gweedo

This past January I had to cancel a cruise the day of the cruise for medical reasons. We had Royal's insurance and within 3 days all expenses that had been paid, excursions etc had been returned to my account.:) I had to file with AON not Berkley as a previous poster posted. After the required paperwork and doctor signatures they refunded the full fare.:) All that I lost was the nonrefundable parking fee. An FYI, I did learn some things from the very nice representative from the insurance company. I am on Medicare(just recently and still learning) and it will not cover over 6 miles outside the U.S. so the supplement won't either. If you don't have a different primary insurance for the specific cruise(for medical evacuations etc.) the cruise insurance will not pay anything until all others have been filed and rejected. The amount limits need to be checked also. For our replacement cruise I have looked into an outside company.(the same as a previous poster listed).

My DH and I are thinking of booking a cruise on the Caribbean Princess out of Houston next year. We have never been on Princess. We have been on Disney, Royal and Carnival. Would you tell me what things we can look forward too about the ship or the line. I have read a lot of reviews etc. How is the internet on board? I am on a sugar free diet-will there be any problems.? We like to attend the shows. etc. Thank you ahead of time for your insights-they are appreciated.:)

We have always bought cruise insurance, usually through the cruise company we are sailing. I have looked at other sites and there are a lot out there. We have never had to use it until this past January. We were to board the Navigator of the Seas on a Sunday. The Saturday before I ended up in the ER with a medical issue. We were not able to board and had to cancel our cruise(it was to celebrate our 45th anniversary:(). RCI had all the money spent on the cruise, taxes, gratuities, excursions, soda packages etc credited back to my credit card by Wednesday of the following week. I had to get the forms from the company after we were able to get home and get them all completed etc. and faxed to them. The company sent us a check to cover all of the fares within 3 1/2 weeks of the cruise. The only money we lost was the insurance premium and the prepaid parking. It was nonrefundable. We are now looking at what we want to rebook and when. On the other side of this, a close friend of mine who never buys insurance had a similar situation., she now gets insurance for every cruise. Lesson learned. Find the policy that suits you best but don't sail without it.:)

I agree with all that Lady Jag said about Royal except the info concerning the kids clubs. I have only been on Disney with the grandkids. Price wise I have found Royal to be cheaper than Carnival out of Galveston. We were supposed to have been on the Navigator last month but I had a medical issue and we had to cancel.:( That cruise was booked a couple of years in advance and I was also able to get in on the BOGO sale last year and it beat the Carnival Magic with the fare prices. We are planning to rebook as soon as I hear back from the travel insurance(always get it but this is the first time had to use it and they have been easy to work with. In fact my daughter called Royal on the day we were to board,a Sunday, and I had ALL fees, taxes, excursions, etc in my account by the following Wed.!) I have been checking prices for Galveston and I can book a D2 balcony on Royal for less than the Carnival Magic or Freedom 8B balcony. A D2 is a larger room and balcony than the Carnival balcony. We wanted to come back to Royal after a number of Carnival cruises to sail something different. And Galveston is a closer port than the Florida ones for us and we can budget a little less time away from the farm. I think if you watch the sales etc. you can find comparable costs(We are also Platinum on Royal and the cabin discount helps). :) Hope this helps a little!

Thank you for the review and photos! Looking forward to being on her in 4 weeks!:)

Thank you for the review and pictures. We are looking forward to our cruise in January.:) Enjoy you warm weather-it was 14 here this morning but my sister in Conroe TX had 32!:eek:

No problem Cindy. We went ahead and booked it and at the very end it says 3 1/2 hours in length. There was only one time available so we figured we better get it booked before it closes. I have had that happen before on excursions. Thanks again!:)

Thanks everyone for the info. Cindy, I especially like that Royal allows pictures! When you took the tour on the Mariner did it also last about 3 hours? When we did the Carnival Behind the Fun tour they said it was to be about 3 hours but ended up 4 1/2.:eek:

Are these tours just starting after the first of the year? Or can someone give me some info other than RCI's printed description. I would like to know the length etc. I have done a 'Behind the Fun' on Carnival and it was very interesting and eye opening. Just wondering what your thoughts were on Royal's? Thanks ahead of time!!:)

Anyone know what is holding up boarding on the Sensation today? I have family on that cruise and they were still waiting to board at 12:25 ET. Said they were starving!!:eek:

:) Thank you pspercy and Austin Cruise for the info. It is greatly appreciated-I always can use any input when I am planning trips. Have a good day!:)

Gweedo... I have them and will post them all. Hopefully this week.

 

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Thank you very much.:) I will look forward to reading them. I am a bit of a planner when it comes to vacations.:D Also would you have any info on the cost of internet use? My DH would appreciate that.

TC1957 Thanks for the review.:) We will be on the Navigator in January. Is there any chance you could post the Compass for this itinerary? I have seen the other itinerary but not he Honduras/Belize one. Thank you

We will be on the Dream in May and wanted to make sure that suits were not required for the 'dress up night.' I have read that shirts and ties for the men and Sunday clothes for the kids would be acceptable. Any help here would be appreciated. We are traveling 7 in a large vehicle but want to conserve our packing! Thanks in advance!:)

When I booked our Royal cruise out of Galveston for next year, I priced the Magic and the Emerald Princess out of the new Houston port. Royal was cheaper than both of them for the same balcony-type cabin. After I figured the drive time etc it was cheaper to go out of Galveston all things being considered.(And I have a sister in Florida and one in Texas to stay with). We have enjoyed being on Carnival in recent years but with the price difference it will be nice to try Royal again. I think it just depends on when you book and check the prices often.:)

Thank you both for your replies.:) I imagine it is also dependent on what you are used to. My son found the Wonder's internet(and that was 4 years ago) to be slower than what he was used to but it kept him connected. My DH also likes to use his computer when we cruise- I like to walk and watch people!! LOL Disney Fantasy-I will be checking your blogs. Thank you

We have been on one Disney cruise with the grandsons and the FE's were a blast. The boys were thrilled with everything they found. It doesn't have to be expensive or anything either. I made our FE's for that cruise and have added the granddaughter to my son's family for our upcoming Dream cruise. Dollar Tree or stores like have wonderful sales with small activity books etc. that the kids can use in their down time in the cabin. I agree that on our first experience I was second guessing myself but found it wasn't necessary. My experience was with a smaller group on the Wonder and we have kept our groups small on the upcoming cruise. I don't know how people do it with a multitude of cabins!! Do whatever you can and just enjoy the experience-thats what the kids will do! Have a great cruise!:)

I have been unable to search for info on the quality of the internet connection on the Dream. Is it fast/slow, ship wide etc.? We will be sailing the Dream this May and my son is one of those that can't be away from his business without checking in. ( a little background-he deals with Emergency equipment/radios and when they have a problem they have to be looked at pretty quick. It took some doing to get him away from home for a short cruise!! LOL) Thanks for any info you may able to give me so I may pass it on!!:)

Thanks for the info. This will be a big help for us and our FE gift exchange, in case anyone has pirate themed gifts. CC always comes through with the correct info.:)

We will be going on a 4 day Dream cruise and I was wondering if anyone could tell me what night the pirate party etc. is? Thanks for the help.:)