sanger727

I leave my passport in the safe and carry my drivers license and a copy of my passport with me. I have never had my passport collected on a caribbean cruise. I took a med cruise (so, at the embarkation point I was a foreigner, and the cruise ship collected and held my passport for the length of the cruise).

This is such helpful info! We're looking at different cruises on NCL out of Houston. DH is prone to last second migraines and canceling plans. Learned solo sailing carries full double occupancy fare anyway. So whether we sailed as a couple or me as a solo, it wouldn't change the fares?

 

 

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The answer is most of the time. There are a few exceptions, ie. if your ship offers the studio cabins, the rate is for 1 occupancy, and occassionally you will see deals that offer a solo for less than double occupany. But, if you book 2, planning for you both to go, and then end up going solo, that is most likely what you would have paid to go solo anyway.

I used SAS a year ago and was very happy with there service. I am positive I got a confirmation e-mail from them. Def double check your spam folder, it's possible they've gone downhill... but, we had very prompt and efficient pickups.

Why do people always think they don't have "control" if they use a travel agent?

 

Ridiculous...

I simply don't like calling a business that I am paying money to and having them tell me they can't talk to me because I have a TA. I've used one before, didn't have a bad experience, but I haven't found one that gives me enough of an incentive to prefer a TA. Plus, I'm afraid of hidden charges with a TA.

Hi all,

I've been pouring over threads here, since my last cruise was almost 4 years ago and my last time on RC was some time before that. Anyhow, we're booked on Oasis for next October and can't wait! Our reservation lists us as having Dynamic Dining, though I know that was supposed to launch earlier this year and it's been pushed back. I've been getting a feel for what DD is but I still have a few questions that I am not sure on.

 

Will DD definitely be in place by October?

 

Will the MDR still be an option for us? (I believe it will and we will want a reservation possibly?)

 

I've read of people getting the same waiter each night...Is that still something that will be going on and how does that work?

 

Am I incorrect in getting the vibe that DD is essentially just a greater emphasis on speciality dining by way of shrinking the MDR, removing the set dining times, and removing the whole group table/same waiter way of doing things?

 

I appreciate the help! We've always loved dining on cruises in the past, from 2 weeks in Australia with an amazing group of British strangers at our table to Disney's rotational dining, and I'm fine with trying something new. I just want to know what to expect before we get there :)

I don't know if DD will be in place in Oct... but, my understanding based on everything I read is that this will replace the MDR concept. There will be no MDR, just 3 complimentary dining locations that will have a set menu for you to choose from. I would assume that each waitor would be assigned to a specific dining room, so most likely the only way to have the same table/waitor would be to choose one dining room to eat at every night (but with the same menu every night then).

I am pretty sure it is always in ship time. Most vendors that deal with cruise ships will have some idea of what time is ship time vs island time. Talk to who you are trying to book with to confirm.

Oh, and again, anyone who deals with cruise ships will know what time you are supposed to get into the port and leave, most reputable companies are very good with all that stuff.

Good Day, I got and started using RCI VISA for points/credit for upcoming cruise. Every month on statement it reports total number of points accumulated. NO EXPIRATION dates posted. .... Statement arrived - payment due 11/11/14 - under accumulated points - "a special note" - you have points that may expire soon. OK. On 11/9/14, I paid balance in full & with statement in hand - called to have points transferred to OBC for January cruise. Statement recorded 19,444 points. RCI VISA personnel on phone stated "no - I only had 11,000. Some of my points had expired." We had some discussion r/t definition of may expire soon. As soon as I got notice points MAY expire I called. There never was any expired date on points. I am not real happy about this. So, if you use RCI VISA beware! Annie

Really?? I just recently got one of these cards and when I read the information about points it said that they expire 60 months after you get them. Is that not accurate?

My cruise is also in Dec 2015 and I've been looking for over a month now. I believe, based on what other people have reported experiencing when they are sold out (i.e. they see Nellie's cabana, they just aren't able to add it to their cruise), that they just haven't been open for booking yet. However, I have noticed the number of excursions in labadee showing available have increased recently so I'm checking daily now :)

One might wonder if the Oasis departure from Southampton would have been less chaotic if the passengers arrived when they were scheduled.

"Rules, we don't need no stinking rules."

 

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I would agree if the cruise lines would take in consideration your travel plans. Some passengers fly in the day before and can come early with a quick taxi ride (in fact, usually have to if the hotel check out is 11). Some passengers fly or drive in the day of and have much more variety of when they can get there. I'm not going to be forced out of my hotel room at 11 and then drag my luggage around with me till 2 because of a computer algorithm that says I should wait.

Would love an interpretation from someone who has been able to book a cabana in the past. I am currently booked on a cruise in Dec of 15 (I know, way too far out, but I've wanted to cruise the Oasis since it was built and prices finally came into my budget). When I go to the shore excursion planner it only shows 2 items for Labadee, none of which are the cabanas. Is it too far out still? That's fine, just want an idea if a. you can't book them online anymore, b. they aren't open for booking yet, or c. they are all sold out.

Thanks!

This is kc50's wife, we rebooked immediately for 2 cruises out of Vancouver because we aren't worried about the cruise industry, its airline travel that concerns us. Vancouver is a comfortable 4 hour drive for us.

 

I'm a retired RN, & the cleanliness on board has always impressed me, even during noro outbreaks, which happened on 2 of our cruises. The staff were great, its the people avoiding the sanitizer station at the entrance to food lines that are more of an issue. We were on the Crown Princess recently and several people didn't sanitize, then fumbled around touching multiple dishes. We have never gotten sick but we wash well and use the sanitizer without fail.

 

On the other hand the airline industry which allows a whole 5 minute cleaning routine on the flight turnaround IS a factor to consider. Several recent studies were done on colds & flu transmission on airline flights. Passengers who wiped just armrests & table trays with sanitizer gel & used the gel a few times in flight PLUS avoided touching their faces had an 80 to 90% reduction in colds & flu after the trips versus passengers who didn't.

 

Another germ culture study found a lot of harmful bacteria on those table trays & arm rests, while the soft fabrics didn't have as much. This says the cleaning isn't adequate, but most people with adequate immune systems & reasonable handwashing habits can and do resist them, its not too much of a public health problem. Until something like Ebola enters the picture.

 

Since Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected fluids, those armrests & table trays & even the fabric cushions become more of a risk.

 

It is looking like standard isolation procedures aren't quite enough since at least 3 nurses, possibly 4 have become infected in Western hospitals. 2 Spanish & the Australian plus possibly Dallas. Isolation procedures are designed with a bit of overkill, so that says we need to revamp the procedure as this virus is slipping thru.

 

We are looking forward to some lovely cruises beginning & ending in Vancouver, without fear. For the immediate future we will not travel by air unless absolutely necessary.

 

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Thanks for the info. While I understand your point that it won't necessarily help if someone with ebola is in the seat before you, I like the tip about wiping down the hand rests and tray tables.

Just keep in mind that all the advice you are getting is for US citizens with US passports. A US citizen leaving a US port and returning to the same port does not need a passport to travel (do need a drivers license and a birth certificate though) and as far as I know none of the southern caribbean countries require any visa. that being said, if you are not a US citizen or do not have a US passport, you might just want to double check that that applies to you as well.

I can think of one reason not to pay off a cruise early and it's not the little amount of interest you lose from the money in a money market account.

 

If' date=' you don't pay off the credit card balance monthly, (we do and wouldn't cruise, if we couldn't), the credit card interest could really add up, so why pay the interest on a credit card any longer than you have to? I can't imagine having to pay off a credit card balance for months or years after I've returned from the cruise.:eek:[/quote']

 

Not sure I see the relationship there. IF you can't pay your balance monthly before the cruise, you probably can't after the cruise either. So, ie, if you need 3 months to pay off the balance, and you wait till final payment date, you will be paying for 3 months. If you pay it a month early, you will be paying for 3 months. In fact, this would be better for someone to pay off early, they could break it into smaller monthly payments and then not pay any interest at all.

 

Just as a side note to the OP. I 100% agree with paying at least a week or two early. I used to book with a travel company that takes you cc info for downpayment and then will automatically use that card to pay the final bill on the final day unless they hear from you. Sure enough, last year, between downpayment and final payment I replaced my cc and the card number they had was no good (and of course I forgot to call them). So, I got an auto call on final payment day (and of course a weekend, so couldn't get ahold of travel agency) warning me that my cruise wasn't paid for. And they wouldn't take the payment from me by phone because I had a travel agent. Luckily, they were willing to put a 48 hour hold on it till Monday and I had to call it in ASAP, but it was nerve racking.

If it helps to clarify.. "final payment date" as referred to on here by people in posting is simply the day by which the cruise line requires your cruise to be paid in full.

When you look at canceling and read the contract, there is no "final payment date" term in it. It simply says that if you cancel before x number days before the cruise you get a full refund. If you cancel between x-y number of days before the cruise you get refund minus $500 (your deposit). etc, etc, up until the cruise date. They don't care when you make payments, up until that deadline before the cruise you are entitled to a full refund.

Something that we found useful when we took a med cruise recently (traveled with one other person) is only one of us was distracted at a time. Whether it be reading a map, reading a guide book, or using a phone, that way the other person was on the alert for things like this. It's super easy to get overwhelmed and disoriented by someone who moves fast on you with something unexpected when you are thinking about something else. So, (and this did happen), when I was looking at the map and trying to get oriented and some random person in rome came in asking me questions and invading my space, the other person blocked them out and kept us moving.

We fly out of CVG and traditionally.. Delta is the only reasonable choice, and I've done best booking as soon as the flights become available. I'll go back and reprice the tickets every week or so once we hit that 5-8 week window everyone talks about, and right now I'm about there for this years trip and tickets are $150 pp more than what we paid. That being said, you can't get anywhere on delta for less than $400, and two of the "discount" airlines just came to CVG and will start operating soon. So, I'm very excited to see how that changes our pricing options. We have a cruise next Dec tentatively booked and I checked pricing this dec just for comparison purposes and we can get two tickets through Frontier or Allegiant for the cost of one ticket on delta!!

It is very high :mad:... That's why we don't even consider it. Worst case scenario for us and we wouldn't spend half of that.

Previously we booked a year in advance, but for our next cruise they haven't even opened them up for booking. We've called and emailed. We've been told they are definitely not sold out, but that they can't say for sure when they will release them for booking. They hint at 90 days.

 

It has turned me into an obsessive, checking every day to see if they are available! Why can't they just be open for booking at all times - first come first served.

Wow, that would be terrible!! will have to check on it regularly for 12 months still

Hello,

So I booked my first RCI cruise for Dec of 2015, I know it's a long ways out but I've read how quickly the Nellie's beach cabanas book up (we aren't suite guests), and we are considering getting one. I looked at the shore excursions available and very few are for my sailing, which I am assuming because we are too early. I'm just wondering if I should wait till Dec of 2014 to check back or if it's possible they have already booked up and I should stay on patrol for openings?

Thanks!!

does anyone have any idea when booking for the Nellie's cabanas open up? I booked a cruise for Dec of 2015 and it doesn't show any available, so I'm assuming I'm just too early.

I'm not sure how to attach pics but tried to add an attachment but tried to attach a screenshot of booking page. It clearly asks if you are staying in a hotel or coming on a cruise ship. And it is now not allowing you to book at all if coming in on a cruise ship. Don't know if you can leave the hotel name blank or not.

Our kids will be back in school by then. Also they have extracurricular activities that limits our travel time to later in June. So we have a very short 3 week choice of cruises. All I've seen is way over $100pp unless we jump ship and go with Carnival. I just don't know in June what might be considered a good price. Comparing a cruise throughout the year it seems that June can reach double price or higher than winter or fall. Anyone else travel in June?

Yeah, with your restrictions the $100pp budget may be unrealistic. If you need a better price, Carnival isn't a bad way to go. But if you really want to cruise Royal, they seem to be higher priced than most of the other mass market lines so, don't feel like you're overpaying if you end up over $100 pp. It just depends on the budget you have. We are very flexible and are able to go with the cruise line and week that's the cheapest for the itinerary we want, but not everyone has that option.

I think the cost is a bit much. The problem that I have is that my babysitter works at a school and is only off during school breaks. So I have to cruise during those.:(

Think that is probably the cause of why it's more than what other people are paying. Prices are usually higher when schools are out because many people can only vacation then. The prices could def go higher than what you have now, I would book and watch for price drops. There's a website that will monitor for your for $1 and alert you if they drop. Apparently you're not allowed to name it but if you try googling for it you will probably be able to find it.