lyteforce

With the gratuity rate on RCL going up in a few days, I was doing some quick number crunching on whether I should prepay my gratuities or hope the increased rate was offset by an improvement in our exchange.

Right now RCL has me prepaying gratuities for $111.44 CAD for a 7 day sail ($15.92/day) which based on the current $12.95 USD rate has me seeing an approximate exchange of $0.81 to the USD. That math seem right?

I'm guessing the G&G exchange rate is different than other rates?

Our plan is to take the evening train down from Vancouver down to King St Station the night before the sail (a friend hooked us up with a F&F rate at the Grand Hyatt) and then make our way to the boat around noon. On the way back, we'll grab the evening train home which I believe is a 6:30ish PM trip. We should be good for time getting off the boat - just need to figure out what to do with our luggage.

We actually took the train down last year from Vancouver to Seattle and thoroughly enjoyed it (even if we had to make the final bit of the trip by bus due to a landslide).

What usually happens is that a Canadian Customs Declaration card is left in your stateroom; you fill it in and return it to the Guest Relations desk, where all the cards are rounded up and passengers are "cleared" behind the scenes. Then you walk off in Victoria as you would at any other port once all passengers are cleared.

 

When you disembark in Seattle, you will then clear U.S. Customs and Immigration, as you are returning to the States after having ported at a foreign port. It's all very easy and such - no worries for Canadians and nothing different for us.

 

Crossing the border back into Canada to go home, you have already legally declared your goods on the Victoria port stop; anything acquired between Victoria and the day you cross back is a new declaration.

 

Hope this helps.

Okay, that sounds easy enough. It also means my wife & I should keep in mind we'll only be in the US "overnight" upon our return to Seattle (our plan is to take the evening train back home).

Do you have Nexus?

I do. My wife, not so much. I keep asking/hounding/pleading for her to apply for one.

I really enjoyed reliving the cruise by reading your review!

While I do regret not getting as involved with a few of the activities (or forcing my shy self to meet people), aside from me really enjoying Patrick McMahon's show, I found your review to be bang on. Be it the weather on our first few days out of Vancouver or what seemed the "shortness" of our stays in each of the ports, to the ship itself and the food on board (which we found really became blah by the time we reached Hawaii), my wife & I would agree with everything.

My wife & I are booked on the Explorer of the Seas in September to do a roundtrip sail from Seattle down to San Francisco and back. With an "international" stop in Victoria on the way back to Seattle, I'm curious if anyone has any experience on what going through customs will be like for a couple Canadians like us?

Will we be going through Canadian Customs to get off the boat in Victoria? With us being Canadian, I'm assuming we'll be declaring at that point if we are? And on the return to Seattle, are we headed through US Customs again?

This is all new to us and I'm just curious what to expect.

Amtrak will take you to Pacific Central station just on the eastern edge of the downtown core of Vancouver. While you can grab a cab downtown (or wherever your hotel might be), you also have the option of taking the SkyTrain further downtown - just a couple of bucks and quite possibly within walking distance of most hotels from the four stations you'd stop at before the end of the line.

I can't say I've seen recumbent bikes at any of the rental places, though I haven't really paid too much attention. That said, I believe the one right at the Vancouver Convention Centre offers mobility scooter rentals - not sure if that would be a last resort to still be able to hit the seawall.

Personally I find it easier to just go directly down to luggage drop. Walk past the PP entrance and right before the garage entrance (EXTREMELY obvious, there will be at least one or two people directing taxis, buses and private vehicle dropoffs into and out of the garage) there's a sidewalk ramp that heads downward. Follow this and you can't miss the luggage drop area, and signage/people can direct you from here after you've got rid of your bags.

I second everything martincath has outlined! About the only reason I'd shoot into the PP lobby is such an early arrival I'd want to dig around my luggage before handing it off to a porter.

Can't speak for Seattle, but if you do decide on the train up to Vancouver, Pacific Central station is on the eastern edge of the downtown core and a short cab right into downtown Vancouver.

Alternatively, you could skip the cab and take the SkyTrain a couple stops in - Main Street/ScienceWorld station is just outside the door of Pacific Central. Depending on where you'd be staying or heading, you'd likely head to Granville/Burrard Stations (hotels) or Waterfront Station (next door to cruise ship terminal).

As an aside, my wife and I plan on taking the train roundtrip on either side of our Seattle cruise. It's an enjoyable ride.

I'm planning to arrive between 10:45 and 11 in hopes to getting on board before the crowds arrive. If they aren't boarding I'll wait a few. I'd rather have to wait because they haven't started boarding yet then waiting in lines because crowds have arrived and everything gets slowed down.

I'm glad I stumbled on your post here (seeing we're on the same cruise and all). Never thought that Vancouver was nuts as a embarkation port - I've only just watched ship after ship leave and thought nothing of it. My wife & I may join you as an early boarder - my Mom & Dad on the other hand are hamstrung a bit as my Dad has to work before getting on the ship.

If you haven't received your email confirmation, call them back to get it. I had to do that the last time. I'm not sure if they got the email address wrong as you have to give it to them verbally (not sure why can't get it off your reservation).

Thanks brfan! It actually arrived the following day - not sure why it took so long, but I did get it.

So if you buy Obc of $500 U.S. They charge u $550 and that is the amount showing as the charge on your credit card? We are heading out on the Oasis of the Seas on August 29th 2015. So am definitely going to do this to save some money!!!!

Thanks for the tips:)

That's it in a nutshell. I couldn't believe it myself!

I just gave G&G a call and was able to purchase $500USD for $550CAD - a straight 10%. No need for ID and the call was done in no more than 5 minutes.

Now if only that email confirmation were to show up... :confused:

The daily rates can be as much as double the per day rates when bought as a package. It depends on how many days you will be wanting to purchase it for.

Hmmm.. we figured we'd be good with the WiFi we'll find in the different ports we visit once we get to the islands, so just those 5-ish days at sea. Will have to really think this one through.

Have you seen the Canadian cruisers thread. For those that have booked their cruise in CDN$ (I see you have as you are quoting CDN prices) we can purchase US$ OBC at the exchange rate of 110% through C&A or gifts and Gear. Up to $500 US per time can be bought and is charged as a charge of $550 CDN to your CDN credit card.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2159570&page=50

 

Buy some US$ OBC and then buy your internet on board.

Yep, someone in the roll call pointed this out so my plan is to call in later today and take advantage of it! Always down to save 25-35 cents on the dollar!

A second question - if you wanted to casually stay online would you choose to spend $26CAD a day ($260 for the trip) for unlimited internet to one device or simply go with a package as needed at whatever the going rate happens to be?

In reality, I can easily find WiFi once we get to Hawaii but it's the days we're at sea that I'm more curious about...

Thanks Capt_BJ, chengkp75 & pspercy! That's what I was looking for - I completely understand that the speeds will be good for email and the really, really basic sort of stuff. And I have no issue with a little inconsistency - was just worried about forking over cash for something I couldn't use whatsoever.

cb at sea - I think you may have misunderstood my question. I was looking at purchasing the service on the ship and just wanted to make sure if I went all out that I'd at least be able to use it halfway between the mainland and Hawaii.

In just over a month, my wife & I will be taking our first (well, technically second but the first was super short) cruise on the Radiance from Vancouver to Hawaii. While we are looking forward to kick back as we traverse the Pacific, we were also hoping to share our experience with friends and family back home. While I completely understand that the internet speed on the ship will give dial-up speeds a good name from time-to-time, is the satellite coverage good across the ocean? I'd hate to purchase a package and then be unable to use it.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Yes. Set up your set sail pass as a cash account. This will allow you to withdraw cash at the casino without Royal charging you the usual 5% fee.

Colour me new to all this - because I totally am - but how does one set their sail pass to be a cash account?