Spurschick

I know what you are talking about but others may wonder.:eek:

 

Lol - we both know the truth :D

I think it also depends on the time it is scheduled for. Our last m&m was 10:15 am immediately before welcome back. It felt a bit rushed but we met some great people.

I was reading someone's Cruise Critic review of the Grandeur of the Seas, and the writer said there was no shampoo, conditioner or soap in the cabin. Seriously?

 

As far as I am aware standard cabins have a dispenser in the shower with an "all in one" product. (Unless they were removed?) Bars of soap provided.

 

Suites get the individual products.

I don't even risk driving the 4.5 hours from Dallas to Galveston on the day of departure. And I always have cruise insurance although I have thankfully never needed it. Expensive lesson for the OP and hopefully a lesson for others on Cruise Critic to travel the day before departure if at all possible and to always have cruise insurance.

 

Agree, we hit awful traffic one year driving down when there was a crash on the bridge. It took us just as long to get over the bridge as it did the rest of the trip. We were glad we did not need to rush as we went the day before. If it had been day of sailing it would have been too stressful!

I am surprised they offered transfer to Allure if there were not enough rooms available. Why would they offer something they know is fully booked?????? A party of 7 would need 3 rooms max. I would have taken anything going, even if it was a downgrade if I didn't have insurance.

 

Lesson 1 get insurance

Lesson 2 don't travel same day.

 

I suggest if you paid by cc contact them to see if they have any insurance built in to your card.

Hi Spurschick.. Here is a few youth prices for u. Facial 50 mins 99...massage 50 mins 89..mother/daughter or father/son 25 min massage 95 or 50 min for 195..mani 25 mins 29. Pedi 45 mins 39 (that price seems low). Body scrub 25 mins 65..

 

Thank you so much for the info!

 

Hope you have a great Christmas!!!

Carlysmommy the 50 minute Swedish is 119.

 

Thank you for all the info you are posting. If at all possible could you kindly get a copy of the youth spa treatments and prices and post after you return I would be grateful. Starting to plan for DD:D

The newer aft suites (11330/730, 12330/730, and 14330/730) were classified as GS on initial sailings after the dry dock, but are now one-bedroom AquaTheater Suites. I have 11730 booked for October 2016 and that was the designation. Rooms on Decks 11/12 were priced the same, with deck 14 quite a bit lower because of the small balcony.

 

That cabin actually shows as a GS until the end of April. It will change categories in May which I assume is to tie in with when the new suite benefits are implemented. Hence why if you are not in that cabin until next October it is categorized differently.

 

The Op is sailing prior to the change.

The problem is you two will have access for meals in Coastal Kitchen and she will not. Also, she won't be able to access the suite lounge and the reserved seats in the theater.

Can you share a room? If not, I don't think that having an Aqua Suite will be worth it for you.

 

That cabin is a grand suite not an aqua suite.

What do you mean? Why did I call RCI directly instead of booking online? Because that's the way I prefer to do it, and there were things I wanted to do with the booking (like apply a next cruise certificate) which couldn't be done by booking online.

 

I was told over a year ago that courtesy holds could not be done for phone reservations, only online. We were still able to apply a next cruise certificate.

Legit.

 

If you acknowledge they only contact you again if there is a change in info. Otherwise you might kep getting the texts/emails until you sail.

 

This is why we can't wait to meet you! :D

Just heard from a friend sailing on Allure out of Barcelona that a male Pinnacle member was attacked on the street 1 block from the ship in Naples Italy. 2 guys on a scooter cut him off and ripped his jewelry off while draging him down the road. I didn't find out his name, but was told that several police cars came out and he was taken to the hospital. I was told that he had blood all over his legs and hand from the road burn. Apparently this Pinnacle member has been on board for several weeks now since dry dock .

 

Security told my friend that this is a very common crime in Naples and a lot of people are starting to find out on the ship in the suite lounge since it just happened yesterday afternoon. Why do they even stop there if this crime is do out of control?

 

It's very shocking!

 

Firstly I hope the victim makes a speedy recovery.

 

The reason ships stop here is because it is a gateway to a wealth of history, and beautiful places to visit. Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento are all pretty much a stones throw away.. There are lots of ports that ships dock at that are in less desirable places than Naples, or that have high rates of muggings.

 

Naples itself, is not the nicest of places. It is like walking down a street in any major city. Stick to the main streets, avoid less populated side streets and if possible keep jewelry to a minimum to avoid attention.

 

When I was in Barbados at a market once a street vendor grabbed my wrist pretending to try to shake my hand, and I could tell they were trying to steel my watch. Little did they know I buy a cheap watch with elasticated strap to wear when I go ashore so it is not easily removable, and if I lose it at a beach it doesn't matter. I clenched my fist up and kept calm and after a few attempts to pull my hand out of their grasp they let go unsuccessful at their watch grab attempt. I knew instantly what they were trying to do as firstly they went for my left hand and secondly they used both hands to shake my hand to try to conceal what they were doing.

 

My point is muggings and bag snatches happen in any major city, especially areas high in tourists. It is unfortunate when it does happen, and can ruin a vacation. Just try to be vigilant and aware of your surroundings.

[quote name='onyourtoes']Correct me if I am wrong, but if you want the cruise documents mailed to you "old style" then it costs 35 dollar - luggage tags included. You only need a couple of pages out of the booklet anyway. Why anyone would pay 35 dollars for only a couple of pages of documents and luggage tags is beyond me. You can download then and print out the pages and luggage tags for free. I have done this for the past couple of years and it sure beats the hell out of 35 dollars for 2 pages I can download and print for free.

Also, I think, again correct me if I am wrong, that Diamond Plus also get luggage tags mailed to them. I am Diamond Plus and I don't care if they are mailed to me or if I download them, as long as my luggage makes it to my stateroom, I'm happy:D, but that's me.

Happy sailing to all.[/QUOTE]

Diamond plus and have never received mailed luggage tags if not in GS or above. It is only Pinnacles that get this option.

Also, when we requested mailed docs for our upcoming suite we only received luggage tags, no paper docs. I assume the $35 charge would be for only the tags, no docs.

This might be an incredibly stupid question that was answered earlier. But, if you are D+, do you also get the free drinks? Or does this not happen because D+ has access to the concierge lounge?

 

Yes they get the coupons as well.

Jewel and Majesty are the last two ships left without a diamond lounge and both serve "cocktails" during the "Diamond Event" or least since the Voucher System was put in place.

 

Sorry, I misunderstood your post as I didn't realize you were referring to cocktails. I thought you were referring to the actual event. Sorry for the confusion!:)

Lots of outdated info on the website. this is one of them.

 

 

 

I agree with you about Diamond Event pretty much being eliminated.

 

It is accurate for ships that do not have a Diamond lounge, hence not outdated for those ships. The Jewel is one that springs to mind. At the point when all ships have Diamond lounges, then yes I agree it will be outdated, but we are not quite there yet:D

 

As per the last sentence of below which was not included in the previous post.

6 The Exclusive Nightly Diamond Event is a benefit for only Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club member and cannot be extended to include friends and family due to limited space. The event will take place approximately between the hours of 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm in a dedicated lounge and will feature complimentary wine, champagne (sparkling wine), fountain drinks, and a 'happy hour' discount of 25% off beer and drinks with liquor. Drinks will need to be consumed within the venue during the hours of the event and cannot be removed from the venue. On ships where a Diamond Lounge is available there will be no Nightly Special Diamond Event or complimentary Specialty coffees available in the dining room.

Maybe for your kid. Some would argue though that gratuities are not something to be charged though. Kids should certainly not be charged a higher service fee, and if they have responsible parents in the vicinity they should probably be charged less.

 

Regardless of how old the child is the cabin steward needs to place towels per person, needs to make beds accordingly. When our DD was in a pack and go and even when progressed up to sofa bed, these items are bought out each evening and stored out the way during the day. They still change the bedding. Regarding waiters they still bought fruit and milk and entertained with tricks and made a fuss over her. Even if they are the tidiest child in the world it still creates more work for cabin stewards and waiters.

 

I have never begrudged or even thought twice about paying full gratuities on behalf of our child.

There are lots of repeat cruisers out of Galveston, including us. We see many familiar faces each time we cruise from there. The point for the repeaters is the cruise experience, not the ports. Also NOS has an unusally friendly and attentive staff.

 

Agree, we don't have to fly anywhere either:D

I am frustrated with RCCL customer service/resolutions department and do not quite know where to go with this. On board the Serenade last April, I booked a 7 night cruise for September 2015 in Europe. Upon arriving home, I double checked some dates and found it was better to switch to a different week. Per the rules, you are allowed one switch to maintain your onboard $100 booking bonus. I did not analyze my confirmation email closely until last week when I am starting to get serious about the planning. I noticed that my $200 OBC ($100 on board booking and $100 WOW sale) was now only $150. I called RCCL and spoke to the resolutions department, who told me that I switched from the original date so I lost $50. She then agreed that you are allowed to move the date once and told me she would reinstate the $50.

 

I looked at my confirmation today and they took $50 away for a total of $100! I immediately called RCCL and they read the notes but still could not figure out what was going on. She said she could return the $50, but had to check with the original employee to get the full $200. She assured me she would contact me soon. Of course, no reply as of yet.

 

What on earth is going on over there? I politely gave my displeasure at their numerous sales and gimmicks and game playing with the pricing and OBC, and asked them to please report this up the channel. I know they are just baseline employees trying to make a living and it is not their fault.

 

We have been sailing RCCL since the 90's. We have always have fantastic customer service personnel via the telephone. I continue to book my next cruise onboard, but my husband laughs because he is convinced we know much more about the ships, itineraries and current sales than the future cruise personnel. It is truly becoming a joke!

 

I am sorry for the rant, but as a Cruise Critic group, we have to write letters and inundate them with our concerns for where this product is going. I have read Cruise Critic for years and have noticed a decrease in the quality all around on this line (which seems to be in agreement with many of you). It is interesting that Celebrity is in their family, but we have definitely not noticed a decline on that end, so I assume this is deliberate on their part (cost cutting, etc.) on the RCCL brand.

 

I have read a lot of issues about OBC not being correct which is why it is important to check reservation as soon as you make booking/any changes. Since you booked they have also changed the NCC benefits so that may also be why there is a problem. I wasn't aware you could transfer a wow bonus. Did you book under a wow originally or when you amended the booking?

Thanks Spurschick, your comment about phoning in is interesting and helpful. On the occasion we didn't receive our amenity though, it was the same for everyone. The drinks attendant said no one was getting one, the small bottles were what they had been given to provide. Perhaps we could have complained but we didn't fuss.

 

I will now put phoning for the amenity on my pre cruise checklist!

 

No problem, just trying to be helpful. When I call in I always double check the drink choice for the welcome basket as well, as DH drink preferences are different to mine so they double check that order as the mini bottle/soda/water choice is one per person so they make sure it all links up for me.

The mini bottles of wine are delivered with the Welcome Aboard Bag (formerly known at the basket :)). You can also select juice, beer, coke or water. The only time you get the larger bottle of wine is when you order it as a D+ amenity.

 

I agree, which was my point as they previously stated that they received a mini bottle as their d+ bottle:) (post 159) as there were too many d+'s on board. Something was probably amiss somewhere in the system!!!!

We have sailed with RCI before and do know how it works.... The same selection of stateroom option has produced varied results with varied ships. Life would be easier if everything were certain.

 

I wasn't trying to imply you didn't know how it works. However there are several threads that mention when logged in the amenity drop down box is missing. The only way to ensure you receive what you request at the moment is to make sure you call in your order a couple of weeks prior to sailing, as some peoples preferences have deleted from their online preferences. Hence why some people have not received what they normally get.

 

Even when the drop down box was working and I called in, on more than one occasion they told me the wine hadn't been ordered. I was informed if I hadn't called in I probably would not have received and that the ordering is supposed to be done in advance by the LA on that ship to ensure stock is onboard. With the technology glitches they have on a frequent basis a phone call doesn't hurt to double check.!

Thank you for the review. Following along.

 

Out of curiosity I just had a look on the member benefits page regarding tender tickets. It is no longer showing tender priority as a benefit for any tier level (unless I missed it:eek: and I read it three times!!!!!) I am only able to find as a suite perk now.

Hi all. Will be a first time RCI cruiser on VOTS next January and I have 2 kids that will each be in Explorers and Voyagers.

 

Was reading a review on here that said that there was a limit of 50 kids max for each age grouping. Is this about right? If so, do you only get one entry to AO per day so that everyone might get a chance? Of course there will be lots of kids, I'm expecting that it's school holidays. Just wondering how it's all managed.

 

Another review said that the cruise to NZ January 2015, there were 1200 kids on board.

 

I have not cruised with my kids before, so kids club is all new to me.

 

cheers

 

I have never had an issue with getting DD into AO even on a sailing with over 1000 kids. They are used to high kid counts, especially during school holidays.