SuzD123

Not super recent, but DD and I were on Allure a few months ago (Nov 2023) and no mask requirements. It was purely personal preference based on individual comfort level. We had a couple masks packed in our suitcases just in case something popped up...but again they were not required. This was our first sailing since we stepped off Allure days before the COVID lockdown of March 2020. She is sailing on Symphony in a few days and I will be on Radiance in a few weeks...and there has been no indication of a mask mandate for those upcoming sailings.

So sorry for what you and your family are currently going through. I found the following on the RCCL site. While I'm not sure the non-refundable deposit fare applies, I am guessing that due to the close proximity of the sailing date it may. Hope that it helps. Q Should I choose to cancel a reservation confirmed under a non-refundable deposit fare, what refunds will apply? A Outside of final payment, when a non-refundable deposit cancellation occurs, the full deposit amount will be held in penalty. Any additional payments made will be refunded. Should you choose to change your original ship and/or sail date, if you booked directly with us, please contact our Consumer Outreach team at (866) 562-7625 where a representative will assist in making the desired changes, while also applying the qualifying change fee(s) and collecting payment, if not already done so. If you booked via a travel advisor, please contact them for any booking changes.

May 17 will be our 1st Alaska sailing as well. We've been looking forward to this and planning for more than a year. Sorry for the folks currently onboard. Thinking LOTS of happy thoughts and crossing fingers/toes that everything gets resolved. The couple of articles I have read this afternoon seem to indicate that the repairs are best made while docked and should be completed by April 26.🙏

Crossing my fingers and saying prayers for all of us. 🙂

Yep...thinking happy positive thoughts...

Agreed. 10 is the largest table size we've ever been a part of or have seen. However, we have seen 2 tables (8-person/each) to accommodate larger parties near or next to one another...just not connected.

Ditto...we are supposed to board her on May 17 in Vancouver for a 13-night northbound cruisetour (7-night sailing/6-night land)

Thank you everyone for your responses. This is exactly what we needed.

Ditto...what everyone described occurred for me...last week. Change the password that has worked forever...all good. Then magically things changed within the past 12 hours. Updated/changed password yet again. ugh

Thank you...that's what we have been starting to wonder. I'll be interested to hear of others' experiences too. Obviously we'll be paying attention and following whatever instruction we get from the crew, but it is always nice to be a little prepared and aware ahead of time. Thank you again. 🙂

This is something that I have been wondering about in the background, but as we have been preparing for other things related to our first Alaska sailing/cruise tour...it has kind of fallen by the wayside. Fast forward to this week when I saw a slightly related question in a separate thread. With several Caribbean sailings under our belts, we're well aware of the concept of "ship's time" and the need to know which time/time zone to follow so as to not miss all aboard. As we have been watching several YouTube videos and reading CC threads...there have been a number of mentions about time, but as we are now days away from stepping onboard...we are finally thinking more about it. Specifically on a RCCL Alaska itinerary...is the time zone followed solely at the Captain's discretion? Is how it is followed different between Alaska and Caribbean sailings? Do we follow the original departure time zone (in our case Pacific Time) or does it shift to local times as we move through time zones (into Alaska Time)? The alternative is to pay close attention to ship announcements and the daily Cruise Compass too. I guess through our past experience, we believed that the time/time zone question was pretty standard...sticking to ship time at the departure port...but maybe not? As much as I love my smartwatch, I'm wondering if I need to dig out my old analog watch and make sure it has a new battery? Any thoughts or guidance regarding time changes/time zones from others who have previously sailed Alaska itineraries?

While we haven't been on Icon...we've been on our fair share of 7-night RCCL sailings. For a 7 night sailing there are typically 2 "formal" nights. Generally, those are scheduled on the 2nd and 5th or 6th night. Longer itineraries (10-15 night) will have a 3rd. Note that I put formal in quotes...reason being, the trends seems to be moving away from truly formal attire. You may even see it referred to in the Cruise Compass as "Dress Your Best"...not even suggesting formal attire. While you may still see the occasional tuxedo or formal gown...it is not the norm. You are more likely to see a sport jacket, a nice dress, khakis with a golf shirt, or just about anything. That all said...if you enjoy the opportunity to really dress up...no one will say a word. At the end of the day fun!!

Hoping to get this thread jump started again... A close friend told me about this sailing last summer (2023). She had snagged a balcony cabin for her another friend (Nov 5-9). Fast forward a couple months and the other friend backed out (for whatever reason) and I was offered the opportunity to step in. Heck yea...don't need to ask me twice for anything cruise related...and this has the bonus of a Hallmark Christmas theme. While I have sailed many times...this will be my first charter/theme cruise and my first NCL sailing. The majority of my experience has been with RCCL (D+) and I am fully prepared and understand that this will be very different on a number of levels. That said we are both beyond excited. This will be fun! Not sure if this would be more of a Sixthman or NCL question, but on RCCL guests can bring up to 2 bottles (750ml) of wine per cabin onboard. Does anyone know the comparable rule for NCL?? I haven't been able to put my finger on that information. We're not thinking of getting a beverage package. In the meantime, ugly Christmas sweater has been purchased and is waiting in the wings. 🙂 TIA!!

You had me at Plymouth Fury III...Absolutely NOTHING to do with Alaska or Radiance. But my 1st car was a '65 Fury and my 2nd was a '72. Fun memories. 🙂

Maybe not engagement specific, BUT... go into your reservation and click "Plan My Cruise". In the top blue banner, you should see your sailing information (ship name/dates). On the far upper right you should see a circle with your initials. Click your initials and it will open a drop down list that includes something called "Royal Gifts." Among the Royal Gifts in the Celebrations category is something called "Luxury Love Celebration" for $169.99. Make it a cruise to remember with the perfect decorations for your special celebration and treat yourselves to a plate of chocolate covered strawberries, paired with a bottle of champagne! This package includes: 1 Magnetic Door Sign 1 Mirror Cling 1 Wire Photo Cable with Clips Photos not included. Holds up to four photos 2 Hanging Ceiling Decorations 1 Photo Frame Photo not included. Holds a 5x7 photograph 1 Bottle of Champagne 9 Chocolate Covered Strawberries Hope that this helps and Congratulations!