Spurschick

Thanks all. The pier only has one room left, I need two:rolleyes:, premier fully booked and tower only has one single left:eek:

Back to the drawing board;)

We stayed at The Pier once. I woke up to see our ship sailing in past our windows....while I was still lying in bed! They do not have an elevator FYI. Quaint small area, food on site. We enjoyed it.

Thanks. I will have a look.:)

Hi all, this is one of the most helpful pages for asking questions on CC and the UK page looks like it is only being utilized by those with UK questions. I figured posting there likely won't reach out to those who have previously sailed from Harwich but currently don't have a need to be on UK pages. Hoping posting here reaches a bigger audience:)

Looking for recommendations for a hotel for a night before a Harwich sailing. I know good hotels around the London area, but looking for something closer to port.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

We received a mini bottle for one cruise when the previous cruise to ours had received a full bottle for the stateroom amenity. The Attendant told us it was because of the large number of D+ and above pax.

 

So I would say, it varies with the ship and circumstances. It's a business, they have a budget for these amenities. So the benefit might say a 'bottle' of wine. Size not specified.... It's only frustrating when you made a plan based on that. In the circumstance we got the mini, we hadn't carried wine aboard thinking we would have one bottle for the cabin. So now I just buy what I want and take anything else as a happy surprise.

 

It's pretty clear the program is "under renovation" and for those of us who cruise often, the frustration is just knowing so you can plan for what you want or need. I found the previous comments on the new internet changes most helpful for our upcoming cruise.

I doubt if you had selected the exact bottle of wine you wanted and had selected deliver to dining room they would have delivered the mini bottle! They don't do the mini bottles in every option that is available for the stateroom gift.

The wine that comes with the basket is either standard house white or standard house red and they deliver whatever brand they have. The d+ bottle is from a detailed list that you preorder a couple of weeks before sailing. If you do b2b you need to make sure they order two bottles.

Harsh! And I agree with you 1,000,000% percent. ;)

Maybe the travel insurance would be a good place to start as no deductible;)

Thanks for the replies. I will look over the info now!

Hi all,

Looking at doing a short Norway cruise on ryndam with teen DD. Is there much to do to keep her occupied? I know it is a smaller ship to what we normally sail on.

Also what is the food like?

Any general info would be appreciated.

Thanks

There are many places in the under developed world that have terrible equipment for tours.. This is not HAL's fault!

 

My goodness in the Amazon we had rickshaws with runners to take us on tours.. We took one tour which HAL sold & the same tour was sold by Oceania an expensive cruise Line.. Instead the third time we booked it directly...But we would not have missed those tours for anything... And all other cruise lines sold the same tours using the same tour operators..

 

Do you honestly believe that HAL should supply better transportation? If you do then you probably should not be cruising... Every cruise line including the top lines use the same tour operators in all the ports....We've been on many different modes of transportation which seemed to be glued together with bald tires...LOL

Well said.

I take it a lot of people missed the old saying "when in Rome do as the Romans"?

It defies belief that people expect every single country to provide the highest quality, most luxurious modes of transportation and comfort known to mankind. I have been on a train in Belize with no AC in the middle of the rainforest. Did I demand the cruise line provide ac for the excursion? No because that is what life is like. Did I complain to the cruise line I had to share a beach in india with a herd of cows? No. That is regarded as normal to the locals.

If you want to see the world, see it and accept it for what it is. The cost of what some people are expecting in terms of transportation would put most of these tour operators out of business. The next time you are in one of these places ask the cost to buy a new car or minibus. Work out how much it is to run and maintain and then have a long hard think about whether this is viable for them to maintain given the amount of people they are likely to serve over the course of a year, especially on smaller islands. If you want to experience something then accept it is what it is, not what you want it to be.

Just returned from a 7 nighter on the Navigator and would like to share a few observations and perhaps get some feedback. It'd been 1 1/2 years since our last trip - this being partly due to what we feel has become a less enjoyable vacation experience with RCI over time. I'm sure that many of you will consider these to be trivial peeves and in a way they are - however, once you've become accustomed to certain perks, their absence tends to become more conspicuous.

Peeves:

Port's priority embarkation line was longer than the regular lines (possibly due to guests heeding RCI's request for staggered check in times) - might as well get in the shorter ones.

There used to be a welcome aboard platter waiting in the stateroom with wine and assorted food items. Waiting for us this time was a small bag of cookies and miniature novelty bottle.

Other D+ perks (ie. robes) had to be asked for rather than provided.

Diamond breakfast area gone.

Internet use - 2 free days sounds good until you realize that they need to be used in 24 hr. blocks whether you need that much continuous time or not. After those 2 days, it's pay time. With the old coupon books (which were still in use on our previous trip), you were given 45 minutes which could be used bit by bit as needed until it was gone.

We would be charged each time for all the D+ perks used (ie. internet, washday) that had previously been covered by coupons. The codes are supposedly programmed into the Seapass card, but it didn't work for us. I needed to go to the Loyalty Ambassador each time to clear it up, with the final charge coming too late to deal with.

Platinum/ Diamond event gone.

1 complimentary Johnny Rockets visit gone.

Perks:

LA did a great job of fixing all these issues.

Much better variety of beverages in Diamond & Concierge lounges.

 

All said, it is my feeling that RCI's obsession with the bottom line has become much too obvious. We have found other vacation spots that offer all of these perks and then some to even first time guests, making this somewhat lame carrot that RCI dangles in front of their repeat customer's noses look rather pathetic. We're wondering what others feel about their D+ experience: perhaps this is unique to this ship - we'd never been on it before.

Embarkation in Galveston is poor for priority unless you get there early. That is a port issue that is long standing and will hopefully be resolved when new terminal is finished.

Regarding the D+ large bottle of wine, did you select in your preferences prior to sailing and select where to deliver? There is one area to select the mini bottles of wine and a seperate area for the full bottle of wine which you can have delivered to either the cabin or restaurant. If you don't make a selection it won't get delivered. The snack gift boxes have been around for some time now.

We stayed at the Hilton Galveston Island Resort for around $100 and left our car there (they will shuttle you to the port). When you come back, however, just get a taxi back to the lot. We waited nearly two hours before giving up and doing so.

We also use Hilton. We have never had an issue with return shuttle. They leave around every 15mins, and even when we have disembarked early there has been a shuttle waiting. They normally give a phone number to call if you are waiting during quiter periods.

Price includes room, parking for duration of cruise and shuttles. Been a while since we saw it that cheap.

OP if it says fully booked you need to call hotel direct. They have weekends that are 2 night minimum but hotel can override for cruise guests.

I don't know if it has been posted but on June 1 2015 there are going up to 12.95 pp. If you have a cruise booked for after that date you can pre pay them at 12.00pp.

Here is the link to the ongoing thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2208386

I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill. If someone is so inclined to pay the current rate when they booked versus the new rate when they sail all they have to do is stop by guest services and indicate the amount they want the rate adjusted to. I don't see why guest services needs to verify anything or why a guest needs to be demanding; simply asking will accomplish the same thing. Yes, if many do it there will be more volume of work for guest services.

I was actually trying to make a point as to why it may not be easy for them to discern between new bookings and old booking after a certain date. Not trying to make mountains or molehills. Just thinking of logistics:D

Whilst I understand why a lot of people feel it should just be for new bookings, there is potentially an issue with this.

With being able to book all the way over the next couple of years, and the abilility to not have gratuities added, if someone sailed december 2016 for example, had already made booking prior to June 1st 2015 and had not prepaid gratuities, then boarded and demanded to pay gratuities at today's rate then it creates a lot more work for guest services to verify booking date, override gratuity system and alter all the gratuities being added onboard. If several hundred guests on a particular sailing did this then you could imagine the extra workload at guest services.

Not saying it would happen, but by only make the change applicable to new bookings it could happen.

In general, whether kids are permitted on any given sailing is dependent on how many diamonds and above there are on that sailing. If there is a high number them the answer will be no due to crowding issues.

There will be a letter in the cabin that will clearly state whether or not children are welcome for that particular sailing.

Hmmm.....I have used my D+ pre-loaded drink coupons in the Schooner Bar to get a soft drink.

 

We also have family that are D members (including a 19 month old grandson) and on our last May Alaska cruise on ROS there were actually 3 toddlers (in addition that we did not know) with this C&A level that sat in the overflow area of the DL near us...all very well behaved that sat in their stroller's having juice and munchie's a couple of nights...so you just need to take the situation of traveling with kids regardless of age based on the moment.

 

The two toddler's in our family have now just reached D+ status and we'll continue to determine what they are and aren't able to handle with always regard to other's around us.

Yes, adults can use their coupons to get soda. However the response was referring to the question do the kids get coupons they can use for soda and the answer is no as the kids do not get the happy hour coupons loaded on their cards.

This is the first cruise we will be taking our four year old son on and was looking for any advice, stories, details on how things work or personal experiences etc. I should also mention our little guy is a diabetic which makes his care that much more important. We plan on only leaving him there for a couple of hours at a time so we can sit by the pool for an hour or so and just have some adult time... Am I even allowed to do that (bring him in and out of the care area)? I had already spoke with RCCL about his diabetic needs and they said their staff is trained to work with children with multiple disabilities and medical needs, I will just be given a pager. Any and all advise, stories, details are greatly appreciated!! **Also wanted to mention we are going on the Grandeur if anyone has any specific details. Thank you so much!

You can drop your son off and collect whenever you want during open hours. They will give you a form that will allow you to notate any medical issues.

Enjoy your cruise

Pinnacles get called first, then suites. there is/was NO organization or separation whatsoever and you had to ram your way through to the doorway. after that you had a boarding number. but the waiting area was NOT large enough to hold everyone.

 

I am hoping the new terminal fixes this issue

Not sure what time you arrived. We arrived before doors opened, and there was a large line outside. As soon as doors opened they called for Pinnacle and D+ and suites. They pulled them out of the line and sent through first. Once we were in and checked in we were asked to sit to the left of the special assistance check in desk by the wedding party. Once boarding began the wedding party boarded and we were only a couple of minutes behind. We weren't even given numbers, just a priority card.

I have heard other comments from other guests about other ports that they could not fast track boarding once numbers were being given out and were given numbers as opposed to being allowed straight on. I guess priority boarding works best if you check in prior to boarding starting.

Ps we are always at port early (before boarding) so our experiences have always been good getting on quickly.

Just spent 20+ minutes on the phone with royal and after two transfers and a long hold while thing two talked to his supervisor, the answer is this is the price per person, not for the vessel!:eek:

 

Yes, I know, they are notoriously incorrect on the website and at customer non-service, but this is just crazy!

I suspect they read the pricing that shows adult/child price. The reason I say this is RC agents only have the exact same info we see. Excursion department is contracted out, and when we had an issue last year with excursion RC told us to wait until we were onboard so we could actually get accurate information:rolleyes:.

The other reason I say this is if you research boat rentals for caribbean, 35 ft catamarans run at $300 per hour. Given this is a 4 hour trip that calculates to $1200;)

I might be wrong, but given wording is private for you and friends, why would they risk only two people booking when it comfortably holds 20? And if others booked on same catamaran you would want a refund as it is no longer private:confused: Given description refers to family and friends, to me it is worded booking is for a private lunch party for a group, not an individual.

I am with Merion Mom this is a total price not individual price.

But you get guacamole and chips - so worth it - lol!!! It says $1199 per adult and child, but the infants are free. Can't wait to visit Cozumel again - I'll be on the look out for this catamaran, from the cheap seats

Some prices quote per person but are actually per item. Just like if you look at pricing of a cabana at labadee. It shows a per person price but you only pay for one person.

You are renting a catamaran for private use for 4 hours.ie only people with you can go.

If you take a party of 10 that works out $120 each. If you can fit 15 people then it's $80 each. I have also seen several excursions far more expensive than this.

My point didn't come across very well:o, I was trying to say that I don't think the OP will be allowed to hang out and play during the free time if they are not accompanied by kids. They are two adults that just want to go play the games for free.

 

I agree with you that there are lots of kids there when the games are free.

There is no monitoring of who is in the arcade. It is open access. I have seen plenty of adults in there, especially on the bikes/race cars.

This is an RCI specific question so I hope it doesn't get moved. :).

 

For the RCI terminal at Galveston, what status gets you priority boarding? Diamond, platinum, etc.

 

Tia

Pinnacle, D+, Suites GS or higher.

Unfortunately they didn't give me a choice to do that as 1st cabin was for 4 we had to get 2 new cabins for 2 - I didn't really pay heed to what they were doing and just let them get on with it as I did not expect it to be so complicated that it would result in the mess that ensued. I just have to hope that when final payment day arrives (which will be before the 3 weeks transfer time there won't be an issue with us still - on paper owing the deposit - I offered to over pay now and they could pay back or transfer the extra to OBC but they said their system can't do that )

TBH they should have and could have just cancelled and refunded the original booking and started from fresh. I agree, something that really shouldn't be complicated can become the most tedious of things to sort:eek:

otherwise they could have removed passengers 3 and 4 from the original booking, then changed the cabin over and done the second booking for the third and fourth passengers as a new reservation. There are so many ways they could have handled this more efficiently.

I really hope they sort out soon for you so you can relax before you sail. You will need a holiday after all of this;)

I have never booked Royal before so only had the numbers they had sent me on my original correct and then new wrong invoices- I know now to use the 0800 number. - However, not sure I would book direct with them again after this. If the cruise is good I will try through a usa agent in the future

In hindsight it probably would have been easier to have left the deposit on the original booking, and just made a new deposit on the new second cabin. I have never had to try to split a cabin onto two cabins before and unfortunately RC system is not renowned for being easy to use.

From what I read you booked cabin for 4 then changed category and moved into two cabins for 2. As technically this likely made them new bookings, I suspect either making two new deposits and cancelling the original deposit, or keeping amount paid on "original" booking and new deposit on second cabin would have been the best thing they should have recommended, especially when they said it would take three weeks to transfer and that, from what I read on your other posts, took you past final payment date.

Personally I would say if they haven't transferred yet, leave as is and just make the payment on the second cabin.

I hope you get resolved soon.

I think you have to have bought your cruise in UK pounds to be able to do this in the same way the Canadians are doing to get 1.1:1? I think

Thanks for the info

I will look at later