Clipper123

Which hotels offer both airport and cruise port shuttles (paid or free)?

Looking ahead to next year’s cruise, flights on Delta and United (only) have been released for the dates I need.  Of course fares are higher than I usually pay with a budget airline but budget airline schedules won’t be released for several months.  I know none of us can say for certain, but I wonder if when all this is over, airfares will be outrageous in order to recoup losses and maybe I should go ahead and book with Delta now 🤔

I have never seen a code thread on on these boards but there is one here
 

https://www.disboards.com/forums/transportation.16/

3 hours ago, BlueHerons said:

So someone who visits every once in a while is a review that holds more weight than locals who have chimed in?

 

Okay.

Given such informative responses from the locals why would OP need any other reviews lol 😂  

I used Expedia during their exclusive Princess sale last year and had no issues at all.  I think data entry errors can happen anywhere and yes the TA should have double checked but in the end it is the consumer’s responsibility.  You said you had everything on the computer in front of you before calling - did you not verify the email receipt Expedia would have emailed you?  It would have had the cabin number and cabin type on it.  

Excellent review.  Thank you for taking the time to share your family’s experience.  I am so excited for our HAL cruise next year and I think the relaxation factor instead of trying to see and do all will be so nice.  It’s terrible to get home from vacation and have to take a couple more days off work to “rest” lol🤣

You put a poll up and asked for peoples opinions. You got them.

 

 

It's really a point of "Can I wear them?" or "Should I wear them?".

I actually wanted to know what NCL meant by casual shirt and if a t-shirt was indeed a casual shirt.

I also stated this question was in regard to the LESS FORMAL MDR, which allows shorts and casual shirts. If people don`t want to see people dressed down from their standards then they should not attend the LESS FORMAL MDR.

Ask this question on a Cunard,Celebrity or Princess site and I am certain the poll would indicate no votes over yes.

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Precisely why I will never cruise on any of those lines.

I put this poll up because I was not exactly sure what was meant by a "casual" shirt but once a couple of posters pointed out that NCL's definition of smart casual specifies a collar, obviously casual does include a t-shirt. I don't mean a plain old white Fruit of the Loom undershirt, I mean t-shirts, which quite often cost more than polos or button up short sleeve shirts.

But I still don't get how people get off on telling others that they cannot/should not wear what the dress code states they can wear? If you don't like the dress code of a particular cruise line then you need to go on one of the more upscale lines where you pay an arm and a leg to see others dressed the way you want people to be dressed.

NCL dress code says casual shirts for men in the less formal MDR. I would assume a t-shirt with no offending graphics is a casual shirt since the dress code does not state only collared shirts.

So DW is now looking at a NCL cruise for 2017 and I was over checking out that board. From what I can see by posts over there they are giving OBC at $1.11 and to book is at about $1.38.

BBC!! Always the first drink I purchase on every cruise for Sail away!!

What is a BBC? My wife has a list of drinks she wants to try since she is getting a package but I don't see that one on it.

Yeah right, like there would be an outlet store on a cruise ship lmao!!!!

Someone on a different website posted the official notice from RCI but I can't link it due to privacy settings - I think it was a thing the TAs get.

OPENING SCHEDULE FOR 2017 – 2018 DEPLOYMENT

DATE REGION

Week of February 22, 2016 Alaska & Cruisetours

Week of February 29, 2016 Europe & Transatlantics

Week of March 7, 2016 Caribbean, Bahamas & Northeast

Week of March 21, 2016 Australia & Singapore

*All itineraries and openings are subject to change without notice. ©2016 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ships’ registry: The Bahamas. 16048646 • 1/22/2016

Stay tuned

Since Belize is more than 1,000 miles from Haiti I am pretty sure you will not be going there if Labadee is dropped. You won't be going to Mexico either, for the same reason. Dominican Republic could be an option, assuming there is docking space available.

Oh my word how stupid of me, we are going to Cozumel and for some odd reason I thought Cozumel was in Mexico. Guess I better get a map out, oh man, can't believe how stupid I am these days - getting old sure stinks. As for Belize, gee I thought it was only a few hundred miles from Cozumel since a previous cruise went to both Cozumel and Belize. Forgive me for my misinformation. Guess I should've checked things out before posting such nonsense!!!! I guess we will just be floating in the sea if we don't make it to Labadee :(

As a Canadian, I have been to Cuba several times. My mom goes every single year and she loves it there. Part of its charm is the fact that it is untouched by the US, everything is so authentic, and Havana is a beautiful city frozen in time. It is also a very poor country by comparison to the rest of the world, but people are so happy. I only hope that once cruise ships start going there it does not become another fenced off port with Diamonds International and the usual stuff.

I totally agree with you and also hope my worst fears don't materialize when Cuba totally opens up to the US and commercialism :( I hope to get there at least once more before it does.

As for Labadee, if my sailing doesn't make it there, I hope it goes to Belize. I did read somewhere yesterday that Navigator was expected to go there today but they didn't. I really don't want another sea day or a Mexican port. The Dominican Republic would be my second choice.

Going to Labadee is two weeks. Was looking forward to some beach time. I hope they just do a sea day if it Labadee gets cancelled.

Oh not me, I sure hope they find us a different port when I go in February if they are not going to Labadee. I chose the western route because private islands are my favorite ports and Labadee has a dock so weather wouldn't be an issue - never thought about civil unrest though!!! I would have preferred the Eastern itinerary but didn't want to take the chance we wouldn't be able to tender at Cococay. I tend to agree with other posters, I LOVE Half Moon Cay!

I HOPE it hasn't changed, as this has been my experience, too. But the new beverage package PDF doesn't show it as included!

I'm not sure that it ever did specifically note "frozen beverages". I know when I was looking at the packages last year it wasn't noted so I emailed RCI and asked as there was conflicting information on this board back then. The reply that I got back was that yes, it included ALL non-alcoholic beverages including frozen drinks.

OK. Here I go again. What is the purpose of MTD if you either have to make reservations or you wait in long lines? Just give me 6pm MDR please...

Exactly my thoughts! MY TIME DINING - no reservations, show up when you feel like it, without a long wait. Have done this on other lines with absolutely no problems and no waits.

Called to Royal Gifts a few days ago and they said the $499 limit was in place (I had already picked $499/week for my upcomig cruise). Was at my travel agent yesterday picking up cruise docs, and she called her RCI rep. He said there was no limit, so I added an extra $500 per week!!! :D

 

It's disheartening to read others in this thread that want to take out a bunch at the end of the cruise. This is a great deal they're giving us, and if we take advantage of it I could see it coming to an end.

 

It's one thing to budget for a certain amount and take a few hundred home if you don't end up spending as much as you planned on booze, shore excursions, etc. It's another thing entirely to specifically try to make 30% on your money by buying thousands and bringing it back as USD... :mad: For people with that thought in mind, don't ruin it for the rest of us!

 

My guess is they give us this excellent rate to encourage us to spend while on-board, similar to vacation destinations in the states accepting CDN $ at par. You wouldn't send $10,000 to a hotel you were staying at in the states, and hope to take out $9,000 USD when you leave, would you?

Exactly, as I said in an earlier post, RCI is not a bank, they are giving the fantastic rate so that we will spend more on board. I'm sure it will come to an end soon. They are already making it so that it isn't quite so easy to cash out in the casino on some ships and that is set to go fleet wide. I'm sure when the beards get enough reports of all these people cashing out hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars at the end of the cruise, they will stop that real quick. It is a shame, as the saying goes, a few bad apples ruin it for everyone.

It was much easier to go to Guest Services to get cash on our October Independence cruise.

Keeping in mind each CSR only had a float of $2000 cash I think, so I had to come back to see the head accountant for the ship to get my $10,000 in cash.

Had to go to her office behind guest services and wait for her to pull the cash from the big safe and run it through the bill counter.

 

Friends who I traveled with had $20,000 OBC and they had no trouble getting it from Guest Services.

 

We gambled daily and only down a little for the week, so all in all a great ROI!

 

Oj!

And we wonder why this seems to be coming to an end!!! It's a cruise ship not a bank :rolleyes: I'm quite sure the excellent exchange rate is so that Canadians will buy more OBC to spend on the ship, not to pay off their mortgage!

Wow...you must have booked a long time ago :rolleyes:

This is for one of your upcoming cruises??? (I see you have cruises ranging from soon to Mar 2017). Don't thing that the rate has even been at par for years. I didn't do any calculation on the gratuities as I'm not sure what exchange rate Royal uses when they already convert the amount to CAD (but it's certainly not the 1.1%)...but I figured it was better than paying the higher amount at 1.1% (i.e. if we waited and used our OBC to pay it off). I have looked at the amount since the raise and it's worked out to a savings of $137.88 CAD for the four of us.

The CND $ was at par and higher than US$ for a month or so back in Fall 2014. I booked my upcoming 2016 cruise in CND$ in October 2014. My grats are $76.87 CND for a 7 day cruise, whereas in US$ they were $84 I believe at the time I booked ($12 x 7 days).

I definitely would not just "miss the boat". It is a lot more complicated to get back on at the next port then to just walk on and say "I'm back" :)

So I set my own account up as a cash account. I am travelling with my husband and minor son. My husband will have his own cash account. I wanted to authorize my son to charge on my account but the only option I have is to add myself or "all" - the box beside my husband's name and son's name is not available to check? I had originally set up my son as "no account". Anyone know how I can add just him to my account? I know I can do it at check-in at the ship but just kind of wanted everything done ahead of time.

I was actually under the assumption that we handed over the cash as soon as we boarded. So therefore would not be holding onto it the whole trip. I can only assume now since reading all the other answers of people who DO use cash to pay for their accounts that they lock the money in their room safe? Therefer again not really "carrying it around the whole trip". If this is incorrect please correct me.

 

Are there atms onboard that you can access your money instead of bringing cash with you?

 

Thank you all for you answers!

My family have all purchased on board credit prior to our cruise. The money will be on our accounts and we will only need to go cash out whatever is left over on the last night. We won't be carrying any cash onto the ship, other than whatever money we would normally have in our wallets.

We will be using a cash acc't this time. We have a large amount of refundable OBC and expect some will be left over at the end of the cruise. Can we close out the account (take whatever cash is left over) at Guest Services before the last night and apply a credit card or can we only take money out through the casino prior to the last night?