karena1

I never use it for buying sguff  in the cruise planner anyway.  We prepay our tips, and buy the package once on the ship since we get 40% off for being Pinnacle and online the bev pkg never goes down that much.  Since we book on the ship, the SH OBC is already on our acct and it is applied against that OBC.  

If that changes, will just cash it out in the casino.  

On 8/14/2023 at 6:08 PM, RyderJ201 said:

Anyone have issues there lately. Heard it's really high season right now.

 

Advice?/suggestions? Safe sea? Wet suit? Rash guard nylon suit?

 

After the fact lotions? Go to the medical facility for some cream?

Been going there for many years and never have had any issues with sea lice or any other kind of bugs.  We go 10-12 times a year, and no issues at all.

We have been to CocoCay over 80 times and never spend anything except for tips.  We grab our free loungers/umbrella and relax for the day.  We go to the included buffets or Snack Shack for lunch.  Our WIFI works out there.  We have the beverage package, so that works out there.  Pool is included. You can have an amazing day and CocoCay without spending anything.

9 minutes ago, jvz said:

Now that 4 drink vouchers are on the sea pass card daily, do people still go to the diamond lounge?  Are there still snacks before dinner?  

We rarely go anymore.  Even at Pinnacle, we still get the beverage package and so go to other bars on the ship.  Love the pub for pre-dinner drinks to watch the world go by or on Oasis Class, we sit at Schooners and watch the world go by.  We may go to the suite lounge once or twice the entire week.  

16 hours ago, Scubadoc said:

On Allure, where can you get the premium coffees?

 

And on the Beverage menus on the app there are no frozen drinks that I can find. Surely you can get Pina Coladas, etc?

Premium coffee will be in Windjammer, Cafe Promenade and Park Cafe and probably the MDR (we never go there for breakfast so not positive).  There is also a Starbucks Kiosk but your beverage package won't work there.  Frozen drinks you can pretty much get at any bar.

17 hours ago, Cruisefanatic71 said:

I can't remember if you are able to take a pill organizer to hold prescription medication or if you had to bring the prescription bottles with you. Tha k you for your input. 

I put out pills in little plastic bags and throw them in a ziplock.  Never take original bottles.  I have pictures of my vitamin bottles and husbands meds bottles on my phone, but never, no matter where we travel, do I take the actual containers.  I also take at least 3 or 4 days extra for him b/c of his meds.  i don't for me as if I miss a few days of my vitamins, no big deal, but he has heart meds and stuff and has to take those, so always bring extra for him, just in case of delays returning home.

Has anyone recently been to Playa Dorado?  Looks like the closest beach from Taino Bay cruise port.  We have a fairly short day in Puerto Plata, so want a beach that is super close to the port so we are not having to travel very far and can get the most beach time as possible. Looks like loungers/umbrellas to rent, food/drinks you can buy.  We do not want to pay for an excursion, we want to grab a cab and go. 

Thanks

7 hours ago, irish2005 said:

we are an older couple and cant walk too far. how far is it from the ship to chill island. is there any transportation to get there. thank you in advance

You can grab the trolley from the ship to the end of the port and then another one to take you to Chill Island or just walk across the bridge once you get off the pier and Chill Island is right there.

We walk to Nellies Beach.  Our favorite place out there.  Close to everything.

9 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

When I cruised on Odyssey several months ago they were strictly enforcing check-in times at the terminal. However, when I cruised on Adventure last month they did not verify check-in times This is consistent with my experiences at Port Canaveral and Port Miami this year. For some cruises they strictly enforce check-in times while other cruises they never check anything. 

Exactly.  I was speaking of Liberty out of FLL, we have not sailed on another ship out of there in a while.  Out of Miami, we do Freedom a lot, and in Dec we did Oasis and they did not check.  Going on Wonder in Oct out of PCC, so will see if they check or not.  

18 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Anyone sail out of Everglades recently? The earliest slot was 11:30 which seems really late. 

As a rule when we cruise out of FLL, ship opens at 10:45 - Suites/Pinnacle board first, then Key and then everyone else.  Doors open at 10 am and they let everyone in.  No one ever checks your time, When the doors open, you can go, get checked in and then go wait.  They will board by row based on the time you arrive.

3 minutes ago, Jt4428 said:

Just really curious why all the complainers and people who think that RC lied, blah blah blah, why they still cruise with them? If it's so bad give your money elsewhere.

Totally agree! Been on a 135 cruises with Royal, are now Pinnacles, and we rarely, if ever, complain about a cruise.  Someone is cooking/cleaning/taking care of us.  We are happy.  Whatever perks/benefits/gifts we get, we appreciate.  We love cruising and don't worry or sweat about the small stuff.

On 7/19/2023 at 12:49 PM, pudy68 said:

Hello, and TIA for your suggestions:

 

We've never been here before and are unsure of how to make the best of the time when we arrive in a few weeks.  When we get off the ship, which areas do you recommend we head to?  We would like 4 lounges, a snorkeling area (we bring our own equipment), access to a nearby pool, and of course, the included food.  We are 4 adults that do not drink alcohol, so bar locations are not a factor. I appreciate all of your varied opinions.  😉 🏖️

We go to CocoCay all the time.  We grab loungers/umbrella on Chill Island Beach right below the snorkel shack.  Best snorkeling is the the left when you are looking out at the water.  Snorkel along the rocks there and then go across to where the swim platforms are and there is a red buoy in the water and that is where the shipwreck is.  Super close to the island vendors, the bathrooms, Chill Grill and Wacky Seagull bar if you want anything to drink.  We always sit there.  

I haven't gotten any emails yet, but am expecting it.  We have a ton of cruises booked after Jan 1st, so will see the increase on all but maybe 2 of our cruises as we do a lot of 3 and 4 night cruises.  But it is what it is, not going to stop me from cruising any more than the gas surtax did.  

51 minutes ago, RCCLNYMETS41 said:

We are sailing on Liberty this December 26 for a three night cruise. Is Saturday night fever typically performed on a short three night cruise? Or only on the longer cruises? I hope it’s not a show that gets cut out on a three night.

Yes, they have it on the 3 and 4 nighters.  We see it all the time when we are on Liberty for our short cruises.

We are on Liberty a lot, and yes, they do SNF on a 3/4 night cruises.  Honestly, I don't see anything that an 11 year old could not see.  She probably sees way worse on a normal day or on the news.  We love SNF and go every time we are on Liberty.

2 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Is this pre or post pandemic? After they started giving appointments I haven't seen an embarkation time earlier than 11:00am. If I were to bring only carry ons like the OP stated I would get an appointment closer to 1pm so I wouldn't have to carry my luggage around until 1pm, but that's just me. 

yes, boarding starts about 11.  We get there by 10, go to the suite lounge and then get on the ship the minute boarding starts.  Our last Freedom out of Miami, we were on the ship at 10:45.  I check my bags, so only carry on my tote with our valuables and our backpack with what we need at the pool for the day.

Same at FLL.  We get there by 10, go to the suite area, and typically the ship opens at 10:45 so we get on right away.  

1 hour ago, Joe33472 said:

I've been doing a little bit of research about carrying on our bags at Port Everglades, and from what I read in the forum is that as long as the luggage will fit through the scanner that there is no size limit, except for what you can handle on your own.  From all accounts the x-ray machine at the port will accept bags 24" wide and 9" tall.  The bags we would like to carry on can probably be described as medium checked bag and are 24" long not counting the wheels, the width and height are normal.  Just wondering if anyone has brought this sized bag and any experiences.  It's difficult to find luggage just a little bigger than 21" and not gigantic.  Most of the videos I've watched with people embarking at Port Everglades everyone seems to be carrying on standard 20" or 21" luggage with a backpack.  Not sure if the RCI staff or security will turn us away with a slightly larger bag.   

 

I understand that we'll have to cart around our luggage until the rooms are opened, so I'm wondering if there is any harm is just requesting a later embarkation time so that we can bring our luggage directly to the stateroom.   Originally, I had purchased the UDP, but we decided to just make some individual reservations for the restaurants and times we wanted.   Is there anything else we're going to miss by not rushing to get on the ship as soon as possible?   We're about 45 minutes from the port, so we're not flying in or staying at a hotel, and could just as easily get there for 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. as 11:00 a.m.  From what I read, a lot of people like to get onboard early to explore and have lunch at WJ or another venue.   Since we won't be making reservations for specialty dining, and won't be reserving iFly, NorthStar, or the FlowRider, SkyPad or Rock climbing, is there anything else we need to get onboard to reserve?  I'm wondering about entertainment.    Also wondering about crowds.  It would seem like early would be a rush, but later things may ease up, but I have no idea.  Any thoughts would be great.  Thank you!

 

 

 

I paid for my 1st day so want to be on the ship the minute it opens. We drive also and get there by 10 so we can get on as soon as it opens.   Always check our bags, when cabins open at 1ish, they are normally down the hall, I go get them and get unpacked. 

On 7/4/2023 at 11:13 AM, SilkySal said:

Went ahead and bought a couple of drink packages on our upcoming cruises cause I don't believe they will get any cheaper. Like cruisegirl1 said, I can always cancel and repurchase at the lower price.

 

BTW, I heard that Celebrity is getting ready to increase its gratuities prices, so I bet RCCL will follow suit. We have already and always prepay our gratuities well in advance to avoid price increases.

 

I pay gratuities the day I book.  21 booked through April 2025 so I will be price protected if there is another increase.

I keep a spreadsheet of all my cruises and my clients (basically family/friends).  I check it every, single day to see what is due next.  Then make sure everyone is aware final is coming up.  I live by that spreadsheet since I have 21 cruises booked just for us alone!

2 hours ago, CruiseMelissa said:

When RC announced going to once a day room servicing I kind of shrugged it off and bought into the whole "well, that's what hotels do".  

 

I just got off my first cruise since the change and now I want 2x a day back as much as the original protestors.  

 

A few main reasons:

1. It was one of the things that made cruising more special than land-based vacations.  

2. I didn't realize how much I loved the interactions with my cabin attendant twice a day when they were in the halls around my cabin.  Some knew our names, all greeted us and wished us a great day, etc.  Now that they're spread out over many cabins, these interactions aren't as frequent.

3. Cruise cabins are MUCH smaller than hotel rooms and feel dirtier so much quicker.  Yes, we don't spend much time in there, but the time we DID spend felt more claustrophobic with the beds unmade, towels on the bathroom floor etc.

4. "You can always call and ask for more towels, etc." - tried it, asked for bath towels, they never came.

5. The garbage cans are teeny tiny in the cabins and I didn't realize how quickly we accumulated trash and had it overflowing.

 

We had an interesting experience with having two cabin attendants on a 7 day cruise as our first one left mid-way through to head back home.  He was excellent, asked when I wanted my room clean, was easy to find during both of his "shifts" if we needed something extra, etc.  The second seemed to clean all of her rooms in the morning and was never seen in the evening at all.  I don't know how normal this is, but it wasn't something I had heard of before.  More power to her, if you can get your work done in half a day and relax the other, why not?  It just meant that people that preferred evening cleans and/or needed to find her in the evening, couldn't if that's important to you.

 

I know this is a divisive issue and "Royal needs to make up for the money they lost in the pandemic", I just thought I'd share some insight on my flip-flop.  It won't stop me from cruising Royal which is what they know and why they did it, I'm sure.

 

 

We are fine with it, hotels/resorts are the same.  We do morning service.  Just leave me towels and I am good.  I make sure my room is clean every morning, I don't leave stuff all  over the place.  I pick up and make sure our cabin is pretty clean before we leave in the morning.  So totally okay with morning service and done.

45 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

This is what they do now - to prevent people from getting a price drop - now it is always for new bookings only!

Not true, I get price drops all the time.  I have 21 cruises booked and have gotten price drops on at least 75% of them.

1 hour ago, amby6063 said:

Does Royal no longer offer price drops before final payment date? It’s nothing significant but I noticed that the price dropped $30 on a booking we just made a week ago. I called to apply it and they’re saying it is for ‘new bookings only’. Cruise isn’t until next April so we are well outside of final payment date. 
 

Should I try calling back or is this just more the the new normal with Royal Caribbean? 
 

TIA 🙂

I get price drops all the time before final payment.  There might be a few that are new bookings only, but that is rare.  Call and talk to someone else.  Cannot tell you how many price drops I have gotten on my cruises.

Been cruising since 1994, now 66 and 79 years old.  Love it so much.  We have only done 2 suites in the 147 cruises we have been on, 135 on Royal and still finally made Pinnacle last June.  We live in Florida, so take a lot of 3 night cruises so cruise almost every month.  We love all the ships from Radiance Class up and love the promenade on the Voyager Class and up.  Husband likes the new menus.  We love the staff and entertainment.  Costs on everything have gone up, so not surprised it went up on cruises also.  Don't feel like we get nickeled and dimed at all.  We buy the beverage package, prepay our tips and other than additional tips for the staff, we don't spend a dime once on the ship.  I have priced out other lines, but don't like NCL at all, Celebrity is much more expensive and Princess is also.  With our perks, we see no reason to go on a ship that will give us nothing extra, and we love Royal, so we stick with them. Have 21 booked on Royal right now through April 2025.  Will do Utopia in a couple of years when the price drops a bit.  Waited to go on Wonder until this October and got a balcony for a very reasonable price.  

1 hour ago, KroozNut said:

Not sure I understand where the 'worry' comes from. You either pay them when you book, or when you sail. Simply a matter of choice/preference..

I would rather prepay them and have it done.  Did not really mean worry - meant convenience. To me it is easier just to add them on as soon as I book my cruise.  Like you said, personal preference.