ILCTCRUISER

It would be great if Miami had Global Entry kiosks. Not sure why it doesn’t. Disembarked NCL 3/11 and process was very slow. Terminal reps worked lines seeking out flyers with flight departure times that might be in jeopardy. You needed to show a boarding pass and when you did you were diverted to a special line. Of course, if Miami had GE, the long lines probably would have simply moved outside. We never buy the cruise line airport transfer. On the NCL disembark day we noticed so many people wearing Airport Transfer IDs. We kept wondering how in the world NCL could handle that many. As it turned out, it really wasn’t able to do so. Outside there were long lines as these pax waited and waited for buses. On an NCL thread, some pax said they gave up and took a taxi.

An Alaska cruise is more about experiencing Alaska than it is about onboard amenities. It tends to be port-intensive, which is as it should be. Kids will enjoy Alaska as long as the emphasis is on “Let’s get out there and explore!” There will be kids on an Alaska cruise but, as already noted, not as many as on a Caribbean cruise. Princess does have some pluses. As mentioned, it has access to Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay has a slew of glaciers but only 8 are tidewater and those 8 are split between 2 arms of the bay. Hubbard is one of the largest glaciers. I think face wall is about 13 miles long. Of course you can’t see it all, but it is special. Princess will do things like bring sled dog puppies onboard. They also have guest speakers. Norwegian, I believe, also has some limited access to Glacier Bay. All lines will stop at the usual ports: Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Sitka, Icy Strait Point are the ports most often visited. We’re Elite on Princess and D+ on RCL. If it’s just about the cruise, I think I’d go with Royal or Celebrity. Cruisetour? Princess. Lodges are much better.

Self-assist luggage. You could try putting out luggage the night before and picking up the next day. However, having your luggage with you is the sure thing. No chance for it to go missing. Usually clearance to disembark is 7AM. You need to get in line though. We tend to get in line about 6:30 and are often amazed by the number of people already in line. Large ship? We’ve seen very, very long lines. Day of week. Weekend, very little traffic so you’re at airport 15 minutes or so. May be more traffic weekdays but not a deal breaker. We take taxi rather than ride share because taxis are lined up waiting

Since assigned times were mandated, we’ve always arrived before our scheduled time and there’s never been a problem (one self-inflicted hiccup). For one cruise out of Miami, we arrived VERY early. I even told the rep that we were very early and he looked at me like I had two heads and waved us right in. On the other hand (the hiccup), we arrived early for a cruise out of Seattle, August 2021, for restart of Ovation. They had set up “holding” areas using rope and stanchion with signs indicating check-in times. We were told we needed to wait and obeyed. We waited too long. We turned to someone else in line and that person told us he had a much later check-in time and that he thought those with our check-in time were already being admitted. Sure enough, that was it. We left the holding area, got in line, and went right in, and we probably could have done so as soon as we arrived. My take on this: The timed check-in process was created by someone in an office in Miami. Covid precautions were probably the driver, but smoothing the entire process was probably a consideration as well. Now, management on board (keep in mind, each ship is set up as a profit center) wants you onboard so you can book speciality restaurants, buy drink packages, have a few drinks while waiting for rooms to become available, etc. etc. They’d kill if they were allowed to open the casino! They have budgets they need to meet and will do what they need to do to meet those budgets. If they don’t then another person sitting in an office in Miami calls them on the carpet.

When in port in Aruba, we have also used the public bus to get to beaches. The station is a very short walk from the pier. We usually go to Palm Beach so have never asked for a stop at Eagle. Eagle is just down the road from Palm so I have to believe the bus also stops there.

Count on it. Not wishing to dash your hopes, but count on it. As D+, we prefer the current voucher system and spend very little time in the DL, when the DL is the only option. I think many are following suit. Is there method to RCL’s madness? Not madness, but method. As more and more people choose not to visit the DL, it opens the door for RCL to shut them down ultimately.

Yes, we just did this when we crossed into DP340.

My experience as well. Won’t go into details but I believe I provided the documentation Allianz required. Major stalling. I’m confident it was all about attrition: Allianz recognizes (and probably has the statistics) that if it stalls long enough x number of claimants will give up. During one of my dozens and dozens of calls, one rep even told me he didn’t understand why I hadn’t received my claim funds because his review of the file showed that my claim had been approved for payment. In the end, Allianz asked for more documentation, documentation that would have been very very difficult to get and which seemed to be unnecessary. I was told my file would be closed and would be reopened when I produced that documentation. It got to the point at which I felt I needed to call my lawyer. Then, one day, I get an email: Your claims have been paid in full. Sure enough, the funds had been deposited to my bank account.

Haven't been on all in class, but Oasis is our favorite for this reason.

At times…very RANDOM. On one cruise this year, we entered our stateroom to find 6 cans of water which we typically get. Then, at the base of the dresser, on the side, we found a case of 24. Go figure.

Princess “loyalty ambassadors” will tell you, and I can confirm, that the most valued perk of being Elite on Princess is Free Laundry. If Princess ever takes that away, I think there would be blood….

For a long time (since the 4-5-6 voucher system was introduced) I’ve felt this is where it’s all headed. The number crunchers certainly aren’t happy with using revenue-producing areas for DL/CL lounges or overflows, even if it’s just for a few hours each night.

Agree. Many of them earned what they have. We’re happy with what we get as D+

Yes, John @John&LaLa, yes….

In my opinion, RCCL suffers from an affliction called Weak Senior Management. Over the years, so many decisions seem to be reactive in nature. Not great visionaries there and I’ve sat in on webinars and “coffee talks” with a number of them. RCCL management tends to assume a “follower” strategy. It waits for the “others” to act and judges how the market responds before it makes a move. Not a novel strategy, many companies in many industries assume it. RCCL just doesn’t seem to have the people in place who can pull it off effectively. BUT this decision to exclude D+ from the CL seems to be something that’s been in the works for some time. Yes, that seems to contradict what I just stated. I accept that. This change in D+ benefits probably has been on the burner for quite a few years. Call it: Loyalty Program Goes Wild. Loyalty programs are created to build and then maintain market share. As some above have suggested, thresholds to gain D and D-Plus are really quite low. RCCL used its loyalty program as a marketing tool and it’s turned around and bit it in the rear end. TOO MANY D and D+ passengers. Especially in regard to the lounges. First step taken: the current drink voucher program, which we prefer. However, I think this recent change in D+ benefits suggests the voucher program didn’t quite do the job. CLs are still being used to the point full-suite passengers have a hard time getting a seat…and, it follows, they complain. Rightfully so. RCCL won’t ever share numbers but I’m confident that the Double Points program created a lot of D+. These lounges can only accommodate so many people. D+ members don’t worry. Pinnacles will be next.

Agree 100%. Worst production show I've ever seen. We walked out about 15 minutes into the show.