MNfamilycruiser

Just wondering if anyone has passed on a RC cruise to go to WDW, not for the price but the special feeling Disney gives for the family, the exciting Vacation it brings for the resort, attractions. I guess the reason I'm asking is I love cruising but WDW is a place I grew up going as a kid for Christmas time and I feel like a kid when I go and no I'm not going on a Disney cruise. I hope I make sense in what I'm asking.

 

 

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We don't cruise every year - but usually take a bigger family vacation every year. Twice it has been to WDW. We loved it - except for my youngest who really hates hot weather! I have even gone by myself twice when my husband was at conferences at one of the resort hotels. Two very different types of vacations - but both equally special in my view.

Just like there is this forum to help in planning cruise vacations - learning from people how to make your cruise more enjoyable - there are similar sites for WDW. If you go - look up Tour Guide Mike - it is a paid service but well worth it to find out the best ways to do things and AVOID wasting time in lines.

I remember reading that children take the status of their parents. Is this true? My wife and I are showing as platinum buy my two boys are showing as gold.

Yes, it is true. Whatever status you have when they turn 18, that is what they will keep until they get enough points on their own to qualify for the next status.

You can call C&A and have them look into it.

thanks everyone.

 

yea just figured it out. I was getting double points because I was book in a cabin by myself (I wasn't getting points for the other cabin).

Your wife will have the same status as you anyway - so that doesn't matter, but you should get them their own C&A numbers - especially your daughter.

You can't put your name in both cabins, so not sure how you did that before.

 

Each person gets points for the room that they are in. You and your wife should each have your own number, and they can be linked so that you and your wife continue to show the same points earned/statuses will match.

 

Your daughter can get her own account. Not sure what age she can do that, but she can be linked to yours for status purposes. Her actual point total will be what she earns for each sailing she goes on.

Kids can have their own C&A number as soon as they sail. After 18 you can create a separate online account for them to see their own points and status. Before that you can link them with your online account.

Starting to get a little confused.

 

Wife and I do a couple cruises every year with our daughter. For booking purposes we always put me & daughter in 1 room, wife in the other.

 

Up until our most recent reservation, I have received C&A points for both cabins in my name. I am the only one with a C&A account.

 

For our most recent booking, no issues putting in my C&A number for room that me and daughter are in, but our travel agent is saying system will not take my C&A number for the wife's room (said it doesn't match).

 

Are we suppose to have a different number for me, my wife, and my daughter, or is something messed up?

We have a different number for every person - if your daughter is not 18 yet, she will be earning her own points for every cruise she is on. She will have the same status as you until she is 18 - she then keeps that status until she has enough points to move up on her own.

We already have the 2 bedroom Aqua theater suite but RC said the maximum is 6 guests, we have 7. All of Royal family suites are booked. I think we are going to get an interior room close to the Aqua theater suite.

Yes, IMO the family suites are better for less adults anyway - the Royal Family suites we have been in have the possibility of 4 in the smaller room, and 2 on the sofa bed - that is how you get 8. But not all those sleeping arrangements are equal. It works for us with teen/young adult children that we are paying for.

The only difficulty with adding an interior room is that the people in that room will not be eligible for the suite benefits - while the rest of you will.

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Thank you, thank you, thank you. :D I have been desperately looking for deck plans... and it did aanswer the question aobout the adults pool area...

>>>Solarium

The Solarium pool area is an oasis for guests 18 and older, complete with towering palm trees, hammocks and cantilevered whirlpools that extend twelve feet beyond the sides of the ship. The whirlpools' wide panels of glass allow a breathtaking view from the horizon to the ocean below.<<<

 

Sounds so relaxing. I can't wait :)

You can find lots of information on Royal Caribbean's website - that is where all the deck plans are, also information on staterooms etc. Just be aware....the information on the website is not always correct.

Too late to edit - just wanted to say I was trying to be funny with the line about the Solarium - maybe somebody does know why it isn't adult only.:D

And I am NOT one of those who always have accurate information - we don't cruise frequently enough for that.

So the information I have must be wrong?? I have been told they start charging for "free" room service between 11pm-6am..and when you say "is $4 per order" dose that mean per item or per cabin?

 

I was told all the food at Johnny Rockets was free, just not the drinks/milk shakes?? So what I was told is also wrong?

 

Sorry I'm not sure what you mean when your talking about the Solarium? If that is RCI's adult only section... then why is 16 and over and not 18 and over? Sorry just trying to understand everything. [/size][/font][/b]

Have you looked at the deck plans?

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do?deckCode=11&shipCode=LB&shipProfile=1633&sailDate=1160417&hasNavigation=false

You can see the Solarium here - whirlpools and pool- it isn't adult only, but it is not for kids - 16 and up as was stated. Why? We don't know.

For $3K you can buy A LOT of soda and meals at Johnny Rockets ;)

Some of the information you are getting must be out of date - things change quickly. If you spend time here, you will get to know a few people who ALWAYS have accurate information.

Boarding time - within reason, you can arrive whenever you want. People with more experience on this particular ship and embarkation port can probably tell you specifically what times are best.

Disembarkation - it depends on your flight times. You tell them when your flights are, they assign you a time.

Room service - I don't know for sure - but I am guessing after midnight it would be $4 per order, not per item. I can't imagine anyone would order if it was the other way.

LOL no my "other" kids are staying home with Dad...Which btw he is THRILLED about :D I am only going with my oldest DD and her hubby and my 3 grand-kids :)

 

We do have just 1 cabin booked..#7200 which says it sleeps 6, but the square footage is literally a few feet shy of what a normal Disney Cruise Line family cabin is that only sleeps 3-4. I called RCCL yesterday after reading a lot of everyone's suggestions and I will be switching to 2 Ocean View staterooms for only $400 more...HOWEVER right now we would get $190 OBC for each stateroom and with our 1 stateroom right now we only have a $100 OBC so it would basically cancel the extra cost out. :) I feel 10X's better with the extra space, extra bathroom and more privacy. ;)

:D You will be much happier this way! Now you have lots of time to research all there is to do on the ship, at the ports etc. Have fun!

No, the OP is going with her daughter, her son-in-law and their 3 younger kids. She has 3 more teens and a husband at home - but they are not coming on this cruise. ;)

oops 4 - I didn't look back to the signature.:o

I think there is some confusion among posters since the OP has her teen children in her signature, and mentioned the twin boys with Aspergers, who liked/needed the availability of video games - but they are NOT coming on this cruise.

Maybe I am missing something but I am counting 10 people. :eek:

 

Do you have two of these cabins booked or just one?

No, the OP is going with her daughter, her son-in-law and their 3 younger kids. She has 3 more teens and a husband at home - but they are not coming on this cruise. ;)

I know everyone feels very differently about this.. but this was a godsend for our family. Our twin boys have Aspergers and could NOT participate in the organized activities. The only fun they had was being able to play on the computer or video games.

 

Are the kids ever allowed to use the computer stations or the video stations?

 

And if i'm understanding you right.. the kids club is closed for 4 hours everyday from the afternoon and early evening? And all the activities shut down at 10pm?

The kids club isn't closed for the 4 hours on port days - only on sea days. Then you have swimming, splash-pad, waterslides, ice skating, rock wall, mini-golf, family friendly games etc. There is more than enough to keep them busy. The kids club is closed for 2 hours at lunch time, and 2 hours at dinner time. My kids are older now, but I remember something special for formal nights - that they could have pizza with the kids club then. Royal isn't Disney - but they are a family cruise line - they have things for families to do together and times when the kids can be busy elsewhere and the adults can have some time for themselves :D

You can get the water, lemonade, ice tea, milk in the dining room, in and near the Windjammer and possibly near the solarium (I haven't been on this class of ship for quite a while). They have beverage packages that are non-alcoholic.

We are a family of 6 but never book the Family Ocean view mostly because it only has 1 bathroom. Can you try to look at prices for 2 adjoining rooms if they are available? Not sure the cost difference but we always go with the adjoining rooms. Are you using a TA? If so, I'd be contacting them.

I would second this - one bathroom for 6 people is not much. Also not a lot of privacy. You could split up 3 and 3 - You with the 2 older kids and the parents with the youngest. I could possibly cost a little more than what you have now, but it really might be worth it.

And on RCL outside of North America!

Is this really true? I thought that you needed someone over 21 even if sailing from Europe. I looked on the website as if I was booking from the Netherlands and didn't see any change in the language.

Agree but I imagine RC didn't just pull that rule out of thin air. They probably experienced an inordinate amount of issues with that crowd and decided to stop. Surely, they would like the added revenue.

Can you imagine college spring break cruises? :eek:

That is how it used to work. We tipped the folks who served us. If they then had to split those tips that was their business and not mine. Now we give RCI the money to do what they want with it. Posters here often times say that Americans understand the culture of tipping better than people from other countries. However, the cruise lines have morphed the custom of tipping into something that many Americans actually find foreign. That is why there is so much difference of opinion on these threads.

 

See, I pretty much agree with you even if you don't like the periodic diversions from the topic of the thread.;)

This is what it is all about - what they CALL it. It is no longer really a gratuity, and anyone looking at the description can tell that it is not. Once they started automatically charging your account daily, and predetermining who gets what percentage, it became a daily service charge in my mind. I am not sure why they would still call it a gratuity, and still make it optional? I am assuming they have a reason. :rolleyes:

Maybe because most Americans and those who have cruised before are used to that terminology? Is it for the employees? So that from their point of view they see that their service to us directly affects their pay? So that the best employees that offer really exceptional service do end up getting more money? But as more and more cruisers are coming from other parts of the world - they might be better off changing the term.

One thing that I really don't get in these discussions.....ALL the money the cruise lines pay their employees comes from cruisers...ALL. As stated previously in this thread, there is a certain minimum wage the employees get paid - it really doesn't matter from our point of view what percentage comes as part of the gratuity system, and what percentage comes through the company as a base wage - the entire 100% is coming from us.

Why do people see a difference in whether that money is included in the price, listed as a daily service charge, or called an automatic daily gratuity? It is only how you are thinking about it, it doesn't change how the system actually works.

And whether you agree with me or not, you're on the other end of the internet, so there's nothing I can do about it, but I will tell you that this is one topic that I will champion harder than any "smoking on the balcony", or "can I bring my steam iron onboard", or any topic about passenger safety, because this is a hidden killer that can cause an emergency without warning.

 

I believe in this so strongly, that I have researched a number of products going as far as e-mailing the manufacturer to get the answer as to whether a particular power strip or USB hub, or even a whole product line are surge protected. And you know what? I don't even use any of these. I use a single "wall wart" provided with my phone/e-reader. So all of this research is for the CC membership, not me. Check my posts, and you can find several where I've recommended products that were not surge protected, but with a disclaimer that I've never used them nor do I vouch for their utility. Just that they are safe to use.

Thank you! I was searching for information on European outlets when I ran across this thread. I will make sure we do not use anything with a surge protector from now on. :D

There will be 4 of us staying in a Promenade cabin on Allure.

 

Dh barely has any toiletries. My 2 kids don't have too much. I usually have about 3 or 4 toiletry bags. And of course, we'll have stuff like suntan lotion.

 

I've heard people mention that they bring closet organizers to hold stuff. I do have some hanging in my closet at home (that holds things like extra medicine, bandaids, etc. The one that I have basically is a hanger at the top with the material hanging down with separated pockets.

 

Is this what people bring? And is it actually useful? I don't get where you would store it in the washroom since hanging it on the door would get annoying every time you want to open and close it (if that's even an option as the thing is wide and I know the washroom is tiny)

We put ours on the outside of the washroom door - we didn't use it to store toiletries but other "stuff". With 4 people - it makes a handy place to put everything - especially things that more than one person might use - like bandaids, or hand sanitizer. It seemed really useful when my kids were younger - getting them in the habit of putting stuff back in the pockets as soon as they walked in the room meant things stayed neater and we never had to look for stuff. The clear plastic is the best - everyone can see the stuff and no one has to ask Mom where something is ;) I think ours is really a shoe organizer.

My first RCCL cruise is upcoming and I have $500 OBC from my big box store TA. I was going to use it when I board for a drink package but via the cruise planner I can buy one for 20% off.

 

I don't mind fronting the cash for that discount, but I can't imagine spending $325 (after grats) on anything on board that isn't beverage related.

 

Do I need to call my TA about this? Or will any money from them definitely be refundable if I don't spend it all?

If your big box store TA starts with a C....then yes. Definitely refundable.

My husband and I are doing our first Alaskan cruise in May 2017 and have a JS starboard cabin. We did not know that port side was best and now there are no cabins available. Should we be concerned that we will not be able to view any of the beautiful scenery out of our cabin?

I would say not to worry - it seemed to me that much of the time we were actually sailing inlets, passages etc. There was land on both sides - look at the map of all the areas you visit and you will see what I mean. :D Approaching Vancouver is the same - you sail the Inside Passage.

Any currency works...The shipboard currency is US dollars and the crew is accustomed to being compensated in US Dollars...and if they buy something on the ship, it's dollars...If they leave the ship for one of those rare days off in Europe, most countries the local currency is Euros...so, Euros do come in handy for them...Of course, like most of us, they know how to exchange dollars for local currency if they need it...

And, in reality, most of the tips they earn, they save...and bring it back to their families in their home countries--where they would likely need to exchange either currency into local funds...So, it usually matters little...

 

That said, I generally tip in US Dollars...but, occasionally, if I have extra local currency, I may tip in that...But I wouldn't go out of my way to exchange my US currency to local currency just for ship gratuities...OTOH, for guides in port, local currency is preferred...

Thanks - we will be changing money, because we will be staying in Copenhagen a few days, and are taking private excursions in Norway. If we have any left we will go ahead and use it for tips rather than try and change it back. But I am sure we will have USD as well. Both Norway and Denmark use their own currency, not the Euro.

If you are on a ship sailing from a non-US port (Copenhagen) would you still tip in USD?

I am starting to figure out transportation for the 5 of us, and I could swear I remember reading something about departures from CPH - is there a limit on how EARLY you can be for a flight? As in you can be no more than 3 hrs early?

 

I have done a search and can't find the information anywhere, so I don't know where I might have read that (or if I really did read it :rolleyes:)

Speaking of taxis - I found some help on a sister site of CC (virtualtourist.com) about taxis for larger groups -

http://www.taxa.dk/en/

They have minibusses and also handicapped transportation. I contacted them, and you can prebook.

I am starting to figure out transportation for the 5 of us, and I could swear I remember reading something about departures from CPH - is there a limit on how EARLY you can be for a flight? As in you can be no more than 3 hrs early?

I have done a search and can't find the information anywhere, so I don't know where I might have read that (or if I really did read it :rolleyes:)