Max and Ruby

I was lucky then! My daughter applied on Jan 3rd at the post office regular processing time and we just got it today, so 7 weeks. @mandyleighflies do your kids' passports look totally different than yours? My 18 yo just applied for her 1st adult passport and got it in October 2022. Hers looks like mine which is pretty old. My younger daughter's that arrived today is a totally different look! Wondered if they changed minor passports or just updated all passport features recently?

My 15 yo DD is looking forward to Sorrento's when we cruise in April.

Thank you! I’m keeping the minivan rental for now. Better to be flexible than save $20 to rent a smaller vehicle right now. Cruise in June, so I sounds as if I have time to watch and learn!

I agree I normally don't like pound cake, but got it for whatever reason and was pleasantly surprised.

Newbie here. Found your Carnival review and am looking forward to another review of yours. Don't know if you ever tried this, but if you start getting a sore throat, gargle with Listerine. I kept COVID at bay last year when husband came down with it a week before my solo cruise. Husband was kept quarantined in separate bedroom, but I gargled every morning that week and never got sick and got to go on that cruise! Then again, Listerine is mostly alcohol, so just drink more before your trip! 🙂

Has anyone used this service in 2022 (post pandemic) with Royal Caribbean? Website states Royal is a participating cruise line, but first hand advice is also best. I saw that @itsanita had a red eye flight? We also have one this June 2023 and with airlines loosing luggage when you drop if off right at the airport, I'm nervous. We have a car rental the day of disembarkation and would change to a smaller vehicle if Port Valet does work. Thanks for any thoughts/advice!

I'm sure you probably know this, so please no flames, just sharing my experience. I am hesitant to book excursions on my own because you never know when a ship will be diverted or late. This past June we were supposed to arrive in Nassau at noon, but due a medical emergency we had to divert to Port Everglades, and arrived at Nassau more like 4pm. Even the excursions run by Royal were all cancelled. They made an announcement and quite a few people were unhappy.

I've gotten my points from my 4 night cruise that I missed! Since the day before the cruise was Christmas , when I called Royal to cancel there was no working to cancel the cruise. I had my agent call ON day of cruise (12/26) and it was too late. I'd be a no show. Well after 2.5 hours on the phone on Friday with big box store and Royal, they can't seem to fix the issue and send me a No Show letter so I can get my taxes, cruise planner money refunded AND submit paperwork to travel insurance. I just called again and So and So from Royal still "doesn't have the issue resolved". WTH? They will call me when it is. Royal would not give big box store any contact information so I could contact Royal by email directly. Must be their way to keep my money! Sorry, 4 points isn't worth $3500 (2 cabins, 4 people). Good luck OP. I'm sure you will get your points by calling Crown and Anchor.

Travel agent calling Royal to cancel and yes, "can't cancel per se". I will get taxes, Cruise Planner money back. What I will get is a document from Big box company stating cruise cancelled that I can use for insurance. I'm hoping, but not convinced this will work. I used Travel Guard if that helps anyone else in the future. I wonder if Allianz would be a better choice? Are there ANY companies that will refund your cruise if you miss your flight and can't come? I feel for you too! Sounds as if you had a 4 night cruise too? Mine today until 12/30.

That's only AIR2Sea number I think. There was some recording about helping you out if you booked AIR with us....so I hung up.

Thank you. I am going to try this now.

I am beyond furious. Don't know if I can mention insurance names. But I called insurance last night and they said that NO PILOT is NOT a covered reason for my cancelled flight. Um, excuse me? How can my flight take off when the pilot who brought the plane to my gate decided "oh, I'm done for that day" and airline can't find another pilot. Plus with all the cancellations no luck finding another flight. I am waffling in between extreme anger and crying like a baby. Thank goodness I do have another "out". My father in law was supposed to go with us in the cabin next door, but he broke his hip 2 weeks ago. My insurance stated that his medical injury WOULD be a covered reason. So the insurance actually suggested I go that route for a refund. But I need a cancellation from Royal, had no emergency number and big box agency said I have to wait until 9 am today to call and stay on the line to cancel my cruise. Augh. Just augh. @poocher you said that your brother was a no show and got this back? "All CP purchases, taxes, port fees & prepaid gratuities refunded to form of payment. Insurance purchased through RCCL at time of booking paid 90% of cruise fare as an FCC. Southwest refunded points used for booking plus an additional $250 in vouchers each." Well my insurance wants me to prove "cancelled" trip. I wonder if your brother got the refunded amounts back to form of payment because he use the Royal Insurance company? If I can't get through to cancel my cruise today, will I get at least the CP purchase, taxes and port fees back? I'll be lucky if I get my paid airfare back in a credit from Southwest. They did NOTHING but refund my points back in April when they cancelled my flight. Thank goodness I did not miss that cruise (double points, solo cruiser). But my travel insurance ( a different company) then did not refund my last minute flight because it was "air traffic control" and that wasn't a covered reason. Such a scam. I'm done with this trip ruining my plans. I'm off to my gym and will kick some $ss then call and sit for hours on the phone trying to cancel my cruise before 3pm today (time you'd have to be on the ship ).

I will look for the number. Still have time…

I want 100 % back! But if I could swap people, I’d do it.

I know it! Ugh

Good luck!

Thank you and nope. There are zero flights to FLL, MCO, TPA, West Palm Beach and Allegiant (Sanford) doesn't fly tomorrow. We considered flying anywhere in the FL area and then driving. We would have driven from PA if we could have left here by mid afternoon. Thanks Southwest!

Thanks!

Hello, I think I know the answer, but I wanted to reach out to this group. We had a flight to Fort Lauderdale today for a cruise tomorrow and surprise, it was cancelled after waiting forever with delay. Had we known it would have been cancelled a few hours earlier we could have driven to Florida (17 hours straight). Anyway, I have travel insurance, but do I get internet package and beverage package back if I am a no show? I did not insure that, just the cruise fare. I emailed big box travel agency, but of course it is Christmas and no one is working. I can't call Royal myself since I had a travel agent book trip. So is that all I can do? Tell agent and they call Royal? Any ideas? At least this is my home city. There were a few people who tried to fly down Christmas Eve and THAT flight was also cancelled. So they tried Saturday and Sunday and no go for them. Thanks,

This post might not help the poster directly, but it is on topic. I booked 2 cabins with a big box travel agency. Went to pay online, my cabin was fine, but my kids' cabin was denied payment. Had to call big box travel agency who had to call Royal. Booking agent did not note that the kids were right next to us on ship that is why I could not pay for their cabin. During all of this, I was charged twice for the kids' cabin. Royal refunded me, but I was shorted $100. In part because of the fiasco of using big box agency for the first time and the numerous phone calls that I needed to make, I said "keep it Royal". I did not want any more phone calls or trouble. Just a week ago( 2 weeks before my cruise) I noticed that our cabins now have $100 OBC each. We used to have $50 OBC per cabin. So I assume they went through their finances and realized that they owed me $100? During the pandemic when I cancelled a bunch of excursions, they came back to me months later charging me for excursions that they mistakenly refunded twice. So they must look over their finances and rectify when mistakes are made on charges. This cruise taught me many things. #1 get a good travel agent who will call Royal and not have you on hold with them! (My pre pandemic travel agent passed away from cancer and boy did I not realize all the work she did for us.) #2 Read every line, check every charge! Good job OP in realizing that names and birthdates were wrong. That would have been terrible if you were denied embarkation because of some snafu like that. Good luck!

Funny how you justify vacation money. When my soda is more than $3.75 for a 6 pack ( the 16 oz bottles) I won’t buy! LOL! I’m diamond as well and had planned on using the free drinks for soda as well as alcohol, but just wanted the facts first. I did buy a 12 pack bottled water deal that I’ll share with my kids ( who don’t drink soda) and I’ll use their vouchers for soda! 😃

Thanks for the suggestions!

Flying down on Christmas Day … no stores open. Might look into Uber to a food store day of embarkation .

Hello! For the first time in forever I won’t be buying the soda package. I believe there is no Coke Freestyle machine on Liberty of the Seas, is that correct? So I wanted to verify the prices. I think i recently read that Coke is $4.00 a can and bottled water $2.00 plus gratuity of course. Is that correct? Thanks!

YIKES! My husband is still complaining about June's internet service!