leaveitallbehind

I think it is more likely that making an actual helicopter landing at sea on a ship - moving or not - is rather dangerous and perhaps when you factor in the actual number of times a helicopter pad is used for an emergency evacuation it becomes less necessary to have one. We have been on a ship when a helicopter evacuation was performed and they hovered over the moving ship above the pool deck and airlifted the passenger from there. I guess the seriousness of the passengers' condition outweighed the risk of the airlift. We have also been on a ship that turned around to meet a coast guard vessel an hour or so away to evacuate an ill passenger rather than do so by helicopter. I think airlifts are very risky.

It is one or the other, whichever is better, but not both in combination. Anecdotally, we just used our CC discount to upgrade from classic to premium beverage and base to premium wifi on our upcoming Eclipse cruise. The CC discount was significantly better in our case.

Thanks for the update. I wasn't sure if they reversed that decision or not as we received one on board after that from the Loyalty Ambassadors inventory but its been a while since and I wasn't sure what the situation was.

I had mentioned this earlier and could be wrong but I was told several years ago that they were no longer producing them and that supply could be sketchy as it would be based on remaining inventory on hand with the ships. Again, I could be wrong and things may have changed since then. It has been a while since we got our last and based on our current RCCL bookings and planned ones it may be a year or so until our next one. (Do more on Celebrity now). Have to wait and see what happens then,

Maybe decide things that would not be of interest and reduce your search by that. The excursions should be categorized by type and activity and that may provide a way to reduce the options for consideration.

I am not aware of any consolidated version of the excursions in printed or other format to simplify the website research task. Unfortunately I think you have realized the available method of printing this out and I don't know of any shortcut to the process. Is it possible to download the information maybe in a PDF format that could be flipped through easier than looking at the webpage?

Sounds like a much better plan. Not too far off what actually was done not too many years ago where they would announce with fanfare and recognize all of us extra special big wig ultra high mega tier cruisers with a cocktail in hand and a smile on our faces. Not that it ever made an impression on me, of course!

You mean you won't be wearing a 3 pound glass block around you neck on a lanyard? Shame on you - where's your loyalty?? LOL

I certainly could be wrong, but unless things have changed, I believe the blocks are now subject to remaining inventory availability.

The port the ship is returning to will be notified of the situation so they can prepare how to best receive the ship and the passenger. The Captain will then determine the total time lost due to the emergency in comparison with the remaining itinerary and will make a determination regarding any missed or possible alternate ports of call, or additional time at sea as a result. It is one of those unexpected situations that can and do arise during a cruise, and the Captain will adjust accordingly.

Are you a ship Captain? Or Coast Guard pilot? Or medical personnel? Do you know the facts of the passengers' situation? I would put my faith in the Captain of the ship, the Coast Guard authority, and the ships' medical staff in making what they feel is the best decision to address the passenger's situation while maintaining the highest level of safety for both the helicopter, the ship, and the passenger over any lay person's uniformed opinion.

Since the cruise line sees a back to back as two separate cruises that happen to be consecutive, it depends on stateroom availability when you book each cruise. If the stateroom you select on the first cruise is available on the second one, you can select the same one for both and not have to change staterooms. But that is based on availability of the desired stateroom on both cruises. Certainly when you are booking either directly or through a TA they will try to find the same available stateroom for each cruise. But that isn't always the case. Normally if you do have to change staterooms the stateroom attendants will move your things for you, or at least assist.

In our experience the hours typically run from around 11:30 to 2:00, and the menu typically offers four items to choose from: salmon, short ribs, chicken, and a pasta dish. This also includes a choice of soup or Caesar salad as appetizers and desert. While I would never book Concierge just for the lunch, it is a nice amenity to be included in that it IMO provides a decent menu and a quite atmosphere in which to relax and enjoy your boarding day lunch, which I think is a nice option to the buffet or other possible complimentary venues.

In general, it is impossible to predict sea conditions, especially well in advance, as they can change short term based on weather, winds, currents, etc. Your previous experience unfortunately may have little bearing on what to expect next month. However, that being said, the inside passage is sheltered and typically relatively calm as a result.

Aqua class only includes the Classic beverage package if you booked with the "Always" fare, which also includes basic WIFI. That stateroom category does not include that otherwise. In other words, by choosing the Always fare with Aqua class when you booked your cruise, you included the Classic beverage and basic WIFI with that selection. As an option you can book the "Standard" fare which is cruise only and does not include the Classic beverage package or WIFI. There is a measurable fare difference between the two. WIFI can be added separately if desired. If you do not want the beverage (and included WIFI) package I would contact whomever you booked through to look into fare change options to the Standard fare to eliminate those included packages. Here is the non-alcohol options included with the Always classic beverage package: Non-Premium bottle water, Premium coffees, Non-Alcoholic Cocktails (Frozen & Non Frozen), Premium teas, Tea Fort, Juices, Sodas.

As others have mentioned the Concierge lunch on day one is for Concierge Class stateroom passengers. Aqua Class stateroom passengers have Blu as their restaurant associated with Aqua. You are not limited to that venue, but it is intended for you as part of the Aqua Class offerings. You can also order from the MDR menu while there as well if desired.

Correct - and that is unique to Oasis class ships.

As indicated earlier, you can request a different location after assignment within the same sub-category - you don't go back into the "pool". My guess is she just reassigned your stateroom. That has been our experience on the occasions that we preferred a different location than that assigned - we just called and they gave a new location based on availability.

In our experience the assignments were post final payment and close to the sailing date (typically within 45 days), so I am going to say yes. I have not heard of GTY's being assigned prior to final payment.

To answer the OP's original question, once your stateroom is assigned, that becomes your stateroom and your GTY is fulfilled. They will not reassign to a different location or higher category on their own later. And it is not always the lowest category or worst location that is assigned. However, if you are not happy with the location of your assigned sub-category stateroom, contact whomever you booked through and you can ask to be moved to any other available stateroom location within that assigned sub-category. They will confirm available locations and make the change at n/c. Have done this several times. Suite GTY's can be interesting because they will often cover the range of available suites, so you assignment can be anywhere from the lowest to the highest category and sub-category. But the location options within each remain the same. We have had assignments from the lowest to significantly higher in our experience. Just a roll of the dice.

RCCL Voyager has 5 night itineraries commencing late November that have Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and Labadee as its' port of calls. My guess would be that Grand Turk would replace Labadee and Puerto Plata would remain.

Just to clarify, although the Dominican Republic and Haiti are both part of the same island, the island is very large and they are two separate countries with two separate governments. None of the issues currently involved with Haiti have anything to do with, or have any effect on, the Dominican Republic. While Labadee may still be missed and likely replaced with Grand Turk or a sea day, if a cruise ship's itinerary also has a port of call in the Dominican Republic, there is no reason that call will be changed based on anything happening in Haiti. The ports of call typically scheduled in the Dominican Republic are more than 200 miles from the border with Haiti, and the border is secure.

Just to add to the discussion, here is a link describing Celebrity Concierge Class staterooms and amenities: https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/staterooms/concierge-class-stateroom

I am certain you will get many great suggestions and ideas from experienced cruisers here. But my honest response would be to talk with a cruise specialist travel agent who IMO would be in the best position to recommend the right options for you that will fit your budget, itinerary preferences, and cruise style expectations. They also would be able to search out the available itineraries and stateroom options with access to the best fares for your timeframe and do all that legwork for you. JMO.

I get it. But there are some "ifs" involved. I'll add one more - "If" the GTY's inventory is shown with the standard category's availability then what you suggest may occur. But (and I fully admit I certainly could be wrong) as I understand it, GTY's are allotted out of the general inventory so they may not be shown as available with that. I also realize that inventory is fluid and unsold inventory can, based on demand, be moved in and out of GTY offerings which can affect availability. Then there is MoveUp..... That all being said, I've given up trying to determine how cruise line's inventory algorithms and analytics work! I just look for the best fare - LOL.