Cruzingal#9

On 3/10/2024 at 9:14 AM, Cruzingal#9 said:

I just sent in a request and will see what happens.  It’s worth a shot, but certainly not the end of the world if nothing happens.

We’re back from our cruise and when we got on board we went to the Matre’d to check our table and it was a beautiful round table for 4 right in front of a window.  It was perfect!!!

1 hour ago, MacMadame said:

I've always sailed with inside cabins before. They were all Caribbean cruises that were port intensive so we were only in the cabin to change clothes and sleep and I prefer to sleep in the darkest dark. And also save money. 🤣

 

For our Panama Canal cruise, we decided on a balcony because I figured after being out and about for the first set of locks and at least part of Gatun Lake, we might want a bit of a rest and to enjoy the view from the balcony before going out again to experience the second set of locks. And having a balcony to enjoy sunsets on multiple evenings might be fun too. I was also thinking of setting up a time-lapse camera from the balcony to capture the whole thing.

When are you going on your Panama Canal cruise?  And, what ship?  One minute my mind is made up and I'm going with an obstructed view window and then the next minute I'm back to looking at balconies!!!  I've never had this much trouble making a decision before on what room to book!

3 minutes ago, Geezer Jim said:

We did a full transit thru the new locks, Pacific to Atlantic, on the Emerald Princess last October, we had a balcony on the port side aft.  For the same itinerary I would prefer a starboard forward balcony.  I was all over the ship during the transit, but my wife was cabin bound.  

 Why starboard over port?

Thank you for your responses.  I think we’re going to go ahead and book an obstructed ocean view room while there’s still some good rooms left that have good views and good prices!  We can always upgrade at a later date if we feel the need.  I’ve been spoiled the last year or two with mini suites and a couple of suites!  But, we’ve stayed in ocean views before and have been perfectly comfortable.  Because of the previous rooms we need to keep the cost down for this one.  This one is definitely a bucket list cruise!

8 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Which ship?  Which Canal (historic or new)?  Full transit/Partial?

 

I made the mistake on my first transit.  I had a balcony and stayed in it the entire way through the locks.  I should have gotten out and moved about the ship.

 

If you are on the Coral or Island, there are some special doors that Princess will open for the transit. I would get a balcony just for the experience (rise and fall of ship).

 

If you are on a larger ship, then an ocean view will be just fine since there really isn't much to see.

We are looking at a full transit (Pacific to Atlantic) on the Caribbean Princess through the new locks.  It’s not until September 2025.

We usually book balconies, but have 2 big cruises coming up; a mini suite reserve in November and a window suite for next February to Hawaii.  Those are both a big chunk of money so was trying to watch the budget a little bit on this one, but don’t want to be disappointed if a balcony is pretty much a must.

We are looking at an ocean view room for a Panama Canal cruise.  I’m thinking that while we are going through the locks we will most likely be out on the top decks to get a full view even if we had a balcony.  Has anyone not had a balcony for that cruise and regretted it? 

17 minutes ago, Cruzingal#9 said:

Are you talking about reserving a table in the main dining room?  That would be amazing if we could do that!  Our first stop when we get on a ship is go to the dining room to see where our table is and then go to the Matre’d to make changes if need be.  We are one week out from our next cruise, so don’t now if it would be too late for this one or not.

I just sent in a request and will see what happens.  It’s worth a shot, but certainly not the end of the world if nothing happens.

Are you talking about reserving a table in the main dining room?  That would be amazing if we could do that!  Our first stop when we get on a ship is go to the dining room to see where our table is and then go to the Matre’d to make changes if need be.  We are one week out from our next cruise, so don’t now if it would be too late for this one or not.

Thanks for all the input!  I am so excited to be in a brand new cruise terminal!

I’ll be interested to hear all about your experience at the new terminal.  Do they look at the check-in times, do you have to wait in line outside (or what time do they open the doors), how easy is it to get through security and check-in?  We will be on the Harmony next month, and although we’ve sailed on her a couple of times this is the first in the new Galveston terminal.

Thanks for the response.  We’re getting picked up at our hotel near Houston Hobby at 9am, so should be at the port by 10am (assuming there’s no traffic back ups!). We’re Diamond +, but I don’t think that makes a difference.  Never been to the new port so just don’t know how strict they are on adhering to your scheduled check-in times.  Never had a problem anywhere else, and it sounds like we should be fine in Galveston as well (barring any unforeseen delays).  Again, thanks for your response; it’s put my mind at ease!

Does anybody know how strict Royal Caribbean is on the check-in times in Galveston?  We will be getting to the port around 10AM and our check-in time is 11:30AM; (our friends time is noon).  We have been to other ports where they don't even look at the times.  Just trying to find out if we'll be waiting around for an hour before we'll be let in.

On 1/26/2024 at 7:06 AM, ShipsandDipper said:

We made the reservations on December 4 for the January 14 cruise. 
 

(edited since I found the confirmation)

Thanks!  I’ll start checking the beginning of February.

On 1/26/2024 at 6:00 AM, Biker19 said:

Yes, around the first of the month in the month before your sailing.

Thanks!  Just getting a little anxious I guess!😋

47 minutes ago, ShipsandDipper said:

We were able to book the major shows (Grease, The Fine Line, 1887, and possibly Columbus) ahead. 

Do you remember how far in advance you were able to book those?  We're about 50 days out and still nothing.  We can start checking in next Thursday; maybe then???

Were you able to book the shows before you got on board on the App?  Or, did you have to wait until you got on the ship?

We're on the Harmony in March and I keep waiting for the show times to open up, but nothing yet.  Then, I heard someone on a YouTube video saying to be sure and book your show times as soon as you board the ship.

8 hours ago, Galveston Cruiser said:

No there isn't a separate seating area.  We arrive at terminal between 12:30 and 1 PM, cabins open at 1 PM, and have never experienced any wait time.

Thank you for your reply.

Does anyone know if the new RCCL Galveston Terminal has a seperate waiting area for Diamond and Diamond+ members before getting on the ship?  I saw in different video's the area for Suites and Pinnacle's, but haven't been able to find anything beyond that.  No big deal; just curious.  We'll be leaving out of there in March for the first time and are very excited to check it out.  It looks amazing and easy to navigate!

Typo mistake.....not A108; should have been A102

We're booked in L108 on the Majestic for next November; 10 day Mexican Riveria.  We're very excited to try these.  Our friends are in L107.  Does anyone know if we will be able to walk across the short hallway between the two sides?  We have another set of friends who are looking to book either M107 or M108 and go with us.

We're not overly concerned about sitting on the balcony while moving because in November we most likely wouldn't be able to sit out much anyways; even if we had a side balcony.

We were in A108 on the Discovery last month and absolutely loved it!  The bedroom is massive.  We did the California Coast and had one day of rough seas.  We did not notice much more movement in the room (and we were concerned about that), so we were fine.  We didn’t mind the walk up to the front; it honestly didn’t seem that far up.

The only thing we were disappointed with, and it had nothing to do with the room, was we were traveling with friends who had the same room on the starboard side and we had planned on walking the short hallway across to each other’s room.  Well, the officers quarters are along that hallway so there is a door there and passengers are not allowed to cross through.  So, we had to walk down to the elevators, cross over and walk back up the other side to get to each other’s rooms.  A bit of an inconvenience, but definitely not a deal breaker!!

Would do those suites again in a heartbeat!!!

20 hours ago, david63 said:

The deck plans would seem to show that there is a connecting corridor on both of those decks.

Thank you for your response.

Yes, the deck plan shows that the corridor should connect both sides, but the youtube video shows differently.  That's why I'm wondering if anybody who has been on the Baja deck all the way forward would be able to say if it connects both sides on that deck or if it is closed off as well.

The deck plans do not show any forward facing rooms on those two decks (except for the two corner Premium Suites), but there are windows across the outside of the ship on those two decks.  That's what makes me wonder if it's Officer's cabins across there and they want to keep passengers from going across there?

Does anybody know if there is a hallway in the front of the ship on the Baja deck that connects the port and starboard sides?  We will be on her with our friends in October and have booked two of the Premium Suites (one on each side on the Aloha deck, forward).  Our thoughts were that we could go back and forth to each others room depending on what there was to see on either side of the ship.  I happened across a YouTube video of a person coming out of one of those rooms and there is a door not allowing you to cross over.  Since it's directly under the Bridge, my guess is that there is Officer's Quarters in there?  The same two rooms are available one deck below on the Baha deck and I can't find any video's on it so don't know if it's the same on that deck or not.  If we can cross over we will change cabins. 

1 hour ago, pedirn said:

I thought they got rid of health questionnaire?

I’m pretty sure they did.  We were on the Discovery last month and kept checking for the health questionnaire 24 hours before we sailed and one never showed up so we thought we’d have to do it at check-in, but there was no form and nobody asked!

I agree with you.  If I go back in 15 to 20 minutes and the clothes are still in the washer or dryer I remove them and place them on top of the machine.