willing292

They have a smoked salmon plate on the menu in the MDR.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I am also from Canada and choose B.

What I now do is the day after boarding go to guest services and ask them to confirm that they have done this. This seems to do the trick. Don't wait until the last day.

 

The credit card companies have better rates of exchange.

I don't bother looking at the total of my bill anymore, I think they've got it right about 2 or 3 times out of about 15 or 20.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Thanks for your explanation!!!

 

Do you know if the rate RCI used was very different from the exchange rate your cc company would have used??

 

 

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RCI's rate is higher.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I thought that the package was something like $35, but this is from my weak memory only.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I love cafe promenade, especially late at night on my way to bed!

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

How do you know this??

We are for our upcomming cruise opting for B too and i would really be unhappy if RCI just ignores the choice.

Is there a way to find out or stated somewhere while onboard if they perform A or B??

 

 

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You don't find out they've ignored your option until you get your final bill on the last morning and it states on it that your bill will be converted at their rate. I have even checked with guest services before the last night to make sure my bill will be correct. As there is no way I am getting into the long lineup at guest services on the final morning, I just accept it. Once I even had the check in person initial a copy of the set sail pass for me, so I could prove to RCI that they ignored my request. For me, it's not worth the aggravation, although someday, I would like to protest the charges to the credit card company. Oh well!

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

They have capers and chopped red onion and cream cheese. You just might have to get it yourself though. I've repeatedly penciled it in on the room service menu and never gotten it once. Oh well!

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I'm from canada and thus have to make a choice. I always pick B, and RCI always ignores my choice!

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Can you buy a couple of small bottles of wine while in port and bring the, back onboard or would they be confiscated?

They say that the 2 bottles are only allowed upon initial embarkation, none from ports of call.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Pack with dry cleaner bags; hang in hot shower; wear me a little rumpled like everybody else if need be. We also use the packing folders from eagle creek, they work like magic.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Labadee is part of Haiti. If you visit Haiti, you cannot give blood for one year due to the risk of malaria. That said, RCI probably sprays like crazy.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I just tried to book a cruise on Independence Of The Seas for next year and I am so D@MN upset.

 

 

 

I had the perfect cabin and price picked out so I went to reserve the cruise. I was so enthused. I entered all the info and hit confirm. The same page (before it gives you a reservation number) came up again except it showed me having a negative balance :confused:. I clicked on MyCruises and it gave me the "no C&A info can be retrieved" and "No reservations found" messages. I didn't get an email confirmation, so I know it didn't go through.

 

 

 

Bottom line, it did not make a reservation, but took the cabin and charged by debit card $1,500 (THREE TIMES the amount it was supposed to charge).

 

 

 

Well all the darn changes going on I thought I should book before anything else changed and got screwed.

 

 

 

The best part, I've been on hold for over 90 minutes trying to get a customer svc agent. I'm done. As soon as I get this money back, Norwegian here I come.

This is one of the reasons I use my local, real, travel agent. She's the one who has to deal with RCI, not me. If there are any problems with payment, she deals with RCI, not me. Just food for thought.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

RCI once charged me final payment for a cruise that was a year away. They claimed that they could not refund more than $500 or so, at a time. I ended up with a whole pile of credits to my VISA card. Took about two weeks to get all of my refund.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Check with the car rental at fll, and maybe if you all go there first, one of their people will drive you in the van to the pier and then take the car back to the airport. I've had this happen numerous times, when I've asked them to call me a cab to the pier, they offer to drive me, no charge.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

We did a tour around the island with a friend and then had an incredible lunch (with incredible view) at Serendipity. Great restaurant a short cab ride from the pier.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I prefer aft balconies. My second choice is one close to the elevators.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Some nights, at a table for 2, we were out in 45 minutes.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

You can buy it in canada.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I did a lousy job with those photos and have gotten better at photo posting. Here is a better look (and really makes me want one NOW):

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are $7.50 according to what I found about 5-week ago.

Thanks. This gives us something to look forward to!

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

My cruising partners are very keen to purchase either the Premium or Ultimate packages on our NE/Canada cruise on Legend of the Seas. I'm not a huge drinker but being able to enjoy a couple of Bloody Caesars each night may be the tipping point for my decision.

 

The cocktail I miss most of all on returning to Australia after living in Canada is the Bloody Caesar. Does anyone know if they serve these on the NE/Canada cruises?

 

We normally purchase a wine package (two of us would tend to finish a bottle each meal) but are happy to go with wine by the glass at dinner in the MDR if the service is efficient. ie I don't want my main to be served and have to wait 10 minutes for a glass of wine. Would love to get feedback from recent cruisers on how they found the wine by the glass service?

The last time I had a Caesar on a ship, was when my friend Julie, a Sydneysider, sent me off with a bottle of Clamato juice. We took it to a bar and asked the bartender to prepare a Bloody Mary, short of the mix, and then we used our own. It was wonderful. We rationed that bottle, as we really enjoy our Caesars. Shirley. (Is this you, Julie?)

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I always book every cruise thru the same TA. On my initial booking, she gives me a copy of the invoice from RCI, because on at least half of our cruises, when final payment is due, the price is always mysteriously higher. RCI doesn't know what they're doing! I say that, and yes, I am loyal to royal, I just make it my business to keep them in line. Once, they charged me the full final payment, one year in advance. They read my booking documents wrong! It then took about one month for them to refund me the money, because they could only refund $500 at a time. And then, they argued about the exchange on the money, as canadian and us were not at par. They are a billion dollar company, and yet they sometimes operate as though the cruise industry was only invented yesterday!

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

In Hilo I would recommend a trip to Volcano National Park.

In Kona I would go to a coffee plantation.

I second the recommendation for the volcano national park, worth every penny.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

One of my favorite discussions, since I can't understand when posters will say they've tipped $50 or $100 just for the Conceirge "being there".

 

I use the common sense method of tipping - if the concierge provides a service, then a gratuity is in order. If I had to quantitate it, I'd say if I had a problem that took an hour of effort to resolve, that would be worth about $50.

Is that per person or per couple? Sometimes I think we way over tip. And then again, sometimes I think we're not giving enough.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app