Loyal2RCCL

Last Christmas on Navigator the reverted back to the $35 regular charge for Christmas Eve/Day and New Eve/Day since nobody booked the ridiculous $79 holiday "special". Hopefully they'll do the same this year.

Good to know that they reverted back to the regular pricing. I wonder if other ships reverted back or if it was just the Navigator.

My guess is it would have depended on how many people booked the $75 special dinner.

They try to price gouge people in Chops and Giovanni's on Christmas as New Years. Last year on Navigator, they were trying to charge $75 pp for a "special" fixed menu that was horrible. After 1 day with nobody booking this "special" they reverted back to the normal operation and accepted reservations at the normal service charge.

Another thing to watch out for is the raise all the drink prices, so unless you have a package, expect to pay more than usual for your alcoholic drinks.

To answer the OP's question.. the ship will actually dock. The stop could be 1-2 hrs and there is paperwork that needs to be completed with the local authorities even though no guests are allowed to disembark.

Dear Travel Partner,

Please note that the Anthem of the Seas arrival time in Cape Liberty, New Jersey, has been modified. Our original update about the revised arrival time was estimated at 6 a.m. EST on February 10, 2016. Due to reduced speeds on the return voyage, the new estimated arrival time will be alongside in Bayonne at 9 pm EST. As this is an evening arrival and we want to ensure the comfort of our guests, we are encouraging guests to remain on board for a normal disembarkation process on Thursday, February 11th starting at 6 a.m. Those guests that choose to disembark on their own once the ship has cleared on Wednesday evening, may chose this option. Any transportation arrangements you may have secured for February 10th, should be reaccommodated to February 11th

We thank you for your understanding, and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and your clients. We appreciated your continued support of Royal Caribbean International.

Serenade in Dec offered 20% discount on Premium and Ultimate Packages for D+ and PC

Yes, Serenade offers 3 and 5 night dining packages available online or on Day 1 of the cruise. They also had the 10 drink punch card but it didn't show up until mid cruise in Dec.

Serenade had 20% off for D+/PC on the Dec. 23, 2015 cruise

RCCL suspended all calls at Labadee for several months in the early-mid 90's due to political unrest in that country. They may need to do the same now, but once things stabilize they will return once it's deemed safe.

Freedom in Labadee- Dec. 2014

I booked a Bahama cruise for a family of 3 through Expedia in Sept for travel in October and upon checking the price today it has dropped by $600. So I feel we have overpaid does anyone know if I can claim a refund from Expedia.

Another option would be to see how much the penalty would be if you cancelled your current booking and rebooked at the lower price. Sometimes the savings is greater than paying the penalty on the original booking.

I just booked an Over the Water cabana on Nellies Beach for our 12/23/15 Serenade cruise. Even though it said "Book Onboard" I was able to add it to my shopping cart and check out for a total of $350.00.

With the removal of the Upgraded Lunch, and the price increase after Jan. 2016 this will be our last time paying for a cabana which is a shame since those in my family that can't handle the sun will have to either go back to sitting under a tree or staying onboard.

If you don't receive a satisfactory resolution onboard, I strongly encourage you to contact RCCL's Post Cruise Customer Service and lodge the complaint with them. We had a similar situation in Belize and the ship did nothing, however RCCL Customer Service refunded us in full, plus gave us a FCC for a future cruise. If all else fails, contact your credit card company and dispute the charge for the excursion.

My guess is you got the cough (virus) from the airplane and not the ship. we were a group of 20 that sailed on this cruise and all the people in my group who took the Delta flight to Atlanta got sick. Those of us on different flights/airlines came home without any illness. The ones who got sick have the same cough you mentioned and they are still battling it.

I'll be following along.

 

Is it Rita's Crab shack or Rita's Cantina?

 

Also - what are you plans in Halifax?

 

 

Looking forward to being on Brilliance in October.

BR has Rita's Cantina and it was disgusting. Never saw anyone eating there the entire 12 days.

Call 9-1-1... that will ring in the Bridge and report it to the Captain or officer that answers the phone

Here are some of the things I remember:

Small, intimate ships (700 pax) in the 70's and 80's

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner was assigned seating (Early/Late) in the MDR

Jacket and tie required every night after 6pm

Elaborate midnight buffet every night

Soft drinks included with meals

$1.50 cocktails

You paid for everything with cash at the time it was delivered.

Guests were allowed onboard during embarkation day

You were allowed to visit other ships in the ports of call.. even those of other cruise lines

Excellent, personalized service

Excellent meals.. great quality and interesting menus

Flaming desserts, pastas and salads made tableside

VERY small cabins with no TV etc.

Great outside deck parties

Very expensive compared to today's prices.

They pass out free eggnog in the morning, followed by a visit from Santa who has gifts for all the kids. There will be a midnight mass, and caroling in the Promenade. Some ships put out a display of Christmas cookies etc. They may also do a special Christmas Ice Skating show ( some ships have done this in the past ) and there will be a special Christmas menu which I hope has been updated and replaced since RCCL now has new MDR menus. If the Christmas dinner menu is the same as in past years.. don't expect much.. this year we're booked into Chops just in case. :eek:

I know several people that were on this cruise and they said it wasn't near as bad as what people have posted here. Yes, it was crowded since the weather prevented people from going outside, but they said the worst part of the cruise was listening to all the whiners and complainers-- most of whom were D and above. I think the future discount offer is more than fair IMHO.

I too have never been charged a corkage fee in any specialty restaurant or the MDR.

I agree... They will flag you for that reason, and the RCI rep was probably, shockingly, inarticulate. I can't imagine them banning someone for life for that lol, that's just silly.

 

 

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Actually, the info the OP received regarding the "No Sail" list was accurate. If you dispute a charge that gets chargedback, RCCL will flag that card number in their system and if you try to reserve anything with it you will be denied as a high risk. If you used another card, it wouldn't be attached to your file. RCCL wouldn't just ban you from their product for such a thing.. but they have done on occasion--mostly for chronic complainers.

If you don't mind my asking did you get your balcony discount on it? I am not pushing it and asking for it. Just wondering if anyone did get that as well.

In a way I sort of got my C&A balcony discount.. it's only $14.00 pp, but that's the deduction that appears on my confirmation. :eek:

I agree with every favorite area already mentioned. Radiance class ships are my favs for so many reasons. They're the perfect blend of old and new...and it just works wonderfully.

For the record, they do sometimes open the Solarium's glass roof. Twice on BR during Med cruises the roof was open most days. I've also seen it open on Radiance and Jewel.

I also vote for the SO cabin. They're so much larger than the standard OV's and the extra space really does make a difference. The view isn't that obstructed.. the lifeboats hang just below the window.. but they don't obstruct your view straight out looking at the water.

I also grabbed one of those D2's for $361 pp yesterday. Apparently RCCL's Revenue Dept made a mistake. They were supposed to drop the price to $1124, but instead listed the $1124 as a discount off the regular price, which made the fare $361 pp. I too paid my booking in full so they could not take it away.