gmerick

Way back years ago (ok, last decade), I checked out the "alternate" evacuation routes on my cabin door, so I was ready when the buzzer went off.  I took the "better to beg forgiveness than ask permission" philosophy, and took the "less traveled path" to my muster station (twice!).  There is an elevator shaft next to a steel staircase.  The crew areas are utilitarian, no wallpaper or artwork, no carpeting.  At every landing, there was a crew member in a life jacket, and there were clear signs directing me to the muster.  On the second excursion -- a year after the first expedition through the crew dungeon -- someone with stripes on their shoulders was on deck 6, and I got the naughty lecture about maybe I shouldn't be there.  All part of the forgiveness thing.  

My third venture in going where no passenger has gone before was when I signed up for a ship-sponsored shorkeling excursion on a day when the ship arrived in port late, and customs took their own sweet time.  Our excursion leader polled the group for any trouble with mobility or using stairs.  Then we ducked into the service area of the bar we were gathered in, and ducked down 3 decks to what she called "I-95", and streamed aft to the tender port.  I took pictures of the emergency floor plans of each deck posted on the walls.  Not an "All Access" tour, but a nice little walk.

Morning - preferably soon after I finish breakfast on my balcony.  Collect the linens from wherever I've kicked them off, take the wet towels off the floor, and hang a stack of fresh ones.  Scrub the toothpaste and shaving cream off the sink.  Remove the banana peels and apple cores, and take my room service leavings away.  Finally vacuum the beach sand out of the carpet and wipe the nose and finger prints off the glass doors.  To really go above and beyond, wipe the crusted salt off the balcony glass so I can see the waves while I'm lounging.

I'm not enjoying the unstated message in many of this thread's comments.  Essentially:  These people aren't like us, and they shouldn't be using our favorite bits of the ship.  Check out the Carnival Freedom departure on 29 Jan 2024.  "The bars & casino will be closed and there will be over 90 concerts"

Bring a large tote bag or cloth grocery bag on the cruise.

Day 1 - Order a room service snack (or if you're willing to bother the sleepers the first morning on board, order breakfast).  Order at least two cups of coffee, and enough "stuff" so a tray would be required for delivery.  "Stuff" could be some fruit and pastry.

Important - hide the coffee pot and tray.

On my sailing, Cafe Promenade has always been open 24/7.  The night shift crew has always been friendly, and would tell me whether the coffee was fresh, and went out of their way to prepare coffee if it wasn't.  I'd bring the room service pot and tray in every morning, get coffee, cups, continental breakfast, and find my happy place for coffee until the sleepyheads finally realized the sun was up.

By day 4, the Cafe crew and I would be on first-name basis.  

Agree -- folks new to snorkeling - don't do Kittiwake.  BUT -- With calm weather the 5 days leading up to the snorkel trip, the water is crystal clear all 90 feet down to the sand.  Dump the orange vest, and take your first couple dips to the wheelhouse, get your picture took posing behind the ship's wheel.  Rest a bit on the surface, and duck down to look in the tank room about 65'.  Those very comfortable with free diving can descend at the stern and get a good look at the prop on the sand at 90'.  The whole time there, there will be all sorts of critters swimming, crawling, hiding under bits of metal.  If you are on a cruise ship purchased excursion, the guides for your trip will get their panties in a twist with the multiple deep descents, but hey, this is what it's about.  Who wants to dabble around on the surface getting a sunburned back?

I would say the Man Upstairs did the outsourcing, and He has agents on each ship.  Big advantage - hundreds of gueses are doing their own "Specialty Dining" in the Solarium bistro, this leaves much more opportunity for me in Chops.  There are still reservations available at all times in the Specialty Restaurants, and RCCL is even extending sales for dining.  

Too much drama.  The catamaran tour boats are very safe, in this incident, the boat driver (not even a real Captain) was horsing arround and caused problems.  Yes, there was a fatality, but again, not caused by sea conditions.  

I spent a week on one of these Cat boats.  The safety briefing was quite clear, unless we were in a dredged channel, if the boat sinks it simply becomes one more island in the Bahamas.  So much of the water is shallower than the main deck of the boat that the recommended action is to climb up one deck and party on until someone comes by in another boat and crashes the party.  The only down side is my cabin was on the deck below main, so my bunk would be soggy.  

Nothing in this incident would give me second thoughts about booking an excursion tomorrow.

One guide to drone laws:

Search for Drone Laws by Country (scroll down): https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws/

Not sure what the big deal is -- and why are the boardwalk balconies so all fired hot -- there's no concert in the boardwalk - This is not a repeat of the 2011 Cozumel / Alure appearance.

From USA Today's article:

"Travel agency <REDACTED> is organizing “In My Cruise Era,” a group cruise that will bring fans together on a Royal Caribbean International ship. But be warned: Swift is neither affiliated nor expected to appear on the cruise."

I'd no more avoid this cruise than I would a Scrapbooking or Cat Fancier's cruise.

My experience from the last 4 cruises: 

Buy "The Key" when the price drops below $25.  I have to have internet anyway, and I do see at least a $6.50 / day value in the rest of "The Key"s benefits. 

Make an early onboard purchase of  shuttle tickets to the airport on departure day for the last shuttle departure time. 

Pack up the night before and put my 2 big bags in the corridor - I sail solo, and I bring everything that makes a cruise enjoyable.  Catch a late dinner, a lounge act, and stroll the top decks.  Set no alarm for the morning -- docking noise will eventually wake me.  8AM Pack my remaining bags, and leave them in the cabin.  By 9AM Eat breakfast in the MDR.  Before 10AM Return to the cabin and check for stray articles.  Wander down to deck 5, walk past the long line up to someone in a uniform with stripes on their shoulders, and show my card with a "Key" on it.  Get escorted to the boarding ramp, and I'm on my way.  My bags have always been waiting right next to the customs exit, there's a exit right from "The Key" area into customs, bypassing the line, and because I'm so close, no porter is needed.  Proceed from customs directly to the airport coach.  

A little bit of planning can make departure day very relaxing, and can extend the cruising feeling all the way to the airport.

9 hours ago, Thoenix said:

Ours are largely hardwired into our home network, and we don't travel that often. I have my small 1TB drive, but I'm trying to pack light if possible and my electronics get pretty heavy to lug around during boarding. I have the key so I understand that I can leave my carry on to be brought to my room, but my electronics will probably be going in my backpack because I don't really trust anyone else with them. I can't really live without them. 

4Tb portable drive -- 1/2 inch x 2" x4".  

On 11/1/2023 at 11:16 AM, nelblu said:

Not you, but it does to me.  As D+ with 340+ points it benefits in hundreds of $s.  Just a sample of benefits: solo discount, balcony discount, 2 days of free internet, the 5 drinks allowance, the visit to the CL/DL, special seating at events, a couple of bottles of wine and many more benefits.

 

Not sure what your level if accrued benefits does not interest you, then that is your loss.

C&A points working just as planned.  Value to you is enough to keep you sailing with the company, but again, think of "actual cost to the ship".

Solo discount? 25% off the rack rate, Balcony discount?  $225 off the rack rate.  - similar rates can be found waiting for price drops.  When the sale rate is less than the solo discount rate, are you going to insist on paying the higher rate because you've "earned" it?

2 days free internet -- cost to you, $40, to the ship? nothing.

5 drinks per day - to you $14x5x7=$490, to the ship $70 or even less (what are happy hour prices at home? -- the bottle it comes out of looks the same)

Wine?  On board cost to you? $70/bottle, at home? $7

Haute Monde lounges and seating - a great perk to you, cost to the ship - yeah right.

Yes the perks can be written off as advertising, and it works.  Just count the topics here of folks loving the perks and enjoying being among the privileged few.  

This is the incentive I need.  I will book a 3- or 5- meal package, and reserve specialty dining on sea days.  I hesitated until now due to the uncertainty and commotion of paying for an unspecified dining experience, then possibly finding no preferred restaurant availability once on board.  I'll not plan on specialty dining on port days, as I usually plan on reboarding close to scheduled departure.  On port days I cannot predict when I'll be ready to dine, or even if I'll be up to "fine" dining.

As a fraction of cruise fare, Really what does D+ status ammount to?  Not talking the monstrously inflated price of drinks that customers see, but the actual cost to the ship?  Pinacle status does present some perks with real value, but I'm sure the cruise ship accountants can write off D+ and below as a minor advertizing expense.  C&A status does not influence my choice of cruise line.  I'm looking ports, length of cruise, cabin type.  Free alcohol does not interest me.

31 minutes ago, gavvy said:

Even more for less. Yay 

I will be removing mine and paying those who give me good service.

Ditto

If me and three geezers chose to sit at Playmakers during the game, and play pinochle while sipping from our Yeti cups, what of it?  I see no difference in occupying a Playmakers chair or a Solarium chair.  If the rest of the pinochle gang is otherwise occupied by wife or grandkid duty, I'll give up the card table, and do crosswords at the bar.  So I just happened to be sitting in one of the best seats on the boat for watching the game, how is that different from any other chair hog, except that I happen to be sitting in it rather than holding it with a pool towel and a paperback.

... and yes, when we're hungry we will definitely walk over for free pizza, one of us will remain at the table with the Yeti cups and face-down hands.  No it doesn't "irk" the servers.  They get paid no matter what, and they also get part of the pre-paid "gratuities" - we've already tipped the waiters before we ever got on the boat.  Think of all the pool attendants not serving drinks to the loungers occupied by pool towels.  If that bothered them, they would be much more proactive about clearing the chairs.  At least we will be sitting in ours.

525 points = 

1 year + 5 months + 1 week sleeping onboard in my 2F studio balcony cabin (@ $225/day = $120,000 what I booked my Jan 2024 AN trip for)

OR

5 months + 3 weeks all by myself in a Junior Suite (@$370/day = 65,000, cheapest Jr Suite I could find)

If pineapples ever get important enough to me so I'd eat in the MDR for half a year I could consider it.  But they'd better add a lot more variety to the menu.

Solo traveler tip -- the Studio Interior cabins are almost never listed on RCI's web site.  A phone call to RCI, or a good travel agent can see availability for them.

Solo traveling for a family vacation?  Yes I want my own cabin all to myself.  I love my family, but I also like my "alone time".  Obviously @smokeybandit you are one of the "Happily Married" crowd, you don't have the context to understand.

3 if you booked the cabin as solo and sailed as solo.

2 if you booked the cabin with cabin mate(s) or with an anonymous person to get the lower fare, and sailed solo.

Just one more means of keeping the hoi polloi from the haut monde.

On 10/8/2023 at 8:35 AM, fenton04 said:

To get to Tel Aviv international airport you have to travel nest to the West Bank.  The West Bank!

No.

To get to Tel Aviv, you also have to travel next to the Mediterranean.

Just now, reallyitsmema said:

Is that authorization hold only on prepaid cards?  I have never seen a hold larger than what I have charged and it clears within a couple of days.

I really don't know.  I only discovered it myself a couple days ago.  It definitely was not there when I used pre-paid cards a year ago, or 2 years ago.

19 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I'm confused how you are "out" $500.  Why not just pay $2500 with the prepaid card(s), then pay the other $500 with other credit/debit card(s)?

13 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

If I understand correctly, you're not "out" any money.  You can still use that money for groceries, gas, and other things you use in your everyday life.

Of course you are both correct.  I can use the small remainders on the cards at a later date.  I just have to wait until the hold expires.  My disappointment with the new policy is the inconvenience of many small pre-paid balances remaining, and the 30 day loan to RCI.  

It's not something I will "fix", as I have already simply made the final payment.  I'll have 6 inconvenient reminders of the experience in the coming months as I use up the prepaid cards, but other than that, I'm done with it.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:28 PM, Advanced Diver said:

Just to clarify you don't go to an optician for prescription lenses for a dive mask. I'm not sure if they are actually able to produce the correct tempered lenses to the correct shape. Rather you get your prescription and the Dive mask manufacturer will supply the lenses for their dive mask (at extra significant expense of course). Not all masks will take replacement prescription lenses (have to be two separate lenses for instance).

I'd like to address this mis-conception.  Yes a dive manufacturer will accept your prescription, and sell you a custom mask.  Yes, you will pay "at extra significant expense of course".  I didn't include that option, because quite a number of optical suppliers will sell replacement mask lenses with precision prescription optical lenses bonded to correctly fitting flat glass mask lenses.  This bypasses the middleman.  This is also how cost conscious spectacle wearers buy glasses.  Purchase a frame (mask?) from a quality source, have an optician (not an optometrist) grind and install a lens blank.

I am approaching final payment date for my 18 Jan 2024 AN sailing.

I proceeded with my previous years practice of collecting my credit card Rewards as prepaid VISA cards.

I can no longer charge $500 on a $500 gift card.  RCI now places a 120% "Authorization Hold" on credit card payments.  That hold will remain in place for what appears to be 30 days after the charge is processed.  Result:  only $416.66 of the $500 can be applied to the cruise fare.  The remaining $86.34 will be unusable until the "Authorization Hold" expires.

I'm in a nice fix, instead of paying off my cruise fare with $3000 in pre-paid cards, I can only apply $2500.  The remaining $500 will have to be spent otherwise, and in small amounts.  I have to use "real money" to pay for the remainder of my vacation.

Before my friends here pop in with advice to e-mail Mr. Bailey, I've already done so -- and received replies from several offices.  Yes, I am out-of-luck.  Had this 120% policy been better publicized, I would have used the pre-paid cards earlier, and been able to make 2 charges  per card, and only been out ~$80 instead of the $500 by making the first payment at least 7 weeks prior to final payment.  

I refuse to start my much needed vacation off with moaning about a bad experience, so I'll simply be making my final payment, and saving the pre-paid cards for fun elsewhere.