Jay Bee

4 hours ago, DaveinCharlotte said:

Our very first cruise with ACL was Great Rivers of Florida.  This was in 2014 aboard the first Glory (now resting at the bottom of the sea, RIP, as part of a fish sanctuary).  We enjoyed that cruise, and two years ago decided to do it again.

 

This is a relatively laid-back cruise.  The little towns of Palatka and Green Cove Springs are places no one ever visits, and the folks there were glad to see us.  St. Augustine and Amelia Island are great stops.  We liked the fact that the cruise was Jacksonville round trip...we found a nice hotel (Hampton Inn) within walking distance of the riverfront, saving us the expense of the costly Hyatt at the ship's docking site.

 

Just got off the (new) Glory, and can say that the Coastal Cats are excellent ships.  Would amend your post to say there are slightly fewer lounges and features... Their main lounge is excellent, with nice views and a sit-down bar.  They have the same Skylounge and a cafe.  There is a study with computer.  There is a designated walking track on the top deck, although it is small.  Fast dual elevators to all decks.

 

We decided to do more Coastal Cat cruises...next up is Yankee Seaports in October.

Thanks much. That's very helpful.

Has anyone done ACL's Jacksonville to Jacksonville (Great Rivers of Florida) cruise? It's hard to get a feel for what it's like just by reading the description on the website. Also, they're using the Coastal Cat American Eagle and it seems like there are significantly fewer lounges and features than on their larger American riverboats. What's it like?

On 3/26/2024 at 10:01 AM, Mrs_Tiki said:

Is anyone else having issues with the app?

 

 

None of my Select dining times, specialty dining, excursions or Wifi purchase are showing at all. For the last few days my calendar has been blank on the app. Ok on the website.

When does the Europe schedule for Summer usually come out? 

Yes. I reserved an Uber XL then canceled it because I was told here that Uber probably can't enter the port whereas Lyft can. It's possible to reserve a Lyft now but it's not at all clear that reserving a ride gives you any better chance of a driver picking up the ticket. So I'm going to wait till the morning of embarkation, keep an eye on the Lyft situation if I can, and call for 2 cars. It makes sense to me that getting regular-sized cars will be easier than getting a big one. 

One recent poster said he waited 1/2 hour for a Lyft pickup. I might figure that in. I'm also planning on ignoring the RCL email that told me to delay my arrival time by an hour. If it's a mess at the terminal, so be it. At least I won't be stuck at the hotel.

On 1/19/2023 at 12:40 AM, RCmommy said:

I just got the Lyft app on my phone for this reason.  I also think it “should” be less busy than Uber the morning of. 

Why would Lyft be less busy?  

On 1/12/2023 at 5:19 PM, Texas Tillie said:

 

Are you aware that Uber isn't allowed into the port? They won't pay the access fee. If you use Uber you have to schlep your luggage from the gates to the port area into the terminal.

Is this true?!  I thought I read here somewhere that Uber was allowed in  but Lyft was not, but that was before the new terminal opened. Wouldn't the contracts with the old terminals apply to the new one too?

I've read that getting an Uber/Lyft from a Galveston hotel to the port on embarkation day can be difficult, maybe with a long wait or even no driver picking up the ride. We reserved an Uber XL because we have 4 adults and 2 kids, and I'm concerned that the larger cars may be in short supply. Would it be safer to reserve 2 regular-size cars? And just because a reservation is made doesn't mean the ride is guaranteed. Even though we're only 2 miles from the port, it's too far to walk if we get stuck. 

Then there's the fact that with RCL's new terminal, the number of passengers wanting rides is going to be a lot higher than before. I'm hoping the supply of drivers has increased since coming out of the pandemic.

Anybody have any experience with this?

For our upcoming Allure cruise we'll be staying in a Galveston hotel and need to take an Uber/Lyft/other ride company to the pier. I called one service with a good reputation to make a reservation since we need a larger vehicle for 6. They said they don't take any reservations on cruise days and suggested I call 1-1/2 hours before I wanted the ride and to be ready when I called in case the car is available then.

This concerns me for a couple of reasons. First, it seems like it may be difficult to get a ride. Second, how am I supposed to figure out how to get to the terminal at my assigned check in time? 

Anybody have experience with this?

I posted this on the cruise roll call but didn't get a response so I'll try a wider audience. It happens to be an Allure sailing later this month.

Has anyone else gotten an email from Royal Caribbean International Express Notification Alerts telling them to arrive one hour later than their previously selected boarding time?  Also that sailaway is at 5 instead of 4?

Apparently, emails like this have been sent before so I thought it was legit, but today our docs came in and sailing time is listed as 4. Sailing time on the cruise listing on the website remains at 4. My app still indicates our originally selected time. 

Thanks for all the input.

We have an Allure cruise coming up in about a month, and I noticed on the app that the dress code for the Main Dining Room was smart casual except for the two formal nights. Can anyone confirm that there are no casual nights?

Getting $1 bills from Guest Services (or the Casino) seems better than trying to figure out where the money goes if you add it to a receipt or form. Thank you.

13 minutes ago, miched said:

If you put in on a receipt it goes to that server, or BT.   If you put in on a general extra gratuity form it gets pooled 

 

If you give a BT cash some with share with the other personel at that bar.   You can witness that at the Martini Bar where they ring a bell and put it into a container 

 

I also seen it at the WCB, and Eden Bar where they have a container with tips in it.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

In reading the responses it seems unclear whether a tip on the receipt goes to the BT or to a pool. And what is a general extra gratuity form??

Thank you. So there's no problem getting small bills in the casino even if you're not playing?

I'm sure this is posted somewhere, but I can't find it.

We have drink packages on an upcoming cruise so I understand that drinks (and gratuities in specialty restaurants) are included. But if we want to tip a little extra and we've run out of small bills, is it possible to add a tip to the receipt even though the bill is $0?

Thank you!

Is there any problem with being dropped off for a cruise at Terminal 25 Port Everglades by a private car? Are they admitted to the drop-off area just like a taxi or rideshare?

Thanks.🙂

Among the release date regions, which one would include full-transit Panama Canal?

Does anyone have any idea when the Panama Canal itineraries (besides Rhapsody) might be posted?

8 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Thank you.  Saw a great fare for Harmony sail in December '23, but not many flights from Newark Int'l to Hobby.  But before I pull the trigger, wanted to examine pro and cons of Fl vs Galveston. 

 

Can you confirm that the ride is in the 1.20 hours.  If so, this is not too bad as the ride from Orlando airport to PC terminal is 1 hour.

 

I've never done it, but from what I've read it is very unpredictable due to traffic and construction. And during fog season the ship may be significantly delayed. RCL would not let me reserve a return if my flight was before 12:30pm.

7 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Do you have an idea what the R/T cost of RCL provided transportation to Bush Int'l.

I bought a one-way ticket last week. It was $39.95 per person and will go from the new terminal to Bush. So probably round trip is double that.

19 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

I have had this happen last fall where nothing was showing for Costa Maya.  What I did was I went into the Royal app, selected a different sailing that had the same itinerary but was an earlier sailing then mine (September instead of November) and looked at the shore excursions to get a rough idea and to start researching.  They will show up.  Mine finally did by end of August last year.  But it was a little different as cruises were starting up as were excursions.  I would think by 90 days out you should see something.

Thanks, that's both helpful and encouraging.

I posted about this in the roll call awhile back but haven't gotten an answer. We're cruising on the Allure out of Galveston January 29, 2023 which stops at Cozumel, Roatán and Puerto Costa Maya. A lot of ship excursions were posted a few months back for Coz, as well as 2 (only two!) for Roatán. There are zero posted for CM. I know that in the past many excursions have been listed for both of these ports on other cruises. The Royal agent on the phone thought it was odd, said they should have been up by now and suggested I email ShoreX (which I did and haven't yet heard back).

Has anyone else on other sailings noticed this? Or do other sailings in that time frame have a full slate of excursions offered for all the ports? Does Royal sometimes wait this late to get them up?

I know I can do private excursions, but for various reasons I like to have the ship options. Thanks for any information anyone might have.