CruisingHusker

We had #16 and it was perfect. It sat further out in the water and we didn’t have any obstructed views or nearby swimmers. We were in a star class suite so we were able to request which one we wanted ahead of time through the communication with our genie. My understanding is when there are 2 ships one ship has #1-10 and the other ship has #10-20. 

14 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

Sorry, I missed this question from a few days ago.  
 

There was no suite dedicated entrance.  We entered the terminal with all guests in the same line. Once we cleared security we were sent to a separate waiting area for Pinnacle and Suite guests. We checked in there and waited for boarding to start. We board prior to other guests.

 

As for Uber, we ordered it when we left the terminal. I did have the app open to see what Uber choices were nearby as we got ready to disembark. Once we were outside of the terminal we ordered it. If you look at preordering Uber, they charge a stiff fee on top of the normal rate. We figured if they was no Uber that fit our need we would have taken a taxi. We also didn’t want to preorder and then possibly get delayed in disembarking.

 

Hope this helps you. 

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. Only 11 days until I board the Mariner!

@A&L_Ont  I have a couple of questions for you. Was there a dedicated suite boarding line at terminal 5?

Also, did you order your Uber ahead of time or when you exited the terminal in the morning?

Thanks in advance!

~Melanie

Thank you for the live review! It gets me excited for the same itinerary on Mariner in 2 weeks. 
Two questions:  Was there a separate boarding area for suites at Terminal 5?

Did you order your Uber when you left the terminal or ahead of time? 

So glad to see you are back to cruising. I’m sure Owen (and Lucy) will be glad to have you home!

53 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

Here is a bit of further suite departure information that we had in our cabin. 
 

 

 

 

Thank you!!

Which cabana number do you have and are you happy with the location? Also, do you know what the suite walk off time choices are for departure?  Looks like a great cruise!

I am so looking forward to your review! I can’t believe how much your son has grown since I saw the last photo of him. Lucy pictures are always welcome also! I will be on Mariner on October 24th in OS 1300 so I will be following along! Welcome back to cruising!!

34 minutes ago, BillOh said:

Additional question as we get closer to our visit.   Last time we had a cabana at Nellies beach.   I know Barefoot beach was for suite guests and Pinnacle members. For this cruise we booked a SUITE GUARANTEE and were just assigned a JS -  Can JS passengers take root on Barefoot beach?

Unfortunately, no. Grand suites and up. Unless you purchase a cabana on Barefoot Beach. 

2 hours ago, Jyllie63 said:

I booked this for our cruise because it was cheaper than internet. My daughter does not want it so I tried to cancel and it tells me non-refundable. It's not the end of the world if I can't refund it, but I've always been able to cancel cruise planner items before so this surprised me. Has anyone been able to cancel after it was booked?

Everyone in the same stateroom (over 6) has to have it if one person does. That’s probably why it won’t let you cancel. 

1 hour ago, George C said:

Yes towels and floating mats are complementary, we always book a suite , never interested in cabana. Love service and buffet there.

Thank you! This is what I was looking for. 

I will be staying in an Owner’s suite on Mariner in October. Labadee is one of our stops. I have always gotten a cabana on Barefoot Beach  but I am not doing that this time. Are the floating mats complementary on this beach? I know they are included with the cabanas. 

On 12/11/2021 at 3:38 PM, Ourusualbeach said:

That is what I just posted.  She will be sailing from PC.

Ken, I would like to contact you but not sure how to go about that. Could you message me through the book of faces that shall not be mentioned?

 Melanie Hennessy

2 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Get a Delta branded Amex card and no checked bag fees.

Good to know. Thank you!

I just changed my flight for next month to Delta today for this very reason. I’m not risking it because Southwest can’t get it together. This summer, due to their delays, I missed the whole first day of a Jamaican vacation. After saying they couldn’t get me there for 3 days I bought a ticket with Delta and spent the night in Chicago. It cost me an extra $2400 and all I got from Southwest was a $200 voucher total for 4 of us. They used to be my favorite airline. I am now willing to pay more and pay baggage fees to make sure I get to my destination. 

3 hours ago, cruising in mn said:

So for everyone saying how easy this is, its not for us. We sail on Monday Sept 13th. We fly in on Sat Sept 11th. We were told of the CDC new rquirement on Friday Sept 3rd about 4 pm local time. 

I got online ordered the 2 pack tests from Optum, and they have yet to ship due to the holiday.. The emed tests are only sold in 6 packs. 

The Optum test MIGHT make it to us in time, but might not. The 6 packs I can pay extra for overnight shipping, if I have to, but not until Tuesday (due to the holiday) 

I thought I finally found a test kit at Samsclub. Drove out and bought 2 (2- 2 packs in case we messed one up) only to get home and realize they were NOT the right test. 

The tests can ONLY be purchase online at Optum and eMED. So, since everyone got the news about these at roughly the same time, those cruising in Oct, Nov Dec all went and bought kits, and those of us cruising in 10 days, are stuck. Optum says they are in short supply and hope they can get us ours out, but make no promises.. says however they can help me cancel (gee thanks).

I've tried to find a CVS anywhere near Seattle that does testing, NONE available. No Walgreens either. There are a couple dodgey looking sites that do rapid tests, at over $175 per person. But that might be literally our only option. 

I realize this is a CDC mandate, but 10 days is cutting it way to close for us. We're not able to test until we get to Seattle, and with the Holiday it wasnt enough time to buy and receive the tests in time before we go. 

Its totally got me stressed out. 

In just this instance, Royal could have given those of us effected for this first cruise, and only 10 days option, some sort of testing at the pier, or at least saved some test stock for us so we can legit purchase on our own and get them shipped in time. 

 

Now its like the TP shortage.. those with cruises way later than ours have bought all the kits and in turn we might not be able to even cruise as a result! 

 

Beyond frustrating.. 

 

I've uploaded the app in advance, and when I scanned the QR code on the wrong tests, this pic popped up. I've attached it here, hopefully it will help someone else out to not even bother trying to buy from any store. 

Wish us luck... I hope we can go. 

 

 

I was in Seattle in July and they were offering testing at the airport. I don’t recall the price. Maybe a backup option?

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

80-90% of the cruising public books and sails in something other than full suites - pricing for suites is a whole different ball game, even in the COVID era.

My self upgrade was from a Junior Suite to a Grand Suite. 

Another option is to call Royal and price out an upgrade yourself not using Royal Up. You would get the double points and sometimes it’s less than the minimum Royal Up bid and you can choose your cabin. I did this on an upcoming sailing and it was $50 less than the minimum bid x2 and I got the cabin I wanted. 

29 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Can't imagine what those tickets to Jamaica are going to cost you when booking this late.... Good Luck where ever you end up.

I should clarify. I have the plane tickets to Jamaica but not to Miami for the cruise. 

This whole situation is stressing me out. We are booked July 10th on Symphony. It was supposed to be a graduation gift to my twin daughters. There are 8 of us in the villa suite. So you can imagine the cash I have tied up in this, not to mention the $1699 over the water cabana in Cococay. I have not purchased plane tickets or a hotel because I was sure there was no way it was going to sail. I have a backup trip booked for Jamaica but it would be really nice to know what I am doing and if I need to buy plane tickets. 🤦🏻‍♀️

29 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

LOL, trying to wean my daughter off the Bank of Dad as well.

I took a picture of this guy’s shirt on Anthem of the Seas. I think it says it all!

8 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Worst case is the FCC sticks and you owe less at final but at least there is no risk.

True.  But, my son is paying for this cruise on his own so I will make him pay me back if the refund doesn't happen.  Adulting is hard. 

9 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Make a cash payment equal to the deposit amount

That's a great idea.  

58 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

In all liklihood if you cancel yours then his will get refunded as well.  Even though there are separate reservation numbers they are linked and treated as one reservation

Thank you for your response.  That is what I was afraid of.  I guess I will wait and see.  I just don't want his cruise to be cancelled if the deposit disappears.

We were scheduled on one of the first cruises to be cancelled  because of covid last year.  I opted for the 125% FCC because I never thought we would still be in this situation more than a year later.  There are 5 of us in my family that received FCC's.  Because only 4 people can be on a reservation my son had a different reservation number (he was 20 at that time) but we were all booked in a 2 bedroom grand suite together. He already used his FCC to book another spring break cruise for next year.  I applied our 4 FCCs to a cruise for July 10th of this year.  It is most likely going to be cancelled at any time now.  According to my original email choosing FCC or refund I have until December 31st of this year to still get a refund rather than an FCC which is what I would like to do if this gets cancelled as I already have 2 other cruises booked but they are paid in full through club royale so I couldn't apply the FCCs to those.  My question is will this affect my son's FCC at all if I request a refund since he was a completely different reservation number?  He did receive his own email so he could opt for the FCC or refund. I don't want him to lose that as his deposit on the cruise he has booked for next year. Thank you in advance!

I noticed points on my account yesterday from my cancelled March 16 cruise. I was supposed to be in a suite so I got double. They will probably disappear.