DCPIV

The above-poster's comment about being a "pack mule" both made me chuckle knowingly and reminded me of something we've done with our boys since they were around the age of the OP's children.

We let them pick out backpacks that became "theirs." They carried around their own books and other entertainment with them everywhere we went (and I do mean everywhere, on and off the ship). They loved it. They would pick out what they wanted each morning, and they carried that stuff all day. I will grant that my wife or I would need to give them a brief break on a long day, but those truly were rare. It also was fair, since we managed to get them to start carrying much of our stuff, too. :)

I know it's not nice to pile on, but it seems that your decision to hold off eating anything between breakfast and boarding had a lot more to do with your family being hungry and impatient than an power outage.

I do agree, though, that someone ought to address the crowd, even if it to say that they are checking into what is going on. I expect the terminal had nothing to do with the power outage and neither had reason to know when it would be fixed nor power to do anything about it.

Stuff happens. Roll with it, and move on.

One other "perk," if you can call it that, is that they tend to be much more responsive to complaints you may have.

On one cruise, we had some workmen outside our stateroom who were yelling and banging on pipes and the wall all night long. The front desk was not willing to do anything more than apologize. After pressing the matter further through the Concierge, I had a little love chat with the Hotel Manager a couple of days later. He resolved the situation to our satisfaction, but he also mentioned that he was able to do what he did because we were suite guests.

Take that for what you will. In RC's defense, that is the only time we've had a severe complaint, like that.

On a lighter note, even if you do not take advantage of the Concierge Lounge in the evening, it's nice to have access to it during the day for coffee or just a quiet place. The Concierge also can help you with other matters that may come up, such as if you want to make restaurant reservations or excursion changes on the fly.

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Keep in mind that it does not always happen that prices drop after final payment. We are booked in a GS on a cruise where the final payment deadline passed recently. Just out of curiosity, I looked at current prices for that cruise. A JS now costs more than we've paid for our GS, an OS is twice what we paid for our GS (and some thousands more than it cost when we booked), and there are no GSs available.

Supply and demand works both ways! Let the buyer (and the waiter) beware!

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Here's a link to some information. I only glanced at it, so I apologize if I contradict anything: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentSitelet.do?cS=NAVBAR&pnav=1&snav=4&pagename=main_family

As long as the 3-year-old is potty trained, s/he can join on in. Our sons always enjoyed the kid's club. They run a bit of a program in there for kids that age, and they certainly seem to have a lot of fun.

I believe those session times stated above are only for days at sea. The last time I looked into it, they held the kid's club open for all hours that the ship is in port, so you don't have to worry about getting back to the ship. I believe that still is the case. We only left one of our boys on board once, and he enjoyed it. After 10pm, they can keep the kids for a "group babysitting" fee that I don't recall being particularly stiff.

The crew always have been great with kids, and I do not just mean those crew whose job it is to work with the kids. Of course, some are better than others, but I cannot recall any complaints we may have had.

It looks like the nursery does have a fee, so you may want to use that sparingly for your toddler. Even if that does not work out, we never had any trouble taking a toddler around the ship. There is plenty for them to look at, and we always managed to find a quiet, empty spot where he could run around and get the "wiggles" out.

You're going to have a great time!

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Yep. I'd go for the larger balcony. One deck is nothing, unless you have problem with stairs.

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Just got an email response back only took 2 weeks but it is a few days before my cruise so all is good.

 

OK here is what they said.

 

In regard to your inquiry, if you purchase a beverage package and want to order a glass of wine for more than the alloted amount the package allows for, you will then pay the difference between what the package offers and the cost of the wine if you were to purchase it individually.

 

Hope this helps:D:beer:

 

Eat more SHRIMP

Thank you for chasing this down. SWMBO and I were wondering the same thing.

Cheers!

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Great thanks to everyone for all the information in this thread (reney313, you rock!)

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See, people, this is the problem. You are all too cheap. You want something for nothing.

 

Look at Shelley's prices. She marks up liquor store prices more than many of you say that you are willing to pay - but you are willing to use JBOY.

 

If it's not worth RC's while to do this again, they have no incentive.

 

Seriously reconsider your position.

 

If you really wouldn't pay AT LEAST $20 on top of the DUTY FREE CHEAP PRICES in the onboard store, you don't deserve to have the privilege restored!

Part of Shelley's markup is the fee she pays to RCCL to deliver the basket onboard and her higher overhead related to the actual delivery. RCCL does not need to pay itself that fee and does not have to deal with delivery logistics (i.e., we carry the bottle out of the store). Just because I'm willing to pay a higher price to someone with a higher overhead (when they are the only game in town) doesn't mean I let someone else off the hook when they can charge a lower price and do just fine. I work for the best deal I can get.

By the same token, duty free prices are cheap because they are duty free, not because RCCL or whatever contractor is sacrificing so that we can have such a great price.

I'm also willing to pay $10-12 and no more. However, I also don't need to see a first night, all you can carry special. One or two bottles is plenty for me, also, if they want to set a limit. If RCCL feels that $12 isn't enough to make up for whatever they feel they may lose in the bars, then we don't have a deal. The irony is that, if I'm in my room and would like a drink, chances are good I'll just pass on the drink. If I had a bottle available in my room, I may have indulged myself, but it's not usually worth it to bring one back from the bar or order one through room service. I would like to see the program reinstated, but it's no more important to me than $12 are.

Nitra, I'd like to hear more about what sort of deal the line has with the liquor store operator. I'm sure they could work something out that both sides could agree on. The store certainly would increase sales if passengers could bring bottles back to their rooms. Thanks for all the insider insights. :)

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I have the worst luck when I go on cruises. There always seems to come a day when they make me get off the ship! I don't know what the deal is. I'm having the time of my life, and then I have to leave! It's happened every, single time, and it's always long before I am ready to go. I keep booking cruises, figuring it will all work out in the end, someday. So far, though, no joy.

Does this happen to anyone else? :D

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