sandy toes

On 5/20/2023 at 12:18 AM, Ourusualbeach said:

FCC's are tied to the name on the FCC that must match the passenger name unless it us one of yhe FCC's that can be transferred.  What you suggested is not possible. 

Only thing, it did work for us. We bought a cruise purchased by someone else with their FCC. They did not want to go and so they added me, waited a week, and then exited the cruise, and I added my granddaughter. I did that cruise back in March. Someone at Royal told them what and how to do it and we did just as they were told. 

4 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

I did not have a coffee card.  But, I will say there is not any official Starbucks kiosk onboard.  It was Cafe Latte-tude.  They were selling coffee cards.  If they are selling them in your planner, you should be able to use them. Otherwise, why sell it to you?  🙄 JMHO

I just did not want it to be for the MDR use only because I do not want a latte at dinner, I want a frozen one in the afternoon.

I found the answer in Matts blog. He has an updated policy someone else sent me there. I can use it at any Cafe Latte-tude fleetwide. Thank you for your help. Much appreciated. 

28 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

 

And people who leave those kind of reviews knowing they're sailing an older ship are like people that go to a steak house and complain that they can't get chicken nuggets.

LOVED the comment!

The date comes first, followed by the itinerary, cost, and ship. 

I like the midsized ship the best. But the smaller ones for Canada and New England are perfect too. Too many people think only "Old People" go to Canada but that is not true. There were lots of younger people and even about 60 kids of various ages. Most of those were homeschooled and doing projects. The Panama Canal also uses smaller ships and is a lot like Canadian sailings as to the demographics. 

This a MIGHT, just be forewarned and ready to wait if they say the entire group cannot go in mass when some are at 11:00 and others not until 2:30. 

I have been with groups that have been lucky and with others that people had to sit and wait until their time slot to even line up to enter the building. It all depends on the person working, the boss working, and the attitude of the group. Be sweet, and best of luck. Worse case, everyone can wait until 2ish

On 5/27/2023 at 1:09 PM, cruisegirl1 said:

Often, we don’t use every voucher, and that is OK. i’ve never had a day when I’ve used all that have been allocated.

 

I admit, it is difficult to leave an unused voucher  at first  but if you don’t need your vouchers, then just don’t bother to get a beverage at the end of the day. I’m not sure what happens to the  bottles of water left in cabins  at the end of a cruise. I don’t know if they have to trash them or they can put back into stock.

 

m

 

I asked and was told the cabin stewards all take them back to their cabins or share them with their friends. 

On 5/25/2023 at 3:00 PM, neverlaysup said:

Celebrity is up to the same shenanigans. Below is the sale price for the drink package yesterday (50% off) and today (50% off), 

Isn't that simple supply and demand? Yesterday, sold a bunch, now today not as many to sell , so they charge more for fewer total items. 

2 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I see where you are coming from, I have seen where you are coming from.  But, it does say:

 

Spot a better price on your booked cruise?

 

Our Best Price Guarantee lets you take advantage of a better price within 48 hours from the time you booked— just give us a call or use our online form. You’ll receive the difference as a non-refundable onboard credit inside final payment or rate adjustment outside final payment.

 

And included in that is, if you do it within the 48 hours, you are eligible for an "onboard Credit inside final payment" OR "rate adjustment outside final payment".  And one of the two ways of getting the 'Price Guarantee" is to fill out the form within the 48-hour time frame.

 

Again, and again, with this policy in mind, RCCL could AT ANY TIME just cut off any requests done inside or outside of the 48-hour caveat. It's just like the one bottle of wine restriction that seems like many folks are getting away with bringing onboard more, RCCL could/can crack down on it at ANY TIME it feels like it.  

 

So, if I, you, or my TA calls RCCL and requests the Price Guarantee be applied to a cruise I booked 3 months ago but is still outside of the "final payment" date, I'll get the price drop?  My answer:  RCCL many give it.  But, based on their own policy, they don't have to.  

 

Well, that's about all I have to say, this is getting too long, again.  I'm not going to debate for pages and pages anymore.   

I just last week had 2 cruises drop, one late 24, and they asked me if I wanted a charge credit or an OBC. I took the charge credit. The other cruise is past final payment and I thought what the...and called. I was given an OBC. Don't know if I have been blessed by the person answering the line or by King Titan himself used some magic but I got a refund 4 months after booking, and 42 days prior to sailing an OBC. ALWAYS call and try. 

On 5/25/2023 at 8:46 AM, SafetyHarbor said:

Yes, just got off the phone with them.  There's nothing they can do, nor do they feel it's unfair to list a price online that can't actually be purchased since "sales come and go within minutes".  And they can't honor the price originally paid anymore.  The CSR's advice was to "keep checking multiple times each day, and when a better price comes up call us to make sure it's still available" before cancelling/rebooking. What a business model.

I have learned, as you have, not to cancel before getting the new, better, lower sale price shown as part of the newest, and greatest sale offer. I attempt to book the newest rate, and after it is successful, I cancel the prior one. It is the only way I can make it work. I am sorry you lost your first real deal to the wind. I know when buying for a cabin it can get pricey. 

22 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

What is the question? We disembarked on May 11. I think that would qualify. 

Did you have a coffee card/ Did you use it at the Ben & Jerry's and Starbucks kiosk? 

I have been told we cannot use them and that we can.

When I called Royal they said not in a Starbucks shop. It is NOT a shop just a kiosk shared with Ben & Jerry's. In March I was on Enchantment and could use them. 

Don't want to waste my money. 

Thank you in advance. 

6 hours ago, orville99 said:

And it would bankrupt you (or them) if they did that while on board a ship without a Wi Fi plan and a phone capable of Wi Fi calling while in airplane mode. There have been threads about people coming back from a cruise to find phone bills in the  hundreds to thousands of dollars in addition to the on board "cellular at sea" charges to your stateroom.😱

The youngest has had text-only plans since she was 10. The oldest gets a full package and I don't even get one. I have one day that is in port about midway where I play catch up with family, friends and work. No one is bankrupt when we all don't have full plans. Plus AT&T has very reasonable plans we can get of in port days. 

On 5/27/2023 at 11:25 AM, orville99 said:

We use skype via Wi Fi from our iPads if we have to make an outbound phone call. Our phones are turned off and stored in the safe for the entire cruise.

I just read this and am still giggling. With a tween and a 20 yr old, oh my! Their phones are like an extra appendage that came about via evolution. It would be death if either of them went 10 days without their phones. I do NOT even get a WiFi plan. I use airplane mode and take pics and videos with my phone. 

On 2/17/2023 at 10:11 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

nobody does.

 

But if my mom's BP is out of control because her food is full of sodium - that's no bueno.

 

To add insult to injury, she never got her sense of smell or taste back after having Covid in 2020. So, all she can taste is straight up sweet, salty, bitter and sour. That's all she gets. Take away salty and you are eating the plainest main dish ever...Thankfully, mom is not a glutton like me or my dad.

I had a college Nutrition class and was told that it takes 3 times as much salt to give the same flavor when added while cooking as it does when we salt our food on the plate. I do not add any salt unless making a baked good and allow everyone to self-salt their plates. It seems to work well for our family. Not sure if anyone is a nutritionist and knows more, but this is something I have now been doing for over a decade.  

On 2/14/2023 at 7:41 PM, silentbob007 said:

I thought I had read at one point this could also happen in some people because desalinated water may contain more salt than you are used to. 

You are so right. I used to have issues on day 3. It is an issue for lots of people and especially those with high BP, cardiac issues, and kidney problems. One thing I always invest in is a case of water in my cabin. I always drink lots of tea, it is a diuretic, around ship plus, now I make sure I drink 4 bottles of water each day, and since doing that, I have seen a huge improvement.

I am looking for someone that recently was on the Vision. I have a question and need someone that was actually on ship in the last month of so. Thanks so much. 

21 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Yet many people report not being able to use them on disembarkation morning. RC needs to clear it up one way or the other.

Disembarkation day is not a day for the people leaving the ship. It is a day for those coming on, just .like it was when YOU came on the ship at the start of your cruise. The day before(last full day, last night) those vouchers were removed at 4:59AM just as they are for every prior day all cruise long.

It can be a bit confusing. One thing I have done is use a coffee card on that last morning. 

18 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

It sounds like mtd may not be great if there is lines. I’m confused as when i phoned in it says the dining time was 5 but on the app it says 5:30. Which is it? Also i’m wondering if its ok to be late.

The app is specific to your sailing and the generic times for across the line are listed under frequently asked questions. If app says 5:30 then plan on that. As others have said, not a lot of leeway for tardiness at dinner as others need to wait to order and they may have things booked to do after their meal. If you know you will be late change to MTD or visit the Windjammer that evening or even choose a speciality venue that evening. Reservations are just that, set times, just like on land. But the ships all have other options available. You may even be able to change your dining tine now being getting ob ship, call your TA or the cruise line. Have a great cruise. 

Our last cruise end of Feb into March the app messaging was very hit and miss. We signed the 12 year old in under my log in using my initial and last name instead of first and last name. It worked. 

The WiFi package that we had was just as sporadic, and I visited the WiFi desk several times over the first 5 days. Finally, on day 6 it worked like it was supposed to.  I had to send pdf docs every day. The ship center was kind enough to assist me with sending them until day 6 when things started working correctly. 

Another option, you can purchase the cruise for them as a gift, use the FCC, and then they pay you for the cruise, all, part or whatever you decide. That does work. 

I have cruised with a friend, we did a girlfriends cruise and there were 8 of us in 4 cabins, anyway, I had a drink package and she is a recovering alcoholic so she was allowed to get a soda package. I do not know what the current guideline about this is from Royal, but she was right up front with them and that was the option she was given last year. You might want to make a call to C&A and ask them what the policy is currently for a drinker and nondrinker in a cabin. Fingers are crossed for you. 

About the WiFi

There is no need to transfer

just sign off one device and onto another. The package is for 1 phone/tablet/laptop at a time. We all use one package during a day (there are 3 of us) with the teen having it the majority of the time. I have it for about an hour and the tween for about 2. It has worked on 3 sailings. Someone right here on CC explained it to me back during the whole Covid return mess. It saved us money, and we got a dining package with the saved cash. This time, I am buying some new earrings. 

On 6/8/2022 at 11:26 AM, dri-b said:

Are you onboard now - were the Azova tests sufficient?  This is the route I think I'm going to take next week, would love confirmation that you successfully boarded 🙂  thanks

Sorry,  just seeing this. No worries. Got on without any issues and already have plans to reuse them at the end of the month for our July cruise. So easy and stress free. I did print out the email and also took a screen shot of it for at the port. The rep wanted the print out over the screen shot. Their exact words were, " I hate those small pics. Thanks for taking the time to print it out for me." Such a little thing to do to make things go smoothly. Parking lot to on ship less than 20 minutes. 

On 6/29/2022 at 3:15 PM, kleibo said:

How long did it take to show on your account.  I called last night for a $477 cruise price reduction after final payment and they said it takes 2 weeks.  Also no email confirmation.  I guess I just have to trust its going to happen?

I was told the OBC would show in 7-10 business days. I called back in the next day and was sent an updated invoice while still on the phone with the C&A rep. 

Easy to do the video telemed testing. We ordered a time slot, and did 4 of them. Searched several sites. Found 3 that allowed us to use the free ones mailed to us from the government. Then, got some more free ones at the local public library that we will be using for this upcoming July cruise. We found one that was $25 /pp. They sent us an email with our results. VERY easy. Do a google search for video proctored covid tests sites and you will find a bunch. Less of a stressor than all the worries about CVS, Walgreens, and confession! You can even find some sites for over seas use, a Celebrity Med cruise. So easy to do. Just need wifi for the video connection. 

This is NOT an issue of Royal alone. We had a booking with another line and they "lost" a $500 OBC and had me owe $720 on a fully paid (for 8 mo) cruise. Took my TA 4 different calls for it to all be resolved. Finally, everything shows up OK for my fall NE/Canada cruise.