CoffeeBoy

Hello, how much was the Gambia visa? If you apply in advance with the US consulate they want 200 USD per person. If it's that much, we might just stay on board.

I finally got through to chat. After 20 minutes of back and forth, chat said they couldn't help me. They picked up the phone soon after, and she got it handled in 5 minutes. So chat is doubly useless.

I DESPISE using the phone for booking anything. I beg the cruise lines, the tour companies, PLEASE give us an online booking system. That way I can do the work at any time 24/7, and I can make certain the booking is correct. For example, I can't count how many times a phone agent misspelled a client's name, leading to yet another phone call.

If you call Princess, they encourage you to use their Chat feature. I was 84th in queue....66th....54th....down to zero! And... "One of our agents will chat with you as soon as possible." I've been on that screen longer than I was in queue. It asks me if I'm still waiting every 10 minutes or so, then back to the above. I'm on hold with Princess for an hour so far, and still waiting on chat. We'll see if I get through tonight.

...medallion order. Poor octogenarian gentleman has glaucoma and hearing loss; there was no way he could do it on his own. I really, really, REALLY wish cruise lines would give travel agents a way to complete all of these things online for their clients. In 20 years it won't be a problem, but now? I have many elderly clients. Requiring an app to complete all steps is short-sighted.

That's very kind, but this was my fault. I should have double checked that his grandson had helped him with the app and med.

That sounds promising. Did you show up at the time the app said, or is that requirement waived for Platinum / Elite?

Have a client boarding a cruise tomorrow in Southampton. His grandson was going to help him with the medallion and checking in online two months ago...turns out none of that happened. So I dropped by his place and got the app on his phone, checked him in on everything, but of course he's Blue Lane and must pick up his medallion. He's Platinum level in the Captain's Circle so should get Priority Boarding and access to the lounge, but how does that work with Blue Lane? Thanks for any details.

If you are more than 4 months from your departure date, you can cancel for $75 per person and rebook. Depends if it's worth > $150 to do so.

I must say, their hold times have improved drastically. I got in within 5-10 minutes yesterday.

I never had a problem booking Azamara...in the past. Now? Azamara hold times are legendary, but improving. If one of us gets through, we tell the whole office so anyone who needs to talk to them can do so before we end the call. What's worse, they recently switched over to their own brand new TA site with a reservations system....and it hasn't worked for months. Months. The old TA site they were apart of with RCCL and Celebrity worked perfectly. So booking Azamara has become difficult, but we still offer them. They're a great line, I'm going on their Africa cruise with in December. As far as commission goes, they're competitive, no problems there.

I love coffee but my partner drinks tea. Specialty coffees, sure, but specialty teas? Do they have premium teas you can get anywhere / anywhen else besides the Afternoon Tea?

I've exhausted my Google-fu. Figured this was a good place to ask, and VOILA! First response answered. Second response....well, typical.

Got some clients taking their first Viking Ocearn cruise. My Viking Journey (or Their Viking Journey, technically) says Dining reservations open up May 23. What time, exactly? 12:01am Bergen time? Pacific time? Mountain? Does anybody actually know?

Haiti ports still require it. One of these days....

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/will-i-have-to-take-a-test-before-i-cruise Clear as mud, as per usual from RCCL. The email was explicit: no testing required. The website makes you work for it.

Got the email this morning.

How can you tell if there's a sale on the Beverage / Wifi / etc packages? Is there any way to tell external of the planner and guessing?

Home tests are just that - a test you do at home. Order free ones from the gubmint here https://special.usps.com/testkits or buy them at Walgreens or CVS or Rite-Aid or wherever. They're antigen tests. They qualify.

Here's the new testing requirements for Sept. 5th or after NOT visiting Bermuda or Canada: Source: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-tests-are-accepted-where-to-submit-the-results Accepted Tests for Guests Sailing from North America (U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada) Below are details about which tests are accepted to board the ship. The type of test you need for your cruise, as well as the testing window, can vary depending on your vaccination status. If you are unclear on test requirements your for your cruise, visit our main COVID-19 testing FAQ to learn more.  The test you take can be professionally administered by a health professional, such as a doctor or pharmacist, or you can use a home test kit. Home test kits for these sailings are not required to be administered under live video supervision. You will present the negative test result at the time of boarding. You can show it in the form of a printout, an email, or an app screen from the test provider. Or you can show a picture of your negative home test on your phone, or present the actual negative test itself.

They're going to change it to allow unvaccinated adults to sail. The CEO has confirmed it on his Facebook page, but they are taking their time with the rest of the company.

RCCL needs to get it together. NCL, Oceania, Regent just implemented clear guidelines. For sailings after September 3rd, unvaccinated adults can sail with a test from US ports. RCCL's guidelines are about as clear as Ganges river water.

"Starting Aug. 8, testing will be required for unvaccinated guests on all voyages and for vaccinated guests only on voyages that are six nights or longer. " Wait. Are they saying unvaccinated guests can board cruises after August? They don't have to apply for a religious or medical exception?