BekkaW

No, the MDR is not open for general passenger lunch on embarkation day. On some ships they will use it for a B2B cruisers lunch, or for people with the Key. 

1 hour ago, RosieCanberra said:

I haven't seen a drinks menu posted for a while, have the individual drink prices on board also increased?

No, still same prices as pre-pandemic 

Last weekend, due to delays, I had to run through 3 airports and a train station. That’s just travelling within Europe! No way I would do an intercontinental trip arriving the day of the cruise 

On 5/10/2022 at 5:22 AM, the fish said:

How do you all chill the soda?  There aren't mini fridges in the cabins.  Are you just getting ice from the steward or a bar?

There are mini fridges in every cabin. They don’t get particularly cold, but they are there 

2 hours ago, trey420 said:

That's cool I'm gonna try it.  They don't give you grief at the xray either huh.  I cruise in 2 weeks I'll risk the 12 pack.

There is zero risk, as several others have posted bringing soda is allowed 

Tell your TA they are incorrect, you’re unhappy with the service you’re receiving and you’d like to escalate it to their supervisor 

19 hours ago, Biker19 said:

 

Also, a third of fleet will be outside of the US for the next several months - no CVS/Walgreens there.

I was also going to say this! Antigen tests are readily available and definitely accepted across Europe 

6 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

How's this for customer service.  Am currently booked on the Oasis for next month on a five day to Canada followed up with a seven day to the Bahamas.  Because the UBP was so expensive, decided to go with the refreshment package.  Bought it on Cyber Monday at 50% off at 17.00 per day plus gratuity, so about 20 per day for both legs of the B2B. 

Booked the two cruises through two different agencies.  Had the second one paid off.  Got an email from my TA about final payment being due on the first one at 830 pm when final payment was due at 500 pm.  I pulled the email and paid the balance about 1045 pm, six hours late.  Got an email from Royal cancelling our refreshment package at 1105 pm.  They also cancelled the cruise.  My TA was able to get the cruise reinstated, but the package is lost, they will not honor the price and I still have not gotten back the 200 I paid last November.

My TA dropped the ball, but Royal did nothing when it comes to customer service.  I couldn't talk to a supervisor and the CSR I spoke to point blank said they would not honor the 50% off price.  

 

 

Your TA should be compensating you for that loss by giving you OBC. As you said yourself it was their error, why would RCI pay for it?

10 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

Unless things have changed since last time I was on RC  which was a couple of years because of the pandemic.

I’m pretty sure it was plus %18 

This has not changed since covid. I’m Australian (though I now live abroad) and have been sailing RCI for a decade. Gratuities are not added to drinks. The menu price is higher on cruises out of Australia because the gratuity is already rolled into the price. A drink that is $13 will be $14 when cruising out of Australia, and the drink package max is also raised to $14 to accomodate that. 

2 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

I would like to pick you up on something.

 Onboard purchases are treated like being in the U.S.

All onboard purchases attract a %18 gratuity and the purchase slip has a place for additional gratuity.

If a Australian buys something in the cruise planner gratuity is inclusive.

That’s not true. Drink menu prices onboard already include the 18% gratuity. But, I think (from memory) the spa doesn’t which is odd. 

On 4/19/2022 at 4:33 AM, kochleffel said:

Thank you all for training the staff before my cruise. If enough of you keep at it, maybe they'll have figured it out by then (August, the Denmark-Norway itinerary right before the Arctic Crossing).

we’ll be on with you - I hope a lot of these issues are resolved by then! 

We did Western med (Rome, Naples, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Florence) in mid October 2021. The Spanish ports were warm, but the Italian ports were quite cool (18 to 20 degrees Celsius).
 

Our guides remarked that it was unusually cold, but I probably would avoid going that late in the season in future. We’ve booked norther Europe for the last week of August this year 

On 4/10/2022 at 6:14 AM, stag said:

It worked last year may not work today. Windows change often. one year ago there was a window of 72 hours. Several months ago, the window was shortened to within 2 days. Now, SPAIN Health said, no more than 1 day.

OP didn’t ask about timeframes though, they asked about types of tests. Yes things can change, but the antigen test was accepted in Europe last year and is still currently accepted for US sailings - both a good indication that it will be accepted for European sailings this year. 

9 hours ago, kw1816 said:

And would be interesting to see the reverse, how many people are currently willing to travel from Europe to North America to sail with the pre boarding requirements ? 
 

Speaking as someone currently on the Grandeur as a family, and having had 10 Covid tests to get here (and another 4 tomorrow to get off !). Due to fly back to the UK on Monday.

Lots of people from the German speaking RCI group on *the other social media site* are planning  Caribbean cruises this summer (or indeed, are already taking them). That said, testing is readily available here and usually free for an antigen test.

I’m booked on Freedom out of Miami June 6th 

5 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

This was not the question, of course antigen test are accepted….

Then what is the question? OP wrote that they can get an antigen test at T5 and asked if this will be acceptable?? 

First a disclaimer, I am not on this cruise 

Last year we had antigen tests for RCI cruises in Europe, antigen tests are also accepted by RCI in the US and currently accepted for entry by most governments (US, Australia as examples)

So I don’t see why it wouldn’t be acceptable for this cruise 

2 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Voyager also only has 3 specialty restaurants. And one of them is Izumi which charges an additional $10 to eat there. So, is this really a good deal, or is it a rip off because my cruise has no sea days and only 3 restaurants?

It’s only the hibachi that costs an additional $10. “Regular” Izumi is included 

I liked Ovation, especially the 270 lounge and the solarium 

36 minutes ago, JuliaMS said:

I tried to make a CVS appt online and it said I didn't qualify for free test and it would be $139. How did you make your appt, online? testing for travel was not one of the options in the online appt reasons why.

In that case, surely you have a headache? 

3 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

Italy and Greece both currently have outdoor mask mandates.

 

oh interesting! That had not been our experience, but things are changing all the time especially with this omicron.  Thanks for the updated info

As others have said it’s far too early to know what the requirements will be for the upcoming summer cruise season. I can tell you that last summer masks were not required outdoors, nor are they currently required outdoors in any European country to my knowledge*. Certainly they are fairly strictly required indoors.  
 

*There are some limited exceptions, for example when we go to Disneyland Paris, masks have been required even outdoors there due to inability to maintain social distance in the crowds. Similarly at Christmas time some of the key shopping streets here in Germany required masks due to crowds. 

26 minutes ago, Akkers said:

Being in the UK we are so use to seeing one price. So all this confuses me.

I guess if everyone WILL use a service then it should be included in the main fare. I see why they do it to bring down base price but it makes it vey confusing to some people.

When I go on other holidays I pay one price to the travel agent and everything is included (airport taxes, city taxes, hotel taxes, transfers, breakfast, dinner etc). I pay that one price and I am at peace, can take the holiday in harmony not having to worry about all sorts of extras cropping up.

Cruise ships are fundamentally run on the American model, which is that certain staff receive a lot of their wages through gratuities. All of the major/mass market cruise lines run this way. It sounds like the best thing for you may be to ask your travel agent to include gratuities for you, that way they are pre paid and you don’t have to worry about it. 

 

43 minutes ago, LoriLoriLori said:

Thank you for all of the answers and replies.  I think I am slightly bewildered/annoyed that you have to pay the cruise line to travel on a train to do "Rome On Your Own".  It makes no sense in terms of Covid safety.  What is the motivation in having this requirement other than money? There is no bubble and Italy welcomes tourists from the EU, USA, and elsewhere.  

 

I do understand that the monetary cost isn't that signifigant, especially for the assurance that the ship will not leave,  however I think I could better maximize my time if I were to go alone without depending on the excursion timetable.  I would like to exit the ship asap and not ride on a bus to the station -- I'd rather walk and get on the earliest train.

If the rules continue as they are you will not be able to do “Rome on your own” as a cruiseline excursion. We sailed the med last summer and the rules in Italy were very strict - all tours were fully escorted bubble tours. No moving away from your group for any reason in any location. Eg no shopping, no stopping for a coffee etc. All full day tours included lunch at a local restaurant. Take water and snacks with you! 

One one of our tours a lady did go off by herself and she was met by ship security on our return, we understand she was removed from the ship. It’s a very strict rule for cruise ships as they have been vectors of disease with covid in several places around the world. 

37 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Thanks. Not speaking from experience but I was always told pre covid cruises you could not switch between the two. Now with reduced numbers of cruisers post covid cruises possibly it is a ship by ship exception based on the numbers of cruisers for that specific cruise. 

I think there has been a misunderstanding. You cannot switch between the two to the extent that you can’t have traditional set times some days and MTD other days, within the same cruise. It’s one or the other. 
 

You  can, however, go to the dining room on the first day if your dining assignment is not what you prefer. Many people do this for various reasons, for example they wanted MTD but it was full at the time they booked. On our last cruise we had selected late traditional but for some reason when we boarded our cards said MTD. The Maitre D fixed it for us on the first day. 

It’s not really 24hrs, but very close to it. They close for an hour or so in the early hours of the morning - like 2 or 3am - for cleaning