orkaren1

This just happened to my son.  He paid his cruise off a couple of days ago and when he got the final receipt he noticed his C&A number was not on the receipt.  He called on Friiday to have that taken care of with no problem.  Today he got an email with a receipt that had the C&A number but also said he had a balance due of $150 for travel progection (which he never purchased).  He was able to call and have it removed and was really lucky he caught it since his final payment date is tomorrow.  He really would have been upset if  Royal cancelled his cruise because of a mistake they made.

2 hours ago, PMGS247 said:

 

This seems like it is probably answering a question I had in my head, I just want to confirm.  I am new to RCI, first cruise on Oasis next May.  I got the UDP and I'm familiar at a high level that reservations had to be made on board and it's good to do so as soon as possible once you board. 

 

As I've never cruised with RCI before, in my mind I'm envisioning boarding the ship and finding my way immediately to some long line at a guest service counter or something to make the reservations.  In this post you mention going to any of the specialty restaurants and they can make all reservations for you.  Pretty much my first goal on boarding the ship will be to line up dining & show reservations.  Is this how you'd recommend handling reservations once on board?  Just walk into any specialty restaurant and ask to make reservations for the week?  Are they open early in the day on embarkation day to handle this?  Thanks!

You can and should do your show reservations online prior to the cruise.  As for UDP reservations it is my understanding from speaking to a cruise representative and reading the CC boards that you can go to any specialty restaurant upon boarding and make all the reservations for the cruise.  Also if you are traveling with other people in different cabins one person can make the dinner reservations as long as that person knows all the other room numbers.  We are doing UDP on Harmony for the first time in October so I will have a better idea of how it works after that.  

16 hours ago, cb at sea said:

Generally, HC cabins are NOT avail. to the public, until a certain time.  If they haven't been booked, they will release them to the public.  If you book it, and it becomes needed, they are likely to move you....but most HC folks will book WELL in advance.  If the cabin is open for booking, it's not a crime.

Actually the accessible rooms are available for anyone to book from the time the cruise goes on the website.  If you book an accessible room ( and have never done so before) you are asked to complete the form with details about your needs, however someone could just fill out the form and fill in whatever information they want to whether it is factual or not.  Businesses are legally not permitted to ask details about disabilities and just have to hope people are truthful when booking an accessible room or completing the form.  Once someone books an accessible room there is really no way the business could ask someone who didn't need it to move to another room because they cannot ask for details about disabilities.

This happens with hotels as well as cruises.  We recently talked to someone who told us they always ask for an accessible hotel room (no one in their family is disabled) just because they like the extra room.  My husband also needs to use the family/companion restrooms when we are at parks, traveling, etc. and there are very few of these available.  You would be surprised at how many times we see people going into these restrooms alone  just because they want the extra room to change clothes or want some "extra privacy".

22 minutes ago, gadaboutgal said:

Why would you opine that people book accessible rooms just to store their scooters?Scooter users are generally handicapped in their ability to walk; this may not be as extreme as other's but it is still a handicap.

I am not saying scooter users don't have issues with mobility or only book the accessible rooms to store the scooters. I am just saying some scooter users do not need the roll in shower, lower sink, raised toilet seat, etc. that many wheelchair dependent people absolutely must have.  What i meant was that if people just need their scooters because they have difficulty walking distances then it would be nice if the cruiselines could provide a storage place for scooters outside of the standard rooms.  Before my husband's illness progressed he used a walker and then transitioned to a scooter and a manual wheelchair.  Even using those things we just booked a standard room and made due with the equipment storage issues because we did not want to take an accessible  room from someone who might not be able to cruise without the accessible room features.. He now has progressed to having lost use of all his extremities (progressive neurological disease) and needs the wider door for his power wheelchair and the roll in shower if he wants to bathe during the cruise.  If anyone  requires some of the special apaptive facilities in an accessible room for whatever reason, by all means they should be able to book them.  It is just very frustrating to not be able to book an accessible room and find that someone who really didn't require the adaptive equipment got the room.  This has happened to us in hotels and cruises.  

9 hours ago, Bem15963 said:

EASCAPE ROOM:

 

One of the activities I signed up for and recommend you sign up for as soon as it comes out on the Cruise Planner was the Escape Room.  It sells out quickly and is so hard to get on the ship.

When I first told the kids I got a lot of groans and especially when they found out we weren't alone but with a group.  When we got to the place..... Adventure Ocean lobby... there were two groups of people.  One group with reservations and one without.  Obviously the ones without weren't happy when they were told they could not go in.  They argued they were told they didn't need reservations by guest services.    They went away headed right back to guest services to voice their displeasure. They take you  into some back hallways and you enter into this room with all kinds of gadgets on the wall.  I think we were a group of about 14.  I believe it was three families.  You have a staff member who starts the game and then stays with you to observe and to discretely help when you might need it and I do mean discretely.  

when asked for a team leader no one volunteered until you guessed it the extrovert did.  She was the one who groaned the most when told we were going here.  You watch a short "story" video to introduce the quest and then you are left to figure it out,   It was NOT easy,  but I was amazed at how a group of people who didn't know each other broke into smaller groups and worked the room all at the same time.  This activity makes you step out of your comfort zone of working with complete strangers and to think way out side the box to solve the puzzle but it was SOOOO much fun.  All three of my kids loved it and would do it again on the next cruise. Disclaimer - I signed all of us up on the cruise planner and as I said my grandson is 12 - when we got their the sign said no one under 14 ... we didn't say anything and they didn't ask although they did swipe sea passes.

How far before the cruise did the Escape Room show up on the cruise planner?  We are sailing in October and don't see it yet but we really want to sign up.  Thanks

Please, please, please don't book an accessible room unless you absolutely need one. My husband is a quadriplegic and cannot cruise if there is not an accessible room available He must have the roll in shower, raised toilet seat, and wider door for his wheelchair. The accessible rooms make up only about 2% of the total rooms on a ship, so we book at least 14-18 months out from when we want to cruise.  We can not take advantage of any specials or deals that are closer to sailing because there are rarely if ever any accessible rooms available.  

I know people want the accessible rooms since they like the room to store their scooter.  My feeling is if this is the only reason someone wants an accessible room they should not be allowed to get them unless the rooms are still available after final payment date.  Maybe someday the cruiselines will add a few more accessible rooms or come up with a space where people could store their scooter outside of the room.  Until then please be considerate of more severly disabled people that might need an accessible room and can't sail without one.

19 hours ago, Dat Cruisin Couple said:

 

I hope you have a beach wheelchair. We had a cabana last month and the sand was real tough to move through(I have mobility issues and had major troubles).Also some of the new cabanas don't have steps.Ours didn't and getting up to the platform was challenging - even for the cabana attendant.

 

I would call special needs and the excursion desk and let them know, hopefully they can reserve a wheelchair and give you a cabana close to the the tram drops you off. 

 

Good news is there is a tram that drops you off 50 feet away from the cabana area.

 

Good luck, Enjoy!

Thanks for the info.  From what I have read there are some beach wheelchairs provided.  We have two strong, young men in our group so lifting my husband into the cabana should not be too much trouble.  I have sent an email with other questions to special needs department and am waiting for a reply. If I don't hear from them soon I will go ahead and call.  I am sure we can make it work somehow and are looking forward to our day at Coco Cay.

We booked a Chill Island Cabana for $435 for our Harmony cruise in October.  We have 5 adults (one in a wheelchair) and 2 young children so I think it will be worth it to have a shady spot to relax.  Last time I checked they were charging $1200 for them so I'm glad I booked early.

I live in central Florida and am retired so I could be very flexible with dates.  Unfortunately my husband must have an accessible cabin so we have to book about 18n months in advance to make sure we get an accessible room.

We did a similar wine tasting experience a couple of years ago on Oasis.  It was in one of the dining rooms but during the day when the dining rooms were closed so it was very quiet.  We tasted several different wines with cheese pairings for each one.  It was very well presented and we learned quite a bit as well.   I noticed they have a wines around the world tasting on our upcoming Harmony cruise and we are planning on doing that since we had such a good experience on the Oasis experience.

Does anyone know if there are any companion or family restrooms on Coco Cay? My husband is wheelchair dependant and needs assistance in the restroom but still wants to spend the day on Coco Cay with the rest of the family.  Thanks!

1 hour ago, SilkySal said:

If you'd like to join our informal roll call for your October 20 cruise on Harmony, just click on the thread below and join the conversation! Don't forget to register for the free on-board Meet & Mingle by clicking on the site on our roll call! Hope to see you on-board!

I made all of our dining reservations on-line. We have MTD. You can make your specialty restaurant reservations on-line or after you get on board. If you wait until you board, you may not get the time you prefer.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2476700-october-20-2019-harmony-of-the-seas-really-early-roll-call/page/24/?tab=comments#comment-57733678

 

Thanks for the link to the roll call.  .  We probably won't join in the meet and mingle because we will be with family and grandchildren but  I always love to read the roll call comments.

As far as the dining reservations, from everything I have read it doesn't look like we can make reservations with the UDP until after we are on board.  Hopefully we will be able to get most everything we want.  We are really looking forward to this cruise.

1 hour ago, cruisinfromtampa said:

 

I had everything planned out. The first thing we did once we were on board was take care of food. We went straight up to Jamie’s on Deck 8, and had zero wait to make them. We were able to get everything we wanted, within 15 minutes of our desired times. It worked out beautifully!

Thanks so much. I think we will try to do the same.  I was thinking about maybe going to Sabor for embarkation day lunch if it is included in the UDP and then doing our dinner reservations there at the same time.

Going on Harmony in October with the UDP.  Were you able to make all your dining reservations prior to the cruise or do you just have everything planned out so you are ready to make the reservations once you are onboard?  Have a great cruise.

15 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Real-time conversation is scary for some and time consuming for most all.

I don't have an aversion or fear to calling and will do that whenever necessary.  I actually did call regarding accessible room availability for this cruise and got someone who told me all the accessible rooms were sold out but they could offer some suggestions on getting adaptable equipment in a non-accessible room.  That is useful for many people and the offer was considerate. Unfortunately my husband uses a power wheelchair and it won't fit through the door of a regular room.

4 hours ago, molly361 said:

There was an accessible one available a couple of hours ago

There wasn't anything available when I checked earlier.  When I originally entered the info for an accessible cabin it looked like there was one available but when I actually clicked on it to purchase it said there weren't any more accessible cabins available but I could call.  This seems to happen a lot, I thick there is something for us but in reality it is just a bait and switch.  Really frustrating.

Sounds like a good deal but unfortunately my husband is wheelchair dependant and needs an accessible room  There are never any accessible rooms available for the great last minute deals.  We need to book at least 14--18 months ahead in order to get an accessible room.  It is frustrating to see good deals and not be able to take advantage of them like most people.

Why is the airplane out of bounds?

1 hour ago, twodaywonder said:

Both Park n Cruise Port Canaveral and Park n Go in Ft. Lauderdale handle ADA excellent. They just need to know beforehand. Park n Cruise you usually park you car unless they are full up. Park n Go parks you car.

The place we had an issue in Miami was a Park n Go and I called to ask about an accessible shuttle before I booked.  They told me they did have an accessible shuttle but when we got there they said they never had anything but would "find a way to make it work".  Perhaps the Park n Go at Ft. Lauderdale is better.  It was just very frustrating and scary knowing how someone could have gotten injured.  

3 hours ago, twodaywonder said:

Miami is a totally different story for off site parking. I would not do it in Miami. Port Canaveral and Port Everglades off site parking is totally different and very safe.

They may be safe but all off site parking seems to not be very compliant with ADA requirements and accessibility.

I always park at the port because of a horrible experience with off site parking in Miami.  My husband is in a wheelchair and prior to parking at this place I inquired if they had a wheelchair accessible shuttle and was told they did. The alarms should have gone off when I pulled into the lot and they said they did not have any handicap spaces and they would park the car.  We unloaded and they took the car and then we waited for the promised accessible shuttle.  After waiting 20 minutes in the sun and asking several employees they finally admitted they did not have an accessible shuttle.  We ended up with my son and son in law carrying my husband up stairs into the shuttle and down again at the port.  Maybe not all off site lots are like this but I won't take a chance again.  No discount is worth it.  Needless to say I did report the lot for non compliance with ADA requirements.

Thanks!

Hi, we will be sailing Harmony in October.  On what day was the chocolate buffet and was it for dinner only or for lunch?  Also was there any notification in the cruise planner or did you just find it when you went to the WJ?  I"m sure my grandchildren would love to see this.

We will be sailing on Harmony of the Seas on October 20 this year.  Just a couple of questions for anyone regarding the UDP and the escape room

1.  I know we will be randomly assigned a time and venue for dinner the first night with the UDP.  When do we find out what time and venue we are given? Also if we are not happy with the random assignment can we change it for the first night?

2. Were and when can you make your dinner reservations for the rest of the week?  Can it be done at any specialty restaurant or is there a specific place it needs to be done?

3. From reading other forums it seems like we can use the UDP at Izumi Hibachi but not order sushi.  Could we do the hibachi side one night and the sushi part of Izumi as dinner another night?

4.  We are sailing with several family members under different reservations but we will all be getting the UDP.  We would all like to eat together every night and our reservations are linked in the cruise planner.  When we make our dining reservations onboard can one person take care of making the reservations for everyone or does one person from each room need to be part of the reservation process onboard?

5. Finally the escape room question - will this show up sometime on the cruise planner to be booked ahead of time or can it only be booked onboard?

Thanks for any information anyone can give me.

19 hours ago, annnmarie said:

I am a frequent RCCL cruiser who usually does not purchase dining packages, usually only single reservations after boarding. However, I am curious about how those who have tried the new "unlimited" plan on RCCL, the plan that also includes lunches, found it to be ? I have three upcoming RCCL cruises before the end of 2019, but so far have found it is NOT offered on any of my ships/itineraries. Have been told this is only available on 7 day cruises and "a few" 5 day itineraries. Is this true ? Can anyone tell me WHICH ships offer this ? So far, no land based agent, nor direct booking with RCCL have been able to tell me which ships offer this new plan ! Told "you need to book and then go to my cruise planning page where it will show you if your ship offers this plan. I'd like to know which ships offer it so I could book one of them just to try this new plan ! Which CC friends out there have tried it ? Pros ? Any cons (such as not able to get reservations ?)

We are sailing a 7 night cruise on Harmony and purchased the Ultimate Dining package during the black Friday sale.  They automatically changed it to the Unlimited package when the plan was changed and they said we now have Izumi hibachi included.  I do note on the cruise planner that the Unlimited Plan is a little hard to find.  You have to look at the dining screen and then go all the way to the bottom of the list, past the shorter packages and past the reservations for individual restaurants.  The Unlimited package was all the way at the bottom of the dining reservations screen.