BabaSails

Thank you.  Reasonable explanation.

I am on a few different threads at present.  I keep getting this message, but I immediately get connected.  So, why I am I getting the message when I obviously do have permission?  

Royal & Carnival or more alike than Royal & Celebrity.

Celebrity, Holland & Princess are in one group, Carnival, Royal & Norwegian in the other....this is my opinion

I agree. I wouldn't have said so a year ago, but I would now put RC in a class close to Carnival. So far, i would rank Princess, Celebrity and NCL higher than Royal and Carnival. Just my opinion.

And, Karen, I haven't 'berated' anyone ... just the cruise line or ship. I'm looking forward to meeting old and new friends on the Harmony. What is your problem? You don't need to be so defensive. Give it a rest and tend to your granddaughter.

Marie

So sorry if I've offended anyone. I thought this was a thread on which to express one's gripes about how RC has gone downhill. Personally, based on my last cruise (Southampton to Dubai), the line has done just that. Perhaps because it was a repositioning cruise? I've heard from others, who went all the way to Perth or Sydney, that thngs did not improve after Dubai. I was on board for 21 days; some were on for 58 days!

As I've said, I'm giving RC a chance to impress me on the Harmony. I do hope it'll be great! As I have said, we all have different expectations, and we do tend to compare.

m.

p.s. FYI - As a professional, I choose to cruise and dine alone.

"I could go on but why bother", all I can say is thank god you won't go on!!...Entertainment the pits, is certainly one of the most ridiculous statements I've heard in quite some time. That being said I have to laugh at this whole post as a whole. Can't wait to hear your moaning regarding your next cruise line.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

As I said, I'm giving Royal one more try in order to experience the Harmony. I'm relieved to hear that the entertainment will be better than on other RC cruises! Looking forward to a new, exciting and a little bit scary experience on such a huge ship. But, my previous comments were based on past and truthful experiences. Guess what's good and what's 'the pits' is just a matter of personal opinion and comparison; for example, the cruise directors and the entertainment on the Jewel were at least 90% better than what I experienced on the Explorer, which had, IMHO, the second worst cruise director ever, whom I had to put up with for three weeks! (The worst was on my one and only Carnival cruise.) And, the entertainment reaaly was sad for the three weeks I was on board, perhaps because it was a repositioning cruise?

No one is right or wrong. We all have opinions, which thankfully differ widely, and I have stated mine. Some look forward to getting together with former sailing buddies; I do not. Call me a snob, but there are very few I'd like to meet on another cruise ... well, maybe some Aussies I met on the Explorer, but I will still choose to dine alone. And, age is probably a factor, too; some older folks (like me) have higher expectations when we spend our pension income snd savings. As our days are limited, we want and look for good quality. I have yet to find it on RC.

M.

You may be too young to appreciciate the difference, but I, as a senior, would never go on Carnival again (too young and noisy crowd), definitely choose Celebrity over RC, and also like Princess very much! Depends on your priorities.

Food and entertainment on RC are not good!

M.

My problem is that some people who have sailed on only one cruise line seem to think and say that it is the best. ??? Sure, they may like it, but how can they say it's the best? I'm on a terribly boring thread now about the Harmony T/A next October, and everyone seems to know everyone, and so they are a tight-knit community who sail on only RCCL.

Why don't people try different cruise lines in order to compare snd then choose a favourite?

Personally, I am fed up with RCCL. The Harmony will probably be my last cruise wth them, and I am doing it only to experience a mega-ship. I think they are cutting corners by nickel and diming us, and their entertainment is the pits! And, I was not at all impressed with their food!

I could go on and on but why bother?

M.

I certainly didn't (and wouldn't) pay an agent for a release or cancellation! I think we may have some travel agents on this thread. Anyone, I made my contribution and am now leaving this thread.

m.

m.

Hello. Quick question..

 

We booked a cruise through a travel agent. Sailed the cruise and booked another while onboard. We weren't aware that this new sailing would automatically go back to the original travel agent that we used.

 

Per RCI's policy, you may transfer the booking as long as it is NOT paid in full, and it hasn't been more than 60 days since it was booked. I'm fine on both parts.

 

I contacted the agent who has our booking to inquire how to move this booking to another agency that is offering a more favorable option for us, and he basically bashed the other agency's offer and flatly said that we cannot transfer this booking.

 

What are my options here?

 

Thanks in advance.

My experience is similar except that I asked the Future Cruise person (Ricardo on the Explorer) to please not assign a new booking to my current T/A, with whom I haven't been very happy. BUT, somehow the agent found out about it, and e-mailed to ask why the booking hadn't been assigned to him. I reported this to Ricardo, and he said there was no way RC had told him about it. (Still don't know how my agent found out about it.) So, it was left that I could assign it to anyone when I got home or leave it with RC. I did assign it to a local agent with whom I'm happy to deal with face-to-face and keep the business here.

But, I have a Celebrity Cruise booked with this same first agent, and I wanted my local agent to have it, partly because I want to cancel it, book another cruise on the same ship and keep the perks. If I just cancelled and re-booked the new one, I would lose the perks. So, while in the local agent's office, we called RC and this is what I had to do. First, I had to send an e-mail to the former agent, asking him to to e-mail agencychanges at RC and release the booking back to RC. Then, my new agent sent an e-mail to agencychanges telling them that she was taking over the booking.

I'm sure the old agent will drag his feet on this, and so I sent a copy of my e-mail to him to RC agencychanges, showing the date I requested this of him. Fingers crossed!

Good luck with yours. Let me know what happens ... kits59 at shaw dot ca

Marie

Which cruise lines and ships have you done a TA on already so you will be comparing apples and oranges on your upcoming Harmony cruise?

Answering this only because I got an e-mail; I haven't been checking this thread. Don't want to pursue it because we all have our favourites and have had good and bad experiences on our cruises. I did a 28-day Trans-Pacific on the Sea Princess, a 14-day TA on the Adventure of The Seas and, before the Harmony, will have done a 13-day TA on Celebrity Eclipse.

But, I'm not doing this as doing a TA comparison. I just want to try out that particular mega-ship. I do prefer smaller, more intimate ships, and so this will be a new experience ... exciting and a little scary. The fact it's RCI is immaterial, but it could be my last one with that line ... unless I'm tempted by future routes/prices/free laundry/etc. (All ships should have either laundromats or free laundry, especially on long voyages!)

Hope this answers your question.

M.

Re: Balconies

I guess it depends on the ship, class of balcony stateroom, etc. On the Explorer last month to Dubai, my balcony was much bigger than the one in an Owner's Suite! Go figure.

Once, I had a decent-sized balcony on Princess (2 chairs and a small table, but not like the tiny balcony in your photo), and my son had an inside. Then, he got upgraded to a huge balcony (4 chairs and large table), and I was not amused, especially as I had paid his fare!

Okay, I accidentally found this thread, had a look and put in my two cents worth. Now I have to get back to the threads for the cruises I'm booked on.

Enjoy your travels, and do try different ships, routes, countries, etc. I, for one, will never do a Caribbean cruise again because, to me, it's just island-hopping, not sailing. I love sea days! But ... to each, his or her own! Can anyone recommend a good ship for South-East Asia? It's hard to find one that goes everywhere I want to go, and I don't want to do it twice.

Happy Sails to You,

Baba

p.s. Going back a few years now, but the best entertainment I've seen so far was on the Nowegian Jade out of Venice. Superb! Nothing has come close since.

Hey Baba,

you have nothing to be sorry for. You are 100% entitled to like what you like. However, I do think you have missed the point of this thread.

Sorry, what IS the point of this thread? I just came upon it by chance when looking for my roll call.

Baba

p.s. I hope your signature comments weren't directed at me. I'm trying to contribute by sharing my experience. I truly hope you don't block all who disagree with you.

Sorry, folks, but after 9 Princess and 7 RCI cruises, I do prefer the better perks, ambiance, layout, food, service and overall 'class' of Princess.

Unlike those who have not had similar opportunities to compare, I know whereof I speak. As I've not been on Oasis class, however, I am giving RCI one more chance on the Harmony TA next October, but ... we'll see. I also think Celebrity is better than RCI.

Baba