haply

I was able to sign in, but it took a few minutes for it to get my previous cruises info right. Still no access to Cruise Planner.

 

I sent a note to the Royal IT Dept.

 

They sent back a picture of themselves in a meeting discussing the pressing issues.

 

 

 

Thanks, I needed a good laugh!

Experienced user here and CANNOT ACCESS MY ACCOUNT OR CRUISE PLANNER. Now you sign in and have to re-access entering your cruise booking #?!?! Than I still can't get in. NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE WITH NORWEGIAN, CARNIVAL OR PRINCESS! What a mess! I am REALLY worried about my upcoming cruise if they run the rest of their company this way!!! Royal is playing too many games-from not including all of their available rooms on their web booking site, "guess your price and discount of the day", losing reservation numbers, multiple need to clear your browsing history, etc. Going back to Carnival!

Looking at the Vision out of New Orleans for Dec. 2018. The kids-free special makes for pretty good pricing.

1. Any input/information on the Family Oceanview (Ultraspacious oceanview) staterooms? Not the suites on the 8th deck, but the larger oceanviews on decks 2,3 & 4?

2. Any updates on the possible drydock November 2018?

TIA,:)

We will be sailing on the Oasis in June. I have been watching the drink package since December. The lowest price for the June sailing thus far has been $47 per day.

I recently found out that once I booked an excursion, the excursion was removed from the online list for my sailing when I signed in. I had to go to my cruise planner schedule and click on the excursion to find out the most current pricing, etc.

When we have sailed Royal in the past, Adventure Ocean was not open for drop off on the first night. I am hearing that some of the ships however are now open (later around 8 or 8:30 from what I have read) on the first night.

Royal kids club does not feed the kids (open through dinner) like Carnival. They will close at 5 PM and re-open at 7 PM. Royal does offer "My Family Time Dining" in which the kids club staff will come to a designated dining room around 6:45 and take the kids up to the kids club (this way you do not have to leave the dining room/dinner to bring the kids up to the kids club). You will need to eat/be seated earlier, and inform the dining staff that the kids will be leaving. They bring out the kids food first (before/during the adult's appetizers), then you can eat the entrees/desserts in peace after the kids go up to the kids club. The kids club staff will NOT walk around the dining room to come and find you, so make sure to bring them to the pickup dining room location by 6:45 (usually at the front entrance of the early seating dining room). We did not book the early seating, but just reserved the 6 PM slot for My Time Dining, just in case we wanted to do this on some of the nights. Norwegian did not have this feature, so we ended up doing the buffet for the kids/parents eating afterwards routine (also worked well as the kids preferred the buffet food any way).

We too have really enjoyed "date night dinners", both appreciated by us and the kids, who much preferred playing in kids club to a long dinner seating.

I personally think they have somehow hide any purchased excursions from showing up again on cruise planner, even though there are spots available. Possibly safeguarding against cancellations should they lower the price. This is only happening for shore excursions though.

Thanks for the tip. I accessed the shore excursions from my calendar and they are still available (and now at a lower price)!! Royal C (those sneaky snooks) appear to now be removing/not showing, under the general excursion listings, any of the booked excursions (definitely makes it much more difficult to monitor the pricing!). I went ahead and cancelled and rebooked at the lower price.

Two of the excursions that I pre-booked on my June Oasis sailing is no longer showing up under the excursion website list. It is however showing up under my cruise planner schedule, so assuming that it is still planned and just sold out? Glad I booked early!

Book now, especially for the holiday sailings when school is out. I never see "kids sail free" special during the prime holiday weeks (unless you try to get the week before school is out). There may be a slight chance of prices going down, especially for the "mega ships", although pretty slim during the always sold-out holiday weeks. Good luck.

Following. Also on the Oasis in June with a 6 and 11-year old!

We have been to Costa Maya three times and never have pre-booked a beach break. The beach town of Mahuhal is about a 5 minute drive from the port (not walkable). They have a shuttle ($ 2 or 3 per person) that will take you into town. You have to walk through the entire port/shopping area, and the shuttle boarding area is at the very back entrance of the port. The shuttle has four stops. The first stop will drop you off near Blue Kay (have never been, but good reviews, seems quieter). The second and third stops drops you off in the middle (Krazy Lobster, Tropicante, etc). The last stop will drop you off at the very end (Pez Quedro, if still there). There is a walk-way right next to all of the beach bars/clubs all along Mahuhal. We have gone to the Krazy Lobster the past two times. Free beach front chairs and tables, lively music, free kayaks, a small playground and reasonably priced food and drinks (they will bring right to your beach chairs). It is very easy to walk along the walkway and check out the various beach clubs. You can take a cab back to the ship ($2 per person) without difficulty. We travel with kids, and felt safe.

We have been to the Blue Lagoon twice. The ferry does return on the hour during the afternoon. You just need to check your ship's boarding time (the Blue Lagoon dock usually has a sign for what should be your last ferry depending on your cruise ship). We really like the Blue Lagoon. The water is calm and the kids love the water trampoline/climbing/bouncy park (an extra $15 charge per person for use of the water park/bounce things). The water bouncy park is very close to the shore, thus easy to swim/get to. The drinks are good, and cost about $8 each. Highly recommend!

I just purchased the drink package on our June Oasis cruise for $47 per day (buy one get one at 50% off which equals $47 per day + 18% for myself). Still have quite a bit of time until our cruise, so hoping to catch further reductions, but did not want to take a chance. I think that your chances of hitting a good sale are a lot less within a one-month window of the cruise (especially if traveling during popular times).

PS: I am traveling with kids and extended family, therefore definitely need the drink package:D

Auto tipping began solely because so many people were stiffing the staff. If you cannot afford the gratuities, stay home, save up more money, then cruise and tip the staff. By the way, your cabin stewards get a list of those that have prepaid their gratuities. Your tips are split. For example, the Cabin Steward will split with his or her assistants (sometimes one person, often two). Dining, does not only go to your Waiter and assistant, but also a portion gets split with the team that work the buffet, and other food venues (staff behind the scenes). To those that say, eliminate tips and put it in the cost, well it is a competitive marketplace and when customers compare pricings, that would put one cruise line way out of line with others.....that won't work.

The envelopes are purely a convenience...no one is twisting anyone's arm.

Auto tipping began solely ......so that the cruise lines could get access to the employee gratuities. The only way to be sure that the employees are getting the tips is to tip them directly.

I just returned from a land vacation in Antigua, which was great! As Antigua received little damage in the hurricanes, many cruise ships have been redirected to Antigua (when I was there they were saying double to triple the usual ships). I would definitely try to pre-book, especially if there are multiple ships in town.

If they do in fact have a "guaranteed wage," it's peanuts. There's a few reasons RC is based in Liberia and one is to avoid those pesky American laws like minimum wage, health insurance, workers comp, ya know, the basics. If the workers had no incentive to actually work for their tips because there was a guaranteed wage, RC would simply do away with tips altogether, pay an hourly rate, and charge more for cruise fares.

 

It's $14.50 a DAY for crying out loud, you'd spend more than that on a tip for one meal at a nice restaurant. Pay the auto grat and tip on top like the rest of us, bunch of stingy bastards.

So a company that avoids giving it's employees a fair wage and fair benefits will do the right thing and can be trusted to distribute all of the auto gratuities that it collects?......

I much prefer the "olden days" when we paid the tips directly to the staff (both tipping individually and those envelopes that they would leave in the stateroom). Hotels and all-inclusives do not add automatic gratuities and seem to be working just fine. I also don't believe for a minute that the auto-gratuities go to the staff (at least a significant portion of it or as any significant, extra benefit as compared to direct tips).

We just got off of the Liberty in June. I have taken over ten cruises, however this was my first Carnival cruise. We LOVED it!!! My kids are a bit older but they loved the kids club. The entertainment staff were great. The buffet was the best out of all of the cruises that I have been on. The Carnival staterooms were bigger than the Norwegian or Royal Caribbean ones that I have been on. Definitely sign up for the Dr. Seuss brunch right when you get on the ship (it sells out fast). We have done the Blue Lagoon twice in Nassau. It has a nice beach with very calm water. It is about a 20-minute ferry boat ride to get there, so not easy to come and go though if one of the kids gets tired or fussy. Going on excursions with kids under the age of 5 can be a bit tricky, so go with your mommy-gut (you know your kids the best). You will have a great time, the Liberty is a great cruise!

Just came off of the Liberty in June. We were able to go to the dining room with my elderly mother and to the muster drill in there. All we had to do was ask/tell the muster drill person and they directed us to the dining room. Did not need to show any doctors note, documentation, etc. Saw many older people, people with babies/small children, etc.

Hello. Thanks for all of the replies. I would definitely go on the Liberty ship again-highly recommend. The room steward did only come once per day on our cruise. We requested morning service, and he did leave us the towel animals every day at that time. I was able to call room service to deliver more ice (but you have to be in your room and wait, they will not come in your room and leave the ice if not there). No chocolates on my pillow.......but more than made up for it with my multiple, daily visits to the dessert buffet! Still trying to work off all the food!!

It does not start outside the port area, and you have to take the $3 shuttle at the end of the port area (or grab a taxi right outside the gates of the port area). It is only about a 5-minute drive (not able to walk to in my opinion as on a busy highway, not a scenic walk). Once you get there, the Malecon is very walkable. There are many beach clubs/beach bars all along the walkway. The shuttle has four stops, but you can get off and walk up and down and see which club/spot looks the best to you. We have done Pez Quadro (at the end and pretty quiet), and the Krazy Lobster, which we are going to again this year.

We have done that Norwegian itinerary the past two Thanksgivings and are doing it again this year. Please keep in mind that we are traveling with kids.

Cozumel-You can take a taxi to any of the beach clubs (usually cheaper to do on your own). You may need to pre-book if there are a lot of ships in town that day though. Paradise beach does not have an entry fee as long as you agree to purchase drinks/food. Mr. Sanchos does have a non-AI side (but may be hard to get if many ships in town). Playa Mia does have about a $ 30 entry fee. If no kids, highly recommend the Cozumel bar hop excursion (about $50 per person). They will pick you up at the port on their "party bus" and take you to the East side of the island (4 stops). Very fun.

Costa Maya-Definitely do not need to book an excursion at this port. You can take the $3 shuttle (at the very end of the port) into town and go to any of the beach clubs. We have never pre-booked any of the beach clubs. The first year we spent the day at Pez Quadro (4th stop), and last year we spent the day at the Krazy Lobster (2nd stop). No charge for chairs, table, etc. We are returning to the Krazy Lobster this year as we like a livelier atmosphere.

Harvest Caye-we went to Harvest Caye when they just opened last year. Very long walk down the pier so not realistic to "come-and-go", and they do charge for drinks/food on the island (not included). We took extra drinks and snacks off of the ship with us and hung out at the pool/beach. No need to really do excursions if you are OK with that.

Roatan-this port would definitely require an excursion (ship or non-ship excursion). We did Maya Key through the ship excursion the first year (so-so), and West Bay beach, monkey place and island tour (private driver) last year. Contrary to others, we really disliked West Bay. Narrow beach and very crowded. Most beach clubs had chairs crammed next to each other (including Tabyana). Non-ship excursions are usually cheaper and less crowded. We are planning on doing a non-ship snorkeling excursion this year with a short beach break (NOT going to West bay). We are not really interested in the island tour as it entailed hours of driving around (not our thing). We are planning on sticking pretty much to snorkeling.

Hello

Is there a snorkeling excursion that will pick you up in their catamaran/boat directly at the cruise port (Coxen Hole)? Did not have good experiences on shore tours the last two visits, but want to snorkel (without having to go to West Bay or long bus/car transfers). Thanks in advance.

We have now gone to Blue Lagoon twice in Nassau. It is a small island about a 30-minute boat/ferry ride out of Nassau. The water is beautiful and calm (they do provide floats). They have a large ocean bouncy/float play area ($15 per person extra) that my kids really loved (also close to the beach, and not a long swim out like some other places). You can also rent kayaks, paddle boards and large ocean bikes. They do not have a pool however if that is what you are looking for. They do have dolphin, stingray, seal encounter areas on one side of the island (extra $$), that you can add on if wanted. It does include a basic lunch and a cash bar (drinks are good). There were only two ships in port the first time we went, and the place was pretty empty. There were 5 ships in port this time and it was more crowded but still fun. It was pretty disorganized going through the Carnival excursion. We waited around a long time while they got everybody ready and did not get to the island until about 11:30. If the cruise ship docks early, I would recommend booking directly through Blue Lagoon. You would need to take a short (5-minute) taxi ride to their ferry dock, but you could catch the 8:30 ferry and have much more time on the island. The price is better doing it that way also.

We did the dolphin encounter in Freeport (Unexo contracts through Carnival). You will have to take about a 20-minute bus ride across the island to their facility. Unexo was a good company. We had initially booked the snorkeling and dolphin package, but the snorkeling was cancelled due to rough waters. The water looked beautiful and they had a couple of really nice-looking beaches on the other side of the island. I will definitely try to book a snorkeling and beach day the next time we go.

We have been to Costa Maya twice, and are going back the third time on our Thanksgiving cruise. The town of Mahuhal is about 5 minutes from the port. You can take the $3 shuttle (right at the very end of the port area) into town. There are four stops on the shuttle. The first stop is at the beginning of the town beach walk-say (Melancon). This is closest to Blue Kay. The second and third stops are in the middle-part of the town/beach walk-way, and the fourth stop is at the end. There are many beach clubs (restaurants/bars) along the beach walk-way. The shuttle driver will try to talk you into getting off at the first stop (whatever club he gets incentives for). You can research Costa Maya/Mahuhal and see which reviews/places might suit you the best. Last year we spent the day at the Krazy Lobster (second stoop). We had an ocean-front shaded table and beach chairs (no charge for this). Very lively music and good service. The drinks and food were good and very reasonable. They had free kayaks that you could use. The kids played in the sand/ocean/kayaked and we just relaxed. We did the entire day for less than 50 dollars (the cost of drinks and food all day). You take the taxi back to the dock (just $2 per person). Both years we did not make advanced reservations and had no problems getting a table/spot. There are vendors that walk by but they are very polite. We actually purchased a few souvenirs for about a quarter of the price as compared to the dock/ship prices. There are also places along the beach that you can book a snorkeling trips, etc. We are planning on going back to the Krazy Lobster this year again. We like being close to the ship, and not having to pre-book anything. Hope this helps.