emdia43

Here you go - http://www.royalcaribbean.com/search/processSearch.do?ip_server=prdiphrase-unstruct-new222.dmz.rccl.com:200&ip_text=guardian&searchBreadth=1

We booked with http://www.dolphindiscovery.com and saved a lot. There are lines of taxis outside the pier and at the park, you won't have a problem finding a van for 5.

It was still relatively early'ish in the day as we were at the halfway point or so of our day I estimated, yet were were arriving at our final stop of the day according to the itinerary laid out before us, Bondant Gardens.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodnant_Garden

Bondant is a protected national Trust property developed in the late 1800's.

First, we stopped at their cafe for lunch. We were all told about the most famous welsh dish to try.... rarebit.

 

Be careful. Check that spelling.... it's not rabbit.... it's rarebit. Most of us in the group thought it was actually a rabbit dish, however all Welsh rarebit is a dish made with a savoury sauce of melted cheese & spices, served hot over slices of toasted bread. Pretty much an open faced grilled cheese! And with salad and a small dollop of chutney on the side, a bargain at 16.50 pounds {add sarcasm here)

 

 

Ok, I had to say I actually tried it before I judged, so I ordered it anyways. They also had other Welsh treats, such as Bara Brith.... a Welsh fruit cake.

 

 

And of course home made Welsh cakes

 

 

I also picked a local brew which I normally love to try when in different parts of the world. This one was great! All of the UK has excellent ales to be sure

 

 

And then lunch was delivered to our table. Thankfully I wasn't overly hungry as I had a good breakfast....

Yep, just as described.... cheese on toast with a side salad. If you ever decide to visit here, eat before you come

 

Remind me again- which part of Coco Cay looks remotely like Blackpool?

:rolleyes:

We went over to the Emerald Beach resort. As long as we used the bar/restaurant we could use their pool. While we were there we watched a wedding on the beach.:) Our Maitre d' told us about it and when we got there she was there with several crew members.

During my last cruise on Anthem I was severely and continuously mistreated by the My Time Dining Staff. When I complained to guest services onboard I was told the "manager" would contact me but that never happened. So on the survey I reported my bad experiences and said please e-mail me to show somebody cares. I never got any response which tells me they don't read these comments and/or they don't care.

Why bother adding comments with the survey?

IMO the best place to record your dissatisfaction ( with examples, in great detail) is their Facebook page. That stimulates an immediate response...

No, we’re Veterans Day weekend, just sat night pre-cruise. Even direct on the website Hyatt only had double bed rooms.

 

Found a king room at the embassy suites for a decent price and used ebates at least. I know it gets mixed reviews, but people on my roll call recommended it and it looks to be in a good spot.

It is on the opposite corner to Hyatt Place. There are several restaurants on the same block as HP and a supermarket/strip mall at the back of the hotel, across a parking lot.The HOHO trolley stop is outside the hotel if you want a tour or go down to the beach.

Well I finally got confirmation of the 3 rooms reservation for Sept 15th at $119 plus taxes. His message states difficulty with email service.. all's well that ends well, eh?

Care to explain what it is you are referring to?

OP- Sorry you have met with such ridicule and rudeness on this thread. People seem to be so invested in the reputation of RCCL that it's akin to telling them their baby is ugly when you make any critical remark.

:o With a boss that inconsiderate I would take the cruise and use some of the time online finding another job....

The only point that I can understand why she felt disappointed was when she found out her toddler couldn't go in the pools. I swim at the Y and there are almost always babies/toddlers in swim diapers around.I'm sure they pass all the public health requirements . All of the public pools that I can think of allow that, so maybe that's why she didn't look for different regulations. As for the 6 yr not being interested in the kids club, it happens. As for the 3 yr old, he is not ready to be left in a play group yet for whatever reason. How is that the fault of RCCL?

OK Chief - following your interpretation does that mean if the only HC cabin available on a particular sailing is a suite, I can call and ask to book a HC interior and they would have to give me the suite at the interior price?

I have read instances where they have done that, but I don't think that would be required as a "reasonable accommodation". Ordinarily if all the accessible cabins of t he category you want are booked, you are out of luck.

I would add that, in my experience, the GTY rate is usually not that much cheaper. Just sayin'.

I agree, it wouldn't be worth the average small savings to me, but the OP claims there is a difference of $1000... I would be complaining too.

That would be discrimination. But he could book a GTY cabin just like you or I could, if he was willing to accept whatever cabin in that class (interior, OV, balcony, suite) he was assigned. But he wants a specific cabin -- handicapped accessible -- and for that reason, he has to pay the regular price, not a higher price.

 

Let's say I want a balcony cabin. The GTY price is $100 -- assuming I'm willing to take any balcony cabin on the ship, because they ship is going to assign my room based on whatever is available at the time of sailing. I could get a really nice aft view balcony or I could get a really crummy one. It's a gamble. But I really want that room near the forward elevators on the port side. The regular price is $150. It'll cost me $50 more than GTY, but I get the room I want. Same situation here -- the OP wants a specific room, so he has to pay that price. I don't know what class of room he wants, but let's say OV. His accessible OV cabin costs as much (and not more than) the OV cabin next door that is not accessible.

 

As I said before -- he's asking for something that doesn't exist -- a handicapped accessible GTY room. There are none. Getting a handicapped room is asking for a specific room (like the balcony near the fwd elevators on the port side in my hypothetical, above) so he has to pay the prevailing rate.

Doesn't matter if he was willing to accept a GTY assigned room or not - RCCL will not sell him a GTY rate cabin. They are obliged to make reasonable accommodation for the disabled passenger, without charging him more. He cannot take pot luck with a room as we can. He is not simply choosing a certain type of room in a more desirable location, for a premium, he is limited by door size, lack of steps etc. Fact is,they will charge him more to cruise than they will you. You are able bodied so you can book a GTY.

He is not denied the same rate. The GTY rate requires that the person accept whatever cabin is assigned, accessible or not. A disabled person can book a GTY rate, and have to accept the assigned cabin, accessible or not. Where is the discrimination there?

They will not accept a GTY booking from someone who is wheelchair dependent. That's the whole point of OP's complaint.... You have to be able bodied to get the cheapest room rate.

A GTY rate is often not available for solo cruisers, too. It's not discrimination. A GTY rate is often not available for a party of 3, or 4. It's not discrimination.

Surely it is discrimination if the ONLY reason he is denied the same rate as everyone else is that he is disabled?

He makes a fair point. Anyone of us can get the cheapest rate by booking a GTY, no matter the class of room. But, if he is disabled and needs an accessible room then GTY rates are not available to him. The only equitable thing to do, if they are not willing to accommodate his disability, is for some lawyer to compel them to make all rooms accessible....?

I disagree.

 

This is still a Service industry.

So if you tip him enough, he'll go out of his way, above & beyond his duties to earn that extra tip to make you happy.

You may have to tip him more than usual to him, but I'm sure he'll glad to do it for the extra earned tips...

Oh yes. He has 19 rooms to clean so he won't mind stopping and running off to the kitchens every time someone wants coffee but can't be bothered to pick up the phone and order it...:o

I just used 15,000 to reduce my cruise fare by $150. :D

Why not visit one of the French Embassies in South Africa while she is still there, to see if her visa can be approved then.

They also have an Embassy in Adelaide...

Does Royal Caribbean offer a transfer (bus) from Fort Lauderdale Airport to the Port of Miami? We are flying into Fort Lauderdale for a cruise out of Miami in Sept and unsure about transfer to the ship. I know we can use UBER or a taxi but prefer using the ships transportation when its available. Any other suggestions on getting from FLL to Miami Port that doesn't involve renting a car.

I think www.ridesas.com are the company I see recommended most on the departures page.

To check whether RC does that route call the transfers reservations - 1 800 327 6700.

What would be the benefit of that. They would still have to pay the higher price for the cabin with the Pullman.

Find a cheaper category room with capacity for 4.... an OV or inside perhaps since staying within budget is necessary.

the child is adopted. Surely, she got the same last name as at least one of the parents. At least that would be my assumption - I haven't met a single family who adopted a kid from overseas and didn't change their last name to theirs. And why wouldn't they?

Yes, I agree with you, but am a bit puzzled why, with a US passport card she feels the need to take her original birth certificate... maybe she will come back and tell us.

Copied from “First Time Cruisers” by suggestion:

 

After several weeks of researching cruise companies and ships/itineraries, we finally took the plunge and booked a 4 night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas. This would be the first ever cruise for our family, and the process can be a bit intimidating, so it was quite a leap of faith we took. In hindsight, it appears our first mistake was booking online directly on RC’s website. However, if we had talked with a travel agent or representative before booking, we may have priced ourselves out of booking. So, at least this has forced us on the ship!

 

Here’s the issue. We thought our balcony stateroom would have a pulldown bed in addition to the main bed (two twins together) and sofa bed. We have a teenage son and daughter that don’t want to share a bed (the double sofa bed). I called RC customer service after they assigned the room and they said no rooms are available for us to switch to without upgrading for a significant price difference. Their solution, which we’re stuck with, is to have the kids each take the separated twin beds, and the couple share the double sofa bed. I’m 6’8” 300 lbs, so it’s not the most comfortable solution.

 

Anyone experience a similar issue, or have an alternate solution? We really thought RC customer service would try to keep the experience positive in hopes of acquiring a loyal repeat customer, but they simply fell flat. Their only concern after our stalemate was to try and upsell us on some excursions. Uh, no thank you.

Can't you just cancel and start over? When is the cruise?