CruiseWendy

On 2/3/2020 at 5:04 PM, Ukigirl said:

I’m amused by some of the dumb things people have said to me when they found out I’m taking a solo cruise. I’m happily married, hubby and I have gone on at least a dozen cruises so I’m very comfortable with RCL ships. Because of his work schedule he has limited vacation days , most of those will be used for a back to back in November but my office will be closed for a couple weeks in March.  I brought up the idea of my bucket list which includes a solo cruise and he has no problem with me going.  I’m an introvert, love alone time so looking forward to being a big girl by flying to Fort Lauderdale, staying overnight and getting on that ship all by myself (been married for 32 years). Just want to chill by the pool with my books, eat when I want to and basically do whatever I want and this a big deal for me.  If I want to talk to other people I will, if I don’t then that’s just fine too. Well, told some members of my family and friends and got so many comments, everything from “aren’t you scared for your safety “, “what are people on the ship going to think when they see you by yourself “, “you will be eating alone?” and my absolute favorite “is everything ok with your marriage??”  I’ve read a lot of threads on Solo cruises, I’m a smart woman who can take care of myself and yet I still can’t believe those comments. Yeah should have kept my mouth shut. Sorry for the long rant 🙄

Don’t worry about others. Those that can’t enjoy life alone have other issues. You do you which is fabulous!

I asked this question last year and received the same responses you are. "Back in the day" your tips were for your cabin steward, waiter, headwaiter etc and envelopes were given to you to tip directly. We no longer eat in the main dining room, ever, so I was under the impression we could have those tips removed from our auto-gratuities. Why should I tip someone that I'm not receiving the service from, right? I think if RCCL did a better job of stating these auto-gratuities get divided up amongst the crew as a whole more people would keep them on. I now leave the auto-grats as is. 

Has anyone actually received an upgrade when bidding on a sold out cruise? 

I'm a fan of getting there at 10:30, pack a book, swim suit, order a drink, get lunch before the crowds. etc. I don't need to get to my stateroom right away. Vacation begins earlier and the crowds are less.

The cabanas sell out quickly so the likelihood there will be any available on board is slim to none. Plus as they get closer to being sold out the prices skyrocket. I was there in July (Harmony) and there are plenty of chairs and umbrellas to go around. Unless you’re going to get one in the water park with a large group of people (cabana comes with 6 passes) to me it’s not worth it. 

Fyi-We were 15 minutes to the slides after opening (8:30 am) and Devils tower was already a 40 minute wait. An hour later it was up to over two hours long. But that’s just for Devils tower. My kiddo was able to hope between slides with minimal wait. Do the largest one first and then do the others. 

What are the chances that all 8 of you will be in the cabana at the same time? Most have said on this board they were too busy enjoying the sites to get the real use out of it.  Became a place to hold towels. 

I had two excursions cancelled on my cruise last month, all due to weather. Luck of the draw really!

Avoid deck 4, the running deck is on deck 5. I made this mistake once on a cruise, never again.

I vote for the extra bathroom whenever possible 🙂

I've had hit or misses with concierges. Some I've never talked to, others really didn't do much for me except direct me to someone else where I expected them to take care of it. I've never had them walk around the lounge to chat, they just sit at the desk waiting for you to come. If you use them and they are exceptional go for it, if you don't use them then a tip isn't warranted.

14 minutes ago, mafig said:

I was just going to ask this.

I was wondering if the sports court was used at night or if it was quieter and more peaceful then.  Guess not.  Is there a time that they are allowed to  start in the morning …. or is it "whenever."?

 

I was reading a review recently where they recommended getting a rear facing CL, but to get one that was not directly in the middle.  That if it's toward the sides there's more of a water view.  If this is correct, are those balconies smaller in size than the middle CLs?  

The hours for the sports court are listed as 8am-11pm but there’s nothing preventing people from using them off hours. I’m in 1754 and love it!  

I am currently sailing on Harmony in a side facing CLS. We use our balcony a lot (currently having breakfast in my jammies 😊). The privacy is important to us plus as we’ve seen the last few nights the sports court is used quite a bit and late into the night. Too much noise and lack of privacy for me. 

9 minutes ago, cello56 said:

 

But it is not just about YOUR daughter and what she wants. It is also about the fact the 14 year olds in the club might not want to have an 11 year old in their club. It's a TEEN club. Not a teen plus 11 year olds who think they belong there. 

Ah, so your comment wasn't about her safety with 14 year old boys but being shunned for her age. Gotcha. I don't raise my kid to feel the need to "belong" anywhere. Age on a piece of paper does not directly correlate to mental age during this time of development for boys or girls. She reads/comprehends at an 9th grade level, is two years ahead in math grade level and is taller than most 14 year olds. She belongs with kids that she has things in common with which has always equated to older children. Again, every kid is different.

2 hours ago, cello56 said:

 

I don't understand why you would want your 11 year old girl in the clubs with 14 year old boys? 

Fair Question. Depends on the kiddo and or the parent. She already attends school and classes with 14 year olds. Also, she has low tolerance for BS and drama. If she doesn't like it she simply walks away. I don't need to "protect" her from anything that might happen in the club. I have rules for every situation. She can handle herself. 

We've asked in the past for my kiddo to move up in clubs (she was shy by 2 months) and we were emphatically told no. Based on some of these comments I'm going to ask this Sunday while on Harmony. Yay...two days away.  She's 11. 

I've done two Alaska cruises (live in Seattle) and 13 Caribbean Cruises. Honestly it's all up to the weather and conditions. One Alaska Cruise there were 20' waves and the captain stayed inland. We had to skip Hubbard Glacier 😞 I've been in the Caribbean where it's been the same as well. Although in the Caribbean the cruise captains have more area to avoid bad weather. This past December we had to divert to Labadee instead of Cozumel due to a freak storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Alaska is stunning...worth it. Get a room mid ship, low, some sea sickness bands (my favorite) and the ship will have Dramamine patches if need be.

If you're price conscious I guess I can understand the concern. But it's like comparing the stay at a two star resort to a 4-5 star resort and expecting the price and amenities to be the same. Unfortunately price is not the one and only factor for comparison. 

I'm a fan of Junior suites especially if you have more than two people in the cabin. Gives you a noticeably more space so you don't feel on-top of one another. 

For the cruise I am leaving on this Sunday (Harmony) my TA was able to find several discounts that weren't posted on the RCCL website when I was checking prices. It was a slew of Emerald benefits as well as discounts they had access to. They were not advertised. I always use a TA. It's their job to find you the best deal and walk you through any questions you may have, free to you. 

"All guests 4 years of age and older must pay for entrance in Thrill Waterpark. All guests under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult." I purchased a ticket as my 11 year old is going to ride the waterslides but I will not be. I leave in 6 days. I'll see what happens!

11 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

Right, because hotel sites do an excellent job of showing you the refundable and non-refundable options. RC's website does not.

Mock Booking on RCCL Website: Shows it pretty clearly.

Moral of the story, make sure you verify before and after deposit if your booking is refundable or not and what the cancellation terms are. I just booked a hotel room and chose the refundable higher price instead of the cheaper non-refundable price. 

I've submitted in the past what I thought was a quality photo and when I got to check in they said it wasn't good enough. They had to take a new one. So I just don't bother uploading a photo anymore.

I have gotten this error before. If you are using an auto-fill program, don't. Put the CC # in by manually and it should work.

Thank you for posting this as a lesson learned. No one person or situation is perfect (although some on here seem to think so) and these things happen. We experienced issues with the Arcade in our December cruise. It would charge our card even though the games were out of service or not working properly. I appreciate the heads up and what to look for!

We have been cruising with our daughter since she was 18 months. At the age of your kid it comes down to what kind of vacation it will be for the adults. Disney is much more geared towards have all in the party enjoy the entertainment and you are at their schedule which doesn't necessarily match up with an infant.  With a cruise you can fit your free time around the little and get a real vacation out of it. Enjoy!