RoyalDiamond

So, if someone books all 3 connected cabins, does that mean the names on the invoice for the actual JS get the double cruise points, and the others only get single points, since they are not JS cabins? I'll make sure my name is listed in the JS....LOL

Peter

Peter and Jim from Chicago are booked. However, I don't know if we'll stay on it or not. We also have the Quantum transatlantic booked on 11/2/14. So, we may have to cancel one of them. Hopefully not, and we'll do both, but we'll have to wait and see....

We are booked to board in Rotterdam and not Southampton.

Peter

Peter and Jim from Chicago are booked. We are booked on the Nov 2 transatlantic, and then the "inaugural" on 11/23 and the following on 12/1. We have one of those new "Spa Junior Suites."

Funny how they're calling the 11/23 sailing the "inaugural" when the first sailing with paying passengers is actually the transatlantic on 11/2.

Peter

What type of cabin do you have?

We currently have a Jr Suite. That's because the exact same Jr Suite was available on both sailings, and we don't have to change cabins. However, the pricing on the Crown Lofts for the 5-night really makes me think it would be worth it to change cabins for the second sailing.....dilemma.

We booked this sailing last week. We're on the transatlantic, and I saw the pricing for this sailing, and couldn't resist. So, we're staying on after the transatlantic and doing a back to back.

Peter

Ok...thrusters going...getting ready to go!

I'm on board. We were scheduled out at 4:30. It's now 6:00 and we're still here. No announcements since muster...

Peter

I just booked the Brilliance (Canada/New England) for October 2014....yes, a year and a half from now. You have to book far in advance if you want JS 1100....LOL. Anyway, they have the fall 2014 Brilliance schedule on the website, but the late spring and summer schedule is blank. It's odd that they released the fall schedule, but not the summer schedule. I'm assuming the ship will go to Europe and back, but who knows. I'll have to keep watching.....

Peter

Gee, I just found a price drop for our cruise on Grandeur for next September to Bermuda. A price drop already for a cruise that's 10 months away? Bookings must be slow for that ship/cruise. We've cruised on Grandeur once before (2 years ago), and had the same smell and toilet issues. It was so bad that they gave us future cruise certificates for a discount. I was hoping that the issues had been corrected, but apparently not. Perhaps we should change to Explorer to Bermuda. But, we want to sail out of Baltimore, since we've never done that.....we'll see.

Peter

We were on Grandeur 2 years ago, and it was our worst cruise EVER. During boarding, they even made an announcement to NOT use any toilets for about an hour! We knew there was going to be trouble after that. Yes, there was the smell in the centrum, too. So, I was hoping that during the refurb, everything would be corrected. Darn. It seems like that ship has definite plumbing issues.

Why bring a bottle on board, 3 glass of wine per bottle (approx.) @ $6.00/$7.00 glass.( I drink the cheaper wines) Your still NOT ahead of the game!!!:confused::(:eek:

 

I'm just buying mine on board, you get more for the buck!

 

Am I missing something here?? :confused:

I think most of us like the convenience of having the wine in our stateroom. As long as it's opened in the stateroom, there is NO corkage fee. I like a glass on the balcony, or while "getting pretty" for the evening. Others prefer a special/specific wine that isn't available for purchase onboard.

So RCI may be making life quite difficult for themselves. If they don't indicate carry-on v checked bags in the policy then people will of course try to bring bottles on board both in their carry-on and checked bags. Unless there is some kind of mechanism whereby they record at checkin/boarding that you have already brought on board your allowance how on earth will they be able to check?! Of course for those flying in to join the ship there really is little choice but to have it in checked baggage.

 

So we could be looking at 4 bottles/cabin. Hah.

Actually, 2 in my carryon, 2 in my checked bag, 2 in my patner's carryon, and 2 in his checked bag=8 total bottles....if someone really wanted that much...

6 days to go.....Vision cruise of Norwegian Fjords, and then Brilliance transatlantic....a total of 18 days of cruising! Woo-hoo!

Diamond lounge is for diamond and above only, regardless of cabin type. Concierge lounge is for anyone in a GS or higher, and Diamond Plus or higher in any cabin type. Drinks are complimentary in both locations, and served by the crew.

Yes it does, it goes all the way round the aft of the ship. It is very noisy since there is a lot of ventilation there, plus the wake of the ship. It continues on Deck 5 at the front of the ship where the helipad is, so you have to walk up the stairs, but technically the promenade does go all the way around the ship.

Exactly! It DOES go all the way around. We would go out to the helipad frequently, and continue our walk arond the entire promenade (with a few stairs, as stated).

The only ships that have obstructed views from the outdoor promenade are Oasis/Allure. Explorer and all others have a normal promenade deck. Yes, I do miss it on Oasis and Allure, but there are still a few places between the lifeboats where you can get a non-obstructed view, and the view in the rear is fantastic, and even has lounge chairs.

I would definitely change cabins....deck 7 JS cabins have quite an obstructed view on the Liberty. The superstructure and design of the back of that ship really limits your view. I normally LOVE cabins in the aft, but not one of aft JS cabins on that ship. I would choose deck 9 (deck 10 is below the Windjammer and/or pool area), mid-ship or on the hump if still available (like 9338 or 9638, although those 2 cabins only accommodate 2 passengers, so if you have more than 2, those won't work). Avoid 9244 and 9544, they are smaller than the rest of the JS cabins......hope that helps a little.

I do find it odd that my partner and I are both D+, but we only get 1 bottle on a 7-day cruise when staying in the same cabin. We both paid to get to D+. If I cruised with someone who has NEVER been on RCCL, we'd get 1 bottle because of my D+ status, but when I cruise with another D+, we still only get the 1 bottle....doesn't make much sense. Oh well, we make up for it in the concierge and diamond lounges from 5-830pm....LOL

All packed and heading out tomorrow morning. Chicago O'hare to New York JFK to Barcelona! Arrive BCN Thursday morning.....see everyone there!

Peter and Jim

Ok, we are packing now for......going from Chicago to Miami tomorrow for our "practice cruise".....a 5-day leaving Monday on Celebrity Millenium. We'll be back to Chicago next Saturday to unpack/repack before leaving for Barcelona......see you all soon! (out of 25 cruises, 23 have been

RCCL and this is only our 2nd on Celebrity, so we'll see how it goes....)

Since some of our folks have begun to travel to Europe, I finished up the spreadsheet and sent it out to the distribution list.

 

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the research that made the spreadsheet possible.

 

Looking forward to meeting all of you on the ship.

 

From now on, if you switch cabins, husbands or wives...you are on your own!!

On our own??? Not really, we will be with our NEW husbands or wives! LOL

Good evening everyone, hope you are all well. 14 days and it will be time for packing.

 

Talking of packing well, panic struck this morning.

 

I was convinced that the 44lb checked bag limit on the flight to Barcelona wouldn't be enough and that I'd end up paying excess charges. So spent the morning stuffing everything I think I am taking into the suitcase. That included tolietries, sun care, halloween stuff, shoes, and thank goodness it only weighed in at just over 37lbs so a bit of spare capacity there, which is good news because there will be something I've forgotten! All out again now as it will need pressing before packing properly on the 27th!

 

As for the cabin bag, with the documents, cameras, Netbook, chargers, reading glasses, and sunglasses, this already weighs 10.5 lbs and I only have 22 lbs allowance for carry on on the outbound flight! Luckily on BA on the return flight I have a 50lbs checked baggage allowance and the same for carry on!

Luckily, Jim and I work for an airline, and don't have any weight restrictions for our baggage. Of course, we travel "standby," but the flights to BCN look great so far! But, we are actually leaving for Miami this Sunday for a 5-night cruise on the Celebrity Millenium first! Then, it's back to Chicago for 4 nights, and then off to BCN. Plus, we just got off of the Serenade last Sunday. I think my head is spinning......LOL

I sent an e-mail to Royal, and they got back to me very quickly. They apologized, and said that the room description was confusing, since it is a Jr Suite guarantee. (always possible to get a higher category, but not necessarily). The e-mail stated that they were going to notify someone, and now today I notice the description is back to a Jr Suite description, and not a GS description. I opted out, and let the reservation cancel. I think we will do the Brilliance instead out of Barcelona. Decisions, decisions, LOL.

Perhaps our travel agent friends who read this can offer some input.....On Royal's website today, they are offering a "Deluxe Guarantee" stateroom on the Jewel transatlantic on May 6. The actual description (category W) states that the room is 358-384 sq feet, balcony 106 sq feet, and concierge service is included. That is the exact description of a Grand Suite. I booked it, and placed it on a 24-hour hold. On my reservation description, is states "Jr Suite Guarantee." Well, a Jr Suite is not what is being described in the advertised offer....it's a Grand Suite description. So, I called RCCL, and they informed me that, Yes, they COULD assign a Jr Suite with a "deluxe guarantee." But, when I asked WHY a Grand Suite description was used in the actual wording, they didn't know. They stated I could receive a Jr Suite (or higher) category, but that the Jr Suite WAS possible. That would be fine if they didn't list the specifications of a Grand Suite, but otherwise, it's false advertising. So, I will more than likely let the reservation cancel, as the price is fantastic for a Grand, but not as grand for a Jr.....

Sorry, I don't have a photo, but I just stayed in 11590 on Allure. The balcony is slightly larger on one side, and when you stand on the end of it, you can see down the length of the ship. Loved it!