The Fun Researcher

I don't care about status. I do care about the 4 drinks per day, as we will use them all. Drink prices have gone nuts on RCCL in my opinion. It would nice to have that perk nailed down for cruises going forward. We have one cruise booked already, and probably another, for summer next year. Beyond Diamond (D+, P...), I don't really care as we will already have the main perk we've looked forward to. It's not work to jump on a 4 night cruise to get us to Diamond before our more substantial upcoming cruises. There are some options for just over $1,100 total for a single occupancy JS. I get to enjoy some time off, and my wife and son benefit as well going forward. Dan

You do you and I’ll do me. Thanks. 🙂 Dan

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I would book a Jr. Suite for sure. Just need a short 4 night sailing for my needs too. Now just how to figure out how to keep my daughters from getting jealous of their brother's Diamond status 😅 Dan

All points are actual: Myself: 68 points Wife: 68 points Daughter 21 yrs old: 46 points Daughter 18 yrs old: 46 points Son 15 yrs old: 46 points If I sail solo on a 4 night in a suite, that will get me 12 more points and hit Diamond (80 points) correct? I can then link my son who's under 18, and my wife since she is my spouse to get them to Diamond? What about my daughters that also still live in our household? Are they not eligible to be Diamond since they are 18 and older and must get their points on their own, or can they get diamond status since they still live with us? How long does it take for the status to transfer? Thanks, Dan

Good question OP. I was wondering about this for our Alaska cruise in July. I booked the White Pass train excursion in Skagway for all 16 of us but wondered what would happen if the price dropped and I cancelled and tried to rebook. The price is pretty reasonable through RCCL, and not much different than third party vendors, so I'm not sure it's worth the risk. However, for things like soda packages or drink packages, or dining packages that don't sell out, there is virtually no risk to cancel and repurchase. I've done that many times. Dan

I request a table: Away from main entrance (don't like constant flow of guests past our table) Away from main waiter bussing stations (don't like the noise or look) Near a window if possible (a nice to have for ambient light but not necessary) Dan

Thanks for asking about this OP. We are sailing on the Quantum on an Alaskan cruise in July 2023. We are all family and have 16 of us on board, all early traditional seating. I'm guessing we'll be split into two tables. Looks like we'll probably be in the Grande or Chic based on the fact that we're traditional dining. The Grande probably suits our style best anyway. Have you folks had luck requesting a specific dining room with the maître d' once you board on embarkation day? Otherwise I'll probably email rccl with my dining request a couple of weeks prior to our cruise, which I've done before. Thanks, Dan

Thank you both. This is perfect. Knowing that most food and drink options are aft on this ship (and most RCCL ships) I was a little concerned about a long hike in the morning for coffee and/or breakfast. My parents are on this cruise as well and are early risers so this will be perfect for them as well. Thank you kindly, Dan

Yeah, couldn't find enough cabins together back there. Maybe next time when we have a smaller group.

Booked the Quantum for an Alaskan cruise July 2023. We're deck 11 forward, so the Solarium Bistro is just a deck a few decks overhead. Looking for the closest coffee in the morning. Thinking that the Bistro is the closest location for coffee? Is the Bistro typically open for breakfast, and if so so you enjoy breakfast there? We're typically MDR people for all of our meals. We do the Windjammer but not nearly as often. Lunch is also served correct, and complimentary? Tried searching for this info but it's fairly specific so wasn't finding good answers. Thanks in advance. Dan

Thank you all for the help. We went ahead and booked our 6 balcony cabins on the Quantum July 2023. We're deck 11 forward, and are split with 3 cabins port side and 3 starboard side. Personally I think I'll probably spend more time on the outer decks, for 360 degree views, than on my balcony. I've never been one to camp out on my balcony but then again we've never done an Alaskan cruise. 🙂 This was one of the few itineraries that fit everyone's schedules. We're all coming together from Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas and Washington state. Praying for clear weather but we'll take what we get. Dan

Yeah you're right. The more I learn about these Alaskan itineraries the more the nuances come in play. More nuanced than Caribbean sailings IMO. I do see one sailing, July 7th 2023 on the Ovation out of Seattle that does leave through the Inside Passage for some reason, but there are VERY few instances like that. Dan

Thank you so much! Really helps. Love the pictures Dan

Ok, so this is our first Alaskan cruise, and I just found a more detailed path for our itinerary. See below. Maybe it's just the way it's drawn, but for instance that first full day of cruising (up to Sitka) it looks like we're pretty far from land. Can you even see the shoreline? (same goes for the last day after Juneau) My parents sailed Celebrity one way from Vancouver to Seward about 18 years ago and they hugged the shore the whole way, and a Starboard balcony was really important to have.

Thanks for they reply. My parents will be on the cruise and plan to spend A LOT of time on their balcony taking in the sights as we cruise along. Just wondering if there are certain stretches of the itinerary where you would particularly want to be on a certain side of the ship vs not.

Getting ready to book our first Alaskan cruise summer 2023! Ready to book 6 cabins on the Quantum for summer of 2023. Which side of the ship do you recommend for balcony cabins? I was thinking Starboard? Our itinerary is below. It looks like the northernmost point is Skagway, and then I'm guessing we would turn around and head back south to get to Endicott Arm, Juneau, etc...? Is there an advantage of Port vs Starboard? Also, does the Quantum go through the Inside Passage on these itineraries? Thank you!, Dan

Fantastic review thank you! One question. Getting ready to book 6 cabins on the Quantum for summer of 2023. Which side of the ship do you recommend for a balcony cabin? I was thinking Starboard? Our itinerary is slightly different than yours. See below. It looks like the northernmost point is Skagway, and then I'm guessing we would turn around and head back south to get to Endicott Arm, Juneau, etc...? Is there an advantage of port vs Starboard? Also, does the Quantum go through the Inside Passage on these itineraries? Thanks, Dan

We just did Walgreens for the rapid NAAT test, for a party of 7, and it was great. They don't show times when the date is too far out. Like others have stated just wait until closer to your required testing date and then make your testing reservations. Dan

Other than the first night, when we waited perhaps 60 seconds :), we never waited for our traditional 5:15pm early seating a couple of weeks ago on the Allure. We just walked directly to our table when we arrived. 5:15 is pretty close to a normal eating time for us at home but is pretty early on a cruise. It really cramps the afternoon activities, whether it's on the ship or in port. However, this particular cruise was about family time (three generations) and we could not have been happier with our time, table location, the food quality, and our waitstaff. We pre-purchased a cases of water for two of our rooms. It showed cans in the description when we purchased, but it was actually plastic bottled water once we arrived to our rooms. Was MUCH cheaper than buying once onboard.

Just circling back to say that table 444 on the Allure was a fantastic location and the wait staff was top notch. The table is located at the very port rear of deck 4 dining. It was a 10 person oval table located right next to 2 windows and out of the way from any busy walkway or bussing areas. Our head waiter, I WAYAN, and assistant waiter AKHMAD were amazing, and the head waiter Maurice was amazing with my niece who has dietary restrictions. Couldn't ask for more. Our dinners in the MDR were just wonderful. Dan

LOL. I guess I shouldn't assume like that. I'm just glad we all tested negative today (with NAAT even). No need for the CoR that we went through the work to get, just in case. Dan

Well we all tested negative today so no worries!! Hoping the same for you. It is port by port dependent. Makes sense they would be let off at Labadee since it it the exclusive, self enclosed RCCL privately owned portion of Haiti. Some ports let you off with a CoR, some don't as far as I'm aware. I'm just going by what RCCL's website says. I don't remember the exact verbiage, but if you are curious you could call RCCL and provide your itinerary and they can let you know if any of the ports won't let you off with only a CoR, etc... Dan

You will be good to go as long as you have the proper CoR. That's the whole point of the CoR (in case you still test positive within two days of the cruise). If you do test positive, with any test, show them the CoR. The only limitation with the CoR has to do with your ports. Some countries will not allow individuals off the ship with only a CoR. Dan

Thanks again for bringing up this topic. We were able to get my son a certificate of recovery for our upcoming cruise on Saturday. He tested positive (rapid test) for Covid May 5th. So we got him PCR tested a couple of weeks later and he was still positive. We used that positive result to get his certificate of recovery from our doctor. This week Thursday, even if he tests positive on Thursday with a rapid antigen test for some strange reason, we can still use the COR in order to get him on the ship Dan Just remember that the CoR needs to have this information: A certified medical health certificate from a doctor stating that you have fully recovered from COVID-19. It must meet the following requirements: ◦ Official letterhead from a healthcare provider, public health official or telehealth provider showing: ▪ Their name ▪ Their address ▪ Their phone number ▪ Confirmation of your recovery and completion of isolation ◦ Must be typed (not handwritten) and signed by the provider ◦ Must confirm the sample collection date of the positive PCR test, which must be a minimum of 11 days and a maximum of 90 days before the departure date of your cruise you will also be required to show the actual positive PCR test results from when you got tested