tj_shopper

Yep we normally do get group rates that are refundable. I think the two cruises I am looking at she does not have group rates for. That's a shame because there will probably be a bunch of us going to Asia. We did the Mediterranean cruise last May with 34 people and we're going on the Alaskan cruise next week with 33 people.

Thanks @smokeybandit and @mets123. I do have a very good travel agent. She always gets back to me via email within a couple of hours, if not faster any day of the week. I've been emailing with her on the prices so I do know it's pretty current. I'll probably email her again when I get on the ship to see how the prices have change; however, like @mets123mentioned, I can always reprice if the prices go down. The question is, if I reprice, do I get to keep my OBC? I also don't know whether to book refundable or non-refundable. I normally book refundable but the price difference on these two cruises, especially the 12 days to Asia is vastly higher on the refundable. I always get travel insurance so I think there is no need to get refundable unless I think there is a chance that I might want to change the dates of travel. Decisions, decisions.

We will be cruising on Radiance of the Seas on May 24th. I have two cruises picked out that I'm currently thinking about booking - one 7 day cruise on Harmony in December 2024 and a 12 night cruise in January 2026 on Celebrity Soltice. I've been reading some advantages of booking on Next Cruise - lower deposits and maybe perks like additional OBC. We normally book a balcony for my husband and me and oceanview for my daughters. Can anyone tell me if we should book while on our cruise or just do it at home? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

We are a group of 33 friends and family that will be traveling on Radiance of the Seas on May 24th. We arrive to Juneau on Sunday, May 26th. After calling multiple agencies, we finally decided to rent vans and drive to Mendenhall Glacier ourselves. We are renting one 15 passenger van, one 11 passenger van and one 7 passenger mini van from Juneau Car Rental. Total cost split among 33 of us was about $30 per person. We tried to book three 11 passenger vans, but they did not have three available; thus the 15, 11 and 7 passenger vans lol. It is a bit of a hassle though as the 7 passenger van will be at the cruise port area ready for us; however, we would need to drive the 7 passenger van to their airport location to pick up the 15 passenger and 11 passenger vans. A lot of time wasted driving to the airport to pick up the vans, then back to the cruise port to pick up everyone, and then drive to the Glacier. When we're done, we'll have to do the same. They do have a shuttle to bring the drivers of the three vans back to the cruise port when we are done. Luckily our cruise is in Juneau all day from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. so we have plenty of time going back and forth. Hope this helps.

Wow! This is exactly the type of information I need. I've never used my Sapphire Reserve points for anything other than Southwest because that's really all I know how to use them for. We are over one year out on this trip so I will continue to save up my points for my husband and me. Currently I have over 90,000 miles on my Chase Sapphire Reserve. Thank you so much for this information! I need time to process all the good information here and will probably come back with some questions. Have a great day!

I hear you. I am 59 and my husband is 62. Luckily we are relatively small people, but flying long distance cramped in economy does take it's toll. I flew 10 years from Chicago to Hong Kong direct on United's economy. The 15 hour flight was one of the worst flights. After 9 hours, I just wanted off. I tried walking up and down the aisle but it really didn't help. Once we figure out the dates, I'm going to start researching the cost of the flights. I really don't have a clue how much more it would cost to go from Economy, to Economy Plus to Business Class. First class is definitely out of my league. Thanks for your thoughts.

I've mostly flown U.S. airlines. I've never flown Asian airlines - I guess time to check them out. Also, check the price difference. Thanks for everyone's suggestions and strategies! This has been very helpful and I've taken many notes.

Thank you - all great suggestions.

So very true. I really don't like layovers but just thought this might be the time to do it to break up the monotony. A friend recommended doing a 5 hour layover in Japan and use the lounge to take a shower during this time to freshen up. I have Chase Sapphire Reserve so we could do that - we never use this benefit - maybe it's time to try this. Thanks.

Thank you. Great information. Love this forum!

Thanks for this info. For sure, I will be checking out SEATGURU dot COM. I feel like this is going to be one trip we can't go cheap on for the flights. The flight will set the tone for the whole vacation. Now, just to convince my better half.

Thank you - very helpful. We're going to Alaska in a few weeks and that will be a cake walk compared to this.

Yes, I experienced this on my Aerlingus flight to Ireland. It was awful. I don't know if it was my seat but I had no room at all. The guy in front of me could care less when I asked if he can not recline all the way back. On the flight from Ireland to Milan, it was much better. I felt like I had more leg room. This really gives me anxiety thinking about the long flight to Asia.

Yes! My daughter bought that pillow for our trip to Portugal. I borrowed it on the trip home. It did work okay and I initially really liked it. However, I guess I’m not used to sleeping like that - leaning forward. I ended up getting a headache and wanted to sleep sitting back but then my head kept falling sideways. I might have to try it again if I don’t have any other options. By the way, it’s collapsible. If I recall my daughter blew it up like a balloon.

I have not traveled to Asia because of the long fight. However, it is on my bucket list. I just don't know how I'm going to handle this. I guess I'll have to check out the difference in pricing for Premium Economy. Thanks!

I'm thinking about doing one of the Asia cruises going from Hong Kong to Singapore or vice versa. I live in Illinois. The flight to Hong Kong is about 15 hours. How have you handled long flights like this? I am not inclined to go business class or first class and I don't have any points to use lol. I've also seen those neck pillows and wondering if that helps or if they are just gimmicky items. Let me know what you've done on long flights sitting in Economy. Also, if there is a flight that splits up the time? Flying to California would only relieve about 4 hours. Looking forward to hearing suggestions. Thank you in advance.

Where do we purchase the pass? There is a group (34) of us that are not doing a tour. There are some that will take the bus, rent a car, get a cab or I've heard of the blue bus. thanks in advance.

Thank you for that tidbit because I thought we would definitely have to purchase a pass to use the bathroom.

If all that is free, what do we pay for? Is it to go into the Visiter's Center? Is that a must see? Can we skip that? We just probably want to do the hike and see Nugget Falls. Thanks.

We will be on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas on 5/24/2024 embarking in Seward. Our ship does not leave until 8:00 p.m. We will be checking in at 12:30 p.m. We'd like to drop off our luggage, check in, have lunch, find our room and then head back out to explore Seward. Does anyone know if Royal Caribbean will allow us to do that? My travel agent sent me this link https://www.seward.com/cruise-guest-info/#:~:text=EMBARKATION %26 DISEMBARKATION&text=Because the town is so,baggage in the cruise terminal. It's not from RC and I could not find anything from RC that says we could or could not do this. Anyone have first hand knowledge or have done this before? Thanks in advance.

I never thought about using my flat iron. I think I will give that a try on something that needs a quick touchup. Thanks!

Thank you! Nice to hear about other's experience. I won't be purchasing this lol.

Probably right. I didn't know where to ask lol. Thanks!

Anyone ever hear of the Nori Press Steam Iron https://nori.co/? It looks like a hair flat iron but you use it on your clothes. I know it's been discussed over and over again that Royal Caribbean does not allow irons or steamers on the cruise ships. However, this Nori press steam iron is a game changer and it looks and feels just like a hair flat iron. Has anyone bought one on the cruise with them and has it been confiscated? Just wanted too know if there are other options out there for people like me who hates wrinkle clothes and the Downy spray and shower steamer does not work for me. Thanks.

We are cruising in May and we have booked with Major Marine and spending the night at Harbor 360. So looking forward to this!