AMHuntFerry

I agree with ORV. When I have received "free gratuities" from my TA's consortium, they have shown up as a credit that offsets the cabin-based gratuities. Drinks still had gratuities (note that I've never had a package in the past).

It's 15% according to the flyer from Feb. 2024 on the Preisman blog: https://www.thepreismans.com/riviera_24_menus.htm Edit: And to satisfy my frugal ancestors, if it's the Talisker or Highland Park (sometimes the Oban), they (or similar) are usually on the menu of the 2-for-1 happy hour.

@mauibabes has

Some day they'll short change an attorney who needs some entertainment...that will be fun to watch. If I didn't have plans for the current OBC I might raise a ruckus about the non-refundable descriptor. Granted, "price guarantee until embarkation" is ill defined as to what the guarantee is, but hmmph!

And then there are those who avoid being in public on Mother's Day for a variety of reasons.

Have your TA push back. I was in the same position and received full OBC (although I disagree with that satisfying a price guarantee).

You are getting your free cruise and the other person will get theirs when they reach 20. Seems good to me, but "tastes vary".

Yes, check with your TA. Since you're within the penalty phase, options may be limited or not worth it.

Yep, those are some of the uncommon PH's that are part of upgrade sales (those 2 cruises are part of the sale BTW). Congrats on a great deal!

You can also tell them that you are cancelling, then making a new booking. The math (cancellation penalty vs. savings) will vary depending on when you booked ($0 or $150 before/after the new $150 cancellation fee) and how far before embarkation you cancellation ($0 or >=$500).

Are you choosing the button to the far right in the screenshot below? If so, then it's a glitch. You can call O directly if you want to (this is one of the cases where they will talk to you directly). They'll fix it...good luck!

Are you booking tables with another couple? If so, they appear to have reached their maximum. If not, try again (in case it's a temporary glitch), then call O when they open at 9 am ET to get it resolved.

If you have a bulletin board, they can be used as tacks.

But then you get photo-bombed by...a bag

Yes...last I looked it was $25/per day

Hey, but there's an access hole for your headphone wires! 😉

It may be a little earlier than final payment. The only thing I have to go by is the wording on a FCC, "Once applied to a voyage, guests may utilize their one-time change-of-sailing prior to the cancellation penalty period of the voyage selected." Assuming that the new $150 cancellation penalty does not count as a "penalty period", that for a shorter cruise in a non-suite is now 180 days (or 30 days before final payment) unless booked under previous rules

This post may be of interest to you: Rumor has it that foam is coming to the rescue this summer.

It depends on the ship/cabin. Most of the 3rd person beds are sofas (someone who has slept on one will need to chime in as to comfort). However, there are some inside cabins (only on R-ships) with pull down (from ceiling) beds.

On the ship you will have access to text/phone/data using WiFi calling (as thebsinmiss said) with no add-ons to your plan. Off the ship, T-Mobile Essentials has international texting included (I'm sure all of your countries are covered, but always good to double check on their site). You can also just pay $5 per day for the International Pass if you will only use it a few times when off ship. $50 seems reasonable though, just to avoid the hassle, if you'll be using phone/data on most days off ship.

If you want marketing, check out the "dressy" jeans with what looks like a coat of shellac or the ones with sequins. They remind me of a costume we might have worn in a dance recital.

I saw examples of "cocktail party" jeans the other day, but did not post since I didn't want to start this topic yet again, but here is what are considered "cocktail & party jeans" by a (SE?) US-based women's clothing store: I have seen similar for men at a Seattle-based department store, but don't want to take the time to find them.

@ronrick1943 I will confirm that the Marriott Waterfront in Seattle is as easy as it gets for access (even beating the extremely close-in hotel in Vancouver due to distance walked for luggage drop-off and check-in). We used it for car storage in June 2023 and the south end of the cruise terminal is literally across the street; there is a light-controlled pedestrian crossing at the hotel's entrance. The baggage drop-off is at the north end of the (not large) cruise terminal, and the check-in entry is mid-way. Even dropping off your own luggage is less than one block from the hotel (my estimate...Google can tell you exactly). If you are staying at the hotel, I would expect that they frequently deliver baggage directly to the cruise terminal. I "google-walked" ahead of time just to make sure I knew where and how far everything was as my spouse was having a foot issue at the time.

Same here...I tried them on a whim, but now that O has decent gin, I'm happy to stick with my G&T or gimlet (< half-sweet, extra lime juice...apparently typical O drinkers love sugar, or at least corporate thinks they do).

From what I recall Regatta has a couple of chairs and maybe a small table in the laundry room, and Riviera had a small couch, but that was before the remodel.