frank808

Just off Radiance. JS and lower cabins are blue cards. GS and above is silver and P got gold cards.

On 10/5/2023 at 9:53 AM, Tree_skier said:

You are right... that does sound like they got the months mixed up.  Either way Radiance is westbound in Sept and eastbound in May. 

Sounds like a conversation I just had in the DL this past week. Husband informed me that they just booked the April 2025 sailing of Ovation from Honolulu to Australia. I told him that he probably meant Honolulu to Vancouver as this is when ships reposition to Alaska for the summer season. He got agitated and replied I was wrong. Said he would show me the booking to prove it. I said no need to and enjoy his cruise in April 2025. Then excused myself to talk to other friends. Just avoided talking to them again for the last half of cruise.

On 10/4/2023 at 9:50 AM, vistapat said:

We were on this year's Honolulu to Vancouver repositioning.  As Deb says above, the weather, even at sea, was moderate.  I took some heavier clothing and didn't need it.  It was "sit out on the balcony" weather the whole trip, and pretty warm in Hawai'i. 

 

One thing to note:  the embarcation in Honolulu was the worst by several orders of magnitude that we have ever encountered.  It was disorganized chaos, with no attempt at helping from staff, and in an un-airconditioned warehouse of a building with no air circulation, and with several hundred people all swirling around in the heat and humidity.  It took over two hours to get to the head of the line, when there even was a line, and most of us were drenched in sweat and dizzy from the heat and the tension.  I would never, ever embark in Honolulu again unless I knew that the situation had been remedied.

Just disembarked from Radiance this past Wednesday. Disembarkation was one of the most disorganized I have experienced in almost 50 cruises with RCL or MSC for that matter. I cant really blame RCL as I think it is a Port of Honolulu problem. 

Weather was cold leaving Vancouver and practically no one on pool deck till we were a couple days from Hawaii. Take it that it would be ok for the first 2 days out from Hawaii then get progressively colder sailing north.

On 10/4/2023 at 8:49 AM, PompeySailor said:

it sure is a PITA and vendor blames bank and bank blames vendor 
 

And MSC Are worse than Royal, sometimes 30-45 days for holds 

One of the many reasons MSC are in our rear view mirror 

Last fee we did with them we did a cash account and let them nowhere near our credit card 💳 

We sail on MSC about once a year. Have always used cash on both RCL and MSC since our second cruise. Had mystery charges show up on RCL. Just easier to us cash instead.  

On 10/5/2023 at 2:34 AM, cruiselvr04 said:

It does vary ship to ship.  We booked a cruise first day on Radiance in Alaska.  No bubbly. 
 

On the topic, has anyone ever won the free OBC they supposedly have a drawing for if you book the first 3 days? 

I got a call that we had won the $250 OBC. First time in winning this drawing.

7 bottles of Extra Dry Spumante, not Moscato.

Just got off Brilliance B2B Alaska and TP cruise to Hawaii. Booked onboard first day and made 7 bookings. Got 7 bottles of Dry Moscato delivered to cabin, one for each booking. Was told that all bookings on the first day get a bottle. Also won $250 in drawing but gave it all back plus more over the next 17 nights. Have never won the $250 OBC before so figured I would give lady luck a try.  

On Brilliance 2 chairs were really warm, 3 chairs were just lukewarm( maybe it was 2 chairs lukewarm) and one was cold.

The thermal pass for the week was $109 for one person and $199 for a couple plus 18% gratuity.

On Brilliance and asked today. Was told RCL no longer offers the tutti salad anymore. I guess more cutbacks that will not be reinstated.

Just booked 7 cruises yesterday on boarding Brilliance of the Seas. Got 7 bottles of Vigne Dei Conte Extra Dry Spumante for bookings. Next cruise asked if I wanted them now or they could deliver it. I said delivered of course. Get to enjoy it with MDR dinner mates for this cruise and on the TP to Honolulu.

Sailed on Seaside, Seashore and Meraviglia on B2B in same cabin and each week we got a new band.

Have never brought a band back to be reused but should be able to as it is just a RFID chip that can be added to the system.

Have done this a few times. It is not hard at all. Comfort suites has quiet a few guests that do this and is used to it. All you do is check in and get your wristbands. Comfort suites has no problem with you checking in and getting wristbands and never using your room. Your room might not even be ready for occupancy until later in the day anyhow.

Did you try to book through Marriott for the Atlantis using marriott reward points or cash? It might be cheaper or if you have a marriott points to burn.

Mafig all our times in CLS the stairs have not been a problem as long as you are able to walk up and down stairs. Do not think you two will have a hard time with the stairs at all. Just make sure to look if the room is dark and you are walking down the stairs. The large quiet hallways and the view from your loft upstairs cant be beat. Miss the rather large shower with 3 heads on the Oasis and Allure with the new ships having a tub instead.

See you two on a future cruise.

We were offered to have 2 blocks shipped since they were out on Navigator. Have not gotten any of those blocks, so called C&A. Rep found what ship we were missing those 2 blocks from and requested them to be sent out.

Our cruise this week on Brilliance we shall receive another block. I am thinking that it will be in our cabin. The only time we were offered blocks to ship to us was due to ship not having them in stock.

Pretty far drive from Port of Civitavecchia to FCO. I figure the cab fare would be over 100 euros.

What did you pay to feel like you got taken?  I paid about 125 euro with tip for a private car from Rome to Port.

Have overnighted in Aruba and Cabo San Lucas with RCCL. Both ports, the ship is treated like a floating hotel. Come and go as you please. In Cabo, it is a tender port so you might have to wait more than 30 minutes in the wee hours of the morning if you want to return to ship.

1 hour ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

When we did our cruisetour, you did not book the optional cruisetour excursions until you met with your tour director on the first day of your cruisetour.  I did find a list of the optional excursions and had already picked out what we wanted to book ahead of time.  You can see the optional excursions in this link under the resources tab.

 

https://www.royalcaribbeancruisetours.com/

 

We did 4b and were in Denali two nights.  We did the ATV one night and the rafting the other.  We really enjoyed both.  We did the side by side ATV and that was easy to drive.  We did a Salmon bake in Fairbanks that was okay.  We should have done it with the show.  It is easy to do excursions at night because it is light out.  We got back from rafting just after 10pm.  

Did the same tours as you did in Denali. The white water rafting was awesome. Did you buy the pics they took from above the shoreline of Nenana River? I would do that again. It was well run and well worth it. If anyone is interested the name of the company is Denali Raft Adventures. They are located right in town but you need to take the resort shuttle into town from where Royal has their lodge. Fortunately the shuttle runs into town on a schedule. So you do not have to book the rafting through Royal.

We went the year when it was hot and all the wildfires up north in Alaska. The lodge RCL uses has no AC and it was hot. The McKinley Chalet looked very nice with AC but Princess uses it for their cruisetours. On our next Alaska trip we are doing the landside by ourselves and will be booking McKinley Chalet. Another plus is chalet overlooks the Nenana River and is in the middle of town.

On 9/7/2023 at 2:30 PM, redwave said:

Around how much does hired driver run for the five hours?

And would u be able to recommend a company you used for the activities?

thanks. 

IIRC It was about $200 for the vetted driver that I found in the port area. The prices were posted on a board. Sorry I do not have the name of the driver I used. The few times I have hired a driver it has always been at the port taxi office. The prices outside the secured area are probably cheaper but I would rather pay for the peace of mind.

Have walked outside the Falmouth gates from our first cruise. In the center of town it is safe as there are police everywhere. Now when you get to the fringes of the town there are less officers. If at anytime you feel unsafe, you should return to the secured port area. We always walk to the center of town and browse some of the wares for sale. But my main attraction is hitting the Tastees Patties store a little north of the town square. Buy a bunch of bef patties and walk around the town eating them with the idea of returning to ship. Anyone asking for hand outs, I will offer a pattie for them to eat. Now we have not been back to Falmouth since post Covid but I figure not much has changed. I have never felt unsafe walking out of the secured area in Falmouth or any stop in the Caribbean.

If you have a 3rd party excursion that is through a licensed company, they will be able to pick you up INSIDE the secure port area. Upon exit, port personnel will take the name of the driver down. This gave me a sense of security I was dealing with a licensed person. Took us to Mystic Mountain and waited for us as we did Zipline, tours, Jamaican bobsledding, lunch, swimming etc (took about 5 hours). Then on the way back stopped at a few shops to get some blue mountain coffee and other things that were cheaper than the port shops. I booked activities myself and just hired a driver at the port for the day.

On 9/4/2023 at 12:47 PM, steveru621 said:

So you prefer no benefits?

With MSC YC alcoholic & mixed drinks, internet, private restaurant, reserved seats, etc. are included. Cheaper than booking suites with Royal. As Diamond on MSC a specialty meal is included but the YC meals are just as good.

What RCL D+ perks are left, does not sway us to book with RCL instead of MSC. Way less benefits in MSC loyalty program compared to RCL but their YC was a awesome value. Now it is just a very good value compared to RCL.

Loved cruising with RCL and with D+ benefits, this influenced our decision to be "Loyal to Royal". Now with the cutbacks in MDR, room cleaning, reduced D+ and P benefits have made us look around for the "best deal" for our needs.

We have a B2B Brilliance cruise in 2 weeks but that is the last RCL cruise on the books for us. We have 9 MSC cruises booked though 2024. We are thinking of booking Explorer in Europe then taking the TA and doing caribbean in Nov 2024 for a B5B. Will most likely book it if Next Cruise can get the same cabin for those cruises (wife hates moving cabins) when we board Brilliance.

On 8/28/2023 at 1:58 AM, island lady said:

 

We adored RCI perks when we turned D+, and were even able to access the CL when we did, which was a big draw for us.  There were so many nice perks with turning that level, and then the 340 (which was 350 at the time) was even nicer with more perks.  

 

Now....not so much.  I guess you have to have been there at the time.  Even Pinnacle is being curtailed now too.  

 

We hardly ever go to the shows any longer on RCI, too many repeats.  I won't miss it on Viking. 

 

We have 5 booked with Viking over the next two years....but they are much longer than week long cruises.  😉 

We got to access the CL as D+ for maybe 4 cruises and then got the boot if not sailing in GS or better.

Cutbacks to D+ benefits such as wine choices, bridge tours, galley tours, etc. with an INCREASE in prices has wife and I choosing MSC YC. We will still cruise RCL just that the D+ status does not hold any weight anymore. Would be a P by now if we did not sail with MSC. Have noticed the erosion of benefits for P status level, so we are more willing to sail on other lines. 3 years ago we would be sailing 90% of our cruises on a RCl ship now it is more like 50/50.

Hope to meet you in person one day.

Just checked in for our Brilliance cruise out of Vancouver on Sept 17.  Our JS boarding pass says suite. Was able to choose a 1030am check in time for Canada Place being only 17 days from sailing.

I hope this checkin is better at Canada Place. It was pretty bad the last time we sailed out of Vancouver with long lines. Then waiting downstairs to board and once it was open, there was a mad rush to board ship with no guidance from port workers. Just a free for all.

I like directly in the middle ones to people watch and you can see the aqua theatre shows from the balcony.

For the side CLS, I would choose opposite side of CK and in the middle so not near the doors.

22 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Included for YC guests or extra cost?

Included for YC.