cruisetorelax44

1 hour ago, LilBlackDress said:

That was only Izumi... Playmakers was always $20

yes, but that $20 could buy you a three course meal. If they raise the price for the people who are paying a la carte, they should give those with an UDP a higher credit amount. 

On 8/23/2023 at 11:47 AM, Debitoo said:

We were on the April 6th sailing. Thank God we hadn't booked airfare yet. COPA is the only choice we had and they don't offer a reasonably priced refundable fare. Royal screwed the pooch on this one. We had a corner aft balcony and it killed me to give it up. Nothing "enhanced" with the new itinerary. We cancelled and are still waiting for my deposit refund. ugh.....

that's our issue... we booked our flights on copa in june. we can change the dates, but it's not like we can fly the airline to a different destination and the flights are non-refundable. so while we canceled our cruise and rebooked a different one, we now have to pay full airfare on another flight to get there and home. we'll probably change our panama dates and just tour panama sometime in the next year.  none of this is ok.. .

If anyone on board a recent sailing can share some pricing? I'm Diamond Plus, so i know i get a discount on board with spa services.

I'm just trying to figure out if I'm better off booking it through the planner or not.

I'm looking for the on-board price for the ELEMIS Sole Delight Ritual with Pedicure and for the Fire and Ice Pedicure.

Thanks!

9 hours ago, unpackonce said:

I am looking at other cruise lines but can’t find much more interesting.

We moved our cruise. But while our flights are non refundable,  we're allowed one change. We're considering changing the dares and doing a 4-5 day panama tour sometime next year instead...

On 8/10/2023 at 7:58 AM, cuterlmt said:

I'm hoping to be able to do something similar - ours was a casino offer as well. Which sailing did you choose that they allowed you to switch to? and i assume minimal (or no) extra cost? I still have part of my list from the offer, but only kept January through Apil since we have a cruise in November, and try to cruise every 6 months (versus two in two months). thanks.

 

December 3rd of this year

13 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

That's why, despite the attractive price, I shied away from booking with them.

it was the only airline that went direct from boston. and it was $450 dollars per flight less expensive than any other airline. so saving $900 for two people, and saving hours and hours of travel time made sense. the refundable fares were 1500 each...

copa airlines may screw us... non-refundable flights, on an airline where you have to fly to panama city in order to get anywhere else... sigh... let the fighting begin... 

Just moved this sailing to Wonder in December.  If we can't do the planned itinerary, might as do the fun new ship that costs a fortune and take advantage of the casino prime cruise ti the fullest....

4 hours ago, bigmoose7563 said:

What are the odds that if most cancel their reservations because of this change that they may cancel these cruises completely at a later date?

this is another reason we're going to cancel... we've all seen it happen before when routes don't sell...

10 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

Nothing new here, last 4yrs had about 8 Cruises Changed on me, even loosing B2B same Cabins when they moved to another Ship with no FCC/OBC offered. Even had a Couple where Cruise was one day less but price did not drop

it's getting bad... and extremely frustrating. I wouldn't trust them to keep the new panama itinerary either. I can't imagine there will be enough interest to those ships from people in central america, and if you're in the us, it's easier to just fly to miami to see the same places on symphony. 

I messaged Michael Bayley to express my frustration about the change and this was the response I got:
"We're very sorry for the disappointment this change has caused and completely understand where you're coming from. I hope we'll be able to make things right once you board. Unfortunately, a credit isn't being provided for this redeployment.".

So basically, everyone is just SOL....

Haven't changed anything yet,  but probably will. Royal did tell me that I will be able to move the casino prime cruise to another sailing, and the future cruise credit will be able to be moved as well.  I'm still pissed though....

Not sure. But all of the cruises leaving from panama have been pulled off the schedule.  I know they said it would be a few days before the new itinerary is posted.  

All of the canal sailings are canceled.  And we booked on copa air as well.. grrrrrr

it's even more complicated for us.. this is a casino prime cruise, with future cruise credit applied for a room upgrade. the prime cruise has to be taken before march 31st, so that does not give us a lot of time to find something else either...

Just now, smokeybandit said:

I was booked on one of those.  Not a chance I stay on that itinerary now.  Colombia would be neat to visit, but the rest of it, meh.

exactly. but $400 won't cover the flights, and it's an airline we'd never fly otherwise. 

Just now, Plum Happy said:

You may want to do a walk off just to be sure.  That way you have your bags.

if we sail it at all.. i'm soooo frustrated. i know things can change, but this is like 8 months out. it's not 18 months. 

12 minutes ago, mugtech said:

            Was there a reduction in the port fees and taxes?  Not going through the canal should reduce that particular expense.

don't know anything yet. i can still see the original cruise in my planner, but when i click it, it says "sailing has been canceled". 

4 minutes ago, Plum Happy said:

You should give yourself 2 hours plus to travel to get to the airport after the cruise (if you keep it) including traffic, disruptions, etc.  It's estimated to be 1 hour 20 minutes but you never know about road construction.

our flight is 12:45pm.. it says the ship returns to port at 7am. that should be enough time.. even if we get off at 830am.. but i don't like cutting it close. especially with international. 

Just now, dmrichards26 said:

Same thing here. We got the same message and itinerary change for our April 6th 2024 sailing.

 

Like you said, calling this an "adjustment" seems ingenuine at best. This was advertised as a "Panama Canal Cruise" and it no longer goes through the Panama Canal.

 

Very frustrating since we just booked flights last month.

us too.. flights are booked. if i wanted southern caribbean, i would have gone from miami or san juan... 

I'm super frustrated... our panama canal cruise for march 2024 was just changed to a southern caribbean one.

This is the email i got today... To "Enhance my experience" is a bunch of bull... 
We were supposed to start in Colon, go through the canal, do Cartegena, and two stops in Costa Rica before ending in Fuerte Amador, Panama. We specifically picked this trip for the canal and to end in the port closest to the airport. 
Can anyone who's flown home after disembarking in Colon let me know how long it takes to get to the airport in Panama City?

Dear Guest,

To enhance your experience, we’ve adjusted the itinerary for our upcoming March 30^th, 2024 Rhapsody of the Seas sailing. Rhapsody will now sail a 7-Night Southern Caribbean itinerary.

The time and effort you took to plan your cruise is important to us, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Every aspect of your time with us should be enjoyable, so we’ve put together some alternate options that we hope will work for you and those in your party.

Option 1: Stay on our new Rhapsody of the Seas 7-Night Southern Caribbean sailing. Below is the updated itinerary for your review:

What you’ll receive:

• We’ll move you to a like for like stateroom once the new sailing becomes available. Please note, in the meantime, you may be moved to a GTY category while we work to complete this process. Once your stateroom has been assigned, you’ll receive an updated invoice with all of the new details.
• Your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.
  • If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
• You’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).
  • We’ll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.
    • Please email your receipts and booking information to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for review and reimbursement.
  • If you have any travel expenses beyond these amounts, please send us the receipts including a brief summary of these expenses for review.

Option 2: Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing.

• If you prefer to re-book another sailing, we’ll waive any non-refundable deposit change fees.
• Please know, you’ll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.
  • If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
• You’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).
  • We’ll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.
    • Please email your receipts and booking information to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for review and reimbursement.
  • If you have any travel expenses beyond these amounts, please send us the receipts including a brief summary of these expenses for review.

Option 3: If you can’t find a new itinerary that works for you and choose to cancel, we’ll be sad to see you go, but hope you’ll come back soon. You’ll receive:

• A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment within 14 business days. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
  • If you used a Future Cruise Credit on this sailing and you request a refund instead, we’ll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount and we’ll reinstate your original certificate.  
• Please know, if you choose this option, we will not provide additional compensation.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to updating sailings and rebooking all guests, and we may need to temporarily place your booking into a Guarantee (GTY) status while we work to complete this process. We ask for your patience as we work to make this process as easy as possible for you.

It’s important to us that you find the best vacation option. Please call us at 888-281-9344 or contact your Travel Advisor by August 29^th, 2023, to let us know your decision. We’ll send an updated reservation confirmation with your revised details to the email address on file as soon as your reservation has been completely updated with the pricing fully adjusted. If we haven’t heard from you by August 29^th, 2023, you’ll remain booked in a like for like stateroom on the NEW March 30^th, 2024 Rhapsody of the Seas sailing.

If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately or contact us at: 

• 1 888 281 9344 in the U.S. or text us at 800 256-6649
• 1800 754 500 in Australia / 0800 102 123 in New Zealand
• In the UK only, by using our webchat service or by calling 0344 493 4005
• All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.

Thank you for understanding. We hope you find another cruise vacation with us. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or looking to explore, relax, and recharge – we have no doubt your time with us will be nothing short of amazing. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Sincerely,

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez
AVP | Guest Experience
Royal Caribbean International

Just now, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have been on Freedom twice in the last month. On both cruises we purchased the UDP and ate at Izumi Hibachi. Not sure if this answers your question, since we didn’t purchase any speciality restaurant stand alone. 

I plan on doing UDP. I like hibatchi, and I know you can order off the sushi menu there,  but I wanted to know if just the sushi section was open as well.

I was looking at the specialty dining, and didn't see Izumi listed on it's own.

It shows Izumi Hibatchi for both lunch and dinner, and a Sushi and Sake specialty lunch, but not just Izumi.

Anyone who sailed recently have any information?

Thanks!

I called back today. Rep was able to do it with no issues. We lost the on board booking credit, but I was more than happy to give up $100 to save $1500. Thanks to all!

26 minutes ago, edrussell said:

We booked a sailing through Next Cruise on our first cruise in Jan of 2022 on Oasis.  It was not via a casino offer just a regular booking.  It was for Sept of 2022.  We became prime on that cruise.  Later my wife wanted to shift the cruise out by a few weeks.  She decided to call Casino Royale to see what they could do.  They converted it to our annual certificate and applied the deposit we had paid via Next cruise to go towards taxes and port fees.  

 

Give them another call.  Please do report back.

will do! thanks!