GB Chicago

We just got off the ship on Saturday and everything was perfect.  I’m so sorry for the folks on board.  If it helps at all the crew is amazing as is the ship so try and just enjoy what you can and have a great cruise!

The drivers and road conditions in St. Thomas are not for the faint of heart!

On 11/23/2021 at 10:53 AM, Sensenigr said:

I'm happy to hear that you are excited.  I know that they did do some theme nights; however, I'm not sure what the themes were.  I think I was engaged in theater shows and comedy shows when they were going on, and I did not attend....  Have a great time!

According to the funtimes posted by SaintGregTravel it looks like the only theme night on the Mardi Gras is a tiki party.

I am always the first one up and about!  Typically I grab my ipad and coffee on Lido and find a comfy place to watch the sunrise.  I discovered SaintGregtravel on these boards doing my Mardi Gras research for our January cruise and he post all the funtimes!  He also has an awesome blog.  For food on sea days it doesn't look like anything opens until 7:30am  or 8 (buffet) but on port days depending how early the ship is in port.  Guy's Pig and Anchor opens first at 6 on early port days followed by Lido buffet at 6:30.  Another hint, Java Blue opens early too.  It is a buy up but included in the Cheers program.  Looks like fitness center opens at 7. 

Fantastic review, thank you!  The Jan 2nd sailing is our first cruise after 9 reschedules and i am definitely getting excited!  Did they do an 80's and white night?

17 hours ago, topaz123 said:

Did you try CORTRANS for the shuttle, we have used them many times back and forth ....never a problem for us.

I read their reviews and just booked with them.  Thanks!

37 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Have you searched/asked on the Florida Departures board here?  EM

I did.  That is where I found out how terrible the local shuttle companies were.

We are really struggling finding a shuttle from Port Canaveral to MCO after our cruise.  The shuttle company reviews there are awful and renting a car for two of us seems like a pain.  Has anyone taken the Carnival bus option lately?

I would like to use our OBC for the Cheers package.  I believe if you buy ahead of your cruise you get a 10% discount.  But, I don't think you can use your OBC to buy the Cheers package this way.  Can someone please confirm?

I tried to search for the answer but came up empty handed so sorry if this has been addressed.

I have had five cruises cancel during the pandemic.  All before final pay.  We always got the FCC for the deposit and the $600 OBC.  Earlier in the year they were requiring us to pay a new deposit instead of applying the canceled cruise deposit to the new booking.  This last go around they applied so we didn't have to put any more money down.  I'm keeping the faith and a whole lot of patience!

Well that helps me understand it better so thank you!  But it still seems odd to me as the fee was added to the October final pay.  So if no final pay......?

I did wait until Carnival canceled the October cruise.  Then my TA used the link to book the new cruise and I have the $600 FCC to prove that.

This just doesn't seem right!  We moved our cruise in October by a week and understood we would have a $50 per person change fee applied to final payment.  Obviously both cruises were canceled.  We had $250 deposited on the October cruise and when we rebooked to April they deducted the $100 combined change fee from our ($250 deposit) credit applied to the new cruise.  Does this seem fair?  I was happy to pay for the cruise I changed but how can I still owe that money on a cruise they canceled (although I appreciate not by their choice).  Looking for advice from my friends at CC - is this worth the effort to appeal?

Finally got our refund for our April cruise.  7 weeks to the day from TA cancel notice.  Chase took 5 days to post.  The deposit was split into two payments that didn't match but together equaled the right amount.  

4 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

For anyone still having problems with it I called and got it figured out. If you have multiple bookings on your account it's having problems and you have to do it without being logged in. You need to log out of carnival. Scroll down to the very bottom and under "Already Booked" click "Organizer Access." Put in your booking number, last name, OK. That will take you into your booking and you'll have the discount when you add cheers to your cart.

Brilliant!  thank you so much!  I've been trying for two days.  I called Carnival and they said not everyone qualified and apparently I didn't.  Tried this and YES!  

1 hour ago, khewston said:

I know the Legend was doing a 9 day from New York on May 25 and that is showing anymore.

I'm wondering about the August Legend cruise out of Barcelona as well.  First it has to get to Europe of course and there are no Legend cruise options out there for Europe until 2021.  I hope they tell us before the final pay in May.  Impossible to put that money down knowing what is going on in Europe for us.  

Hilarious!!!!  I needed this.  April 19th I'll be in the hillbilly hot tub my husband put together in the backyard toasting the squirrels tipping over my birdfeeder.....  far cry from my first RCL cruise on Harmony!

What does one do if they don't book anything on Coco Cay?  We are 10 weeks out and the beach club is already sold out.  On the Disney and Carnival islands we always walked a bit down the beach and just chilled in the free chairs.  This island seems enormous so advice on a nice spot on the beach would be great.  We won't be "lugging" kids so it's fine to walk a bit.  Thank you!!!!

Thank you so much for the excellent advice.  I'm 31 cruises in on Carnival and researching like crazy for my first RC on the Harmony in April.  I'm really having trouble navigating the RC site to answer simple questions so I'll start here.  Can we take a small power strip onboard like we can on carnival? 

Do they have a wine package for purchase of several bottles during the cruise - not the all inclusive beverage package? 

What amenities are in a balcony cabin?  Robe, shampoo and conditioner?  

Thanks again for taking the time to post such an excellent comparison!

12 hours ago, twangster said:

One thing to try as you sample any other cruise line for the first time is to put yourself right back to that very first cruise you ever took.  Remember that awesome feeling walking on a ship for the first time ever?

 

As seasoned cruisers it's easy to have that air about us... " I'm an experienced cruiser, I'm no rookie, I know the routine".  

 

The night before the cruise keep telling yourself  "I've never cruised before, this is my first cruise ever".  Then with your memory wiped of all your bad habits and preconceptions,  when you walk on that strange ship it will be like the first time all over again.  That's a pretty cool experience.  

I love that thought!  Everyone has provided such great tips.  Half the fun has been all the research!

Thank you everyone for the awesome advice!  I will definitely have an open mind and am actually really excited to try something different.  Couple of other questions.  

Excursions - I've really counted on member reviews to figure out which excursion I'd like to try.  I stay with the cruise lines offerings because I've heard to many horror stories around making it back to the ship on time, weather canceling ports, etc.  What I can't find on the RCL site is any member reviews on the excursions - am I missing the link?

Individual drink menu prices - it's hard to figure out if the drink package is worth it without knowing how much a glass of wine costs.  On Carnival, almost every bar has the same drink menu with the same price (varies a bit but mostly the same).  Does RCL do the same?  Does anyone have a picture of the menu?

Again, thanks all for helping this RCL newbie!

I am so excited for my upcoming April  Harmony of the Seas cruise.  I am a pro on Carnival - Platinum status - totally spoiled.  So here goes with my questions.  Help please!

1. Embarkation - We have noon on our boarding pass although I have read we can get there as early as 10:15 in Orlando and they don't enforce the set time like Carnival.  True?

2.  Dinners - Do we really need to pay for all those specialty restaurants or will we be happy in the main dining room?  Have done both on Carnival and I'm usually fine in MDR.

3.  Wine package - does RCL have a separate multi bottle purchase package?  Does anyone have the link?

4.  Unlimited drink package - boy I have read a lot of posts on the "sale" price pre cruise.  I don't think we will drink enough to make it worth $61 a day.  Does anyone have the link to the drink prices?

5.  Any other Carnival/RCL cruise tips on the difference between lines would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Thanks from a hopefully converted RCL Cruiser!

Can you confirm the name of the house band and piano bar player?  We will be on her in two weeks!

I have been cruising low carbs for years and unlike other vacations we take I don't usually gain anything!  Another low carb trick (not sure if they qualify as Keto so apologies here):

For lunch I head to the salad bar on the Lido and fill will lettuce, veggies and sometimes sesame seeds.  Add some ranch on the side.  Then if it's not too crowded I head to the deli and ask for a scoop of tuna on top of the salad.  I've also been known to take the salad to the Cantina and ask for a load of shrimp and chicken too.  That way I'm not tempted to eat the bowl!

Actually I meant the Miracle!  Sensation was Havana!