Smartipantz

Can you tell me what food is available at the Local?  Thanks sooo much

Which drop you off at the airport (not LAX-it)?  

8 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

At Izumi, each person may choose one "small plate" two "large plates" plus dessert, or "trade in" the dessert for a second "small plate". It's a LOT of food.  And be sure to ask what the desserts are before you decide.  The only dessert I wanted was green tea ice cream...........and they didn't have it.  😞 

 

(and the amount - when they stick to it - is $35, not $20 🙂 )

Thank you for the info.  That is definitely ALOT of food. 

When I pull up the UDP info, it says $20 for ala carte.  They must have changed it.

I went ahead and purchased the unlimited dining package for our Ovation of the Seas cruise this Friday. I have lots of questions regarding it….

Izumi….  It looks like they give you $20 ala carte for Izumi.  Some of our party can eat a couple sushi plates in a sitting (they love sushi).  Most sushi plates are $13 (or so)… so it appears you limited to one sushi roll plate before they charge you extra.  Correct?

Can you get a sushi roll plate and then head to dinner later at one of the other restaurants on the same day using your UDP?  I’ve noticed some folks have gone to Izumi for sushi and then go to dinner.  Are they just paying the extra or is there a way around it?  Can you just stop by izumi and get a sushi roll plate to go?

Amber & Oak…. Let’s say we are going to Chops for dinner in the evening but during the day we want to snack on some pub food at Amber & Oak.  I assume that would be $20 allowance (or is it even included in the unlimited dining package).  If you use this during the day, are you not able to have dinner at another specialty restaurant using your unlimited dining package?  This is a similar situation to the Izumi question sorry.

I understand during a sea day, you can visit specialty dining for lunch.  Let’s say you wanted Amber & Oak…  I assume you just show up and order and they charge it to your unlimited dining package.  Basically doesn't require reservations.

Sorry for all the questions… Just new to this.

My family will be taking a cruise here shortly and I have a question regarding the internet packages available.  There are 3 of us and each has a device.  When I look at the packages, we each can purchase a one device package or one of us can purchase a package with 3 devices (which is actually cheaper).  Why would I not buy one package with 3 devices?  Am I missing something?

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

You are the best!!  Thanks!

Hi Kid, Thanks so much for posting and answering questions for us!!  I'll be on this cruise June 3rd and really excited about it....especially after reading your posts.  If you can, can you post a shot of the entertainment schedule?  Thanks so much!!

Strawberry Blonde and Coconut Mojito ... Yum!!!

I'm on Harmony this week.  We have 2500 passengers which is just under 40%.

I'm on the Harmony right now.  The MSC Meraviglia was out there as well and seemed to be closer to the launch area but what do I know.  Dang!  I had a great set-up.

3 hours ago, SG65CB said:

Your first cruise with your granddaughter, please make sure you know what documentation you need to bring in order to take her out of the country on a cruise. I know there is documentation you need when an unrelated minor travels with you, but I don't know what (if anything) you need for a granddaughter with permanent custody.

Great point to raise.  All I had to do is bring a copy of the guardianship papers and obviously their passports.  

I'm so sorry to hear about your son.  Your granddaughter is so lucky to have you both. I have custody of my two grandchildren as well due to a terrible heath incident with my son.  They were 24 mos and 7 mos when I received guardianship but they are now 9 and 8.  I always knew that these kids would grow up on cruise ships because of my love of cruising.  The kid programs are AWESOME and provide you some relaxation time which we know we desperately need.  The kids can't wait to go and then don't want to leave!  That's how good their programs they are.

The kids seem to love the Oasis class ships the best... I tend to like them best as well.  Mainly because Royal has individual rooms for the various age groups (3 to 5, 6 to 8, 9 to 11, and then teenagers).  So the games and activities are customized to the specific age group.  Other ships group kids all together (which is fine if you want a smaller ship).  They are just intermingled with the older/smaller kids.  

We had planned on going on a cruise over spring break but decided against it this year because of the restrictions in Adventure Ocean.  My kids want to go to EVERY SINGLE SESSION and if they are limited to just a handful, they will be disappointed.  So we will just wait 🙂

I have only been on one Celebrity cruise and it was fine.  Because I have kids again, I tend to stick with Royal as I am more familiar with it and totally appreciate their kid programs.  

Take care of yourself and enjoy your granddaughter!!!  

On 12/11/2021 at 11:44 PM, Ashland said:

I believe I've heard 5 sessions....Not sure how long RCI is going to keep this mess at AO until they decide it's making for some very unhappy cruiser's.

My travel agent just returned not long ago from a cruise and said:

"For now they allow you to pre-book 8 hours for the week and then based on availability from there. Our kiddos were able to get in 8 or 9 times over Thanskgiving week. They are following the CDC recommendations and it does limit that a bit."

I can't wait for our cruise and try some of these new drinks!!! 

I've read in an earlier post that kids are limited to 2 sessions of Adventure Ocean a week.  I certainly hope they are able to do more than 2 sessions.  Everyone (kids as well as us) will be disappointed.  Kids will be fully vaxxed too.

You have just stepped on your cruise ship, what is the first drink you order?  There are so many delicious drinks!!

Update:  RCCL has audited the booking and apparently there were issues in how the FCC's were applied.  The final price ended up being what was reflected on the November 2020 invoice.  Hallelujah!  Thanks for all your input!!!!

3 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

This forum is dedicated to the Royal Carribean product. I think the forum you are looking for is West Coast Departures. Cheers.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/

Sorry - my bad!

We will be cruising March 18th on the Navigator out of LA.  It will be my 80-yr old Mom, my two grandkids (9 and 8 yrs) and myself and just flying in the day before so won't be sightseeing.  It's been such a long time that I've cruised out of LA, I'm unfamiliar with the hotels in the area of the Port.  It would be bonus if there were restaurants within walking distance.  Double bonus if they have a shuttle to the port.  Do you have any recommendations?  Anyone stay at the Crown Plaza?

2 hours ago, csnarpy said:

NRD is Non Refundable Deposit. 
 

it sounds like a screw up by your TA in the type of promotion that was being applied.
 

But If you had an invoice with the lower amount and it’s changed then it sounds like your Booking was most likely cancelled and rebooked. (By accident or not, I can’t tell you.)  I can confirm that once a booking is made, then that price is locked unless a change is made by repricing. No one reprices to a higher charge. 
 

I’m sorry but something is pretty shady.

Hmmm - $300 is the total of our FCC.  I wonder if that is what that is.  

1 minute ago, neverbeenhere said:

This issue happened to us. After we made final payment our cruise was canceled by either Royal or the travel agency. Neither would take responsibility, we ended up with an increased price and loss of some benefits. A total of three supervisors and something like 6 hours on the telephone, I got no place with Royal or The Agency. (With each blaming the other) 
 

We are no longer with that agency. 

Ohhhhh that is not comforting.  I'm so sorry that happened.  

Ya know, I'm OK if the travel agent made and error and owned up to it.  We are humans.  There is such a discrepancy with my case, that I can't make heads or tails of what happened and there is absolutely NO explanation.

25 minutes ago, Goofyisme said:

What changed on your bookings.  Was it the base price or a discount or something else?  Need to determine the specific line item that changed.

Are the invoices you received from RCCL or the travel agent?

Between the first booking invoice and the one I received today, there is a line "Savings NRD" that is missing on todays invoice.  That was for a total of $300.  I did ask her if our Crown & Anchor discounts were applied.  Also, the amount on the BOGO60 line differs by $90.  The second invoice is baffling as it looks like it was repriced because all the numbers are different except for the grats and taxes.  

The invoices are RCCL invoices.

Just now, Another_Critic said:

Did you make ANY changes to the booking since you placed your deposit in January 2020?

None!

5 minutes ago, volk904 said:

I am no expert but I would get on the Royal Site and run through like a new booking and see what price you get just to compare.  The other thing you should do is compare a detailed invoice now to the detailed invoice when you placed the deposit.  
 

Finally if you were paying your tips with your booking that price may have gone up since your date.  I am not sure you are locked into daily tips.  

We booked a 2-bedroom grand suite.  There are only a handful of 2-bedroom grands on the ship so once they are all booked, the pricing doesn't change.  They are just not offered anymore.

I have 3 detailed booking confirmations from RCCL, one from Jan 2020, Nov 2020 and today.  All have different prices with todays being the highest price, higher than my original booking.

And yes, I did pay my grats!  I always like to get as much paid for before we get on the ship 🙂  

I honestly think I have what I need to make a case.  My main reason for the post is to see if anyone has ever been charged more than their original booking price... it was all new to me.  I will not pay it without some sort of explanation.  Seriously, I shouldn't even be paying more than my Nov 2020 invoice which was even lower....

32 minutes ago, binro01 said:

Call them again. Tell them you want to start the process of removing the booking from the TA for this reason. Let them know your issue. Show them your invoices. Get the ball rolling.

I called RCCL again and they can't give me any information.  They said to tell the agent I would l like them to release the booking.  I asked "what if they won't?"  They gave me a RCCL email to use to request the change.

My travel agent stated "I will wait until Friday because they told me to do so and if I hear differently I will advise you, if not that is the amount we will have to pay."  My response:  I will be patient and allow you to deal with RCCL as my travel agent.  If the resolution is “that’s the amount we will have to pay”, I will be asking you to release this booking immediately.  Keep in mind, we have been dealing with this for about 6 weeks so she has had plenty of time to resolve this.

So frustrating.