travelin_nat

People who are getting these upgrades, did you book "guarantee" type staterooms? Is that how it works?

We did not book a guarantee room. I just kept an eye on the website and watched the prices drop. My only regret is I acted too fast on upgrading from OV to Balcony. Would have saved a little if I waited. But if the next class up is less than or equal to what you paid, you can upgrade at no additional cost.

I have no idea how they decide who will get a call from the cruise line.

FYI, Quantum class ships have been working the same way since they started sailing a few years ago. Sounds weird but works just fine. Harmony is just following suit with the new check in process, as well as a few other technology changes, as Quantum has.

 

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

Thanks. I completely forgot the big ships have a different check in process, or so I've heard. I should stick to what I actually know about. LOL

Oh my goodness! I want to do a quilt cruise so bad, but none of my friends will go. Going to have to bite the bullet and just do it...soon! I understand wanting to put things away - I usually board a ship with 2 carry bags. But I also try not to board much before 1:00 anyway.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Don't know if you are married, but I took my hubby with me both times. He had a blast with the other husbands, and he took a cooking class on one of them. Find a friend or take a SO - just go! You won't be disappointed!!

You haven't read enough Quantum/Anthem reviews.;)

Ha - touche! I'm still not sure I would want to sail on those ships. Freedom class is my favorite right now - seems like the perfect size. I may be surprised, but it won't be anytime soon...

Why is it inefficient? You have your paper boarding pass in your hand when you get on the ship. You can start enjoying everything as they are still readying the ship for your departure. It certainly made embarking the ship much faster - from hotel in Barcelona, cab ride to port, checking in at port, security and to ships bar - 34 minutes total. Didn't have to wait for the bumbling that always happens in the "key roundup" port side. It was awesome!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

That's interesting. Glad to hear it works well. I'm just they type who doesn't like to have to carry around paperwork. But if it make the process go smoother, then that's great. I just prefer to be able to put all that stuff away as soon as I check in. But, I haven't seen any complaints about it, so it must work better than I imagine.

BTW - I see you are a quilter. I've been on two quilting cruises and own an online shop. No vacation better than a quilting cruise!

Sounds like an inefficient process to me. Wonder if it will last.

I understand on Harmony when you board you do not get your room key/card at boarding but instead get it at your room when its ready a few hours after boarding. My question is I have a drink package and would like to have a drink with lunch on boarding day, how does one go about using their drink package prior to getting their room key ?

Wouldn't you just tell the waiter your room number? It should be in the system.

Whether you use hand sanitizer or not, the best thing you can do is not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth without first washing your hands or sanitizing them. As many have already stated, the germs in question could be introduced after you last sanitized. Don't forget handrails, elevator buttons, etc. Germs exist everywhere, especially where you least think about.

My recommendation is that you start saving now, regardless what cruise line you take. Alaska is the one itinerary for us where we probably spend as much on excursions as we do on the cruise. I've done the pilot's choice helicopter tour in Juneau twice now, and highly recommend it. Also really love the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour - mostly for the number of eagles we saw circling the boat. I'm sure you can do either of those on any cruise line.

I'm glad you are doing the one-way vs round trip - you see more of Alaska that way. We loved going at the beginning of June. Have fun!

Just upgraded to a JS for $0! Wahoo!!

My only "regret" was upgrading from an OV to a balcony too soon. I misunderstood the price they quoted - she kept switching between total cost and room cost, and by the time I figured it out, she had already moved us and I was paying more than I thought. But I decided chances were good JSs would open up, and I'd be happy if I could get a JS for my new price. Well, if I had just been patient..... the JS is now less than I paid for the balcony, although not by much. So....lesson learned to be patient. Overall, I'm still a happy camper. :D

I never get these complaints:confused:, of course they are trying to make money, but I have never been accosted by anyone....tables are just in prominent places but you just walk by them shaking your head no, if you do nobody even says anything to you....no problem...

That has been my experience as well, but I'm reading very different stories from some folks coming off Liberty.

Ugh. We sail on her in 3 weeks. Hope things improve.

 

The push for onboard sales of bev pkg and spec. dining was very aggressive. I was almost scollded by a Giovannis waiter one afternoon because he hadn't seen me in the restaurant yet - and no - he was not joking.

 

A friend was on Liberty a week before you. She also complained about the incessant up-selling. Very disappointing to hear - that stuff drives me nuts. We will be on next summer - hope we don't experience the same. Perhaps if RC hears/reads enough complaints they will address it. Probably wishful thinking...

We tried using one of these a while back on a few trips

 

But realized it was not really necessary and we were bringing too much extra stuff.

 

There is plenty of space in the room for everything...

 

 

 

I agree! I think the organizers are a total waste of space. The cabins have more than ample storage, shelves, etc. I actually use mine at home to store stuff I only use for travel. Makes packing easy to have everything in one spot.

Another vote for Grills. Seafood was amazing.

O my! I have the same cabin booked for May 2016! I have never had an aft cabin. Thanks for sharing!

We have this cabin next June! Any more pics to share?

My daughter is gluten free and dairy free (not by choice) and she didn't have any trouble on her cruise. Enjoy!

I just took my first cruise on Celebrity Summit. My wife and I had the soda package. Apparently the plans are quite different from Celebrity and RC. On our cruise, every place had cans of soda. You give the bartender or hostess your seapass and they give you cans of soda with glasses with ice. We would get a number of cans, unopened, to take back to our room. I understand on RC they give you a plastic cup and you get your own from a machine.

 

I'm confused on exactly how the RC plan works.

You get a souvenir cup that you can use if you choose to get soda from a fountain. But you can also show your seapass card at a bar or MDR to have a soda over ice. I've never seen soda handed out in a can or bottle.

Try calling Royal and ask them about pre-paying the tips. If they can't handle it for you (which they should) they will tell you how. Like others, we add extra bar tips to the receipts. We bring extra cash for our cabin steward and wait staff. I don't worry about head waiter, etc. I've never paid cash for anything on the ship (with the exception of the gratuities I mentioned). I always assumed you have to pay for everything with your sea pass card - I must have been mistaken.

How much you spend is completely up to you - you can spend thousands, or you can spend next to nothing - just depends how disciplined you are. :) You will be able to keep an eye on your expenses on your tv so you don't have an unpleasant surprise at the end of the cruise.

You would pay the difference - no freebies at port -that is assuming you can even find an empty cabin:rolleyes:. Most ships sail full nowadays it seems:D but good luck to you:)

Thanks. Ours seems a ways from full at this point. I've been watching for a week or two and they've had the same number of JS's available that whole time. Lg OV is actually cheaper than Inside, so there must be a surplus of those as well. I'll be happy with what we have, but was just hoping to experience a JS for the first time, and it's more affordable on such a short cruise. I'll keep watching and hope to get lucky. :D

My apologies if this has been asked and answered a million times. We are sailing on Enchantment in a month and I'm hoping to be one of those lucky people I read about so often who scores an upgrade at a steal (aka free). I've called to inquire a couple times and we are still too far out for them to be too generous. They have mentioned twice now that we can request an upgrade when we get to the port. My question is this - if we do that, and a better room is available, do we have to pay the difference, or do they do it for no charge? TIA

It's pretty appalling that people are resorting to buying blow up mattresses for what's is advertised as a luxury vacation experience.

 

 

 

I hope all of you buying these have voiced your concerns in writing to Royal Caribbean.

This topic has come up in other threads. I decided to query a few roll calls for ships we will be sailing on. Most people said they had no problem with their mattress, but a couple said they did hear a couple people on their cruise complaining.

The problem is that it comes down to personal preference and they will never make 100% of their passengers happy. We found the mattresses on our last two cruises to be much firmer than we are accustomed to, and suffered for it. I'm willing to give this a try, and if it works, carry it with me whenever I travel. I have the same problem in hotels, and I typically stay in nice hotels when I travel for business.

I don't think complaining would help, because I'm fairly certain for every person who complains, there is another who is relieved to have a firm bed....

I think we're gonna need a bigger bucket.

ROTFL. At lease OP is not wanting to not tip. I kind of like the cash idea so you know it goes exactly where you want it to. As for me, we stick to the automatic and add extra in cash on our own where warranted.

Let the fun begin.

After 25 cruises (20 on RCL) I have come to the conclusion that a cruise vacation is not that great of a value. I'm sure that many will disagree with me and are willing to pay any price and that is fine as I understand that as we had many enjoyable cruises. To pay for a cruise now is just to be on the ship then comes the higher prices for all the things that were always a part of the cruise in the past. Being just plain working folk we do not have that much cash to burn. I guess we live in a different time now and 35 to 40 dollars per person is an exceptable price to pay for one meal. Take that times 7 for a week cruise and that amounts to 470 to 560 dollars per couple for what was all inclusive. For those of you that have the cash to do this more power to you and many happy cruises. I look for more value for my buck than that.

I can't see spending money on specialty dining every day. In fact we rarely do it. I enjoy the food in the MDR. It's no five-star restaurant, but we get to eat things we don't normally prepare at home. I think they should have more drink options available, but that's just me.

• 
   
  

 

 

 

Did you order the same one as the OP?

Yes. The price varied by color. I went with the green since it was cheapest. There were about 4 other colors to choose from including a camo and a pink camo. I think those were about $10 more.

Both of us struggled with the mattresses our last couple of cruises. The only one we really loved was on Freedom five years ago.