johnjen

On 5/21/2022 at 11:29 PM, Ptroxx said:

Here we go again Lolol.  
 

I’m retired.   I wear what I want.  
I always get the guys saying man wish I could wear that.  
But my wife would kill me. Lololol 
but I do enjoy seeing others dress up.  

Pic from my alaska cruise. Lol 

 

 

Nice gag....would be a good laugh for us to see this on formal night....unless it's a halloween formal😁

14 hours ago, vjmatty said:

This is the description of the Coffee Card in the Cruise Planner:

 

”Indulge in your favorite brews any time of day with a card that entitles you to any 15 specialty espresso-based coffees throughout your vacation, all for one low price. Start the morning off right with a macchiato or latte and reenergize your afternoons with iced coffee or an espresso, then finish your meal with a cappuccino. Or enjoy your favorite cup of joe any time you'd like and save up to 50% on individually purchased coffees.”

 

I understand the 15 specialty coffees, but what’s the last part about? 50% off individually purchased coffees after you’ve used your punches, or some other paid type of coffee that isn’t the free swill in the WJ?

It's bad technical writing. They'd have been better off just leaving that last sentence out.

16 hours ago, SG65CB said:

Carry on a small bag with your Chef's Table clothes?

I wouldn't go that far. Dressup for first day sailing dinner days shouldn't be an additional stress.

13 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

but folks including me want to know what they need the $40 for in the first place. 

I mean the ship pays the port taxes on behalf of every passenger.  

My rough guess is, maybe they were hit bad - tourism wise, with the pandemic and their trying to make up for the loss in monetary gains from the tourism they missed out on.

7 minutes ago, dream2cruise said:

How dressy do we need to be at Chef's Table if we book it for Day 1?  Would we get our luggage in time to change into nice clothes?  We are on Enchantment of the Seas out of Baltimore in November with a 4 pm departure.  Chef's Table is at 6:30 pm.

 

Thanks!

If you don't manage to get your luggage on time, just go to Chef's Table and have a great time. It happened to us before on Brilliance Day 1 out of Barcelona; no worries because a few guests were in the same status (shorts, Tshirts, etc).

21 hours ago, shorehaven said:

 

Most Lloyds Pharmacy branches In UK do proctored tests at the chosen pharmacy for GBP 29.00.

Well THIS is outstanding info because there IS a Lloyd's pharm located at Rothesay Isle of Bute (where I am going next month to visit dad). I will look into this for our pre-covid Rapid test going back stateside. THANKS!

3 hours ago, BND said:

 They could have just billed the cruise line and Royal could have just added it to the cost of the cruise and people still would have booked and paid it.

Exactly. This would've been the easiest solution, but maybe there's legal ramifications that prevent the line from doing this (what I would call) a perfect solution!

19 hours ago, rolloman said:

Good for you that you have been on 4 recent cruises... obviously not a record by any stretch of the imagination... however, some people save their whole lives to go on one cruise...costs add up and I am confident most don't appreciate cheerleading for other countries to create tax through various means like as Bermuda has. Anyway good for you...how awesome is it that you have the ability to scoff at rising prices and throw shade on those who as you say should probably "rethink" their idea of going on a single cruise...(eye roll)

 

Send them on one of OUR past med cruises for six or more months on a carrier pulling 12 on, 12 off shifts including weekends. It would drastically change morale😁

On 5/21/2022 at 12:02 PM, BND said:

Geez guys I am just the messenger.  Take it up with Bermuda.

Not at all, we all appreciate this wonderul news and thanks....you know how it goes in here, you could post a pic of a rock and the resident geologists would bicker whether or not it's metamorphic or sedimentary!

On 5/21/2022 at 11:36 AM, Biker19 said:

Most folks were probably thinking the $40 fee went away with that title.  

What?? The thought NEVER crossed MY mind😁

On 5/21/2022 at 12:24 PM, Charles4515 said:

The $40 for the TA is in their annual budget that ends April 2023. They also have contracted it out so while the TA may be further modified I suspect it will continue until 2023. 

Yep. If we had known this TA nonsense and forking out cash for Bermuda, we'd have booked another cruise. That, and we've seen Bermuda several other times. This July, we will just stay on board and enjoy the partially empty ship whilst docked.

On 5/21/2022 at 11:45 AM, BND said:

$40 is not a big deal.

Not to you, perhaps. Send me some money, LOL

On 5/2/2022 at 3:10 PM, Ellemill said:

This is great news! Does anyone know if we can use these to fly back into the US on American Airlines? 

Originally, I was going to test via TAC from Glasgow Airport the day before we fly back from Scotland next month, but that service is 55 UK pounds (just shy of about $70) but instead, I verified that yes, these tests also can be used for testing back to the United States for all of us returning. But, the ONLY THING you'll ALSO need is a RELIABLE wi-fi at whatever hotel you're staying at. I'm rolling with the company the OP posted....huge thanks to OP!

 

Sad, but these eventualities happen with ships. Empress was impressive the first time I saw her. She was sailing past my ship USS Charleston (LKA-113) one day down the James River heading out to sea from downtown Norfolk. I was working on one of our 35' whip antennas. "I'm going to sail on that one day" I told my fellow crewmember, as Empress sailed by us. 

Years later, I did, fulfilled my dreams.

I've looked at the so-called "benefits" of "the key" and never really noticed much advantage to it except for the cruise line making extra money. 

Best wishes to the OP on the cruise and I hope that you gain satisfaction from spending the extra money on this program (please let us all know how it goes).

On 5/20/2022 at 11:32 AM, irishgal432 said:

We would just normally split up in the security line so no questions.  My daughter and her bf went and they were in 2 different rooms so they were allowed 4 bottles, they went through together and was stopped and told they would have to leave their extra 2 bottles.  Port people would not listen to them saying they were in 2 different rooms, until a supervisor came over and looked at the set sail passes.  So they do check.

Interesting strategy. Thanks.

28 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Plus, they could each put two in their checked luggage as well.

For us, naaahhh....we were called to the naughty room. Caught red handed!

2 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

I think we are going to try this on our next cruise.  I've never had wine in my carry-on inspected - just "checked off the list".  I am very good at playing dumb, and my wife drinks cheap wine, so if we have to give up any, we'll leave hers behind.  

Same here. I'd play dumb if caught, saying, "oh, I thought it was two per guest, just go ahead and keep the other two in the naughty room for us" even if they outright confiscate - hey, that's someone drinking it who probably needed it more than we did.

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

That's because de facto it kinda is since the port personnel very rarely deny anyone above the policy allowance.

 

Biker, who is waiting for someone to chime in with the exception.

And, if you really think about it, how would they know anyway? One has 2 bottles in their carry-on; the other partner has 2 in their carry-on.

On 5/15/2022 at 8:47 AM, FlorenceItaly said:

Lesson to ALL - Pack your own test for self testing.  If negative, no need to get cruise line involved.  Do not throw package in trash can.   Repack in own suitcase.

This is the best tip on the thread.

On 5/15/2022 at 7:09 AM, Biker19 said:

OTOH, if you had nothing planned on a sea day (or working from the cabin anyway) and RCI will pro rate a refund for the isolation day (and give you Stream).......

That's what I'm saying too. They better pro-rate isolated people. Imagine paying for a grand suite and isolated in an OV or inside cabin....hey. It's pro-rate me time!

On 5/15/2022 at 7:06 AM, tallnthensome said:

Sorry but That's what you get for calling the doctor on board for a runny nose. I wouldn't have told them anything. If I tested negative to board and am vaccinated then I'm not telling anyone anything else on board that I have a runny nose. If the result is  being quarantined for a full day for nothing and testing negative  then that just solidifies my approach. If my leg falls off I may call them. 

Cheers to that....we're the same!

We already do this anyway. I always assumed it was two per person - so it's two per cabin? ooops!

13 hours ago, brillohead said:

I think I may know what you're thinking of.  

For people with a cash account, they can take cash out in the casino and charge it to their room without a "convenience fee".  If you have a credit card account, they charge something like 5% for cash withdrawals in the casino.

The way around that is to use a slot machine to transfer money to the machine from your room, then cash out the ticket and take that to the cashier for cash.  I do this because I cruise multiple consecutive cruises in a row, and this way I don't have to bring an inordinate amount of cash with me -- I just use the slot machine as an ATM, then pay off my credit card balance when it's due.  Bonus is that I end up getting rewards (points/cash back) for my credit card charge!

 

Regardless of if the casino cash withdrawal is what you're thinking of or not, there's still no reason to call them.  There is no charge to use a credit card for your onboard account.  

Thanks, this seals the answer to the question I was looking for! Yes. Given the situation with double points using the BOA card, I'm in for a credit account on the cruise for July. We probably won't dig in on the card since we have $500 in points already, and I am going to redeem more shortly. We don't do drink packages. Will see how long these points last us, haha. 

Last question. Say, at the end of the cruise, we have $40 left in credit. Do they apply that back on the card, or pay me the remainder in cash?

17 hours ago, cured said:

It has nothing to do with people not wanting to work. That is a political line being used to make one side angry.  It has everything to do with better jobs being available, leaving nobody for the crap paying jobs.

 

It is an employee's market right now.

Spot on. Because, all of a sudden post-pandemic, the job market is WIDE OPEN for higher paying jobs and those that used to work at lower paying jobs are getting employed into the higher paying jobs that are, understandably, vacant due to the covid period we all endured. But, only temporarily (well, hopefully).