jcc1025

On 2/1/2022 at 3:32 PM, fredmdcruisers said:

Cost?

We always go in the day before and spend the night, the last time a one-way trip for four including tax and gratuities was about $280. We use the ship shuttle bus service to return to the airport. 

Would agree, Iowa would be your best bet. They share a parking lot and if you don't do that you would need to Urber or cab to other location. Queen Mary is closed at this time. They have a nice Aquarium and marina area is nice but would require a drive. 

Sailed on Independence out of Galveston in August. On the Navigator test cruise in Nov. and will be back on Navigator in May. Always felt safer on the ships than I did on land. 

My wife always sleeps with a fan and we have a small portable one we take on our cruises. It small enoght to fit in our luggage and have never had any issues. 

Yes, I cruised in August from Galveston and then a simulated cruise in November out of LA. In both cases I felt safer on the ships than I did on shore. I do think I would be more careful on ports excursions than I was in the past. We are scheduled for the end of Feburary and are not concerned. We both have the shots and the bosters so that plays into our vote. 

On 12/16/2021 at 12:46 AM, SNJCruisers said:

It's been reported that they do on RCI and more than likely will do so on NCL when they return to Galveston with the Prima. NCL offers it out of NYC as well, unlike Carnival.

We have sailed out of Galveston several times on RCCL, most reciently in August. Their drink package has always been  availibe  as soon we got on board with with the limited selection determined by the Texas laws. Once you clear Texas space on sail out they open up the full bar. I have heard its a question as to if the cruise line is willing to pay the Texas tax. 

17 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I have seen this also but didn't know if it was the bartender's jar or a pooled jar.

As I understood it the jar is pooled for the people working in that bar for that week. The tips added to the sea pass receipts are pooled amoung all the bar workers on the ship for that week. 

I use the drink package and do add a doller sometimes at my favorite bars. If I have a bartender that I like and have gotten to know, on the last day of the cruise I will stop by and give them some cash. I had a bartender tell me that tips that go through the terminal are pooled for all the bartenders since its not fare to those who have less popular bars, and they move to different bars on each new week. She said for the cash tips they received the pool them for the specific bar and when I tipped her I did see her put it in a jar for the bar. The bar is a team and they have to work together and so share tips, it is part of that business model and works well. 

Have done this a few times and at first it did not appear until the final due date for payment. But the last one we did was about three weeks after we applied. The process is a little more automated now so maybe that makes it easier to see it sooner. 

7 hours ago, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

We called this morning and the agent at RCI stated that we cannot get off the ship in Cozumel, Costa Maya, or Roatan without an RCI shore excursion.  But this is NOT what the website says.  Is the agent confused or am I?

 

Things with the pandemic are changing so fast, I can't keep up.  All information is appreciated.  

 

 

We sailed in August and you could get off if vaccinated. We had our 7 year old unvaccinated grandson and they the would not let him off unless he was part of an approved excursion. We were on the simulated cruise out of LA in December and everyone had to be vaccinated and you could get off. There were very few passengers and you had to be vaccinated on both cruises if you were over 12. Conditions can change but in Roatan and Cozumel if you were vaccinated you could get off without a RCI excursion. 

5 hours ago, comfy_critters276 said:

For those of you who have tried El Loco Fresh on board, did you like it and if so, which items were good?  Also, anyone know if the Escape Room closed? I don't see it mentioned on the cruise compasses AJ has posted.

We were on the simuplation cruise for Navigator last month and love the changes to the ship. El Loco Fresh is a taco bar by the pool and was great. We had chicken tacos and nachos. The Escape Room was not open for the test cruise. We did both new specialy resturantes and they were also great. Can't wait until we get back on for a full cruise. Enjoy. 

On 12/1/2021 at 1:20 PM, sunnydaysmile said:

Wish they would send me the invite.  How long is this cruise?

 

We did the simulated cruise on Navigator out of LA and it was two days's. Fun time and interesting to sail on a ship with about 350 passengers. Don't think I would pay to fly to take it but we did have people on board. Think I would save the air fare for a long cruise. 

We sailed out of Galveston and they were checking what we showed them against a data base and it appeared they could scan the QR code that you get from the state. We also live in CA and have the codes but did not at that point. We sailed in Dec. on the simulated crurise out of LA and while we had our hard copy it did appear that they could use the QR code from the state as proof. Like others have said I would print of copy of that form to be sure but think you will be fine. 

Glad that we have our 7 year old grandson vaccinated, he sailed with us on August prior to the shots being offered and it was a challenge. This will make the trip so much easier. 

We were on a cruise in August and on a simulated cruise in LA a couple of weeks ago. In both cases the Windjammer was served by the crew and it worked well. I also don't like a lot and it was easy to get what ever size portion you wanted. I have seen a few situlations where people were reach in with fingers to serve themselves without using the tongs and even if they kept the food if a crew member saw it they would remove the entire tray and discard it, and this was before covid so I have no problem with them serving passengers. I know it is not everyone but like lots of thing it is the few minority people who don't follow the rules that in up costing everyone. 

We purchaced the test a week before our cruise. Got it in three day and took it on line the day before our cruise and it worked great. 

We love watching the Quest. We were on a cruise in August and on a simulation cruise this month. My guess is that the Quest will not return in our lifetime. Fun while it lasted but the ships are really set up differnent now and I don't see that changing for some time. While we missed the Quest, th  cruises were still great and if it doesn't come back we can live whithout it. 

We also took the PCR test at CVS on a Thrusday for a Sunday cruise (three day window back then) and got the results back on Friday. May be different depending on the state and number of test they have to process. 

We did this a couple of weeks ago. Of course you have to pay and in our state a test is free but we got invited to a simulated cruise and only had a week to get the test that was to be completed two days prior to the cruise. I ordered the test and we completed it on line. It was easy and we got the results back at once. We had a three day window in August on our regular cruise out of Galvestion and did the test through CVS and it also worked great. If, in your area you can get the rapid test within the window that would be the less expensive choise. If you don't want that hassle or are not able to get a appoitment in your area the RCCL Abbott lab test is also good but has a cost associated with it. 

We sailed on the first revenu cruise out of Galveston on August 18th. We had an 11am boarding and when we got there we saw a number of people outside and they were waiting for boarding because they got there early and were not allowed into the terminal until their time. Being the first crusise they were following every rule and depending on your time and the number of people who try to get in earlier than their time you might have to wait. The check in process is more time concuming that prior cruies and so they are trying to control the backups and crowds within the terminal. 

3 hours ago, zekekelso said:

Hoping to get a question in before we get shut down...

 

Anyone know if a booster shot can lead to a false positive test? I know you can’t actually get the disease itself from a shot, but what about the tests - I got a cruse coming up and don’t want to do anything that would cause me to test positive and miss the boat. 

We just got off the simulated Navigator cruise on Wed.. We had gotten the booster five days prior to sailing. We took our test on Sat., three days after the booster. No problems. At check in the nice man was a little confused by the multiple shot dates on our card since it looked like our last shot was only five days prior, but they were in training and not sure how many booster passengers they had seen. Once we showed him or original shots were in Feb. everything was fine. 

We just got off the simuplated cruise for Navigator of the Seas and had this condition. We decided to try the Royal options through Abbott labs at home. Did have to pay for it and it took a couple of days to get the package. Then you go on line and do the test. It worked well and took about 30 minutes. In the future we will use CVS as we used them for a cruise in August and got the test back in time. At this point where we live the testing options over a weekend were very busy and why we just decided to try the other option. We don't think the time is out of quetsion under the current conditions in our area. We are going back on the second week of December and will use CVS. Happy sailing to all. 

We are on the simulation cruise in LA this week and have a two day window over the weekend to get a negitive test, looked at the options but with only two day was worried about getting the test results  since so many people are getting tested her. RCCL site has an at home test that they accept and you can purchage it throgh the web site. Is not free but it was so convieniet and you get the results back in 15 minues on line so we are using it. We are using it tomorrow for a Monday cruise and will let you know how it works. 

3 hours ago, vcmds said:

My husband and I have been on several cruises but only Carnival and Holland America.  I have a few Royal Caribbean questions.

 

1.  When the itinerary says we would sail from Los Angeles, does that really mean San Pedro?  Is it better to fly into LAX or Long Beach?  Even though we live in Northern California and could easily fly the morning of the cruise, I'm a nervous traveler and don't want to risk the chance of a flight delay due to fog.  I would prefer flying in the day before.  Are there hotels with transportation to the port the morning of departure?  Where do you usually stay?  On debarkation day, does RCCL offer bus transportation back to the airport, or does everyone grab a taxi or Uber?

 

2.  I love to eat, and part of the fun for me on cruises is trying new foods.  I was so disappointed last time with Carnival's new American Table (or whatever it was called).  I don't need gourmet meals, but are the choices in the main dining room something other than steak or grilled chicken?

 

3.  We are scoping out RCCL in anticipation of a large family/friends trip in 2023.  Has anyone sailed in both the virtual balcony and interior promenade view rooms?  Which did you prefer?   Or if you've sailed in only one of those, what are the pros and cons?   I'm paying for all of my kids and grandkids, so we won't be sailing in balcony rooms!

 

4.  Are muster drills usually handled efficiently?  I've had good and bad experiences, and I'm just curious.  

 

5.  As a stockholder of Carnival, I get cruise credit on board the ship.  Does RCCL offer the same benefit?

 

I appreciate all answers.

 

 

We live in Long Beach and the differnece in airports is now much traffic you want to endure and the scheduled times. LB may be a little more expensive but is not crowed and a short drive to the San Pedro pier. We avoid LAX at all cost so its just how much of a hassle do you want to face. 

We took the first cruise out of Galveston in Auguest. We both agree that we felt safer with the way the ship handled the safety issues than we did no land. For all the bad press they got they may be the safer place on the planet to be right now. We are going back in Feb.