cruiseguy1016

I 've never cruised another cruise line so I can't compare but I've always felt that RCI's choices for "other" entertainment have been good. There have been a few that did not impress me but that could happen anywhere.

I don't do Facebook so I have no idea what this person said. I do know that I just got off the ship 4 days ago and the CD at that time was Daniel.

I agree the phone could come in handy but I'm on vacation and I don't want to be tied to my phone every minute of every day. As you say, to each their own.

I have not sailed on the "big" ships so I can't answer for them but I have sailed Radiance, Voyager and Freedom class since restart and on all 3, the reserved seating area in the theater has opened to "regular" guests 5 or 10 minutes (I can't remember which) before showtime. There is actually a sign stating this. In my experience, there have always been many seats available. I think the policy is the same for the ice shows but those are always filled so there haven't been any reserved seats available.

I'm not familiar with this area. Do cruise ships travel under this bridge to get to/from the pier? If so, I wonder where ships will be loading and unloading passengers for the foreseeable future.

The list of current CDs shows Danny Turner on Liberty. I don't know if it matters but the CD on Jewel was Daniel. Never once did I hear him called Danny. It could be the same person but it might not be.

The perfect answer.

I leave my phone on the ship and take my passport with me.

Just got off Jewel. The cruise director was Daniel somebody. I never heard his last name mentioned. I believe he is British.

I never enter a foreign country without my passport.

Or at Guest Services, if it's refundable OBC.

The 25% off is an arbitrary number. They keep raising and lowering the listed on-board price. Do not pay attention to any advertised sale. When you see a price that you are comfortable paying, buy it. And as you said, monitor the price after that and cancel/rebook if it goes down.

We have cruised out of San Juan 9 times (including last week) and our experience is you don't need to stay near the port. We have stayed in Old San Juan, the Condado area, the Isla Verde area and the port area. We have not found a hotel anywhere that offers a shuttle to/from the airport or cruise port. Cab fares are regulated so you don't need to worry about getting overcharged by a cab driver. It's a 20-minute ride from the airport to the Pan-American pier. It doesn't matter how you divide that up. In our experience, we prefer to stay in the Isla Verde area near the airport. It's 5 minutes from the airport and 15 minutes to the cruise port. We think the beaches are the best in Isla Verde and quite often, we can find the best price for hotels in that area. I recommend the Royal Sonesta. It can be a little pricey depending on when you book but it is a gorgeous resort. We now arrive 2 days early in San Juan so we can spend a couple days at the Royal Sonesta before our cruise.

All Royal Caribbean ships that home port in San Juan use the Pan-American Pier.

True, RCI always raises the price and then offers some kind of sale to make you think you are getting a better price. But it must work for them. There are so many people out there that don't know better and if they are told it's a sale, they'll buy it.

Just to clarify, you are not booking a BOARDING time, you are booking a check-in time. It's possible that you might check in and not be able to board for some time after that.

If $78.75 is something you feel comfortable with, and can live with that price, book it now. It will probably come down some time before your cruise, but it might only go up. If you lock in now, at a price you are comfortable with, you can always cancel and re-book if the price goes down.

How long has it been since you have been to St. Maarten? If it's been more than a few years, you'll be surprised at the number of shops within the port area. You might not even need to go into "town".

And now, since your grandson is Diamond, his mother should be also.

I know this has been discussed multiple times, but the search function and I don't get along 🤔 so I'm having difficulty finding my answer. We'll be on a family cruise next week. My daughter and son-in-law have more OBC then they will use on the ship. I believe it is all refundable OBC. They want to cash some of it out. Can they just ask for cash at Guest Services? If not, what are the steps to get cash it out at the casino?

How old is your son? Does he still live under your roof? As long as your son is under 18, all family members living in the same household will be the same status as the highest member. It sounds like your son has the most points. If he is under 18, and D+ you and your wife should also be D+. Call C&A to make sure you are.

If everyone is linked to you, you should be able to get check-in times for everyone. If you can only check yourself in, do that and get the check-in time you want. If the others can't get the same time as you, don't worry too much about it, most ports are not enforcing the check-times. Even if they are enforcing them the "fine print" says to arrive at your scheduled check-in time with your entire party. That means your family can (should) check in with you.

If your kids have cruised with RCI, they should have a C&A number. If you are Diamond, for instance, then your kids should be Diamond also. Call C&A to verify that your kids have numbers and that their status is the same as yours. Their perks on board will be different than yours (no BOGO glass of wine for instance) but they will have several perks that apply to the younger cruisers.

There is no need to have them check in online and there is also no need to tell people at the pier that they are not coming. Just have them be a no show