MNfamilycruiser

Hi Linda - how far is the walk from the train to the ship? Thanks

hmmm, from the road to the train I think I saw a sign that said 1500 ft., you just have a parking lot between the road and the building to check-in. It was maybe a 5-10 minute walk depending on how fast you walk :D

Just off the southbound Radiance cruise - even though the documents now say boarding time is 2:30 pm instead of noon - we still were able to board immediately after getting off the Coastal Classic Train from Anchorage.

We walked from the train and were on board eating lunch in the Windjammer before noon :D Our room was ready at 1:00 - we dropped off our small carry-ons and would have been able to get back off and explore a bit if we wanted to. A few members of my family were not feeling well, so we took care of business on the ship and rested instead.

I'm going to Alaska in September, do you think it will be chillier? I've tried to search average temps and it could be in the 70s... but also in the 40s. When we are cruising the glaciers, how cold will it actually be on the ship?

 

I figured I'd bring a lot of sports-casual type clothes, kind of like Atheltica, Lululemon....(I'm also 27). But I figured if we are doing a lot of active trips it might be good to have, plus they tend to be good in all climates. Plus if it is rainy...wet jeans don't sound fun. Also those clothes are really light weight.

And then maybe a nice dress for formal nights.

 

As far as jackets/coats go...do you think a standard northface jacket would suffice. I typically wear it in the fall/winter when temps are avg 40s. I really don't want to waste precious suitcase space with a heavy jacket.

 

Do people pack scarves and gloves or am I over reacting to the potential of "cold" when it will probably be 50s-60s?

It might have been 50-55° right next to the glacier - but when the sun was out - it didn't feel that cold. If you watch from the front of the ship or anywhere out in the open you will be getting some breeze and it will feel colder. We watched from our aft balcony and while the sun was out we were actually WARM - I had on a short sleeved shirt and bare feet :D

I would say NO to a heavy jacket - you will be much better off layering a waterproof jacket over fleece if necessary. We had very light knit gloves that we used for a whale watching tour (on the water, on a colder cloudy day) and a glacier hike. We had ear muffs, but never used them.

50-60 in Alaska feels the same as 50-60 anywhere. The key is the sun and wind - that will change how the air temperature "feels". Almost every day we had on short sleeved shirts under our waterproof jackets, then threw the jackets in our backpacks if it got warm. The only time we needed all the layers was for whale watching - in a small boat, moving on the water, standing and watching for long periods. It was also the coldest day we had - long sleeves, fleece, waterproof jackets and gloves.

Lots of people were wearing sandals on our cruise last week (myself included), but we had a very warm week. It was mid 60's and sunny nearly every day. I wore a pair of Birkenstocks around the ship all the time, and even to dinner on the first and last nights when it is most casual. I saw people walking around in sandals of all types though.

We did bring a pair of shorts, but never wore them - while the ship was moving the wind was enough to be chilly and our excursions seemed to span enough hours that it was cool when we left in the morning.

I wore black jeans and a nice top for dinner, my daughters wore colored or patterned jeans and nice tops. But many looked to be wearing what they had on for the day.

Our layering for daytime worked perfectly - we had 2 long sleeved shirts and more short sleeved shirts that we then layered with waterproof/windbreaker jackets and fleece jackets as needed. I had looked at the weather the day before we left and adjusted shirts at the very end.

Keep in mind that we are from Minnesota and mid 60's and sunny felt like a beautiful spring day to us :D

First time travelling with the magnetic clips, based on suggestions here, and I wanted to report that I LOVED having them!:D

We were travelling as a family of 4, and I was able to put up many different pieces of information for my family. I typically would clip up our confirmation email/ information on each tour we had scheduled - so we wouldn't forget to bring it. I would also hand write a list to go with each tour so my kids knew what to pack in their backpacks each day. (Alaskan cruise - we needed to think and pack a little differently).

There seems to be a lot of paper that accumulates - it was great to keep it organized and visible.

We are back after the May 23rd sailing - I thought we were able to get pretty close to the glacier. :D The distance/size is a little deceiving - but close enough to see and hear calving many times. We moved very slowly through the ice field and continued in until we were close.

The captain is currently Goran Peterson on the Radiance.

When I spoke with BoA last night they explained that if you set up your automatic payments on their web site, then any time you are issued a new card...ie, when it is renewed with a new expiration date or you are issued a new card with new numbers, the information is automatically updated.

 

I'll be looking into that tonight.

Yes, I have two different cards linked and pay online - whenever we have had to get a new card (Target hack, upgraded to new Signature Visa) the new number and card are set up automatically just like the old one - as soon as I log in - there it is.

But I have never done automatic payments - so I don't know if that transfers from one number to another.

Thanks - before we took more cash along, I just wanted to check what I thought I understood. It was a bit confusing because most people seemed to want to use the casino to get back non-refundable OBC, and that wasn't our situation.

I was telling my husband that I think it has something to do with not using credit cards at casinos or something. Every Visa or AmEx gift card we have ever received has stated that they may not be used at casinos - maybe something in the rules somewhere to protect people from themselves ;)

Just checking to see if I understand this correctly...

We have significant OBC from our TA (refundable), my husband would like to try the craps tables. But we can't charge the chips to our room without paying a 5% fee?

To get chips, you must pay with cash, unless you have the cash they charge a cash advance to your account - with fee - then you can use the cash to get chips?:confused:

Trying to figure out if we should be extra cash just for the casino - the 5% seems like too much to waste since our OBC is refundable.

Last spring/early summer ships were stuck many miles from Hubbard Glacier because severe ice prevented them from getting close. The Cruise Lines get so huffy when they put little holes in their pretty ships!

 

Has anyone heard how Hubbard Glacier viewing is so far in 2014?

 

I'm going to try Alaska forums and Roll Calls for Early Radiance sailings.

 

 

Thank you!

The first northbound Radiance cruise departed on 5/16 - I am guessing they won't get to Hubbard until 5/22?

We are on the first southbound Radiance cruise departing 5/23 - I'll come back and let you know :D

Got my new cards the other day. I didn't know about the 10,000 extra points. That's a good thing. DH uses it for gas so should be able to get our $3,500.

I emailed a question today about the 10,000 pts. - we don't know if it applies if you simply followed directions for the offer you received to UPGRADE rather than applied for a new card. The upgrade offer comes with a registration code to use - no application necessary. The link on the RC website is to apply for a card I believe.

Someone on this thread talked to a person at RC...I'll have to go back and read - they may have gotten the points by specifically asking about them.

Here I am.....no points yet, simply because we just received the new cards today and still in the envelope and needs to be activated.

 

I copied and pasted from the T&C (terms and conditions) of the Signature visa regarding the 10,000 bonus points.

 

Bonus Points Offer. You will qualify for 10,000 one-time new Cardholder Bonus Points in addition to your basic Points if you use your new credit card account to make at least one transaction that posts to your account no later than 65 days after the account after the account is opened. This one-time promotion is limited to new customers opening an account in response to this offer. Other advertised promotional bonus points offers can vary from this promotion and may not be substituted. Bonus Points are credited to your account approximately 6-8 weeks after you qualify and they will count towards your maximum Yearly Points earnings limits. The value of this reward may constitute taxable income to you. You may be issued an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 (or other appropriate form) that reflects the value of such reward. Please consult your tax advisor, as neither Royal Caribbean, Bank of America, its affiliates, nor their employees provide tax advice.

 

If you go to the RC site-click on ALL ABOUT CRUISING- find the link to the Visa Signature card...you'll find an application...scroll down all the way to find the T&C....I've read and re-read all of it. :eek:

 

 

***

Unfortunately some of us responded to a mailing or email that didn't mention the 10,000 bonus points. We got an offer to upgrade :( I knew I should have waited and checked it out more. Well, we only did one of our two BoA RC Visa's - maybe I can follow the link for the second card.

Thanks for the update MNfamilycruiser...can you also provide any update on if you received an additional 10,000 points for doing the upgrade (or not)?

 

:confused:

No, I did not. The 10,000 points is only if you open a new card, not upgrade one you already have.

Sorry, something smells fishy....why would they notify you that IN THREE WEEKS, your credit card will be deactivated because of a compromise in their system. NO, don't believe it....and would call, not reply to the email, BofA.

 

Handling a change in credit card for use on the ship, is easy -- as everyone else has said, when you board the ship. We never let them know in advance of arriving at port what credit card we will be using. No reason to.

It is not fishy because of the Target and Neiman Marcus security breach in November/December....approximately 70 - 110 MILLION people were affected through Target alone. I don't know how many BoA customers, but you can't realistically expect that the credit card companies would cancel 110 MILLION credit cards all at once and issue new ones based on that security breach - if they have information that the number has been sold and used fraudulently THEN they will immediately stop all transactions. Otherwise they are acting prudently and gradually reissuing all cards that were used in those locations.

I got a new card maybe 2 months ago (or more). My husband has an additional card that was never used at Target :rolleyes: (guess who does the majority of the shopping) and he had no notification or changes.

Anyone who already got their new card - how long did it take? The mailing said 4-6 weeks - just wondering if that is true.

 

I forgot I will need to change the credit card number for our Set Sail pass once I get the new card.

Well, for anyone else who is interested - I applied for the upgrade April 16th and received the new ones May 9th - took 23 days. Plenty of time for me to change our Set Sail pass and print them out finally. :D

Had same thing happen to me, said my CC may have been compromised. They cancelled it and sent me a new one. Points stayed on without having to ask them.

 

Have to give BOA credit for catching the possible compromise, I'm sure it less expensive for them to issue a new piece of plastic than paying off fraudulent purchases.

I wonder in this case if the merchants that were hacked are paying all or part of the cost of replacing cards? It was somewhere between 70-110 MILLION people affected.

I was just curious with all the upgrades and all , has anyone booked a outside and got stuck inside or no balcony , share please.

I am not sure how that would be possible?

Upgrades make sense, they have unsold staterooms....

Overbooked like the airlines? I don't think the cruiselines operate the same way.

The reason it seems to happen quite often is, believe it or not, because Bank of America has a fairly good Red Flag System in place. They will replace even potentially compromised cards often and question spending that is out of the norm for the cardholder.

 

Your points will stay in place. As noted, it is easy to change credit cards or new numbers and expiration dates at checking.

 

M

I believe it! The two times our cards were fraudulently used, they caught it after one purchase - I am not sure if one fraud purchase was allowed through or if they caught at the first one - we were never liable for anything as long as WE didn't lose the card.

I suppose it was fairly obvious as both fraudulent uses were overseas - one in Australia one time and in Ireland the next time it happened.

Might be more fallout from the Target breach.

Exactly!

Just opened our email to find a message from Bank of America stating "some" of their credit cards had been compromised and they were inactivating our card and number as of May 27th. They say they are sending out new cards in the next 10-15 days. Well, we booked the cruise that we are taking that sails on May 23rd-May 30th and planned to use this card while onboard the ship. This will leave us having to pay cash for our onboard expenses instead of putting it on our card!

If by chance we do get our new cards before we sail, how do I change the card with Royal Caribbean so the new card is used and the old soon to be inactivated one is not used? I vaguely remember that somewhere on the online check in you are asked which credit card you will be using for your SeaPass account. Since time will be running short can I still change it?

Thanks for any help!

I don't suppose you happened to shop at Target in November/December with that card? Or one of the other merchants that were hacked? I think Neiman Marcus was another big one. This sounds like the same email many have already gotten. Did it mention an "undisclosed merchant"?

Looking at the news reports concerning the Target breach - it seems as several other stores were hacked and the credit card companies are just being proactive with changing the cards that were used there.

If your number was actually stolen, and had been used fraudulently.....(trust me, I have been through it at least twice) they would stop all charges immediately. You would have to review all recent purchases on the card and verify if you had made them.

Hoping everything works out for you - you got the answers you need for the set sail pass - I was just hoping to reassure you that you might not have actually been hacked.

We are going on thomson spirit next week on the iceland cruise.has anyone any advice about which tours to book or doing your own thing by taxi? My husband is partially disabled so can't do anything too strenuous! Thank your in advance for any suggestions.

Try looking here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=192 It is under the Port of call boards/Europe/Northern Europe Baltics

I searched for Iceland and came up with many threads. Also on tripadvisor you can find ratings/recommendations for tours for many cities.

You are more likely to get a helpful response on the port of call boards than on a general board like this.

Janet524....

 

The big deal is even when you talk to them on the phone they tell you "we will try to have the points applied by final payment" key word is try, and "oh if we don't have them applied you can pay the balance with your visa and then we will refund it when the points are applied" how is that right?

 

I do not believe this is good customer service. I am being pro-active and taking care of things ahead of time, they do nothing for me.... But for the people that procrastinate and do things at the last minute, right before leaving on their cruise, they get taken care first?

 

Does anyone know who we can complain to and get this changed so that they are processed first in, first out? I don' understand with this day and age of computers why this can't be processed as soon as you place the order on the website.... My take on how they do this is, they do it manually, but then again we all know how up to date RCCL's computer systems are...

 

Doris's...

 

I have my emailed confirmation, but that doesn't help with getting it applied to your cruise balance, although I could see how it would help for onboard credit

 

Thanks for the feedback

I would guess that they do it this way because of cancellations - if they apply it to your cruise before the final payment date - what happens if you need to cancel? It is probably a big mess trying to get the points back into your account - if it is even possible.

From the point of view of someone who saved up points to the last possible moment to get us a free OV stateroom...I would have been annoyed if they were so busy processing points of people who were not sailing for months and months that they could not deal with mine.

There are many rules to using the points - they expire after 5 years, we don't cruise every year - sometimes we have to save up for several years, we like to save up the points so that we can get more than 1% value from them - it isn't procrastinating - it is using the system so that it works best for us.

I would like my rewards to go toward the drink package. Is that possibly? How do I start that process? I've gone to the myrewards website and I see where I can redeem them for onboard credit, but don't know how to specify that I want it to go toward the drink package? because when I go to purchase the drink package it asks me for a credit card. Thanks!

You would just have to purchase the drink package once on board with your OBC - I don't think the drink packages are one of the things you can purchase with points.

Most TAs will give you anywhere from 6-12% OBC (discount) off the cruise fare portion of the cost of the cruise.

 

The balcony discount has NOTHING to do with the discounts/offers you get from your TA, other than deduct from the total amount of the cruise fare.

 

So....let's say your cruise was going to cost you $5,000. You may get a $350 OBC from your TA (very typical...even a little on the low side). Now, if your balcony credit makes the cruise $4775, your OBC may be slightly adjusted ($334), but not by much.

 

Figure out what percentage the OBC represents for the cruise fare. Then subject the balcony discount from the cruise fare and apply the same percentage. Give or take a few....

 

But if you have a TA that is telling you that the balcony discount wipes away his OBC/etc., that is baloney. One has nothing to do with the other--other than lowering the base amount and thereby lowering the OBC slightly.

 

Dawn

I heard this from a TA when we applied BoA points to reduce a cruise fare several years ago...so I don't know if it is entirely true...

The fare we see (not including Taxes and Fees) still includes some amount that is outside of what the TA earns their commission on. I believe they actually used the term "the commissionable portion of the fare" to identify what they base the OBC on.

Say with your $5000 fare - they may earn commission only on $4000 of it - and any discounts applied are taken away from the $4000. So it would be possible that your OBC would be reduced by more than the straight percentage would indicate. Probably not much of a difference with balcony discounts, but it made a significant difference when we used points.

I don't have direct experience....but my instinct is that they would move people currently in JS up, then move people in lower categories to the now open JS....that way they get to make a lot more people happy with an upgrade.

Good luck - hoping that the way I would run things isn't how RC does it:D Congrats and enjoy your visit from the upgrade fairy!