SeaDays

On 5/24/2023 at 1:33 PM, TxTeach79 said:

Of course, now that we’re through in D…. The amount of chaos on one screen….

 

Three out of our last four AA flights out of D changed to C after checking in at D.  

Most of us are aware of Canada’s restriction on cruise ship entry until (or after, depending on the source) July 1st.

Yet Regent is still actively selling Alaska cruises in and out of Vancouver on their site for June ‘20.  I believe that it’s time for Regent to step up it’s communication to it’s current and prospective customer base.  Those sailing during this time period who can’t reschedule with FCC,  are in a serious financial penalty phase should they outright cancel.

Yes, they will be refunded, as well as government taxes and fees.

You mentioned “deposit”. Keep in mind that the least expensive RCL fares involve a non-refundable deposit.

Topic is great!

Interestingly, many years ago on an X cruise, senior staff conversed individually with  us and many other repeat cruisers on the topic of smaller ships.  Several years later, Azamara appeared as an X product.  Of course, it wasn’t long before Azamara Club became a separately marketed division.

I want to think that our in-debth discussion on that cruise, as well as others, had some influence on the approach.

Optional.  Benefit may depend on port and ship. On our recent Anthem cruise from Port Liberty, we approached a person after the entrance.  She was equipped with nothing but a tablet.  Passports scanned there; marched onto ship.

There was the ususal bank of traditional check-in desks which you could use should you choose not to upload.  Wasn’t busy, but your results may vary.

I see that you live in Washington. Should you sue, your cruise contract requires that you do that in Florida, RCI’s home. Washington - Miami. I’m guessing that making this trip might not be your most cost efficient option.

Awesome. Double awesome review!

As soon as I saw you label LAX as a dump, I told myself, this is going to be good. This person knows well.

Looking foward to your next review.

Thanks.

Just a note on currency exchange...

On the Empress we were warned that we would incurr a 13 percent fee to go from USD to CUC, and another 13 percent to convert back upon return to the pier. NOT TRUE.

Yup, it was 13 percent upon arrival. The 3 percent conversion fee is fairly typical of any foreign echange transaction. Yes, the extra initial 10 percent is high, but only for USD since it’s due to the difficult process Cuba has to go through to recoup the value of US currency.

Upon return to the pier, converting CUC back to USD incurred only the 3 percent exchange fee, NOT the 13 percent told to us by RCCL.

Also, and this is only what we learned from our tour guide, USD is a lot more accepted than what the ship will tell you.

I understand that Royal needs to take a conservative approach, but as more folks take this fascinating journey, information will become more solid..

Although not a smoker, here’s another vote for the aft deck. It’s sheltered and not windy. Furniture is better than the average deck stuff. Almost like a real lounge. I’m guessing RCCL anticpated the need for this based on itinerary.

I was very impressed how the line avoided the corporate formula to make the best use of the smaller and older Empress of the Seas.

Ten-drink cards may or may not be offered. Tends to happen later in the cruise based on bar sales during the earlier days. Computers at work. In fact, prices will vary based on data. I’ve seen $59, but on our recent Empress sailing it was $75.

Returned from the Empress three days ago. (Loved it!).

No adult-only area on our cruise.

It's not that his first post is a complaint, that probably holds true for a lot of members here...I think it says a lot when you go to the extent of creating your user name around your complaint. It screams to me that the OP is one of those people who are never satisfied and will always find a complaint...everyone is out to get them. IMO I don't they should even go on this cruise...because it is not going to live up to whatever expectations they have...they should just stick with NCL as that is the only thing that will make them happy. And that's okay, everybody has their preferences and we live in a time with so many options, there is something for everybody. RCCI won't miss their business.

 

This is one reason why when I read reviews of anything, I tend take the purely negative reviews with a grain of salt. Typically a one off circumstance, or someone who is never satisfied and will always find something to complain about. And I do the same with the ones that are all popcorn and pom poms. To me, the value is in the "3" and "4" star reviews...they feel the most honest to me.

 

With that said. RCCI's drink pricing and % of discount shenanigans is a bit annoying. But the bottom line is what the price you are paying is...not the discount you are receiving. Is it worth it to you and only you, for the price you are paying. Because of the fluctuation in price by sailing and ship and what phase the moon is in, they would be better served just advertising on price alone...and not some % off or BOHO sale. Probably save them a great deal of customer service calls.

Perfect on all counts!

Unless reviews are leaning VERY heavily to one or five-star ratings, I’ ve put my faith in the 3’s and 4’s, hopefully with specific detail.

I ignore posts that attack first-time reviewers. Pom-pom syndrome. This is a “community”, and we all had a first post.

Yes, RCCL is pushing the limits on pricing promotions, both for cruises and add-ons. For our upcoming cruise we’ve received numerous add-on offers which, although appearing different, calculated at the exact same bottom line. Insulting. We cancelled our beverage package and will manage our consumption accordingly.

For the record, I am a longtime RCI fan.

It’s interesting that immediately following the OP’s post, the first few replies were from folks who probably were not on the OP’s cruise, but felt the quick summary was invalid. Cheerleading is great, but the immediate attack of an opinion weakens the benefit that Cruise Critic affords.

Look at the review section. There are 1-star reviews followed by 5-star reviews, and they all help to various extents. I tend to discount the outliers, just as I do the replies that seem to know better than the actual cruiser.

After 75-plus cruises, I’ve experienced mostly good, but an occasional not-so-good cruise on the same line.

Folks, the word “critic” is not negative. Please folks, allow and accept comments from all members. By all means, if you sailed on the same cruise, comment back. But if you didn’t.......

There are many cruise staterooms that “could” hold X number of people, but are not available to book.

Keep in mind that a cruise line has to consider dining room limits, lifeboat requirements, child care capabilities, and other factors that affect individual room capacity. Availabilty will differ depending on individual sailings.

Additionally, some lines will restrict stateroom capacity in order to balance the adult vs. kids passenger makeup since cruisers are looking at their vacation experience from many different angles.

I believe there is at least one night that features a Cuban themed menu. (We’ll chrck it out in May).

Another vote for Rome Cabs. We used them from the airport Hilton, since there were four of us. But for two, you may be close to breakeven with cruiseline transfers.

On our last cruise from Port Liberty we had no issue getting from our hotel near EWR to the port using Uber.

On the way back, not so much. No Uber cars available. Be careful.

Aware of that. The issue is the regulation's reference to "full-day" activities. Not sure if RCI's 4-hour tours satisfy the requirement. Just looking for cruisers who may have done just these excursions.

Limited brands (mostly middle-of-the-road stuff) until you’re 12 miles out. Most effect is on drinks requiring splashes of more low volume liquors. But on a seven day cruise, the wait for the complete assortment is a fraction of your vacation.

Just be aware that if you bring anything back, either from a port or the ship’s shop, there will be a Texas revenue guy at the pier to collect the state tax, even if you’re within the U.S. limit. Hardly worth the guy’s salary to station him there, but what else would he do that day.

Holding a reservation for an Empress o/t Seas Cuba itinerary that includes two days in Havana. In view of November 2017 requirements, and after reading RCI’s FAQ’s multiple times, I still have an open question.....

RCI states that, 1 - Tours would be required on both days, and, 2 - new regs require a a full day of approved activity.

But there are several tours that last 3 to 4 hours. We like these, since all-day tours are not our style. And many tours seem to overlap similar sights.

Any one know if the shorter tours will meet requirements. This is not addressed by RCI’s FAQ’s.

Thanks!

Fabulous review and pictures. Thanks!

As a lover of good soup, I really appreciate your pics. But the most uplifting detail was your reference to the pumpkin seed rolls. We’re really glad that they are still around. Awesome!

Definitely a stressful decision. The port now open during daylight hours and the airports opening are good signs of improvement. At least you can monitor things for the next couple of days and then make your decision. If you do decide to drive down, Gasbuddy is usually a really good app for finding gas.

 

Good luck whatever you decide.:)

Thanks a bunch.

I was just going to ask that very question -- what are the terms of the insurance. If you can wait until the last minute, that I what I would most likely do. I say most likely because these would be my concerns:

 

1 can I fly into the region (assuming you aren't local)

2 can I get from the airport to my hotel and then from the hotel to the ship

3 can I get a hotel

4 will working all this out be too stressful when the reason I am doing this is to relieve stress

5 will I be ok emotionally going into a devastated area to go on a luxury trip

 

1 --Depending on how willing you are to drive the answer to one is an unqualified yes. Most likely the Houston airports will be open, but there may be some pent up demand getting on those flights since it has been shut down for a while, but on the other hand do a lot of people want to get there? You'll find the answer to this as you work on your flight, but I said an unqualified yes because you could always fly into Dallas and drive.

 

2 -- The roads are drying out and it is only Wednesday. I think this will be a yes as well and this should start becoming clearer over the next day or two.

 

3 -- Start calling and see what you can do, or maybe you already have one, make sure they are still open. Worst case you could fly in and board the same day assuming you can get the flight, though you risk a delay making you miss the boat.

 

4 and 5 -- I don't mean to imply that delicate flowers can't handle stress or sad things. I am saying that the purpose of your trip is to get away from the stresses of life, to relax and to have a great time. Dealing with the uncertainties isn't relaxing. Driving through destruction and knowing what it represents to the people involved isn't relaxing. This is a personal thing to you, but will this defeat the whole purpose of the trip or is it not that big a deal to you? This is something to ask yourself.

 

Edit: Lots of people slipped postes in ahead of mine with other important conciderations.

Wow!

You have nailed it.

I think we've handled point 4, although that changes by the minute. RCI hasn't been a big help here.

Point 5 is exactly what we're dealing with. Will make the decision soon.

Thanks.

Royal Caribbean insurance requires you to cancel prior to the ship leaving port. Where are you seeing differently?

 

The poster is also from Texas, so their last second decision is different than a last second decision for someone who is flying in from a distance.

Exactly.

Yes, we'll loose a bit of funds, but I've read the contract and you are absolutely correct.

The stress of worrying about our pre-cruise hotel reservation, driving through road issues, and wondering about fuel to get back does not make for a "vacation".

We really hope that our members who have air transportation to IAH/HOU have the opportunity to sail this great ship. (We sailed with Captain James MacDonald a bunch of years ago on a Vision class ship). Awesome.

Thanks.

Can we get civil?

CC is here for the benefit of us cruise fans and those that would like to be.

We're scheduled for the 9/3 Liberty sailing as well as others who are probably monitoring this thread for guidance and comfort. We're still debating whether or not to use our "cancel anytime" insurance to recover 75% towards another cruise.

What I'm seeing is a complete meltdown of the thread that now features political issues, arguments among know-it-alls, and statistics about Houston that, whether right or wrong, are meaningless to addressing the issue at hand.

Moderators, please make them stop!