coldturkey247

In the last 2 weeks on my planner the drinks package has went from 42 to 45 and now 48. I’m about 3 months out, will there likely be an offer before sail date?

Also, with the deluxe package glasses of wine are included but only 40% off the full bottle price? Why would someone buy the bottle when glasses are included? Is it simply the convenience of having full bottle to yourself at your dinner table, etc.?

I’ve just went within 90 days of my cruise, 7 night on Allure and it’s sitting at $48/ day. Is this discounted already? If not, what’s the chances it will discount between now and saildate?

When talking about coffee Premium and Specialty are synonymous in RCI's world.

So they are different? If I purchase the ultimate package, only premium are included and speciality aren’t? What does each refer to?

Is there a difference between premium and speciality coffees? It’s says premium coffees are included in the ultimate drinks package but then you can also buy a card for 10 speciality coffees only

Why select a time to dine with the ultimate dining package when apart from the first night, you can make the reservation at whatever time you want for subsequent nights? I don't want to be held captive by dining at the same time every night

can you ask RCI to remove all auto gratuities from being added to account (even incl. when purchasing drinks package)? I would prefer to pay in cash to employees myself - it's a lot more personable than having money taken direct from account.

$3,788 plus $115.20 per person

BOGO60 discount $2,273

Avg cost per person: $2,766.70

 

Total: $5,533.40

 

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Holy smokes!! We're being ripped off in the UK!

Exact same cruise on RCI website for UK customers is £6,232.70 = $7,803.96.

+$2,270.56 difference for the same room on same cruise. Madness.

I'm glad we booked through a US TA - total was $5,392.40 with $200 OBC included.

Could someone please price the below for me from the US RCI website:

Allure of the Seas 8th April 2018 Western Caribbean in a Grand Suite

I want to see the difference between it and the price I'm seeing on UK site

Thanks in advance!

May be a stupid question - but is the weather fair enough to sit out/ sunbathe/ outside activities during the day and night on a transatlantic crossing?

I think I saw one of the Grease performers bringing a half bottle of water on-board... hopefully they were sacked immediately and never seen again! :D

Are they also being hypocritical having a fitness center and exercise classes (which they promote) while having sweets all over the ship and selling candy in their shops?

Down with this sort of thing. Lock them up and throw away the key!! :o

jeez - hope I never meet the OP on-board a cruise. What a barrel of laughs they sound like! :)

Sun Lover - what % off did you get? what was the original cost before discount?

Brilliant - thanks very much for the info. everyone! Been really helpful in helping us choose. We booked the Allure - Western Car - Grand suite :) I still can't believe the price difference between TA online and direct with RCI. We're saving £1,700 going with TA, plus they're throwing in $200 on board credits for us.

To previous poster - is the drinks package $96/day each? Or was that for both of us? I thought it was around 40-50$ ? If so, we would definitely get the value of it. Few mixed drinks/ cocktails through the day, btl of wine with dinner and drinks again into the wee hours. I'll just keep checking our planner closer to the time for package discounts.

We actually get married on Easter Sat 2018 (31st Mar), will chill for a few days and then fly. I've looked online and Spring Break looks to be a bit earlier in the year ( not familiar with US academy calendar) so hopefully we'll be ok with the timing!

Thanks again to everyone - will definitely stay on here for useful info. and post my own of course when I'm in a position to add my tuppence worth! :)

Can I ask how you go about booking through a US travel agent to gain US terms and conditions when living in the UK?

 

 

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Generally the TA terms will be international (similar to RCI's terms). It shouldn't matter what country you're from

If you didn't see a price, couldn't you have just asked the assistant?

if you had a drinks package & capped at $13, why would you ever buy a bottle of say kim crawford sauvignon blanc at $64 (minus the 40% discount) for $38.40.... when you can buy it from the glass at $17 - thus paying 4$ difference per glass?

can anyone advise on this, am I missing something?

if you had a drinks package & capped at $13, why would you ever buy a bottle of say kim crawford sauvignon blanc at $64 (minus the 40% discount) for $38.40.... when you can buy it from the glass at $17 - thus paying 4$ difference per glass?

it's definitely impressive to turn it around in that time and have people boarding with lunch and into their rooms by lunchtime!

I see people say that you should check cruise planner and reserve shows/ dinner around 90 days prior. do we still need to do this if we book a suite? or is dinner/ shows reserved when we're on-board? also - would we still need to purchase a speciality dining package if wanting to eat in those places? or again, is that included with suite?

Thanks for the replies - I think we're going to go with Grand Suite in Allure. Cannot wait.

Are the speciality restaurants included in the suite price or are they still extra?

Thanks very much folks.

And how do people generally book, direct with RCI or via TA? From quotes we've received online, TA definitely works out cheaper every time. Just wanting to know the pros and cons of each, if any.

Hi all,

I've recently gotten engaged so started looking on these forums recently for ideas on how/why/where/what/when to cruise. Both my fiance and I have never cruised before so the information on here is great.

I have loads of questions to ask so would be eternally grateful is some more seasoned pros could help me out with the answers.

Our preference would be one of the Oasis class ships, leaving April 2018, around Western Caribbean - Labadee, Falmouth, Cozumel.

Allure leaves 8th April

Harmony leaves 14th April

Oasis leaves 15th April

Now here comes the questions! :)

The Harmony is slightly more expensive, which I take it will be because it's the newer ship? Are there any significant differences between the 3? ie. if we book Allure/ Oasis at the cheaper price, it's not because the ship is any less/ missing something?

Have we chosen correct in that these 3 would be perfect for a honeymoon? Another couple we know went on Celebrity Reflection for their honeymoon & thought it was perfect (they mentioned less kids).

I understand a junior suite does not afford all the benefits that say a grand or crown loft suite would include?

Suites include a cocktail happy hour in one bar in the evening. We're both moderate drinkers, so should we include drinks packages? I know there's been many discussions on here regarding the drinks packages/ increased prices... generally it looks as though around 80% of drinks are included? some high end cocktails are extra and then discounted wines.

Can you purchase drinks packages now when booking? but I've seen some people talk about checking their cruise planner for offers closer to the time? When do drinks discounts generally appear?

Booking directly via RCI website seems to work out a lot more expensive than travel agents online. Any reason to this? I'd be concerned that with booking with a TA and not being able to confirm a room upon booking that we may be stuck with a restricted view/ obstructed room.

Is room service complimentary for all rooms? or just suites? and i understand the room service menu is greater for suites? and also there are suite-only menus in some restaurants as well as auto-reserved seating at entertainment shows. We're veering towards a suite simply because we don't want the fuss of having to queue/ waiting around for getting into shows. That plus priortiy embarkation.

How do they turn the cruise ship around so quickly for next batch of passengers? It sounds like passengers leave between 7-9 in the morning and the new passengers are ready to board at 10. Is this normal or are they just super quick at cleaning/ turning things round?

Again, apologies for the questioning, but thanks in advance for everyone's knowledge and experience with the answers!