KelJ

22 hours ago, loman said:

I have sailed in September many times , and have one booked for this year in September . I did take advantage of some very low pricing a few months ago and booked a crown loft.( got the extra points too for booking prior to October )

 

I can honestly say i have never experienced any bad weather ... yet . 

I was chatting with some Carnival cruisers once and they told me their cruise was going to eastern rather than western because of the weather , so a ship has options .

Last night we went ahead and booked a crown loft on the September 3rd Allure. It’s basically the same itinerary as the canceled November 5th Allure, same cabin type, about $600 cheaper plus another $50 OBC on top of our Next Cruise OBC. 
 

There were no suites on the similar-itinerary 8-night price-protected cruises in October, nor on the eight-night similar-itinerary cruises in November and December on Allure and Harmony. 

On 1/12/2022 at 3:09 PM, Jimbo said:

I assume you paid the going rate of a JS in your new booking, if you really wanted the  Crown Loft Suite, why didn't you just change your booking to a September sailing where there are Crown Lofts available?

The prices ARE great for September, but that whole hurricane season thing......

2 hours ago, Jed3279 said:

I'm curious why there isn't a new repositioning cruise for the ship from FLL to Galveston? The last cruise in FLL is a 6nt ending 10/29 and the first cruise out of Galveston is on 11/13, seems like a 14nt cruise is happening, but hard to think someone would swoop in this late and book a 14nt charter.
We REALLY wanted to do this repositioning cruise, and don't really care what the date is.

There is an October 29th sailing that is a seven-night cruise that ends November 5th, the day this canceled cruise was supposed to leave for Galveston. 

12 minutes ago, ScubaCat3 said:

 

I was not given that option by the representative I spoke with tonight. I will gather information given by others here on CC and call again tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion. 

Did you receive the email with the options? If not, I posted mine several posts back. Hope you have better luck tomorrow. 

39 minutes ago, ScubaCat3 said:

I called back again. This time I was told since the cancelled cruise was an 8 night cruise I could not select any option other than another 8 night cruise. I had booked a B2B cruise so those 8 night cruises don't adjoin my 10/29/22 cruise. What a mess. 

If you are not choosing one of the cruises that they offer price protection on, you can just switch to anything you want. Are you trying to maintain your double cruise points?

I wish they would price protect November Allure sailings out of Galveston and not just October Allure sailings out of Ft. Lauderdale.

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

A non-revenue repo can cut out all the ports and not worry about PVSA rules.

Non-revenue meaning it sails empty (no paying customers)? 

Just received an email about a half an hour ago that our Allure 11-5-22 repositioning cruise (Ft. Lauderdale to Galveston) is canceled because Allure will be arriving into Galveston a few days earlier than previously scheduled. 😪

15 minutes ago, Suzanne123 said:

Yes, both the Marriott and the AC have “airport” in their names.  Dania Beach, if that helps.  The mall next to them is called Dania Pointe.

I was at the AC last weekend.  It is very nice and new.  Breakfast at the AC was buffet.  Marriott had made to order, however, I went to Toojays for a great breakfast, across the street from First Watch which is always good, but crowded.

Thank you!!

On 11/27/2021 at 4:55 PM, Suzanne123 said:

Forgot to add, the Marriott has a free shuttle from the airport, and they arranged a private shuttle to the pier tomorrow $15pp leaving at 11, 12:30, and 1:45. We are supposed to pay the driver directly, so they’re not not using the Marriott van.  
Marriott employees all have masks. I didn’t see any on the tourists.

We’re walking over to the shops for breakfast, although the prices on the Marriott menu aren’t too terrible for a hotel.

 

I want to make sure I am looking at the correct hotel.  Are you referring to this Marriott hotel?  

3 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

I'm curious if they are charging the same price for the canned (12 oz) vs bottled (16.9 oz) water?

 

They should give you two cans for the price of one bottle.  🙂

I don’t know the cost of either, as we both have a drink package. 

23 minutes ago, JuliaMS said:

The water taste fine. But, my feet always swell on a cruise, and only on a cruise. They say the sodium content is supposed to be low but I only drank bottled water this cruise and no swelling. 

Unless you are in a suite (Maybe?) no making coffee or tea in room.

My feet only swell on cruises as well. I have low-sodium listed as my diet, and I try to avoid the tap water (though it tastes fine). It’s hard for me to avoid the ice though. 
 

I’m on Anthem right now. About halfway through the cruise, they switched from bottled water to canned water. It tastes the same to me.  We poured it into a bottle to take it on an excursion. 
 

Edit to add:  We are in a JS and have a coffee maker and a tea kettle. 
 

On 9/4/2021 at 4:44 AM, CaroleC said:

J3 and J4’s were previously known as Spa Junior Suites, both have the split bathrooms across from each other. One side has a tub with shower combination, sink and toilet, the other has a walk in shower and sink. I’m not aware that any cabins in these categories have 2 toilets. J1’s are slightly larger cabins with one bathroom but have a huge balcony. 
 

I am on Anthem right now and can confirm that J3 cabins (formerly family junior suites) have a full bathroom (toilet, sink, full-size tub with shower) and have a separate half bath (toilet and sink).  We are in 10222.  It’s a great room!

On 10/22/2021 at 3:34 PM, matthewthamm said:

I am on the Harmony on 12/19/21.  TA and Royal are telling me the CT is not being offered through the end of 2021.  Not happy as this is an anniversary cruise for us, and was looking forward to making CT part of the celebration.

It is available in my cruise planner for 12-12-21 on Anthem.  Has anyone ever seen Chef's Table go on sale (meaning at a reduced or sale price) in the planner?  I have heard of people getting it discounted once they were on the ship.  

I don’t know remember what RCCL ship we were on, but a few years ago DH and I became chatty with a sales clerk. He’d be somewhere different each night, like the Invicta watch sale, the $5 jewelry sale, the t-shirt sale. When we approached him working the gold by the inch stand, he whispered to us, “You can’t buy cheaper *****.”  We still laugh about it. 
 

My mom had purchased a gold by the inch necklace on a RCCL ship many years ago. It tarnished (big surprise).  She went on a different RCCL ship several years later and took it with her to complain. They exchanged it for free. My mom was so happy. I have no idea if the replacement ever tarnished. 

On 6/23/2021 at 7:08 AM, little britain said:

A "W" is a JS - expect a JS and anything else is a bonus!  Remember that once you have been allocated a Gty in UK you cannot swap to another room in that same grade (unlike our chums in the USA).

 

There are 3 different types of JS. The JS on Anthem do not have the walk-in wardrobes, some grades have a separate sink but you need a J3 to get 2 loos!

J4: Spa Junior Suite

Cabin 267 sqft, Balcony 81 sqft

Two bathrooms: toilet+sink and tub+stand up shower+sink (no toilet)

 

J3: Family Junior Suite

Cabin: 301 sqft, Balcony 81 sqft

Two bathrooms: toilet+sink and toilet+tub/shower combo+sink

 

J1: Junior Suite

Cabin: 276 sqft, Balcony 161 sqft

One bathroom: toilet+tub/shower+sink

 

Good luck! 

I am booked on Anthem in 10222, a J3, so I thought I’d have the J3 configuration described above with two toilets. However, two customer service reps have told me that this cabin has a “split” bathroom with the J4 configuration described above (only one toilet). Can anyone who has stayed in 10222 confirm the bathroom setup? If it only has one toilet, can you tell me which junior suite cabin numbers on Anthem have the two-toilet setup?

4 minutes ago, parrotfeathers said:

People that got that $18 drink package didn't get a L&S on that either.  Or maybe they did?

Nope

We did the guacamole class in October of 2017 on the Freedom and enjoyed it.  We made our own guac.  It was not made in front of us.  The margaritas, however, were made in front of us.  Here is that portion of my review:

Monday, October 30, 2017 (Day 9)

Sea day.  We had pre-booked the Sabor guacamole class and lunch.  Although we arrived at 11:00 a.m., which was on our receipt as the start time, the restaurant told us it was actually scheduled for 11:30 a.m.  So we tried to get espresso in the diamond lounge but were met with typical long lines again.  Our Sabor class was fun, and lunch was delicious, as were our homemade guacamole, the margaritas and the dessert sampler.  Although the description of this class stated that each person would receive an avocado cutting tool, this was not accurate and we ended up buying the tool for $15. 

On 8/22/2020 at 1:02 AM, Roger88 said:

10 days on a refund these days sounds like a world record. I am very happy for you. One of other things you could do in here is share your personal experience and steps you took to get it fast. The last record I heard of was like 7 days. The guy kept calling the office like twice a day a whole week straight lol 

I called the Casino Department on August 10th to cancel, and I received full refund (including cruise planner purchases) on August 20th.  No other steps were needed.  

On 8/10/2020 at 11:36 AM, KelJ said:

 

I was also booked on Anthem 12-7-20 12-night southern Caribbean with a free casino offer.  I just got off the phone with the Casino Department (my call was answered immediately), and I canceled for a 100 percent refund to original form of payment.  We had upgraded from free ocean view to FJS and also had purchased drink and voom packages, so it's a significant amount to be refunded ($3,760.87).  The final payment date for this cruise is September 8th, so I was able to cancel without any type of penalty.  They claim the refund can take up to 45 days.

Just to update, I received full refund yesterday, so it took ten days.

On 8/14/2020 at 12:12 PM, betmust said:

I had a cruise booked for Oct. 2020 and awhile back I did a lift and lock to Oct. 2021.

I paid the deposit, insurance and was making some payments on the cruise totaling $1050. I am thinking we may just cancel it.  I know I should get back insurance and payments that were made refunded to my credit card. Has anyone recently  cancelled  before final payment? How long did you have to wait to see it on your card?

 

Thanks

I canceled August 10th.  I received full refund to my credit card yesterday, so ten days.

On 7/23/2020 at 11:53 AM, KelJ said:

I have a different question related to a comped casino cruise.  We have a comped casino cruise on Anthem 12-7-20, which I don't expect to occur.  We paid to upgrade to a family junior suite.  I think I am going to cancel the cruise, and I'd like a refund.  I'd rather have the money back than try to rebook.  

 

When booking a comped casino cruise, you pay in full at time of booking.  If I cancel now (well before final payment date), would I get everything back?  There was no true deposit paid, but the language on my receipt says, "Your deposit has been posted to your reservation.  The minimum deposit for this reservation is non-refundable.  Final payment has been posted to your reservation. A change fee of $100 USD per guest will apply for ship or sail date changes."

 

I know I can get a full refund if/when Royal cancels this cruise, but I think I'd like to get the refund ball rolling now before the next wave of cancellations.

 

 

On 7/23/2020 at 12:11 PM, RFerrington said:

No.  If you cancel prior to Royal suspending the cruise, you will get a 100% FCC for the $$ you paid.  The only way to get a cash refund is to wait until Royal cancels the cruise and then select the cash refund option.

On 7/23/2020 at 12:54 PM, KelJ said:

 

Hmm.  Could I "un" upgrade, like call them and say I'd like to switch cabins back down to my free interior cabin and then get the difference in a refund?  The cruise is still four and a half months away.

 

My receipt lists the normal cancellation schedule, such as if I cancel 89 to 75 days prior to sailing, I would forfeit 25 percent per guest.  Are you saying that's not true though, that I can't get any refund at all?

 

On 7/23/2020 at 1:28 PM, cruisegirl1 said:

Since you are not in the final payment  window, I believe you can cancel and get all your money back.  You should get the money for upgrades as well as taxes and fees. It might show up as two or more refunds to your card. 

 

Well before Covid,  we had to cancel a comped ( and paid upgraded) cruise and had NO problern getting all our money refunded.

good luck

M

 

To update, I finally decided to cancel Anthem 12-7-20 12-night southern Caribbean, which was a free casino offer.  I just got off the phone with the Casino Department (my call was answered immediately), and I canceled for a 100 percent refund to original form of payment.  We had upgraded from free ocean view to FJS and also had purchased drink and voom packages, so it's a significant amount to be refunded ($3,760.87).  The final payment date for this cruise is September 8th, so I was able to cancel without any type of penalty.  They claim the refund can take up to 45 days, but we all know how that goes...

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I am booked on 12 night for dec 7th on anthem that you mention.  It is a casino cruise and not eligible for l&s so I have no choice but to wait till its cancelled to get cash refund.  I wish it was a go as I love the itinerary for this sailing but 99.9% it wont go.

I was also booked on Anthem 12-7-20 12-night southern Caribbean with a free casino offer.  I just got off the phone with the Casino Department (my call was answered immediately), and I canceled for a 100 percent refund to original form of payment.  We had upgraded from free ocean view to FJS and also had purchased drink and voom packages, so it's a significant amount to be refunded ($3,760.87).  The final payment date for this cruise is September 8th, so I was able to cancel without any type of penalty.  They claim the refund can take up to 45 days.

On 7/24/2020 at 4:09 PM, Rogueperson said:

Is it really double points if you're paying double to sail in a Jr. Suite?

 

I've heard mixed reports about Coastal Kitchen.  One of these days, if i truly have the money to burn, I will splurge on a Jr. Suite (or if a decent upgrade rears its head) on a ship that has Coastal Kitchen.  But for now, I prefer to cruise twice and get the points that way.  Or, I will cruise solo on a cheap cruise to get the same double points.  (I did two 9 nights solo to hit Diamond quicker) and only paid 1K for each.

I don’t usually look at the cost of a balcony, so I don’t always know whether I’m paying double for a JS.  We don’t usually sail more than once a year, so one cruise in a JS is truly double points because I’m not facing a dilemma of taking one cruise in a JS versus two cruises in something lower. And we truly prefer a JS. 
 

As an aside, we need 24 points to make D+.  Our April 12-night Anthem TA in a FJS was canceled, so we booked a 12-night Anthem Southern Caribbean in a FJS for December, which I’m sure will be canceled.     So close and yet so far...