Starry Eyes

42 minutes ago, pghflyer said:

I don't envy their situation at all, this is bad for everyone. I think a change in port to 5-hours away warrants a full refund offer or an incentive to change ports and stick with it. So, this seems fair and a good customer service gesture.

Have you called to request a refund and been refused?

They are making a up to $200 pp transport allowance; that’s a decent gesture for a situation the company did not create.  As you probably know, there are reports that people have called and received refunds; perhaps such requests are being handled on a case by case basis.  Norfolk is as close or closer for some passengers.

Over the years whether we have flown or driven,  I’ve generally learned about parking and shuttles and local hotel and ground transportation options and so on mostly from the internet…cruise critic, port websites, various travel websites, etc.  Cruise lines (not just RCI) have provided pretty limited information.  Frankly better or more complete info has come from other sources.  If the passenger did not buy Air-Sea with transfers, Royal will tell them the port and the times; planning the transit to the port is on the passenger. Respectfully, I think you need to own it.  You are obviously very capable.  I hope you go and have a fabulous time.

18 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

I might be losing my house on one bet here and I would have lost my vacation house on this one.

 

I am with you.

 

I think the biggest difference was the fuel savings first and time second.

 

They have enough supplies on board to get them to Port Canaveral where they will load up.

Yes, the fuel saving of Norfolk vs Bayonne should be significant.  It is also possible that Norfolk was more helpful and accommodating (perhaps hoping to attract future cruise ship home ports) compared to Bayonne.  Royal might have gotten feedback or looked at bookings to determine many of the Baltimore passengers would have been arriving from the south or west vs north in deciding whether Norfolk or Bayonne was a better substitute for more people .

7 minutes ago, emeraldcity said:

So now that it's determined where the current passengers will disembark, how does the cruise line deal with the obvious PVSA violation. Do they file for an exemption?

 

As the port of Baltimore is so clearly unavailable, the cruiseline should not have any difficulty obtaining a waiver.  

16 minutes ago, toad455 said:

 

I also don't ever remember Norfolk having more than one ship sailing from there. It's always been a limited summer home port for Carnival. Has Royal ever sailed from there?

Royal has sailed from Norfolk previously, as mentioned by another poster.  Her is an old announcement, circa 2007 for the 2008 sailings:

“We are thrilled to bring Grandeur of the Seas to the cities of Norfolk, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland in 2008,” Bauer added. “The Royal Caribbean itineraries from these two major home ports complement the variety of cruising options available to travelers along the Eastern Seaboard. Grandeur will sail roundtrip from Norfolk’s newly constructed Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center on five-night Bermuda cruise getaways, eight- and nine-night voyages to New England and Canada, and nine-night Eastern Caribbean sailings. From Baltimore, Grandeur will sail roundtrip on five-night voyages to Bermuda and nine-night cruise vacations to the Eastern Caribbean. Prices start at $649 per person, double occupancy.”

So, Royal Caribbean did use the Norfolk terminal years ago.  Best wishes to those on the current and upcoming Vision cruises.

11 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

That's why cruises on Enchantment, Grandeur, and now the Vision have been so popular over the years.

“Driving distance” is subjective.  Several years ago we planned to fly from Milwaukee to BWI for a b2b out of Baltimore.  When our flight was cancelled, we decided the port was within driving distance; we left in the evening and drove overnight to reach port embarkation morning.  People plan further drives, especially if they have planned visits along the way.

Wonder of the Seas April 28 will spend a second day in Puerto Plata.  We were originally scheduled there on day 5.  We will now be there both day 5 and day 6.

23 hours ago, thefog said:

they will be on quantum of the seas.

Does your SIL understand there are a lot of obstructed balconies on that class of ship?  If one books a gty balcony on quantum class, one should expect to be assigned a cabin with a lifeboat to obstruct the view from the balcony when sitting, though an adult will have a view over the lifeboat when standing on the balcony.  Some people are lucky and get a less obstructed or nonobstructed assignment, but expect an obstruction.  Nonetheless, many people do book balcony gty as they can be good deals, one still gets fresh air and can look over the lifeboat.

16 minutes ago, renee1222 said:

Barcode scanner worked! It is deck 12, exactly what we requested, no bonus upgrade. We actually had 2 GTY rooms,  reservations linked, and we got connecting cabins! Was not expecting that. I was just hoping to not be several decks apart,  one forward and one aft!

That’s wonderful.  Still, for future knowledge, understand they really don’t take “requests” on gty cabins.  Sometimes it works out well.

9 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

And port fees are rarely refunded. The fees you pay are an estimate based on historical data. When the ports post their actual fees, they are often higher than you paid; when something is cancelled, those fees go to cover the shortage. 

And the final numbers can be determined during the sailing.  As previously mentioned if a refund is appropriate, it can be posted to the on board account as a refundable on board credit. 

12 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

What makes you think I have $2,000,000 in my 401k?

Maybe that poster just doubted the accuracy of your screen name😉😀😉.  A $58000+ RMD from a $2,000,000 401K might back calculate to a 73 years old with a 53 year old spouse as solo beneficiary. 

Obviously strangers cannot guess your account balance from your RMD alone.  After all 100 year old (couple or single) with a $375,000 401K also has a $58000+ RMD.  There are many other options with that same RMD.

1 hour ago, Bethorama said:

Because we are getting less than the cruise we paid for. We are only getting 2 ports to go to instead of the 3 as we had booked. Not sure why that is so confusing. 😀

Have you read your cruise contract?  If so, you know you did not actually contract for a certain itinerary or certain ports or a certain number of ports, etc.  That might be sad but it should not be so confusing😉😀

1 hour ago, Bethorama said:

They could have at least offered reduced port fees. 

No promises, of course, but there’s still a chance customer service is playing it safe by saying that now.  Sometimes port fee refunds are made to the on board accounts during the sailing.  Honestly though when we have received such adjustments it has usually been a rather small amount of money.  Symphony is a great ship and I hope you enjoy your time on board.

Typically at least one specialty restaurant is open for lunch on embarkation day.  As most guests (plus some crew) are off the ship, the specialty restaurants are generally not open for lunch on port days (remember…they typically don’t even open the MDR for lunch on port days!). Casual dining like Johnny Rockets might open mid afternoon on a port day, but that may not be the reason you are thinking if UDP😉.  
 

Whether you will get enough value from the package is your call.  Have a nice cruise.

7 hours ago, mets07 said:

We still prefer the flexibility of MTD and hope they continue to offer it on Royal. We don't make reservations. 

 

However, the process could be vastly improved. At minimum, the ability to do what is done on Carnival, as others mentioned, would be great....  you see the current wait time in the app and simply click to check in. It alerts you when your table is ready and indicates the table number. 

Yes, it would be a big improvement if we could see the wait times and request a table via the app.   Waiting for our table would be pleasant if we are sitting in a bar or one of the lounges enjoying a drink before dinner.  

16 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Good idea but this approach only works if NCL has a ship in port the same day your cruise begins and ends. On days NCL does not have a ship in port the entrance and exit to the parking garage for Terminal B are usually blocked. 

I can understand the garage entrance being blocked if no ship is in port, but are you certain it is also impossible to exit?  Imagine someone is parked for an NCL cruise and the is cruise interrupted by family emergency.  Having flown back to Florida early, you really think they would not be able to get their vehicle out of the POM parking garage? They would be told tough cheese…. come back when there is a ship docked🤪.  That seems unlikely.

2 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

They just changed the lunch hours to only sea days recently. 

I do not think it is a recent change.  

48 minutes ago, keishashadow said:

I’m honestly not 100% sure which GTY I Booked. My first GTY and so excited it was approx price of inside in place. Had hoped to see the code on website vs calling in like the GTY noob I admitted am lol

 

Booked directly thru RCCL

 

assume whatever assignment will beat the inside 

 

however, if I do see that another category opens up

after final pmt date; can I still

pay the difference in price & upgrade to a higher category even tho I’m booked via GTY rate?

Frequently you can pay the difference and upgrade if you see a good price on another category after final payment, but sometimes a sale is specifically “for new bookings only.”  In that is the case, you may not be able to get that “new booking rate” for your “old booking.”  
 

I think you should call and ask your category.  Don’t be embarrassed; it is a very reasonable question. 

7 hours ago, Sacruiser62 said:

To be clear, I wad booked as a solo traveler.   My brother wanted an ocean view balcony.   While on phone with royal caribbean their agent suggested I move up to same part of ship, add $800 to my cost and it would not affect solo status.  It was kids sail free.  I.spent 800 more, my brother paid the same and I even ended up paying for his sofa package.  If I had been told,.wouldn't havr given up points

Buying all his sofas is probably getting expensive 😉😀

In case it ever comes up again, Kids Sail Free does not apply to cabins with one or two guests.  If two nephews under 12 are booked in a cabin with you during a KSF promo, one of the two boys may qualify for KSF but not both.  
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-is-kids-sail-free-promotion

Be aware that Royal Caribbean will place a temporary hold on your checking account funds if you put down your debit card number (they also place holds on credit cards).  These holds may take a few days to fall away, so some people find money inconveniently tied up if they use a debit card.  Setting up an account with a debit card is allowed, but I don’t think it is the optimal choice.  Plenty of people pay cash at guest services and that may be right for you.

We opt for a credit card with a high enough limit that the temporary holds does not impact us, but I respect your debit/cash lifestyle.

That sounds typical.  I recently booked an OV balcony gty 45 days out on Wonder.  My invoice also says GTY and obstruction pending.  Barcode trick shows on OV balcony number.  

If you receive a RoyalUp offer and view the RoyalUp website on a computer, it should list your starting category.

I think you are correct about the sorts of obstructions some neighborhood balconies might have.  For completeness I’ll mention on most Oasis class ships, Boardwalk balconies near the water slides are marked obstructed (I know that’s not currently relevant to your sailing on Allure as she does not yet have water slides)

11 hours ago, teddie said:

Good luck!  This is my third cruise bidding for an upgrade, and first acceptance of a bid.  Clearly, thinking that you won't win a bid because the ship looks sold out is not accurate. Now I'm worried that I will be totally spoiled after this!

 

Teddie

People sometimes have to cancel so upgrades happen even when then ship has been sold out for months.  Have a great time.

1 minute ago, teddie said:

Will the suite perk for Voom include just one device? My previous purchase was for 2 devices. Can each of us have it?

 

Teddie

As a GS perk on that class ship, you will each receive complimentary wifi for one device (each will have your own user name and password.  If one of you needs to use two devices at the simultaneously, your cabinmate would have to log off and share the login info).

If that’s enough wifi, cancel your previous purchase.  If you are already locked out of the cruise planner, I would anticipate the suite concierge helping with that refund on day one.

Variable.  On some cruises lately all suites are sold out.  In that case unless someone in a suite cancels it does not matter how much the person in the balcony bids.  On other cruises, multiple suites are available and RoyalUp bidders have a better chance to move up to a JS or better.

1 hour ago, DennysDad said:

Oh well.... that's me told. LOL.

 

As far as not many people wanting to eat at 5pm I'm right, your wrong. Gotta go by what I personally experienced.

 

As far as showing up late in general. I'm not advocating for it. Just pointing out all the facts as I see them. 

 

 

I did not say that people really adore dining at 5:00, but when Royal Caribbean presents its current options to Wonder passengers, many select early traditional dining if they like the other current options even less.  
 

I’ve told you what I have experienced on multiple Wonder cruises.  People frustrated with MTD often learn they can come at 5:15-5:45 to join early dining at a vacant table.

It has been reported that Royal Caribbean roll out three traditional dining seating times in the near future.  If and when that happens, the middle fixed dining time may become quite popular (drawing people who otherwise variously selected early and late or MTD).  The pattern may change.