Johnamac123

Does anyone have an facts about the maintenance of hot tubs on RCI ships? I'm a little queasy about getting in considering how many others use them. TYVM. 

10 minutes ago, SRF said:

Since when is there a fully refundable cruise fare???????

 

The DEPOSIT may be refundable, but once you hit final payment, there is a sliding scale of what you can get back, which is no more than 75%.

TY. I was mistaken and did not know that at the time of my OP....BTW, have you heard of any unique circumstances where you could get a refund/FCC after the final payment date? I'm speaking of death in family, etc.? 

54 minutes ago, sailor05 said:

I go to insuremytrip .com and get medical coverage only (link will be on left on policies page). It covers medical and evacuation. It's way cheaper (??) than getting the evacuation policy. The one I just got also has some trip cancellation coverage that was included which was a bonus. I think the name was seven corners insurance company

I think we are talking about similar policies. My cost is $43, $1mm medical with 0 deduct, $500K emer evac. I'm happy. 

On 4/21/2019 at 8:34 AM, klfrodo said:

It's going to be State residency dependent. I live in Washington State. There is only 1 policy I can buy that let's me get pre-existing condition coverage and still not cover the entire trip. otherwise, most policies do require you to cover the entire Trip Cost to cover Pre-Existing.

For me, the price breakdown is in $500 increments, so I buy at the Trip Cost of $500.

 

For me,,, I had written an e-mail to Steve at www.tripinsurancestore.com  and he found the policy for me.

When I was just reviewing the options on my own, I hadn't noticed that this policy waived the entire cost provision.

Spoke with TIS this morning and am set up to purchase a Emer Med/Emer Evac policy with no pre-existing conditions, no travel cost issue or need for primary insurance. Works for me, TY again. 

On 2/11/2019 at 12:04 PM, mnkauf said:

I will be bringing a pad but what a pain!  

Consider a Klymit Static V air mattress. For those wondering - they are amazing, weigh less than a pound and you can find them on Amazon. 

8 hours ago, klfrodo said:

It's going to be State residency dependent. I live in Washington State. There is only 1 policy I can buy that let's me get pre-existing condition coverage and still not cover the entire trip. otherwise, most policies do require you to cover the entire Trip Cost to cover Pre-Existing.

For me, the price breakdown is in $500 increments, so I buy at the Trip Cost of $500.

I had written an e-mail to Steve at www.tripinsurancestore.com  and he found the policy for me.

When I was just reviewing the options on my own, I hadn't noticed that this policy waived the entire cost provision.

This looks like a great resource. TY and Happy Easter..

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It wouldn’t apply anyway as I’m in Canada.  Shop around there must be similar policies in the US.

TY...

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Many have reported doing exactly as you are thinking,  some even put down a $0 cost for the trip just to get the medical.  One of the policies that we sell it makes no difference if you put down $0 or $1000 the cost is the same,  above $1000 it starts to increase.

Is it CC permissible for you to tell the insurance carrier and policy "name"?

I recently booked another cruise and have purchased travel insurance coverage from a very highly rated firm at a reasonable cost. My primary purpose for insurance is the medical coverage and emergency evacuation coverage.  I'm not concerned about the cancellation coverage because I normally pay for the fully refundable cruise fare. This most recent booking is in Nov 2020. 

My current issue is purchasing coverage within 15 days of the cruise deposit and using the cruise trip cost to determine the policy premium. I do this to waive any pre-existing conditions exclusions. The agent tells me to use that amount, but it seems incorrect because I would get back the entire cruise cost paid if cancelled at any time for any reason. I'm considering lowering the trip cost to my plane fare/hotel, which is half the cruise fare. That should lower the travel insurance by 1/2. 

I would appreciate any suggestions on how to improve my strategy. I need medical coverage, but really no cancellation coverage. Would it be better to use the travel insurance for cancellation coverage and not take it thru RCI? The travel insurance has some pretty broad reasons to meet their cancellation guidelines, and I'm not likely to cancel a cruise unless God forbid there was a family death. I always fly down the day before embarkation. 

Thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated...TY and Happy Easter...

If you are planning to put in checked luggage, possibly buy a wine container that will protect your clothes from the bottles breaking. That would be a mess.

If you aren't going solo, could someone else in your group use a backpack to carry-on??

2 hours ago, rockmom said:

@JudiB123   This video should be pretty close to what yours will be like. First time cruisers are usually a bit surprised at just how tiny the rooms are. Cozy.  🙂    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut2il9uI3FA   While this is on deck it's pretty much the same on your deck as well.  Have fun, I love Oasis class ships!  Oh, and the safe is in the closet and the 'cooler' (because they don't really get as cold as a fridge would) is in the desk.   Pro tip--when you unpack your suitcases you should be able to slide them under the bed in order to not use up valuable floor space.  

 

If they are too wide to fit, just open them up and try to fit that way. 

Good question for a newbie. Please don't be offended by the smarta$$ responses. 

TY everyone for the responses. I don't use the Casino, but think I'll just wait until the last couple of days to switch to my credit card. Appreciate it. 😉

6 hours ago, twangster said:

 

Yep.  Found an empty lounger, put my towel down walked into the water.  Put on my snorkel fins and swam around in the swim/snorkel area. 

 

I'm a certified diver so I have my own gear but don't bring my scuba fins for snorkeling.  I have a smaller set of snorkel fins that pack better in a suitcase when I have no plans to go on scuba diving excursions for that cruise.

Twankster, I'm sure you've thought about this but you have a real gift/talent. Ever thought about doing a "coffee table book" of some of your photos, mb of the Caribbean?? I'd buy it....

4 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

No. We kept it as a cash account throughout the cruise but when we went to settle on the last night we gave them a credit card instead of cash and asked them to process the transaction on the spot.

Got it. I was trying to avoid a last night visit to guest services. That's why I wanted to switch at boarding. TY

2 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

We did this on our last two cruises. On one we changed to credit card when we checked in at the port and on the other we changed on the last night at guest services. In the latter case, we paid off at that time and came away with a receipt and an all-zero account.

No issues to report on either occasion. 

When you say you paid off, do you mean with cash? 

I've been on three RCI cruises and have always set up my on board account with the credit card I intended to pay with when I do my 90 day pre-registration. With security issues seeming to continue to rise, I am considering pre-registering as a cash account then switching to a credit card when boarding. Does anyone have any advice on whether this is a good or bad idea??? TY!!

The Bounty Adventures is currently incorrectly showing a Luncheon, Sail and Snorkel available Tu-F. It actually is available Tu, W and Friday only. They do provide transfers to/from the Megapier for $9. 

Incredible catamaran (best I've seen!), awesome reefs,,,, bad webpage,  lolol.

p.s.: They are in the process of updating their website. 

1 hour ago, Johnamac123 said:

There are websites that will watch a given cruise/category for you and notify you by email if the price falls below a specific price, all for a minimal ($1) fee. Look for a fishy site. 

The fishy site is evidently a dead site for some users. Look for others....

1 hour ago, LuCruise said:

 

I check daily for the ones where a price drop is possible.  Usually a "sale" (i.e. current price) lasts a few days... and then gets extended... but doesn't take long to check.

 

I find in general though that prices are rising and its best to book early. For example, the same Mariner cruise is costing us $1000 more for next summer than it did last summer (exact same date).  And for our Anthem, Navigator, Mariner, Harmony bookings...I've just watched the price go up and up.

 

My theory is all these amplifications that Royal is doing, is driving the cost up.

There are websites that will watch a given cruise/category for you and notify you by email if the price falls below a specific price, all for a minimal ($1) fee. Look for a fishy site. 

I'd like some current feedback on this excursion tour. Also, I'd really appreciate knowing if they provide transportation to/from the cruise ship to their pier. Any information about cab/bus availability would be appreciated. Thank you. 

On 4/2/2019 at 3:16 PM, ValerieJo said:

 

I just looked at their website but was trying to understand the cruise ship pricing.  It's showing 4 passengers for $750!  I'm not sure I interpreted their site correctly.  Can you tell me the cost of your excursion and did you have a group?  There are only two of us and it looks perfect but the price seems a bit high.  Thanks.

This looks amazing. Their site shows $150 for a 6 hr, 2 snorkel reef excursion incl lunch. Their cat looks like new too. The price is a little high but for a 6 hr tour and *****, I'm booking them on my next Roatan cruise. TY jungle1...

Beam me up, Scotty......

12 minutes ago, ibonexheadi said:

Is there an easy way to check for price drops, or do you just have to use their god awful site and go through it as if you are rebooking the cruise to see if its cheaper than your current price?

There sites on the net that will track your cruise for a minimal fee ($1) and email you when the price drops below your designated level. I've used them successfully on several trips. Look for the fishy site. 

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