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juanarcin

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Posts posted by juanarcin

  1. Leaving out of gavelston on rc and I've seen the messages about not showing up early. But our hotel won't hold our luggage and we have to check out at 11. Our boarding time is at 12:30 so it's not the end of the world but it's our parents first time and we would hate to have their first experience start with them standing outside in the sun for an hour and a half holding luggage! Can we drop it off and wander around for an hour? 

  2. 54 minutes ago, George C said:

    I find that interesting since none of those things are free , in all my 75 cruises I have not even thought of doing them , but to each their own. Even when I could do tours for free because of suite .

     

    Those events aren't free but in my experience they have been worth the price. Some can't have more people due to  seating, such as the sushi making classes that are limited to the size of the space. But I always wondered why events held in bigger spots like club venues had limits of about 20 people. 

     

    Then one time I went to a cocktail mixing class and about 10 minutes before it started someone walked in and they were told the class was full but the host hesitated and said, "you know what? we have the space, take a seat and join" and he got their sail card to charge. Then another walked in and another, eventually we started 5 minutes late because so many people kept joining. Then because of the amount of people each part of the event took longer as more people asked questions or simply because making drinks for 35 people takes longer than making them for 25. so we couldn't do the entire class since the space was needed for another event before it ended. It was fun, but I understand why they limit the amount of people. 

  3. 2 minutes ago, nelblu said:

    My understanding is that those shows that require reservations is that Royal keeps 25% for on board reservations.  Usually, I have a problem getting Adult Comedy on Oasis and I basically go to Boleros and talk to the entertainment staff or if lucky try the APP.

     

    I've heard simular, though it still sort of leaves many in a bad spot if they board late. Because boarding is the same game as events, if you forget for a day about checking in, all the early boarding times are gone and if you get in later you risk boarding a ship with most shows and restaurants already booked.

  4. 14 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

    I avoided Oasis class ships for 10 years, partly because of the need to do all the reservations ahead of time. It seemed intimidating and stressful. All the different room categories also confused me. 
     

    Being a regular reader of cruise critic though, I inevitably learned all about oasis class, the pros and cons of all the room categories, the info about the reservations and the shows etc etc, and eventually it wasn't intimidating anymore. Went on Symphony last year and it's now my favorite ship class. 
     

    If I was a new cruiser and ended up on an oasis class ship and was unable to access any of the shows I'd probably be very disappointed, but I can't imagine ending up on any sort of cruise or resort vacation where I hadn't read up on it before booking the trip. If someone does that, and they book at the last minute as well, they shouldn't be surprised that they missed out on a bunch of stuff. 

     

    You're right and to be fair, it does take a while before things are fully booked. I do think that RC can do a better job of announcing some sort of countdown to the booking though. As far as I know we get one email at the 7 day mark, but things officially open at the 30 day mark. so by the 7 day mark things are getting full and the popular stuff is gone. Even as  past cruisers who understands the importance of bookig day one, I have still woken up with a calendar notification that its time to reserve...only to see many events got booked because people wait til midnight so they can be first to book. It's like checking in for your flight, if you are even an hour late to the party, all the good stuff is gone!

    • Like 1
  5. 18 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

    All Oasis Class ships have reservations for almost all shows, Quantum class has reservations for only a show or two. All show rooms have a standby line for those without reservations. Most other ship classes have a just show up and find a seat. I would guess Icon Class will be the most reservation dependent to date.

    This is what it is then! My last 4 cruises have been on Oasis and Quantum and I just assumed it was anew thing after the pandemic! Its definitely a great system but also very flawed. I love it when I can book, but it also sucks to wake up on the day you can start booking and see that everythign got booked already by the Level 5 Cruisers who stayed up till midnight to reserve every event on multiple phones simultaniously 😂

  6. 18 hours ago, btaranto said:

    Family cruising to Bermuda June 2024. Past Royal cruiser but haven’t been in several years. What do you need to make reservations for and how do you go about doing this? Cruising on Liberty of the Seas.
    Thank you. 

     

     

    Seems like you got the answer you needed, but just FYI, if you are ever on one of th eships that do require reservations, they are done through the app and you can start making them 30 days before the cruise at midnight. But be strategic about it, I'm on the west coast so I'm behind everyone by a few hours and have literally woken up and gone straight to the app only to see things have been fully booked! Its rare but it has happened with the popular stuff like the ship tour or the cooking classes and alcohol tasting events.

  7. 18 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

    Well, I’m a first-time Royal cruiser, and the early deadlines and reservations for entertainment did take me by surprise. That said, I was able to mostly get what I wanted for entertainment since I didn’t mind late show times. 

     

    As for Carnival Comedy, there are no reservations for that..its all first come, first served. That wasn’t the “standby line” that you were seeing, that was just the line to get in. Usually for Carnival, if I get there at least 30 minutes before, I can get a seat.  I noted that for Royal one of the things that was sold out weeks ago was the Adult Comedy show. I don’t mind, since I see so much comedy on Carnival, and I’m going to see the Aqua, Ice, Effectors and Tap shows on Wonder.

     

    As others have said on this thread, Maybe its specific to certain class ships or maybe even just ships. I experienced this on the Panorama I believe though now that you mention it I'm starting to woder if it was a RC Quantum class ship. I have had frustrations with the reservation systems and I thought it was a newer thing because I've only started experiencing it within the last 4 cruises or so, but after reading through some of these responses, I guess its because the last few cruises Ive done have all been Oasis or Quantum classes. 

     

    My concern is that this system encourages booking frenzys to avoid missing out. This causes people to book "in case" they want to go and if they dont go, then everyone who didnt book is left thinking theres no room. And dont get me started on the dining rsvp when you have the dinning package. Ive ended up in situations where all restaurants are booked and I can't even use it for the night. I know I'm supposed to make all reservations on day one, but I'd rather eat what Im craving at the moment, not what I put on a spreadsheet last Sunday. 

     

    Ok I'm starting to sound angry haha, honestly, I still love every minute of it, just had to vent   😋

  8. My first cruise was on Mariner of the seas. I had a blast and have been cruising as often as possible since then (12 years ago). Lately I've been doing a lot fo the bigger ships and am curious if anyone thinks the reservation system might lead to a bad experience to first time cruisers? For example, experienced cruisers know that you can rsvp  events at about 30 days prior to cruising. But about 7 days prior to cruising an email goes out saying you can reserve. By this point so many shows are full, and events/attractions sold out. Especially the good stuff because experienced cruisers know whats good and they flock to it as soon as possible...meaning if its your first time, you have no idea and will likely not experience the ice show, the sky diving, the aqua shows, the cooking classes or the alcohol tasting events...because they are all sold out or full by th etime you get that "Start reserving" email!

     

    I started thinking about this on one of my last cruises which was also my first Carnival cruise. I had no idea about thier comedy clubs, they get so packed! I didnt get to see a comedy show once because when I got to the ship I found out about it and all the shows were 100% full. The standby line was insane every night. so it made it impossible to get in and felt frustrating. I can only imagine how first time cruising must feel now adays when you show up excited but everythign is impossible to experience because so many pro cruisers have taken all the fun stuff! Wondering what you all think?

  9. Will be on Allure this October and will be staying in Gavelston for a nite pre cruise. I've always wanted to try Texas BBQ (beef ribs specifically) but have only had the airport stuff during layovers. Hoping someone might know of a good spot in Gavelston. Unfortunately I'll only be there for a night so I'm thinking venturing too far out of Gavelston wont be an option. I'm staying directly south of the port against the opposite beach if that matters. thanks!

  10. The cruise ships have a monopoly on jewelery. They sell it on the ship and they own all the shops at the ports. Many will hold seminars telling you which stores on Port have the best deals, guess which stores they send you to... 

     

    Because they have a monopoly they have little insentive to sell quality jewelery.

    • Like 1
  11. I have yet to do a US cruise that cmopares to cruises I've done in Europe or Asia. Everyone is tellig you to do your research which is always good advice, however, I understand what you mean by just wanting to experience somethign different without anythign in particular in mind. coming up with something when starting with  nothign in mind will always be difficult.  I would suggest seeing the starting/ending ports for European cruises. once you have a handful of locations, look into those and see which ones you would be most excited abotu getting to know. Spend some time there before or after the cruise.

     

    As many have said, some of the ports require travel to get to the mian attractions. So instead of focusing on what ports are best, focus on what starting/emding destination is best and just enjoy the cruise as an added bonus where you may learn abotu locations to revisit.

     

    I took my first cruise ever out of Rome and spent a week there before the cruise. I was most excited about Alexandria because I wanted to see the pyramids. That stop got replaced with Istanbul. I was sad, but I fell in love with Istanbul. To this day Rome and Istanbul are places I highly recommend and have gone back to multiple times. Cairo on the other hand has been a place I'd likely never go back to. 

     

    As a side note, if you want really different, I'd suggest Asia. Europe is definitely different from the US, but it feels familiar. Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner, everyone speaks English, Cab rides will be playing the same music you hear out here...But Asia is different. My visits to Japan and Thailand were  the first time I felt I was in another world. Either way, enjoy whatever you decide to do!

  12. In the cruise world, I hear A LOT about discounts. My inbox is filled with "sales" that are being held often. I've seen tons of websites that claim to have the biggest discounts for cruises. Visit any major cruise lines website and you'll likely get met with  a giant banner about how much time is left for the biggest sale of the year. I've even had conversations with many non cruisers who are usually under the impression that a free cruise is easy to come by through things like raffles or timeshare presentations.  Yet, I always feel like if I go with a  sale, or click on the big discount links, prices will always vary by about a hundred bucks (not that a hundred is nothing, but its not as noticeable when you're spending thousands). If I get a notification from a major cruiseline that they are having a BOGO deal, I'd expect my $2000 trip to become $1000. Yet somehow it becomes about $1850. Of course its a discount and of course I'll take it! But for an industry that constantly has sales and is known for  finding deals everywhere, I've never seen  a deal that completely made me change my plans. If I have a trip planned at full price for one week and I hear that the biggest sale ever is the week after, I'll compare prices and stick to my current plan because the discount is never worth reconsidering. Don't get me wrong, I love cruising and am always happy with what I paid. I'm not trying to cheap out lol, I'm just wondering how in an ocean of endless deals, I've rarely found a great deal. Am I the only one who feels this way? Curious what the bargain hunters amongst my fellow cruises have experienced.

    • Like 2
  13. 11 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

    My cruise check-in background experience is for passengers traveling to Alaska (with a mandatory stop in Canada).  On a closed loop cruise, the US Permanent Resident Card trumps the Mexican passport (and any/all other passports as well).  Your MIL should present her US 'Green Card' along with her Mexican passport to the check-in agent.  Once the check-in agent sees the current/valid Green Card, check-in will be a breeze.

     

    Thank you so much! We can now sleep easy! 😊

    • Like 2
  14. I posted this in the port of call thread but am adding here because our trip is this Saturday and we are stressing out because we cant find answers!

     

    I'm taking a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Panorama out of Long Beach and can't get a straight answer regarding my Mother in law's travel requirements. She is a:

    • Mexican Citizen with a Mexican issued passport
    • permanent US resident
    • has a Green Card

     

    When filling out our online check-in it asked what documents she had and we put green card. It then asked for her Visa information, which she doesnt have. It showed her status as pending. The rest of us are all set and ready to board. We called Carnival who told us to contact the consulate for proper documentation requirements. Couldnt find a number for the consulate but found a form online which only has option to enter by land, also Puerto Vallarta isnt an option. I'm so lost at this point! Has anyone had experience with this? Our cruise is this Saturday! any help would be greatly appreciated!

  15. I'm taking a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Panorama out of Long Beach and can't get a straight answer regarding MIL's travel requirements. She is a Mexican Citizen, with a permanent US residency and a Green Card. Her Passport was issued in Mexico. When filling out our online check-in it asked what documents she had and we put green card. It then asked for her Visa information, which she doesnt have. We called Carnival who told us to contact the consulate. Couldnt find a number for the consulate but found a form online which only has option to enter by land, also Puerto Vallarta isnt an option. I'm so lost at this point! Has anyone had experience with this? Our cruise is this Saturday! any help would be greatly appreciated!

  16. To be clear I'm not asking about denying staff their tips. They earn and deserve those! But I don't understand why we are given one rate when we clearly have to pay more. Gratuity has always been voluntary money given for great service...up until the last decade or so at least. suddenly it's expected and added to everything! So I'm curious how you would feel if they just silently added the gratuity to the price and it was never brought up again. I think people would still tip their favorite bar tenders, room attendants etc. and the higher price would still get distributed to all the staff behind the scene...but it would give us an idea of the actual price up front while avoiding this charade that we are voluntarily giving money. It's even a set amount that we are "voluntarily" giving!

  17. 14 hours ago, barbeyg said:

    Yes, you can change restaurants when you board. You can either go by one of the restaurants and book most, if not all, when you board.  You can also use the app, but your mileage may vary.  I find there is more flexibility going to one of the restaurants and booking all with one of them rather than using the app.  They will have people standing by to take reservations.
     

    If reservations are available, you can visit Wonderland more than once.  I suggest having a list ready, and be flexible about which nights. They will do their best to accommodate all, and if you can be a bit flexible with times, you should be satisfied.

     

    The UDP is a bargain price, and doesn’t allow booking in advance, because of the price we pay for that in comparison to someone who pays full price for reservations in advance. 

     

    Makes sense, thanks for the info!

  18. Just purchased unlimited dining package for Quantum in May and had a few questions.

    1. It said to select my reservation time for the first day but it didn't give me an option for what restaurant. Are they going to select one for me? If so can I change it?
    2. Is Wonderland included in this? I went once and it was an amazing experience, we found this itinerary specifically while looking up what ships had Wonderland on it. If it is included, can I go more than once?
    3. How do I make reservations? I tried making some but every time I do, I get asked to make payment for that specific reservation as if I were paying for each restaurant individually, I don't see an option to select that I already have UDP.

    Thanks!

  19. I'm looking into cruising to Alaska, never been. I'm also about about 20 points from Diamond on RC and so I was considering doing my first B2B on the ovation when it moves to Seattle. My biggest thing is I want to see Glaciers! Is Glacier Bay the way to go? I may do princess or others that go to Glacier bay as half of the trip and RC the other half if I have to.

  20. DW and I have been on 8 cruises and are about to go on our 9th with our parents and siblings, all first time cruisers! There will be about 8 of us and we are so excited to see them cruise for the first time. We were talking about putting together small gift bags for them with items people don't think to take on the first cruise. But I can't think of much besides sea sick medication, lanyards for sail passes, and maybe ear plugs lol. Ideas??

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