CruisingSwedes

On 11/30/2022 at 2:48 PM, Sailing12Away said:

You can still take the free at sea package and remove the drink portion. Meaning you still get the specialty dining, port excursion credits, etc.

 

The bigger issue I see them all having is booking excursions. If one H/W pair wants to do an excursion different from the other, good luck booking those 4 separate tickets.

Sorting out the final bill will be tricky as well since if one of the wives go shopping it gets charged to their 'wife' room. And if a gent buys a fancy watch, it gets billed to his 'gents' room. Seems like a lot of sorting through a fine tooth comb to reconcile things at the end.

The rooms got the $50 credit for each shore excursion (I thought it was a $50 for the entire cruise for one excursion, but NCL tells me it is for every excursion) for only the first person listed on the room in each room, but we didn't realize that and one couple got listed as the first name on the two separate rooms so we will have to sort that out!  Other than that I think we will be OK! Thanks for your comments!

On 11/30/2022 at 5:51 AM, lostone65 said:

@complawyer I don't believe they mentioned anything about sharing drinks, the OP stated the wives aren't drinkers I see nothing wrong with the question or the logic. The other post you are referencing specifically mentions giving extra drinks to friends who do not have the drink package, which is not the question or even implied in the OP's original question.  I believe your response is out of line in this case, assume positive intent unless otherwise stated.

Thanks for your reply on this.  Very appreciated. 

Thanks everyone for your replies and info.  I had a hard time finding my way back here to reply!  I had no idea you could get extra cards - I will definitely bring a sharpie.  We booked balcony rooms are right next to each other so everything seems like it will be fine!  I'll let you know after the cruise how it went! 

Thanks in advance for answers, and I tried a quick search for this question but didn't find it....I'm sure someone has asked this before!

We're two couples traveling on NCL Prima and the husbands drink a lot and the wives don't drink at all (hardly).  Since both in the room have to pay for the drink package and tips even if it's "free", it makes more sense for us to book with the husbands in one room with the drink package, and the wives in another without.  Right now there is about a $1000 difference in the rooms that allow you to have the "free" drink package and then plus tips.

My question is: once we're onboard can we go to customer service and they switch the names on the rooms so the spouses can be together and the drink package stays with the husbands even if they switch rooms?  Is the drink package connected to the room, or to the name of the person? 

Thanks again! 

8 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

You dont give  a date but I'm assuming 2021? If so with double loyalty pts, suites are crazy high right now... so if prices drop, and they want the new lower price be aware the obc goes down as the commission is less. 

 

Almost for sure prices will go down after double pts promotion over.. do they want the double pts and obc more than a price drop.

 

Be sure your ta can be reached in a timely manner.

Yes it's 2021.  I'll keep my eye on the prices.  My TA is always very quick to respond.  Thank you!

14 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

There is no standard.

 

Unless the OBC is issued by the cruise line then it is coming out if the TA’s commission. OnLine agents may  offer More as they have very low costs compared to a TA in a bricks and mortar store that has overhead or a TA that is part of a large corporate group that only gets a portion of the Commission.  

 

Balance  the amount of OBC you want with the level of service you expect. 

Thank you!  I think the agent has great service, but it's the first time I'm working with them.

I'm booking a group via a travel agent and some family members are planning to book the Royal Suite.   I've never booked a suite. The other rooms in the group (balcony, OV and inside) all have $50 OBC each.  (I shopped around for travel agents and even with only $50 OBC my agent had the best price.  We had another offer that had $250 in OBC for balconies, but the base price was higher.) Is there a typical or standard OBC rate or % with the Royal Suite?  The fare is a little over $10,000 for one week on Jewel of the Seas.  The agent told us $400 but that seems kind of low when I read about different OBCs that people get online here.  Is that OBC something I can negotiate or ask for more or would that be bad to suggest?

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Thanks all for the replies and advice.  Makes me wish I had an AMEX card LOL.  I'm glad to read that indeed it is the normal procedure that the card number does go to the agent and the agent forwards that info to Royal and then Royal is the one charging.  I've done it this way on past booked group cruises, but I never had any concerns about people going out of business (in the past I always used the same travel agent - this booking it is a new one).

I've reminded our group about getting travel insurance that is specifically for cruises and covers bankruptcy.  

Thanks again all!

13 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

It's been our experience that when you use a TA, all payments go through the TA. As long as the payments are being charged directly to your cruise line, that should not be a worry for you and the others in your party. (One exception is you can buy excursions directly through your cruise line even when using a TA.)

 

As for the cruise line going bankrupt, INSURANCE, and make sure it covers the cruise line going bankrupt. So do not get the cruise line's insurance; get private insurance. You should get insurance even if this was not a worry to cover medical expenses which can wipe your bank account out.

 

The only problem I foresee if the TA goes bankrupt is making sure the cruise line is aware so that you can either transfer the bookings to another agent or have the cruise line itself take over so you can make your payments directly to them.

Thank you! Travel Insurance - yes that's a good idea to see if it will cover cruise bankruptcies.  

I thought I had read on here that you should always give payments directly to the cruise line - is that possible if you have booked with a TA?  

49 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

If you look on the RCI board, there will be many discussions about the financial status of RCI. They are doing things to raise revenue, and prolong their ability to burn cash at reduced rates and effectiveness. There have been dozens of discussions on the financial issues for the cruise lines.

 

As to your deposit question, is your TA "handling the cash"...as in the TA takes your credit card number, but the charge is actually direct to the cruise line? Or is the charge going to the TA, and they pass the money along. What does your credit card say? Our TA processes the credit card, but on our credit card bill, it says the charge was direct to the cruise line. 

Thanks for your reply!

I'll check out the RCI board and try to find those discussions.

For the deposit, I gave the TA my credit card number and the charge was directly from Royal Caribbean on my statement.  So the same as how your TA works - the TA processes the card but the charge was direct from the cruise line.  

So what I'm wondering is, and hope this never happens of course, if the TA goes bust, will the TA have access to our deposit money or if we call Royal will they give us back our money directly?  I know with bookings, if you booked with a TA they don't even want to talk with you.  Once the deposit is made, can we do final payments directly to the cruise line or do we need to go through the TA?

Thanks!

Thanks in advance for any replies - I need advise please!

I'm booking a family get together group cruise for 60 people celebrating two 80th birthdays and a wedding reception in July 2021 (so the cruise date can't be moved).  We're using an agent for benefits and service.   It's the first time I'm using this agent, but they appear extremely reputable, reply very quickly, and came highly recommended.  I've gotten my individual booking confirmation (as part of the group) from Royal Caribbean and it appears on Cruise Planner.  So everything seems in order.  My credit card was debited for the deposit from Royal Caribbean.

Here's my question(s):

1) Can people in the group pay the deposit directly to the cruise line?  I asked the agent and he said that all payments have to go through him - but I thought I had read somewhere on here that you should always pay deposits directly to the cruise line.  

2) Most in my group are first time cruisers, and with the current Corona situation, they are naturally wary that the cruise will not happen and even warier that the cruise line and/or travel agent will go out of business and they will never get their deposit back.  So, the question is: if the Travel Agent goes out of business, will we be able to get our deposits back from Royal? Or does the travel agent have access to those deposit amounts once paid to Royal?

3) And finally - a few people traveling are asking me if I think Royal will go out of business.  I read online they are spending $1B a month to keep afloat.  As that can obviously not be sustained forever, and no one knows the future of the virus, are others wondering that too? Any educated guesses? 

Thank you again for any replies!

3 hours ago, burm said:

Things that go wrong often turn out to make the best stories or turn out for the best in unexpected ways. 

 

I kind of hope that something goes wrong on your 50th. 🙂 Maybe one day your children could have a similar story and it could become a family curse. LOL 

Hopefully we will make it to our 50th - I'm expecting either the cake will be dropped or be on fire.  For our 60th probably both. 🤣

1 minute ago, burm said:

 

 

Good one. 😄  This was one of those time in life when it pays to have a sense of humour. Some people would go berserk and others would simply laugh at the absurdity. You could get some really good jokes in your speeches. 

 

I have to wonder though: did you like the hometown wedding cake nearly as much as your own?  Plus, my more practical mind wonders how the bakery compensated you. 

Yes it was funny and so unbelievable that our wedding celebration cakes got messed up twice.  Let's see how our 50th wedding anniversary cake comes out LOL. 

About our hometown wedding cake - that's a funny story too because all my life I've loved that specific cake I ordered (a traditional Swedish cake called a Princess Cake) - so much so that my friends even spoke about my cake obsession in speeches at our wedding.  My future mother in law and I spent the majority of our wedding planning looking for a baker that would make a tiered Princess Cake for us but in a very unusual blue  - unheard of at the time.  The cake was supposed to have a special place at the reception so when everyone entered they would see it, because all our friends knew how much I loved Princess Cake and they'd get a laugh. I also had specific requests that I didn't want what I called a "silver shower curtain rod" jammed down the center through all the layers, and I absolutely didn't want a plastic bride and groom.  Well, as you've probably guessed, the cake we got by mistake had a shower curtain rod in the middle and a plastic bride and groom.  Funniest thing is the look on my face in the photos as we were cutting it!  My expression was one of confusion and horror but trying to smile for pictures LOL. Anyways, the cake was DELICIOUS and we loved the taste!  I called the baker the next day and he apologized and gave us the cake for free!  If you're even in Stockholm you can go to Cafe Gateau for their Princess Cake - it's lovely.

For twenty years my husband and I have been laughing and telling the story of how our wedding cake got messed up at our hometown wedding.  The baker mixed up orders and our cake was delivered to the couple that was getting married the following next day and we got theirs!  

Well, two decades later, last year my husband and I were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary on Anthem of the Seas in the Radiance conference center.  We ordered a decorated sheet cake still thinking about how our original wedding cake was delivered to the wrong place.  

The cake was supposed to say, "Congratulations Mr and Mrs Skarne".  Imagine our surprise when the cake showed up and emblazoned in frosting was: "Congratulations Mr and Mrs Radiance" - The baker had written the name of the conference room on the cake instead of our last name!  At least it made it to the right place because the name of the conference room was written in frosting!

Guess we will be telling that story for the next 20 years as well! 

I found this video and article very scary as my next two cruises are out of Barcelona and it’s a city I visit often and always go to Plaça Catalunya where this happened. Also, last cruise we did out of there a few people on our roll call had already been pickpocketed before we even left!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6023211/Shocking-moment-street-traders-WHIP-American-tourist-belt.html

Shocking moment street traders WHIP an American tourist with a belt ‘when he tries to stop them hurling insults at a woman pushing a pram’ in Barcelona

The tourist was set upon by the group of street traders in the Plaça de Catalunya

Woman was insulted because she complained there was no space to pass sellers

Violent brawl broke out and one of the traders whipped the tourist with his belt

No arrests have been made. Police want to speak to the tourist about the attack

Shocking footage shows an American tourist being whipped by street traders in Barcelona during a violent brawl.

The man was reportedly set upon by the thugs in the Plaça de Catalunya after he intervened to stop them throwing insults at a woman pushing a pram.

Video filmed by a startled onlooker shows the group of men punching the unnamed victim, who is reportedly aged 45.

One of the attackers, wearing a white t-shirt and light brown shorts, then runs at the tourist and repeatedly whips him with his belt.

He was said to be left with bleeding wounds after the attack and treated in hospital.

The clip ends with the victim running out of shot and horrified passersby rushing to break up the fight.

The woman with the pram had reportedly complained that the street traders had not left her enough space to cross the road.

There have been no arrests. Police are reportedly trying to speak to the American tourist about the attack.

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If you can try the Swedish Princess Cake before you leave (princesstårta) -it’s the green cake in every bakery. It’s delicious! Hope you had a great day here!

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Great review! I saw that you’ll be in Stockholm in a few days - wondering what your plans are for visiting? Hope you enjoy our city!

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Can’t wait for more!

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Excited to follow your trip!

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I’m also wondering about this. I have MTD and how will I know which restaurant we will be in? Since the four restaurants have very different decors it would be nice to change it up during the week. It seems quite boring to go to the same dining room every night. Can I change dining rooms or do I have to be in the same dining room the whole week?

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This may not be as easy that cb at sea wrote. :rolleyes: Anthem is a more complicated ship than some others. The SeaPass cards have an RFID chip in them, and GS is not so thrilled about making multiple changes such as you describe. While it may work out just fine, I think that you should mentally prepared for problems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that your reasoning is correct. It's a school vacation week. I would not be optimistic about quad cabins becoming available, but you never know. Just keep checking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How about a birthday lunch in Nassau? Or Cocoa Beach?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

iFly takes 10 people at a time. Northstar, 13 or 14. Your group cannot do these activities en masse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the weather is good, outside and high as possible is your best viewing choice. It IS a good idea to meet at the NorthStar Bar and then look around from there. If you see a better spot, go for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2 & #6

Thank you! I will mentally prepare myself for room key problems - good tip!

Lunch would be difficult as we will all fan out in different directions in those ports. Hopefully I’ll have a luck with a dinner reservation. [emoji4]

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Sailing under the Verazzano is so exciting. You really can't miss it anywhere up top. We stood on the rail though because it was a good spot to take pictures of the skyline too. On our sailing, it was as crowded as the cruise was the whole week, everyone having their sail away drinks, the pool was packed, music playing. We did the 5pm Northstar just after that. I would guess our sailing under time was around 4:30pm or so.

I’m really looking forward to the sail away! Most in our group have never cruised before so it will be an amazing start! Did you leave Cape Liberty at 4?

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At 45 you are basically taking up every seat in the restaurant at once. So you either do a buy out, or you stagger( staggering is so the staff can keep up and not be overwhelmed with 45 courses coming out at once). It is much easier for the smaller parties who have already pre booked a day to be accommodated on a different day or time than it will be to fit 13 more on board for the same frame. Hence you buying out the entire venue. And from past experience, I would be royally peeved if a very large group such as yours took over, which causes the staff to basically ignore smaller tables, not to mention the loud boisterous nature of having 45 throwing a party.

 

Group activities can only be done on board.

 

Would not suggest North Star. Bad weather can cause it to be shut down. Is it even runnI g at sailaway? Or while going under a bridge?

 

Formal nights are typically the first full day and the second to last day.

 

 

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Thanks for your reply! Chops seats I think 110 and Wonderland I think 60, so I will look at Wonderland instead. Our big birthday party is the night before the cruise in NYC and on board we were thinking of a more relaxing birthday dinner. If we don’t do a specialty restaurant we will be in one of the normal dining rooms as we have my time dining.

I’ll hopefully find an alternative to the North Star idea just in case.

Glad to hear I guessed right on the formal nights!

Thanks again!

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Yes...once onboard, those wishing to switch cabins will go to the customer service desk and get the correct keys for their cabins. You can't just trade keys, as your photo is "linked" to your seapass.

 

I can't help with the other questions...sorry!

Phew thanks! Hopefully the group coordinator can help me do that as customer service is usually packed on embarkation.

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I’d appreciate it so much if anyone can help answer any of my questions! Thank you in advance!

I’m planning my and my husband‘s 50th birthday cruise/20th wedding anniversary on Anthem on March 31, 2018 seven nights from Cape Liberty to Florida and the Bahamas. We are a group of 45 booked with a travel agent.

1) Once we board can people in rooms be switched around? In order to book all of our rooms I used the names of family members I was certain would come along and split up families. For example, I put my husband and myself and our two children each in separate rooms so we would be able to hold four rooms with four people each while we waited for RSVPs. As people RSVPed we put them in the rooms with us because triple and quad rooms were sold out. So now I have families all mixed up because I’ve had to keep one original name on each reservation. I’m wondering if once I get on board can I switch names around in rooms so immediate families are together? The travel agent told me I have to give final names by December 15, 2018 and that if I change anything after that I’ll be charged $25 per name.

2) This cruise has been sold out for cabins with more than double occupancy for months now. I was thinking rooms would open up as we get closer to final payment but I haven’t seen any. What do you think the chances are that triple or quad rooms open up before final payment December 21, 2018? We have two families of four that want to join us but the double occupancy rates aren’t within their budgets. Easter is April 1 so it’s a vacation week for us and I think that’s why this cruise so busy.

3) We wanted to have a birthday dinner but the rates the cruise line is giving us for restaurant buyouts for Chops and Wonderland are expensive compared to what it would be to pay for our guests individually. Right now I’m able to book 2 groups of 16 people each in those restaurants. That leaves me with 13 people without seats. If I have seats booked in for example Chops for 32 people, do you think I’ll have a hard time getting 13 more seats when I’m on board? The travel agent only gives me the option to do a buyout or seat 12 people at a time and then I have to stagger my group by 30 minutes which is of course not what we want to do.

4) I have a meeting booked with the group coordinator onboard on embarkation day at 2 PM and I’ve been told that’s when I can plan our group activities, not before. That seems kind of late to me as I prefer to book before we get there so I can distribute the time information to everyone. Has anyone been able to plan before embarkation day for groups for Ifly and Northstar?

5) Would the North Star bar be the best suggestion for sailaway? We want everybody to be able to look up and see when we go underneath the Verrazano bridge. I’m estimating since sailaway is 3 o’clock that we would be going underneath the Verrazano bridge at 3:30PM. Would that be right?

6) Finally, would anyone know which nights will be formal nights on this seven night cruise?

Thank you again so much in advance for any help!

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