txbirddog

How are the mattresses? 

I've been following your thread here with great interest. As a PC Member since 2012, I find it very disturbing as to the behavior of some.

 

Back when the level was created (January 21, 2011), it was just another level in C&A. But, during the course of the year, the Charter PC Members (those that had 100+ cruise credits prior to the conversion) were not happy with their benefits because they were only getting what D+ were getting and nothing special. RCI, again, created a level and but never thought out the logistics of the level.

 

Most of the PC Members are very nice but then there are those select few PC Members that believe that they are "entitled" to all the benefits because they paid to become Pinnacle. Nobody held a gun to their head and made them cruise on RCI.

 

RCI's biggest mistake was when they told PC Members that they would be issued Gold SeaPass Cards and be entitled to Suite Privileges. This was back on November 11, 2011 when the email was sent out.

 

So, now "entitlement" comes into the picture and it has escalated above and beyond what RCI expected and which was pretty evident on the recent President's Cruise. Everyone wants to be Pinnacle because they have reached the top............it reminds me of high school where Seniors ruled!!

 

Cruising is a choice of vacation. The number of cruises that one does is also a choice. Cabin selection is a choice and should be all benefits should be honored.

 

RCI created a monster when they decided to create Pinnacle Club. And the sooner they realize it and do something about it, the better cruising will become for everyone.

Just off our first and last President’s Cruise. We were in a suite. We chose to pay dearly for it.

Tried to enjoy the Suite Lounge ( perks we paid for) and actually had PC cruisers tell us to get out of the chairs we were sitting in because they were “their seats” because that’s where they always sit. It was like sitting in the elderly people’s pew at church. Entitled rude behavior all week.

We watched an elderly woman scrape all the desserts off the trays in the suite lounge into a to go container. I did utter “seriously??” under my breath at which point she said F you to me. All righty then. Don’t think my grandmother has ever uttered that word in public but whatever. She really wanted all those desserts I guess.

Never again will we pay the price of a small car to experience such bad behavior and to be treated like dirt by fellow passengers. Staff was amazing.

We were there on a much needed vacation. We were there to have fun. A few bad apples did spoil the whole bunch.

We did meet two very nice PC at dinner one night but that was it. The SL was a total nightmare - never again.

Cruise number 21 will probably be on a different line just to see if the grass is greener.

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Haven't had In and Out, but have tried Whataburger 3x...I really gave it a fair shake since moving to TX 2 years ago, it's a step above other fast food, but Five Guys wins taste by a big mile. Is Johnny Rockets better than Five Guys? Only then will I pay for a burger.

Not even remotely as good as Five Guys. No comparison whatsoever.

Hi everyone, we will be on Freedom sailing from San Juan in April 2019. Flights to SJU has gotten so expensive. Considering flying in the day of cruise arriving around noon (direct flight from NYC). I normally wouldn’t do this but since the cruise doesn’t depart til 8pm this seems ok to me. A part of me is hesitating though. Anyone with experience doing this?

 

 

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I kind of feel the same way about this that I do trip insurance - always go in day before and always have trip insurance. We don’t cruise any other way. One small airplane mechanical or crew issue and you could miss your cruise. If later flights are booked full, you may not get there for days. Just not worth the stress or the risk.

Thank you for the review! We are booked on the Harmony in November, with one CP balcony 10177 and a connecting inside 10175 for the kids. We were nervous about the location with so many on here not liking them but now I can't wait to see it all!

We just booked those exact rooms for our family. Come back on post an update after your cruise and let us know how that unique setup worked for you. Thanks!

Okay, got a scenario for you. 2 weeks ago, I booked a Bungalow for November... or at least I THOUGHT I did. Was randomly playing with my reservation, and noticed I have a OV Deluxe Cabana instead. A couple of things come to mind. I booked the Bungalow because I wanted the bungalow. We like being on that side of the island, like the SHALLOW water when the tide goes out. If I've read things correctly, some of the main differences are: Bungalow has a small menu for lunch, which is delivered to you, whereas the Cabanas have an upgraded buffett; Restrooms are convenient to Bungalows, not so much for the Cabanas? Is there a shuttle to the Cabanas? Which has the closest bar?

 

 

 

Since their website is crap, I had to call to book, and did so during a sale... I'm guessing they wouldn't honor the sale price if I tried to switch to a Bungalow? That would mean I only paid $10 more for a Cabana.

 

 

 

Please help me see the bright side to a Cabana. I know, I sound spoiled, but DD really wanted the Bungalow, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth trying to talk her into giving a Cabana a try.

Keep the Cabana! They are great.

Royal Caribbean's beds when pushed together are 72.5” wide by 82” long.

Thank you very much!

We just arrived home from the Harmony and I will say you have to really try to have a bad time on a cruise. I have been on the Allure before so there wasn't much difference. All 8 of us had a great time with a few minor complaints:

 

 

 

1. The bed was the most uncomfortable bed at sea.

 

2. When you have a port day in St Kitts and everyone gets back on the ship at 3:30 please leave the Windjammer open or at least half. Everyone came back on the ship starving and the food options were limited. I understand they have to turn it over for dinner but turn over half and leave the other half open.

 

3. I guess the signs in the Solarium that said no children didn't pertain to everyone or people can't read!

 

4. Please make an edible hamburger that I don't have to pay extra for.

 

 

 

Other than that it was a wonderful week and the staff was extremely nice.

Is the bed more of a Queen size or an actual King size?

Target has them on sale and I can get it in a suitcase. Not taking any chances.. Your review just made my mind up - I’m for sure bringing my own mattress topper. Thanks for the info.

We are booked on a Crown Loft Suite on the Harmony of the Seas. We have a few questions surrounding the Sky Suite in terms of benefits and gratuities.

 

We have seen the list of benefits on RCCL that list out 7 benefits and then says ... and more. Expedia lists out much more than RCCL. What are the full list of benefits of the Sky Suites.

 

Also, gratuities. Obviously there is the $17.50 pp per day which we have now pre paid. I’ve read those tips don’t go to certain people that help in the suite and those are tipped separately. How much should we tip them?

 

Thank you!

 

 

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It’s a lovely suite and is very quiet and private. We always tip our cabin steward extra because it’s a large two story room. I think we’ve left an extra $50-75 for her. Can’t remember exactly. Service has always been exceptional.

Having access to the suite lounge seconds from your door is a treat and the servers there really take great care of you. We tip ($1-2)with each drink ordered whether alcoholic or not, even if we are just grabbing bottled waters for the day. We also give the concierge a tip at the end of the week regardless of how much they did for us. ($50-100) It’s not huge but decent. They will make all your reservations or change them - really quite helpful. Just ask them for anything you may need. They are very accommodating.

The suite lounge provides very nice appetizers during happy hour and the quality is great. Coastal Kitchen has nice food, good breakfast in a quiet atmosphere with great views. We usually leave a little cash on the table.

In the mornings, we bring Yeti coffee cups from home ( so coffee stays really hot) and fill them with coffee from the lounge to enjoy on our balcony.

Take advantage of the suite sun deck and bar. Quiet, comfortable and relaxing. We tip that bartender a little extra with each drink. ($1-2) Every tip whether small or not are always so appreciated.

We have found a great source of “intel” comes from talking to nice people in the suite lounge at happy hour. Due to table arrangements, you may be have to sit with others. It’s great fun and others are always happy to share their knowledge, just like here on this forum. A great source of knowledge!

We always bring an envelope with small bills in it so we can easily take care of porters etc. we try to anticipate those things and plan ahead.

We both worked in service industries through college and grad schools. We look at tipping differently than some as we lived off tips during those years. We worked hard and so we can relate and appreciate those who work in service industries. We’ve rarely had bad service on Royal. You will find the RCCL servers are warm and hard working and most appreciative of any kind of extra tip.

Enjoy yourself and your nice cabin.

And PS, the bed is firm so if you prefer a softer mattress, plan accordingly.

Cheers!

Just had a flashback regarding Memorex and a wine glass....

 

 

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It was more like a loud pop then a very slow cracking... [emoji23] just a very odd, bizarre, unusual thing. No one had ever seen anything like that happen. Like I said RCCL handled it so well. People under our room on their balcony were a tad taken back!

Omg! What caused that ! Frightens me just looking at that. Worry enough about kids being on the balcony when we cruise

 

 

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A very very loud clap of thunder off in the distance actually. Vibrations and tight glass I guess. Crew was fabulous and took care of us. Just a weird fluke of a thing. Officers had never seen it happen before. RCCL was great.

We were sitting on the balcony when it happened having a glass of wine. Never knew I could move that fast.

It was not our most favorite deck. GS on the hump. Some noise. Distant thunder shattered the glass on our balcony.

Depends. Some posters will have six people in their cabin. We will have four in ours.

And, these star class cabins often go for more than $4K PP.

More like $6,000 pp....

There was a thread on this about on month ago:

 

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2584470&highlight=genie+tips

 

 

 

Don't forget, you'll still need to consider your steward, etc.

Thanks! Not a ton of great info but it appears $100 a night is what some have done.

My thanks to both of you. Exactly the type of information I was looking for. It's both good and bad news.

 

The Good. One of the things my wife is looking forward to is a more casual and relaxing dining experience. I'll bet we have all our dinners on the balcony.

 

The Bad. I'll need to budget more for Star Class cruises.

First Star class next year. Just curious - rough ballpark estimate how much $ for genie’s tip for 7 days? Not trying to pry but would like an idea.

If it's booking for 3 and showing up with 4 it's not an issue as with 3 they assign you to a table for 4. If you are 2 and show up with 3 it may cause issues as they have assigned you a table for 2 now have to come up with a table for 4.

 

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I just had this situation arise. We wanted to purchase the 5 night specialty dining package. There are 10 of us, 4 are under 8. RC rep told me I needed to buy 10 adult priced packages in order to guarantee we could all get seats. I was told if I only bought 6 adult packages they could not guarantee the children could be added to dining reservations due to seating limitations. They said we would get a credit ( back on our credit card, not an Onboard credit) for the children once onboard. Children should have been $50 each for 5 nights but I had to pay adult pricing of $230 each to guarantee seats. So RC keeps alot of my money until we are onboard. It was the seat guarantee thing that got me.

Seems like a flawed system.

During our Oasis 7 dayEastern Carribean jaunt next month It's likelythat we will be shopping for a "nice" piece of jewelry - for the Mrs.It's also likely that I will be digging my heels in and the Mrs. will purchaseanyway. Are there any opinions about where to shop? Better pricing on the shipin one of the duty free shops or at local shops on the islands?

 

Girsh at Ballerina Jewelers. Very reputable, excellent prices. Have used them for over 25 years.

Anyone have know a ballpark as to when they add the bungalows to the cruise planner so they can be booked 500/400/300/200 days before cruise?

Our family is sailing in one year and we have our cabanas booked. I just looked at booking one for a cruise in 6 months and there is nothing yet. No common sense to it. Just keep looking.

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Hey there! We are scheduled to sail to Labadee, and I was looking to reserve a bungalow on Labadee. When I go to the Labadee page, it says the price is per bungalow. So our family of 3 would pay one price for the bungalow, which seems reasonable.

 

 

 

But when I go to select the bungalow, and select the guests who will be on the reservation I am charged the same price for each person. So while it looks like the price will be $263 per bungalow, we are charged $263 per person.

 

 

 

Is that correct? If not, how do we resolve this?

Just enter 1 person. The cost is per Bungalow, not per person. I think you can bring up to 6 people - maybe 8 to your bungalow. You’ll get wrist bands for your family. Total cost would be $263. At least that’s how we’ve done it. A great purchase! Enjoy.

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We are booked on Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas for next year, leaving on Mother's Day. We've been watching drink package pricing. It has been showing as 40% off, total $50 plus 18%, and 20% off, total $50 plus 18%. I realize the full price fluctuates, but was wondering if the final price is always $50 (until boarding), or if it ever goes below that price?

We paid $43 a couple weeks ago.

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Curtains, we bought one from the dollar store and brought it with us, at least it was a new curtain that was clinging to us!

I’m thinking if I have to bring my own shower curtain on a cruise that costs thousands, it’s time to change ships! [emoji3] Just saying.

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Thank you!

There will be 10 of us with all the luggage you can imagine going from a WDW hotel to PC. Has anybody had a positive experience with a particular company transporting that many people and their stuff?

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This is a BIG ship...if it's rough enough to "feel movement", you'll feel it everywhere. You'll be fine!

Boardwalk balcony was too noisy for us. We were on deck 9 at the back of ship. Never again. We did not feel movement. We prefer the Central Park balcony due to it being quiet.

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Friends just booked a GS on that cruise and got a very good deal.

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