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LisaLisa87

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Everything posted by LisaLisa87

  1. I remember when I first saw Oasis advertised on TV. I said I would never even consider sailing on a ship like that (I may actually have used the term ā€œfloating mallā€). We held out until 2017 when we decided to try Allure. We were hooked right away and all our RCI cruises since then have been on Oasis class ships.
  2. @jobinseattle, you asked about a video in your first post. This one is pretty good. There are longer ones that are more detailed, but this one covers the most important info.
  3. Got it. So you know that a Junior Suite (JS) is not considered a "full suite" and does not come with nearly as many amenities. That said, the JSs are larger and have bigger balconies, and JS guests get priority boarding and upgraded bathroom amenities. Also, since you'll be on an Oasis class ship, you may be able to make one or more dinner reservations at Coastal Kitchen (this is based on availability and reservations can only be made after boarding). I recently booked a JS guarantee on another Oasis class ship, and I'm satisfied with the limited perks given the difference in price between a JS and a GS. I know many people think of JSs as glorified balcony rooms, but the size difference is pretty substantial. I hope you get the upgrade, but I think you'll enjoy the JS if you don't!
  4. Congrats on booking your fist cruise! Which ship will you be on, and what type of suite did you book?
  5. I am also an anti-ducker. It just seems to have gotten out of hand and I find myself wondering what the crew are supposed to do with all those ducks! I happen to drive a Jeep, and I'm an anti-ducker there too. It's been awhile since I've been ducked and I'm fine with that. I think other Jeep drivers tend to target those with ducks lined up on top of their dashboard.
  6. I use a lanyard, but only for the pool deck and port days, so my key card is easier to find in my bag. A couple of years ago I started taking a small, round magnifying mirror that sticks on with suction cups. That way I can see well enough to put my eye makeup on using any mirror in the room. I got it on Amazon for about $5 and it's been super helpful now that my close vision isn't what it used to be! I also take towel clips which, aside from the obvious use, are great for clipping wet bathing suits to the back of chairs on the balcony.
  7. I had the same experience. I booked a suite GTY on Wednesday and did a mock booking yesterday when I saw the OBC promo. I would have gotten $700 OBC if I had waited a day, but the cruise fare would have been $692 more. So pretty much a break even.
  8. I figured I'd share an update since this thread has popped back up! As a reminder, we had booked a suite on Symphony for early 2025 and were considering changing the ship and sail date and dropping the third passenger. We ended up changing the ship and sail date, but keeping all three of us on the reservation. We were charged $300 in change fees, and the entire deposit was transferred to the new reservation. The original deposit was more than enough for the new, less expensive cruise. The change fees showed as line items on the new invoice. So, at least in our case, it was possible to change ship and sail date even though we had booked a suite. Just don't cancel outright or you will lose your deposit!
  9. I booked an ocean view balcony GTY last year, and my invoice just said ā€œGTYā€ next to Stateroom. I called to verify that their system showed I had booked an ocean view balcony GTY and it did. Fast forward to yesterday when I booked a suite GTY, and once again the invoice just says ā€œGTY.ā€œ For whatever reason, that just seems to be the way they do it. I did call again to verify itā€™s correct on their end.
  10. Thanks, @Biker19. In keeping with RCI's mission to maximize profits, I assumed that they would prioritize people bidding for upgrades for GS and above, and assign the vacated JSs to the GTY folks. I would love to be pleasantly surprised! I was just wondering whether they could justify putting us in a J4 and expect the third person to sleep on the sofa or a rollaway bed. That might be fine for a young child, but not as much for our tall 20 year old!
  11. I was wondering whether anyone caught your "Cake by the Ocean" reference. I think I'm one of only a handful of people on the planet who liked that song.
  12. Yesterday I booked a Suite GTY for 3 of us on the Wonder in January. I'm aware that we will most likely end up in a JS due to the Royal Up program. I'm just wondering whether they could put us in any JS onboard, including a J4 intended to sleep only 2 people. I didn't realize when I booked how few JS on Wonder sleep more than 2 people. I subsequently looked at the deck plans, and it appears that there are only 16 J3s on decks 6-8 (+ 2 accessible rooms on deck 14). It looks like there are 114 total JS, so by far the majority are J4s which are double occupancy. (Incidentally, that seems like an odd choice on RCI's part.) Any thoughts about whether they could put three of us in a J4? On a different note, I hate how invoices of late indicate only "GTY" as the category. I called the C&A number to verify what was showing on their end, and they confirmed it showed Suite GTY. I asked if I could get documentation showing that and was told that they weren't able to provide that. This worked out fine with the last GTY I booked (an ocean view balcony GTY), but I hate not having any proof of what I actually booked. Thanks for any insight regarding on the JS situation!
  13. Thanks for posting! Your photos are gorgeous. šŸ˜ I love a good Labadoozie. Somehow that drink just tastes better there.
  14. We had a great day when we stopped at Roatan during our Harmony cruise a few months ago. So much so that we booked a land trip for February. We had a fantastic week and were never concerned about our safety. We took the same precautions we would take anywhere while traveling (including in. the US). We mostly stayed in the tourist areas, but we did do an island tour with a local who took us pretty much everywhere. There is definitely poverty on the island, but every local we encountered seemed genuinely invested in helping to make sure that tourists felt safe and happy.
  15. We have a 20yo daughter, and I think she'd be bored on Celebrity. She and I both really enjoy the shows and the variety of specialty restaurants on RCI. DD also loves the ice skating (free skate when it's offered) and rock climbing wall. Is there any possibility of doing a 4-night sailing? That might feel a little less chaotic, if it's an option. I don't think I'll sail on Allure again until she's been "amped," but I'd be happy to sail Oasis or Symphony (Wonder so far has been out of our price range).
  16. The Intercontinental is our hotel of choice when sailing from Miami too. If youā€™re in their loyalty program, they give you vouchers for Starbucks at check-in. My only minor gripe is that the elevators can be very slow. Weā€™ve stayed there several times, and once there was actually a queue set up leading into the elevator lobby to organize the line! Have a great cruise, Andrew, Lisa, and Owen! Iā€™m looking forward to following along.
  17. Thank you! It didnā€™t occur to me that gratuities would be higher for Aqua class. I just checked Celebrityā€™s site, and it looks like the $23 is only for the Retreat. Weā€™ll probably go ahead and book with AI, even though it doesnā€™t seem like a great deal to me. Drink packages have gotten so expensive!
  18. Thank you for your responses. I should have mentioned that if we switch, we will not be booking a suite. We are definitely not going to cancel outright, so itā€™s really just a matter of how much of our deposit will apply to the new sailing (which will be substantially less expensive than the current one).
  19. Hello! We have a suite booked on Symphony in January 2025, three people. Weā€™re considering switching to a sailing this fall on a different ship and dropping one guest. Iā€™m expecting $300 in change fees since there are three guests currently on the reservation. What Iā€™m not sure about is whether the entire deposit would be moved to the new sailing or if we would forfeit part of it. Since we booked a suite, the deposit was 10% of the cruise fare vs. $X/person. Does anyone know? I realize I could call RCI, but Iā€™ve had several experiences getting incorrect information that way. Thanks in advance for any insight!
  20. Thank you both for the feedback about Blu! Would we have a set time to eat there for dinner, or is it more of a "My Time Dining" kind of thing?
  21. Thank you so much! This is very helpful info. If I could get that price for the premium drink package I'd skip AI. I do know a TA and will check in to see if he has group rates for the two sailings we're considering.
  22. I'm in the early stages of planning a short cruise with my sister to celebrate her 50th birthday later this year. I have mostly sailed with Royal in recent years, but I think Celebrity could be a good fit for us. I'm looking at a 4-night sailing on Reflection, either Key West/CocoCay or Key West/Bimini. She'll need to fly to FL the day before and can't get away for longer than 5 days. A few questions: 1. We would likely book an Aqua Class room as my sister is a spa person. Should we anticipated crowds in the Persian Garden? I've had day passes for the thermal suite on other lines in the past, and it was sometimes difficult to do the things I wanted to do (especially the heated tile loungers). 2. What do you think of Blu? We're both trying to eat healthier these days, but not at the expense of selection or tasty food. How long should we expect dinner to take there? 3. I've read about All Included, but I can't decide whether it's the way to go. We'll definitely want a beverage package and WiFi regardless. Currently, the cost of AI for the two itineraries we're looking at is around $86/person/day. That seems borderline in terms of savings. It's also hard to compare since I won't be able to see the a la carte cost of the drink packages until I've booked. Thank you for any insight you can provide! Photo of us from our last cruise together
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