kirtihk

One who's in a "blame" mood (for last 2 years and 10 months) needs to condemn a proper "company", not a cruise line that just have been trying to survive like any of us ... Voyage, Voyage...

On Jan 9 at 10 pm I saw Aqua prices for March/April 2025 multiple ships/dates; next morning they jumped for 7-day cruise by around 75 % (for example, April 6 Ascent Aqua was around $1,300 before tax, non-refundable, not all inclusive, and $2,311). I couldn't call my agent on Jan 9, because it was late night hours, so I didn't lock a price. We were lucky next day: I called my agent and told him about a huge price difference occurred overnight (just for aqua class) thinking to book a regular balcony; however, my agent told me to be ready to smile (an early gift from him for my Jan 11 birthday) - he gave us his special group discount (by far even bigger than his typical group discount), so we booked an Aqua cabin for a lesser price than the current "Prime Edge Stateroom with Infinite Veranda" balcony we planned to book, and on top of that he gave us additional $350 OBC.

If missing a cookie is a major issue, there are no issues at all! Missing your cabin after heavily using a drinking package passed midnight would be a different story... Voyage, Voyage...

Again, I do not understand your statement: if an agent displays me 3 lines instead of 2, and the total is the same as book direct, what’s the difference? Unless you mean they show you just the first line without telling anything about other 2? Then it is a different story, but I was writing about detailed information, not purposely hiding the real total price.

I don’t understand “unfortunately” - to me it is an opposite: when I see all details of booking, it helps me to determine a real picture so to speak, and there is no any misleading information either - you see all numbers, and the total is what you pay if you are happy with it as a bottom line of an expense.

My agent doesn’t charge any fee for his agency (he is actually an owner of his company). NCF is a fee cruise line collects - that’s why it is called Non-Commissional (an agent doesn’t get any $$ from that amount the same way the agent doesn’t get $$ from Tax).

Perhaps, the terminology differs between "port expenses" and "“Non-Commissionable Fee", or “NCF”" (as I wrote in my reply). In my invoices I always see Fare Code Cruise Price, NFC, and Tax line items, and only the last item is refundable. Maybe, in my invoices "port expenses" are hidden in the Tax line item (however, I know for sure that the Tax line on my invoices matches the amount displayed on cruise line web sites as "Tax" at the time of my booking).

I didn't write about prepaid gratuities, shore excursions, and alike - they are refundable, too. My cruise agent sends me invoices for major cruise lines always displaying port fees and taxes on separate line items, and he explained me that one of reasons is to know what amount would be refunded in case of cancelation after a final payment due date being on the tax line item. We had to cancel just once after our final payment date, and yes, we automatically received a refund in an amount of taxes ONLY (matching what was on our invoice).

Just because you express an opinion does not make it true. Happens all of the time here on CC, people spreading false information. Please educate yourself. Please, no garbage talk. It started to appear about 3 years ago. People began to feel offended (around the same time) about almost everything what life "offers" to us and throwing such a statement in the face of an "offender". Just remember, boomerang effect, please. Voyage, Voyage!

If you cancel a cruise after Final payment, a cruise line doesn't refund port fees; it only refunds taxes.

Each booking has a fare code price, port fees (“Non-Commissionable Fee", or “NCF”), and taxes. Port fees are always the same; taxes and fare code price are not.

If you can't afford to eat, parish. Voyage, Voyage!

$800 is a new norm what for exactly? For using a piece of furniture called a bed for 1 night? You can buy the whole thing to use 20-30 years for this amount! Voyage, Voyage!

Hmmm... The most people cook home themselves. So, why would they need a different way of meal preparation on the cruise? I may continue the list.

It totally benefits Royal as a cost cutting effort: fewer room stewards, less towels to wash, less laundry attendents, less water to produce on board, less cleaning chemicals for the rooms, less soap in the laundry. All under the guise of "sustainability". That would mean cabins being done last would have morning service completed around time for dinner (think of that, it would be twice less stewards) when the former night service would be executed in old pre-shmandemic days. Voyage, Voyage!

Nice to see you here! In 2 days our countdown starts! Mikhail

rather more like exponential and pretty soon going to factorial (n!) direction Voyage, Voyage, everyone!

The majority of them, not just cruise lines! Recently, Hilton removed soap bar from the room stating "just use body wash" (which I actually don't even use for my body; I use an actual hard soap bar which, by the way, saves resources that so many are recklessly screaming about these days).

Right! And… Let’s go, Buffalo!

Everyday learning something new... I had no clue (seriously!!!) until this moment that taking medicine for any cause makes others sick. I will remember it for my upcoming December 20 16-day Regent cruise - by any means, I will refuse to take any medicine no matter how I feel! Voyage, Voyage, everyone!!!

It doesn't bother me either. It's just a simply a masquerade (especially, considering on top of that, with pieces of cloths over ones' air intake, too): I imagine a picture perfect (not my picture, I don't make pictures on cruises; just figuratively speaking, picture) - couples with tuxedo, suites, pants, shirts of all different kinds (sleeves, no sleeves...), jeans,... shorts, swimming attire, all blended together, and everyone is pretty, pretty, pretty happy!

That's how the majority are regarding thermal spa that's for a fee on any main cruise line. No one cares; however, for us it's one of the most important key points of cruising (I spent hours there every day and go twice or more on sea days); so, we either book an Aqua class cabin on Celebrity or pay whatever fee is on other cruise lines.

In June we had a 13-day Ponant Le Bougainville cruise from Nice to Istanbul. We flew from Buffalo at 8 am 3 days prior to embarkation (actually 80 hours)! While sipping espresso in the Buffalo's the Club lounge waiting for our departure to Chicago, we got a text message from BA that our London - Nice flight is cancelled, and... because of that for our convenience (I'm not joking) they also cancelled our Chicago - London flight! Absolutely Perfect, right! We immediately called BA requesting to give us our flight and our business class seats back. They said they cannot do it; they said they only can do if when upon arrival to Chicago we approach their representative. So, hold our breath hoping no one purchased our seats yet until we are in Chicago. In Chicago they rescheduled our flight to London with our seats and booked us on a later in day from London flight. When we arrived in London, we learned that our new flight to Nice is also cancelled, and they can only give us the same flight for the next day that would be a day prior to our embarkation. We decided to go to a gate for the next leaving flight and asked to put us on a waiting list (the plane was sold out, and there were 4 people ahead of us), and only because we had business class tickets, they agreed to move us to be first on the waiting list. In the end, there were no business class seats available and only 1 economy class available; then I don't know how right before closing the gate they released another economy seat, and we finally flew to Nice. Later we learned that BA cancelled our flight next 3 days in a row (!!!) for the same leaving time as they gave us for the cancelled flight, and all other flights from London to Nice were overbooked meaning that if we just agreed rescheduling for the next day flight, we would miss our cruise (again, leaving home 3+ days prior to the embarkation time). What's a lesson from this event? I even don't know what to say anymore these days! Perhaps, to fly a week earlier??? Who can afford that (financially and vacation time-wise)?!

I agree - it is so tough. Besides, cruise lines refuse to discuss almost anything without an agent. However, I still cannot blame my agent after having 22 years of dealing so nicely with him.

It's a very funny video of a famous French song with 3 poor people desired for voyage - 2 of them a voyage was granted, and the last guy ended voyaging in his own closet (it's much better to watch than being described, of course) pretty, pretty, pretty much as all of us for a while lately. Last sentence was "Happy Sailing!" in a Slavic language.