Candleonwater

Just to make sure I'm on track - we are D+ and I see that we get two free days of Voom.  So we need to wait until we're onboard, use those two days, THEN purchase voom?  Is that accurate?

Thanks for getting this question out there! We haven't cruised since 2018, and haven't been on Freedom since 2011.  So, I figured there would be some changes. I think my biggest concern is going out of Miami. We haven't done that since 2006, and IIRC, it was a miserable experience.

Are the 5 drinks only available during happy hour?

Question about DD's boyfriend's status.  She is D+, he has never sailed before. RCL said he gets her status (they live together - so they link it via relationship status?), but not her points. The not getting her points makes sense, but what does getting her status mean? Does he have access to the lounge with us? I noticed his set sail pass doesn't have any type of status indicated on it. Does he get the 5 drinks?

16 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

I’m glad you found the apple wallet bar code trick helpful.  It is regularly discussed here on CruiseCritic.  It has also helped me finalize my RoyalUp bids, too.

 

I don’t know why Royal does it that way.  I suppose it leaves them a bit more flexibility.   If hypothetically there were some unusual, unanticipated situation requiring cabins to be shuffled (a surprise plumbing problem or whatever), it is easier to move an unassigned gty than an assigned gty.  That’s just a guess; I have not heard of it happening.  So far my bar code has predicted my cabin each time, but I always assume they have a right to move me if I book gty.

Trying to figure out what to do with bids now. She's bid higher on the cabin she'd really like, balcony, which until recently was showing as sold out. Now the interiors are showing sold out instead.

On 3/7/2023 at 8:09 PM, Starry Eyes said:

He has a deck and muster station.  If RCI knows that much, they have unofficially picked his cabin; it is no longer for sale.

I wonder why they don't just say what cabin it is? My daughter is in a similar situation, I think.  She has a muster station, and somewhere we saw that she's on deck 3, but that's it.

To the person who suggested putting the sea pass in apple wallet... Thank you. I now see a cabin number. Gives my daughter an idea if she wants to increase her bids for an upgrade.

On 3/10/2023 at 3:48 AM, luvtotravelgirl said:

I have an interior guarantee booked and when I made my final payment recently, my new invoice said pending on the obstruction. So, I'm guessing, like someone said above, they've changed their format.

That's my feeling as well. I booked my daughter into an interior guarantee for our cruise in 3 weeks.  All of her invoices say "Pending".

Out of curiosity - anyone have any luck with getting their assignments in advance? The last time I booked a guarantee (a while ago because I'm a control freak), I didn't know until less than 24 hours before sailing.

7 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Pricing is dynamic all the time. There's no such thing as "full price" even though RCI likes to invent prices from which to put the cabin "on sale".

I meant "full price" more as a "the room went for more than what I would be paying if they accepted my bid". That kind of full price.

Do paid upgrades happen randomly? Or does RCL wait to see if they can fill those cabins at full price, resulting in upgrades happening at the last minute?

What I'd like to hear is, is there really any chance of winning with a bid towards the lower end of the scale? I just noticed that interiors are sold out for our upcoming cruise, so I thought I would put in a bid to upgrade my daughters cabin.

Also, if you haven't been in a JS before, I say go for it!  No matter what happens, you're still on a cruise. JS are some of our favorite cabins. Granted we haven't  been on the Oasis though.  I remember one sailing, DD opened the door to what she believe was the bathroom - no, it was a walk in closet. We joked that it was big enough to sleep in! Just the right size for her overpacking!

Would it be wrong for me to take all the ducks I've collected - can't tell you the number of times I've been ducked as a Jeep Wrangler driver - and use them to hide on the ship?

I don't get the scrooges who throw the ducks out. They are cute little surprises. 

I'm a water person, and in all my previous visits, there was no water at South Beach during low tide. So which beach is best if you want a lounge chair, shade, and an easy dip in the water?

20 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Liberty 

Passenger Capacity

3,634

Freedom

Passenger Capacity

4,375

 

Perhaps, not quite 9K people.

 

we were there with Indy and Harmony - we found a nice spot for 5 people, and we didn't even get off the ship anywhere near "right away", and we first went to chill island for a bit, and then moved to breezy bay.

In all fairness, the website I was using to see who is in port, shows this... but either way, that's still a lot of people.

18 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

It might be smart to check the number of ships sharing Coco Cay with you.  That'd give you a hint about how many people will be on the island.  

So, we will be there (on Freedom) along with Liberty, so we will be on the island with almost 9k of our closest friends... and both ships are scheduled to arrive at 7am.  Am I nuts for thinking, if I want chairs in a specific location, we need to be off the ship as fast as possible?

Is there a better option?  Like, would Coco Beach Club feel less like we're in a massive crowd of people?

9 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

If the employer withholds income tax from an employee's paycheck, which I believe Royal does, the employer is obligated to report (1099) and submit those withholdings to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. 

I'm curious how a 1099 would enter into this, if Royal is withholding income tax from a paycheck?

Also, over the years, I've often heard (don't know if it's true or not), but taxation is one of the reasons you don't see a lot of US workers on the ship. Low pay, but still having to pay Uncle Sam, can be a major downer.

I have a part time job where I earn well over "tipped wages", but I still get tips - FOR SELLING MERCHANDISE!  More than happy to take those tips because at times I double my pay. I suspect this happens with the behind the scenes people on ships. Tipping culture is out of control.

I used to - fave place to nap was the Solarium... but my snores used to wake me up all the time!

As a 50 something female, here are my thoughts... I wouldn't hesitate to sail by myself. I've never felt unsafe ON the ship. Now going off the ship by myself is a different story.  Not sure I would do that.  I'm adventurous, but only to a point. I would probably either stay on the ship (which I do enjoy) or do a ship excursion.

As far as pricing, I'm getting ready to head out on a cruise with my daughter and her boyfriend.  The pricing for us was exactly as I've always heard it is. I'm paying for two since I'm taking the entire cabin for myself. My fare is slightly cheaper because I don't have to pay double taxes/port fees, for the same category cabin.

Suggestions for the best place to just go and have a lazy day on the beach? Don't need a cabana, and no interest in the water park. Just would like relatively easy access to water and possibly umbrella. This will be our first time in CocoCay since they built it up.

On 3/7/2023 at 11:11 AM, goldfish65 said:

 

My $.02 and I realize this is very presumptuous to say, but your daughter is an adult, let her and her boyfriend go and figure things out for themselves. 

As I was trying to decide if I wanted to join them, I was helping her figure things out, but thanks for your $.02

On 3/7/2023 at 10:58 AM, firefly333 said:

If he buys the drink pkg she still has to call and buy the refreshment pkg which isnt that  cheap. They dont care about doctors notes. Just call. 

 

The free drinks arent on physical cards, just loaded to your sea pass. 

Actually, did call, and they said she wouldn't need to buy a drink package of any sort because of her medical needs.

On 3/7/2023 at 11:03 AM, Joseph2017China said:

I'm also confused.  Based on what you said, are they living together and both adults?  So why are you planning their trip?  

 

The boyfriend never cruised, and he needs to complete one cruise before getting any status.  But your daughter can get 5 drinks, so she can just give it to the boyfriend.  

 

You are D+.  When was the last time your cruised, because getting drinks all day, with 5 vouchers have been around for awhile, the the concept of a happy hour is old and done away with.  "hot minute implies you just cruised".  

Clearly we use different types of dictionaries.  

It's been 3 years since I last cruised and the drinks were not on my card at that time, by the end of the cruise I didn't even need to show my card.

So, now I am maybe more confused because Royal says he gets same perks as her, including drinks on card...

On 3/7/2023 at 10:54 AM, carlosalonsor said:

Not to be rude but, doesn't a "hot minute" means an extremely short period of time?

Depends on where you look for YOUR meaning. Urban dictionary defines it as "the words meaning is a long time. if you aint seen someone in a while or if you aint been someplace in a while or done something in a while it will a hot minute. it can mean in years months weeks or days. just means awhile". Which is exactly as I intended.

It's been a hot minute since I last cruised.  My daughter got a wild hair to take her boyfriend on his first cruise, so they're doing a 4 night out of Miami. We've never been fans of the shorter cruises, but she was worried, if he doesn't like it, a longer cruise would be torture. I'm still on the fence about joining them.

We are both D+, what's the evening reception deal on Freedom? Is it just drinks on cards?  Of course, I'm just assuming they haven't gotten rid of the free drinks?

She can't drink (because of medication) and we were told it's the same old situation, all adults in cabin have to buy drink package, but with a doctors note, she can get out of it?

Since they live together, does he inherit her status?

Considering this cruise is in less than a month, I'm stressed. I'm an overplanner, and there doesn't seem to be enough time.

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can give.

look at Eagle Tours (sailingsxm.com).  It's who we have used for all of our sailing excursions in SXM, whether it be while on a cruise or land based.  Their pier is convenient to the port.

Our favorite has always been sailing through sailingsxm, but also love doing atv island tours through Splashinthesun (they're located near the pier).

On 4/20/2022 at 12:15 PM, DukeASUGirl said:

I know I'm tagging onto an old thread...

 

Has anyone done the Sea & See tour through Royal Caribbean with kids? It's in a semi-submersible to look at sealife, and then free time to explore the markets and open air cafes on the French side.

 

My kids are 10 and 12, and we'll be traveling with my 78 and 79 yr old parents, so I thought this was an activity we could all do together, but I'm not sure if the kids will be bored or not.

We did this one AGES ago - like, maybe 2001?  DD was 5 at the time and it was a bit boring for her.  It was our first time on the island, so we wanted to just get an easy overview, so it worked.  One note, if anyone has any hint of claustrophobia, the semi-submersible freaked me out.

Might be worth a check - Eagle Tours (www.sailingsxm.com).  This is usually who we sail with, and their boats are nearby, I think?  We've done excursions through the ship and on our own (when we fly to the island), so they might have something that works.