Shak
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Posts posted by Shak
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I was wondering when and why did the Empress ended up in Europe? As I read Royal suspended operations Mar 13 and the last roll call I see before this date was March 7 for a 7 day Caribbean cruise. The Empress next scheduled cruise is Nov 22 for a 6 day Caribbean cruise again.
Shak
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Royal Caribbean attempted to buy NCL at one time but for whatever reason it didn’t happen.
Shak
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I missed my favorite Royal Caribbean cookie so I found a recipe to satisfy my craving until I sail again next year. My favorite RCI cookie is the coconut cookie they have on the buffet. After searching Royal Caribbean coconut cookie i discovered they are called Ranger Cookie. They were as good or better than the original.
Shak
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Last month we were on a transatlantic cruise and DW got sick. She was treated for pneumonia by the ships doctors. The bill for her treatments came out to $7000. Yes $7 grand went on our sea pass card! Fortunately our cruise insurance reimbursed us in full.
Shak
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8 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:
Shak, who are those last four responses directed towards? This is a thread about Ocean Blue/seafood.
Anyone with more experience with NCL than I do. As I understand places like Ocean Blue that have a ala carte price you have to pay extra and some restaurants cost less than the price of the package.
So I guess my questions is there an advantage to booking the packages? And how do you maximize the package?
Shak
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I found this search helpful if you don't know the ship well.
Shak
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We booked all the entertainment we could as well as reservations to the main dining rooms.
What is the strategy that gives the most out of dining packages since not all are the same price.
Shak
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I am not a big beach fan so private islands have not been my favorite stops. I'll likely go ashore but I am sure I'll be back early.
Shak
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I have done a number of cruises that include warm and cool weather. Like many have said layers is the way to go.
As far a jackets go I usually take a lightweight shoulder season jacket and a rain jacket. I prefer waterproof or water resistant shoulder season jacket to down because if down gets wet your are going to be cold. It it is really cold I'll wear both jackets or one or the other depending on the weather. I also have rain pants that I take and wear them as a layer if cool.
Shak
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1 hour ago, slug33ukuk said:
Most ships have laundry rooms....pick a sea day and do your washing then.....last trip my wife washed EVERYTHING day before arriving home...just folded it all then ironed when we arrived home
Maybe most ships you sail on have self service laundry facilities but that is not true of all cruise lines. Royal Caribbean for one doesn't have self serve laundry on any ship. Cruise Critic was kind enough to list the service by cruise line. https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1614
Shak
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I have taken many long cruises and with a little planning it's not that difficult. First of all I try to limit my clothing to fabrics that are easy to care for, dry quickly, and don't wrinkle (or show it). All of those type of clothing I wash in the sink. Activewear I wash daily everything else I wear at least twice before cleaning.
I use a concentrated soap like Campsuds. A little goes a long way. I use inflatable hangers to hang up shirts on. I believe they allow shirts to dry quicker. I also bring clothespins with hooks.
Shak
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I have a prescription mouthwash too but I put them in 3oz travel containers to avoid any delays at check in. Here is the procedure from TSA.
3-1-1 Liquids Rule Exemption
TSA allows larger amounts of medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols in reasonable quantities for your trip, but you must declare them to TSA officers at the checkpoint for inspection.
Remove them from your carry-on bag to be screened separately from the rest of your belongings. You are not required to place your liquid medication in a plastic zip-top bag. If a liquid, gel, or aerosol declared as medically necessary alarms, then it may require additional screening and may not be allowed.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures
Shak
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On 11/5/2018 at 5:51 PM, EatonDoolittle said:
I know exactly what you are talking about - I have the link saved and use it for every cruise except Princess and HAL, those tags do not fit in the software program . It's nice because it prints 4 tags to a page, with your name on it. Whoever developed and posted it here did it a long time ago.
I tried several ways to be able to copy here for you, but was not successful.
An alternate is to do it as Shak described.
Adobe has some pay features, but you can use "fill and sign" for free.
I think this is the program you are talking about. I like to print them on a full page because I think they fit firmly in the holder.
http://www3.zansstuff.com/luggage-tags
Shak
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8 hours ago, cocod08 said:
I don't put them on for my flights as I fly in the day before.
Not looking to reinvent the wheel someone else here already did and I was looking to find the instructions again
If you are talking about the luggage tags for the ship I save the cruise document with luggage tags to my hard drive. I open the document to the luggage tags and one of the tools on the side are Fill and Sign. Choose that one and you can type your name on the tag.
Shak
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I can only think that not including gratuities upfront is to disguise the fact that they have the highest drink package among it competitors.
Another criticism of the program is that water and speciality coffee is not include the "Ultimate Beverage Package" as many other cruise lines offer. I really find this odd too. I would think they would want you to consume lower priced beverages.
For those that have used this program can I order a bourbon and Pellegrino water and ask them to hold the bourbon?
Shak
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Curious if the chat thing is a real store and forward messaging function, or does it only work in real time. In other words, if the other phone is off when the message (or chat request) is sent, will the phone get a message/chat notification when it comes back on.
I would think so but maybe someone from the Allure will chime in on how it actually works.
Shak
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We are sailing from Quebec next week and the temperature outlook is forecasted to be in the mid 50'sF for high and mid 40'sF for lows. Many weather apps or sites will give a 14 day outlook for the cities you are going to.
This is my third sailing from Quebec and I bring 2 jackets, one is a rain jacket and the other is what is called a shoulder season jacket. A shoulder season jacket is a lighter weight jacket with a liner. It is usually waterproof or water resistant. I judge which jacket is appropriate for each day and wear that one. If it gets really cold I will wear both. I also bring tops and bottom layers.
Shak
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Does anyone know if you can use luggage valet on a TA...from Southampton to Ft Lauderdale? It is is our first time to do a TA, we are on the Silhouette.
Thanks!!!
I am pretty sure Luggage Valet is not available on sailings that originate outside the USA.
Shak
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On the update I did yesterday for the Royal Caribbean app it says in the update "We're now actively testing our new guest-to-guest chat feature on Allure of the Seas, with this addition coming to more ships soon. Our new feature allows guests to connect with other staterooms, and freely chat with friends and family onboard."
Shak
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Sorry, that was not clear since you quoted Bob’s response concerning the IQ app. Since you didn’t mention which app, thought you meant the IQ app.
Actually I thought he was referring to the new app. I was assuming RCI when they came out with this new app they were getting rid of I Q version since it does near the same thing.
I am on the Adventure in 3 weeks so I am not sure how it will work onboard. On the app now I can see some of the daily activities by the day, it also say I will be able to track my expenses once onboard.
Shak
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
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You sure about the Royal IQ app working on Adventure? The Royal app does list Adventure as one of the supported ships. As Bob noted, pretty sure the IQ app is quantum class ships and Harmony only.
I am talking about the new Royal app not the Royal IQ.
Shak
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The Royal IQ was the predecessor app to the Royal App and only works on Quantum class ships and Hamrony.
It may not work the same as those two ships but it does work on the Adventure of the Seas. I think it works for other ship as well.
The best way to see is to download the app and sign in. The app will find your booking and list it if it is available.
The sign in was strange for me because it didn't recognize my log in for my current RCI account. I had to change my log in with the new change because RCI didn't recognize my Roadrunner address as it did in the past. I was able to sign in on the app under my old Roadrunner email address. That may be due to the fact I did have Royal IQ account with that email.
Shak
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DH and I booked an Alaska cruise on NCL for next summer. This is the first time we will have flown to a port, and our well-worn soft-sided luggage is exactly that. We're planning to check a bag each (cross-packing of course). I'm having a terrible time trying to decide if we should just replace the sofr-sided, or get hard sided instead. I know everyone has their own preference but please tell me so I can educate myself.:confused:
I am not sure how your simple question got to wheels and locks but to answer your question I would first see how much your worn bag weights. If like many older bags it may weigh more then the newer bags. As far as hard side vs soft side it is a preference. The hard side offers a bit more protection but you can pack more in a soft side because the soft side flexes. The flex can be a problem with a carry on and you exceed the carry on dimensions.
Shak
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I have PreCheck and when returning from from San Juan in June they had dogs checking the security line. I was a little taken aback when I went to the PreCheck sign and the person at that line said when the dogs are checking everyone is considered to have PreCheck. She told me to proceed to main line. I wasn't all that happy about that because the line was long but it did go fairly quickly. No one had to remove their shoes or take the liquids out of their carry on like PreCheck. The dog was stationed behind the rope at the first turn in the lane and didn't really get all that close.
Shak
Do you carry your passport off the ship?
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
There is not a real good answer to this question. If you loose your passport on shore you'll wish you left it on the ship but on the other hand if you miss the ship you'll wished you had it with you.
Another thing to consider is if the cruise line discovers you don't have your passport they may deny you entry back on the ship.
Personally I leave mine on the ship.
https://www.newsweek.com/cruise-ship-passport-lost-holiday-vacation-travel-expenses-cost-1449424
Shak