Firstin87

Thank you @DorothyB. I didn't know this and will make a note of it in case we ever need to buy a wifi package.

We received the sale email Friday and I, too, spent a lot of time last night reviewing shorex for our June 2025 cruise. I'm not ready to decide on them yet, so spent time narrowing it down and trying to choose, then got frustrated with feeling rushed and struggling with their technical difficulties on my computer (probably due to the CrowdStrike issue). We haven't been on Princess in 6 years, so I've got a couple questions for those of you with experience: 1. Is it unusual for shorex's to go on sale? Should I feel the need to jump on this by the 23rd or can I feel confidant there will be another sale by the time we're ready to book shorex? 2. What is the process for cancelling a Princess shorex? On NCL, who we're most experienced with, you have to call to cancel a shorex, then you rebook. On Royal, which we're sailing for the first time next month, you can cancel online and rebook immediately. Any tips on the 'sweet spot' time for booking shorex? Thank you all!

I believe that NCL charges for the wifi as a full package, not by the day or pro-rated. We've often had 'only' 300 min. of wifi and found it to be plenty for checking email/texts when not in port. If you've got 300 min. (per person, by the way, in case you are travelling with someone and they are also concerned about the amount of wifi time) for 1.5 days, you should be OK. We had 300 min. for our 15 day Transatlantic last spring (which had 7 sea days) and found it to be enough for checking emails 1-2x a day when not in part and even had some time left at the end. If you've got T-Mobile as your cell carrier, Bermuda is part of your plan and you get free texts there.

You probably don't have to know the answers, like AP did. It might be easier on you to have more generic 'find someone who...' that will exist in any large group (say 40+) of cruisers.

@DebbieCruises Hi, I'm the one whose post you copied referencing the excellent M&G hosted by @Anoynmous Phoenix with the 'get to know each other' game. While he explained the details of how he put the game together, I'll add some question ideas for you (listed below) as I think that's also what you wanted. Be aware - I have never hosted an M&G and do not know if any of these would be a problem for NCL ; I trust AP will be able to respond if that is the case. I don't recall it being a Bingo card layout, but a list that you filled out. We had an extra bottle of champagne in our room, so gave it to AP to use as a prize. Question Ideas: Who drives a (insert husband's favorite car maker here)? Who has cruised on Oceania or Regent (NCLH's other brands)? If you know where people are from, who lives in the city/state that a pro sports team just won the championship (i.e., New York if the Yankees won the World Series)? Who has more than 3 grandchildren? Who has worked in x industry (healthcare, tech, etc.)? Just thoughts to start the brainstorming. Generally, questions that will get people to find they have something in common and get people chatting not just at the M&G, but later in the cruise. As I noted in my original post, because AP had attendees roving around, we were able to recognize each other around the ship and led to further conversations.

@DorothyB I don't recall if we got our list the day before (i think it was in 2018), but I do recall there being copies at the M&G so if you didn't have one beforehand, you picked it up there. Very well organized, good variety of questions that covered quite a few areas of interest so you were bound to find something you had in common with someone.

@DorothyB I've never hosted an M&G, but DH and I have done ~20 NCL cruises and have attended the M&Gs on most of them (missed on some of our early cruises). Just from the point of view of a frequent attendee, I have found that the shorter cruises have fewer turnout. I'd guess because there is less opportunity for people to participate in other activities together. Something that has not been mentioned here that we have found to make an M&G more enjoyable for us is when the host has 'get acquainted' activities planned for the M&G. Not just 'sign up for...', but during the M&G something to get people up and moving and talking to each other. One of the best ones we attended was hosted by @Anoynmous Phoenix when he was known as "caso fil i a" (didn't know until this thread that you'd changed your CC name). Attendees had a list of 'find someone who...' that we tilled out, so people were up and asking each other questions - 'are you from outside the US', 'do you have more than 4 kids', 'do you drive a Ford', etc. - which led to people recognizing each other around the ship and chatting throughout the cruise. If an M&G has 50 people, but they all sit at tables and only talk to their tablemates or those they arrived with, people really aren't 'meeting' or 'greeting' each other. On the other hand, one of the worst we attended was this past spring when the host was anonymous. They were not at the table greeting passengers as we entered the venue, not helping with the name tags (all done by NCL staff), never got on the mic and welcomed the attendees. Left the event with no idea who the host was, although we did learn later from others that they were there. Once the officers spoke, everyone left. M&G lasted 20 minutes max. I don't recommend following that example - lol.

That is correct that it does not need to be booked through AmEx Travel, but it does need to be booked through an AmEx travel agent partner. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to name travel agents on CC, but there are many franchises and national agents who are affiliated with AmEx that will apply the benefits. We've used an AmEx partnered TA for several years, about 10 cruises, and have never had a problem with getting AmEx benefits applied or using them. The OBC will appear on your NCL account at boarding, so don't worry if you don't see it right away.

OP -you mentioned that the 2nd person's airfare being free is a draw for you. Be aware that the flights NCL will give you are the cheapest ones available. You do not choose your flights. I recommend going to Google flights, looking for the round-trip on either the dates you'd fly or similar ones (same X day of the week of similar month you'd fly) and seeing what the cheapest Economy flights are. If those are one's you'd choose yourself, NCL will probably have the best price and you'd have the benefit of them handling it. Not sure how it would work if you want to upgrade from Economy, but others will know and tell you about it.

thank you, Smokybandit, you've been very helpful!

On a 7 day cruise, what is the usual day the 'sale laundry bag' is offered and what is the usual turnaround time? With the humidity of the So. Caribbean in August, I'm planning on extra shirts to change into after sweating buckets on port excursions. We're from Calif., so the humidity is hard on us - lol.

thank you! I pasted that info into my notes for the trip.

We're on the other end of the spectrum - we were there on our honeymoon in 1987 and haven't been able to get back there since. An NCL cruise we were on last Feb. was due to dock there, but Mother Nature said 'not today, folks'. Seeing that the Rhapsody hits St. Croix on most (all?) their itineraries in Aug. and Sept. makes us feel more confidant that we'll make it this time.

We are sailing out of San Juan. Rhapsody does several different 7 day itineraries in August and September (and probably other months, but we didn't check) that hit the hard-to0get-to St. Croix. With eh humidity that time of year, I plan to bring extra shirts to change during the day, so am hoping to use the 'sale laundry bag' for underwear, socks, and shirts - all items that won't be harmed in the laundry. We have sailed out of Tampa before and it is a nice port and lovely sail away. Nice for your husband to appreciate the bridge from a different perspective than the rest of us, Mum2Mercury.

Thank you, Smokybandit.

Thank you all so very much for the great information! We've done laundry countless times on NCL (~20 cruises with them) and have never had a problem, and I also don't put anything delicate or important in the bags. We're on a cruise out of San Juan in August, so I'm thinking underwear, t-shirts, and, if necessary, shorts. Hopefully, the shorts won't need to go and that will save a lot of space for more tees. Good to know about the possibility of the concierge getting us checked in for our flight. At worse, we buy one day of internet. Good to know not to worry about that until we're onboard. Looking forward to sailing on a new line. Thanks again!

Hi All, We've cruised quite a bit, but this will be our first time on Royal Caribbean. I've searched on CC, but can't find the answers to a couple of newbie questions. We re on the Rhapsody of the Seas, 7 days, in an Owner's Suite. Laundry - Being new, we will not get a free laundry perk. Does RC do a 'sale' on a bag of laundry during a 7 day cruise? If so, about how big is the bag/how much fits in the bag? Internet - We're on a port intensive cruise and will have wifi when docked, so are not buying an internet package. However, our last day is a sea day, so we won't be able to check in for our flight the next day. Is there a way to check in for our flight that day (iCafe or Suite Lounge lets you do so for free?? Thank you for your help!

Thank you, @fruitmachine! I was planning on using it to book tickets to one of our early activities in London in hopes that would trigger their system. Now I can feel more comfortable about not getting our card denied. Everyone on this thread has been so very helpful. I really appreciate it!

Very helpful information! Got all the credit cards in Apple Pay and it sounds like I don't need any GBP. I'm worried about Chase bank declining my Visa the first time we use it. Both online and on the automated voice when I call say you don't need to let them know that you're travelling, they'll know and will accept your card. Not sure how confidant I am about that. Don't want to have a problem paying for dinner when the first night.

Thank you @Island2Dweller! All cards we're bringing are 'contactless'. Got Apple Pay set up to use on the Tube and I guess the buses, as well. I feel like I should have a few GBP for a small purchase? tipping the chambermaid? I also think having a couple of paper bills with QEII's picture will be a good souvenir, as they are transitioning to KCIII over time.

Thank you all for the great advice. Perhaps the single day HOHO and use my free afternoon the second day (second day a.m. is Tower of London) to return to other sites. The third day is Westminster Abbey (hoping to get a vespers tour) and a self-guided walking tour of that area. Excited that the Abbey currently has a Notre Dame exhibition. I understand that England is 'very cashless', but I'm wondering how many GBP to have on hand and am nervous that our Visa will actually work. Heard that it's a common credit card taken, but our bank says we do not need to let them know we are travelling, they'll just know and won't block our card. I'm not confidant that they'll know I'm in England (from Calif.) and fear having the card declined at first use and calling the bank to straighten it out at .25 cents a minutes for a call will be a headache. Also have an AmEx and debit cards, so can get GBP at ATMs fairly easily, it sounds like. I know things will make more sense when we're there, but planning our first trip is somewhat anxiety ridden - lol.

We are visiting London for the first time for four days post-cruise in mid-May. I've booked us to visit the Tower one morning, Westminster Abbey another morning, and Kensington Palace our final morning. I'm thinking of buying a 2 day HOHO bus pass for Day 1 overall tour, get the lay of the land, and Day 2 after our Tower visit doing the river cruise that comes with the HOHO bus and possibly using the HOHO that afternoon to return to places we didn't get a chance to see on Day 1. Both Big Bus Tours and City Sightseeing look good - pick up right outside our hotel, almost the same route; the only difference is that Big Bus gives us a couple of walking tours included, which is nice but not a deal breaker. Anyone have any experience with either company and can recommend or discourage one over the other? Thank you!

Wow - what an experience! So glad you were quick to yell out and that security responded so fast. Just goes to remind everyone that you are on vacation with strangers and perhaps not everyone is an honest person.

Had O do our laundry on a cruise last year. Sure enough, took 3 days and it came back practically vacuum packed, so very wrinkled. Was glad the laundry room had an ironing board. The reason the laundry room is closed later at night is to be considerate of cabins nearby. The loud door slamming and possibly sound of the machines would not be welcomed by passengers who are trying to sleep.

Thank you, thank you! Really appreciate the advice! Will look into the phone plan, which I hadn’t thought about. The YouTube videos sound very worthwhile, too. Thanks so much!!