gemcat

We are considering an Alaska cruise next year out of Vancouver, Canada.  Has anyone done this recently? Did you have any difficulty flying into and out of Vancouver with a US passport? Any advice would be appreciated.  TIA

Thank you, that was quite helpful.

 

Coming back to update. We got our bid accepted for a Grand Suite 2BR on the Liberty of the Seas, up from a Junior Suite. We are excited to see what the perks are for a suite as we have never stayed in one before. Any advice or suggestions from you more experienced cruisers?

Starry Eyes, Thank you for that bit of advice. The expired GS 1 BR won't let me do anything; rebid, cancel, nothing. The current pending GS 2 BR also has no options to change it, not even cancel it. I'm taking this as a positive sign and hopefully RCI won't sell that suite. I'll let everyone know once I hear definitively, one way or the other.

 

Sigh, my confusion grows about the Royal Up program for the 30 January Liberty sailing. I checked my bids today and the Grand Suite, 1 bedroom was expired. The Grande Suite, 2 bedroom was still pending. I checked reservation inventory and it shows only 1 GS 2BR available and 5 GS 1BR available.  RCI figures they can sell the remaining 5 GS 1BR and so they ended my bid? Do they figure they won't sell the 1 remaining GD 2BR, so they leave the bid pending?  Not a lot of rhyme or reason apparent to me. I've read some of the explanations given here from more knowledgeable cruisers and I do appreciate that. I'll just have to wait and see what the next 10 days brings, I guess.

 

binro01, Thank you for the explanation. It did seem to be dependant on who bid what for which suite. Maybe, I'll just cut to the chase, cancel my bids, and keep my JS.  There seems lots of folks in the GS and higher. Right now, the website shows only 5 GS 1 bedrooms and 1 GS 2 bedroom available, so my chances appear negligible of winning any bid. I appreciate you taking the time to explain the process to me.

Question for you long time cruisers. This Royal Up program has me bamboozled. We are in a Junior Suite and got offers for GS 1 bedroom, GS 2 bedroom, Owner's Suite, and Royal Suite. I bid on all four. Since the idea of the program is to maximize revenue for RCI, what are the chances of actually getting the GS 2 bedroom or the Owner's Suite? If someone in a larger, more expensive suite also bid the same as I did, is it likely they would get the upgrade before I would? I'm trying to get a handle on how the program is run. Thanks in advance for your help.

I need to ask recent cruisers on Conquest if they had any problems with smoking. I am VERY allergic to cigarette smoke and my sister is asthmatic, so we need to know if there is smoking all over the ship or is it confined to certain areas? I know Carnival's policy is to have particular lounges, the casino, and certain areas on deck for smokers, but do most adhere to the policy?
If the majority of smokers limit themselves to the assigned areas, we can just avoid them. If it turns out that the limitations aren't enforced and people smoke where ever they want, we will have to cancel our cruise. Our health is far more important than a vacation.
Thank you in advance for your honest opinions and experiences.