dcgrumpy

2 weeks ago on Harmony they had Strawfish plastic biodegradable straws

17 minutes ago, orville99 said:

You do realize that the closer you get to the actual sail date, the higher the price may be, and the fewer the number and locations of the cabin type you want.

Exactly. My $1350 balcony was up to $2500 when the final payment date rolled around. 

Port side doesn't really mean a view of the port. we were in a starboard room 2 weeks ago. We backed in twice and went front in once. But each time we had a view of the port. 

2 hours ago, doppelganger2621 said:

Mine is $1,900 more than when I booked lol

My July/August cruise is double what I paid in March. LOL

36 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

Yes!  A few weeks ago, our cruise was BOGO50 with the price ending up at $75 each.  This means the onboard price is $100, and the BOGO50 is basically a 25% discount.  This week, with the Memorial Day sale, it's $65 each, which is a 35% discount.  

My Mariner cruise this summer is still BOGO50 with the Memorial Day sale, I wish it was 35%. 

3 hours ago, Biker19 said:

It still works for most people most of the time.

Yep, we had absolutes no issues on Harmony last week. We were seated within 5 minutes of arriving every day. I was prepared for the worst since since the ship had the highest passenger count since relaunch. But was pleasantly surprised. 

1 hour ago, billslowsky said:

Bra size, weirdest place, husband coming out of shower,  inlaw stuck with on island, which holiday in cabin last night...there's about 10 questions that get repeated.

 

I've seen couples whisper answers when the CD has his back turned.

I think last week on Harmony was the first time that I've attended Love and Marriage and there wasn't a bra size, or in-law question. LOL

On 5/19/2022 at 5:02 PM, britincanada said:

I wonder if the Galley service is because of covid - I would love to know if the original concept was that sailors could go to each 'vendor' and choose their food and take it to the table. Having everyone seated helps keep passengers distanced etc.

 

 

 

 

From what I recall yes, initially guests were supposed to wait and get their own food and then it was changed due to Covid so that guests weren't lined up waiting together. Of course my memory may be incorrect. LOL

We never had to wait long in the Galley. But we sailed at 18%, so it's hard to compare it what it will be like at fill capacity. 

1 hour ago, WheresWalter said:

This is an interesting thread because we've sailed Royal in the past and took our very first Carnival cruise in March, our 16th cruise overall. They had the entire dining systems down pat with their app, even on a ship that was sailing 100% full, 5500-5900 passengers. 

 

All reservations and notifications were on the app so there was no need to queue up anywhere on the ship. MDR or Specialty Dining. We had My Time dining (or whatever they call it) and when we were ready for dinner, we would click "I'm Ready" on the app. The app would then notify us when our table was ready, similar to those buzzers or texts you get from land based restaurants. We would have ten minutes to get to the MDR to claim our table. But we could be anywhere on the ship enjoying drinks, music, the outdoors, whatever. It was super easy and really nice to not have to stand in long lines.

 

As we are sailing Symphony in December, now I'm wondering if anytime dining is worth it or Royal has just made a royal pain of the system. We've sailed Mariner and Freedom in the past and never had any sorts of long lines, nor issues getting into the dining room when it opened. 

We sailed on Mardi Gras in October and I loved that feature. We would get read and go into the app as we left the room. By the time we got to the MDR our table was ready. 

We didn't encounter any long lines on Harmony last week. I normally don't make reservations beforehand because I want flexibility. For Harmony I made reservations every night because I had read how bad the lines. We were pleasantly surprised. We were seated within 5 minutes every night and were able to change times a couple of nights. Even the line for people with no reservations was pretty short. I don't think I ever saw more than 10 people waiting. I'm crossing my fingers for our upcoming Mariner cruise. 

This past Sunday on Harmony the MDR was open 6-8am, Windjammer 6-8:30am. 

Last week onboard Harmony it was $98, there was a BOGO 1/2 off. Which was 50 cents a day cheaper than what I had paid 2 weeks pre-cruise. 

I would purchase ASAP if you know you want it. I waited and the price ended up increasing by about $10 per day. 

And as I give that advice I still haven't purchased mine for my Mariner cruise in July. LOL 

1 hour ago, Starry Eyes said:

What time did you generally eat?

7-7:30

I had MTD on Harmony last week. We had made reservations for every night before boarding. I was able to change the time on a couple of reservations after boarding.We ended up at the same table every night but one.  Lines weren't bad at all. We were seated within 5 minutes every night. The line for people without reservations was very short every night. I've read horror stories about long lines but we lucked out. 

2 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

 

That's the one. So I can't do it on my own?

Unfortunately, no. 

19 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Why would they not participate? Higher price for cabin, higher commission?

Not really sure. Can't be bothered with extra paperwork? They'd get extra commission from people that successfully bid. So they'd get a little extra money. 

11 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

Sorry for another Royal up question but I'm new to Royal and never had this process on another line. I've noticed that several people on my roll call have been receiving offers, placing low bids, and already having their offers accepted even though our cruise is still 4 weeks away. 

 

I have not received any emails about this and can't find a way to place an offrer on the website. I'm wondering if this is because I booked through a big box retailer? Would it be worth the trouble to call and ask? Should I call RC directly or the big box TA? Any thoughts?

 

TIA

Some big box TA's, like C##### don't participate in Royal Up. 

18 minutes ago, nelblu said:

You are right.  I was thinking that the 3 sea days was going South and not coming back North.  I should have realized as I sailed on Anthem's on Easter week.  So, in essence the arrival day is the 3rd, even though Anthem docks at 6 in the morning.  Does not make any sense, do you happen to know the reason for the 3 sea days rule.

The assumption is it has to do with access to pediatric care if necessary. 

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

No previous stop in port canaveral?
 

 

 

For many cruises out of Bayonne Coco Cay is the last stop,  followed by 2 sea days. 

13 hours ago, MaryZ said:

Be careful with this.  We could not book a cruise over July 4th because coco cay is considered a sea day.
Anyone less than 1 yr of age cannot sail with 3 straight sea days.
So for us, on the Antem, coco cay was considered a 3rd sea day.  We had to move the cruise back to the end of July when our grandaughter turns 1 the day before we sail.

 

So is St Kitts. I'm sailing on Harmony next week, we stop in St Kitts followed by 2 sea days. A number of people had to cancel because they had children under 1. 

First day. I prefer the last day to be a sea day. But it's not a deal breaker.

9 minutes ago, jahannah said:

Just received the RU offer to bid today at 60 days out from our July 9th sailing on Allure.  Our sailing in April on Odyssey was also at 60 days prior to sailing.  I wonder if this is the new availability timeframe and the error message that references 30 days has not been updated.

I think it varies by cruise. Not sure if there is any rhyme or rearson. For my cruise next week I was able to bid at 90 days out. I'm 80 days out from another cruise and so far I'm still getting the 30 days, message. 

1 hour ago, LarryHD2 said:

Are the kids aged 21+?  Passengers under 21 have to be adjacent to, or across the hall from, the parent (or 21+) cabin.  For across the hall, the kid cabin can't be more than 50% forward of the parent cabin.  We ran into this rule with our 18yo and 20yo staying in an interior across the hall from our JS. 

 

I asked what if two 20yo's got married and wanted to honeymoon on a cruise and was told that isn't possible.

 

Anyhow, I wonder how they handle this during the RoyalUp process if you're bidding for both cabins, or even one.  It probably throws a wrench into things as they have to find adjacent cabin upgrades.

 

I will be curious to find how this works for you as we're sailing in 40 days.

 

 

Interesting. According to their website the rule is waived for underage married couples. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/international-age-policy

"No Guest younger than the age twenty-one (21) will be assigned to a stateroom unless accompanied in the same stateroom by an adult twenty-one (21) years old or older. A guest's age is established upon the first date of sailing.

This age limit will be waived for children sailing with their parents or guardians in connecting staterooms; for underage married couples; and for active duty members of the United States or Canadian military."

10 minutes ago, Cruisebride2006 said:

Hello all! 

I need advice. I have 2 cabins booked on Symphony sailing July 23rd. Both cabins are paid in full. I got the email today about Royal Up. Is it worth doing when I still have to keep the other cabin that my children are staying in?  I wanted to try and bid on an upgrade to a two bedroom however I am told that I can not move the entire family. Is it still worth trying and just keeping the other cabin? Help! 🙂

Are your kids under 21? If so, they have to be next door or across the hall from you. You would need to put one adult on that reservation in order to keep it. So only one adult would get Suite benefits. 

You can try doing a mock booking. Or check the original confirmation, if you received one. 

5 minutes ago, sailor05 said:

Seems like I read somewhere that the free tests sent by the government (USPS) could be used by purchasing the proctoring from another company. Anyone hear of this?

It's available for iHealth tests. Not everyone received iHealth tests. Mine were a different brand.