NameThatFunnel

Want cheaper prices, people need to stop booking at these out of touch rates.

You want these cutbacks and price increases to stop? Quit booking cruises, period. That is the only way to  get their attention. NCL are the worst offenders for cutbacks and increases in the industry. They should be banned for using the term "free" in any of their marketing.

I've looked at several dates this morning and I not seen any C&A suite/balcony discounts being applied, same prices without member number.

Yes, you can do this, I was able to myself. However, as someone stated, the FCC can take upwards of 6-8 weeks to get issued.

For Royal Caribbean's Terminal A try using the address 2000 N Cruise Blvd, Miami, FL 33132 for Royal Terminal A. I've booked in advance before as well, but had my driver cancel the ride before picking me up. Subsequesnt rides were available be within 15 to 20 minutes, it can dependhow far you need to travel.

I was able to watch that webinar as well, while it might not have too clear in the way it was described, I believe the VP of Food & Beverage was not stating that the actual venues of Cafe Promenade are going to be converted to Starbucks outlets, but that any venue that sells coffee onboard, will now only be selling Starbucks branded coffee.

11 hours ago, cruisetorelax44 said:

When I was on Odyssey earlier this month, I saw Chops had replaced the delicious mushroom soup with a butternut squash soup. And it appears, it has been replaced on my upcoming Oasis cruise. The soup was my absolute favorite thing on board every ships. 

What other foods that were once available are you missing?

That is a shame if they are not offering it at this time. I was on Odyssey in August and had the mushroom soup at least twice and again on Oasis over Thanksgiving.

18 minutes ago, LeCommandant said:

Thanks. I booked YC 3 days ago. I hope it is not a mistake 😉 

Personally, it is never a mistake to book Yacht Club. I typically book both YC and Aurea depending on cruise, I think with the changes it will be YC only going forward.

31 minutes ago, LeCommandant said:

thanks four your feedback. Any change for Yacht Club?

Been mentioned before, but YC guest now get the Premium Extra Drink package, with drink up to $15. Any YC guest booked prior to Nov 15th will get the new enhanced beverage package. Also, not sure if YC receive access to Thermal Suite anymore, it is not specifically mentioned like it was before.

New pricing structure has many more categories at varying price points for specific locations on ship. Biggest difference I've seen is Aurea no longer gets included beverage package or free massage, still get access to Thermal Suite and just 10% discount on spa service. That is a major downgrade, however, it does appear the've lowered the entry pricing for Aurea as well.

15 hours ago, JKCamara said:

I am sure that this question has been asked before, but there is also 200+ pages to go through.
We are 6 days from sailing. Yesterday I checked our status and all of our bids were expired except one that still says pending. The strange thing is we can not modify or cancel this bid, nor have we received an email confirmation that we have won the bid (and assigned a new cabin). 

 

Is this typical? 

Thanks!

This happened to me two weeks ago (three weeks before departure), one bid became expired, the other pending with no way to edit or cancel. At that point we decided to split into 2 connecting rooms rather than try to upgrade to one suite. I was told to email RoyalUp to request they cancel my bids. Three emails later, still no response. I ended up canceling the original booking, but to my surprise the original RoyalUp bid on the canceled booking still shows as pending. I'm thinking they tried to lock me into my bid even though I was supposed to have the ability to change or cancel at that point. I've done RoyalUp many times and this might be my last time, I don't trust the process anymore.

I'm three weeks out and I cannot modify or cancel for the past 4 days. I think this is game Royal plays to lock you in while they try to get higher bids and or sell remaining inventory at higher rates, while still keeping your bid in their back pocket. Personally, I want to change my bids at this point, and I've already emailed them, but no reply. I'm supposed to be able to edit or cancel my bids until two days before sailing, unless they accept my offer, which they have not.

I'm in a situation where I have 3 weeks until departure, one of my bids went expired two days ago and the other is pending with no way to change or cancel it. Just prior to this happening,  I was thinking of changing my bids or just booking a different combination of rooms outside of Royal Up. Now I don't want to change my booking if there's an upgrade coming, but I also don't want to wait until last minute to find out I didn't get it and can longer take my other direction. Unless they are accepting an offer, I don't think they should ever remove the ability to cancel or change bids (even for a day or two) outside of their rules that state "you may modify or cancel your offer up until 2 days prior to departure, provided that your offer has not already been accepted by RCI and provided your credit card has not been charged".

20 minutes ago, barbiecruiser27 said:

So close! 

If you wouldn't mind posting what it looks like at the terminal when you arrive, I have a 3:15 check-in and as VV requested, I wil get there an hour early for testing and such. Thanks

For those with upcoming cruises, on the Virgin Voyages website it states "The testing will occur at the terminal and will be provided free of charge by Virgin Voyages, so Sailors will need to arrive 1 hour prior to their scheduled embarkation time to ensure time for the test.

Is Richard's Rooftop open to all guests? I was under the impression it was just for Rock Star suite guests.

I'm not a huge drinker, so the $300 bar tab to get an extra $150 is not for me, especially since it's use it or lose it. From what you've seen, are drinks like beer, glass of wine, basic cocktails reasonably priced? Also, I'm assuming those Coca Cola drink machines are included under basic bevvies? Thanks again for your postings.

Thanks for the onboard pictures. I'm seeing a lot of chairs in close proximity, are they following any sort of social distancing on Scarlet Lady around the ship, elevators etc. and what about masks?

I've been on 5 cruises over the past 6 weeks with different cruise lines and they all had strict social distancing and indoor mask requirements.

The Top 19 (Aurea Sun Deck) is quite disappointing on Meraviglia. There is no real bar, only a small bar cart with very limited selections.

I turn Platinum on my next cruise, so I called Carnival a week or two before check-in opened, and they adjusted my status from Gold to Platinum. Within 24 hours it showed up on my Carnival profile and the check-in date changed to 16 days before. BTW, I checked in at Midnight (16 days before departure), and was able to get the 10:30-11:00 am arrival window. The ability to get the perks of the next VIFP level from the beginning of the cruise where you achieve the new level is awesome. Thanks Carnival!

2 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

What kind of suite? What I’ve found for the Ocean Suite which is the standard suite, it’s just a larger bathroom with a tub vs. a shower. Here’s a floor plan and if you see the bathroom it appears there’s a tub. 
I believe in older ships the suites had tubs as well, so I’m guessing that’s the only difference. 

I know it might not be easy to see from that tiny room layout picture, but the Ocean Suites on Mardi Gras have a large shower, not a tub. That white area is the sink/vanity, the room description even says walk in shower. "two twin beds (convert to king), single sofa bed and one upper pullman. Vanity with illuminated mirror. Separate sitting area with sofa and coffee table. Full deluxe bathroom with walk-in shower. Ample closet space. Private large balcony with patio chairs and table." 

Online check-in just opened for my cruise on Odyssey of the Seas and I was surprised to see that the earliest arrival time window was 1:00 - 1:30PM. Anyone get an earlier window for Odyssey. It states that all guests will be required to complete a wellness check during your arrival time, but not sure if these times coincide with the pre-screen email I received about vaccinations. I already  providing my status as vaccinated. I used the app to check-in, but I cannot complete the health questions until the day before sailing.

Mardi Gras will definitely not be sailing at 100% on her first cruises, but either the actual number is really high or people are just not interested in booking Mardi Gras. Carnival reopened sailings departing July 31 almost two weeks ago and there is still plenty of space open to book on every sailing. By contrast, Royal Caribbean opened sailings starting July 3rd (now July 31st) on Odyssey of the Seas and those dates were completely gone quickly (albeit with some inventory going to displaced guests of Independence of the Seas). I think the limited access for families (with children under 12) to book these first sailings on Mardi Gras has hurt Carnival's usually hot summer bookings.

I would hope we get more clarity on expected protocols, restrictions, vaccine requirements, open/closed venues etc. before committing what will likely be big $$$ for any of Odyssey's first summer sailings. Full payment will be required at time of booking and cancelation penalties will start immediately as well. Make sure you are ok with taking an FCC for the full cost of your cruise, if you don't like what changes/updates are still to be announced.

I received this offer, but what is the point of limiting it to double occupancy rooms only. I'm sure they can code it to apply to just the first two guests in the room, like most cruise lines do with similar offers. Why should people traveling with their kids or more than two in room be excluded?