leisuretraveler223

I take a different approach. I do not buy travel insurance. There isn't a single right answer, but rather it depends on the individual and the circumstances. I look at a number of possibilites: First, I have a plan through MedJet Assist for medical transport if necessary. It's a multi-year plan that covers me anywhere in the world. So, I've got the potential expense and logistical hassle of getting home covered. Second, my current health insurance will reimburse me for medical expenses incurred while traveling, so long as I'm not in an area the US State Department has advised against traveling. Now the critical component to this is "reimbursement", I'm going to have to foot the bill and they will pay me back. Now, I own a business and have access to a very large amount of credit, so I can float even a large medical expense until I'm reimbursed. Look into what your current insurance covers and consider the possibilities. What I do not insure against is any "loss of trip" eventuality. I travel regularly, probably in the neighborhood of twice a month, sometimes a long weekend, sometimes a week or more. If I suddenly have to cancel a trip last minute, or cut a trip short, I might lose the cost of the trip, and I might be disappointed, but I'm no poorer. In other words, there is no huge risk or exposed liability there. I like to say that I "self insure" in this way. In the past ten years, I've had to cancel two trips last minute- two out of probably 150-170. I lost about $4,000 between the two events. Or, about $25 lost for every trip taken in that time frame. So I have DEFINITELY made out better not buying that type of insurance for all my travels. Now, things may change. If professional circumstances, family issues or even health concerns suddenly increase the probability of having to cancel, I might reconsider this and hedge my bets a little differently. There are two thought processes around travel insurance: one is "peace of mind". Some people feel better knowing they are covered. There is some value in this, but keep in mind it's also the emotional string the insurers always pull on to sell their product. "Peace of mind" is valuable, but how valuable is very subjective. The other view of any insurance product (travel, homeowners, life, liability,etc.) is that it is an INVESTMENT tool. From this view, travel insurance is almost universally considered a bad investment. So, it's not for me, but it's a calculated decision. I encourage everyone to consider what they are insuring and why, and do what is best for them.

Based on the title, this is NOT how I thought this thread was going to unravel.

I think most of the people here would have absolutely lost their minds if they ever tried to take a commercial flight in the 70s or early 80s.

And there is an equally simple answer: Yes they can. But it doesn't matter, as they have chosen not to. You can waste all the time you want speculating about this and it won't make any difference. So I in turn as a simple question- is this a deal-breaker for you? If so, easy choice is pick another line. If not, then let it go. Share your thoughts on your post-cruise survey and move on.

Okay, so just to be clear. They have actually EXPANDED the non-smoking portion of the casino to now include a physically separate room. Got it. I'm an ex-smoker (twenty years!) and certainly don't need any extra smoke in my life, but I think the smokiness of the non-smoking half of the Oasis class casinos has been ridiculously overstated on these boards for years. Can you smell smoke? Yes. Is the non-smoking side in fact "smoky"? No, not really. Do I wish Royal would just follow the lead of sister line Celebrity and get rid of all indoor smoking? Absolutely! Sadly, Royal still draws a clientele that evidently includes a lot more smokers. Good thing is, there are lots of lines with lots of differences. I suggest that if this is a deal breaker for you you just look at another line. Trying to reason that you know Royal's business model better than they do is a bit of hubris.

Has something changed? In my previous trips on Symphony, one side was smoking, one was non-smoking. They were the same size.

I just received an email with a $200 e-gift card. In looking at the FAQs, it says I can use it towards my on-board expense account by visiting guest services. Has anyone done this? It seems like the most practical way for me to use it since my cruise is so close and I don't have anything else to pre-purchase. I tried to use it towards our drink packages by canceling and rebooking, but it doesn't let you use it for only a portion of the cost. i.e. I enter the gift card as a payment option and it declines because it's not big enough for the total.

Yep, I am DEFINITELY being dense! Just found it. Listed in the 5pm hour every day is "tonight's attire". I can be taught! LOL!

Okay, I'm being a little dense. Do you mean the current sailing, like the one it is on now? How do I see that? When I go into the app, it's on my upcoming sailing. I can see the calendar and events, but I don't see anything about theme nights.

Heading out on Symphony in a week. I know there tend to be theme nights. Are they usually the same week-to-week? Any idea what theme(s) we will see? Wifey wants to plan accordingly!

I went to school in Miami and know the city very well. I will concede Ft. Lauderdale is a little more "approachable", and comparing Miami to NYC in contract to Ft. Lauderdale is entirely reasonable. I just feel like Ft. Lauderdale is nothing. It's a generic sprawl of homogeneity and any time I walk inside, I could just as easily be in a suburban Toledo shopping mall as on a beach in the sub-tropics.

Tell us you don't understand how a free market economy works without saying you don't know how a free market economy works.

So, 300 plus points and not a single block. Do they not like me?🤔

Embassy Suites was very disappointing to me. Old, tired, dirty, crowded. My favorites are Hard Rock or Ritz Carlton. But their prices can be all over the map. sometimes get a good deal, sometimes it's an arm and a leg. If I'm doing anything more than one night, I try to stay in Miami. Personally, Ft. Lauderdale has all the appeal of a midwest shopping mall! LOL! Much prefer Miami in virtually every way.

Yeah, so it's definitely not the 1Password application. That probably just confused the situation. I have manually entered the password, using the app only to confirm it, and it still happens. Maybe Royal just doesn't like me. LOL!

So, this is happening for BOTH Royal and Celebrity. I use a password app (1Password) for all my passwords, so I know I'm not screwing it up. Abut every 3-5 days, I will go to log in and I am told my password is wrong. I then click the link for Forgot Password, answer the security questions and choose a new password. The crazy part? I choose the SAME password and it lets me in. 3-5 days later, I have to do the same process again. And like I said, this is both Royal and Celebrity. Anyone else experiencing anything like this? It doesn't matter if I log in at home, at work or on my phone, it happens on any of them randomly.

Thanks for the replies! Follow up question out of curiosity: Anyone recall how much the fee was?

Is there ever an option to invite non-retreat travel companions to dine in Luminae? I know some lines have permitted this, but have never been in that position on Celebrity. Obviously, if it's too busy it's not an option. Just wondering if anyone has ever encountered this as a possibility.

We are at sea on day 2 at Hubbard Glacier. There is a shore excursion offered to get closer to the glacier. It's about $450pp, and with 10 of us, that gets a little steep. Any feedback on this? Are we close enough to appreciate it from the ship? Would you shell out $4,500 to do this?

I think you're taking things a bit too personal! LOL! I have no doubt that had they NOT charged, they would have that exact problem. So I don't think that was necessarily a lie. I also think the "ghost town" remark is a bit of hyperbole. I've seen in plenty busy on Oasis class ships quite often. I still don't care for it and won't go, but clearly a lot of people do.

Since status NEVER goes away, it's basically a bad math problem. There are a ton of people with status. It doesn't really mean anything anymore. It's kind of the same problem you're seeing with airport lounges and airline upgrades. I'm Diamond Medallion with Delta. The last time I flew, it was a 737 from Boston to Ft. Myers and I was number FORTY-ONE on the upgrade list. That means on there were forty people with higher status than me. You can't get a higher tier than Diamond, so it was just a ton of top tier travelers. It's all getting pointless.

I don't normally balk at pricing on a cruise ship, but JR has me scratching my head. A single fixed charge at a burger joint is a bit odd, as some people order a little, others a lot. If it was a la carte pricing, I might grab a burger. But honestly, I would have trouble spending $15 myself at a landside JR. Even more of an oddity, has ANYONE been to a JR on land lately? I mean, it was pretty cool thirty years ago, but now it's wildly unremarkable.

Yeah, I used to be a specialty restaurant all the time guy. I just don't feel they are that great anymore. The best specialty dining I've ever had on any ship was still a rather inferior interpretation of any land based restaurant. Like I said, I had been more than content with MDR for the past few years, but just a little curious about the reports of the supposed changes in the past year.

We've sailed on Symphony a number of times, and we've been in a lot suite before. However, previously our travel companions were in a JS and didn't have access to Coastal Kitchen (I know we could've tried, it just never came up). Honestly, we were all pretty happy with the MDR. This time, it's four of us (two couples) and we are all in loft suites, so Coastal is an option. What's been your recent experience Coastal vs. MDR? Is it significantly better? Haven't cruised Royal in about 14 months and hearing a lot of negative comments about MDR. Is there really a big downgrade in the past year plus?

Bingo! Thank you! I'm not upset at all. I do find the lecturing and pontificating a little funny.