VegasVic14

25 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I have bought a couple of 3 inch "C" clamps that can attached to the flange of the I beams and then tie off the ropes to the clamps.  That way I am not guessing if a pipe is strong enough to support it or if there are places to wrap the rope around.

And, I assume, you have the steward remove the balcony furniture... or is it easier to just toss it all overboard?

On 7/28/2023 at 3:52 PM, edrussell said:

Yes, but were you on the president's cruise?  You must always state that to ensure you get the proper attention.  

33 minutes ago, HodgeNNicole said:

I bring a hammock on every cruise and very much enjoy it.  In fact on several occasions I park my self in it just before bed and often wake up several hours later! LOL.  

Never have I been asked to take it down.  

How and where do you attach each end?

1 hour ago, robmtx said:

And taking the lead in Key pricing:

 

Internet 2 device package = $195.93

They Key 2 Pax = $279.86

 

So our internet price was still better, but the gap is certainly narrow!  It's about $42 per person for the week. The only benefits I think we'd use are boarding day lunch and the carryon dropoff. I'm not sure if those two benefits are worth $42 each. We don't use the fast lane offerings, there are no tender ports, and We have Diamond+ status for everything else. I feel like they need a VIP Pass offering that scales with loyalty status as these don't seem all that great to us any more. 

 

 

 

 Currently, our cost would be $48 pp for the same benefits (boarding day lunch, carryon drop) and fast lane/port tenders not needed. Debark day is irrelevent as we're on a B2B. The price for each would have to drop significantly to be considered.

On 7/24/2023 at 4:06 PM, Tatka said:

 

I completely agree with every word about Edge class.

Edge, Beyond, Apex... Ascent(?)

Ships are amazing!!!

 

The only controversial point is Indefinite Verandas.. which I like, but I only visited such room, never sailed in one.

Recently researched Celebrity for a possible upcoming cruise and we concluded that the veranda you mention isn't inviting at all. It appears to be too much of an enclosure without the wide open feeling of a veranda on RCI. On other ships, too many of the verandas on multiple decks look down on life boats, which takes away from seeing your ship sailing through the water. 

On 7/7/2023 at 12:37 PM, cello56 said:

Here is a shocking concept! 

When I am on a cruise ..... I am not at home! 

At home, I make my own bed, we hang and reuse towels, we eat the food that is served and don't expect elaborate meals. 

On a cruise, someone else makes my bed and cleans my bathroom and provides me with clean DRY towels as often as I need them. 

If I wanted to be making my own bed, cleaning my own bathroom and reusing towels I would have stayed home instead of going on vacation! There is simply no rationale to say "you don't expect this at home" when it comes to being pampered and taken care of. I am paying a lot of money - and recently a lot of money since prices have increased - to be on vacation with someone else doing all the work.

When we're on vacation (cruise or land based), we don't turn into slobs. Good habits used at home stay with us regardless of the "We now have paid for it" mentality.

On 7/3/2023 at 9:44 PM, Sunshine3601 said:

We like once a day.  We have asked for evening.   We ask for 530ish if they could and enjoyed having everything done along with our nightly towel animal and paper compass being in the cabin when we returned from dinner for bathrooms.

For the last couple of years we usually ask for once a day anyway.

How did the 5:30 request actually work out? I've been thinking about doing this as it coincides with our early dining.

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Royal did just fine without a Chief Meteorologist until 2016, I am sure they will do just fine without one now.

There's more weather now than pre-2016. 🤪

8 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Yes they are considered slots and can be played fee free.  If you gamble at least 50% of what you charge to your cabin you should be able to do that every day.  There is a max per day but I don't recall the amount

Hopefully, someone can clarify the daily limit.

NM repeat of previous post.

Too many confusing scenarios being discussed back and forth so far, so I might as well throw more into the mix:  

As I only play video poker, are those machines considered "slots" or are they, as some online casinos categorize them, considered "table games"? (I suspect VP machines are considered slots by RCI.)

First and foremost, slots are room charge fee free?

Can I room charge multiple times in the same day?

Can I room charge if I visit the casino every day it's open?

Bottom line: If possible, I want to avoid carrying a large amount of cash onto the ship and want to be assured of an alternative casino game plan.

21 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

that's it.

Concerning the check in process:  there will be 2 reservations linked together and I will be doing the midnight check in for the first time.  What exactly is required to complete the process?  Do I need to have all passports in my possesion to do the check in or Is it just the passport numbers that are needed? Can the credit card that is submitted be changed after boarding? Is the photo uploading easy to do? Which method is best... app or web site planner?

18 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Just a FYI. The tag time is meant to mean you should not try to leave before your time, it is done so that your luggage will be out in the terminal. You can leave as late as you want until they call all tags  and run everyone out. 

This is very helpful to know. Thanks, and Happy Sailing.

2 hours ago, jalves said:

Yes, that's pretty much how it's done.  The day before the cruise ends there will be numbered luggage tags left in your room.  When the ship is cleared the first people allowed off are those that are carrying their own luggage off.  After that, the suite guests followed by groups of the luggage tags.  

Do these numbered luggage tags have assigned times to exit? That makes it difficult to book a reservation with a private shuttle company for pick up. 

12 minutes ago, jalves said:

You should have no problem getting off the ship by then.  Of course the standard disclaimers apply - depends on actual ship arrival time, etc. 

Years ago, we were assigned a time and everyone with that same time gathered in the theater and waited for an announcement. Is this still how it's done?

It's been a few years since the last sailing, so I need a bit of a refresher course. We will not be doing self-assist (too much baggage for us seniors to struggle with). Are we given a time early enough to meet up with an arranged time (9:30, for example) for reserved transportation back to MCO?

On 2/12/2022 at 2:20 PM, AftMan said:

Hello CruiserLucas. I am frequently on Harmony and play video poker 99% of my time in the casino. Your reference using the pay schedule term '6/5' implies that you may be looking for Jacks or Better machines(or Bonus Poker?) with good pay tables?  9/6 Jacks or Better machines were at one time the standard for video poker grinders. Pay tables will often change as you increase your bet. I have never seen 9/6 pay tables on a cruise ship, 8/5 yes at high denominations.

While I can't offer specific pay tables for Harmony at this time, I will be on Independence next week and Harmony March 12. Happy to note pay table information for you at that time. Most ships have Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, Double Bonus and more at single line and multi line(up to 10 lines) options. 

As a side note, Wizard of Odds has a free training mode for many of the common video poker games under 'play for fun'. 

 

Saying "pay tables will often change as you increase your bet" is misleading. If you begin playing a game at a certain pay table (6/5, 8/5, etc) and you start at 25 cents a credit and, for example, move up to $1 a credit (which increases your bet X 4), the pay table stays the same. The only way you can change the pay table is to change games or change machines, which probably will have the same pay table.

On 9/15/2022 at 5:58 PM, Inveterate Cruiser said:

I have been trying to research VP JoB pay tables on the various cruise lines. Based on what I have seen on Carnival Vista and what I have found on CC, here is the info I have obtained right now:

 

(Correct as at 15 Sep 2022)

 

Carnival : 6/5 (5% House edge)

Celebrity: (Single-line) Modified 7-5 (8.6% HE) ; Multi-line 6-5 (5% HE)

RCL: 6/5 (5% HE) 0.25 denom ; 8/5 (1.4% HE) $10/25 denom

 

Anyone has different info for the above? Any info for NCL (heard it was 99% for $25 denom), Princess, MSC and Holland America?

 

Thanks in advance!

None of those games are playable.

On 12/10/2022 at 3:07 AM, Tlbecker1 said:

We were on the Brilliance in May on a B2B and moved cabins, but they moved our suitcases and all of our hanging items.  We were on the Grandeur in September on a B3B and they thought we were going to be changing rooms, we came back after checking out and back in and all of our stuff had been moved and stacked.  They cracked my iPad screen.  

Shame on the Grandeur steward for not being a mind reader.

I'm not sure that my 23x13x9 is "outrageously large" and qualifies me as being "that person" who's going to hold up boarding, but thank you for the assumptions. 

3 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

This information is found on DL's webpage.  Your bag won't fit and is clearly too big for a carry-on.

• Individual length, width and height measurements may not exceed 22” x 14” x 9” (56 cm x 35 cm x 23 cm) respectively 
• These measurements include any handles or wheels.

 

The website also shows this. My 23X13x9 fits this requirement.
 

For our B2B next June, we will explore everything during the first week's stop and assess (as best we can) the value of the Beach Club which we have booked for the 2nd week ($136 pp w/ tax included). It's possible we might want the exclusivity of the Beach Club based upon that first visit. If not, we will cancel the booking.

First time flying Delta (not first class/business class) with a carry on is raising a question. Their 22x14x9 is often shown as "mandatory" limits but other sources indicate that the 45" total linear is the standard, which makes 23x13x9 allowable. What is everyone experiencing? Thanks.

Generally, we fly Spirit out of Detroit but will consider Delta to FLL if Spirit's prices for next June stay high. Southwest is out of the question as there are no direct flights (DTW-FLL) and we see no reason to stretch a normal 3 hour flight into 6-8 hours even if the "bags fly free".