? I was able to select my arrival time today and chose the earliest (11am). Is this a good idea or do you recommend a different time? If you have traveled on Independence out of Port Canaveral recently, how long did it take you to get on the ship? (I know there are a ton of variables so what happened to you might not happen to me). Also, any tips I should know about before getting to the terminal (other than the usual “bring a carry on…etc.)

Thanks!

Thank you all for the clarification! I’m just glad they haven’t completely ripped apart the gym on Independence for more cabins, yet!

Hello all,

I’m hoping someone on here can help me answer a question. I’ve book an ocean view room on Independence in July. I’ve seen several photos of the room. Some photos show a modern/updated version while other photos show a dated looking room with green carpet and curtains to match. Can anyone tell me if all the rooms were given a refresh in the last 5 years? I’ve attached two different photos. 
EDIT: I’m in Stateroom 2618 of that helps any. 
 

More modern looking room:

more dated looking room:

Hi all!! Let me know if you are on the Independence July 4-8, 2022. I’m doing this as my first solo trip and I’m nervous about meeting people. Hopefully this helps with that a little. I can’t wait to get on board and let the fun in the sun begin!! 🌞

Hi all!

I’m taking my first solo trip on Independence of the Seas on July 4. Let me know if you’re going to be there! I’m a little nervous about meeting people, especially as a gay man. Share some of your best tips and tricks below for solo travelers, if you don’t mind. I can’t wait to get on board!!