Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Royal “allures” carnival girl: A comparison story.

amsred2

By amsred2,
in Royal Caribbean International

 Share

Recommended Posts

emeraldcity

emeraldcity

Posted
Posted

I can help with your confusion about the early departure from San Juan. We've had that sort of itinerary before and it's due to the distance they have to travel to get to the next port. It's particularly annoying in that most stores in San Juan do not open until 10:00, and the forts don't open till 9:00, so it leaves very little time to experience that port. Sure they could leave a little later and sail a little faster, but it's all about optimal fuel consumption and the costs therein.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mkam2821

mkam2821

Posted
Posted
This is why a whole lot of us here refuse to use a TA. You can do ANYTHING with Royal Caribbean without going through your TA. The few little perks a TA gives is not worth giving up the control of my booking.

 

These comments have left me scratching my head as we have always booked with a travel agent but have also always been able to purchase whatever we wanted (dining packages etc.) from the website.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ocean Boy

Ocean Boy

Posted
Posted
These comments have left me scratching my head as we have always booked with a travel agent but have also always been able to purchase whatever we wanted (dining packages etc.) from the website.

You can't make any changes to your reservation if you book through a TA and RCI will not talk to you about things like changes or payments. However, you certainly can get into your cruise planner to make purchases such as drink packages and excursions as well as make show reservations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ryano

ryano

Posted
Posted
These comments have left me scratching my head as we have always booked with a travel agent but have also always been able to purchase whatever we wanted (dining packages etc.) from the website.

 

Im sorry. I should have said "ANYTHING as far making changes to your booking":. Yes, as Ocean Boy has said, your cruise planner is still available :)

 

Basically what Im talking about is you have to go through your TA to make payments. Also, if Im on the computer at midnight and I see a price drop but Ive booked through a TA, I cant call Royal and get the price drop. There stands a good chance of it not being there the next day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
joand452

joand452

Posted
Posted

We’ve stopped at San Juan from 3:30 to 11:00 pm. We hot footed it to El Moro (the fort you see when sailing in). It closes at 5:00, but we actually had plenty of time. The next time was the early morning stop, so we went to San Cristobal, at the top of the hill. We had plenty of time then, too. Fortunately the first time we were able to get the U.S. Parks Senior Pass for $10, which allows both of us access. Now it’s $85!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ryano

ryano

Posted
Posted
Ok guys. No need to start a feud over the pros and cons of using a TA. My story and comparison is meant to be fun and lighthearted. Perhaps a new thread would be appropriate on the topic to promote discussion.

 

No feud here. Just a clarification is all :) I am sorry for derailing your thread. no need for a new thread either. That horse has been beat to death already :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
amsred2

amsred2

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Drinks Package and Packing… or… Drinking While Packing Packages!

With our “Adbenture” all planned out there were only a couple things left to consider.

Am I the only one that plans what to pack way in advance? As we were pre-packing (yes…hubby always questions why we must pack…before we pack), we were talking about all the different drinks we want to try. I think I am looking forward to the Avocado Margarita the most!

The drink package is a no brainer for hubby...end of story. However, except for when my dad is in town and wants to do tequila shots (that’s a story for another day) and vacations, I’m not a big drinker. I don’t have more than a half dozen Cuba Libre’s in as many months between vacations. I debated, ad nauseum, about the cost vs. comfort of the deluxe drink package. It would be nice not to have to worry about our bill at the end of the trip but the I doubted that I could drink enough, every day, to break even.

All the frustration of fighting with my arch nemesis, the RC website, had paid off when I was able to snag the deluxe package at $42 a person after my religious daily trolling the sales. You can guess by now that I had long since downloaded a drink/cost calculator for the math. A fresh OJ, a specialty coffee, a ginger ale, 4/5 waters and two pretty umbrella drinks would be the break even point. I can definitely manage that daily and probably more on sea days.

The cost to pre-purchase the “Cheers” program on CCL is $51.95 which is toeing the line of being worth it for me. I have never seen CCL run the different kind of sales that RCL does. So, point to RC for the low cost/sales and also a half point for being able to get different packages if we had wanted (I would have given a whole point but you are still required to purchase some package for everyone in a room).

Oh and as a bonus, during one of the sales, I was able to snag the Voom Surf & Stream for a low $12 a day vs. CCL $25 a day. I will wait to give this point to RCL until I actually experience the Voom package (my money is on RCL since CCL's internet is notably bad).

Normally I decidedly disconnect during my cruises but, when I saw the price, a glorious idea began to form: Live Blog!

Tally so far:

Website ease/access

Carnival 1- Royal 0

Advance Reservations-TBD

Deluxe Drink Package

Royal 1.5- Carnival-0

Internet-TBD

NEXT UP: TO SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP: Live from our (early) departure day!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JaniceB

JaniceB

Posted
Posted

Loving your precruise topics. I have to tell you that the Golden Eagle Catamaran was our first experience on St. Maarten and we all (20+ of us) still talk about the fun we had. We have all also vacationed on St. Maarten and we have done this a few more times. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Also, San Juan our first trip the group had to walk to Hard Rock. It may be a different one than you are going to. Anyway, my husband was in the Navy and was so mad that we were passing up all these authentic restaurants to get to Hard Rock so someone could get a tee shirt. I can't wait to tell him about your husband and his visits to Hard Rock.

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
amsred2

amsred2

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Loving your precruise topics. I have to tell you that the Golden Eagle Catamaran was our first experience on St. Maarten and we all (20+ of us) still talk about the fun we had. We have all also vacationed on St. Maarten and we have done this a few more times. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Also, San Juan our first trip the group had to walk to Hard Rock. It may be a different one than you are going to. Anyway, my husband was in the Navy and was so mad that we were passing up all these authentic restaurants to get to Hard Rock so someone could get a tee shirt. I can't wait to tell him about your husband and his visits to Hard Rock.

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

Ha ha! Hubby has to get a shirt at every location also! Like I said earlier, he gives up so much for me that I felt I needed to give up Mofongo in lieu of a an expensive plate of nachos and a shirt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
crusinot

crusinot

Posted
Posted

Following! Excellent review so far! I a looking forward to cruising on Allure July 2019 with my sister and her family! It will be their first cruise. I am hoping to take my mother along some day. She wants to try cruising but is very fearful of sea sickness..Maybe someday. Your story makes me believe that someday she will say yes. So very sorry to hear about your mom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...