DEL67

Is that actually policy or just an above and beyond? That is nice, but it really isn't their fault you got sick.

I was told by the Customer Relations Manager, when he apologized to me, that it is RCCL policy to contact anyone confines to their cabin twice a day.

Or, if you do, do not go to the doctor!

I was on the August 16th sailing of the Legend of the Seas and I was generally enjoying the cruise (other than the horrific embarkation.) Then I came down with what I thought was a bad cold and sore throat.

At my daughter's insistence I went to the doctor. He told me that I had Influenza B, gave me a mask, the room service number, an envelope full of Acetaminophen packets and confined me to my cabin for 24 to 48 hours. He also told me that there would most likely be a special procedure when we landed in Singapore. He did not address my cough or sore throat.

After returning to the cabin, I sent my daughter back for cough syrup. They gave her a multi-relief syrup with no instructions.

Luckily I read labels. If had taken the syrup with the Acetaminophen tablets as prescribed, I would have been taking 2 1/2 times the maximum dose. The next day my daughter bought me cough syrup on shore.

Over the next 2 1/2 days (so much for the 24 to 48 hours,) I was dependent solely on my daughter and cabin steward for anything I needed. Not once did I receive a call from the Customer Relations desk or anyone else from RCCL. The room service menu was definitely not designed for a sick person so my daughter brought me all my meals with the exception of lunch the day we were in port. Even then, given my sore throat, I primarily ate oatmeal for breakfast and mashed potatoes for lunch and dinner.

By the last day I was getting upset about the possible special procedures in Singapore so my daughter went to the Guest Relations desk and, after not getting an answer, demanded to speak to the manager. She did speak to Jorge who immediately called me and apologized. He said that it was RCCL's policy that I should have been called at least twice a day to see if I needed any special food or anything else to make me comfortable. He also said that there was no special procedure and we could disembark normally.

That night after we went to bed early, the nurse came in to take my temperature. Right after she left, our bags were thrust back into our cabin. Upset, I called Guest Relations and was turned over to the person in charge of disembarkation. She told that there was a special procedure to "help us" and we would be last, but gave me no explanation why. I spoke to her and she finally agreed we could disembark as scheduled at 9 AM so we went back to sleep. Over the next 2 hours we received 2 more calls saying we would be last. Each time, my daughter went to .the Guest Relations desk and was assured that someone would be there at 9 AM.

Disembarkation morning. knowing there was no room service, my daughter brought me breakfast, Then we received another call saying we would be last. I called Guest Relations, asked for Gorge and was told he was on the gangway. When I again insisted on speaking to a manager, the person I was speaking to hung up. Angry, I then went up to Guest Relations and spoke to a manager who said he would send someone to help with our bags. This did not happen. However at 8:15 I did receive my first call from RCCL asking if I wanted breakfast.

At 9:15 my daughter went to the gangway and said she needed to speak to Jorge. He was surprised to find out that our bags had been returned to the room and sent the Diamond Concierge and another officer to help with our bags. However since there were 3 of us, my daughter still had to take her big bag off and I was left with the 2 carry-ons.

I was never happier to get off a ship!

In retrospect, I should have been more demanding. But I was not feeling well and did not know I could request special food (like a boiled egg for lunch) so I made do with what my daughter could find in the buffet. Regardless, RCCL made a bad situation worse not only by not following its own policy, but more importantly be not providing explanations when requested.

This was my 14th RCCL cruise and until last week, RCCL was my preferred cruise line. I assume that I will eventually cruise RCCL again, but doubt it will be anytime soon.

I have not been on Celebrity for a while, but for me, a fresh orange juice lover, the primary difference was that Celebrity's continental breakfast in the lounge included fresh orange juice while RCCL's does not.

However I will say that the Legend of the Seas last week had a nice selection of Hors deurves every night. In face that it was pretty much the same selection as was served at the top tier party (which was in the Solarium and not very top tier.)

Or, if you do, do not go to the doctor!

I was on the August 16th sailing of the Legend of the Seas and I was generally enjoying the cruise (other than the horrific embarkation.) Then I came down with what I thought was a bad cold and sore throat.

At my daughter's inssistance, I went to the doctor who told me that I had Influenza B, gave me a mask, the room service number an envelope full of Acetaminophen packets and confined me to my cabin for 24 to 48 hours. He also told me that there would most likely be a special procedure when we landed in Singapore. He did not address my cough or sore throat,

After returning to the cabin, I sent my daughter back for cough syrup. They gave her a multi-relief syrup with no instructions.

Luckily I read labels. If had taken the syrup with the Acetaminophen tablets as prescribed, I would have been taking 2 1/2 times the maximum dose. The next day my daughter bought me cough syrup on shore.

Over the next 2 1/2 days (so much for the 24 to 48 hours,) I was dependent solely on my daughter and cabin steward for anything I needed. Not once did I receive a call from the Customer Relations desk or anyone else from RCCL. The room service menu was definitely not designed for a sick person so my daughter brought me all my meals with the exception of lunch the day we were in port. Even then, given my sore throat, I primarily ate oatmeal for breakfast and mashed potatoes for lunch and dinner.

By the last day I was getting upset about the possible special procedures in Singapore so my daughter went to the Guest Relations desk, and after not getting an answer, demanded to speak to the manager. She did speak to Jorge who immediately called me and apologized. He said that it was RCCL's policy that I should have been called at least twice a day to see if I needed any special food or anything else to make me comfortable. He also said that there was no special procedure and we could disembark normally.

That night after we went to bed early, the nurse came in to take my temperature. Right after she left, our bags were thrust back into our cabin. Upset, I called Guest Relations and was turned over to the person in charge of disembarkation. She told that there was a special procedure to "help us" and we would be last, but gave me no explanation why. I spoke to her and she finally agreed we could disembark as scheduled at 9 AM so we went back to sleep. Over the next 2 hours we received 2 more calls saying we would be last. Each time, my daughter went to .the Guest Relations desk and was assured that someone would be there at 9 AM.

Disembarkation morning. knowing there was no room service, my daughter brought me breakfast, Then we received another call saying we would be last. I called Guest Relations, asked for Gorge and was told he was on the gangway. When I again insisted on speaking to a manager, the person I was speaking to hung up. Angry, I then went up to Guest Relations and spoke to a manager who said he would send someone to help with our bags. this did not happen. However at 8:15 I did receive my first call from RCCL asking if I wanted breakfast.

At 9:15 my daughter went to the gangway and said she needed to speak to Jorge. He was surprised to find out that our bags had been returned to the room and sent the Diamond Concierge and another officer to help with our bags. However since there were 3 of us, my daughter still had to take her big bag off and I was left with the 2 carry-ons.

I was never happier to get off a ship!

In retrospect, I should have been more demanding. But I was not feeling well and did not know I could request special food (like a boiled egg for lunch) so I made do with what my daughter could find in the buffet. Regardless, RCCL made a bad situation worse not only by not following its own policy, but more importantly be not providing explanations when requested.

This was my 14th RCCL cruise and until last week, RCCL was my favorite cruise line. I assume that I will eventually cruise RCCL again, but doubt it will be anytime soon.

I was on the Legend of the Seas August 16th sailing from Hong Kong to Singapore:

Ship: Shows her age in a few places, but otherwise in good shape and kept spotless. We liked the small size and the friendliness of the other passengers (high percentage were Australians.)

Crew- A real mix. The Entertainment staff were fun (especially Orlando). Our cabin steward was the best we have ever had. Our waiters were good. However, the Guest Relations staff were the worst I have encountered in 40+ cruises. They rarely smiled, you never got the same answer twice and they did not follow RCCL policy (see the comments I am about to post.)

Entertainment: A mixed bag. In addition, instead of stating what an entertainer did, the Compass said something like "a utube sensation" which was annoying.

Food: Average or a little better for RCCL.

Embarkation: An unbelievable mess taking 2 hours or more with people packed into a room without sufficient air conditioning. I understand that it was due to the old terminal and Hong Kong Port Authority regulations; however. RCCL should have put some thought into ways of alleviating the situation and taken some responsibility rather than placing the blame elsewhere. Most of all, they should have made sure that the disabled and elderly were cared for. There were women with walkers leaning against the wall and a woman pushing a wheelchair and 2 bags because no one directed her to the bag drop. That should never have happened!

There is not much to see in the caves, but it is different than tubing at home. In addition, the guides usually provide information as you walk through the rain forest on the way to the starting point and you also float past through a beautiful rain forest area.

We just used them last week in Belize and Cozumel and were pleased with their local vendors' service.

In Belize we went cave rafting (paddling small inflatable kayaks down the same river that cave tubing uses.) There were only 2 others on the tour and it was a lot of fun.

We have been cave tubing several times. In addition, we were just in Belize last and went cave rafting where you go down the same river using small inflatable kayaks instead of tubes.

The water was cool, but not really cold and we did not see bat crap.

We will be on the Legend of the Seas in August. I am trying to put together some private tours for our roll call and would appreciate any suggestions for guides and what we should see. The ports are:

- Manila

- Puerto Princesa

- Boracay

- Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

- Muara (Bandar Seri Begawan), Brunei

I had to send them an art purchase receipt to get any points for a cruise I took in 2001 and then credited me with the wrong number of points (7 instead of 10.) I must admit, I gave up

Absolutely as long as the crew speaks English and safety announcements are made in English. In fact we are taking a 10 night RCCl cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore in Auguat

Now that we have changed to daylight savings time, does the Jewel stay on ship time while in ports or turn the clock back to match port times (Central Standard?)

What is going on?

I went into my fully paid reservation today and clicked on cruise documentation. Suddenly my price jumped and it showed over $800 owed. Luckily when I backed out of it, my price reverted to the original price with nothing owed.

We used them a couple of years ago for a tour to Pisa and Florence and were pleased. The bus was a bit old, but the guide was excellent and the price far better than the ship.

As AF-1 indicated, it can be a distance from the front of the port to your ship.

On our cruise in August, the Splendour was closest ship, but the luggage drop was almost the full length of the ship from the start of the pier and there was no one to help you. The baggage handlers stood at the top of the ramp just watching. They made no effort to help us with our luggage. Normally it would not have been a problem for us, but one of the wheels had broken on my daughter's bag so we were dragging it.

Ironically as we walked from the baggage drop off to check-in, we saw that they had luggage carts, but they were not made available to passengers.

We did the Splendour's alternate itinerary last month and enjoyed it. Although we did not visit the ports you are going to, we have been to 2 of your ports, Dubrovnik and Kusadasi.

Like several other posters, I do not think you need a ship's tour in Dubrovnik. Instead take the shuttle bus (or a taxi) into the old town. You can easily wander around the city, but if you like history and do not mind steps, I would take one of the Walk the Walls tours offered imside the city near the main entrance (Pile Gate.) We did so and found our guide to be both informative and interesting as we enjoyed the views from the top of the walls.

Kusadasi: To us Ephesus is a must if you have not been there. And,if you like mosaics, be sure to find a tour that offers a visit to the Apartments. The work of reconstructing the mosaics is still going on, but what they finished is amazing. We arranged for a private tour prior to our arrival using one of the companies recommended on these boards. And, of course, a visit to a bazaar is always fun if you so not mind aggressive sellers.

Have fun.

Thank you for posting these. We did not receive coupon books while on the Splendour last month. Instead the "coupons" were supposed to be posted on our cards. Since my daughter and I never received our respective welcome letters (diamond and platnium,) we never knew what offers we could take advantage of.

If the ship is scheduled to dock by 7 AM, you should be able to make a 11:40 flight without any issues.

One suggestion though. Check out hiring private transportation. The price is often comparable or less expensive than ship transfers and you do not have to wait for a bus to fill up.

In addition, if you have not already done so, join (or start) the roll call for your cruise and see if anyone would like to share transportation for you. Last time we did so, it was only 20 Euros a person for a van for 8 people.

I also use a lightweight 3 ring binder.

In the first section, I put my pre-cruise confirmations in the order I will use them: Parking, airline, and hotel.

The second section has my cruise information: Set Sail paperwork, confirmation of my stockholder's credit, etc.

The next sections have information about the ports, private tour confirmations, etc.

The last section has general; information that I take on each cruise: copies of our passports, trip insurance, etc.

Finally, I have a plastic insert in the back for the items I know I will need to take out of the binder: boarding passes, a copy of my set sail, tickets, luggage tags, etc.

I hve been on both Carnival and RCCL many times. To me, they are more alike then different.

In response to your questions:

1. carnival is very lacking in entertainment. Im looking for a ship with activities going on at night on lido deck..

I do not think you will find much difference in terms of night time Lido deck entertainment. Both cruise lines tend to have 1 or 2 parties there every cruise, but most of the entertainment tends to be elsewhere on the ship at night.

2. My husband loves the casino, so that is a must.

Just about all cruise ships today have casinos - except in Hawaii

3. Not wanting a MASIVE ship... i have gone on the legend, fantasy and fascination. Need something a little bigger than those ships, but not huge.

RCCL has 2 ships out of Tampa and 2 out of Port Canaveral. None are massive. All are about the same size as those you have been on except the Freedom of the Seas out of Port Canaveral which is larger.

4. My kids love basketball. Need a basketball court.

All 4 RCCL ships out of those ports have basketball courts

5. Please tell me about dining. We love Carnival's 24 hour free room service and 24 hr ice cream. How does this compare?

RCCL's dining is more formal than Carnival's. RCCL offers free room service, but does not have 24 hour free ice cream or pizza. Usually coffee and tea are the only free items available outside of mealtimes. It also does not have lemonade in the buffet as Carnival does at lunch time.

6. Can leave from Tampa or Port Canaveral

Thank you both.

It is my understanding that RCCL docks and you have to take a shuttle into town.

We plan to take the ferry to Delos. However. if the shuttle costs 10 Euros as it did in two years ago in Dubrovnic, we would probably be better off with a tour than going on our own.

Does anyone know how much it costs?

Actually if you can get a group together from your roll call, you can hire a van of for 8 very reasonably. Two summers ago that it came to 8 or 9 Euros a person.

I usually take cost over convenience also. However, the People Mover is 1 Euro and the bus 6 Euros so the private transportation was one or two Euros more and well worth it.

Since my daughter and I want to visit Delos while in Mykonos in August I am trying to determine whether to go on our own or take a tour.

From other posts I understand that the ferry is 15 euros per person and entry is 5 euros. However I have not seen anything about the cost of hiring a guide on Delos. Approximately what is the cost of a guide for an hour or two? And is there a standard price or can you bargain?

My adult daughter and I will be in Venice in August prior to a cruise. Having been there a few years ago, what we want to do most is the Doges Palace Secret Itineraries tour. However she has been having problems with her asthma this year. Has anyone with asthma done it in the summer and, if so, were you okay?