Spurschick

Rule #1....Do not cancel or move your cruise until you have heard from Royal.

 

Some sort of compensation will be offered. They will usually offer you a small selection of what they deem comparable cruises that are price protected, meaning that you can switch to a different cruise at no additional cost.

 

They will also offer some amount of OBC that is yours whether you pick one of their sailings or book a different sailing at going rates.

 

Of you are close to the sail date they may also offer to pay airline change fees.

You beat me to it :D

We had a cruise cancelled. We were informed direct as we booked direct so not sure but assume info would go to TA if booked through them. A small selection of alternatives with price guarantee i.e. Same cabin cat at same price offered with obc based on cabin type that was cancelled.

That was the cruise after ours (ours was May 8-15) so I believe it would have been the Cozumel/Cayman/Falmouth itinerary as I think they alternate.

 

Judy

That's what I thought, which would explain why it was a lot easier. We have a weird (well unusual) itinerary booked for next year on her going to Costa Maya.

We returned on 5/22 and it was a breeze

Which itinerary was that?

Sorry to hear about your mother.

I too would recommend a Star a Class Suite with all the perks if available. I second the comment that, with restricted mobility, the bridge tour is the best option for you as the other tours have lots of stairs/walking involved.

I would recommend going online and viewing what cabins are still available, and then reviewing these cabins on you tube. The reason I say this is because if there are no accessible cabins left the layout of some would be more user friendly than others.

You do not state if you were originally intending on sharing a room, but if it is the three of you having a seperate shower and the space around the third bed is crucial. The reason I mention this is regular GS's look very tight for space with the sofa bed pulled out as they are not open plan like on other ship classes.

I wish you and your family the best.

Due to the sheer volume of D's on board now, there are lots of complaints that people entitled to access cannot get in and get seats. As Bob stated, the DL and its free drinks are only for those D and above. You have your drinks vouchers if you chose to have your drinks elsewhere.

By November 2017 the situation may be much worse. It would be interesting to see the projected number of Diamonds for then. By that stage the DL may be only for D+'s if some of the rumors on other threads come true, as they are turning most CL's into SL's with no access for D +.

 

 

The point is that a program change that increases the number of nights to qualify for Diamond or D+ is GOOD for existing Crown & Anchor Ds and D+s! The biggest worry is that they don't change the program, and then there will not be enough room on board to continue the existing program with existing benefits!

 

I am not sure how raising the thresholds is "good" for current D's and D+'s if they just raise the levels:confused: if they raise levels and people not grandfathered in based on their points they are likely to have a lot of disgruntled guests. If they grandfather in then it achieves absolutely nothing to improve the current overcrowding because you still have the same numbers, albeit now increasing at a slower rate.??? I see no win win situation with either.

Here's an unpopular opinion. Royal created this overabundance themselves with their inheritance program. Giving the same status to spouses and children has created huge numbers which they can't seem to manage.

 

I've always wondered "Why does my child need MY status?" They aren't going to make me leave my 3 year old in the regular line while I go in the priority line. He can come with me without being the same status.

 

I can understand the spouse thing. I want me husband to be able to accompany me in a D lounge or at other events onboard. But most other cruise lines don't even do this. Maybe this is why people like Royal, because they extend these benefits to others? I dont know.

 

 

Please don't shoot me :o

I agree on not understanding why kids "need" their parents tier. They can't get into the DL on most ships. They also get no extra benefits on board if they are higher tiers as they only get the coupons for minors which are generic.

The only thing it does is it creates a generation where a large percentage (not all as I appreciate a lot of children do cruise a lot) of young adults, who are at inflated levels above their points and will take a considerable period of time to get caught up to their true level.

If you get a grand suite that connects to a balcony do the balcony folks get suite benefits? My wife wants to bring her sister and nephew and it would work out best if they had their own cabin.

No. They would need to bein a suite as well. The 2 bed ATS may work for you.

Deck 7 is preferable. Deck 6 is above shops, cafes etc. I would prefer people above and below.

In AO there are water fountains for them.

I expect the exchange rate comes into it as well. The prices are usually US $ and I find the UK pricing normally fluctuates more with the dollar changes. With the current exchange rate I suspect that's why. I have my eye on one for next year and the us prices have stayed pretty consistent but the uk prices have risen quite a bit.

You recall correctly.:)

Glad about that - was worried I may have overlooked after too many beers :D:D

I understand the specialty restaurants aren't adjacent to the WJ on Oasis class ships, but do they have an area for Suite/Pinnacle guests during breakfast/lunch? (Not having to hunt for a table on sea days is one of the perks we actually have used.)

 

Also, is Coastal Kitchen open for lunch on port days?

Not that I recall. You could use CK for breakfast/lunch if you want to find a table with no issues.

Thanks ,

I just called them and they said they are doing away with giving numbers and that

my dh and I are on the Casino Royale and that I don't have to sign anything.

They are in process of changing stuff. So we shall see . Thanks again.

On my recent sailing the casino host advised me that until the new program is ironed out they are not enrolling any new members. That doesn't necessarily mean that new high rollers won't get some sort of incentive to return, but that they are not giving out new numbers. I guess they will probably track those people by name and sailing date:confused:

Actually I've been told that every member gets the same casino rate. Some cruises have a different casino rate (%off). Now having said that they do add credits sometimes which I agree are probably based more on your play. Those appear on a different line on your reservation marked with a code labeled slots or tables. The second item appears to be at Royale's discretion the first one is not adjustable... they are combinable though :)

I had a room priced up under me - they gave me my rate. They then priced up under DH his rate was less. That was the standard rate before rebates applied as we both had rebates due.so discounts are individual specific, or at least they were when I made my last booking and that was after March 15th:D

Each level of the MDR has its own name. It was originally renamed for the introduction of Dynamic Dining on Allure which didn't happen.

Unfortunately it's typically RC in that It varies immensely from ship to ship. Majesty was by far the best I've had, the Adventure was the hugest let down for it. :eek:

That would be the room steward, waiters, etc. The Genie is

not part of the included gratuities.

I'm not disagreeing with you. However how do you truly know how much goes to whom.? How many people in these suites really use the MDR? so how much actually goes to those waiters? When you paid for gratuities it made no mentioned of gratuities for CK staff or SL workers. I wonder if the inclusive gratuities will actually cover these hard working people who are the ones truly serving the majority of the suite guests.? Does anyone actually know how much they raised the cruise fare by to include the gratuities? I highly doubt it is by the exact amount of the gratuity.

When we were on Allure we tipped our servers in CK and SL extra because there was no mention of any of our gratuities going to these people, yet they were the ones that looked after us all cruise.

Edit I checked difference between star class and sky class for 3rd person cost to get idea on how much was added for gratuities. The difference was $67 no where near enough to cover the gratuities if you were adding.

I would miss the bath tub. For that reason alone I would keep the GS:D

Interesting that in the description of Star Class it states gratuities are complimentary.

My first cruise was QE2 with midnight buffets and areas segregated by class you were sailing.

For RC I am another that misses the horse racing.

I also recall how when you booked a shore excursion through the cruise line you had a member of staff on every bus in case of any issues. They made sure all passengers were back on the buses at the designated times and did a round up of those that were time challenged:D

I also remember photographers being everywhere. They went on excursions and I also remember when (either coco cay or labadee from recollection) they had two members of staff dress up in tuxedoes with a "fake" bottle of champagne and glasses on a silver platter and wade into the sea to take pictures with swimmers.

Those were the fun days:D

Just a suggestion, but if DH has a bad back why not call special needs at sea and request a shower stool. Would be the perfect size to put a folded towel on to double as a foot stool.

I miss Royal and ready to come back. A few questions:

- Do most ships have a late night comedy club?

- Are outside hot tubs open until mid night?

- Europe Itineraries: Is there a port briefing on what to do, avoid and shopping tips?

There are normally port talks and info provided. On European cruises I would recommend advanced research for places you have not previously visited.

No...there will usually be a comedian as the "headliner" one or two nights.....no actual "comedy club".

There will be a hot tub, somewhere, open all the time.

 

I would do my own research on shopping, and what to do...the ship's "recommendations " are for the ship's profits....get a guidebook....you'll be better off!

Actually there are some ships which DO have a comedy club. Whether or not there is one on the specific ship the OP wishes to sail is unknown until they pick a ship.

I will miss them. When they arrived in the mail it was another sign that we were sailing soon. For the price of the suites you think they'd throw them in.;)

But you will have a genie to arrange for your bags to be taken to your room for you instead:D