KeywestK

Happy Thanksgiving!  I haven't done a future booking while on a cruise in several years.  I'm thinking about booking our Alaska cruise for 2021 while we're on the Serenade this winter, Jan/Feb.  Other than a possible reduced deposit (which is not an issue either way,) what additional benefits can we expect?  I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to wait two months to book it or not.  TIA.

Based on information provided in this thread, I booked Hotel Traghetto for one night pre-cruise for next October.   Emailed the hotel for clarification about the shuttle to the cruise terminal, and had a response with full explanation within minutes.  Excellent customer service.  

No downside to early December Caribbean cruising.  Book it.🌴🌞

Yes, our flight is FCO-LIS-MIA.  It makes sense, since we have a stop in LIS that 2 hours should work.  Thank you both for responding.

Our cruise ends on October 25th at Civitavechhia, and we will shuttle or taxi to a hotel at FCO.  We have a 6 a.m. flight out of FCO the following morning.  Do we need to arrive at the airport 2 or 3 hours in advance?  I read on trip advisor that we only have to be there 2 hours in advance since we're not flying an American carrier.  We have traveled overseas many times and always thought 3 hours was the rule.   We're flying TAP,  Rome to Miami.  TIA for any guidance.

Absolutely.  Walk your own luggage off the ship early, grab a taxi, and it's a quick 10 minute ride to FLL.  Getting off early is the key.

36 minutes ago, Gennystravel said:

Glad to read this thread.  I'm considering going on Majesty Feb 2020, since pricing is unbelievable for a week!  Trying to talk a group of friends to go since leaving out of NOLA.  This ship reminds me of my first cruise experience, too bad no steel drums to sound like old time cruising, or are there?

 

No steel drums, but plenty of excellent live music around the ship and pool deck.🎶

We were on Majesty last week (our 3rd time on her,) and had a great experience.   She has held up beautifully for a 26 year old ship.  Great crew, very good entertainment,  and wonderful overall experience. 

We were in an OV cabin and had the bed separated to give us a little more floor space.  Cabin space is tiny, but storage space is good.😉

We've taken many cruises over the years in late November and early December, and the decorations are up.  Royal does a beautiful job decorating. 

On 10/11/2019 at 10:18 PM, dplusd said:

Some of the perks we enjoy most...1. continental breakfast in the Diamond lounge each morning, 2.  The lounge for a quiet place during the day and the complimentary drinks and snacks at night, 3.  Free 24 hours of Internet, 4. Three complimentary drinks on your sea pass each day for use throughout the ship during evening cocktail hours, 5. One free photo.  6. the balcony discount.  7. Access to the Diamond concierge for help with any problem during the cruise.

 

Since turning Diamond it is hard for us to cruise other lines and we really enjoy Princess as much as Royal.  Congratulations!

Love all of the above, plus we enjoy going into the lounge during the day for a cappuccino. 😊

I really like Park Cafe for breakfast and lunch.  WJ is a mob scene during breakfast and lunch hours, and I avoid it whenever possible.  On sea days, DH likes the MDR for breakfast for fresh made pancakes.  Hint:  to avoid long waits in the MDR for breakfast,  ask for a small table.  You'll get in and out much quicker. 

Ask your friends to look at a Promenade cabin.  They are a great value, more comfortable, imo, than a tradition inside cabin, and their locations are great--midship, mid level.

Thank you all.  Food and dining experiences are always subjective, and these responses clearly proves that.  While we do enjoy the MDR, this may turn out to be our first venture into the WJ for dinner.  And we might end up really liking it.  Will report back when we return.

We will be sailing next week on Majesty (our third time on her.)  We booked this cruise late, and MTD was filled, so they assigned us Late Seating.  We are currently waitlisted for MTD.  So, DH informed me that if we can't get switched to MTD when we're on the ship, he prefers we just have dinner each evening in the WJ.   Yikes!  After 25 years of cruising, we have never once had dinner in the WJ.  What can we expect?

Very helpful thread.  Waiting for Alaska 2021 itineraries to open.  Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences. 

We, too, love the smaller ships, and just booked a last minute 5-nighter on Majesty for next month.  It's a very different experience than cruising on the mega-ships. 

When my husband and I took our first big trip, it was early in our marriage and we didn't have a lot of money to spend on souvenirs.  I saw a magnet and bought it.  I didn't know it then, but that was the beginning of our travel magnet collection.   We now have over 250 magnets hot glued onto several shadow boxes in our den.  I treasure that collection.  

There are more love bugs this year that in recent previous years.  They should be gone soon, but will return around September.  For some reason, they are attracted to white.  Basically harmless, but definitely annoying.

To the OP:

I'm sorry you experienced so many disappointments on your cruise.  Unfortunately, stuff happens, expectations are not always met, and then it's up to us to decide how we will react to it all.  Nothing in life goes perfectly, including long-awaited vacations.  Only you can decide for yourself if you want to try again, either with RCI, another cruise line, or any other kind of vacation.  No one can, or should, change your mind.  We all make our own choices, and then we either make the best of it, or move on, if you find you can't.  JMHO, of course.

After many years of cruising, we learned which cabins we prefer on the different classes of ships.  I always request what cabin we want at the time of booking.  We book 18-24 months out, so it's typically not a problem.  I also have a second and third choice ready in case my first choice is unavailable.   

We've cruised on both Grandeur and Enchantment on Deck 4, a little bit down the corridor, and never had an issue with noise. 

On 4/11/2019 at 6:50 AM, ZoeyVictoria said:

If you time it carefully, the 24-hour period will cover portions of two days.  For instance, signing up after returning to the ship on a port day will give you internet service that afternoon/evening plus the following day in the morning/afternoon.  If you are traveling with another Diamond member, you can do that again and have internet service on portions of four days.  This works very well for those who want to be “disconnected” on vacation but would like to check email a few times during the cruise.

This is what DH and I do and it's really all we need. 

Another vote for Corsol.  Our tour was outstanding, and we'll worth the extra cost.  Plus they use small vans, which is so much nicer than large tour buses.  I'll take a smaller tour with 12 people over a large bus with 50 people any day!

I was on Anthem last summer.  For the most part, the scooter accessibility should be ok, with one exception.  With the design and layout of the Royal Esplanade, it gets very crowded at times, especially when shows let out, or people are shopping at the tables they seem to put out just about every evening.  It's hard to walk through that area, let alone safely maneuver a scooter.  If you can avoid that area, you should be fine.

Thank you, Mapleleaves, and everyone else for your responses. We need to figure out what will best work for us.  All of this information is appreciated.