Yenom

If we buy things on board, can we purchase with our credit card directly instead of paying by putting it on our sea pass?

My mom bought jewelry onboard using her credit card instead of her sea pass. She wanted to make sure she got the extra buyer's protection that her card provided. If you make a big purchase onboard, make sure you declare it on the Customs form. It is my understanding that RCCL passes big onboard purchases info onto customs.

Escargot available 2 nights on the Grandeur of the Seas 11/26-12/6/13. I asked for them every night, but they would only bring them twice. The scallop version was available just about every night (NOT nearly as good).

Hi, my reading of the new package is you can just pay the difference between the limit per drink of your package and the actual drink price.

 

Had the old one and looking forward to what look like significant improvements (particularly the wine by the glass for us).

 

 

HTH

Paul

I really enjoyed the wine by the glass "enhancement". Different wine selections at different bars. I ended up trying several wines that I wouldn't have if buying by the bottle. Really enjoyed the beverage package last week over the wine package that I did in January.

Looking at premium that includes frozen alcohol too ...

 

Is there a limit on how many drink you can get a day? During a time period?

 

I don't even know how much drinks cost on ships anymore ...

I got the Premium Package and drank pretty much whatever I wanted. I loved frozen mojitos made with Grey Goose.

* The Premium Package worked great for me and I love that they added bottled water (I drink a lot of water). When getting off the ship at a port, stop by a bar on the way out and pick up a bottled water to carry with you. I definitely got my money's worth with the package. I even used it for all my drinks/wine/water in Chops and Izumi.

*** The biggest problem I had was that I felt like an RCCL trainer for the new packages. Often times I was told that something wasn't included in the package, but my research ahead of time made me somewhat of an expert. I got several thank you's from the bar managers on the ship and on Labadee (it was being run by the other ship that was also in port) for helping them get up to date with the new enhancements. It looked like RCCL sent out new envelopes with all the information, but no actual training of the new packages was done. I had to ask for the special soda cup (Just wanted it for as a souvenir) and my ship only had the big bottles of water until the last port. Therefore, I asked the to give me big bottles until the smaller ones were made available.

**** I'm guessing it will be several weeks before everyone is up to speed on the new packages. Until then, I HIGHLY recommend using these boards to find out everything about them. Be ready to ask for a manager if you are told something is not included and you believe it is. I did NOT pay for ANYTHING extra for any drink the 10 day cruise I was just on (I didn't hear of anyone paying the extra few cents or so for the drinks that were slightly above $10).

***** I always tip extra when paying for drinks. Therefore, I just brought a bunch of $1 bills with me this time. Easy way to count drinks/water if you give a $1 each time. The extra tipping also gets me EXTRA special attention with service. Something for everyone to consider. CASH is king with tips on ship. Apparently, RCCL pools a lot of the tips now (that are added to slips or included in the packages). Fortunately, they are able to keep the entire amount of cash tips.

Does anyone know how the package works with their drink of the day... do you still get to keep the glass?

 

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If you order a drink inside the ship (not at the pool bar where they serve everything in plastic), they serve many of the drinks in the special glass. They seemed to use them like regular glassware on the ship I just got off of yesterday. I didn't keep any of the special glasses, because I didn't really want to pack them. However, I walked all over the ship with them and just dropped them off at the closest bar when I finished my drink.

In the coupon books there are at least a couple of coupons that are 2 for one deals, example two for one coffee specialty coffee drinks or 2 for one drinks, etc.

 

If you are traveling with someone who does not drink coffee or alcohol or are traveling solo, can you use the coupon to get a drink on two different days?

Example. If I use the 2 for 1 coffee coupon, can I get a coffee drink one day for payment and then get the free coffee specialty drink the next day?

 

After all, if traveling solo, or traveling with someone who does not want the extra drink, the coupon becomes useless, since most people would not want two specialty coffees at the same time (ex two lattes). Many people who are light drinkers may not want two alcoholic drinks at the same time, etc.

 

This refers to the coupon book offered to C&A members who have cruised RCCL before. The exact coupons vary according to your C&A level.

 

Any one had success with this?

They let my StepDad use the BOGO coupon for coffee and get them at different times (In January on the Enchantment). In general, I find most of the people on the ship willing to work with you to accommodate the best experience. The key is to just ask.

Hi we are cruising on the AOS December 1st is it too late to rent a tuxedo?? If so can we rent one on the ship or do you need to do it ahead of time? Thank you!

I did it right before a cruise before and called the department that coordinates the rentals (I think in Miami). - Not sure of the phone number. If I were to try it again, I would probably just call the C&A line.

As far as on the cruise, my StepDad did it when we boarded the ship this past January. They had a table in the Centrium and he gave them his info - the TUX and shirts were then delivered to his room.

I've rented a few times and typically don't order it until a week before the cruise. I'll be driving to the port for my cruise next week, so I decided to just bring my own this time. Otherwise, when flying, I always rent them on the ship for the convenience of not having to fly with more stuff.

I'm sure you will be fine. Just give them a call tomorrow. If they have you fax over measurements and the order form, make sure you follow up and make sure they got it and the order is complete in their system. Good Luck and have a GREAT cruise!

Ryan

I'm so glad they included water in the $55 pkg. I wasn't looking forward to lugging 2 cases on board!

I'm with you on that. I usually spend about $200 on their VERY inflated water prices (yes, I'm a water-aholic).:D

Hi all, I need some advice.

We was in a cruise in Dec. 2012 their were some issues during the cruise, so when we return I called Royal Caribbean and we were issued 2 $175.00 certificates. Today I called C&A to make final payment on a cruise. Final payment is due tomorrow. I told the rep. that I have these 2 certificates I need to apply. She took the information from me put me on hold and when she came back she said it is all OK and it may take a day or 2 to apply but to call her that evening to double check. NOW I spent all evening trying to take care of it. Noting was applied to our reservation, stayed on hold forever and was not able to talk to C&A. I was told it need to be mailed. I need to call in the morning to post sailing. The reason why I waited until now is because I wanted to be sure we are going to take this cruise. Never thought it will be problem. Now I'm not sure of the "run around" I will have in the morning. How will it work, or what I need to do. I don't have a TA so it is only me. Any one had to apply a certificate like mine? What do I need to do? How does it work? PPPPPlease help. Thanks in advanced.

I'll try to help you (I'm guessing you will get a ton of responses from people that haven't had these certificates). They are similar to the next cruise certificates, but a little more complicated and it took me a little while to get mine credited. I did it way before my final payment because I was concerned about the time it might take. First, I hope you booked dierectly with RCCL. If you did, you should talk to the RCCL reservation or C&A department (I used these certificates twice (once in each department)). They asked me for all the codes on the certificates and put me on hold (or a LONG time). I think there is a department that they call to get them credited. It does take a few days, but it eventually gets credited to your reservation.

BTW - If anyone tries to tell you that you can't use a NCC, balcony discount, or C&A - ask them to talk to a supervisor. These arespecial certificates that are basically used like money. You won't actually see the credit on your reservation, the amount of the cruise cost will be lowered. This worked out for me and other family members, because it also lowered the cost of cruise insurance. FYI - I used this certificate, an NCC (with Onboard credit), and a C&A discount/credit. It sometimes takes persistence and time, but it is worth it when it is all done. Good luck!

I apologize, I don't recall who asked about Escargot, but I came as close as I could to that info on the dining room menu board!

 

Escargots

 

IZUMI - The Very Best at Sea

Shown: Tuna Seared Tataki, Salmon Lovers Roll, and something with beef on it :)

 

 

Last Formal Night

 

Our Towel Visitors

 

 

 

I probably asked and those are it (I love how it reads "drenched" in...). I love those things. Last cruise, they kept putting them on the menu (electronic, compass, and the one they hand you), but then they would say they weren't available. Drove me crazy, but the chef and I figured out an alternative that ended up working ok (sort of nice to talk to the chef too).

Your review of the cruise was very good. Thank you! You made me think my A/C issues last time weren't quite as bad as I thought (only about 80 degrees for 3 days for me - then they sent a guy (3rd guy) that actually replaced a few parts and it worked great).

Your pics of Izumi has gotten me ready to run over there the 1st day (I LOVE sushi). Can't wait to be cruising in less than 10 days!

This info was very helpful, but one final question I did not see the answer to is whether there is a need for the water package that gives me a pack of bottled water in my cabin when I arrive? I feel I shouldn't have to pay both if bottled water is included in the package I buy, but would I then have to go get it each day to bring to the cabin? (DH takes pills every 3 hours and hates the tap water? Both of us drink a lot of water.) no big deal really but since he is handicapped I like it to be as convenient as possible too.

 

 

Robin

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I am somewhat of a water-aholic and spend a lot more than most people buying water on cruises (typically, I buy a few cases through the pre-package and then more as the week goes on). That being said, I was ready to do that again in a couple of weeks ---- Then I saw the new "enhanced" beverage packages. I was planning to get the premium package anyway, but was concerned that I would have to spend another hundred or two on water. Now it's included and it makes the package EXTREMELY worth it for me.

My plan - Empty the fridge in my room and make a few immediate trips to bars for water. I will think of it like an adventure. My goal is to visit every bar the first day before dinner to get a bottle of water from each one. It will give me a chance to familiarize myself with the ship (I'm already familiar with the ship, but it will still get me re-acclimated with it). I would venture to say that I will get about 10 bottles of water in the first couple of hours of getting on the ship (I like walking around a lot). After that, I plan on ordering a drink and telling them each time that I will want a bottle of water before my next drink (From past experiences on cruises, they unusually will get me the bottled water pretty quickly so I'm back to a regular drink - AND I'm a pretty good tipper (I NEVER have problems getting drinks)). I'm guessing that I will have the reputation of being the guy always asking for water by the end of my 10 days - hahahaha

You only have to all buy the all inclusive beverage packages. The wine and dine is just purchasing bottles of wine. Call back and talk to someone who knows what they're doing. We've done the wine and dine several times - one of us.

I will concur and did it on my last cruise. The person that originally purchases is supposed to be there to "order" the wine. Fortunately, I went with family and requested a bottle from my Mom's package and they didn't have a problem getting it without my Mom when she decided not to go to dinner (the table waiters knew who was in my family). Once presented, the wine can be shared with whoever. Any leftover in the bottle, they will hold it for you OR you can take it with you.

I will say that we were disappointed. They seemed to not have or run out o every decent Cabernet available with the package. I did complain and they got a decent Cabernet from one of the specialty bars (apparently, they don't typically go outside of the MDR allotment of wines). I appreciated them trying and have heard many good things about the package.

I might do it again sometime. However, I did hear that they are adding choices to the all-inclusive alcohol packages (wines by the glass up to $12/glass, bottled water, specialty coffees, etc.), so I am planning to try that out the end of this month. I will be nice to cruise and not have to worry about anything, but tips and extra tips (I am a big believer in tipping for GREAT service).

So it's 5:20 am and I'm standing in line for my last windjammer breakfast, but my cell phone works so here we go...

 

When I asked the bartender about the new package he asked how in the world I knew about the package. Of course I wouldn't tell but he made me give him details before he shared any to ensure I wasn't bluffing I suppose.

 

He clearly said, this package was not to be talked about until it launches in two weeks.

 

The name is going to be called "ultimate drink package"

 

It will include: fresh squeeze OJ, red bull, bottle water, "better wine" (who knows what that means)

 

The price is $60 pp per day.

 

That's all the info I could get or he knew.

Sounds perfect for me (I drink LOTS of bottled water - and would definitely make use of the "better" wine). I hope this package becomes available for my cruise in about 2.5 weeks. Fingers crossed.

Ryan

I love all the perks that come along with loyalty to Royal Caribbean. I think they are very generous. However, I would appreciate a "named" level for the higher C&A members that would acknowledge a D+ member who has 500+ cruise points from a D+ member with 175 cruise points. BIG difference. They wouldn't even need to add any more perks:) I've heard rumors about a level above Pinnacle:eek:

This is how I would envision an impactful update to levels:

* Initial status for signing up BEFORE the 1st cruise (encourages people to get into the C&A system ASAP (good for marketing).

* Gold at 5

* Platinum at 25

* Emerald at 50

* "Ruby" or another name at 75

* Start Diamond at 100. Then add a "+" for 200,300,400 (Up to 4 +'s).

* Next Pinnacle at 500. Then add a "+" for 600,700,800,900 (Up to 4 +'s).

* New named level at 1000. Then add "+" for 1250,1500,1750,2000+

* Another named level can be added if needed in the future.

Doing the +'s at the higher levels reminds me of ranks in the military and I think that would be pretty neat.

From an incentive perspective, having more levels gives people more of a reason to book more frequently. Whether we like to admit it or not, it is human nature to want to move up. It is why many marketing/rewards programs have levels in the first place. To get people to buy/use their product/service more. I personally want RCCL to be around for a long time and keep innovating the industry. Customer loyalty is the key to keeping marketing costs down and more C&A benefits coming. Go RCCL!

2 connecting rooms sound great for a family!

* 2 bathrooms

* 2 separate areas (great for kids napping or different movie watching preferences)

* 2 sets of closets (1 for adults, 1 for kids)

That is definitely an explanation that makes sense. It's concerning when you called that your TA originally said it was due to the recent changes and can no longer combine vs. that the residency rate was not available for your specific cabin category.

 

All is good though and I'm sure many people were educated :)

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Like this and that we got the whole story. It sort of sucks when you don't find out how things end.

Thank you Everyone!!!

We bring a corkscrew with us on every cruise. As long as it doesn't have a knife, it can go in your carryon on the plane; otherwise you'll have to check it. We like ours because the RCI one requires a little more brute strength to use.:)

I had my corkscrew in my bag for the last 5 cruises. No problem until last cruise. I got the "naughty room" summons. Apparently the little knife and other gadget on the corkscrew were not "RCCL compliant". They still let me keep it, but was told not to bring it again.

I have a new one now that I am bringing with me later this month. Still has a little knife, but the corkscrew part will be easily identified if my bag is x-rayed. I'm guessing that I was really called to the naughty room on the last cruise, because it would have looked like a pocketknife when my bag was x-rayed (how else would they have known it was in the pocket, inside the center of my checked bag). No big deal. I can easily adjust to be "RCCL compliant" - I'm working on someday being a Pinnacle (Long, long, long way to go).

Touche'

Thanks for the smile! :D

It's been a couple of years since I have sailed, so I'm really out of the loop. At that time they had C&A Coupon books - do these still exist? Also, I believe we got a $100 on-board credit when we booked our cruise, but I don't see that anywhere - will that show up somewhere or do I need to confirm this? And finally - we got the new RCCL Visa and the 10,000 bonus points which is good for a $100 room credit - how do we use that?

Since it has been so long and we are on a really tight budget - I want to make sure we take advantage of all the benefits we can. Any additional ways to stretch the almighty dollar is GREATLY appreciated. Thanks and happy sailing!!!

If on plan to ever cruise again with RCCL, maybe budget an extra $100 for the deposit on your next cruise. You don't have to pick the cruise now and it doesn't expire. It offers reduced deposits and an OBC on your next cruise. See the range of OBC's below (per cabin):

OBC From Booking On Board

$25 for sailings of 3-5 nights

$100 for sailings of 6-9 nights

$150 for sailings of 10-14 nights

$200 for sailings of 15+ nights

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.

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Just got off the 10/25 sailing and there was no escargots. :(. They had a scallop dish that was served every night that was close, but not the same.

:(:(:(

I thought that Christie explained it pretty well.

I'm guessing that you didn't read my posts a few down (Post #16) from the one you referenced (Post #11), where I explained myself and apologized for missing her explanation.

Haha, yeah. Sometimes I wonder if Wegmans makes all its escargot sales just from returning cruise folks.

 

Just got off Explorer 10/27 to Bermuda. No escargot on menu, asked the waiter for them and he said there is still a shortage so no escargot on board at all.

I've brought the Wegman's escargot to a party or two and they were the talk of the party. I usually make extra garlic butter and toast up bread to make them even more yummy. I wonder who was the first person to try eating snails. Since there is a shortage, why doesn't someone try slugs? I'm a little curious if they would taste the same. However, not curious enough to try them (slugs) first...hahahaha

Radio, hope you are having a great time. Did you notice if they have donuts in the morning and escargot at dinner?

I'm also wondering about the escargot? I will be on the Grandeur in a few weeks and escargot is my absolute favorite appetizer. They didn't have them on my last cruise out of Baltimore in January. I've read that they are still on many of the other ships and hope that I can look forward to them being on the Grandeur.

Ryan

I was sort of wondering the same thing. My son just got a new job and doesn't have time to go on a cruise this month. I'm still going though (so is my Mom and StepDad). I wish he was going, but understand his situation (I will miss him). In reality, he would probably feel bad if didn't go. He knows how much I love cruising and wouldn't want to be the reason why I didn't go.

I reread everything and realized you said it was your "parents treat". I guess I blocked that part out. It is horrible to think about cancelling a cruise. I am sorry to have previously posted a somewhat insensitive comment before. I definitely understand not being able to cruise because of a financial situation. If it wasn't for family, I would not be going on my cruising either.

That being said, I always try finding a positive perspective in any situation. The extra year that you have will make the Quantum that much more special.

I am not the biggest fan of living in the winter. Years that I couldn't cruise, I did do some tanning to get the feeling of being in the warm sun. I know it is not the healthiest thing, but I look at it as being out in the regular sun. Just helps gt through the winter. I'm always shocked how recharged I feel after about 10 minutes in one of those things.

You can always simulate a cruise evening:

- Heat up a room

- turn on a fan for a breeze

- Play reggae music

- Make a few frozen drinks

- invite a few friends to join you for your "mock cruise"

I have mixed feelings on all this, but in the end the cruise line decides as they do on everything else. It's not to please guests it's an economic issue.

 

We fly to every cruise, adding that expense. So we pick & choose wisely.

 

Please don't shoot the messenger, just offering some facts.

Solo travelers never "really" paid 200%. They paid 1 port charge, 1 tax, & up to 200% on the cruise portion only. The 1 person then received the same shipboard credit if they booked onboard or had a shareholder benefit as the 2 people in the double cabin had to share. If the single person qualified for a balcony discount then they had the same credit that the 2 people had in the double cabin. Same with the amenities that were earned. And, if the single was lucky enough to have cruised 50 times (or over 349 days) their cruise portion of the charges was never more than 150%.

So, I can say when we booked a 15 night transatlantic & paid $649 for a balcony, it would have been cheaper to book 2 cabins but we did not do that. We should have but it seemed like the wrong thing to do to take up 2 cabins. However having 2 onboard credits of $200, 2 balcony discounts, & so on would really have made a difference.

I know this isn't always how it works out for singles, but I'm just saying there are some deals to be had for a single rate.

 

Now for a bad piece of news. I just found out today that when RCCL closed down the etire reservation system over the weekend they also changed things. Now the single must pay port charges for both guests! So they get extra points but now they pay more. Under those circumstances how many couples will want to book 2 cabins? The math will have to be done for anyone to figure this out & to personally know if it benefits them for $ saved or for the goal of more points.

Unfortunately, pricing solo's is pretty much 200% on every cabin now. However, the port and taxes are still only charged once for solos. I just checked again before posting this and the quotes I just got show only one charge as solo. If 2 people, 2 sets of charges. I did not check every scenario for all cruises, but I did check (online) many of them out of Baltimore. Sadly, it is no longer a good deal for me to cruise solo. Still hoping that the old pricing will come back a little after the dust settles from all the upgrading (I also read somewhere that the pricing might actually be lower than is posted online & you need to call and get "real" pricing).

Side note: they finally posted the weekly sales flyer and it does show some sailings with below 200% for single supplements. Good sign for solo travelers.