2chiefs

Doesn't sound great. Taking my first Diamond cruise in June (British Isles on Brilliance). Have been looking forward to see what Diamond gets me. I will keep an open mind until after the cruise. Am greatly looking forward to this itinerary []-)

The Diamond club on the Radiance class ships are located up in the Viking lounge area and they are nice with great views. We haven't been on the Brilliance but we've been on Serenade and Radiance and we like the location. When they've gotten crowded, they would overflow into the VCL. Of course, as others have said, it may depend on the ship and crew. Regardless, I think you will have a great time.

When we were on the Radiance for our Alaska cruise, we went up to the DL during the glacier sight-seeing portion of the cruise because the view was so great. (Better than our balcony). There were others up there doing the same thing but it wasn't crowded.

The hotel manager told us on Harmony that D+ are welcome to use that podium.

That's interesting. Similar situation on on Oasis it seems. We were on Oasis last month and they cordoned off sections for the Aqua show and also for the theater with signs saying Pinnacles and Suites Guests only. No mention of Diamond +. The person "guarding" the section told us that it also included Diamond Plus. I think the lack of communication on RCL's part (the signs), could cause some animosity such as people thinking D+ people are violating policy.

This is genius! I need to run out and buy a stroller for upcoming cruise!!!! This thread is a gold mine of helpful hints!

 

:evilsmile::evilsmile::evilsmile::evilsmile::evilsmile::evilsmile:

Now that's funny!!

I don't know if people find this rude or not and I suppose some people think it's OK otherwise I wouldn't have seen it happen. On one cruise, an entire family came into the Windjammer in their pajamas and slippers. I didn't think it was appropriate but perhaps I'm old school.

Not aboard ship, but I once was in a restaurant where a person was talking on her cell phone over the speakerphone. Small restaurant and the entire restaurant was annoyed. She was oblivious to her rudeness.

At best the tables seem tight, on day one with all the luggage people carry on, even worse navigating

 

Most ships have tables right outside, near the pool area, where you can take your tray & dine. Can't say I've seen that on the Oasis pics I've seen:confused:

I've not seen any trays since RCI did away with "cafeteria" lines many years ago..Do you have to ask for them?

Is the Windjammer's food/flow as 'bad' as I've been reading in reviews?:o

 

Haven't been on a ship this size, but not especially picky, always find something to eat & a place to sit on the lido for breakfast/lunch. Starting to think we should skip it entirely.:confused:

We found the food to be good. Just seems a bit cramped up there. To me, it was more about how close the serving stations were and how tight the tables/chairs were which made the flow bad. On the day we boarded there was a wheel chair bound person at a table which blocked an entire section off. Unfortunately for those folks wheelchair bound or scooter bound, it was especially cramped. I don't think the space was well designed.

Do you know if they cancel the aqua show, are you automatically given a spot for another day without having to try to get a new reservation?

They did for our cruise last month. It rained on our scheduled day and they scheduled a new show. So I guess you could call it a reschedule rather than a cancel.

Not really a tip or trick for Oasis but we just wanted to comment that we felt the food was better in the MDR than the other RCI MDR's we've been on. Additionally, we went on a Celebrity Reflection cruise immediately after our Oasis cruise in December and also felt the food in Oasis MDR superior to Reflection MDR.

You will follow automatically to threads you post on if you have created your settings to do that.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

I knew that as well but didn't think of posting simply to subscribe. I thought maybe there was another reason....

Thanks

Following....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Just wondering. Is there an advantage to post "following"?

I usually just subscribe to the thread to follow.

Thanks

We had 7674 in 2013. We found that we didn't like the rear balcony due to vibration from the propulsion and the extra long walk to get there. This particular cabin did not have the wrap around deck. It was simply longer.

These sales flip flop all the time. The bottom line price does not change often. Book when you see a price you like

Agreed.

The other thing to watch out for is price changes that appear to be done automatically. They appear to be based on how well the particular cruise is selling. For instance, sometimes you see a higher class cabin selling for lower than a lower class cabin. Then later in the day, the price flip flops. They must put some sort of algorithm in their pricing based on availability of cabins.

The "sales" appear to be one right after another without much deviation in price but sometimes a great price just shows up for unknown reason. Bottom line, book when the price meets what you are willing to pay for. Then, once booked, keep revisiting the site to see if the price went down. If the fare went down prior to final payment, they will reduce it, but you have to ask for it.

Total for the 4 days at Park N Cruise is $63.58 plus driver tips each way

 

I have read that the one advantage to port parking on a b2b is that folks only paid for the first cruise.

No brainer then. I'm sure you'll be using the terminal parking then.

Interesting about the B2B cruise! What a deal! It makes sense because when you paid to get in, as I remember, the gate simply opened and there was no ticket to display in the car.

Funny story is that the car ahead of us just wanted to park for the day for a pickup and when he realized he had to pay for the week, he decided to back down the ramp to get out.

We received a gift of an All Access Tour for an upcoming cruise from a family member. Although it is very much appreciated and a sweet gesture, we usually get a free bridge tour and a dining room tour for being D+. Maybe we should just confess to the gift giver and explain the situation?

 

We are not sure what we want to do but where wondering what would happen if we cancelled it on board? Would it go to our account as on board credit or would it be refunded to the gift givers credit card?

 

We are leaning towards doing the tour anyway. It does include the ships laundry which would be cool to see. But I am just curious what the alternatives may be. Maybe we can swap it for Chef's Table which we hardly ever do?

 

Please no judgements about being "ungrateful". If we gave someone a gift that was a duplicate of something they already had I would hope they would exchange it!

Does the all access tour also include a lunch? Interesting dilemma. I guess I would accept the gift and go on the tour even though I've done those tours many times as well. I guess it all depends on how well you know your family member and if you think he/she would be offended. I don't believe anyone should judge you without knowing you so I hope you don't receive such responses.

We have used off-site parking but when I checked for our upcoming 4 night cruise they are charging $10.95 per day plus a service charge

 

 

Sent from my BG2-W09 using Forums mobile app

So you would be paying $85 for terminal parking vs about $50 (plus service charge) for off-site parking. For me, $35 would be a small price to pay for convenience. If you tip the shuttle driver, that further offsets the difference.

That brings up a question for me. When I paid at the entrance to the terminal on our past cruise (with you by the way), there was no attendant. It automatically charged you for the length of the cruise. If one was to go on a back to back, I wonder how they handle it?

No dress suggestions are enforced, therefore you will see a wide range of attire. Wear whatever you want.

Wear whatever you want? Are you sure? Whatever RCI suggests may be different than what your spouse wants you to wear.

(tongue planted firmly in cheek)

We always just park and roll the bags down. Seems like every time we are there it's easier that way

It certainly was for us. That was the first time we ever used the terminal parking facility. While high, we really enjoyed the convenience. While a shuttle from a remote parking lot to the ship hasn't been bad, sometimes waiting and riding a shuttle after the cruise can be frustrating. Especially if they have other stops first.

When we lived near Houston, we took many cruises out of Galveston and the only way to get to the ship, even with cruise port parking, was

by shuttle. It got to be tiresome dealing with the shuttles. The Port Canaveral terminal parking experience was refreshing for us so we don't mind paying extra.

My son drops us off and watches Bella for us. I usually drop luggage off around 10am and come back around noon to board

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

Even better!!

Rather read. I always download 4 or 5 new books to my kindle and make darn sure I don't forget the charger.

I do the same! I have shorter sleep hours than my wife so I can't have the TV on while she sleeps anyway. My kindle keeps me entertained.

For those who'd rather save some money (and spend it on something other than parking), there are several less expensive parking lots with shuttle service to port.

 

As far as I know goportcanaveral.com is least expensive at about $40 total for up to 14 nights of parking with roundtrip shuttle for two. Parking lot is not fenced but using nice area.

Also, some hotels have specials as well. One year we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Cocoa Beach and they only charged $10 total for the cruise because I was Diamond with their loyalty program. The parking was outside however and there was a bunch of tree "slime" on the car when we got back from the cruise. We had to go straight to a car wash....

I'd reccomend you drop luggage with porters and then park.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

That was our original intent but the line was longer to drop off than the line to the parking lot at the time we got there. I could see the parking was sparsely populated to we changed our minds at the last minute. Since we parked close to the elevator, it was a breeze to wheel the luggage there. Porters were very near where the elevator lands. We only had two bags (with the 4 wheels) so it was a no issue for us. We were staying at the Homewood Suites which is very close to the terminal. No traffic issues.

I'll bet you simply take a taxi or Uber since you live right there! That would be the best!

This will be my first cruise on RC and my 2nd cruise overall (my first being the "cruise from hell" onboard a substandard cruise line which I will not name here but it rhymes with "marnival"). I am unfamiliar with Port Canaveral personally but have gotten visual cues thanks to Google Streetview.

 

With that said, I see that there is a multi-level parking lot near the RC terminal. How much does it cost to park there? Is the security good? How difficult is it to get luggage from the lot to the terminal?

 

Also, since my wife booked us one of the ocean view suites with a large balcony do we qualify for express check-in? If so, how long does it take to get checked in and onboard the ship?

We just used it last month. Highly recommended even though it's $17 per day. You pay as you go in and there is no waiting in line when you leave after the cruise. Plenty of parking when we went in (about 10:15 - 10:30). We parked on the second floor near the elevators which took us down close to the check in area. No need to drop off the luggage first. This was the best parking experience we've had in the 23 plus cruises we've been on. We parked and were on the ship within 20 minutes (caveat: we are Diamond plus so we did have the advantage of earlier boarding but the general boarding started only a few minutes after we boarded). The Port Canaveral terminal and parking area have it nailed!

In contrast, we cruised out of Ft Lauderdale the following week and even though the parking (outside) was close to the ship and easy for boarding, it was a mess leaving after the cruise. With everyone trying to leave at the same time through two small kiosks to pay on the way out, it was a mess.

I just got an email from Celebrity and I have it in writing that you pay for the entire drink and not just the difference

Whoever sent you the email must be misinformed. I just got off the Reflection and just paid the difference.

we have scoured the website and don’t see the Captain’s Club on deck plans. Just wondering where we get the morning coffee/food items and evening cocktail hour as an Elite member? Thanks

 

Need to add we are on the Eclipse - sorry.

Having just got off the Reflection, I had to crack up at your question. My wife and I searched for the Captain's club when we got on board and couldn't find it..... Duh. We should have read the threads prior to the trip.

I really do like the Diamond Lounge on RCI ships and wish Celebrity would do the same. The Diamond club is open 24/7 and has Coffee, Tea, Water and a Capaccino machine. At least on all the ships we've been on. In the afternoon they will put cookies and other snacks out. It's really a nice quiet place to go if you want to unwind and read a book or something. The cocktail hour is longer but the lounge can get a little overcrowded at times (hence I believe is the reason for loading 3 drinks on the cards).

As mentioned, you will get a sheet in your room of all the events you are entitled to. Expect the continental breakfast to be in the Tuscan Grill and the cocktail hour to be in the Sky Lounge. We enjoy the appetizers served at the cocktail hour for Elites. Enjoy.

We were just on the reflection for our first Celebrity cruise. Very nice. Since we are Diamond Plus at RCI, we enjoyed the evening cocktail hour. Unlike you however, I didn't care for the appetizers. I really enjoy just plain cheese with my wine (or should I say whine? - LOL). We didn't notice the continental breakfast was available in the Tuscan Grill. Wish we knew that as we always enjoy going to the Diamond Lounge for continental breakfast on RCL ships some days. We are booked for a 14 day cruise next December on the Reflection. I appreciate the information!