Tree_skier

My last two had denials came the day before but with the caveat that it would be considered by ship staff and they could contact me up until the evening of embarkation day. Nothing came of the caveat but...

This is the first time I have noticed you mention rugby with Owen... Is this his first year playing? It is a fabulous sport, I've played and coached. I was involved in the sport from the age of 13 right up until 51. I finally hung both the cleats and the whistle when we started considering our move to the US.

Sorry about your knee Graham... I hope for a quick and successful hip replacement. Hopefully not... Back when we still lived in Canada. I waited for 13 months for an MRI on my knee. DW's cataract surgery was an 11 month wait.

I have always just left it to be added to our account on a daily basis but for Harmony of the Seas coming up in Dec. I had my TA add it to the invoice. This cruise we are taking DD, her husband and the 3 kids along. I'm paying the whole thing however, any extra spending onboard like shopping, the spa or the arcade they are on their own. I wanted the auto-grats covered before they got on board so we didn't have to sort through it onboard.

Some of the best conversations I have ever had have been with myself. 🙂

Of course because people book the The Chef's table with the expectation that they will be grouped with other people. Nobody expects that when booking and arriving at a specialty restaurant.

The Chef's table isn't a specialty restaurant reservation it is a dining "experience".

Yeah, I think when we originally booked in Nov of 2019 the price was around 4300. After several price drops, by the time we got to final payment in 2022 it was around 2600. That was a really good deal.

Not in specialty restaurants... I've never heard of them seating a solo at a random table of strangers.

My TA can work with people in all over North America. I know he works with people in Texas. 🙂

Awesome, thank you.

You are right. I've noticed it is much higher than it used to be on cruises that I have previously booked. That puts group space in an even more favorable light. The closer to final it gets, the higher the premium appears to be too.

That was when it was, I think... It was Ovation of the Seas to Alaska, August 26/2022, which itself was a lift and shift from 2021. If I remember right, Royal added Quantum to the mix in Seattle and that changed the pricing dynamic.

Great! I love a Twangster live review. Nobody does photos and videos like Twangster! Can't wait for this to get underway.

I thought Uber didn't service Galveston. I thought it was Lyft only.

I suspect that Norwegian fjord cruises are going to get higher and higher for the next couple of years. With Norway banning cruise ships except zero emissions ships in the Fjords after 2025 the next two years are going to see a big big premium from those that want to check that bucket list item off before it goes away.

You can reprice to take advantage of a price decrease whether you have a refundable or and nonrefundable fare. When you reach final payment date, 75 or 90 days before your sail date, your refundable becomes nonrefundable. The chances are, if you book refundable now, that when you reach that point a NRD will cost more than what you locked in at. Not always but usually. That being said, I almost always book refundable deposits. My TA has group space that comes automatically as refundable and almost always the lowest price you will find. I can only remember one cruise that was group space that had a decrease at any point before embarkation. And on that one my TA lowered my price and just advised me of the change. If you are booking double occupancy travel agent group space is the way to go if you can find it available. If not I'd pay the small premium and still book refundable. So much can happen between now and 10/24.

I think your teenager will be be more than happy on Odyssey. It is a great ship with tonnes to do on it. I highly recommend you get him signed up for a zone zero experience, there is a small cost but it is worth it. It is a virtual reality space battle that is absolutely amazing. It's got a great seaplex area with activities going all the time. The iFly is sure to be a hit as well as the Flowrider. Besides the waterslides, I can't think of one teenage thing that they will be missing and there are several things on Odyssey you don't get elsewhere.

Sonny's is definitely better.

This is my experience. I've looked at a few FB roll calls and the amount of bad information presented is catastrophic. CC is the best place for accurate and up to date info. The average poster on this forum knows more about Royal's policies and procedures than most Royal employees, both on ship and land.

No one young is on Facebook

All my Navigator roll calls have been ghostly quiet or non existent. Roll call threads seem to be dying off.

Cruisemapper.com

If you are familiar with Dickey BBQ. Portside is a about a rough equivalent with that. Not bad but not something to go out of your way for.

Sending it your way... 😉.