bbbearden

RCL does not have butlers for the suites. You have an attendant like every other passenger. There is no special treatment EVER other than the listed 'perks". The Concierge is a nice touch, but he /she helps with things like excursions and dinner reservations. We have had cranky stewards and we have had amazing stewards..all depends. Service is same in all classes of staterooms.

I have to offer a different opinion, my first and only experience on RCCl was as a guest on a cruise from Venice, Italy. We were in a grand suite. I have to say that the level of service, the perks, and the extra little services that were offered to us did make me feel special and that the service we received was at a level above what I saw being offered to other passengers. It was not the "ship within a ship" concept I have seen discussed on other lines, but we were set apart in some areas and made to feel very special. Due to the superior service we received we have booked another Grand Suite on a western carib. cruise in about 2 weeks.

I do hope the OP will come back and post about his experience on the cruise. I have never done an immersion cruise but have twice cruised out of San Juan and loved both cruises even though there was a large part of the passenger base that spoke only or primarily Spanish. I think I would probably enjoy this type of cruise, but then I tend to like meeting people from different places and different cultures.

Wow, this thread was way back, like 5 or 6 pages back. I am glad I found it. Cruising in 18 days can can't wait.

I have been reading this review all week and have enjoyed it alot. You are doing a great job. Can't wait for the next installment.

Hi Sherri!

 

We must be related. I too had a binder for our trip with dividers by port. I printed my Vatican tickets and promptly forgot them in our room. I had to do the walk (or rather the run) of shame back to the room to get them. It was especially embarassing because I was the one who booked all the tours (we used Rome in Limo in Pisa/Florence and Rome as well). I got people to join us on the tours from here on CC and I was the only one to forget my tickets.:eek:. I am loving your report!!!!

Great review, loving the pics.

We to have the "Cruise Binder" with all our documents, tickets, and anything I can think to put in there. If I find a helpful review, guess what, into the binder it goes so I do not miss a tip. Even worse, and somewhat ashamed to admit, I normally do a backup binder. One in the carryon and one in the checked bags. :rolleyes:

What a great review, and I have attached a lovely photo I am sure you will enjoy from our time in Venice, Italy last year.

And that is the key!

 

We actually did get some good deals with the old Park West. They had what is known as take-offs, where you would carry the art off the ship, frame included. We were able to get some really nice pieces of art, some with new frames for $80-$100. Not bad at all!

And that is the key, buy it because it is a good deal and you like it. If you want to buy art as in investment, do your due diligence just as you should any other type of investment. A spur of the moment inpulse buy on a cruise ship is not the way to purchase art as an investment.

How nice of you to suggest that option but that's not what she asked. Responses like this amaze me when RCCL is putting something called "Royal Babies and Tots Nursery" on their ships.

I agree, an 18 month old should be able to cruise just fine and the ships have done wonders in catering to babies and toodlers.

Do yourself a favor and wait another year before you cruise. Everyone will enjoy it more if your child is a little older. Whenever you decide to cruise, I would suggest that you consider one of the Disney cruises. Disney is a far better choice for young kids.

Or better yet, cruise now and again in a year:D

Navigator of the Seas, March 9th, 2013.

As of the moment I am typing this it is

277 days, 8 hours, 6 minutes, and 28 seconds away, but who's counting. :D

He is the concierge and he takes care of the suite guests. If you haven't made reservations for shows or specialty dining before boarding, he is the go to guy for suite guests.

I was really upset with our concierge, he made an aweful lot of noise when I tried to sneak him off the ship in my suitcase. We liked him alot and wanted to keep him.:cool:

I hate the fact that I cannot take the cabin steward, my waiter and assistant waiter, my bartender, and the chef home with me. I found them on the ship, I liked them and I want to keep them. They would really like my house!:D

Hi All, I do not mind tipping well but need advice. Sailing VOS in one week. What is the proper amount to tip in Venice. I want to dothight thing, anyone have experience with this?

Thanks.

If I may quote the sentence in your previous post that I referred to in my response, perhaps you can tell me how I so rudely misstated your position:

"As many have stated, I NEVER book throught the cruise line because they give you no choice and no control."- my emphasis added. Choice Air does indeed offer you "choice and control". You get to select the airline and particular flight that you want to book, and you have the same ability to select your seats as you would if you booked directly. That to me is certainly "choice" and when the price difference is significant, I, and not the "benevolent" airline, will control how much I will pay. Choice Air is not always the best way to purchase your airfare which is why I recommend comparing all your options before deciding which way to go. About the only thing that I "always" believe is that advice that claims that there is "always" only one right way to do things or that one should "never" do something except in one particular way, usually isn't reliable or responsible.

The OP's original post proves my point. They gave her no choice and no control. She was booked on a flight she liked and Choice Air moved her without her consent. That is how I define no choice and no control. Your rudeness is evidenced by your statement that I misrepresented the facts. You in effect called me a liar without cause and with the facts of the OP's story to back up the case I was making. Further, I never stated that someone must "always" do anything, I simply suggested that a person has better control of their own destiny when they do not have a middle man involved.

Finally, I never indicated that airlines were benevolent, but when you reach a certain level within the frequent flyer programs, they do tend to treat us very well. The airlines normally do care about customer service and when you behave reasonably with them, they normally try to be helpful. The OP was so upset she was talking about going to the BBB, simply because of the lack of control and choice. How you fail to see the obvious is amazing.

With RCI's Choice Air you do choose the airline and the specific flight you want and you can still get your frequent flyer miles, and you can check your reservation on the airline's website and select your flights, so you either misunderstand or are misrepresenting what happens when you use Choice Air. For our upcoming one way flight to London, we used Choice Air, chose British Air and the morning flight that they offer from Boston and literally saved hundreds by not booking directly with BA.

Your statement that I was misrepresenting something or failed to understand how the program works presumes things I did not say and is in fact rude. I simply stated why I do not like a third party involved between myself and the travel vendors I use. I am a frequent flyer and want control over my own destiny when dealing with the airline. Based upon the status I have earned, I am well treated and expect and receive good service that is responsive to my needs and concerns. Based upon the OP’s original post you can see what can happen when you allow someone between you and your preferred travel provider. That is all I stated. I do not use travel agents to book cruises for this exact same reason.

As to my second paragraph, I was simply asking what issues the OP actually had as I was unclear as to what they were. After hearing the concern about the large group and the age of some of the people traveling the concerns appear to be very valid.

To the OP, I understand your concerns and wish you the best of luck in sorting them out. I still believe you are better off booking your own air in the future, however I really hope this works out for you.

I made the biggest mistake booking my air through Royal Caribbean's "Partner", Choice Air. I purchased assigned seats for my party of 8 on a 6:40 am flight back on 3/7/2011. The carrier changed the flight time to 7:30 am but since the flight didn't change, I had the same assigned seats. On June 5th, Choice Air took me off my 7:30 am flight with NO reason, DID not notify me and then TWO days later, put us on a 9:00 am flight. Royal Caribbean called me and said the CARRIER made the flight change but after spending 4 hours on the phone yesterday with the carrier and Choice Air, I found out the change was voluntary by my agent, Choice Air.

BOTTOM LINE- CHOICE AIR makes it completely THEIR choice to do what they please with the flights that YOU paid for. You have no control over your own reservation and now I will be subjected to who knows how many more changes they feel like making until my cruise departs on August 27th, 2011. This is THE WORST agent you can deal with. And to add insult to injury, Royal Caribbean takes absolutely no responsibility for their "PARTNER". It's disgusting and obscene. My next stop is a complaint with the BBB. Royal Caribbean should be ashamed of themselves, partnering with Choice Air. Choice Air's customer service is horrible and their agents are untrained. Save yourself the aggravation AND added cost and book your own flights- it's the only way to guarantee you get the flights and seats you paid for.

I'm posting this to get feedback from others as well as to warn others about the pitfalls of using CHOICE AIR.

As many have stated, I NEVER book throught the cruise line because they give you no choice and no control. That is what happens when you book with them. Also, I fly often and want to earn my frequent flyer miles with my airline of choice, and know that as a good customer they will normally strive to give good service.

In the case of the OP I must be missing the issue. Is the new flight going to make you arrive late for the ship, or is it simply that you wanted to arrive earlier? If it is going to make you miss the ship, then you have an issue. Even with the cruise line air program, you have the choice of flying in a day early which is what I reccommend. Please give more details on exactly what it is that upsets you.

Depending upon the picture you post, I could see increasing the offer to at least 11 goats, but only if the picture is clearly high resolution and unaltered.

Please note I am married, and this would purely be for household help. This is a very generous offer as I usually pay no more than 8 goats.

Does anyone remember the Debarkation order? Trying to decide whether we should carry our luggage off...we are driving and on a lower level deck.

 

Thanks:confused:

We were on Conquest August of 2007. We were also driving. As we only live a couple of hours from the port, we decided NOT to do the self assist and debark at a comfortable pace. We left our stateroom as late as possible (but still being considerate the the cabin steward who needed to clean it), had a late relaxing breakfast in the Monet Dining room and took some last minute photos of the interior of the ship without all the crowds to get in the way. We were one of the last to leave the ship (wish we could have stayed). Once in the terminal, we got a porter who bypassed the HUGE self assist line, and we out and to our car in plenty of time. We were home by 1:00 p.m.

Our approach may not work for everyone, but it was nice to realize that we did not have to hurry and get to enjoy the ship for just a little bit longer. One of the couples traveling with us left the ship early by doing the self assist and still only beat us home by about 30 minutes.

OK, I have stayed in the Catagory 11 & 12 Suites on Fantasy class ships and they were nothing like this. I have heard that there was a suite like this on the ship, but have never had any proof of it. This suite is not listed in any Carnival literature I have ever seen. Where is the suite, how do you book it, if you can, how much does it cost?? What is the deal with this space. Would love to find out more.