Dorothy's Friend

You are not alone. My husband Lionel and I will be on this cruise. First time on RCCL, but we’ve done TAs many times. Rob

 

 

 

Hi Rob! Thanks for your post, it seems that there will be many family members on this cruise but there are not many of us that use Cruise Critic G&L Roll Calls these days.

 

I am looking forward to meeting everyone, not so long to go now.

 

Kevin

In just three days I will start my journey to Singapore to join the Mariner of the Seas. First I will travel to London Gatwick for a one night stay, then fly with Emirates via Dubai to Singapore for a two night stay at the Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. All my documentation is in order :confused:.

So, hopefully I will get to meet the rest of our thread at the RCCL organised gathering or at our own gathering or in the sauna or steamroom ........ Anyway, I look forward to meeting you all.:')

Not long now!

Kevin

Kevin,

This has been quite a discussion on the Str8 threads for this cruise. Two of the people contacted RCL pertaining to the email and were told that the ship will take care of the visas for both Oman and Dubai; however, both of those people were from the USA. RCL indicated to these people that the visa in Oman would be granted on arrival and that for Dubai that USA citizens do not need a visa as long as they have a valid passport. One person contacted the Omani Consulate and they were told that cruise passengers would be granted a temporary visa, but for those arriving by plane or land must have a visa in hand.

 

There is still tons of confusion over it but personally I am just blowing it off until we get there. If worse comes to worse we can just stay on the ship and enjoy the pools, bar, and food! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

John

Hi John!

I am so pleased that you posted that information regarding Oman and the visa requirement. Basically, what you have said is what I understood from past research.

:mad:I am fuming angry with Royal Caribbean at the moment for sending out mixed and false information. I submitted my application for the eVisa yesterday only to receive an email this morning from ROP (Royal Omani Police) saying that my application had been returned due to 'unclear document' with instructions of how to correct the error. When I follow the instructions there is no information of what is 'unclear' or what I need to do to put the error right. I have sent an email to ROP requesting clarification but no reply so far. Having read your post I then sent an online message to RCCL asking for a definitive answer as to whether a visa is required or not, no answer of course. I then contacted our agent to see if they could contact RCCL which they did with the answer that 'no eVisa is required and a visa will be granted on arrival'.

My travelling companions are also not very happy despite their visas having been granted, they have spent money that they need not have spent.

I really do not know why I continue to cruise with RCCL because I have had nothing but problems with them over the years and their customer care is terrible.

Once again, thanks John for your post. It turned out to be far more useful than going to RCCL.

Kevin

Three weeks today and I will start my journey to Singapore. I had a bit of a surprise this morning when I received an email from RCCL which amongst other things informed me that I needed a visa to enter Oman. It was an even bigger surprise to the lead name on our reservation as he had not received the email from RCCL:eek:.

I am sure I had checked an age ago that we did not need a visa in advance for Oman and that it was granted on arrival. Never mind, I have now made the application online and I am waiting for it to be granted. Fingers crossed!

See you all soon!

:cool: Good Morning John, Kevin, Ron and all the respective traveling companions! With just over a month away I'm sure we are all looking forward to our upcoming adventure. I know Al & I sure are! I was wondering if anyone is interested in an informal get-together? I thought maybe anyone who's interested that we meet for happy hour at the Wig & Gavel Pub (or Gavel & Wig) on our second night.....Say 6:00? If anyone has other thoughts or ideas let us all know :)

-Rhonda

Hi Gang!

A wonderful idea to have an informal get together. I was rather hoping that the Cruise Director would be posting an LGBT informal gathering in the Cruise Compass daily planner. On the last RCCL cruise I did on the Navigator this is what happened. Of course, RCCL was a bit slow to catch on as NCL had been organising an LGBT informal gathering for at least 10 years before RCCL and sometimes there are two gatherings for our family posted in the NCL Freestyle Daily, early evening for cocktails and another later for those who like to party a little. Even if there is nothing in the Cruise Compass, we could always post a card on the 'Community Notice Board' usually situated opposite Guest Services.

Just 4.5 weeks until me and my group start our journey to Singapore. I cannot wait!

Kevin

Hello ! Just booked this cruise for myself and my Indian bf, Sabu. From Florida, but now living in Kerala, the Indian state south of Goa, Cochin is in Kerala, about a 4 hour train ride north of here, Kolavan Beach.

I did the reverse of this cruise last year on Celebrity and enjoyed it. This will be Sabus first cruise.

Spending 3 nights pre cruise, haven't booked hotel yet. last time stayed at Holiday Inn Express on Orchard Road. Also, will spend 2 extra nights in Dubai post cruise.

As for India, it will be HOT, it is always hot in south India, plus it is the rainy season. But at least it will be in the tourists off season so fewer people, maybe only 18 billion :) .

Have been to Cochin a few times and spent 2 months in Goa. Forget the beach in Cochin, if you want beach, hit Goa. This time of the year many beaches are closed to swimming due to strong rip tides.

If I can be of any help, ask away, Ill try, except if you want a good Indian meal, I hate Indian food.

See you on board

ron

Welcome to our little thread Ron & Sabu!

As you will have noticed, it is not the most active of threads but it has proved to be quite a friendly group. Thanks for your offer of advice and info. I love Indian and Nepalese food:p.

I did a cruise itinerary similar to this 3 years ago on the Rhapsody of the Seas which I really enjoyed apart from the fact it was far more port intensive. So far, I have only booked two excursions both of which are with RCCL. One in Phuket and the other in Dubai. To be honest I have not been too inspired by what RCCL have on offer at the moment. In Cochin, I will probably do my own thing and use the water taxis.

Not long now!

Kevin

I have just booked this Atlantic Crossing for a friend & I. At the current prices and with an overnight in Manhattan it was silly not to;).

I have done this crossing before, in November 2016, and I am hoping that Royal Caribbean manage the US Immigration process:mad: in Boston a little better this time. Actually, not a little better but a lot better!

Anyone joining us?:D

Happy New Year Mariner Cruisers!

Finally I have been able to log into my Cruise Critic account after weeks of not being able to.

I have successfully applied for my India e-Visa and printed it out. The application was not too difficult but a little time consuming, the successful response took less than 24 hours.:D The final payment for the cruise was made weeks ago and a couple of RCCL excursions have been booked for Thailand and Dubai.

So, I think I am all set to go. In just over 3 months we will be boarding and I cannot wait to be honest.

Kevin:*

Hi there, I will be traveling B2B Singapore to Barcelona..... My traveling partner is gay and I'm str8 ( he's male, I'm female aged 58 at time of cruise). We look forward to making lots of new friends onboard! I see there have been some people organizing smaller, more intimate tours & was just wondering if anyone has seen anything for Israel. We like 1/2 day tours, with time left over for wandering the local streets and markets. I agree that often times it's wonderful to just stay on the ship when it's in port, but since neither of us have been to this part of the world, we would like to explore. The other thing I would like to ask is, if there is an FOD party would it be ok for us to attend together? I would hate to offend anyone.Thanks for any and all input ��

Welcome aboard our little thread:D.

Royal Caribbean have only recently started listing an FOD gathering in the daily Cruise Compass and even now it is at the Cruise Director's discretion but of course you will both be welcome to attend. And should there not be a FOD gathering listed in the Cruise Compass then I think we should organise one of our own, so take regular looks at the Community Board usually placed somewhere near Guest Services.

Important Information: RCL has canceled the 3rd leg (transatlantic) of the Mariner of the Seas Global Odyssey so the Mariner can go into dry-dock earlier to renovations. Below is a notice that was emailed to those booked for all 3 legs of the trip and those only booked for the transatlantic part. Unfortunately it appears that the discounts being offered do not affect those booked on the first 2 legs of the trip (Singapore to Barcelona). Just wanting folks to be aware of the change as there apparently are many people canceling due to the change.

 

LEG 3 IS CANCELLED! Here's an official letter from Royal Caribbean.

August 30, 2017

 

Dear Guest,

 

We are reaching out to let you know that, regrettably, we have to cancel the last portion of our Mariner of the Seas Global Odyssey sailing from Barcelona to Miami, May 7 through May 20, 2018. While planning for Mariner’s upcoming modernization, it became apparent that logistics will require us to arrive at the shipyard to start the work sooner than previously thought. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

 

We realize how disappointing this change is and please know we explored all options before making the decision. In an effort to appropriately compensate you for this change, we are offering the following:

 

50% off your April 9, 2018 cruise fare

50% off your April 22, 2018 cruise fare

A full refund of your May 7, 2018 cruise fare

Reimbursement on airfare or any air change fees of up to $500 per guest*

 

If you choose to cancel your sailing on April 9 and 22, 2018, a full refund for amounts paid will be processed to the original form of payment and you will receive a 25% Future Cruise Credit in addition to reimbursement on flight changes up to $500 per guest*. Should you decide to sail, a new invoice reflecting the discounted pricing will be emailed to you.

 

We will call you personally to ensure we reach the best possible solution for you. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us at 1(888) 281-9344. In order to give you ample time to make your decision, we will not need to finalize your travel plans until September 13, 2017.

 

Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

 

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

 

 

*For airfare change fee reimbursement, please email (RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com) or fax (800-886-6485) us your receipts by September 13, 2017. Please note that your air reservation needs to be in the same cabin class as originally booked.

I can imagine a lot of unhappy people as a result of this! I hope it does not mean the ship is in a worse state than originally thought.:eek:

Totally seperate from this, the Singapore to Dubai leg with our agent is now not available so I assume it sold out already.

Once you have safely delivered the Azura to Barbados, we will be boarding her in January for a 14 day Caribbean tour. We hope you will post you findings and comments of your crossing, for that could give us an indication of what to look forward to (or avoid...; ) This is our first P&O cruise although we have sailed most of the major brands.

I have only done one P&O cruise aboard the Britannia and I was very impressed. I have had a lunch aboard the Azura in Southampton with a tour of the ship. I think I will probably prefer the Azura over the Britannia.

E-Visa or No E-Visa?

My group and I have been getting quite a lot of mixed messages regarding the type of Tourist Visa we require for the two stops in India. The last time we did a similar itinerary to this us Brits had to go through quite a difficult and expensive process to get a full tourist visa. Since then things have changed and now it is possible to apply for a cheaper much simpler e-visa but if you follow the Royal Caribbean website Visa information it says you still have to get the full expensive tourist visa. So, in the end I wrote to the Consolate General of India & India High Commission in London. I received the following response.

'e-Visa is valid for entry through 3 designated seaports (i.e. Cochin, Goa, Mangalore).

​

Electronic Tourist Visa:The procedure for an Electronic Tourist Visa is as follows:

• Fill the application form online for E - visa. Please refer the link [/url] for the same.
  
• Upload the photograph and passport pages as per the specifications.
  
• Do the online payment. You get a visa confirmation and the visa is endorsed on your passport on arrival in India. Fee is $75.
  
• Please refer the link for information on the eligibility criteria, procedure and documents required.​
  
• ​For queries related to E -Tourist visa, please contact the E-TV Support Center and clarify the same.
  

Tel No: 0091-11-24300666

Email: indiatvoa@gov.in​

Kind Regards,

Public Response Unit

Consulate General of India

You may find the following link of use.

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

One would think that with 303 views on this thread that there must be others going on this cruise. Come on folks! Join in on the conversation if you are on this segment of Mariner's Global Odyssey...even if you are on the subsequent segments there are some people doing all 3 segments, so let's get talking!

 

John

Roll up! Roll up!

I, too, am hoping there will be more LGBT family on board. I am on two other threads for str8's which is where I found the tours that we have already booked (besides the Taj we are doing Petra and Wadi Rum in Jordan). Personally I just enjoy being on the ship and being catered to by the staff...whereas Rich is a history-buff and wants to see as many sites as possible.

 

You mentioned that there were 6 others (and possibly more) traveling with you. Are they gay or str8? We will be traveling from Des Moines, IA in the USA to Singapore arriving roughly 2 days before boarding the ship. We are trying to upgrade to business class for that long of a flight. Where will you be traveling from or do you live in Singapore?

 

John

Like you, I prefer the time spent aboard the ship and sometimes I think the ports of call to be an interruption of my cruise. Quite often if it is a port I know or does not interest me then I will stay aboard and make the most of having the facilities to myself, such as the sauna/spa ;). I spend quite a lot of time in the sauna or steam room as I find you get to know so many interesting people :evilsmile:.

There is now 7 in our group. All gay apart from one straight couple. I live in a small village called Xaló in Spain most of the year but I also have a tiny home near Southampton in the UK. My cabin mate also lives in Spain, but in the Canary Islands. The rest of our group all live in the UK. We are all flying to Singapore on the 6th April with Emirates from London Gatwick with a change in Dubai. We will have 2 nights in the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel in Singapore ahead of the cruise.

Kevin

Roll up! Roll up!

Yes, my traveling buddy, Rich, and I have booked the full Global Odyssey Tour from Singapore to Miami on the Mariner of the Seas, so we will be on the ship with you for the Singapore to Dubai segment. We have booked a private tour for the Taj Mahal which I believe it is completely filled now. The ship offers an excursion to the Taj for $1,600 US but we went through a local provider and got it for $600 US. It is basically the same tour but saved $1,000 US...can use that for the bar bill....!!

 

John

WOW that is quite an adventure you have lined up. I did this itinerary (Singapore to Dubai) in May 2015 on the Rhapsody of the Seas but with many more ports of call. Mumbai was included which was quite an experience!!! Let's hope we are joined by many more of our LGBT family.

A group of six (with possibly more to follow) have booked a package including this cruise with a wonderful itinerary through Thailand and India. Two nights in Singapore in the Grand Copthorne Beachfront Hotel pre-cruise. Anyone joining us?:D

I know P&O cruisers do not post much on Cruise Critic and I have very rarely seen a thread on the LGBT Roll Calls for a P&O cruise but here goes.

I have today booked to do this Southampton to Barbados crossing with a friend. I know once on board there will be many other LGBT family members but it will be interesting to see if any join this thread.

Let me know if you are joining us!

From the main role call it seems mainly American couples on this cruise. I guess the American family members only like hot weather sun-bathing cruises which of course this one won't be!

:( Never mind. It is quite a port intensive cruise so no doubt I will keep myself occupied

It is a real shame that very few people joined this thread. I cannot help thinking there will be very few members of the LGBT family aboard for this cruise. Never mind, I have bought my Spa Pass in advance for those quietly hopeful moments.:');)

Just a few weeks now. Any others onboard?

 

 

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This thread does seem a little spartan does it not? Maybe British LGBT family do not use Cruise Critic. I have just got off the Epic after a 23 day crossing of the Atlantic from Port Canaveral followed by a round trip to the Canaries. The Atlantic crossing was fantastic, meeting up with old friends and making new ones. There were over 100 attending the LGBT gathering at 19:00hrs in Bliss the first few nights. The 9 night Canaries was not quite a nightmare but close to it with so many British Chavs and their out of control kids. Not an experience I want to suffer again and I hope this cruise is not a repetition.

Yes, something weird is happening. I've also noticed the sporadic changes in availability.

 

Was your friend able to book the trip?

 

 

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I have now found out that a further friend of mine had attempted to book this crossing. One was told that there was only one Haven Suite available at $6000 for two sharing and the other has been put on a waiting/standby list.

When I looked at the NCL .co.uk website earlier this crossing does not appear any more.

Kevin. I have noticed, and it does seem different than what I have noticed in the past. I have a feeling you are right. From what I could see, there are only 8 rooms (spa and haven) open today, so we'll see if those other rooms open back up as soon as those last 8 are filled. We booked the Jade last year 3 days before it left Houston and there was still quite a few rooms left to choose from. (though the Haven was sold out at that point). On another note.. I realized the other day that in 2011 we had a Facebook page for our LGBT Epic T/A. I still have the link to the group on my FB page. I had forgotten all about that! (my memory is not what it use to be)

Since last weekend the prices and availability seem to have changed by the hour. Late on Tuesday there were no studios available but plenty of inside and balcony cabins at good prices were. This afternoon a friend in Chile suddenly showed an interest in doing this crossing. In Chile on the .com NCL there was no availability showing but when I looked on the .co.uk NCL there were two studios showing available at good prices. Three hours later there is now only one studio showing available and no inside or balcony.

Yeah ! What are your plans for this Cruise, any excursions ?

 

 

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I will have already sailed from Orlando/Port Canaveral on the Epic. When the Epic arrives in Barcelona I will be joined by my friend Toni from Ibiza, this will be his first cruise. As I have already done this itinerary I have not planned any excursions, I will do my own thing. The Kasbah in Tangiers, meeting friends in Las Palmas, shuttle bus into the centre in Lanzarote and a walking excursion in Malaga.

Kevin

We are on the TOM034 08:35hrs Dreamliner flight from Gatwick in seats 39G & 39H. I have already booked all the P&O excursions I want to do at the discounted prices before the discount is removed 16 days before the cruise commences. I have to say, compared with other cruise lines I have experience of, P&O's excursions are very reasonably priced.

Having looked at the sample menu's and the cabaret entertainment I think for sure we will be booking some dinners in the alternative restaurants ....... especially the Indian restaurant.

Looking forward to meeting you all. You probably will not be able to miss us, there are now 7 in our group including a lady with the dirtiest laugh I have ever heard.