Marga.Anders

9 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I just want to know how they got pre released info?  Lol

 Apparently someone on another board (where I got it from) subscribes to an RSS feed with press releases of Royal Caribbean and it was on there. They saved it and posted it on the other forum.

I actually posted it this morning, but removed it because I heard from Royal directly that the release wasn't the final one.

She told me they will release a formal press release with the right information later today.

So maybe wait on that before we panic 🙂

Thank you all for the responses! Very good information 🙂

To add:

- I once lived for a year in the USA, so I have a good picture of how big it is (lived in Texas). That's why we are going for 3 months. That's the maximum amount of time without a visa.

- The train is a really good suggestion, I will look into that thanks!

- Flying is not an option. Somewhere along the way I got a fear of flying and flying on the first flight after 9/11 from NY to AMS was the final drop for me. Haven't flow since. Don't plan to either. Even if I would push myself to do it, all the fun of the vacation would be gone because I would be so stressed for the way back. Cruising is the way to go for me 🙂

20 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

The first question would be...where are you going?  As in where do you live?  I’m thinking the UK?  
 

The QM2 sails on the North Atlantic route.  This is where you can get into rough seas...not so much between May and September but you never know.  All the other ships reposition...usually March to May and September toDecember.  Most of these ships sail the Southern Atlantic and experience smoother seas and milder temperatures.  We love to cross the Atlantic in October or May.  We have always found the southern route to be smooth and comfortable temps.  

 

 

Thank you for your response. I live in the Netherlands, so it would be Europe to USA and back. 

I am now thinking Europe - Northern USA - roadtrip across the country - maybe a short cruise to Mexico from Texas, then roadtrip further along to either Florida or back to Norther USA and then back to Europe.

Super excited already even though it might be a few years 🙂

Hi!

I have flown all over the planet for years and years, but since 2001 I have an enormous fear of flying and have not been back to my friends in the USA. Since I really want to visit them me and my husband are now looking at taking a longer period of work (maybe 3 months) in 2 - 3 years and going to the USA for an extend period of time.

We are planning a transatlantic cruise back and forth. Maybe a  'fast' one like QM2 one-way and a slower one the other way. 

I am not sure where to start looking for a good solid plan. There are so many options. 

I have a few main questions you can maybe help me with; and other suggestions are more than welcome:

- What is the best season for these cruises weather wise. I am a little bit anxious about big storms, and super large waves (spent too much time on youtube); so I want to pick a quiet season.

- Does the ship matter in terms of waves /storm/ stability?  I know QM2 is an ocean liner; are smaller ships much different going transatlantic?

- Which cruise lines offer the most ports on the way?  Are the routes pretty much the same each year?

Thanks!

I went to Meyer Werft on a tour last week and saw Odyssey there. She looked amazing already. Can't wait to sail her in September.

I cancelled an item in cruise planner on august 24th and received the refund 3 days later.

I cancellend 2 other items on augustus 28th and today, september 9th, still no refund.  I have e-mail with Royal, but no response.

Purchases were done with the same card. 

Anybody else having problems with slow refunds?

I also ran into another problem. Royal didn't cancel my original purchase but issued a manual refund to my creditcard. Now my creditcard company is charging me 40 euro's of currency conversion costs, because there are 2 separate dollar - euro transactions instead of a cancellation. So now I have bought nothing, but am paying 40 euro in costs.

Is this normal way of refunding with Royal?

Hi,

If I get the refreshment package but order a alcoholic cocktail; do I pay full price for the cocktail or do I get a lower price since I already paid for the soda that's usually in there (e.g. coke)?

I live close to Meyer Werft and saw that you can do a tour there. Since I am sailing on Odyssey I would like to see the ship being build. 

Does anyone know what would be a good month / period to go do the tour and be certain of seeing this particular ship? 

I got alot of information on the Shorebee website. I gives you lots of tips per port that you are visiting.

Do you know where you want to go? 

That website is actually how I got into this 'mess'.  So confusing and also confusing to see which travel agent is reliable and good with follow-up and customer service.

That makes sense! Thank you!

I have never had agents bidding against each other with OBC before. Apparently I missed a good bargain last time 😞

They are saying that when there is a price drop, the OBC will also lower. Is this normal? Seems a bit unfair to me, because then the agent benefits more from the price drop than I do, right?

I am in the process of booking a cruise with RC and have some agencies bidding against each other with onboard credit. 

Now I was under the impression I could use this in my Royal Caribbean account online to purchase a drink package for example. I did so in the past when booking with OBC directly with RC. 

But apparently I can't do this with the OBC from the agent. So can someone explain to me how this works? When will I get it and how can I use it? I can buy a drink package on ship but the price would be much higher. 

I am in the process of booking a cruise with RC and have some agencies bidding against each other with onboard credit. 

Now I was under the impression I could use this in my Royal Caribbean account online to purchase a drink package for example. I did so in the past when booking with OBC directly with RC. 

But apparently I can't do this with the OBC from the agent. So can someone explain to me how this works? When will I get it and how can I use it? I can buy a drink package on ship but the price would be much higher. 

Can I book under US rules if I use an American TA? I live in Europe.

Thanks!

Hi,

I am looking at a specific RC cruise for 2021 that I am looking to book.  They now have an offer of BOGO 60%; I have an adittional offer of 480$ OBC from a travel agent.

This seems like a good deal to me; but I haven't booked many cruises.

What sort of discounts can I expect during wave season from RC?  Should I wait a bit longer; or is 60% the best I'm going to get?   I was looking for a deal with beverages included but have already been informed RC doesn't give those away very often.

I am looking at the Holy Land Cruise of RC on September 7th 2021 on Odyssey of the Seas. 

It visits Jerusalem. On their own site RC noted that a visit on Saturday would mean Sabbath in Jerusalem and most things closed.  Much to my surprise the itinerary is planned in such a way that exactly on Saturday the ships goes to Jerusalem. 

Don't understand why they would do this but curious to your experiences with this cruise and/or visiting Jerusalem on a Saturday. 

Hi,

I am relatively new to cruising. Have sailed Symphony of the Seas in 2018 which I loved and Jewel of the Seas in 2019 which I enjoyed, but didn't enjoy the ship itself much.

For 2020 I am looking a new cruise ships and came across Enchanted Princess of Princess cruises. I had never heard of them before but the ship seems since.

I am just wondering, in comparison to Royal Caribbean (my only experience with cruising) how dus Princess compare? Is it a similar level of service?

10 hours ago, John Bull said:

Hi, Marga,

 

We found both Vision OTS  (Vision Class) and especially  Voyager OTS (Voyager class) to be crowded, and most especially in unreliable European weather, when everyone crowds inside. 

 

I had to hunt thro' your previous posts to see where you live, because your English is perfect.

Wouldn't have guessed you're Dutch.

But that makes it easy.

The Baltic.

From Amsterdam or Copenhagen or half-a-dozen other places, to Stockholm (not Nynashamn, which is on the coast & misses the long & glorious sail-in through the archipelago to Stockholm), St Petersburg (make sure you choose a ship that stays there for at least two days) and other important & historic Baltic cities.

 

The ship isn't as important as the itinerary, but I feel sure you can find less-crowded ships than RCI.

P&O's mid-size ships like Azura and Aurora aren't crowded, but sail from the UK - so you'd fly west to sail east.

 

JB 

ps quoting your country with your screen name would help avoiding unhelpful and sometimes downright inaccurate (eg visas, currency, etc) advice

 

Thanks for the tips and compliment!  I will look at P&O cruises, they were not on my shortlist.

Hi,

Summer of 2018 we took our first cruise. Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas - western Mediterrenean

Summer of 2019 we went on Jewel of the Seas from Rome to the Greek Isles.

We loved Symphony of the Seas. Especially : Solarium: large and quiet.  Entertainment at night: much to choose from, high quality of shows. 

We like Jewel of the Seas but:  solarium too small; way too much noise. Enterainment at night: very little choice. Low quality. 

So now for 2020 we are a little bit lost on what to do. We live in Europe and do not fly.  So that limits the possibilities to Europe mainland and UK.

We would prefer a route we haven't done before, but ship has to be 'better' than Jewel. 

We like the itineraries to the North (UK, Norway, Iceland) but are hesitant because of the weather. 

From your experiences what ships and/or routes would you recommend?   We are 2 adults mid 30's, no kids. 

Thanks!

On cyber Monday this cruise was 2609 pound per person. Now it's 2659 per person. 

But this small increase doesn't compare of course to 14 days deluxe drink package. 

On the UK website there is an all inclusive sale going on. 

We are looking at a cruise for 14 days and my husband always gets the deluxe drink package (I get refresh since not allowed alcohol). So this seems like a very good deal. 

I see there is a 75 deposit. 

Does this mean if I cancel more than 57 days in advance I will only loose 150 pound deposit? 

And should I change bookings will they transfer the deposit. 

This is for a cruise in 2020 so hesitant to book so early bit this seems like a great deal. 

Also, I booked my 2019 through a US travel agent. Will they be able to get me this all inclusive special even though we've already booked and it's an UK offer? 

Asking here since they are closed for Christmas. 

Thanks! 

I am looking to book my second cruise ever. Vision of the Seas from Rome in August 2019.

Therr is a bogo 60% off sale and some sites over 150 dollar on board credit. 

The deals don't seem that great to me. 

I keep reading about wave season in January. Should I wait with booking? 

I am from Europe so can't use every USA promo. 

Hi there,

I have booked my first cruise in September on Symphony of the Seas. We booked a oceanview balcony guarantee and just got assigned our room.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me if this is a 'good' location or not? We like quiet so I think we are okay, but I'm not sure.

It's Deck 8, stateroom 8728

The deckplan is below. Just curious what you think :-)

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/symphony-of-the-seas/content/uploads/2017/03/SY_DeckPlanMarch7.pdf