cindivan

I can’t remember which ship I was on, but I do remember during the day we could go in and get waters and sodas and there was no waiter in there to help you.

I just reached out to our suite concierge, so hopefully he will get back to me on that question. I have to think they would be ready to get cruise credit after you do the Royal app. If not you would see people on here complaining about it possibly, which I never have thought that particular thing 

9 hours ago, Biker19 said:

If you can’t cancel pre cruise you can cancel on board for OBC which then can cash out at the casino. 

Awesome thanks!

Would it be as late as us getting on the ship and finding out we’ve been moved? Or would they let us know at least a day before? Thanks so much

I typically just delete the Royal up emails, especially because we’re traveling with friends and our room is near them. But there are several suites near ours that might make sense to have the extra room and still be near our friends. We are currently in sky class, and if we bid on something and get it we would be star class.  
 

How soon will we know before we sail if we get it?  We have spent about $1200 on the drink and dining package. And I would want to get my money back if we did get in the star class. But not sure how late we can cancel it and if we get on board and are upgraded then we’re out of the refund of what we bought online and also our bid for the upgrade?

On our oct 31 cruise UDP was not available a month or so ago.    Then it reappeared again a few days ago (maybe longer, hadn’t checked in a week or so) at just a little higher price than we paid a year ago. 
 

Who knows!?

Wear what makes you happy.  

On 10/17/2021 at 8:17 PM, BND said:

I'd rather see them remove the testing requirement.  I wonder what the percentage of positives is because the CDC"s data on breakthrough cases shows very, very low numbers in vaccinated individuals.

Yes but how many people have fake vax cards?  My SILs dad brags about his. Ugh. 

Wow. I simply can’t imagine living in such small spaces for such an extended time- regardless of what room you are in. And not seeing our family and friends for that long. And the $$$$. 
 

Different world than mine for sure.  

We have traveled with large family groups 15 to 25 over the years. We’ve never been able to get a table of more than 10 people. Sometimes we say girls table and boys table, sometimes it’s adults and kids, sometimes we use a random  number generator to assign tables.    Every night we try to mix it up to make sure everyone has a chance to sit near everyone at some point over the cruise.
 

With more than 10 people at a table it’s pretty hard to talk with everyone anyway.

I would suggest you discuss it before the cruise, otherwise you might get one or two people who does say that they are going to decide every night. That is only happened at once and was a little awkward. From then on, we set a general framework.  
 

The great majority of the people really don’t care I just want to have fun and have a chance to talk to everybody. Sometimes you get those one or two people that make it difficult for everybody else. So best to discuss it before if you think that might happen in your group

4 hours ago, twangster said:

 

Nothing before Nov. 1 is being modified.  After Nov. 1 much is.  

 

I'm sure the CDC was not pleased with that FR sailing.  

I sure hope so. We are going October 31 and planned our rooms to be right next to my sister and very near my sister-in-law. We are all in Crown loft suite and with a super disappointed if we got moved especially to something lower.

I’m not a huge gambler. My husband enjoys it a lot, and he always brings cash. I believe there is a transaction fee whether you use the casino or an ATM. Maybe 2 to 3%? Not sure exactly, but that’s why he always brings whatever cash he’s willing to lose LOL

  I don’t have any experience with travelers checks so can’t answer that

4 hours ago, staggr said:

I need help as I’m confused.  I received out test kits today for our cruise coming up in November.  On the box it says to download the NAVICA app which I have done and created my account.  I did this about a week ago.  When I log in there is an option to start the test.  On the kits there is a QR code that says to scan it to start the test at eMed.  So is the test done on eMed.com or the NAVICA app?  Thanks!

We did a test run before my parents came in town a few weeks ago.  If I remember correctly you need the navica app, but you do the test through emed.com. The results are sent to your navica app which RC will use to board

It’s been since December 2019 since we have cruised. But I do remember having a conversation with our then diamond teen that there wasn’t any significant benefits for him being diamond.   I think he had a BOGO for shakes at Johnny Rockets, some free bogo or bonus credits for the arcade. Maybe some free minutes or internet package discount. Can’t exactly remember but nothing access-related.  (He had the refreshment package so the free drinks weren’t really a benefit). 

Hmm. Maybe I can find a fake Pinn pin on Etsy for our nest cruise! 😂

33 minutes ago, Bette And Bill said:

The no mask rule for Pinns was also not available Sept 5, 12 or 19th. 

Wow I thought the no mask rule was a joke. Are Pinns immune to covid?  Guessing the CDC would have a problem with that no matter what RC wants. 
 

I also never realized Pinns just skip every line - thought that was another joke. I have never experienced that.   I guess our tipping behavior gets us reasonably quick service as well. 
 

I keep an excel spreadsheet of all our cruises and time out of the country and when I add something I’m amazed at how much time we have been able to travel.  Pinns have to have an insane amount of days at sea. 

1 hour ago, karmamule said:

My general advice: when you look back on your past cruises or vacations, what are the things that make you the happiest to remember? The yummy food, the exotic location, the wide variety of drinks and entertainment, or your luxurious room/cabin? Whatever forms your fondest memories of past cruises or vacations is where you should put that money for this one.

^^ This.
 

Not knowing what you have booked for rooms or meals it’s like asking someone if they like apples or oranges better. Totally subjective

I would splurge on a bigger room.  To an extent. (Double sink?!  Worth a lot to us). And then I would eat and drink better. 
 

Very fun someone gave you some cash to make your trip better!

I haven’t done the excursion from a cruise. But I had done it from a charter we did. It was probably about 100 yards to swim from where the boat anchored to land. And some boats were able to go closer if they were smaller. The charter we were on had lifejackets and mat floats which we needed to get to shore, especially because we had some younger kids. If you’re able to swim that far with a lifeguard or with a float, I think the water entry would be way more fun. You pull up, and you see a bunch of people on sure and swim right to the main area. I’m not sure where the best would take you.

Full disclosure, I cannot stand crowded tour buses so maybe that taints my opinion 

Thank you to everyone for your detailed and well-thought explanation. 

Our friends have decided they are not ready to book (even though they have 8K in cruise credit that expires end of 2022), so we have gone with something that wouldn't have been their top of their list and told them if they want to do something else and cabins are available we will look to switch be with them.  Time is hard to get off for these long trips so I get it.

DH and I are doing the Beyond 9 night Italian Rivera and France.  So excited to be on such a new ship in a suite.  

Thanks again for all your advice!

1 hour ago, bEwAbG said:

If you haven't experienced it, then you're not missing anything, right?  😀

 

The ships that have had the deck added look like an afterthought to me.  People complain about lack of shade and the only water feature (if it has one) is a hot tub.  Unless you're sailing the newest ships, I don't think access to this space will make much difference in how much you'll enjoy your cruise unless you're an extreme sun worshiper.  If i were going all that way and a real suites-only sundeck experience was important to me, I'd look to book the Edge or Apex.

 

I have sailed Reflection and Constellation and like them both for different reasons.  The Connie is older and smaller.  I sailed her on my first X cruise, so I will always have a fondness for her.  It's a beautiful ship.  The Reflection is larger and newer (it was the newest ship before Edge class was introduced). 

 

There is generally more to do on S-Class ships like Reflection, and they have more specialty restaurants.  Staying in a suite, your dining room will be Luminae, which I think is better than the specialty restaurants, but some people prefer to mix it up with visits to those.  Reflection is the largest of the S-Class ships and has more suites than the other S-Class or M-Class, which I think affects the overall experience because everything is generally busier.  Pros and cons to either, really, but that really has more to do with what you're looking for in a cruise experience.

Thanks for that explanation. I totally understand about sentiment with certain ships. The Allure was the first Oasis class ship on RC we sailed and it feels like home when I get back there regardless of how many sister ships I have sailed. 
 

great info to share with the other couple with whom we are cruising and we can all make a better informed decision. 
 

thanks!

1 hour ago, canderson said:

Don't want to pop your Infinity bubble, but like Constellation, no Revolution yet!

 

Much depends upon how much deck space you want to yourself and what you're willing to pay.  There are some anomalous cabins on all ships that provide you from a bit to a ton of extra outdoor space for your cabin that could make up for a lack of quieter deck space in the Retreat area.

 

If that would interest you, we have some suggestions.

Oops!  Thanks for the info. 
 

We are traveling with another couple that has also booked several cruises that have been canceled but they started off with a less expensive cabin originally so our cabin will most likely be the place we hang out if it’s just the 4 of us.   
 

I think it will be between Connie and Reflection. Any specific cabin or area recommendations?  Thanks!
 

Thanks for all the info!  Makes our decision a lot easier!

We are getting ready to book a cruise in the Med next fall, preferably more Greece, Turkey, and Croatia vs Italy and Spain.   We love Italy and Spain, but want to see new places.  After our third cruise being canceled and each time getting 25% more FCC, and not having a lot of time to take multiple trips, we decided to use it all one cruise and get a suite.  We have much more experience with RC and their ships, so any help the Celebrity experts can provide would be greatly appreciated.

The itineraries we that are more interesting to us, and that work with when we can travel are ships that have not been revolutionized - Reflection and Constellation.   We wanted to do a 9-10 day, but we could also do the Infinity 7 day cruise (which has been revolutionized).  We love having a suite sundeck when we have cruised RC and not having to fight for chairs, so I'm wondering how much the suite experience will be not as great as it could be if we do a ship that doesn't have the Retreat Sundeck and possibly others things I don't know about.  The cruises we are looking at have 2-4 days at sea.  We could possibly do the Beyond or Edge, but would have to really require some arm-twisting on my part since those dates are not great for us to travel regarding work. 

Any advice? Thanks!

As long as it’s not sexist or racist slogans on anything you will be good. 
 

Wear what makes you happy. You are on vacation!

My husband and I cruise with his family in the early 90s. We didn’t really expect to become normal cruisers, so we didn’t do the crown and anchor sign up. Years later when we started cruising, I tried to call Royal Caribbean like you did and they had no record of it. Luckily,  I used to scrapbook, so I had the boarding pass. The one that used to look sort of like an airline ticket. When I sent them that, then they credited me. But other than me having physical proof, I doubt they would’ve.

I did a test today before my parents visit. I didn’t need it monitored but used the NAVICA app and process to make sure I knew what to do before our cruise in October.   I tried to do it on my iPad but I couldn’t get through the legal warnings. There was no “accept” button. I did it on my phone no problem.
 

Then for some reason my iPad didn’t pass the microphone test even though I voice text all the time. I ended up logging onto emed on my pc (I have an external camera/microphone) and it was very easy and fast from then.  Waited less than a minute for initial advisor. Took the test, they set the timer and I was able to walk away as long as the test remained untouched on my desk with the camera on it the whole time. Went back at 14 minutes, clicked to let them know I was there at 15 minutes. Again less than a minute wait and the advisor came on and had me hold up the test to the camera.   Negative, and the results were emailed and showed up with the QR code in my app in less than 2 minutes.   About 5pm ET