BND

I have our TA pay it usually 4 or so days ahead. And, when we do a b2b, we pay them both off at the same time.

Even last Nov we didn't have to make reservations in the WJ so I don't know how often that was actually done. I know it was talked about at the time that the app and compasses even stated it, but no one actually needed them from what I remember.

I wonder how they schedule the port since they can't do it very far ahead. Not all ports will have availability.

I just randomly checked a 7 night eastern sailing (Sept 2024) and all JS mid and aft are sold out. There are 3 forward on deck 11 and a few on 10 and 9 available. You're paying for a lot of bells and whistles that some will never use. But, cabins are obviously selling.

We have had the same experience a couple of times. We were over our limit and they just told us to have a nice day. But that was about 10 years ago. In all of our cruises, we have never seen anyone stopped at debarkation so it's not all that common. We buy our jewelry and watches at a store we've been going to for years. It was not recommended by the cruise line or other cruisers. It's a small family owned chain in St Thoma, St. Maarten and Key West that was recommended by the President of the Co my DH used to work for. They do not report to anyone and never ask for our ship/cabin info. We always try to stay under our limit. Prices have gone up a bit the last couple of years so that's getting harder to do. I do wonder when the US will raise the $ limit as it's been the same for years. We never buy cigarettes (no reason to, absolutely no one we know smokes) and have only brought back liquor one time (two bottles-Christmas presents for our sons). CBP usually asks about cigarettes and liquor and we can always truthfully say no. Those interest them a lot more than t-shirts and magnets and apparently even jewelry.

Norovirus isn't the topic. I still don't get it. People get sick. It's part of life. I literally just got over who knows what. I had a 99-100 deg temp the last two days. I visited my parents who live 3 hours from me in So VA and I returned home two days ago and developed a temp in the afternoon on Fri. I tested neg for Covid. No idea what I had or how/where I caught it. Doesn't really matter. No more than the many viruses I've had over the 62 years of my life. I expect no compensation for anything I have ever caught in my life.

I don't get this need for "compensation". No one gets it for the flu (which is highly contagious right now, moreso than most, if not all viruses). The fact they gave you anything for something that is not their fault is amazing. The ship did not give her covid. The fact it was day 5 means she could have caught it anywhere prior to embarking or a prior port. She self reported which was her/your choice. At this point,, unless I was really very sick I wouldn't. You got a credit, right? Personally, I would take what they gave me since they really don't have to do anything as it's not their fault she got sick. It's not anyone's fault. It's called LIFE.

Our last cruise in July took two weeks to update. Don't sweat it til you hit 3 or more.

Point is, no one knows for sure right now although the language on RCI says no. It would never enter my mind to do it.

Closed loop out of the US are subject to penalties for debarking anywhere other than the embarkation port. European rules do not apply here.

Royal doesn't own/run the shops.

You cannot see your charges on ALL ships, but yes on Odyssey you can. Vision class for example does not have this option. I'm not sure about Radiance class, but i think it also doesn't have it (find out in two weeks). My DH takes a cheap Casio digital watch with us. Never rely on your phone while on a cruise. You can leave your phone on, just in airplane mode so you can use the app. Why would you have trouble accessing the muster drill on the app? If you do, then everyone is.

No. They currently don't allow it as far as I know. There would also be fees involved.

It's been mentioned in other threads.

You no longer have to answer health questions the day before. You just have to answer the three when you check in- 1 are you vaxxed 2- are you boosted and 3-are you more than 23 weeks pregnant. They stopped the day before questions in the last couple of months.

Yes, it's really per cabin than per person, although we usually each watch it.

Anyone who has dealt with this thought to write to Michael Bayley? It's easy enough for them to have a statement in the Compass about declaration and how to go about it prior to debarking. If they get enough complaints... One trip, back when we were still doing the forms, we had bought over our limit (by a couple hundred dollars at most I think and we were honest) in port, not onboard, and when we turned the form into CBP, they pulled us into an office and wanted us to pay in cash something like $12.75. They had no way to give change so we ended up giving them $15 or something. They didn't like that, but they couldn't have been surprised. We do carry cash, but not coins. We usually stay below the allowance and never buy enough onboard to trigger anything. We also avoid buying much in the duty free shops in port.

You either watch the video on the app or on the tv, go to the muster station and they will verify you watched and then scan your card/boarding pass. Since she isn't using the app, they will probably show her how to put on the life jacket. That's basically it.

I don't get why someone would refuse to get the app, but whatever. There are options for those very few people that include the rare person who has a non-smart phone or no cell phone. Very rare. LOL my parents are 85 and my mom uses her phone all the time. My dad recently quit using his phone because he has no reason to as he's basically homebound and has his computer. And, they have a landline.

What CBP collects is duty, basically import type taxes which is what they collected. When you go over the duty limit, you have to pay a tax/fee. It's not sales tax.

We've done it from our hotel when in PC and we've done it from our home (live an hour from Baltimore). We do it in the morning. As long as it shows "complete" you are good.

That must have been a long time ago. Neither of those happen and haven't for the 15 years we've been on Royal. What island had a C&A lounge? Never heard of that.

She will get what she normally gets. Her friend won't get anything. Not sure what Emerald gets. DH and I get 6 total as D+.

They have to fill out a tax form as it's subject to income tax (US citizens/residents).

It was duty free at time of purchase. But, the tax comes into play when you come into the US with it.