Debitoo

We were on the April 6th sailing. Thank God we hadn't booked airfare yet. COPA is the only choice we had and they don't offer a reasonably priced refundable fare. Royal screwed the pooch on this one. We had a corner aft balcony and it killed me to give it up. Nothing "enhanced" with the new itinerary. We cancelled and are still waiting for my deposit refund. ugh.....

Looking to take a flight out of PTY airport leaving @ 12:30 PM. Will I have enough time to make this flight docking at the Colon cruise port? Also, does anyone have any one they recommend to get us from the port to PTY? Thanks!

On 6/7/2023 at 3:14 AM, cuterlmt said:

We just booked the April 6th cruise on this same ship and itinerary, so I'm anxiously following this thread. Thank you for all the information.

Hi there! We are also on the April 6 sailing. There is a roll call for it here:

How about a 12:00 PM flight? Doable?

9 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I can't even get the one ways from Colon to Panama City to load. I get an error each time I click on a date.

I was able to book online 2 cabins for the April 6th sailing just now. The website was HORRIBLE but finally was able to finish the booking.

Glad you are back Chris! I miss your videos.

I booked 2 balconies on the 11/29/21 sailing for myself and family primarily so they can reach Diamond. They each have 76 points. I was hoping the prices would be a little more friendly for these West Coast cruises. It would have been nice if  they would have added a California Coastal option with stops in Santa Barbara and SF. We did this on the Jewel a few years ago and it was very enjoyable. We'll have to rethink sailing out of CA for these Mexico itineraries. 😞

Song of Norway was my first cruise back in the 80's. I'm really looking forward to seeing her again through your eyes! Thank you for your report! 😉

Amen! Glad you are feeling better. I always buy insurance. I used it for the first time last November when I broke my ankle 2 weeks before the cruise. Reimbursed me 100%

Does anyone have any first-hand experience with this company? It's exactly what we are needing for our Nov 8th Getaway Cruise. https://carryonluggageservice.com/

17 minutes ago, mugtech said:

Saw the X add last night, Jefferson Airplane singing White Rabbit.  Gotta wonder what they have in mind going forward.

Saw that too. Wondered the same thing. 😱

Hi Bill & Marie! So happy to be following along with you! Looking forward to your excellent photos and commentary.

On 9/19/2019 at 5:35 AM, DUBIDUB2 said:

We are RCCL Diamond cruise members and to be honest, absolutely love RCCL and the big ships.. But we have family on the Getaway on the 8th which trumps everything for me and looking forward to joining them out of New Orleans (also first time out of that port). So we are NCL virgins, bottom of the bottom I guess, on status et al. Curiously though, I have some questions so I'm "not surprised on the night" as they say!

So, what's your opinion on key differences in the cruise lines, ships, food, entertainment or anything else?

What's do I not get by having zero status on NCL?

Boarding process?

We have a mini-suite / Large balcony..

 

Thanks for your time.

 

I'm "in the same boat" as you. Diamond on Royal and sailing on Nov 8th on the Getaway. Anxious to see all of the comments.

14 hours ago, graphicguy said:

OP....do you have any perks with your booking?  If so, use one of them for 250 minutes of free WiFi.

Yes a few. I didn't book this (first time I'm not in control of my own booking 😱) as I'm an add-on to my daughter's friend's cruise. I need to stay in touch with work so I'll need wifi 24/7. I'm used to Voom on Royal. The speed is not too bad and the price is less than half of what NCL charges. However, I figure with everything else being free (drinks, airfare, grats + OBC and excursion credits, I'm certainly NOT going to complain about the wifi cost. I just like to take advantage of a sale, if there are any. Is the price on board the same as in the cruise planner? Looking forward to my first cruise on NCL!

Do the internet packages ever go on sale? For my 11/8/19 Getaway sailing, the Unlimited Premium Wi-fi package is $29.50 per day. 😱 First time on NCL and I'm shocked by this pricing.

Me too!🐱

19 hours ago, DisneyQueen999 said:

He didn't pay double occupancy rate, but if what he did pay was the solo rate then RCI don't give much discount.

I priced his room recently and double occupancy is £7400.

I booked his room, it's a family holiday. It never occured to me to book double occupancy at the time 'just in case' and I didn't even know you could do that without supplying the other guest's name. 

I don't have anything to add to this thread but I just wanted to say I like your cute cat! 🙂

8 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

Don't cancel the other person. Let him/her be a no-show. You will get two points per night.  (unless you are booked in a JS or higher.  Then you will get three points per night.)

That's the answer I was hoping for! Thank you!

I tried searching for this answer but apparently I can't pose a question correctly 😞 I have a Royal cruise booked for 2. The person probably won't be able to make the cruise. If they become a no-show at the port, will I get double points or should I cancel them? It doesn't matter if it's after final payment because I still have to pay single supplement, correct? Which will guarantee me double points?

I had the same thing happen to me. I booked the Jr Aft Suite on Jewel for this past February. I was called a few days before the sailing and was offered an OV. I had recently been bumped from ships twice by Royal so when I had the opportunity to book this cruise and cabin, I was thrilled. They offered me a complete refund of my cruise fare and I'd get to keep my double points. Sorry, not for an OV. The cabin they offered was smaller and with 3 of us, all women, it would have been too tight. It was tempting but I said no. I said I'd do it for a balcony, but none were available. Yes, I know, I'm crazy....but for me, it was worth it!

I agree wit the other posters on Woodwind. We were with them this past February and they are first rate. If you are concerned about shade, just be one of the first to get on the boat. The shaded galley area fills up first and if you're not on first you will be directed to the front of the boat with no shade. 

4 hours ago, parrotfeathers said:

 

Are you implying he wanted your cabin 3 days before the cruise?   Seems like he would have his cabin reserved months at a time.  

Ah no. If you read the whole sentence, it says " By the way, and not related to this post, Super Mario was on this cruise"... 🙂

He DOES reserve months ahead.

20 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Maybe, I certainly would have taken that offer - did you try to counter offer?

20 hours ago, island lady said:

 

That's what I was thinking....at least ask for a balcony cabin.  

20 hours ago, molly361 said:

I would have taken that offer

20 hours ago, TravisP said:

It might have been hard for me to turn down that downgrade and get all my money back plus double points. 

19 hours ago, ShillyShally said:

I would have taken it but would have also preferred a balcony, but I know on that class those are limited as well too right?  But I'm a sucker for free 🙂

I tried to counter offer but there were no balcony or suite cabins available. The cruise was completely booked except for a few insides and even fewer OV's. I certainly would have taken the deal if it would have been a balcony. I don't get the opportunity to cruise a lot as I have to fly to get to the ship. I HATE the SoCal itineraries so no cruises from here. 😞 I had to make the decision immediately while I was on the phone and I had no time to think it over. So, I said no. The cruise was amazing and the AFT cabin was wonderful. We sailed to the ABC islands. I'm glad I kept it!

I got an interesting call 3 days before we sailed on the Jewel Feb 15, 2019 from the RC Revenue department. They wanted to know if I was willing to DOWNGRADE my cabin to an ocean view from the corner AFT Jr. Suite. They would refund the entire price of my cruise and I could keep my double points. In short; I can cruse for free. Apparently, the cruise is way overbooked. I didn't even give it a thought and said no. Am I crazy? I would have probably done it for a balcony room but not an OV. She then asked if I was willing to cancel this cruise, get a full refund and have the same amount I spent on this cruise applied to any cruise in the future. I said no. I figured SOMEONE high up in points wanted this very desirable cabin. By the way, and not related to this post, Super Mario was on this cruise... 🙂

Thank you for your review and comparison. One thing to note though, in all of my Royal cruises the beds have never been separated upon entering the cabin for the first time; even though I request it when I first book. I'm not sure if this is just the default set up or what. They are always separated at turn-down though....