GetToLivin

Curious how people booked Renaissance - is there an email? Or did you just call? Marriot I can find on sites selling the day-pass.

We visited Barcelo in 2017 and really liked it, however, considering RIU for this next trip in November. I've looked at TripAdvisor and reviews seem mixed post-pandemic for both locations. Wondering if anyone from our CC community has recently been to either resort for a day-pass and what your impression was?

I wish there was some rhyme or reason, lol! I just assumed the smaller the background check, the easier, but nope! I will mention that I did call today as I'm at the 7 month mark for DS. I talked to an agent and he told me at the 8 month mark, you can call and ask for them to expedite the application. He said there is no guarantee they'll actually do it, but apparently at the 8 month mark they'll at least create a request for you. I called 202-325-8000, at some point I pressed 0, then got the prompt for Global Entry, etc, which was 5 (if I remember correctly). Just placing in case it helps anyone else waiting.

I did email them today and they mentioned day passes are "50 dollars and includes everything you can eat and drink, as well as the facilities of the beach club" -- was that your experience as well?

How was the actual beach / water? We're going in Dec/Jan and so far it looks like it's hit and miss (I've been lurking here and on Travel Advisor). Some photos show nice beaches / clear water, others show a very murky ocean.

For my DS he's new to the program and the backlog is referring to new enrollees, not renewals.

I try to get itineraries that interest me, like at least 1 or 2 stops that I would enjoy, but I tend to agree, I mainly book due to the ship. I'm not thrilled with our Dec cruise itinerary but I love Allure and it will be my 15 year old's first cruise, so I'm excited to share in the experience of this big ship with him!

The AMEX Platinum card offered this as a reimbursement upon enrollment, so look into your CC because you never know what perks they might have. Husband and I both have Global Entry which includes Pre-Check and its been a great perk we'll never let expire. If anything, there's peace of mind knowing you most likely won't have a long wait, and yeah, not taking off shoes and belts and unloading computers, etc, IS nice. One less thing to deal with. We've used Pre-Check several times and beat the lines on a regular basis (we fly out of DFW/DAL often). Regarding Global Entry, we used this after our trip to Mexico in 2021 and we were one of 5 people in DFW using it, so we had ZERO wait through customs, whereas the normal line was backed way the heck up. What I will tell you about Global Entry is that they are back logged by 9 - 18 months. I submitted my 15 year old's application in March and haven't received so much as a conditional approval, which is nuts because he's a kid and there's really no "record" to look through, lol. So if you don't have time to wait, just get Pre Check and consider Global Entry if you find you're going to be doing a lot of international travel.

Back in the day when this happened I'd call and see if we couldn't just upgrade to a better cabin. Example: if I paid 1500 for an OVB, but an OVB with large balcony was near the same price, they'd just move my booking to that cabin. At least makes you feel better about the situation, lol. Not sure if they still do that, but maybe worth a try if that's a scenario for your sailing.

Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach has a member rate of $266 right now. I also just booked a cruise that leaves on the 12th today, so I feel your pain!

Hey there, sailing with my husband and son and wanted to get them the internet package. Noticed if I just choose my husband's name and select 2 devices it's cheaper than getting the package for each person. I'm assuming the two devices means they could both use it, right? Each person should be able to login and use internet? Thanks for your help!

Have a friend who wanted to book 2 rooms under GTY (with kids) and the RCCL rep basically told her they couldn't because they couldn't guarantee room placement would be next to/near to each other. HTH!

I have a platinum card and all I saw was Carnival, Norwegian and Princess

Viruses are interesting aren't they. My husband had covid in the spring of 2020, then the omicron variant when that started to spread. Took care of him both times and never tested positive - antibody test was negative in the weeks to come as well. Son had omicron early spring, took care of him, same thing, negative covid test and antibody test was negative as well in the weeks to come. Not to mention I've since been exposed to several of my co-workers for work events, who tested + and the company email goes out, still nothing. So OF COURSE curiosity gets the better of me and I start googling: turns out they've had some studies on people who get repeatedly exposed but never pick it up. Theory is that they've had severe coronaviruses in the past that may have allowed their bodies to get right to work destroying the virus, so they just don't get sick. I know there's still a lot to be discovered as far as COVID19 goes (since it affects everyone differently), but there are some interesting studies coming out here and there for sure.

I was trying to do the same for Allure in December for a family member - tried a different date, that worked. But the one I want keeps giving me the "oops somethings wrong" message. I cleared cache too, so it looks like some sailings are rendering that error.

Curious, what kind of things do they do for teens? Bringing my 15yo on his first cruise this year and didn't realize they had teen-centric activities that were arranged.

I haven't cruised since covid, are they still offering OBC as incentive to book on board?

I'm really excited about this - we've always had to fly to FL to be on an Oasis class ship (which is fine, I love FL - but it's nice to be able to drive from DFW to Galveston and save on flights!). Can't wait to see the new terminal for our NYE cruise! C&A update today said it was 75% finished and on schedule.

So its been a couple years since I've cruised -- but I thought the Royal app had a text option?

This info was so helpful! We're taking our 15 year old son on his first cruise this NYE (so far cruises have been escapes for the hubby and I, lol) and I'm so excited to explore more of the "activity driven" stuff to do on the ship with him 🎉

Well hello! And I just have to say....your signature is fire 😂

Ugh I'm sorry you had a less than desirable cruise - it's disappointing to pay for an experience and feel that you were shorted out of that experience. Usually DH and I cruise during the school year and avoid summer, spring break, fall break, etc, because we assume ships will be most full during these times. We have a NYE cruise planned this year, first since covid (our cruise was cancelled a week before sailing in 2020), and I'm setting the bar lower just because I assume it'll be at capacity, which I'm guessing impacts service/quality to some extent.

I suppose anything is possible but I feel like the Royal Up program makes upgrading to a category outside of your GTY pretty unlikely. We've done 2 GTY rooms in the past. First one was a Balcony GTY in 2016, received a balcony. Second was a Suite GTY in 2017, ended up in a Grand Suite which was extremely special and I suspect will never happen again 😂

Grand Cayman is our favorite stop, the beaches are just amazing, so excited to be able to visit again!

The sailing I got the cold was in April 2019, pre-covid19 and no partial-refunds back then (womp wompppp) 😉