LeeW

You can get a robe for onboard use and will get invited to the Top Tier event with a drink or two. Small discount for booking balcony or above. Slight Celebrity status upgrade if you request it. Much better at Diamond. Some discounts on onboard purchases. See post 9 on this thread:

Instead of doing prints for our two Diamond photos on Harmony last week we decided to use the digital version. Unfortunately if you use the same email address for both you only get one invite to download. At the moment the first one ordered has vanished and we only got the second one. We can see all the pictures associated with our room when we log on but only have one download available, not two. Have a request in to fix the problem, but no resolution yet. Family already ordering a different 20 pictures in their package. So - if you are ordering more than one photo download package use different email addresses!

Taxi to Magens Bay can be booked in the port - you don't need a tour. Should be around $10pp in a truck with benches in back. Small entry fee at the park. Same thing coming back - taxis will be there. Come back NLT 2 hours before boarding time, as others suggested. Traffic last week in downtown Charlotte Amilie was pretty busy. Have seen it take over an hour to get through there to port and last week was only about 10 minutes. Any excursion provider will get you back to the port - ship won't wait for them unless their tours are also having problems. Some ports only have one road and an accident ties up everyone. Port to Magens Bay has multiple routes (west end is much longer though). Even ship tours can get left behind, although they will try to wait if the port/distance to next port allow it.

As if 26 June sailing still closed.

Last week at main Royal terminal (1?) Cape Canaveral there was a single line to get into the terminal except for suites/key. Line was a zigzag maze going out to the end of the garage, wrapped back near door and then back to the end of the garage. No checking of boarding time and no separate queues for times. Groups with kids that needed testing were pulled where the line got closest to the terminal so they didn't have to go back out again and through the maze. Not sure if Mariner will use this terminal or the one across the bay for OPs cruise. Taxi/Uber dropoff was on the side next to the line. Buses were on the inside and were closer to the end of the actual line.

The chips are in a plastic packet that seems to have a sticky patch on it. Kind of like a bandage. Packet was puffy so it had air in it.

Only cheap plastic ones on Harmony last week. They had a table in the Promenade to pick them up. Sweat, don't keep drinks cold and leak if you tip them. That was our major complaint on the post-cruise survey. Soda package price is way up, even on "sales." They should be able to afford the better cups.

Yup. Those in insets open out. Suites on same floor open in.

For the vast majority of excursions they just collect the tickets from each group. Only reason they might question is presenting a child ticket for an adult. And dive excursions need C cards but as long as new person has one they won't care the person was changed. Don't cancel and rebook because price will likely change. If you really want to change names do it onboard and they will likely say don't bother.

Granddaughter found one on Harmony two days ago.

And any Cruise Planner purchases get refunded even if the booking number stays the same. OBC may or may not move depending on terms. Clarify this when you make the new booking.

Princess did and DW won. Only problem is only a few spots left for booking in the entire cruise.

I've had mixed luck with texting over VOOM. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Think my phone assumes that texting a single recipient is text, and multiple people is multimedia. The former usually uses cell, latter always uses internet. Weird. Could avoid this using the various apps, but not worth the bother. And of course voice over internet depends on a good wireless connection on the ship. Often drops as you move around. As brillohead mentioned, you MUST set up wifi calling (voice over internet) before you leave your service area. And in my case I have to do it in the port before we sail - even though it has been set up for years at home. We don't need to worry about turning off cell (airplane mode) since our carrier doesn't do roaming at all. Except on Disney - can't do their safety briefing with cell on.

With any B2B you can always walk off at any time (you have an In-Transit card to get back on without checking in again). If you want to be the first ones back on the ship you get escorted off after the last departing passengers leave and then back on. Status doesn't matter.

On ships with a Solarium Bar on 16 (like Allure) there is a fairly large shaded area around the bar with around 40 loungers plus couches and chairs. Can be noisy, but much cooler than down below.

You may not know until the night before. Not sure St Croix has a schedule website. The one I use for the USVI isn't official.

When we were there the Stockholm Card included public transportation. Looks like current version only includes entry to tourist sites (around 75 of them) but does include HOHO bus and boats and canal tour. Not sure it is as good a value as in the past. Current cost is 2615SEK/$256 per day. Most of the museums were $15-40 entry when we went. https://gocity.com/stockholm/en-us/products/all-inclusive

Doing a B2B on Radiance later in summer and taking an excursion during turnaround in Seward. Operator is advising that we might not get off in time for early tour (tour sails at 8 with checkin at 7). So can anyone advise us of when they have actually allowed passengers off in Seward? Thanks much!

The only verification they do is if you use a provider that does a QR code. But you are better off taking either a paper copy of the results or a screen shot since internet coverage in the terminal may not work.

Does your mom like wave pools and slides? And climbing lots of stairs? This determines water park. There is a large free fresh water pool in the middle of the island. And lots of sandy beaches. Free lounge chairs are in groups of two and four with an umbrella each and most are located in the trees. So lots of shade. If you like the flavored waters there are free dispensers at all the dining areas. Bars will fill your freestyle cups or serve virgin drinks. We just buy the soda package (although at the moment price is high at 8.99/day) since we don't drink coffee or the mock cocktails. "Formal" nights should be first sea day and first day after you leave ABC islands. Excursions will open up as they set up there contracts. At the moment islands have limited people to run them, so it is taking a while. Not sure you really need an excursion, but the island 4x4 Landrover trips take you through both the city and desert areas. A bit bumpy ride on benches in back of truck. Many other tours hit places like ostrich farm. Read descriptions and decide if they interest you. Meanwhile check shoreexcursioneer and shoreexcursionsgroup for tours you might be interested in and ideas. Both ports have lots of locals that will sell you a tour on the spot and customize it for you. Aruba is our favorite island. Have been on most of the adventure excursions there. If you want just a beach (and maybe casino), leave terminal and cross main street. Bus terminal is just right behind the first building. Take #10 bus and get off where interested. Walk beach, go back to main road and catch bus again. Around $5 each these days and driver will give US change if he has it. Curacao old town is across the swinging bridge. Just walk right from cruise terminal.

When we were in Stockholm we docked at the ferry port across the harbor. Water taxi across the harbor, entry to Vasa and amusement park and museums included with Stockholm Card. Well worth it and worst case we could walk back to ship. If you are docking outside of town maybe want to take ship excursion.

Seems like your group is right size for escape room. Is it open this week? And could you bypass the age limit by booking the whole room?

Affected 4 times in almost 20 years for August-October sailings. Ship just goes elsewhere. On one occasion Ft Lauderdale was closed so we stayed out extra 3 days (and eastern cruise was changed to western). Drinks/internet extended for free. Next cruise was shortened from 7 to 4 days and if you sailed you got 50% back as OBC and 50% back as future cruise credit. We were on it anyway but lots of Florida folks stayed on for $400/balcony. Their houses were ok but they didn't have power at home. Nice having 1400 passengers on Allure. MTD dining waiters had every other night off and crew allowed in shows.

However, you can buy 4 drinks/day (typically $13 limit) with your Diamond coupons for anyone. Likewise you get one 24 hour surf internet each per cruise that can be shared by anyone once you set up the login on your account.

They open this stuff in blocks of dates/ships. For example our February Voyager just opened any dining. Our April 2022 Symphony had everything open last September. My guess would be yours will open within the next few weeks. Usually spa is first, then drinks, then internet/dining/excursions. In the case of Voyager the excursions opened shortly after spa, then drinks/dining just opened.