rufflesmom

Buy cruise cash, not a gift card. It will be applied directly to your onboard account.

Galveston enforces the check-in times.

I have never been on the Dream but have been on both the Magic and Breeze, the sister ships. Deck 11 is covered and has very comfortable seats. But you will need to go early because those seats fill up fast. It was very quiet. One evening it started raining during the movie but we were completely covered and didn't get wet.

The enhancements are for the revenue management teams... not the guests.

Translation: "revenue management teams" means more money for the company

If you are leaving out of Galveston, do not arrive earlier than your check-in time. Galveston does enforce those times. You will not get into the terminal before the time on your boarding pass.

Thanks for the answers. This is our first RC cruise and I am not familiar with how they work. I guess I will have to wait.

I only know about Galveston. They enforce the check-in times there. You will not get into the terminal until the check-in time shown on your boarding pass.

We just completed our online check-in for our August cruise and printed the set/sail pass. We never had the option of uploading pictures. And how do you get the luggage tags? They didn't print with the set/sail pass. Can anyone help me please?

2 things to know about carrying on your own luggage. It has to fit thru the scanner at security, if not they will make you check it. And you will have to carry it around with you until your cabin is ready, unless you board after 1:30. After 12 cruises I have never had a piece of luggage lost.

I have sailed out of Galveston twice since they started the check-in times. Galveston enforces the times. I've seen people turned away at the door because they were early.

I use it, well not the easy pay part, but the PayPal part. I absolutely love the fact that I can pay cash straight out of my bank account. I did it for my last cruise and we had no problems. I could pay some every pay period. I don’t use credit cards, and that makes it very hard to book vacations without one. This option is perfect for us. I thought about using the Easypay this time but I am paying for eight people and wanted a little bit of control over my payments and when I made them.

 

 

However, I agree with you both. If my millennial children had to pay their own way, I would recommend the Easy Pay option. Like yours, they suck at budgeting for the future. One lives “in the moment” and the other thinks, “meh, worry about retirement?, that’s a long way off, I have plenty of time”. LOL , if only they knew........

It's very easy to book a cruise without a credit card. We always book and pay the deposit with a debit card. We know how much is left to pay and how many months we have to pay it off. We figure out much we need to pay each month. Every month we make a payment online with a debit card until it is paid in full.

We are sailing out of Barcelona in August. Never been there so not sure what this hotel is like. We are booked at the Hotel Espana for one night. Our TA booked it for us.

Unfortunately what you witnessed is not confined to people on vacation. I worked in a doctor's office for almost 15 years. By the time I left a couple of years ago, people were so mean and nasty.

We are booked for the Hotel Espana in Barcelona. Never been there but our travel agent booked it for us. It seems to be close to Las Ramblas too. Doesn't look like it is too far from the port either.

The cabin steward will deliver your free water. If you open one of the 2 bottles already in the cabin you will be charged. Every cruise we have always gotten a different shape bottle for our free bottle.

The most important thing that you need to know about prescription medications -- DO NOT put them in the luggage that you give to the porters. Keep them on your person while boarding the ship. If something happens and your luggage somehow doesn't make it on the ship (it does happen occasionally) you will not have them.

I was on Vision back in February, and I liked it. Captain Marek was on vacation back then, but I still had a great time. It's true, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but I didn't mind it at all.

 

Here are some photos. Maybe they can make your wife feel better about Vision of the Seas.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmgkfNyJ

Thanks for the pictures. We will be on the Vision of the Seas in August but on a Mediterranean cruise. First time on Royal Caribbean but definitely not first cruise.

One time I put cash on my account at check in. NEVER AGAIN!!! The young lady inadvertently changed my account from a credit card to cash. When the cash I put on it was gone, they cut off my charging privileges. I found out when I tried to buy something from one of the shops. I had to go down to Guest Services on deck 3, only to find out that my account was changed to cash, then had to go up to the cabin on deck 11 to get my credit card, then back down to deck 3 to put the CC on my account, then back to deck 5 to the shop to buy what I wanted, then back to deck 11 to the cabin to put up the credit card. You can always use the kiosks on the ship also.

I have done a 7 day cruise on the Breeze with 4 women in a spa balcony. Every day 2 of us used the spa showers. It was a little snug but not really too bad. we each had 2 pieces of luggage, they all went under the beds just fine.

I have also done 3 women in a balcony cabin on the Magic. That really wasn't bad at all.

Unless you get a spa cabin, you can forget using the bathroom with 2 teenage girls. At least with a spa cabin 2 of you can use the spa showers. I have done a spa balcony cabin with 4 women and it wasn't bad because 2 of us would use the spa showers every day. It was a little crowded but not really all that bad. And the cost wasn't really all that much more than a regular balcony cabin.

Interesting subject. We are booked for a Mediterranean cruise in August and it never occurred to me that the cruise line might take our passports. I do have a color copy of one page from my passport. It is laminated and actually looks like that page was torn from the passport and laminated (it wasn't BTW). My sister offered to do it for me and I thought it might be a good idea. Maybe DH should get that done too. It's not as good as the passport itself but if I had to go to a consulate in another country it sure would go a long way towards proving my citizenship.

For me check in is one step closer to cruise day, to the start of my vacation. We are booked on a Mediterranean cruise in August and it is frustrating to me to have to wait til 90 days out. With Carnival you can do online check in as soon as you book (but you can't print any documents until the cruise is paid in full). Alas, I shall have to wait 2 more months........

this is what we use https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cruisetags-Standard-Cruise-Ship-Luggage-Tags-Riveted-4-Pack/112853809563?epid=27003891173&hash=item1a469c799b:g:~CYAAOSwTPRan5He

I bought these for our last cruise. They worked wonderfully, were pretty sturdy. Will be using them again in August for our next cruise.

They do post the gratuities charge even if you prepay. There will be a corresponding credit to offset the charge.

MY lower right leg is full of titanium. I have a rod inside the bone, 2 screws at the top and 2 at the bottom to keep it in place, a plate on the outside of my ankle with 6 screws and a pin on the inside of my ankle. I have flown many times and cruised many times since that happened. I have never had any problems with security at the airport or cruise terminal. I have never flown outside the US so I am not sure about airports in other countries.