cruzgryphon

Hi,

I did a search but didn't come up with anything. I was wondering if anyone can give me a ball park estimate of the cost of a taxi to go from the Sheraton Seattle to Pier 91. Also I was wondering if cabs typically accept credit cards in Seattle?

TIA

Royal Caribbean still has formal nights. Over the years however they have gotten a lot less formal ( a lot of men don't even bother with jackets and ties anymore). Typically on 7 day sailings they tend to be on nights 2 and 6.

Given the choice I'd take the Jewel. I like having all the windows on the ship allowing the light to come in. If you get tired of the heat you can come in and sit some place like the Schooner Bar and enjoy the sunshine minus the heat. Also if you get a balcony, I find the shape of the balcony sides on Adventure are oval (if you look at a picture of her you'll see what I mean) and block out some of the light compared to Jewel and most other RCI ships.

For those who have been on the Explorer recently:

1) Does Explorer have a coffee card (nothing is showing up on my cruise planner)?

2) If Explorer does have it, do they go by a punch/shot of espresso or a punch per drink irrespective of number of shots of espresso?

TIA:)

For ideas about excursions try the port of call boards. Lots of good suggestions for reputable private tour operators and ideas for multi age excursions.

I travelled with one of my nieces (and her parents) when she was about the same age. The waiters do go out of the way to do what they can. If you want to eat quickly let them know and they will expedite. If you want to try and make sure you have a table by yourselves (which you will have pretty good chance if you asked for a table of 4 - solo travellers don't typically pick tables that small), then as others have suggested, stop by the MDR when you get on the ship. Check and see if there is anyone else at your table and if there is ask and see what they can do for you. It might take a day, but they do their best and are often successful at accommodating requests like that. Especially if they see that you have a young child with you.

I cancelled a shore excursion late on Aug 19, and rebooked a day later at a cheaper price. It's now Aug 29 and the refund still hasn't appeared. Is this normal?

 

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I'd call them about it. Usually when I do the cancel and rebook it appears in a few days on my credit card. Just make sure you have the cancellation email handy.

And it's not really even the original Starbucks. The first was at 2000 Western Ave. from 1971-1976, but since that location is no longer there, the second location is now touted as the "original"

 

Just some silly trivia.

Great trivia to know - thanks. Takes away some of the allure of having a drink there.

Thanks :)

PS Do you like to play trivia on the ship - maybe we can form a team from our roll call.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm boarding the Explorer on Friday September 15th and was thinking about going down to Pike Place Market (staying at the Sheraton so I think it's just a straight walk) around 8:30am.

Hi,

Just wondering if there are any recent Explorer of the Seas passengers out there who can help me out with this question:

1) If you disembarked on a Friday morning - what time did you arrive at SeaTac? Just trying to get a feel for travel times. I have a 2pm flight, but there is an 11am o'clock flight and I'm just wondering if that's doable or not (on a standby basis).

TIA

I was just wondering how crowded Pike Place Market is on a Friday morning? Aside from the cruise ship I'll be boarding - Explorer of the Seas - I don't think there are any other cruise ships in port if that makes a difference. Also do they still throw the salmon (or whatever type of fish it is)?

TIA

I've found recently that it depends on what ship you're on as to whether the discount/ free time is applied automatically or if you had to go to Guest Services/ Diamond Concierge to get it refunded.

I agree the food quality has declined and as others have said sometimes it's even worse depending on the chef's team that you have on a given sailing. I think one thing that would help my perspective is if they could introduce some new menus on the non Quantum/Oasis class ships.

We'll be in SF in October for 2 days pre cruise. I bought Eyewitness Travel's Top 10 San Francisceo. Very informative read with a pull out map that will help give a visual to Google Maps that we'll use to get around. $14 at local B&N.

Great - thanks for the suggestion. I'll look it up for sure!!

Thanks :)

Anyone know how much RCL charges for a night? Prefer charge without the transfer, but if hotel and transfer price is all that's known that's fine too.

TIA

We're also leaving from Pier 91 but on RCCL Explorer. Our boarding time frame is also 10:30-3:00 and were planning to arrive about 11am having read that Pier can be chaotic..

For those with RCCL experience:

Does RCCL actually start processing/boarding that early?

Are cabins generally ready by 1:00pm?

We were told the MDR isn't open at lunch on embarkation day so were planning on grabbing a sandwich at Cafe Promenade around noon or so and exploring - our first time on the Explorer! (Our previous Alaska cruise was NCL pier 66 three years ago.)

 

TIA

If you're getting there around 11am and assuming everyone from the previous cruise has gotten off, boarding should start pretty soon thereafter. Cabins are usually ready 1 to 1:30pm (it varies a little by ship). No MDR isn't open - usually they tell people to go to the Windjammer for lunch (but it's packed and I think your idea of going to café promenade and getting a bite to eat there is a good one). I'll be sailing on her on September 15th pacific coastal. Enjoy :)

You've got your choice of doing it ahead of time by contacting (have your TA contact) Royal Caribbean, or you can book it onboard the ship. The one thing I'd advise is to find out what is the earliest flight time that they will support with ship's transfer. I think with a 2pm flight you should be ok (usually they say you can only use ship's transfer with flights leaving after 11:30am or, what I find in Europe, leaving after 12pm). Best to double check though - then you can decide whether to book ahead of time or onboard.

Typically you'll start to see a more comprehensive list of excursions around 6 months out from the cruise. They usually add excursions after that point as well. If you're looking for an excursion to a popular spot like Pompeii - there will be excursions. Will they be exactly the same as next month - hard to say as it depends in part on the companies they outsource the excursions to. Will they be similar - yes. Also I recommend checking the ports of call boards as there will be good recommendations for private tour companies who should be able to confirm their offerings this far out.

Hi all,

I'll be cruising out of Seattle next month and staying at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel the night before the cruise. I was wondering if there are any good seafood restaurants (where I can get away with casual clothing) in walking distance of the hotel?

TIA

If you know your hubby is going to have need of a "snack" later you could always go to the buffet and grab something and put it in your cabin (don't know how you would reheat it though).

Have done Baltics but different itinerary on the Serenade out of Stockholm. That being said, my key suggestion for you regarding St. Petersburg is do a private excursion. Don't believe what the ship says about them only letting their excursion passengers off first or try to scare you about visas. The private tour companies take care of the visas no problems. For recommendations see the Northern European ports of call board (not just for St. Petersburg).

At times they will have sales on (not although time though) so sometimes that will influence when I book them. That being said I find an excursion that I really like, I'll book it and then watch it for price drops. If there is a price drop, I'll cancel it and rebook at the better price.

Do you have any idea how much RCCL charges for their transfers to the airport?

My travel agent quoted $36 per person (I think that's Canadian) from Pier 91 to SeaTac. Also they don't do transfers for flights before 11:45am.

Hi all,

You used to be able to check on Cruise Critic if your meet and mingle had been scheduled and what date and location it would be held on. I can't find that list anymore. I tried the link - but it takes me to RCI's customer service site on their web page. Did a search there and came up empty handed. Does anyone know how I can locate it (if it's still available)?

TIA

Also wondering if this would apply to non-US citizens as well?