CRZAHOLIC

Thank you so much!!!  My brother lives in Phuket.  We leave Feb 14th.  You would recommend this hotel?  Was it close to public transportation?

1 minute ago, CRZAHOLIC said:

We are spending 3 days in Bangkok and a week in Phuket.  Where would you recommend that we stay?  Did you book yours?

tours

On 10/30/2020 at 10:25 AM, iancal said:

Absolutely agree.  We have spent five winters in Thailand/Vietnam/SE Asia. Our habit is to pick up last minute cruises while we are on land trips.  Never considered a cruise that is focused on Thailand and Vietnam for this exact reason.  Plus, in our experience, other than main cities, the cruise lines tend to stop at what we consider to be the least desirable and tourist crowded ports.

 

We have had five or six stays in Bangkok.  Each time we have seen or experienced things that we had not seen before.  So much to see and do besides the usual.

 

Sit down and determine how much real, waking time you have, ie subtract the time getting off the ship and the time needed to be back a few hours early.   Then look at how much of that time is actually spent on a bus or in a taxi getting to and from the ship.  The percentage can be quite revealing.

We are spending 3 days in Bangkok and a week in Phuket.  Where would you recommend that we stay?  Did you book tours?

On 12/3/2020 at 12:16 PM, diesel1973 said:

Very nice! Brings back memories of the 2 week Thailand tour I did in Feb. Will definitely be returning in the future. 

We are spending 3 days in Bangkok and a week in Phuket.  Where would you recommend that we stay?  Did you book yours?

On 9/19/2021 at 3:35 PM, iancal said:

Agree.  We booked Thailand on a whim one winter and found ourselves in Bangkok nine days later.   We always enjoy a fews days in Bangkok.  We invariably see or go somewhere that we have not seen on prior trips.

 

Liked Thailand/Vietnam/Malaysia so much we spent the next five winters there.  The flights are a killer but a small price to pay for 2 months or so of wonderful experiences.  And it is on top of our list for our next post covid winter trip.

We are spending 3 days in Bangkok.  Where should we stay and what should we do each day?  Did you book tours?

We only have one full day in Bermuda.  We like to do things are our own and we don't mind a little walking. We want to see as much as possible.  Are we going to spend too much time waiting for the next bus or ferry?

7 hours ago, awestover89 said:

1. Yes, if you are vaccinated, in most ports. 

 

2. Same as 1, depending on the rules of the specific port, but in general you can get off and do whatever you want, whether that's self tour or a 3rd party excursion. Some ports require guests to be vaccinated to get off, some require non-vaccinated guests (including children) to stick with an approved, ship provided excursion to maintain the "bubble". You'd need to check specific port country rules.

 

3. Not sure, we typically do the UDP and specialty dining.

 

4. There were a few different games on Freedom last month. They had trivia and bingo, and one called Majority Rules. They still had the nightclub, and silent disco, and most of the normal events.

 

5. Windjammer is not open for dinner at this time.

 

6. Anywhere indoors that isn't specifically marked as vaccinated guests only, except when eating or drinking, or in your stateroom. Casino and Solarium were both vaccinated only, so no mask required. Anywhere outdoors or in the water you don't need a mask.

 

7. Don't believe Royal is giving specific restriction numbers, but our experience I'd guess maybe 30% actually booked. That being said, we have a cruise next January that's already showing mostly sold out, so whether they are limiting capacity and it's reaching the limit or if it will actually be at normal capacity, I'm not sure. 

 

This is all with the caveat of, your final payment is 4 months away, and the cruise is probably another 2-3 months after that, so everything can possibly change between now and then.

Thx so much.  Great info.

I have to make the final payment on my cruise in Jan.  I need to decide if I am going to make it or cancel.  I have questions?

1. Can you get off at a port and just walk around?

2.  Can you get an excursion from an outside company or do all excursions have to be onRoyal?

3.  Can you sit with people that are not in your party in the MDR?  My husband and I go to meet people.  We like the tables of 12.  I don't want to sit at a table for 2 with my husband.  I can do that at home.

4.  A lot of their games require people to interact with each other.  I have already heard that they got rid of the Quest.  It was legendary!  I like trivia but I hope that is not the only thing left.

5.  People have said that the Wingjammer is open less than normal.  Is that true?

6.  Where do you have to wear a mask?

7.  Are all ships at 50% compacity?

Thanks!

One of my favorite quotes is "Common Sense is a Flower that Doesn't Grow in Everyone's Garden".  If anyone thinks that just because a ship is 100% vaccinated that there won't be cases of Covid then you have not been paying attention.  If you are worried, then please stay home and let the rest of us cruise.

3 hours ago, Nessa1dc said:

I'm not an alarmist...I have lost 3 family members to the Virus.  I said what I said....and meant it.  You are welcomed to your POV....as am I.  I just gave it.

Some people are getting it that have been vaccinated but has anyone been seriously ill or died if they have been vaccinated.  Does anyone thinks that this is going to be 100% gone out of our lives?  We just have to go on living and doing the best that we can.

On 5/18/2021 at 5:56 AM, ColeThornton said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_shopping

 

Not something I would find interesting on vacation, but that's just me.

I have been a Mystery Shooper for 25 years but I have heard it is hard to get a job on a cruise and it takes up a lot of your time.

I have heard of people being hired to teach dance lessons.  Is that true?  I teach a class on Mystery shopping and I wonder if a cruise ship would be interested in me teaching it on board.  My husband and I run Music Video Bingo in bars and I thought that might be something that we could do while we where on the cruise.

We are going to be on a 14 day cruise and one of the stops is Colon and we can take a Canal tour.   I am also retiring in a few weeks so we can cruise more.  Instead of taking the tour should we just book a Panal Canal cruise instead?

We got a great one right outside the terminal.

We are going on a 14 day cruise in Jan and one of our stops is Colon, Panama.  I have read a couple of negative reviews on this excursion but it wasn't with Royal.  Has any one been on this excursion? Maybe all of them are the same no matter what cruise line.

We have gone on close to 30 cruises but the longest has been 9 days so we obviously love to cruise but after 7 days we are ready to get off.  We signed up for a 14 day Royal cruise because the itinerary is fabulous.  I am just worried because it is so long.  I am interested in hearing other people’s thoughts.

On 3/13/2020 at 6:01 PM, Pianogrl44 said:

Anyone know if cruises leaving this weekend, March 14-15, offering a bit more in the FCC because of travel expenses?  I’ve heard of other lines doing this.

I am wondering the same thing.  We flew 1500 miles and were in New Orleans when they cancelled.  We found out 12 hours before we were suppose to leave.  Othere people can cancel their hotel rooms and flights we counldn't.

On 1/21/2020 at 5:49 PM, MX-5 said:

Maybe RCCL will reconsider the nightly Diamond Event if the outcry from C&A is received en-mass.

Anyone Diamond & above has an exclusive phone team at Royal. 800-526-9723 option #9. 

My call to express my concerns was documented and taken seriously enough to get transferred to the Resolutions Department, where I once again explained my issues to Otto - a senior representative. This isn't about the drinks or snacks, it's about a special place to commune with peers. It's also about tradition and consistency throughout the fleet.

Even if the gears turn too slowly for my b/b/b sailings that start in 4 days, maybe it will be a wake-up call for Miami. 

So..... join me in this quest if you feel as strongly.

I agree with this statement-  "This isn't about the drinks or snacks, it's about a special place to commune with peers. It's also about tradition and consistency throughout the fleet."

On 11/7/2019 at 12:27 AM, Merion_Mom said:

I can't remember where I read it - probably the other place - but supposedly Majesty will be ending its "happy hours in the VCL" and become like Empress - vouchers only.

I called Royal tonight and the guy that I talked to said that there still is the section of the VC for the DL.  He said he couldn't find anything that said there were changes.  If anyone goes on Majesty can they let me know.

It is now $65 for 10 minutes.

I have been on 20 Royal cruises and have always joined the Roll Call, usually 9 months or more in advance.  We are saling March of 2020 and I started a Roll Call and it is only us and one other group.  I noticed the one before and after us are the same.  What is happenng?

Quill and Compass I thought was the name of the Pub on the Radiance and I wanted to know the name of the singer in that Pub.  Why?

What was the name of the singer in June on the Radiance of the Seas?

Do you remember the name of the singer in the Quill and Compass?

On 4/20/2019 at 9:24 AM, travelgoddess1 said:

 

OH NO!  I was so hoping he would be on my May 5 Hawaii to Vancouver sailing.  I am so sorry to miss him. I am not familiar with Susan Adams, any thoughts?

What did you think?  We just got back from Alaska with her.  25 cruises and worst CD.