ILCTCRUISER

Enclosed balconies are representative of the time when Spain was under Moorish control. Veiled women could go out onto the balcony and lower their veils w/o being seen.

Twangster has hit the nail on the head. We’re on an 25Oct TA on Adventure. It was originally a 13N but was changed to a 12N. Initially, RCL didn’t offer ANYTHING. Complaints came on strong and RCL then prorated the cruise for all, whether you complained or not.

We had a good experience with Haku in Lima.

Have to laugh as I reread my post. Should someone tell Victor?? Last I looked you could book cruises at the TripAdvisor website or the Viator website. However, you’re pretty much looking at same tours. I’ve also used Shore Excursions which is a company not the RCL Shore Excursions desk. However, I believe the company was started by former RCL employees.

Trip Advisor owns Victor.

Gratuities! And on some luxury lines flights are “included” in fare. They usually do offer a fare w/o flights. Important to do apples-to-apples comparison. Of course, the luxury lines are pricey but when you back out a fair value for all of the included amenities the difference in fares between main line and luxury line shrinks quite a bit. Of course, if one is upper tier on RCL (daily drink allotment, Wi-Fi, other discounts), the price comparison tends to blur. We’re D+ on RCL, Elite on Princess and some loyalty rank on others. Becoming Pinnacle on RCL? We tend to think of it this way: What do you get? Two Hershey bars and a Coke?

We still have some RCL bookings into 2025. However, today’s RCL is not the RCL we knew back then. Permit me to say it once more: We want to be on a cruise, not a carnival ride. Maybe it’s our age. RCL has a lot to offer, but we’re no longer in the target demographic and haven’t been for some time. Have been sailing Regent and have started to research Atlas and Explora. Explora is MSC’s luxury brand. Have friends who sail Silverseas and they like it a lot. Have sailed Celebrity but it’s been a while so not sure if we fit the demographic there.

The shot with the rainbow is a major Wow!

Before we arrived at Ushuaia we had to stop at Port Williams to clear customs. That's what we were told was the reason for the stop. Very early in the morning. However, Ushuaia was our first port in Argentina and that’s not your situation. More confusion: Port Williams is in Chile. EDIT: We didn’t dock in Port Williams so the fact that Port Williams is in Chile may not be an issue. We sat in Channel so, I guess, Argentine customs could have come to us.

Visited Stanley earlier this month while on Regent Splendor. If you make it back someday, yes, book an excursion to see penguins. Others booked an off-road adventure which they enjoyed for the scenery. That being said, there’s not much more to see/do in Stanley.

Well, the Earl Scheib reference certainly suggests your age! Haven’t heard that name in a LONG time.

Aha! Yes, another reason why RCL may have scrapped the acrobatic events. The same happens with the aqua and ice shows. However, with those it’s probably easier to reschedule since they take place in a dedicated venue.

Probably both matters. @island lady, there is the liability, And part of the liability has to do with what @RFerringtonmentions: need for certified riggers. No rigger, no show as I’ll hazard a guess that insurance coverage would stipulate the need for a professional rigger.

Also recall that this was the area that housed all of the rigging equipment to fly acrobats when they did Centrum shows.

Never said to flaunt being a D. All I said was that if the OP had access to the concierge, the concierge might be able to help. If not, he should speak to F&B. Never said to use being a D as a weapon in discussion with F&B. But getting back to the issue at hand: RCL created a minor glitch here. RCL should correct the situation.

Given what you’ve said here, I suggest the following: Get familiar with the word “unacceptable,” as in”completely unacceptable”. If you’re D, see the concierge and explain the situation. He/she should be able to get you what you want. If you’re not D or concierge won’t help you, request to speak to F&B Director. That’s when the word “unacceptable” will come in handy.

Yes, it is. We are D+ on RCL with 400 points. Elite on Princess and have also sailed NCL. We enjoyed RCL when we first began to cruise, but things have changed quite a bit over the years and, in our opinion, not for the best. It seems RCG is positioning RCL to compete with Carnival and X to compete with Princess and other similar lines. Here’s a take on @orville99’s comment about apples to aardvarks. On our last Regent cruise our butler asked how we would like our minibar stocked. Off the cuff, I said, “Well, I do like an occasional Bombay and tonic. Went out to explore ship, etc and came back to find this:

Mum’s the word about Regent! It is pretty much all-inclusive. Have never really done a thorough price comparison and probably should. Airfare and transfers, all drinks (probably not the very top shelf), all specialty dining, excursions in each port, laundry, wi-fi, gratuities. Small ships that really don’t seem that small dues to small pax loads. Great service. Wonderful food. No carnival rides. No kids (well, to be honest, we have seen one or two but perfect behavior. We have a 21 day SA coming up in December. Also did a NextCruise booking on Celebrity for next Feb (B2B) which we’ll probably let die on the vine.

Does anyone have a National Parks Pass? If you don’t have pass, there’s a fee that driver has to collect. We were there this summer. Took shuttle from port into town and then picked up a taxi. I’m sure you can prearrange taxi from port. I understand you’re planning for 11. We paired up with another couple for the ride up to MG. Hiked East Glacier Trail which starts right outside visitor’s center. Then teamed up with two other couples for ride back into town.

Agreed about Kenai Fjords Tour. There are at least two larger vendors. We used the one for which LeeW provided a link. Weather is a factor just as it is for Hubbard, Dawes, etc.

@Fairsky84, Boy, was I disappointed when I read this list. For years I’ve been pulling for Chicken.

Agree. We prefer to not sail (or do anything cruise-related or not) on anything that prides itself as “AMPED.” Amped. Think about it. LOUD. Carnival atmosphere. Unruly kids who got that way because they have unruly parents. And so on. D+ but we’ve started cruising others lines. Regent, for one. We just ended B2B on NCL Alaska cruises. Really starting to enjoy NCL especially MDR and specialty (Le Bistro). RCL has changed over the years and NOT for the better. RCL has now positioned itself to rival Carnival, We may migrate to Celebrity. RCL? Only when the dates and itineraries appeal to us. Sad. We really loved RCL “back then.”

Resistance? All I mentioned was that we’ve never done it. Just off Alaska B2B on NCL. Same thing. We never checked in for 2nd leg and we were never called about CC.

Map shows main business area of Sitka. It shows Cruise Shuttle stop. What is shown is a small boat wharf. Cruise ship dock is out a bit and you shuttle in. Can’t recall how long shuttle takes: maybe 20 minutes.

We never check in for the second leg of a B2B. They know if you’re on the ship and that you are doing the B2B. They have to know to prep the new SeaPass/etc and be ready in case you’re changing staterooms. Check-in time? You’re already on the ship!