Crazycombine64

Hello, Loyal to Royal Cruisers!

Bonus question: I booked this cruise through a travel agent. I called RCI about pre-paying the tips. They sad I need to do that through my travel agent. Does that sound right?

Yes, I use a travel agent and they can add the pre-paid gratuities as requested

OK, we are in Canada & see the 30% off. So it says $29.95 surf & stream for 2 devices. Thinking back to when we first booked the cruise thought that was about what we saw price wise anyways!!

Called to day & was told yes the $29.95 Canadian was with 30% off, so guess will book it, but was told keep an eye on the internet price & if you see go down call & they will change our price to the lower one BUT you have to call.

I'm in Canada too and I see that same package for CAD$29.25 per day with 30% off. Maybe currency exchange fluctuation?. I continue to see the 30% off limited time offer since I booked our cruise in April. Not sure if I should purchase it now or wait (our cruise is on Dec 23).

Also, do you have any idea of what is RCL exchange rate for US$-CAD$ now? On my last cruise I got a tip and purchased an onboard credit directly with RCL because their exchange at the time was 1 US$ = 1.1 CAD$, when the bank rate was CAD$ 1.32. I will try to do the same this time.

What's a better deal: internet package pre-cruise purchase with the 30% discount offer or get it onboard with C&A discount? I'm Emerald member.

Very subjective. I think the food quality has been decreasing a little over the years, but I still enjoy the food they serve. The food on Liberty back in Nov 2015 was really good, didn't try any specialty restaurants, just between Windjammer and MDR. In the MDR I always ask for more plates to try and share. If you don't like something you can ask for something else.

I do my research first directly with RCL, then I call my TA. On my last 3 cruises the TA found me better deals, better staterooms, group pricing, on-board credits, etc.

A good TA will make a huge difference. Check for fees or cancellation policies first.

Looks like a scam/phishing site. AVOID

Definitely not a scam site!

Try this:

http://elliott.org/company-contacts/royal-caribbean/

I had done two close-by rooms twice with my underage kids with not problem. One tip to look is ensure both rooms have the same muster location. On one trip I booked online on adjacent non-connected rooms, we end up with different muster locations (one on port and one of starboard), having my wife with one kid in one place and me with the other kid in the other side. The second time I did the reservation over the phone and they checked that of us.

Remarkably smooth! Lounges were not over crowded, luggage pickup a breeze, customs fast and easy. Bit of a wait for the airport transfer bus, but the ride was smooth and straight. No complaints, and very relieved! I heard the self carry went well, too.

 

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Thank you Denise. We will be on Liberty in 2 weeks and you provided very useful information for all.

Hi! Any insights on the debarkation/embarkation process today in Galveston?

My wife and I are really excited about this cruise but now are stressing out about getting to the Port from the Houston International airport :( Are any of you getting a shuttle van or thinking about getting one and interested in splitting the cost? Taxi are way to expensive as well as renting a car one way which ends up being around $170:( Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!:)

Check http://galvestonexpress.com/

I will be using them on Nov 29.

Book and place the deposit. Signup for promotional emails and keep checking any offers once they arrive. You can apply any offers before you make the final payment. Use a cruise travel agent and ask for their group pricing, most of the time they have OBC offers and category upgrades.

We have done that once. I booked directly with RCL and they told me it can be done but the rooms have to be adyacent. They found for us a balcony and an interior stateroom right in front each other. My daughter at that time was 19 years old, maybe that was a factor too. One thing you need to ask and ensure is about the muster location of the stateroom. They might be different for each stateroom. In case of emergency you want to be in the same boat. They helped me out finding the right ones.

We got invited once for dinner. A friend working for RCL helped me with booking our cruise and she added us to a VIP list during the reservation. We were still Gold members at that time, so we were very surprised when we received the invitation. Speaking with the Captain, he asked me about my friend. Looks like my friend had very good connections to get us to dinner with the Captain. Sadly she's not longer working with RCL. All the people seating at the table with us were Diamond members.

I am a control freak and do not book with travel agents. I always book directly with Celebrity or Royal Caribbean and there is never a fee to cancel or change. I am willing to forgoe the perks offered by travel agents for the peace of mind to do what I want when I want.

I used to be a control freak as well, until I found out that my TA was able to get me better staterooms, hidden offers and same conditions of me doing it. I do my initial research, then I contact the TA and compare. All the time I was able to save in cost and find a better stateroom location using my TA. On my last 4 cruises, their deals were always better than anything I could find by myself. And I get the perks. I still handle airfare, transfer and hotels if needed.

I have to say that I personally know my TA consultant, their office is near where I live and met in person several times. And this TA specializes in Cruises only.

Travellers Check in Italy are very difficult to cash. Banks will not honor them unless you have an account. I was only able to use them in 2 places, one fine Jewellery store in Florence, and an hotel in Venice. I actually cash them all at the hotel to get rid of them.

I used my ATM card very successfully to withdraw cash, my bank offers no transaction fees to use the ATM, and the exchange rate was reasonable. Be sure your bank knows you are travelling, otherwise they may block it. Happened to me once and had to spend 20 minutes on the phone. :D

The only later flights were on other airlines (Southwest). No US airline is going to rebook you to another airline for an advanced schedule change and even if they did, Southwest doesn't play nice with other airlines so it wouldn't have helped.

Sorry, I didn't realize you had 2 segments with different airlines. I hope everything turns out well for you.

I was originally booked on a 2:30 flight but an airline schedule change a few weeks ago got us. There weren't any later flights to my town today. And canceling and rebooking was going to be too expensive.

Call your airline or TA. They should waive the rebooking fee when they change the original time you booked. You may have to pay just for the fare difference.

Hi

Your passports are not checked on any port, except where you embark/disembark.

Your cruise line will check your passport during your check-in and US officials on your arrival. Most likely you will need to get a new passport. I would give Cunard a call to be sure.

Yes, you can get a full refund if you cancel before a ceirtant number of days before the cruise date.

Check with the cruise line their cancellation policy.

We had a similar experience in Galveston on a foggy day, we docked around noon. RCL ordered everyone to disembark at the same time because the following passengers were ready to embark. We spent 5 hours in line to do customs. It was total chaos. Really bad way to finalize an amazing week.