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Does these need to be in your hand luggage or main baggage?

 

 

 

Just got off the Anthem of the Seas. We put a case of water in a small suitcase and dropped it off with our or their luggage. No problem. They delivered it to our cabin. Also allowed 2 bottles of wine in our carry on. This was for use in our cabin.

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My partner and I are sailing on the Mariner of the Seas - Shanghai to Singapore at the end of the month. We are struggling to find what to do in Vietnam as I have read we dock 2hr from Ho Chi Minh city? Could anyone advise us of any suitable trips with an English speaking guide. Also, if visiting Okinawa I have read using the Monorail is a good way to get an over view of Okinawa has anyone done that and could share and tips. Thank you

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My partner and I are sailing on the Mariner of the Seas - Shanghai to Singapore at the end of the month. We are struggling to find what to do in Vietnam as I have read we dock 2hr from Ho Chi Minh city? Could anyone advise us of any suitable trips with an English speaking guide. Also, if visiting Okinawa I have read using the Monorail is a good way to get an over view of Okinawa has anyone done that and could share and tips. Thank you

 

How long do you have?

 

There are a number of tours you can take with English speaking (sort of) guides. Half day city tour. Half day tour of the Chu Chi Tunnels. All day Mekong boat tour. Or just go to the Ben Tahn market and shop. :)

 

You can find trips via Trip Advisor and book and pay online. Also, just Google the trips.

 

SHOP AROUND, the same tour can vary widely in price. I recently found the Chu Chi Tunnel tour from $60 pp (hotel tour desk), down to 109000 dong online. 109000 dong = $5.23 at the time. :D

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So new to this Cruising game and am struggling!!! I have two questions please for Independance of the Seas 29/10

1 - do we get a choice of what time our main dining room sitting will be - on manage our booking it's only giving us choices of the 'speciality reasturants'

2 - internet packages - do they ever have 'specials' when researching on the internet I keep seeing pictures of the packages with a big splash over it giving 30% discounts

I wish we had done a lot more research before booking as we are surprised at how the costs just keep adding more and more on!!!

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1) Unless Independence has switched to "Freedom Dining" only you have a choice between early and late sitting. Check your 'Cruise Personaliser" or whatever RC call it.

2) Internet is always horrendously expensive on cruise ships. We usually just pop into a bar with free wifi whenever we are in a port, and do our internet stuff over a drink for free. Most ships have a special internet package on the last full day.

3) If you're new to cruising and are fairly independent here's a tip. Don't bother with the Cruise shore excursions. They are usually twice the price of locally sourced options (which you can explore on the net before you sail), and you end up being herded around with 40 other people.

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You seem to not cruise on RCCL much.

 

But, AFAIK, My Time dining is available on all RCCL ships. But I could be wrong.

 

Internet on RCCL is not about $15 a day for one device at a time. NOT horrendously expensive. And they have bundles with drink packages, that on sale make the internet free.

 

Locally sourced excursions are not always that much more. I looked a few things in Bermuda, and the price was within $5, and sometimes the cruise excursion was cheaper (SNUBA trip). Also, if you source your own excursions, and get back to the ship late, you are on your own. If you are a cruise line sourced excursion, the ship will wait, or the cruise line will be responsible for getting you back on the ship, including any costs (hotel, meals, transportation) that is required.

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  • 4 weeks later...
So new to this Cruising game and am struggling!!! I have two questions please for Independance of the Seas 29/10

1 - do we get a choice of what time our main dining room sitting will be - on manage our booking it's only giving us choices of the 'speciality reasturants'

2 - internet packages - do they ever have 'specials' when researching on the internet I keep seeing pictures of the packages with a big splash over it giving 30% discounts

I wish we had done a lot more research before booking as we are surprised at how the costs just keep adding more and more on!!!

 

Hi Tinksmum. You would normally be able to choose early seating, late seating, or my time dining. However, it is now very close to the sail date so the cruise is likely nearly sold out and possibly 2 of the 3 options are now full, so you may have been assigned to the remaining option. However there are also usually wait list options. I recommend emailing the customer service via the "Contact Us" option on the website for assistance.

 

Regarding additional costs, please understand they are completely optional, with the exception of gratuities which really should just be added to the costs along with taxes and port fees.

 

For budget conscious travelers, it's worth considering the value for the purchase. Why bother to buy internet service? In ports you may be able to get Wi-Fi. A cruise is an opportunity to disconnect for a day here and there. There is plenty to do rather than surf the web. The only thing we really buy on board is the occasional shore excursion and possibly a 12 pack of water bottles for the cabin, as that's about all we drink. No booze, no art, no jewelry or watches, no spa treatments, certainly no specialty restaurants or "upgraded" entrees, no gambling, including bingo tournaments. Photographers may energetically offer to snap a pic, but you don't even have to go look at it in the gallery, much less buy it. We do things such as tip the piano bar performer even though we aren't drinking and likewise I tip bartenders a dollar if I order a glass of water, which is rare as tap water is available in the cabin and with meals. My child goes to the kids club but not during the extra fee late hours or any fee activities. We are not even really soda or juice drinkers. Unless you are a true foodie who has to have life-altering meals every day, the included food is far more than sufficient. Even then I have had what I consider amazing food in the main dining rooms aboard all of my cruises.

 

In short, many people grumble about the extra costs, but for me, I appreciate the option NOT to pay for a bunch of stuff I really don't want anyway. My husband insists we buy internet as well so we buy it for just one device and coordinate who is using it at any given time, but I think it's unnecessary and I would prefer to skip it. Avoiding extra costs steers me to try out included options that I might not have otherwise considered, which has provided a lot of unexpected, fun experiences. If you are at all worried about the add ons, I humbly suggest saying no, and I bet you will have the time of your life regardless, or maybe because of, this strategy.

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I second everything KmomChicago just said. She gave you excellent advice.

 

If you want to try the speciality dining, when you get on board, usually around 11:00-11:30 am if you want, go to the restaurant you would like to try and ask if there is a reservation for the 1st night (boarding night) on the 50% off deal. In all probability, there will be space for you and you will have to pay only 50% of the normal price for that restaurant.

 

If you look at the Cruise Planner on line, there is a combination drink package (which can be purchased for only one of you if you choose) and internet package. The combination price makes the Internet practically free. We buy internet for only one device and then switch back and forth for which device we use it with--or else we "struggle on without a connection to the outside world," and, as KmomChicago said, that's not a bad option either. You'll be able to find free wifi in every port if you want to check in on the world without paying for it on ship. Purchasing drinks with a beverage package: two drinks cannot be ordered at the same time; the package is for one person. However, not all that much time has to go by before another can be ordered. A drink package is "not to be shared," but ....

 

Main Dining Room Times: if you aren't happy with the time you have been assigned, you can go to the dining room as soon as you get on board and ask to be switched (there is always a person standing by to deal with such requests on the first day, and the sooner you go, the better your chances will be). If it can't be done, switch to "My Time Dining." You can make a reservation for the time you want--same time every night if you want--and ask for the same table and same serving staff. It's possible you won't get the same table/staff, but you probably will if you want a table for just your group. If you want to be part of a larger table that "fills as people come in" each night, then you won't be at the same table with the same staff, but you'll get to meet new people and exchange cruise tips.

 

As KmomChicago said, you really don't have to opt for items over the basic fare (and tips) that you have already paid. You'll have a great time!

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2 750ml bottles of wine per cabin are allowed to be brought on board on embarkation day only. You can also take it to the dining room with no corkage fee which was discontinued sometime last year.

 

From the RCI website regarding Corkage Fee:

 

Does Royal Caribbean charge a corkage fee?

A: No. Guests wishing to bring personal wine and champagne onboard may do so only on boarding day, limited to two (2) 750 ml bottles per stateroom. No beer or hard liquor may be brought onboard for consumption.

Additional bottles of wine beyond two (2) bottles that are brought onboard or any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops during the cruise vacation will be stored onboard and delivered to guest staterooms on the last day of the sailing.

 

THE CORKAGE FEE POLICY HAS CHANGED! Unfortunately, it is back (the following is from the Royal Site, copied Sept. 18, 2017):

Q: Does Royal Caribbean charge a corkage fee?s.gifA: Yes. Guests who consume their personal wine and champagne in public areas, will incur a $15 corkage fee per bottle. Guests wishing to bring personal wine and champagne onboard may do so only on boarding day, limited to two (2) 750 ml bottles per stateroom. No beer or hard liquor may be brought onboard for consumption.

Additional bottles of wine beyond two (2) bottles that are brought onboard or any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops during the cruise vacation will be stored onboard and delivered to guest staterooms on the last day of the sailing.

On our last two cruises, no one seemed to know what the corkage fee actually is: main diningroom told us $35.00 a bottle! Chops said $25.00. So if you are planning on taking wine to a public venue, I'd suggest coping and printing the official policy to avoid a prolonged discussion with someone unfamiliar with what the Royal site says.

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A drink package is "not to be shared," but ....

 

Main Dining Room Times: if you aren't happy with the time you have been assigned, you can go to the dining room as soon as you get on board and ask to be switched (there is always a person standing by to deal with such requests on the first day, and the sooner you go, the better your chances will be). If it can't be done, switch to "My Time Dining." .

!

 

Excellent tips on the unshared drink package and dining options. Also important to us is the fact that plain coffee is typically available free most of the time at a self-service station somewhere on the ship - from zero dark thirty when we wake up until breakfast time, this is a must have for us. Our hack is that we fill our high quality insulated cups the night before and then the first cup of the morning is there on the dresser waiting for us, still quite warm, when we wake up, to enjoy in our PJ's.

 

Though I previously mentioned we appreciate not having to pay for extras we don't want (which would then be bundled into the cruise fare and raise the overall price), I do think it's a bit petty that fountain soda is no longer included on mainstream ships - to me soft drinks are/should be considered an extension of the free meals. An alternative if you are so inclined, is to bring a 12 pack of your favorite cans aboard. The RCI website doesn't address that, but many posters state it is typically allowed. There is the matter of getting ice to chill it, however, which some people say is complicated.

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Sorry you are so unhappy, but this doesn't really seem like a Royal Caribbean "fact," though it is certainly your opinion. (I do have to admit that I, like you, hate the fact that some passengers regard being decently dressed as of no importance at all.)

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Oh, I am a she not a he and DH was a RN with a BSB degree for 30+ years and a hospital administrator and I also have a BS degree. Plus DH was also a Forensic Nurse and spent many years as an "expert witness" all over the Country.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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I'm not the original poster of this thread, but it's supposed to FACTS about Royal Caribbean for new people--and maybe some tips for those of us who aren't new. This particular issue (how people dress) has lots of posts on it in other forums, and really doesn't belong here.

As far as facts for Royal Caribbean go, the fact is some people dress very casually on the ships now, and it's a fact that some people don't like the change; those who are "dressing ultra casually" obviously do like it and feel it is appropriate. We aren't going to settle anything about dress codes here, and I really think discussing it should be dropped from this forum.

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  • 3 weeks later...

New member here, only have cruised with RC twice before, third coming up soon on Allure. we've got a few questions:

 

1- How much are you able to change in a cruise after final payment? we've changed stateroom but were wondering if we could go as far as changing to a different cruise (will probably stick with allure for now) but for example, would we be able to switch to Oasis on the same exact date?

 

2- How advantageous is it to book on board VS waiting for a big sale? the highest we booked was a balcony, we don't plan on booking a suite anytime soon, so we were wondering if we could save much booking on board. In other words, do they offer better rates on board VS online?

 

3- How much deposit do you have to put in to book on board? also same as 1, how much are you able to change after?

 

Thanks!

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  • 1 month later...
I second everything KmomChicago just said. She gave you excellent advice.

 

If you want to try the speciality dining, when you get on board, usually around 11:00-11:30 am if you want, go to the restaurant you would like to try and ask if there is a reservation for the 1st night (boarding night) on the 50% off deal. In all probability, there will be space for you and you will have to pay only 50% of the normal price for that restaurant.

 

If you look at the Cruise Planner on line, there is a combination drink package (which can be purchased for only one of you if you choose) and internet package. The combination price makes the Internet practically free. We buy internet for only one device and then switch back and forth for which device we use it with--or else we "struggle on without a connection to the outside world," and, as KmomChicago said, that's not a bad option either. You'll be able to find free wifi in every port if you want to check in on the world without paying for it on ship. Purchasing drinks with a beverage package: two drinks cannot be ordered at the same time; the package is for one person. However, not all that much time has to go by before another can be ordered. A drink package is "not to be shared," but ....

 

Main Dining Room Times: if you aren't happy with the time you have been assigned, you can go to the dining room as soon as you get on board and ask to be switched (there is always a person standing by to deal with such requests on the first day, and the sooner you go, the better your chances will be). If it can't be done, switch to "My Time Dining." You can make a reservation for the time you want--same time every night if you want--and ask for the same table and same serving staff. It's possible you won't get the same table/staff, but you probably will if you want a table for just your group. If you want to be part of a larger table that "fills as people come in" each night, then you won't be at the same table with the same staff, but you'll get to meet new people and exchange cruise tips.

 

As KmomChicago said, you really don't have to opt for items over the basic fare (and tips) that you have already paid. You'll have a great time!

 

:)Are the specialty dining restaurants always 50% off the 1st night? THANKS. :confused:

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