first time cruisers from Southampton with royal Caribbean

[the griswolds]

Hi, we are a family of 3 sailing from Southampton in august 2015. We are doing a 14 night all inclusive cruise around the med. I have some questions I would like to ask please. We are sailing on the Explorer of the seas and I have noticed there is an amusement arcade on board for the young ones. Are these free or do we need to pay? How do we pay if this is the case. Do we need to take some us dollars even though it is sailing around Europe? Can we take any alcohol on board? If we were to travel down on train, what time approx do you think we would be getting off the boat to come home? Can I use a debit card in stead of my credit card? Our package includes all beers for me lol soft drinks for our son and wine up to the value of $8 for the wife. If she has a glass of wine that is more, do I simply pay the difference? Are these drinks available on all bars etc on the ship?

Hope someone can help me with these questions and I'm sure there will be more to come.

 

Regards sean.

[CruiserBruce]

I see you have been active on the RCI board before. That is the best place for your research on all of these cruise line specific issues. The RCI board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

[Cuizer2]

Hi, we are a family of 3 sailing from Southampton in august 2015. We are doing a 14 night all inclusive cruise around the med. I have some questions I would like to ask please. We are sailing on the Explorer of the seas and I have noticed there is an amusement arcade on board for the young ones. Are these free or do we need to pay? How do we pay if this is the case. Do we need to take some us dollars even though it is sailing around Europe? Can we take any alcohol on board? If we were to travel down on train, what time approx do you think we would be getting off the boat to come home? Can I use a debit card in stead of my credit card? Our package includes all beers for me lol soft drinks for our son and wine up to the value of $8 for the wife. If she has a glass of wine that is more, do I simply pay the difference? Are these drinks available on all bars etc on the ship?

Hope someone can help me with these questions and I'm sure there will be more to come.

 

Regards sean.

 

The arcade costs extra. If your son is going to enjoy these games I suggest you force a daily limit on him (This is done through guest services). Even a limit of $20 per day will cost you $280 for the cruise (sorry, I'm from the US, I don't know how many dollars to the pound). Another option is to charge his tips (gratuities) to your card and give him charging privileges of a limited amount (say $200 for example) and when that is used up, that is it.

 

Alcohol - the following is from Royal Caribbean's website ...

 

Onboard Policies

 

Print This Page

 

 

Q: Can I bring liquor or non-alcoholic beverages (from home or from a port) onboard?

 

A:

Guests are not allowed to bring beer, hard liquor, fortified wines or non-alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use on boarding day or while in port. Alcoholic beverages seized on boarding day will not be returned.

 

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. Additional bottles of wine beyond two (2) bottles that are brought onboard or any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from Shops On Board will be stored by the ship and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the sailing.

 

Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage etc.) and will dispose of containers holding alcohol. Guests who violate any alcohol policies, (over consume, provide alcohol to people under age 21, demonstrate irresponsible behavior, or attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage check points or any other time), may be disembarked or not allowed to board, at their own expense, in accordance with our Guest Conduct Policy. Guests who are under the permitted drinking age will not have alcohol returned to them.

 

Note: All guests must comply with TSA guidelines for transporting liquids.

 

Credit card vs. Debit card - If you were from the US I would NOT recommend using your debit card because the consumer protection laws in the US are much stronger for credit cards than debit cards. However, I don't know if the same is true in England.

 

That said, a debit card allows direct access to your checking account while a credit card does not. For that reason alone I would not recommend using a debit card.

 

If you are referring to purchased on board the ship, then you have to establish an on board account, neither cash nor credit cards nor debit cards are used on the ship except to establish your on board account. Then all purchases are done via your room key is is called your SeaPass.

 

Everyone will have one, even your son (though it is up to you whether is actually gets to hold it or not).

 

All the bars will have to alcoholic drinks. There are special soft drink machines for obtaining soft drinks.

 

I was on the Explorer of the Seas in November. Perhaps you would like to read my review, which includes over 250 photographs. The link to my review is below ...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2130288

[the griswolds]

Thank you for the replies.

Cuizer2, I have actually been through your review at least 3 times as I am mesmerised by your photos. We have free gratuities already as part of the deal so I think a capped daily amount will have to do. He will have to save up some pocket money in the next 8 months. It will be strange though sailing from the uk and working in us dollars on the ship then euros in the ports while having gbp in my wallet. Lol

[GottaKnowWhen]

Hi, we are a family of 3 sailing from Southampton in august 2015. We are doing a 14 night all inclusive cruise around the med. I have some questions I would like to ask please. We are sailing on the Explorer of the seas and I have noticed there is an amusement arcade on board for the young ones. Are these free or do we need to pay? How do we pay if this is the case. Do we need to take some us dollars even though it is sailing around Europe? Can we take any alcohol on board? If we were to travel down on train, what time approx do you think we would be getting off the boat to come home? Can I use a debit card in stead of my credit card? Our package includes all beers for me lol soft drinks for our son and wine up to the value of $8 for the wife. If she has a glass of wine that is more, do I simply pay the difference? Are these drinks available on all bars etc on the ship?

Hope someone can help me with these questions and I'm sure there will be more to come.

 

Regards sean.

You may well want to double check with Royal, but my understanding is that with a standard drinks package, if you go for something out of your price range, you pay the full amount. With a premium package you would only pay the difference. As far as currency, there is none onboard. But your running account (which you can view on your in-room tele) might be either $US or GBP. Ask Royal. I know I have seen that info on what the base currency will be on a given cruise, just don't know where on their site or the ticketing docs to suggest you might look.

[John Bull]

Good info from Cruzer 2.

Here's just a few other points:

 

Carry-on alcohol - you can take aboard (only at Southampton, not at ports of call) two bottles of wine between you to drink in your cabin. Though your drinks packages might make that pointless. Any excess alcohol (for instance you might want to bring back some wine, spirits, whatever, from one of the ports) you hand in when you re-board & it will be returned to you on the last day. (different cruise lines, different policies, this is RCI's)

NB Her Majesty's finest at Southampton target ships which have been to non-EU ports, so don't be tempted to bring back a case of brandy or a suitcase-full of smokes from Gib.

 

Fruit juices are freely available at breakfast-time, tea & mud (ship's regular coffee ;)) & a rather sickly lemonade are freely available at drinks stations 24/7. Hot chocolate too, though you may have to hunt / ask for it.

 

On ex-UK sailings there are tea-making facilities in your cabin. But strangely, no coffee :confused:

So pack a small jar of instant.

 

Ship's currency is US dollars.

The only US cash you'll need are for gambling, on some ships cash is used in machines but more & more are converting to accept the SeaPasses (aka sail & sign cards), which also double as your cabin key, your boarding card, and your card for other on-board purchases.

You'll also need cash to tip for any room-service deliveries if you use the service, but this can be USD or euros or sterling.

Everything else on the ship you sign for, so ship's currency being US dollars only means:

1. You need to do a little mental arithmetic to figure the cost of things. Broadly $3 = £2. Bear in mind that normally on US ships there's a mandatory15% service charge on purchases of drinks, though

- that's included in your package drinks

- and on ex-UK sailings RCI have in the past incorporated the service charge into the list prices, so you may have to ask if there's a service charge on any drinks purchases.

2. Your on-board account will be in US dollars. Important - during the cruise you'll be given a form asking if, for your convenience :rolleyes:, you'd like RCI to convert the account to the currency of your card (sterling) before charging. DECLINE this offer, ask that the charge remain in USD. Your card supplier will convert to sterling at a much better exchange rate.

 

On the same subject, get your foreign spending money before you cruise or use your debit card in ATMs at the ports - ship's same poor exchange rates apply to currency exchange on-board, and because you'll have sterling to change into euros via a dollar ship, you'll get a double-whammy of poor exchange rates from RCI.

(you'll probably get away with euros at bars, shops etc in any non-euro ports. Either sterling or euros at Gib, sterling will probably give you better value but avoid Gib notes in your change)

 

Settling your on-board a/c by credit card or debit card.

You'll be aware that the same protection applies to UK cards as Cruzer 2's US cards - credit cards have safeguards & debit cards don't.

I don't see any need for that protection when dealing with RCI, but do be aware of a different potential problem particularly with debit cards. .........

You will register a card when you board. Each day, RCI will put a "hold" on funds in that card account, to ensure that there's sufficient funds to settle your on-board account at the end of the cruise. The "holds" don't show on your card account, because the money isn't actually debited - it's merely ring-fenced. But those holds remain in place for about a week after the cruise (and after you've settled the on-board account) while the cogs whirl in the banking system. Dreadful system, the banking system should be much more speedy & efficient. If you have a low balance in your bank account, or if you're close to the max on your credit card account, this can mean that temporarily with a debit card you won't be able to draw cash and direct debits may be dishonoured, or a credit card may be declined for a subsequent purchase such as grocery shopping or buying petrol because some of your funds are still ring-fenced.

Because most folk have much higher credit card limits than their usual spend, but may run low bank balances, this tends to more-frequently be a problem with debit cards than with credit cards.

Other cruise lines do the same thing, most hotels etc do the same thing too, though most folk don't know that it happens because it rarely creates a cash-flow problem. If I've not explained this clearly enough, ask your bank or card supplier about "holds" on funds.

Of course there's no commission charge for using a debit card, and most cruise lines - including RCI - don't charge commission for credit card use.

 

Disembarkation at the end of your cruise.

Ignore any references to "arrival" times at Southampton, which are usually around 5am while you're still in the land of nod, and there will be ship's arrival formalities before folk are allowed to disembark.

You will be allocated a disembarkation slot, sometime between 7.30am & 9am - it's staggered like this in order to avoid long queues. You put your checked cases out in the corridor the night before, & they'll be waiting for you in the terminal when you've disembarked.

You can ask for an earlier disembarkation slot than the one allocated to you, for instance to tie in with your onward transportation time. This is perfectly normal.

Or you can opt for "unassisted" disembarkation, at about 7am. This means that you don't put your cases out the night before, instead you keep them in your cabin & schlepp them off the ship yourselves. No problem at 7am, but lifts (elevators) & corridors will be packed later in the morning & you'll be incredibly unpopular hauling big cases in that melee.

 

Taxis at the terminal take only five minutes to the rail station, though at times there may be a delay due to more passengers than taxis.

The earliest train you should aim for is 7.30, using unassisted disembarkation.

But if you have a choice of train times, have a light breakfast on the ship while the lemmings are crowding the gangway & aim for a train at about 9.30 to 10am. By 9.30 there will only be stragglers still on the ship.

 

Haven't sailed on Explorer but have sailed on some of her sisters, & I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise

 

JB :)

Edited January 3, 2015 by John Bull

[jocap]

Just a word about train travel...people from Yorkshire are apt to go to Kings Cross, then haul themselves across London to another station for the Southampton train, which can be arduous with luggage and a child. Check the Cross Country trains, as you can go from York, Leeds etc to Birmingham, then change for S'ton-from the same station.

Another way is by the TransPennine route to Manchester, but you may have to change again at Wolverhampton or Birmingham.

I hope this info isn't out of date, but you can check.. :eek:

[Cuizer2]

Here is a close up of a Royal Caribbean recharge station for playing the games in the arcade. This photo is from the Enchantment, but they are the same on all the Royal Caribbean ships I've been on.

 

[the griswolds]

Thank you all for your replies. I'm still debating whether to drive down or catch the train.

[Cuizer2]

Thank you all for your replies. I'm still debating whether to drive down or catch the train.

 

How fast can you run verse the speed of the train?

[Enforcer]

Hi,

 

If you are travelling down by road consider going the day before and stay in a hotel. I have always done this (travelling from Stockport) it has paid dividends on a couple of occasions when there has been delays on the routes to Southampton which has caused some passengers to miss the sailing. It is at your expense to board the ship at the next port of call unless you use RCI arranged transport.

 

Pete

[the griswolds]

Hi pete, I have already booked into the novotel the night before. I believe this hotel is very close to the terminal.

Sean

[Nsadavies]

There is no need to buy dollars before you go. You register a card when checking in at the port. To use the arcade just activate all cards so that your room is charged.

[jocap]

Hi pete, I have already booked into the novotel the night before. I believe this hotel is very close to the terminal.

Sean

Yes, it's not far from the terminal, and it's also close to the station. They do a package for parking as well- a car park with barriers.

[the griswolds]

Thanks jo. I will look into that.

[LOVINCRUIZIN]

There is no need to buy dollars before you go. You register a card when checking in at the port. To use the arcade just activate all cards so that your room is charged.

 

That is an option, but I choose to keep my kids cards turned completely off on RC, and force them to use cash using the machine Cuizer2 shows in his/her pic. That best protects me, and makes my kid understand the value of the money they are spending (I am not an arcade fan :mad: )

 

Have an awesome trip!!!