fletch5727

On 8/8/2023 at 1:21 PM, MeHeartCruising said:

I did this in May on the Explorer at Ravenna.  There were probably more than 100 people doing the B2B.  They left an instruction letter in the cabin a day or 2 prior.  We were processed in one of the lounges on the turnaround morning.  At that time, they had a security computer that processed us off the ship.  We were then given our new key card.  If we had plans to leave the ship, they had “in transit” passes to give us to let us bypass the normal boarding process.  If you didn’t have plans to leave the ship, you just went about your day.  It was pouring rain, so I just stayed on board.  It was a very easy process, but I did have to wait in line for about 20 minutes to get thru this process.  

Thank you!  This is exactly what I was hoping for.

18 hours ago, njkruzer said:

On our b2bs there was a letter in our cabin a couple of days before the end and a meeting the day before.  Sometimes walk off and back on. You do have to "sign" out with old card so the old account is cleared ans then with your new card sign in for new cruise.  If you want to leave the ship to go into the port they'll give you an in transit form so you can go right to the security line and reboard the ship. You'll have complete access to your cabin,  even before new passengers can access their cabins.  Sometimes there's a lunch for b2b passengers in the mdr.  I also stop by guest services early in the first cruise to confirm they have us on b2b list.  They always do.  Enjoy.

Thank you!

19 hours ago, irishgal432 said:

Just curious what your plans are for venice to ravenna and where you are staying in venice.  I have been spending all day trying to figure this out from all of the transportaion options,to hotels to resturants.

We're staying near the airport the night before and had booked a ship transfer from the airport to the cruise port that left at 11:30.  However, I just changed the trasnsfer to one leaving from tronchetto at 9am so that we could get to the ship earlier.  Just call Royal, they will explain the transfer options for you.  You can transfer from the airport, the "city center" which I think is Piazalle Roma, or from Tronchetta.

Our flight doesn't get in until 7:30 on Saturday, so I think we're just going to look for something by the airport.

Hello all,

We are doing a back to back out of Ravenna on Explorer this September.  Has anyone done this back to back recently?  This is my first back to back, and I'm trying to get some information as to the process for turnaround day.  Do all of us btb cruisers meet the night before?  Do we actually have to exit with everyone else?  We're in the same cabin, so thankfully we don't have to move anything.

I realize that we'll get instructions in the cabin, but I was just wondering.  Thanks in advance!

We just booked the shuttle back to Venice after our cruise.  I don't know when the shuttle leaves but your flight has to be scheduled to leave after noon.

We will be cruising for a 3 night weekend cruise with our two boys (ages 7 and 5).  Is concierge service worth it?  What all do you get?  It's about 2k extra?  It will be on the Wish if that makes a difference.

Yes, it's totally possible to request a table for one. You can either do it ahead of time in the cruise planner, or just wait until you get there. I dined solo for my transatlantic, and had no problems at all.

I didn't use the MDR for breakfast or lunch , so I can only speak to dinner.

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I had no problem getting my diamond drinks in the MDR on the Jewel TA this past May.

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I thought only one person had to stay on the reservation?

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Don't assume that just because it is a closed-loop cruise you don't need a passport. You need to know the requirements of the countries you intend to visit.

 

We did a partial Panama Canal transit that was closed loop out of Ft. Lauderdale and included a stop in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican government requires US citizens to have a valid passport to enter the country:

 

 

http://www.costarica-embassy.org/index.php?q=node/72

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I love my KYSS bag!

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We couldn't, one of us is disabled.

But you didn’t split up and each head to a separate security line in order to beat the system.;)

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They checked last month in San Juan.

OK. Whatever you say. You can quote rules forever, but written statements are not always actuality. When have you ever see anyone asking what cabin you're in when you go thru the security line? The only people who know where your cabin is located are those at the checkin counter.

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You can bring 2 bottles per adult - they do not check or care who is in what cabin!(y)

It is just the CC police that is throwing the oficial rules at you when in reality RCI does not care as long as you stick with 2 bottles per adult....

This was the first time it happened to us. We had each brought two bottles on two prior cruises, and no one said anything. Officially, the rule is two bottles per cabin. In reality, sometimes they catch you, sometimes they don't.

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You've got a couple of options. You do not have to make reservations in advance, but you can if you want to. If you go onto Royal Caribbean's website and go in to the cruise planner, you'll see the option to make your reservations for each night. The earlier do this, the more times are available for you.

Is varies ship-to-ship, but on the jewel last month, there was a separate entrance for my time diners who had reservations, then ones who did not. There was never more than a minute or two wait to get up to the front of the line to be seated if you had a reservation. I do not know what the wait was like for those who didn't have reservations.

If you choose to wait until you board to make a reservations, you risk having the time that you want not available. I would suggest you make reservations ahead via the cruise planner.

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I was also on the TA arriving in Rome on May 20. We did not get customs checked or passports checked in any port.

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We were on Radiance in September and there were lifeguards

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They've always refilled my Tervis tumbler for me. No problem at Windjammer, pool bar, or Schooner bar.

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Are you saying from actual experience? I inquired about this last year prior to our Alaska cruise. We were considering a JS and were also considering doing a Cruisetour with 6 or 7 nights on land. I asked about double points on the land portion if we stayed in a suite on the cruise portion. I was told that if we stayed in a suite on the ship we would get double points for the nights on the ship but we would only get one point per night during the land portion.

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Just out of curioisity, do you acquire C & A points for pre cruise land tours? Im referring to Alaska specifically. Thanks for the info.

 

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Was just on Radiance in September. No freestyle machines.

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If you end up not getting one from someone sailing soon, there's one listed on eBay.

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They give an extra point per night for the land portion if the cruise portion is in a suite.

 

I don't know if they would also give an extra point per night for the land portion if the guest is a solo.

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Travel is educational?

 

They learn as much outside of the classroom as inside?

 

Then travel is just as educational during school vacations. They don't have to miss school to have that travel experience or have that family time.

 

 

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Add to that what you learn from simply being exposed to other cultures, and I stand by my statement.

My education didn't suffer one bit by occasionally being taken out of school for a week. By the time I graduated from HS I was fluent in Spanish and did well enough on the German AP exam to start with 3rd year German in college. I graduated top 5% of my high school, and got merit based scholarships to a private university.

Not all children are alike. My belief is that certain students will not suffer by being taken out of school to travel. Only the parent(s) know what is best for their child.

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I grew up with my parents taking my brother and me out of school to travel, and if I had children, I wouldn't hesitate to do the same. Both my brother and I were good students, and had no problem catching up. That being said, a good portion of our flight times, and time waiting in airports was spent doing homework.

For me, traveling at a young age fostered a love of meeting new people, learning new languages, and experiencing new cultures. I firmly believe that I learned more traveling than I ever would have learned in the classroom.

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