dccruisin

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

The land tour and the cruise lines are two separate entities that don’t talk to each other.  I would be really surprised if you could find anyone at the cruise line who could accomplish the switch.  Once you’re on the tour, it’s relatively easy.

That is the picture that I am getting with RCL.  The land tour people don't tell you anything until you get to their tour.  Read Cruislvr04 review of the 7B tour.  They arrived late in the day before the tour started and by the time they got there some of the excursions they would have liked to take were full by people that had arrived earlier in the day.  

Thanks everyone for your responses. 

I know we can on our own book the Wilderness tour directly via the NP vendor but that costs $144 a person.  Since we have the Historical tour via our cruise tour package (which shows a $116.25 price.)  I was trying to find out if anyone who has taken the RCL cruise tour if RCL offers an upgrade at some nominal difference in price or not before I fork out $144 a person for the wilderness tour.  

I contacted my TA and she does not show any details about the land tour except what is posted as the general information.  From what I can find, the optional excursion information is generally not available until you are on the tour.  Just looking for people's past experience. 

Thanks, Linda 

Just now, wolfie11 said:

Yes you can upgrade.  

Do you have to wait until we are on the tour or can you do it ahead of time?

1 hour ago, Coral said:

What day will you be at Denali? The road generally is not open far in May.

 

June 1 used to be the magic day but with the road closure, it maybe sooner as they are not going as far.

It will be May 28th.  I checked the NP site and they start the tours in mid-May.   Linda

We are booked on the May 17^th sailing of the RCL Radiance and taking the 7A land tour that includes Denali. 

Does anyone know if RCL offers an upgrade to the Denali Wilderness Tour from the included Denali Historical tour? 

I know there was a rock slide and the Wilderness tour only goes to mile marker 43 but still would like to take the wilderness tour. 

Also, if anyone has info, tips or experiences from the RCL tour to  Denali the information would be very appreciated. 

I have read Cruislvr04’s very detailed posting of their 7B tour in 2023 that was helpful. 

Thanks,

Linda

Just FYI.   We just took advantage of paying in full early for our Carnival Rio cruise in Feb 2025.  We paid yesterday and the 10% of the cruise price OBC shows up in our online reservation today.  I found it amusing that the additional OBC was 10% down to the penny.  No rounding to whole dollars.  Linda

Hi crew news.  Would you happen to have this type of info (links) for RCL?  I have been trying to workthrough the CC postings on Alaska.

Thanks. Linda

Not sure where the wilderness tour usually goes but there is this warning on the NP site:  An ongoing landslide at Pretty Rocks is impacting bus service. All transit buses will travel only to Mile 43 of the 92-mile long Denali Park Road.

Elsewhere it says all buses including tour buses can only go to mile marker 43.  So not sure what we will see.  We are on RCL's 7A tour from the May 17th out of Vancouver.  I am trying to find out more info also on our land portion.

Linda 

Thank you so much for this detailed review.  We will be going the opposite direction in May, 7A tour.  The info about meals on the train is very helpful.  

Linda 

After taking kids to Disneyworld no meal prices shock me.  🙂

13 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

If you log into your account on Azamara, then click on upcoming cruises, then click on Manage my Reservation for the Rio cruise you should be able to see the excursion. Scroll down to excursions then look for the paper/pencil icon on the right. Click on it and the excursions for your cruise should come up.

I did that and so far there are no excursions posted.  The cruise isn't until Feb. 2025, 18 months away, so Azamara may not have lined up any excursions yet.  So if someone has the flyer for the Rio Carnaval excursion I would be interested in seeing it.   

Linda

14 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Don’t forget if you buy the Indulgence package you get another $700 OBC. Azamara are already selling tickets to the Rio Carnival in 2024. I know because I (along with quite a few others) got an email from Azamara advertising them, even though I’m not on any South America cruises!

I didn’t look at the price, but they won’t be cheap!

 

Thanks Grandma for the info. 

If anyone happens to have the flyer for the 2024 Rio Carnaval tickets I would be interested in seeing, especially the prices.  I know even buying tickets directly from a dealer in Rio the tickets for 2024 are from $100 for the cheap seats to more than $600 a person for good seats.  So I can image the cruise excursion would be quite expensive. 

And we have 11 ports on this cruise.  We have been quite awhile to indulge in going to Rio for Carnaval. Panama goes nuts at Carnaval time, and we have been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans but Rio takes the cake. 

Linda 

51 minutes ago, federalexpress said:

I can concur with Grandma Cruising that I could not (and I assume this is still the case) buy the Indulgence package until I got on board, unless I paid with my own money. Given. like you I wanted to use my OBC for the package, that meant I had to wait until getting onboard.

 

The only problem this causes is on excursions. There was one I wanted to use the excursion credit for, but supply was limited. The work around for this is apparently to book the excursion on your card before your cruise, then buy the package at Guest Services, then go along to the excursion desk to cancel your original excursion booking, then re-book with the excursion credit form your package. Most excursions can be cancelled with I think 48 hours notice and you should insist the money is refunded to your card.

 

I had an additional problem, the excursion I wanted to book wasn't cancellable. It was for a private driver and these don't tend to be cancellable for understandable reasons and are of course limited supply. I was told they tend to hold back a small number of these tours for those averse to online booking- catering for the older, non tech savvy. So we had a bit of a first hour to organise, my wife to the speciality restaurant booking table to book our reservations for those and the chef's table, me to Guest Services to book the package, then on to the Excursion desk to book the private driver, excursion and then up to the Spa to ensure my wife could make her spa booking with the package credit.

 

But it all worked. Then back to the cabin to sit on the veranda with a nice glass of vino to reward yourself. All good....

Sounds like you had well organized.  Good to know you can't book the package a head of time with OBC.  I want to lock the package in before Azamara changes their mind on the price.   We will probably have many excursions and some may be pretty expensive excursions.  I hope Azamara makes arrangements to see the Samba at the Rio Carnaval.  So that $900 might get eaten up pretty fast. We usually make our own excursion arrangements but many of the ports aren't high cruise tourist ports so probably be looking at the Azamara excursions.   Linda

5 hours ago, federalexpress said:

 

Yes that is correct and it appears Grandma Cruising suggests it is the same even for a 25 night cruise. Given I already had $1000 in OBC, the extra $499 was a no brainer, given what you get. We made extensive use of the wi fi (which on our ship was Starlink and much better than we expected) and the drinks package, especially for the somewhat better wine offered. We were in a CC suite so got the premium restaurants anyway, but the chef's table, offered as an alternative was fab. The free laundry (I think 5 bags worth) was also great. The excursions and spa we used with the credit provided were heinously expensive for what they were, but not so bad if effectively free!

 

For 25 days it would be one of the few bargains you will find these days. It meant our bill was otherwise pretty much zero.

Thanks for the info.   We are in a veranda so we don't have the other perks so this will be a real bargain for us.  And we have $900 OBC so we will use the OBC to purchase.   Linda 

8 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

That’s the price however long your cruise is 

https://www.azamara.com/gb/booked-guests/onboard-packages#link-experiencemore

Hi Grandma Cruising,  Thanks for sending.  I had seen this on the site.  I just couldn't believe Azamara would charge the same price for 25 days as for 8.  Glad they are doing that.  Now to lock this in.  I went to our booking and only the essential package was listed and did not have a price.   I guess this whole website update has things messed up.  I guess I will have to call.   Linda 

On 2/4/2023 at 2:15 PM, federalexpress said:

I don't know whether it counts as a tip or not, but one thing I'd say for a newbie, who is not going to get any other discounts, is that the Indulgence package is worth a look if you are on a long cruise, even more so if you have OBC to spend.

 

I'm an a 17 night cruise and if I understand things correctly, I pay the same $1499 that someone on a 10 night cruise pays (correct me if I'm wrong). In my case I also got $1000 of OBC so the on cost to me was little more than £400 in my own currency. You get an awful lot for that, especially given it is 17 whole days, even factoring in the daft mark ups on the excursions and spa treatments.

Hi federalexpress,    So was the cost $1,499 for your Indulgence package on your 17 night cruise?   We are on a 25 night cruise in February 2025.  And if we can get the indulgence package for the $1,499 price that would be great. Linda 

On 8/16/2023 at 1:53 AM, Grandma Cruising said:

ghstudios, in a topic about wine onboard, noted that they found out on Onward that there were alcohol free white, red and rose wines aboard in the included wines, although they were not on any wine list or drinks programme. I’ll add that into the tips spreadsheet.

Thanks for putting this together.  We are new to Azamara and appreciate the information.   Linda 

Just an update.

I was able to use the Next Cruise certificate and got the $100 OBC for 7 day cruise and credit for the $200 deposit.

It did take some back and forth phone calls among RCL, my travel agent and me.

After RCL researched the certificate RCL said the  travela gent had to call and use the certificate.

So booked the cruise via the travel agent.

Travel agent called RCL told travel agent that I had to call RCL and use the use the certificate.

After some back and forth and contacting supervisors at RCL and such finally a 3 way call among RCL rep, my travel agent and me we got it done.

Everyone was nice and patient.  

So if you have an old certificate you are going to use just be insistent on what you know and be patient.

Linda

2 hours ago, Starry Eyes said:

I have an old Next Cruise in my profile, but I do not remember the issue date.  How would I find the issue date?

Yes I also keep forgetting to use the certificate.

I called RCL and the agent was able to see the origination I date.

Initially she said that the certificate was not eligible for OBC since I did not book the cruise within 2 months of getting the certificate.

I pointed out that I thought under the old rules we had forever to book the cruise (online shows an expiration date of 2039).

So she searched around and did find that the certificate was eligible for OBC.

Now I have to choose a cruise.

8 minutes ago, link99 said:

Keep this in mind also.

For those that have created NC bookings prior to March 15, 2014, when converting them to a specific cruise, here is the OBC that you should receive:

OBC From Booking On Board
$25 for sailings of 3-5 nights
$100 for sailings of 6-9 nights
$150 for sailings of 10-14 nights
$200 for sailings of 15+ nights 

Please remember to remind whomever you are booking with exactly when that NC was created so that you get the correct OBC upon conversion. The creation date should be in the upper right hand corner next to "Booking Date".
 

This was from a post on here back in the day I saved. I still have one left to use from 2013. Glad you had your issue corrected.

Thanks for the info.  Linda

Just now, neverbeenhere said:

MIAMI, June 01, 2010 – Royal Caribbean International today announced new enhancements to the cruise line’s Crown & Anchor Society that will better recognize and reward the cruise line’s loyal member guests. The new Crown & Anchor Society enhancements will begin rolling out on June 1, 2010, offering members the exclusive privilege to book their next cruise onboard and receive an onboard credit for their future sailing.  Members also can apply their Crown & Anchor Society Savings Certificates and receive the onboard credit for their future booking, receive more individual attention and service from additional onboard Loyalty Staff aboard each ship, have priority notification of exclusive member specials, and exclusively receive added-value offers in the Crown & Anchor Society Ultimate Value Booklet.

“We listened to our member guests and are launching program enhancements to reflect what they told us matter most to them,” said Betsy O’Rourke, senior vice president of Marketing, Royal Caribbean International.  “The new exclusive benefits will add to those that members have enjoyed in the past and reflect Royal Caribbean’s commitment to recognize and reward our loyal members who cruise with us again and again. There has never been a better time to be a Crown & Anchor Society member, and there is more to come.”

 

Crown & Anchor Society members will now have the exclusive privilege to reserve their next cruise while onboard a Royal Caribbean vacation.  The new and exclusive Onboard Booking Bonus offers members the exclusive privilege to book a future cruise onboard and receive an onboard credit to spend on the future sailing, which can now also be used with either a Crown & Anchor Savings Certificate or a Balcony and Suite Discount (the latter applicable for Platinum, Diamond or Diamond Plus members), offering member guests great savings for their next cruise. Travel agent partners will continue to earn commission for onboard bookings.
 

An additional Crown & Anchor Society Loyalty Staff member also has been appointed aboard each ship to offer more personalized service and deliver the Royal treatment to each member guest.  The Loyalty Staff members can help answer member guests’ questions and help them reserve future cruises to take advantage of the new and enhanced vacation offers, available only to members of the Crown & Anchor Society.
 

Crown & Anchor Society members also will notice the new program enhancements both at home and onboard. Members will continue to enjoy first-to-know priority notice and access to new developments, special events, and exclusive offers that reward members for their loyalty. Travel agent partners also will be notified simultaneously. Onboard, member guests will be recognized every time they advance to a new level; and enjoy new enhanced benefits in their Ultimate Value Booklet, filled with new onboard savings for beverages, internet packages, photo and logo merchandise, supplementing classic favorites such as casino and spa discounts, to name a few. For more information and a new webisode about the loyalty program and its members, please visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/CrownandAnchor.
 

Thanks for the ino.  I think we simultaneously posted.  

Well, I think I got my questioned answered.  After much searching the RCL agent found out that we would still be eligible for the OBC too.

Linda 

I have a Next Cruise certificate in my profile that has an issue date of October 2010 and an expiration date of 2039 in my profile. 

I keep forgetting to apply the certificate.

I called RCL and the customer service person said the $200 deposit would be applied but in order to get the OBC I had to add a booking within 2 months of the certificate issue.

I know that is the policy is now but I thought back in 2010 the policy was different.

Does anyone know what the Next Cruise certificate policy was in 2010?

Thanks

I will throw my 2 cents in on the currency discussion.

We have been traveling in Europe for 6  weeks. We have been to been to England, Norway, Spain, Morocco and France.  We have been to 23+ cities (large and small) and our US chipped Visa cards have been accepted for 1 Euro bathroom charges and many times for small snack purchases to purchases much larger than 100Euro.  Never have we been asked for a pin.   Very few places including small vendor stalls, public transporttion and taxis do not accept credit cards.  

In fact in someplaces if you paid the bus fare by credit card it was cheaper than using cash. 

Handling cash has its own expenses for vendors that people don't think about.

I found that the Marriot Visa Bonvoy card seems to give a better exchange rate than our Capital One card. 

I have notifications turned on so that anytime I purchase something I receive an email instantly with the amount charged in $$.  So I can see instantly what we are actually charged even before getting up from the resteraunt table. 

Linda

We have used some cash for tips and such.  I found it interesting in several ports where the locals ran the shuttle bus to the city you did need to use cash.  

We are on the July 3rd Baltic.  Highly doubt we will have SPG as a port.  However we are still staying booked at least for now.  We want to see what the new itinerary will be.   Voyager underwent a
major $97M refurbishment in October 2019. With COVID it has not been sailing since around April 2020.
And Voyager is not due to be back in service until its first itinerary from Barcelona April 15th.
So it will be like sailing on a new ship with everything refurbished.

This is the 4th time I have  tried to go to Russia.  The first time was a land visit in 1980.  But Carter withdrew the US from the Olympics because of Russia's invasion of Afghanistan.  Booked cruise for 2020, then again 2021 and then 2022.  I had hopped 3rd time would be the charm but I have my doubts.

Linda 

On 1/22/2022 at 12:21 PM, Canuker said:

Time in Southampton and not sure how to use it?

The Waterside Wanderer travel pass is new for 2022 and covers specific rail, bus and even a ferry route around the Southampton area, with the tourist very much in mind.

A day pass, starts at 9:00 am weekdays and any time weekends & holidays. An adult ticket is £13.50, equivalent to about US$18, for the day.

The area covered includes Southampton, Romsey, Winchester, The Hamble River, western New Forest, Southampton Water and Southampton Airport.

It does not extend to Salisbury or Portsmouth. But there are masses of choices to see and do during a day in the area covered.

This brochure gives more details

Unfortunately it cannot be purchased on the bus or ferry (near the ship), so you should buy it at the hub, Southampton Central rail station, about 2 km. or 1.25 miles from the ship, depending on which berth is used.

For those who enjoying planning their own day while ashore, the pass is a steal.

Thanks for the info.  Arriving a couple days early in May to Southampton before cruise.  This looks like a good option.