bythehex

We're cruising on the Grandeur next Saturday and we cruised before from Baltimore in the winter. Based on my personal experience, in general it's cool the first morning at sea but then by the afternoon you're usually south enough where it's warmer by the afternoon. On our last cruise from Baltimore in December 2013 it was in the 30's and flurries the day we left. By the afternoon of the first day at sea it was in the 70's.

Of course weather is subject to change, but hopefully it will be something similar.

Based on the condition of some of the cabins I've seen when walking down the hallways, most cabin stewards deserve every penny and then some!! :eek:

I always felt that if you remove the gratuities, you're penalizing everyone. Let's say you had a cabin steward who didn't meet your expectations, so you remove the gratuity...but then you're penalizing the waiter who might have done a great job. And frankly, since they pool the tips anyway, he's stil going to get tipped but you've added less to the pool that everyone else gets tipped from.

It's not an ideal system, and I generally tip more afterwards anyway, but I don't see the point of removing the gratuities. JMHO

No wonder people don't want to get dressed up for elegant night anymore. Their suitcases are so full of rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer and Lysol that there's no room for formal clothing! :D

In all seriousness, I do get it. My husband has had auto immune problems due to cancer, and I'm sure there are many who have compromised immune systems and they need to be more careful about germs. Whatever makes people feel at ease in their cabins

Now, if they're going to go around the ENTIRE ship spraying Lysol wherever they go...stop by my room first! :D:p

I don't quite understand the six month thing. I mean, technically, a passport is valid until the day it expires. If it's valid, it's valid. To make requirements that it has to be good until a certain time AFTER you're travelled, to me is kind of silly. I would think it would be more important that it be valid while you're sailing!

Just my opinion.

Given the fact that Hurricane Matthew has been in the news for many days now, I don't understand why anyone would believe that it would be going to Bermuda in the first place, or would WANT to go given the weather conditions!

Should Royal Caribbean have made a decision earlier...yes, I agree this is a little late in the game to change plans. I'm truly sorry for everyone who was denied boarding after traveling to Baltimore, and the ones who are oboard and maybe felt they had no choice. It would have been much better all around to have just cancelled the cruise from the get go. It puzzles me that the cruise lines wait till the very last second to make these kind of decisions. :confused:

More than likely you'll be docking at Crown Bay due to the recent contract change with RCI (no more Havensight)....Ask a member of the crew they'll give you the best locations for wi-fi at that port.

I already figured I could ask a crew member, I hoped that someone would have the information before we cruised though.

Thanks anyway! :)

I couldn't find any threads on this subject. Our cruise in December on Grandeur Of the Seas stops in Dominica. Are there any wi-fi hotspots close to where the ships dock?

We appreciate your help. Thanks!

Sharon & Jerry

I tried searching the boards, but there have been no recent posts on this subject.

We'll be arriving in St.Thomas in December off the Grandeur Of The Seas. Not sure which dock we're going to be docking at, but does anyone know of wi-fi hotspots near the port (within easy walking distance)?

We appreciate any information you can give us. Thank you!

Sharon & Jerry

We'll be on the same cruise. Personally, we love to dress up on cruises since we have so little opportunity to do so otherwise. I understand people want to be casual these days, but there's something so nice about seeing everyone dressed up every now and then.

To each his own.

And that is the difference - Its not that I was stupid - I was trusting. I trusted RCCL to have honesty and integrity and trusted their agents to reflect those principles. I will get around to posting the cruise documentation, because on those papers the agent pointed to me - "See you have two Vooms for both guests in a room and you are not being charged for it".

If what he showed me to be free Voom for all guests , was not really free voom for all guests - then I just need to become a travel agent to not be conned in the future by cruise selling agents

 

I will not say that I made a "mistake"

I was unaware, yes, but its not a mistake as Paulxyz here puts it. I was unaware that what I presumed I was being offered is not so - naturally I expected the cruise agent to correct me, as he was correcting me about so many other things, and he has booked 2 previous cruises for me in the past. I thought we had a professional relationship where his job is to get me the best deal out of RCCL's promotions.

This is no longer about Money, Paul. this is about principles. I do believe I was deliberately allowed to continue believing that I will receive more benefit from it than I actually would.

The distinction between "everyone" and "Anyone" is too potent.

 

I read that RCCL offer, that OneCruiser posted: I just thought my sales agent was giving me something beyond that.

 

And one cant get a written confirmation for everything that is promised verbally as someone who can back away from a verbal statement in 2 days, can back away from it in 2 seconds .

I disagree with you. It WAS stupid not to check your cruise documents to verify what you thought was said to you verbally. If you had done that immediately, perhaps you could have corrected it at that point. Months later, well after the fact, expecting anyone to remember word for word what was said during that conversation (and, I'm doubtful that their recordings are kept that long), it's basically your word against them.

Maybe they mis-stated what the package was, maybe you misunderstood what it was, maybe you mis-remembered what was said...point is, you learned a hard lesson about getting everything in writing and then reading the documents to verify. That was your responsibility, not theirs.

That being said, I'm sorry for your disappointment no matter what happened. Hopefully you'll have (or had) a great and enjoyable cruise.

Okay, I need to clarify. I didn't ask for a per minute PACKAGE at the internet cafe.

I want to know if you use the internet cafe, not using your own device, how much do they charge per minute? I.E. on some cruise lines it's between 65 and 75 cents per minute. Do they have something like that on the Grandeur?

Thank you all for the information. Just ONE more small question....do they have an internet cafe area on the ship, and if so, can that be used on a cost per minute basis? Just to do a quick email let's say? If so, how much is that?

thanks again!

Ok, so it sounds like streaming is out of the question. That's a lot of money.

What about regular internet for emails? Same price or less? Packages? Per minute prices?

After not being able to cruise for a number of years, my husband's oncologist has cleared him for cruising so we're booked on Grandeur for December. He wanted to know about the internet on the ship.

Are there different prices for different packages? Does anyone know what they are? Also, what about streaming movies or videos over your internet connection? Is that a feasible thing or should he forget about that idea?

For myself, I'll have plenty of books downloaded on my Kindle so it doesn't affect me. But, my husband is interested just in case he can stream things like a specific football game or a movie from our Verizon.

I appreciate any input.

Thanks in advance.

Sharon & Jerry

Not correct, RCI may be redefining dress code but it is not in line with "rest of the world".

 

UK and Europe is still quite formal in the evenings, our cruise out of Dubai where I think pretty much every continent was represented was the most formal yet. Sure it was this thread where I made the comment about Tux's in the windjammer.

 

Not passing any judgement about you folks from the states wanting to wear shorts to the MDR but it's not us elsewhere in "the world" leading the charge.

 

Just saying, I'm not fussed either way.

 

 

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I think you hit the nail on the head. It's not the entire world that dresses down. it IS more common in the U.S., and it's kind of a shame. Of course I understand that we have the option of dressing up every night if we choose to do so. And, if the cruise line doesn't enforce or have any rules, then people can also choose to dress down. I get that.

But it doesn't mean I have to like it. :D

I don't know why you wouldn't compare them, they're both asking for certain dress.

If you don't want to use the wedding analogy, then how about a restaurant on land that requires more elegant dress. If you see people walking into the restaurant wearing suits and dresses, would you try to get in wearing shorts and flip flops? I don't see any difference between dining on land and dining at sea, especially considering that Grande is clearly stated as the more formal dining venue.

It just boggles the mind why some folks get so heated about making their own rules. Whether the cruise lines are changing over time - in the olden days nobody would go to dinner without tuxes or dinner jackets, etc. - or not, the point is that people just can't make up their own rules as their whim dictates. Especially given that there IS a casual dining venue available elsewhere on the ship.

My problem with relaxing the dress code is that some folks will want to go even more casual -- you know the folkr, s who think any rules or guidelines are not for them. I do not want to go to the dining room and sit at a table with a gentleman wearing a tank top and gym shorts. Way too much hair!

Couldn't agree more! I've seen the same arguments on other cruise line message boards, everyone seems to have the same points of view. There appears to be an entitled attitude that "I can do anything I want because it's my vacation". And, if the cruise line doesn't enforce their own rules, then the cruisers are right, they can do anything they want because the cruise line lets them get away with it!

In the meanwhile, we'll be among those who dress appropriate to the suggested dress code. If they ask for no shorts at dinner, I assume they mean my husband and myself as well. If we go to a restaurant where tuxes and cocktail dresses are suggested as acceptable, while we may not wear a tux or cocktail dress, we will be dressed elegantly with a suit and a dress. Because, we respect our host (the cruise line), and when you respect your host you do as they ask.To me it's no different than getting an invitation to a wedding requesting formal wear...we wouldn't dream of walking in wearing "dress shorts" and thinking it's in any way acceptable.

For those of you who disagree, do as you please. You won't be in any way ruining my cruise. I'll enjoy my dinner just as much regardless. :D

On Freedom right now. We got the value package at $60 for the entire 8 nights. Seems like a good deal. Can only use it on one device at a time so hubby and I will take turns using our tablets. But better than racking up roaming charges on our cellphones to keep in touch. Just have to remember to go to log out.com when we are done.

Good to know John, thanks!

Thank you for your replies.

Even if it has been discussed here many times, if I had seen the answer before I wouldn't have asked. :rolleyes:

I know that when we've cruised out of Miami the taxi fares were regulated by zones. Is this also the case for Ft. Lauderdale airport to the cruise port in Ft. Lauderdale?

If so, about how much do they charge? I know the port isn't too far from the airport, so what can we expect?

Thanks!

Well - we could kill the cruising industry to satisfy some (misplaced in my opinion) guilt and thousands upon thousands of third world country employees that support families and economies beyond the United States would be without a massive infusion of money.

 

Without being overly political, sometimes the bleeding heart forgets that the big bad companies pay salaries to the common everyman so that he can eat, provide for a family and have the money flow throughout an economy. So without that big bad corporate entity, many more poor would exist and we'd have even bigger problems.

 

Stepping off soapbox - nope - no guilt! If I was able to cruise only because I happened to choose the right numbers in a lottery, I might have some guilt. But when I work my butt off to earn the cash...nope - not really.

Bingo, I couldn't have said it better. If someone feels guilt because something they enjoy impacts the environment, well then they had better not move an inch because everything we do impacts our environment. When we throw trash in the garbage we impact the environment. When we flush our toilets we impact the environment. How far should we take it?

The entire cruise industry won't fold because some individuals feel that cruising is a big negative. All we can do is what we do. Try to remain as environmentally conscious as we can as far as recycling, properly disposing of batteries, electronics, etc. Don't pour paint and chemicals down the drain. That sort of thing.

We can't do everything, and we're all entitled to a little enjoyment in life too. I'll continue to cruise, and to try in other ways to leave as good an impact on the earth as I can. That's the best I can do.

We were on the Grandeur in December. We had rough seas but...it was December so it wasn't unexpected. Anyway, we loved the ship. The food was good, no complaints. We were nervous because the previous December we'd sailed on the Explorer out of Bayonne, and the food was horrible. But, once we were on the Grandeur and sampled the food, we relaxed.

Yes, the ship is smaller than the mega ships, but that was fine for us. The ship is easy to maneuver around, we never felt like we were lost. And, the crew was great. We especially liked the aerial shows that they do in the centrum, those were really nice.

I think everyone has different tastes, and bear in mind that there are those who have chips on their shoulders to begin with and look for things to complain about.

Just go, have a good time, and make your own conclusions.

You should be able to get one free in the casino. We did on the Grandeur and Explorer.

As for being "tacky", that's in the eye of the beholder. I wouldn't consider walking around a ship carrying a purse, but those of you who want to, go for it. However, be prepared that others may think you're the tacky one. Again, eye of the beholder.