VikingBride2Be

I did a dummy booking on our 2016 cruise to see how this new deal affects fares. It gets $900 more than we have on our cruise currently but costs $2200 more.

I think I'll pass on trying to rebook under the current deal.

I think it depends on the girl. Does your son think she'll like being proposed to in public in the main dining room with tons of people watching or would she much rather get proposed to in private with just the two of them and the celebrate as a family. Girls do have their preferences, and your son should be able to give you a good direction on what he thinks his fiance-to-be would enjoy.

If he does decide to propose in the main dining room, see if you can sneak in a quick word to the people seated around you. That way, they can snap pictures and you and your son can enjoy the moment.

That's probably more accurate, I trust CC more than RCL's own website.

Drink Packages: Yes, Carnivals are cheaper -- with two caveats. There is a limit on Carnival's drinks -- no more than 15 per day. While some people can't drink that much in a day if they tried, some people could. Carnival also requires that all people in the room have the drink package purchased if one person does, even if they won't have sip of alcohol. RCL does not have a requirement like this anymore.

Gratuities: For Royal Caribbean International guests an approximate daily total of $9.75 per guest ($12 for suite guests) per cruise day for dining and stateroom staff. Carnival is $11.50 per guest per day regardless of room category.

Photos: RCL's were $20 when I sailed in March on the Majesty. Carnival's are $22 (these are for 8x10s). RCL offers a photo package, Carnival does not.

Congratulations! Still the same for me, but there is still QUITE a bit of time between now and final payment date so fingers crossed that the price drops again. :)

I think (at least for the couple cruises where we've gone to see the L&M show) they always record it and give a copy to the people participating. Always a fun gift, particularly for those in the 'just married' category. :)

As a spin-off -- is there any way to have the Chefs Table and Central Park 150 use a different name on their menu printing?

We're going to be on our honeymoon and obviously there's no time to have our legal documents match our new name. It's obviously no big deal if they can't do it -- but I was wondering if anyone had done this and who we would contact once we got on board.

You can book excursions online up until 3 days before. So for yours, you could book until September 7 at 11:59 PM. Once that date is passed, you have to wait until you're onboard and book then.

As mentioned above, there's one formal night. Most women will be in a cocktail dress and heels on the Majesty, and some people will be in more casual wear than you'd see on other ships.

Congratulations on your honeymoon!

Keep in mind that for many reviews, people had to have a strong feelings one way or the other. Good or disappointing rarely makes the cut -- it has to be really good or really disappointing.

That being said, if you haven't been to a Brazillian steakhouse yet -- it's certainly worth doing. Just make sure any other travelers are big meat eaters and that everyone comes with an appetite. :)

I agree with what others have said -- book now. RCI is (usually) very good about honoring any drops in price between now and final payment -- and you'll more than likely sit back and watch the trip price continue to rise between now and next year.

Just wanted to give everyone an update: I booked the trip on allure on June 20 between BOGO sales but before prices got really crazy (the price on our GS rose $800 between when we booked and last night).

Just got off the phone with RCCL and they honored the current price even with our existing booking. Just got $900 knocked off our reservation :)

Like Bob said ask whomever you booked with. You are well outside final payment so I don't know why you could not cancel the first one (unless whomever you booked with has a cancellation charge) and re-book at the current rate.

I'm not sure why I didn't think of...the simplest option there is. We booked through RCCL so I can just cancel and rebook.

Right now there's nothing but aft facing lofts, and FI will murder me if we lose a sea view -- so now I'm holding out and hoping that someone in a Loft Suite that has a sea view decides they want an upgrade too. :)

So I booked on Allure for 2016 right after the last BOGO sale ended -- not expecting another one to come up again so soon. It dropped prices so much that we're paying the same for a GS that someone is paying for a crown loft suite during the sale.

I THINK that the rule is that they can't drop the price for us, but if we upgrade and pay some kind of difference, we can at least get more for our money. Am I making that rule up because its wishful thinking? Does that even work for this sale's TOS?

How early can you make dining reservations? I'm cruising on Allure in May 2016 and I just got an e-mail prompting me to make dining reservations -- but when I click on the 'Reserve Now' links -- it says the no options are available.

I've cruised before but never made a reservation this far out in advance. Did they just seriously jump the gun and are taunting me with food-goodness? Or should I keep checking every day or so because they'll be made available soon.

Has any one stayed in cabin 13608? How was this location and was there any noise from the the pool deck above. Any feed back would be nice. Thanks Tom.

I don't believe ships have a deck 13.

I am assuming a child (age 7) just needs a raised seal birth certificate. Are they required to do some kind of picture id as well? Never sailed with a child before.

Correct, just a raised seal birth certificate.

From the RCCL Website:

"Minors under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original government-issued, original or certified copy of his or her birth certificate; a Consular Report of Birth Abroad Issued by DOA; or Certificate of Naturalization issued by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services."

You'll be fine as others have mentioned.

Don't be surprised if you get more questions from the customs agent when you get off the ship. My passport was expired on my last trip and I got -- What hospital were you born at, What's your father's middle name, Where did you go to college, What did you major in, etc. Friends with passports got a question or two and then were sent on their way.