prchoudh

I would continue to move up the RCCL command chain until you get someone who will listen to you. Not sure how much you will lose but if you go and aquire the disease it might cost you a lot more further down the road than the cost of the cruise.

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Night and day difference. I'm on the platinum for carnival as well and started sailing on RCCL. Much better ships and service. Clientele is also much better. Boarding also is way better than Carnival. I was on the Allure of the Seas recently and enjoyed the fast boarding time. Almost felt like I was a Platinum member again.

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I don't like to leave things to chance so IMO I always go in the day before. There are too many factors and I'm always the person that doesn't like to stress over things.

One of my friends left today for an Alaskan cruise. His flight was delayed for over 4 hours last night. Potentially that might have screwed things up if it was on the same day.

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thanks

I am trying to plan on a cruise in July 2016 and wanted to approximate the costs for the shore excursions. The cruise does a roundtrip from Barcelona and goes to the following ports:

Malorca

Marseilles

Florence/Pisa

Rome

Naples

My wife has never been to Europe and I have been to all the areas that the ship has to offer. I am looking to hit the major tourist spots in each of the ports. Would $100 US per port cover the ports mentioned or should I allocate more?

Thanks

I hurt my ankle on my 1st cruise. Couldn't get a hold of my stateroom attendant when I got back on board. I called Room Service and they sent up a bucket of ice. It's a good thing that I always travel with extra ziplock bags. Had a gallon sized one that worked well for the ice. When my stateroom attendant found out I had injured my ankle, he was great at keeping my ice bucket and my ziploc bag full of ice for the rest of the week!

My Physical Therapist told me about a solution of 1 cup alcohol to 2 cups of water. Put it in a zip lock bag and freeze it. It forms a frozen gel which will contour to your body part.

Cruise 2 to 3 times per year and do an inside cabin. The times that I have chose an inside cabin, was not a big deal. I was never in my room. The only time I book an outside cabin or a balcony is when the price differential is not that much.

Having had trouble with making cruise planner bookings on the website, I called the infamous UK contact number and got someone somewhere.

First attempt, after going through multiple levels of multiple choices, I was cut off :mad:

Second.....after getting someone to stay on the call, i was told that "they did not know" and would get a coworker to call me back in a couple of minutes.

 

I gave my cell number, with and without the country dialling code and waited patiently.

 

18 hours later, I am still waiting.

Is this the norm for wonderful RCCI?

I bet if it was to make a payment, they would be back in a flash.

 

Cmon RCCI, you want the money, now give the service.

Interesting. When I booked my cruise, I did not have the air lined up so, I did not want to pay for the transfers yet. So, RCCL told me that I can wait up to a week before sailing.

On Wednesday, I called RCCL through my travel agent and they told me my travel agent that the do not book transfers if I choose my own air. Then they told me that I can show up at the airport and hope that I get on a bus to the cruise port. I was told about the return transfer back to the airport. I was floored and told my travel agent, that it sounds like they are telling me that if I don't get on a shuttle to the port, I am SOL. For a minute there, I thought I was dealing with Carnival and threw up all sorts of red flags considering, I was told one thing and now I am told something different.

I then had the travel agent call back and this time they told the travel agent, that the transfers were sold out. Not a big deal... I decided to rent a car to drive to the port (Cheaper than the transfers) and then I had my travel agent call back the next day and got the transfers back to the airport taken care of.

I had knee surgery recently and was told that I would probably need to ice my knee at least once daily. What does RCCL do for you when this situation occurs?

The Miami Hilton near MIA is in the Blue Lagoon area - only about a 5-10 minute walk from a local strip mall with grocery, drug and liquor stores. :D If you do not want to make the walk the hotel shuttle should be happy to take you there and back for an appropriate tip. If they won't then cancel your reservation and stay down the block at the Homewood Suites (still Hilton family) who will.

 

Many of the car rental agencies at FLL or near the port offer free shuttles to Port Everglades; if you get a good deal on a car from someone who does not a taxi to PE will run $15 or less.

 

Depending upon what hotel in the FLL area you choose, a taxi from MIA will run about $80+ and then you still need to get to PE the next morning. Car service will cost the same or more and shared shuttle service will run about $30-40 each.

 

The cruise transfer is not a bad option for you - no hassle with gas, dropping the rental car off, another shuttle, etc. and the $70 is likely not much more than what your total cost for the rental will be. Good luck! :)

Thanks for the tip. I was able to look it up on Google Maps and found the Hyatt place even closer to the Publix, Starbucks and such. So, I cancelled Hilton and went with the Hyatt.

My flight gets into Miami at 7 p.m.. I was thinking of some options..

1. Stay at the Miami Hilton for 104 and then rent a car the next day from Miami to Ft Lauderdale and catch the cruise. If I choose this option, how do I get from the car rental agency to the port?

2. Stay at Miami Hilton for 104 and then catch the Royal Caribbean Shuttle to the port (this costs us $70 roundtrip).

3. Find some way to get to Fort Lauderdale once we land in Miami and spend the night in at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale. If we do this, I would prefer a non-shared ride and would like to catch it from the Miami Airport.

In many ways, I like the concept of renting a car because there is always something I need to get before getting on the ship. However, in the past when I have planned to have a taxi take me somewhere (like to Target) it winds up costing a fortune and then I think it was a mistake. I have been to Miami several times to take cruises. I have only driven that town once and therefore am not excited about a renting a car once we land and then getting in a car and trying to get to the hotel in Fort Lauderdale.

About 3 weeks ago, it was a toss up between the FOS and the Allure. I had decided to book the Allure and then wondered if I made the correct decision. Here was my rationale.... Normally I get off the ship at the port and walk around the pier and visit a couple of places for about 3 hours or so and then get back on the ship. I find the shore excursions way to expensive so, we usually just stay on the ship.

With that in mind, the attraction of the Allure is the ship and the attraction of the FOS are the ports. I have never been on Coco Cay but, I have been on Carnival's private island and Disney's private island. It is nice to visit those islands and be able to see nothing but the island and the ship. I love them from the standpoint of their uniqueness. So, that is what swayed me towards the FOS.

I have done balcony cabins, Outside cabins and inside cabins. I am doing the balcony this time and the last time I did an inside cabin. When I did the inside cabin it was a little weird being in darkness a lot. However, the price difference at that time was quite substantial. On the Allure of the Seas, the price difference between the inside cabin and outside cabin was not that much.

Looking for a hotel near the Miami Airport which will provide:

Free transportation to and from the airport.

Close to a CVS, Target or other for pre-cruise supplies (toiletries, munchies, etc..)

Or provide transportation for those items or to a mall

The last time, I did this was near Miami and the cab ride to Target was $60 each way which defeated the purpose. My wife almost shot me for that one.

I have been looking through this site for info on getting to Ft. Lauderdale from Miami Airport. Here is my situation and was wondering what you might recommend.

I fly into Miami airport at 6:30 pm on Saturday. My cruise leaves Sunday late afternoon from Ft. Lauderdale.

I want to book either a Miami airport hotel or a Ft. Lauderdale hotel. I would also like to try and take the tri-city train and taxi combination. Or, I can spend the night at the Miami airport and pay for transfers to and from Miami airport by the cruise but. that is quite expensive.

I also saw online that I can get a rental car from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon for $40 from Alamo.

Thanks for all the information. Based on all the promotions and pricing I went with the allure of the seas. The jewel was $600 more and I figured for that I could go to Vegas on a weekday for that so I could get more trips.

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Thank you. I appreciate all the feedback. When I have stayed in an inside cabin, I usually bring a small alarm clock. At home, I have a tendency to get up when the sun rises which of course makes it harder to get up for work when its dark.

Many thanks to those that have helped me with the cruise so far. I have the cruise narrowed down to Princess Cruise. I decided against RCCL based on cruise critic feedback as well as the itinerary. At any rate, being that this is my first cruise and I am starting to plan the cruise now with less than 2 months until sailing, the RT cruises are the same price when you factor in the airfare or in some cases more.

The price difference between the outside cabin with a window verses inside cabin is $800 ($2000 vs. $2800). My location is on the Riviera deck but not directly below the pool. The location is close to the stairs so, I can walk quickly upstairs. The Princess rep did tell me that sometimes things pop up on opposite side of the ship so, even if you have an outside cabin, you still might need to get to a viewing area to watch the scenery.

Is the extra 800 really worth having a window to see out of? If I do, then I have to take the money out of shore excursions or other. I have traveled on Caribbean cruises with Interior staterooms and it was decent. Not exactly my most preferred way to travel but, based on the cost difference it felt justified at the time.

Thanks for the suggestions. I would really like to go on an Alaskan cruise this summer. If not, I will start planning for next year. It just feels as though, I keep wanting to do it right but every year it has to be put off. I will check out of the RT from Seattle. I am coming from LAX so, the rates are not that horrible. The cruise for an outside cabin continues to be a concern. But, I will check into all the info that was given.

Thanks

Perhaps you need to put it off until 2015 and take advantage of rates offered this year for next year. For instance, Enterprise often runs an offer in July/August for the following year, $150 for a week long car rental. Most budget accomomodations have already been snapped up for this year, so plan your itinerary for 2015 and book this Aug and Sept for next year. You can easily find hotel rooms, B&B's or cabins for $150 a night. Stay in a place with a kitchenette so you can make some of your own meals. Buy a cheap cooler to keep drinks and sandwich fixings.

Or maybe do RT cruise this year and a DIY land trip next year ?

You can't expect to find great deals when you're planning 6 weeks out. I mean Alaska only has a 3 month tourist season, so deals were gone months ago. Take your time, do your research, take advantage of early bird specials, Northern Lights or Alaska Discount coupon books, and read the trip reports to learn about other travellers budget ideas. Good luck!

Yeah I am starting to wonder about that. I feel a little overwhelmed and feel like i have to make some quick decisions pretty soon otherwise I will lose out.

I just checked Alyska Resort in Girdwood and for weekend of July 12th (randomly chosen), they are "only" $279 a night. My H and I stayed there last year and it was beautiful and lots to do in that area. You can go north to Anchorage (about an hour or south towards seward (Exit Glacier, the sealife center). You can go to the Wildlife Conservation Center in Girdwood and take the Portage lake Glacier cruise also right in that area. The tram at the resort is great too and awesome views at the top. By the way, there are coupons for BOGO for all those places in the Northern Lights Coupon book. If I only had a couple of days, this is what I'd do. Dinali IS fantastic but that would be all you'd have time for. We're going to Alaska again this year cruise Vancouver to Whittier then driving for 7 days to a different area than last year. By the way, car rentals ARE expensive. You're better off taking a transfer (we're using Alaska Cruise Transfer and they are pretty cheap) from seward to Anchorage airport or somewhere in downtown Anchorage to rent your car and then back track. Car rentals are very expensive but VERY VERY expensive if you don't drop off where you pick up.

Thank you for the information. I am finding that Alaska is way more expensive than I realized but, I am determined to go. I need to stop putting off, "waiting for the right time, when I can do it right" and just do it. The 279 scares me though because 279x3 or 4 nights in itself is expensive.

I have always wanted to go to Alaska and wanted to do it "right". This year was looking very doubtful because the DW was going to get laid off. Then about 3 weeks ago, she was told that she was saved for at least another year. So, I am late in planning this trip for July.

I have the cruise line narrowed down along with some of the excursions like White Pass Railroad, seeing a sled dog place and visting Emerald Lake. I have about 3-4 days after the cruise ends in Anchorage. I was disturbed to see the Anchorage Hilton charging $400 per night and I want to see more of Alaska. I think the ship gets into Seward at 5 a.m so, I can start early.

Where should I go around the Anchorage area? I would like to see Denali National Park and do some sightseeing. Prince Williiam Sound, sounds good as well. Glacier Bay sounds interesting. At any rate, when I heard that the hotel was $400 per night, my first instinct was to fly home after the cruise.

What places do you suggest? I would like to rent a car and drive around or take a ferry and such. This is my first time going to Alaska. I would like to see wildlife. I am active but, my wife is not all that active.

thanks

Customs lines in Vancouver can be long. It will also take you a while to get through the airport as it is large. When I've been in this situation, I book transfers through RCL. Even though you may be booking air on your own, they will know your flight # and arrival time (from booking transfers) in case something goes wrong.

 

I have only booked arrival to Vancouver same day once and that's when they offered U.S. Direct. I prefer not to deal with the stress of arriving same day.

I agree. I am not one that enjoys stressing out. Thanks for the info

I am leaning towards the Radiance of the Seas which departs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. I cannot fly in the night before so, I have to fly in that day. When is the latest that I can fly into Vancouver and still make it to the ship without being stressed about missing the cruise. I also will have to go through customs when I get to Vancouver.

thanks. You are do bring up great points. I was adding up the costs as I have to present the final costs to the DW. I am comparing the cost against Maui and as I started to add up the shore excursions and the outside cabin, I was having to cut back on the shore excursions and planning other things.

When I went on Carnival the last time, I did an inside cabin and it was okay. Getting used to 24 hour darkness was a little odd but then again, we got used to it. We do like to spend time inside the cabin to escape the crowds.