NICruisers

Have you looked at the Victoria Park Hotel? A group of us stayed a few days there prior to our TA cruise and loved it. Extremely well maintained and friendly. Good rates too.

Definitely not on RC. I am diamond plus. Family member traveling with me (not a child) had no benefits.

Well, I stand corrected. However, my original point regarding the first timers receiving diamond booking discount is still valid. I just feel it is extremely disingenuous of the OP to make such an issue here .. these items could easily have been resolved onboard with a quiet word to the Diamond Concierge.

I apologise unreservedly if I caused any offence to either the OP or other thread contributors.

I'm not convinced by your arguments that it's my confusion with Celebrity policy guys. My understanding of the C&A benefits is as I stated, that the benefits of all occupants of the stateroom are defaulted to the status of the person booking it. I cannot find any reference in the C&A T&C nor the RCCL booking conditions that contradicts what I'm saying .. However, I'm willing to be proven incorrect ..

I beg to differ folks. My understanding is that each guest in a stateroom will enjoy the benefits of the status of the person booking the stateroom. If the op books a stateroom and his partner books the other (to avail of the discount) and they have each one of the newbies booked to share their rooms, then all 4 will receive full diamond status throughout the cruise.

I have to say that this thread makes my blood boil. If I'm reading correctly, this is your first cruise at Diamond level. Great for you, congratulations on reaching such a valuable milestone. However, the first thing you do is to book 2 balconies (I presume with your diamond discount on both) and spread you and your partner across 2 staterooms with first time cruisers with the specific intent that these first timers will then get all the benefits of diamond status throughout their cruise without ever having set foot on board a RCCL ship before. And you moan and whinge about not getting a bloody pin? You're a complete disgrace, if you ask me. How many people just like you, have had to scrimp and save and spend time accruing their cruise points to reach diamond status without the benefit of someone fast-tracking them to the top. And then being so ungrateful as to complain about a few minor niggles. GROW UP!

Or you could just buy a drink as you're on vacation? Everybody whinges these days about how the cruise lines are all nickel and diming the customer, but all I'm seeing is how much people are trying to screw the cruise industry ..

I would ALWAYS include every aspect of your holiday in your insurance. Having had to use the medical facilities onboard a cruise ship (when I contracted shingles) I can assure you that the costs of treatment are prohibitive and, had I not included cruise cover on my insurance, I would have had to bear the cost of treatment myself. For the sake of an extra few £'s, I wouldn't be prepared to take the risk. Hope this helps.

Or you could just avoid any problems by boarding with HIM through whichever method is convenient for HIM rather than you using the suite guests boarding and passing him off to someone else ...

CCL are putting more people on a smaller ship than Oasis class; their policy of cramming passengers in like sardines wouldn't appeal to me. RCL will still have the most diverse fleet catering for the widest range of cruise passengers, from the small, intimacy of Vision class through the technical innovation of Quantum class. And Oasis class is still the largest series of passenger cruise ships afloat and will be for a long time ...

Best case scenario would be you both get a drink thus defrauding RCCL and all other honest paying guests making cruising that bit more expensive for us all by your theft. Worst case scenario, your husbands drinks package gets revoked without any reimbursement. Personally, I hope the latter is what happens. So many people here complain about the cruise industry nickel and diming their customers; is it any wonder when there's the kind of dishonesty you're advocating ...

Do they have Studio's like Quantam? RCL needs to catch up with NCL with studio cabins and lounge. I'm glad they added waterslides!!

Thanks for making me chuckle! The idea of NCL with their 11 small boats needing to catch up with Royal Caribbean whose fleet is twice the number, has the largest cruise ship afloat - no, wait, two of those with another being built, the most modern and innovative ships afloat ... yes, RCCL really needs to catch up ...

I'm celebrating my 50th birthday next year and keen to take advantage of the beverage packages that are on offer - we're not big drinkers but enjoy a cocktail of an evening. We're new to cruising having recently sailed on the NCL Getaway and we have the Epic booked for later this year. We had the drinks package and the dining package and that worked well for us.

 

We're looking to try something that may be a slight step up from NCL but still keeping it informal, we don't want too much in the way of formal dining, etc. Would Royal bridge the gap for us between NCL and say Celebrity?

Royal will be ideal for you with a fantastic range of dining options and drinks packages too. Make sure you join the Crown & Anchor Society after your first RCL cruise to start your loyalty earning journey. You won't look back, I promise! All the RCL ships are amazing, but for the ultimate WOW try Oasis or Allure ...

We are considering whether drink packages are worth the money or not. Opinions???

Have a look at the site shown which should help answer your questions

http://www.******************.com/category/category/unlimited-alcohol-packages

The * should be replaced by

Royal

Caribbean

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We sailed a 4 day mini cruise on Vision prior to our TA on Oasis last autumn and loved the ship, staff and entertainment. No issues with recommending the smaller ships because they have such a fantastic 'personality' of their own.

Have a look here:

http://bookings.royalcaribbean.co.uk/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&faqId=5442&faqSubjectId=336&wuc=GBR

You won't get any recognition until you've completed your next cruise. However, have you thought of booking a 'quick' 3 or 4 day cruise to take you onto the platinum level? Some of them can be very cost effective as a short break, especially in an interior stateroom and the discounts available as a platinum when booking a subsequent cruise could help offset the cost of the short break. Just a thought ...

Independence is a fantastic ship with some of the best staff in the fleet. It's possible the reviews you've read are from people who've cruised with other lines and are making comparisons between the different styles of ship/cruise line; perhaps it may have been their first cruise with RCCL and they're unused to the format/style of cruising with Royal. My advice would be to enjoy your cruise and make up your own mind.

Can I ask .... Why the heck haven't you done these things???

Can I ask what ages your son and daughter are? If they are late teens, there really shouldn't be a problem as long as they're responsible enough to share a stateroom unaccompanied. I note from your original posting that your 2 'K' staterooms gave you a saving of $800 over 1 stateroom sleeping 4 with, as you state, the benefit of two bathrooms etc. So, with respect, RCCL's mistake here is what? Being busy looking after other customers and assigning vacant staterooms to those other guests and not you? I Am sure RCCL appreciate your 'loyalty' and you will have the benefits according to your C&A status whilst onboard for both staterooms, but in this instance you got exactly what you paid for. One of the most infuriating things ever in terms of customer service is when the supplier is 'blamed' for inferior service when the customer's expectations are wholly exaggerated; its a lose/lose situation for RCCL. I hope you enjoy your spring break cruise with your family regardless of your stateroom assignments. You will, most likely, only be in the rooms a small proportion of the time in any event.

There are a couple of casinos in Phillipsburg, all of which IMHO are a little bit 'tacky' but fun nonetheless if you want an hour or two for not many dollars. But its not Vegas, nor are they comparable to the lavish comfort of those on the ships. Tip: if you are asked by the waitress if you'd like a drink, ask for BOTTLED beer/lager or an unopened can with a separate glass. The stuff they serve in the plastic cups is not exactly what I would call top shelf ... Enjoy!

The short answer is "yes". US travellers cheques can be used at guest services or in the casino as if they were cash. You will need your sea pass card and/or passport when 'cashing' the cheques and there is no charge/commission for doing so. Have a great trip.

Maybe just to put a different perspective on this, we really enjoy meeting the Captain at the welcome back party, but could care less about the CD. Whilst I couldn't honestly say I remember many of their names, one who left an indelible impression was Caprain Bill Wright on our sailing of Oasis of the Seas a few years back. His warmth, charm and wickedly infectious sense of humour were both seen as he toured the ship meeting the guests, and heard in his regular announcements. Which, by the way, many people would stop and listen to; something I've not seen on any other cruise.

I concur with the other posters and would just wish to welcome you to the Diamond club. Enjoy your new lounge and remember the Diamond Concierge is your friend and there to help you, so let him/her know of anything you need and they will get it sorted for you. Enjoy your cruise.

Or you could always ask your room steward to ensure you have a large jug of iced water each morning and evening in your stateroom. Then use that to fill your empty water bottles and keep them in the fridge until you need them. This will be the same water they provide in the MDR. A few extra bucks as a tip will make it well worth his/her while to keep your water needs sorted. Enjoy your cruise.

Hi. Go for a JS guarantee at the best possible price. There are no 'bad' JS's on Freedom class ships and you're going to have a great room with lots of space and a great balcony. Enjoy your cruise.