LuCruise

Has anyone booked Hyatt Place recently using Valuetrips? We have a cruise out of FLL end of December. The rates haven't been released yet but from what I see overall (and week prior), hotel costs have gone up significantly. DH and I stayed at Hyatt Place in December and were quite pleased. The cost for Valuetrips is quite good Is Valuetrips reliable? Any issues? How long after submitting the online form do you get confirmation that you are booked? We are a family of 4 so it looks like the cost shown is for 2 people and they add $10 pp to that? I assume these rates are non-refundable? We usually either book direct or with expedia so am a little iffy unless good feedback.

We had one on Symphony and have it booked again on our upcoming cruise. We enjoy them. The pros? It's fun to stand on the balcony and see the action on the Boardwalk. Although you are not as close to the ocean as a true ocean view balcony, you can still see it in the background, and it's fresh air and additional space. Whenever I've looked, it's much cheaper than an ocean view balcony. We were deck 10 on Symphony about mid way so not close enough to watch the show the first time, but it was fun to see parts again (or see them practicing in the day if you happened to catch them). The cons? It can be noisy and I remember hearing muffled sounds when a movie was playing, but ear plugs can help with that. People complain you can see the room across but that never bothered me. I close the curtain anyways at home when changing so no different. We like these rooms, but they are not for everyone.

Everyone is different but we quite enjoyed the Boardwalk Balcony on Symphony and have it booked again in a few weeks on Oasis. Just bring ear plugs for night if end up getting it and close curtains when changing. Not a big deal.. Haven't been on these specific ships (yet) so can't comment, but I would think they are mostly similar with a few differences (no pool in solarium on Harmony, 1 flowrider on Wonder, Hairspray on Harmony, Cats on Oasis, Royal's own production show on Wonder). I'd also vote Harmony based on guarantee balcony price, unless Orlando is easier to get to vs Miami.

Thanks for the review. We were on Anthem for the first time last March and quite enjoyed it. (Was obsessed with trying her as we kept having Anthem cruises cancelled due to the pandemic). If trying again, you may want to try Oasis class or Freedom or Voyager class (Mariner or Navigator for kids) if didn't like the crowds, but sounds like overall you enjoyed.

Haven't been on Enchantment, but DH and I were on Liberty in December and really enjoyed. I have a review in my signature.

Meant to try this last time but forgot. Do you know what bar would make it? Boleros? Any pool bar?

Thanks. So only flights that Air2Sea offers can be booked.

megr1125, thank you for the detailed response and sharing your experience and warnings. Good to know we can change the airport and date. We're actually not considering Air2Sea to get a good deal. The only reason we are thinking of booking with them is because of uncertainty. It's for a December cruise over new years. Our son will be in university then and since it's his first year we don't know where he'll be, and the holiday schedule. Most likely our cruise is fine but we don't know for sure yet. And for flights at Dec time, the cost only goes up and up so sooner we can book, the better. Thus, Air2Sea seems like a good option if we can find a flight that works.

When doing a mock booking on Air2Sea's site, you select your cruise date and it will return you available flights. A few questions about changing options: It looks like you can change the date (i.e. fly in a day earlier). Correct? Can you change the airport? Or can you only select the cruise airport? E.g. The cruise may be out of Fort Lauderdale but it may be cheaper to fly to Miami If flights aren't showing, can you mention another one that you see on the airline's site? Or does Air2Sea only offer a subset of available flights? The site shows cost in USD. I believe we can purchase in CAD if our cruise booking is in CAD? Thanks.

Haven't tried the new menus yet, but I think it will be fine. We enjoy the MDR and although less selection (and DH and I don't eat meat so we are limited without the classics), I don't think we'll have an issue. Kids always have the kids menu. For pricing, yes it's getting quite pricey and things that used to be included are no longer, but everything is going up in cost. It's not just cruises. And for us, cruising is our special family time, which is true for any vacation but we really enjoy cruising. The flights too are going up so a different cruise line won't help with that. For Royal...this is where the loyalty program wins. We've been on Royal for the past while and so close to Diamond...so we will stick with Royal to get there. Then when we reach it, the 4 free drinks a day is huge. Sure, we can book something else for cheaper and spend the difference on drinks, but we like Royal. Sometimes I think we should try something different to see what it's like...but then, when you are paying that much money and only travelling 1 or 2 times per year, we want to be sure we'll be happy with our choice. I can see in the future trying Celebrity though, but from what I understand, it won't be any cost savings. DH and I both work hard . We aren't big spenders aside from life things (house, kids stating university, etc) and our extra money goes to travel. So to answer OPs post, no for us.

Enjoy! We have Freedom booked in the future. Looks like a great ship too.

Thanks for reading. That's too bad as that's so disappointing for anyone scheduled on the cancelled cruise. At least she'll be fixed by June. Have a great time on Liberty! Nice too that she's coming to New Jersey.

Thanks for sharing. Yeah, from the confirmation in this email, that's what I expect to happen. He'll keep as Emerald (doesn't do much though) and points revert back to just the ones he actually accumulated. A bit frustrating but a JS or another cruise between March and his bday in April isn't feasible. It is what it is and guess maintaining parents status is until 18 a bonus...and great when parents get to Diamond by then.

You can check by going on the App, Select Dining (bottom left icon). Then select Bars & Lounges and select something like Schooner Bar or Boleros. Select Menu and you will see a list of the drinks offered with pricing. Most cocktails are $14 (+ 18% for gratuity/taxes).

Thanks for the suggestion. It's our kids March break. I gotta laugh at the image of DH and the kids going home while I stay (or switch terminals) to go on a 3 night. Our dates are pretty set though.

Thanks for explaining. Too bad that the redo made it worse and now it's gone. I actually really enjoyed Flight, but get that it's not for everyone. Blue Planet on the other hand wasn't my favorite.

Wouldn't they still get the vouchers for free drinks? Non-alcoholic of course.

Poor Cats gets such negativity. Going on Oasis in March and will be seeing it (DH and DS not joining me. DD not thrilled as she didn't love but movie but says she'll come as she enjoys musicals). I'm determined to like it and am doing prep work by "studying". First, reading up on the story as heard it's better if you understand it. Second, I'm watching recording/listening to the music as I personally find if I know the music, then I enjoy it more. It looks enjoyable too with the costumes and dancing. We'll see...but going in with a positive attitude. Btw...whatever happened to Come Fly with Me? When you look up Oasis it shows as a show but not seeing it listed anymore. It must have been the other theatre show such as Flight on Symphony and Blue Planet on Allure. Seems now a show is missing.

Yes, he has a crown & anchor and definitely in his profile. Guess you never know with their IT though.

Nice. You mean stay silent and just see? We have a cruise booked end of the year which will bring us to Diamond. There is no reason anyways for me to reach out and let them know he turned 18 .

Yeah unfortunately not an option as it would be more time off work plus for the cost it wouldn't just be the cruise but price to fly to Florida. We went on a cruise in December and back then I kept watching the price of JS (which would have brought us to Diamond after our March cruise) but it was double our booking. So it was hard to justify. Maybe if we had realized at the time how much it would have helped our DS then we would have switched. For our March cruise, JS were very $$$ when I looked, and now everything in suites are are sold out (but wouldn't switch anyways for Oasis prices)

So true. And yet for pricing, kids are adults when they turn 13 (i.e. no KSF after 12). Guess whatever benefits on their side. At least our younger one should get to and maintain Diamond once we get there after our end of the year cruise.

Bummer. That's too bad. Thanks for confirming.

Question about kids and crown and anchor status. After our March cruise we will be only a couple points away from Diamond...but still Emerald. In April, our son turns 18. DH and I have been on more cruises than our kids. If we add up points for cruises he has actually has been on, it's mid 30s. From what I understand, once he turns 18, he maintains his status but his points revert to mid 30s? It's a shame we aren't one cruise ahead. (Emerald doesn't do much)

Thanks for sharing. Hopefully the dates work out for both of us.