jgoodm

All decks are online now. Tomorrow the restaurants will follow.

 

steamboats

Any chance of some pictures of the 17th floor? Thanks!

I always turn on the TV at bed time and sometimes its a movie. I for one will be bringing my FireStick.

I just tried the link again and it still works for me. But who knows. So I turned off sharing, the previous link is no good now, and turned on sharing again, which produced the following new link:

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/e81HiBghZjdzRgiq2

 

Best chance of success being Google Photos is going to be using a Google Chrome Browser. But on my iMac, it also works just fine in Firefox. Don't forget you can zoom in and out, up down and all round for those 360 degree pics.

Thanks

Would you mind reposting these pictures?

Thanks,

Hi All,

Im booked in a Star Class suite in December. Since pretty much everything is included, I am wondering what to do about specialty restaurant reservations and shows, etc. Should I be concerned about the restaurants filling up and book meals now or do I not need to worry about that and just let the Royal Genie handle it a few weeks out even if the restaurants otherwise appear to sell out? I am worried about getting good times at Chops and a Izumi teppanyaki meal scheduled for the kiddos.

Thanks,

J.

Hi All,

I am traveling in Dec 2018 with my spouse and twin 7 year olds. I was wondering if there is any consensus on choosing Oasis of the Seas vs. Harmony or Symphony? I know Oasis is due for a dry dock shortly after this cruise and that it doesn't have a waterslide until then.

I also assume Oasis is in need of general refurbishment vs. Harmony/Symphony which don't. I dont know what else might be different other than the water slide and evidence of aging and if either of those would even matter to the kids... The idea is to gear this trip for the kid's enjoyment though.

The tradeoff is, we can get a CL2 on Harmony/Symphony for the family or we can grab a Grand Panoramic at a very good price on Oasis (1758). CL2 is cheaper than GP but it is a really good deal on the GP that seems unusual.

Also as a side note, there is the difference of western vs eastern Caribbean if you all think that matters?

Thanks!

Just to clarify for the OP, a Grand Suite or better is always non-refundable, but a Junior Suite can still (today) be a redundable deposit.

Thanks.

Be sure you read the reviews of the agencies and check to be sure they don't charge any additional fees other than what the cruise line may charge.

Is there a review thread here that I missed or do you mean reviews elsewhere?

Thank you all! That's very helpful.

In this case, I was looking at a CL Suite and its about $9700 for the 4 of us at the moment on Harmony. The highest OBC offered is about $1,050.00. That's more than my warehouse shopping company's travel agency is offering but their's is a gift card for use in their store, not an OBC.

If you book a suite it is always non-refundable!

No wonder! I kept getting confused why the availability on the RCCL website was so limited.

Hi All,

A couple of questions on booking a new cruise I was hoping you experts could help me with.

I am new to Royal Caribbean and am just starting to return to cruising after a 20-year hiatus.

I have a cruise booked with RC for June of this year. My next cruise which I am planning now is for April 2019 for my kids spring break.

1. Trying to stay within the rules of this board, I am using a website which you can use to list the cruise you want and then travel agents make offers to you. All of the offers are around the same price but the onboard credit offered does differ between agencies. My questions here are:

a. If the cruise is non-refundable that far out, I believe that means its just our deposit is non-refundable. If you had to cancel would you be able to use that deposit for a rescheduled cruise at another time?

b. I have been told that if RCCL drops the price of the room you booked, you can get the new lower rate by requesting it. Would that be available in the case of a non-refundable fare? If the answer is yes then it would be the travel agent that does this or could you call RCCL yourself and do it?

c. If the answer to b above is yes, is there any reason then not to just book the minute you decide to take the cruise and just keep an eye on the fare and hope it goes down?

d. There is a major difference in OBC between some of these agencies on a booking. Some are $200 and a few are in the area of $1000, is that a red flag or common for suite booking OBC credits?

2. My first RCCL cruise is in June of this year.

a. A friend told me that the best deals on cruises are booked while you are physically on the cruise. I assume this is not good information given the offers I have been getting from outside agencies but is there any truth to that?

b. After a couple of days on the June cruise, I think I would be eligible for a discount on a future booking. Can that be applied later and is it even worth chasing or is it minor?

Thanks so much,

J

Following up on my own post, I called AMEX and they allowed me to link my card to my checking account and draw from any ATM or any other type of cash withdrawal source. They will directly pull from my checking account via the AMEX account for a 3% fee without it being a cash advance. Seems like a good solution.

Why would you need to "buy Euros" in the US?

I meant I did not want to buy any Euros. In case someone recommended I just get some €500 notes and bring them with me to keep down the bulkiness of bringing US cash with me.

Hi All,

Confused on the best way to obtain cash in the casino on my cruise, your advice would be appreciated. Here are the issues:

1. I want to be able to risk more than my bank allows you to pull out on a daily basis with from an ATM.

2. I do not want to add cash advances to my room charge since I am someone's guest on this particular cruise.

3. I would like to avoid bringing that much in paper currency on my trip. Large denomination Euros would not be that bad to carry but I think it would be expensive to buy Euros in the US just to get on the cruise and have them exchanged again to US currency.

So, with those caveats, whats the best way to do this?

Thanks in advance.

You can order from the MDR menu during the hours that the MDR is open. You can order from the regular room service menu any time.

Do they have a MDR menu in the suite every day or do you have to call or already know whats on that menu? Also, is it possible to order from specialty restaurants as well or is that Star only? Thanks.

So when staying in the Sky Suite they have a daily MDR menu in addition to a standard room service menu in the suite which you can order from without an additional charge?

What is the deal with ordering from specialty restaurants to your Sky class suite?

Thanks,

Is there someone else in the office, higher up, who could assist you. Personally I prefer to work directly with a local TA, this way we know each other and I can come to her or call anyone in her office if I wish a room change or see a price drop. At any rate you will need as mentioned, a letter from the office, to release your booking back to the cruise lines. I have read instances where someone who could not make contact with their TA was able to get the cruise lines to take over but generally you need a release letter from the TA

Amazing, so the person doing nothing has to actively do something to give it up? I am guessing that's not happening.

Hi,

I booked a cruise with a travel agent (she did nothing, I gave her the specific cruise and suite numbers, etc.). All she did was reserve the rooms I specified but we were referred to her as someone who would be helpful in booking our private tours at port and she would assist with some information on our destinations after the cruise which we have never been to before.

The agent went MIA as soon as the suites were booked, she doesn't answer emails, phone calls, texts, nothing.

Has anyone had any experience changing travel agents on a reserved cruise? I need to get someone who can help us and frankly this person doesn't deserve a commission if someone else has to take over to do her job.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Just a heads up, the USB port on many tvs doesn't be provide enough power to run a firestick reliably.

Thanks. Any idea if there will be accessible power near the TV?

Hi All,

First time on RCCL and I am not clear on how any of the tech and authentication is set up but after reading many threads, I think I can assume the following will work. If anyone could confirm this scenario, I would appreciate it. I will be in a Crown Loft Suite if that matters.

1. Connect Amazon Fire TV (or firestick) to an accessible HDMI port on the TV. Will I be able to actually reach a port in these rooms (especially upstairs)?

2. For power on Amazon Fire TV (or firestick), connect the USB port on the Amazon Fire TV (or firestick) to the USB port on the TV. (Also, can anyone confirm if there is a standard power outlet behind the TV's?)

3. Bring a universal remote and change the TV input using the universal remote to access the HDMI port for the Amazon Fire TV (or firestick).

4. Connect Amazon Fire TV (or firestick) to appropriate WIFI and the device will open its own browser and connect me to VOOM's authentication web page. Enter VOOM credentials.

5. Enjoy Netflix on the TV.

Thanks,

J.

Couldn't find that suite so it might be full. Asked a TA about it she seemed to think it would be closer in price to the royal loft... I have the question out-standing though and will report back if I hear anything.

Thanks for the replies.

I have the normal crown loft booked and they just opened up a

Spacious AquaTheater Suite - 1 Bedroom (Category A3).

Given that I am traveling with family of four (my spouse and twin 6 year olds), worth it or stick with what I have?

Thanks and sorry for the newbie-ness. ;-)

How about comparing a Star/Sky Loft to a Aqua Theater Suite? Any thoughts on that instead? Thanks.

Hi All,

I am booking a trip on Symphony of the Seas. I've not been on a cruise in many years.

I am traveling with family of four, my spouse and twin 6 year olds.

The owners suite and the loft suite are approximately the same price. Any suggestions on which is better for us?

Thanks,

J.