jbiz

1 minute ago, Big_G said:

 

Serious question, how do you explain to the insurance company that you cancelled but took the cruise anyway?

its "any reason", changed mind and then changed mind again?

7 hours ago, Pratique said:

If you’re buying cancel for any reason insurance it might be wise to bump up the limit to cover a potentially accepted bid, which is non-refundable once accepted.

this got me thinking.. so if have 2 balcony connecting cabins (1 adult, 1 child listed in each in each cabin) on symphony at approx 1900/pp and have "cancel for any reason" insurance. 

if i bid on the Aquatheater - 2 Bedrooms, minimum 1600/pp, and it got accepted (~3200 total), couldn't i cancel the 2nd cabin under the insurance and have RCL "add" the other 2 people into the new 2br cabin?

I used the device I described in this post, not to really get around the device limit, i still bought a multi-device access, but i would tend to use my iPhone and laptop at the same time while working. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2574722

Are we allowed to bring our own soda on board?

It’s a brand they don’t sell on ships.

they don't care.. over my xmas harmony cruise out of FLL i brought small diet coke bottles and a case of water.. i just thru the diet coke in my carryon and the water in my duffel, however my friends we were traveling with just put a luggage tag on the case of water.. its really only booze they care about it seems

I know this is based on whomever is working if they let your bring water on but when people have is this checked or carried on

 

 

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we took on the harmony over the xmas cruise out of FLL.. no issues at all.. i put 2 cases of water in my suitcase, they got delivered just fine.. my friends traveling with us just put luggage tags right on the case, also delivered just fine. one of my bags even got pulled into "luggage jail" due to having an extension cord in the bag.. they x-rayed it on board, and said the water is just fine, just give them the extension cord to hold until i disembark.

I'm trying to get recommendations on cruise travel insurance for my 7 day cruise. I heard of AAA and Leisure Care. Thoughts?

i personally pick plans that have "cancel for any reason" coverage, which a bunch do if you book within 14 days of initial deposit.

i have used https://www.tripinsurance.com to get a bunch of quotes and compare plans

So I thought I was more tech savy than I actually am :)

I will have a MacAir laptop with me.

I ordered the Router you used on Harmony and am dowloading their manual but have no clue how to set it up.

Are these the right instructions I need?

http://www.tp-link.com/en/faq-2032.html

 

 

These are the various instructions, but wasnt sure which ones I needed-

http://www.tp-link.com/en/download/TL-WR902AC.html

 

Any specific instructions you can help with would be GREATLY appreciated...... by all my kids :)

steps attached.. your faq link was almost correct.. there seems to be a step missing that i needed.. which was to set the CLONE mac address (seen in my PDF).. the only step i forgot to add to the PDF and is missing is clicking the SURVEY button on step 4 to select royal-wifi (the ships wifi which comes up)

also i believe the way i set it up was to first connect normally with my iPhone to the WiFi and make sure my connection works normally, then plugin the TPlink and follow the instructions (in their FAQ or in my PDF) and make sure the TPlink switch is set to "share hotspot".. once you go thru the guided setup, (and not forgetting the step to tell it to clone your MAC address), it basically just acts like its your phone still connected.

one other piece of advice is to buy an Anker (or some other brand https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Ultra-Compact-High-speed-Charging-Technology/dp/B0194WDVHI) battery, and then [for example] when you are all out at a bar or dinner, you can plug it into the anker and leave it in your pocket and then your hotspot is traveling with you..

only thing to keep in mind if your connecting it in the stateroom is when you leave the room, you should unplug it.. my issue was the ship was only allow a MAC Address (your device's hardware ID) connected once, so it would kick off my iPhone if i tried to connect to the ship's wifi (without going thru the uplink) thinking it was already connected (which it sort of was, cause the TPlink was connected with that MAC address).

also, I purchased the 2-device package for that sailing, and the 4 device package for my next sailing (the kids wanted wifi out of the room more than i realized).. i primarily used this so our iPads and my laptop could be connected in the stateroom. but it worked great.

tplink2.pdf

So we are leaving on the Oasis next week. I have read the ENTIRE thread here. I am willing to pay for ONE device wifi (which is expensive enough!), but we are a family of 5! We all have iphones. What is the best and EASIEST way to all get wifi (even if we have to all sit on top of each other in one room). I am a tiny bit tech savy so need easiest way to do this.

i used this on the Harmony and it worked great:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Travel-Router-TL-WR902AC/dp/B01N5RCZQH/ref=sr_1_sc_2

here is my post from that: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2574722

i had one 2 weeks ago and they were just fine.

i was just on the harmony with VOOM over xmas and could barely (if ever) get the wifi-calling to work on my Verizon iPhone. I have wifi calling working at home or in the office just fine..

also, the kids on airplane mode, but connected to the royal-wifi WERE able to send and receive iMessages oddly enough. i don't think they are entirely filtering that out.. they couldn't surf the web or watch videos without logging into one of my device-connections, but iMessages worked just fine.. just FYI as well

oh.. and you can go into settings --> Cellular --> and turn off Cellular data to be extra-extra sure.. (on an iPhone)

where does the ultimate dining or 5 night dining even show? i don't see it as an option

Has anyone ever brought an old cup from a previous cruise and tried it on a different ship?

 

 

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lol.. reminds me of this post:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2580077&highlight=wine

I called in to RC this morning because the Allure cruise I booked yesterday was the same price, but offered $175 OBC. Yesterday it only offered $100 OBC. The first rep said my C & A wasn’t combinable with the new offer & I told him it was showing with my C&A D+ discount. So I politely said okay & hung up, then redialed RC. This rep looked it up & quickly said, of course let’s get that added to your booking! I asked about my Non refundable fare & he said it was same price. I had him send updated confirmation before I hung up the phone. [emoji41]

 

 

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so for me, it was either a $100 discount and $175 OBC or without C&A it was no discount and $275 OBC.. fare was same so non-refundable topic didnt have any impact.

this seems to be the more accurate thread now

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2579654

The non refundable change penalty fees are $100 per person not $100 per cabin

right but those are apply after 30 days i thought.. i have to read my paperwork.. and yes.. per person i meant.

If they enforce "new bookings", you would have to cancel and rebook, thereby losing your OBC from booking onboard.

would I lose the Non-refundable deposit too (in that scenario) since only booked a week ago? because with 2 cabins, losing $100OBC per cabin to pick up ~$200 free gratuities would be worth it..

Windjammer and the Royal Promenade. May be another, but not sure.

there was also one in sorrentos

It looks like they are available on those ships for all categories. I find that hard to believe. Also there's a line that says something "offer available with select promotions" Guess we will find out what that means tomorrow. And if they are going to enforce the "new bookings only"

if you I just booked onboard, like 6 days ago.. and its still within the 30 days free-change no-fee window, would that be allowed under the "new bookings only"? if they even enforce that.

read the fine print on that new promo, this was interesting:

"Free Gratuities are available for those guests who book a sailing on the Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas departing February 4, 2018 – December 31, 2018 excluding Europe and transatlantic sailings"

I'll have to run mine through the paces to see. I did set it up and connected to it many different ways at home and at work to try it. Tested internet access and USB storage access, but have not had time to really push it for numbers.

 

dp

yeah.. this was noticeably slow.. even double digit MB would have been OK for my purpose. but sub-1MB was not ok.. so just returned it.

I have the HooToo Tripmate Titan. Has Ethernet to WiFi and WiFi to WiFi routing. Also has built-in battery pack for portability. Can be used to power your Chromcast at the same time.

dp

i had that one (for an unrelated trip) and the connection speed for me was really bad (like under 1MB down at home and i have 1GB/1GB service).. but i really liked the concept and think i just had a defective unit

Before you start booking excursions, get a guidebook (libraries are free!) and see if what you want to do is easy on your own. Most things are! And with a large family, it can save you a bundle! The more you know about your ports, the less an excursion is required!

but since the popular ones sell out quickly sometimes.. i would book it first.. then get the book.. you can always cancel (i think up until 3 days before the trip) but can't book if its sold out..

There is not one answer. It depends on your situation.

 

If you have decided to buy an internet package the easiest but most costly solution is to buy it for everyone. If you don't all need to be on the internet at the same time, share a package. If you are inclined to take on the tech, buy the travel router offered above and learn to use it before sailing, at home or at a coffee shop with free wifi.

 

You could also take on a hybrid approach. Use a travel router at night in the cabin but then share a package during the day when you are out of the cabin.

 

If my parents were asking me and both wanted to be connected at the same time I'd tell them to both buy it. Then if they have problems, go to guest services or call the internet specialist on board.

 

If you have teenagers and want to use texting during the day to reach each other then buying the multi-device plan is the best solution.

agree... which is why i bought both.. i liked the TPlink because you can also use the ethernet port on it if you needed to, its small, it has a USB cord so you can power it with a powerbank if you needed to, and it worked well on the Harmony

At home you likely have a router connected to an internet provider. On one side it connects to your cable or DSL provider, on the other side it makes wifi that everyone within your home can use.

 

These travel routers work on the same concept except instead of connecting to a cable or DSL provider, it connects to the ship's wifi in place of that, using a purchased internet plan. The other side works just like at home making a wifi signal independent of the ship wifi that multiple devices you manage can connect to - just like at home.

 

Like at home there is some setup required initially.

 

They work quite well in the cabin but once your party leaves the cabin there are some limitations such as everyone must stay together to share the signal and someone has to carry the travel router and power supply for it. There is an element of techie required to keep it all working from time to time.

for the tp-link the setup was just plug it in.. and then follow the prompts.. took about 5 seconds.

It would be great if a techie weighed in here with the straight scoop. Anyone?

 

AFAIK: While I know there are models that will share an open wifi connection, there is still the issue of password protection, which may be controlled by proprietary software on the ship's server. What I'm not sure about is whether (and how) the devices using the travel router would access the protected internet and just not the router.

 

Love to see someone explain this in understandable detail. Thanks.

i am a techie.. and i used the one i posted last week. basically you turn it on and connect to it as your wifi, then you go into setup and tell IT to connect to the ships wifi, it will prompt you to login (or give your ship access code for the wifi) and if you also tell it to clone the MAC it will always look like the same iPhone (or whatever) was already connecting to it.. I actually think you can just set it up.. login to your wifi on your phone like normal, and then go thru the guided setup in the tp-link and tell it to connect..

so all my devices in my room.. in my case a few iPads, my iPhone and my laptop, all connected to this travel router and the travel router connects to the ships wifi... "technically" its more secure this way since all your connections are going thru your private router.