buckeyefrank

They can't legally take monies designated for crew purposes and take it as income. During their year-end financial audit (as well as interim audits periodically throughout the year), they check to ensure that funds are being used for specified purposes. If RCL was taking tips and moving it to income, the auditors would have a fit and make a description of the issue in the financial statements. The money not be distributed exactly how each person wants it to be, but it IS going to the crew. It can also take many forms, crew parties, additional vacation days for good service, etc.

We have been booked on the Icon OTS for next September for quite a while. We booked a gty room and our room was assigned very quickly, like within a week of booking. We just got an email today stating that they are going to move us because they need our room (and others) for crew... I'm getting a little nervous because crew members don't generally get to stay in an OV room. I'm hoping there's not more going on than being mentioned. Has anyone else received this notification?

There are multiple instances in 2023 that RCL ships denied people for boarding due to overbooking. Every single person that I've heard of did not receive a message ahead of time and just got a letter at the pier when they arrived. It's happened on the Wonder at least 4 times this year.

A few years back we were leaving from Charleston on a cruise and the horn blew as we were in the front of the ship... The guy next to us jumped so high he dumped his drink all over himself. We still laugh about it to this day.

It sucks because PD and Nassua are NOT Bermuda.... not even close.

For clarity, this comment was regarding the BC not needing a seal.... The bridging documents are usually not required but ALWAYS a good thing to bring just in case.

I've redeemed for rewards in Vegas before but never for a cruise until now. I'm really close to having enough points right now for a free cruise that are offered occassionally. Def looking forward to that.

Assuming we get to go, we will have a great time. With the exception of the one casino rep, I have actually been impressed with the CS thus far.

No need to be nervous. LOTS of people use BC and DL. She will be fine as long as it's a closed loop cruise and she is a US citizen.

LOL. I don't think I'll be complaining about the food after we sailed MSC... ugh.

Yeah we're actually showing as pre-gold right now.

That's part of the reason they're collected separately I'm sure, but I think a bigger reason is for TA commissions. A higher base rate would translate to a pay increase for the TAs.

I was able to call back this morning and talked to a gentleman who was actually able to assist me. I explained the situation and told him I didn't think it was fair to not honor the OBC because of their arbitrary policies that contradict the terms and conditions. He put me on hold for about 10 minutes and came back and said it was applied. Persistence won out today I guess. I don't see it online yet, but I do have an updated invoice from RCL

Yes.

We are booked directly through the website. Denied because we booked the cruise after final payment was due

The cruise was booked directly through the RCL website and the credit was offered by Casino Royale through MyVegas rewards. The rep in casino denied the obc because we booked after final payment. That is not stated as a requirement anywhere.

I have not cruised on RCL before but we do have 2 cruises booked at the moment... one in September this year and the Icon next September. The standard customer service and special needs departments have been great, but the casino group, not so much. It's not a huge issue and obviously won't stop us from cruising with them, but it does leave a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I booked this cruise at the beginning of August, after final payment was due and it's paid in full. When I booked it, I knew that I had MyRewards points and was able to get $100 obc from the casino department. After I booked the cruise, I went ahead and redeemed the MyRewards, got my voucher and sent it in. I heard nothing for over a week, so I resubmitted it and haven't heard in about another week. So I decide to call them. Crown and Anchor actually kind of gave us an upgrade on our service without us even asking. She was great, but then she transferred me to the casino dept. Casino dept says we can't use the MyRewards because it is after final payment... There is no mention of this in their t&c. The main restrictions are only 1 per sailing, must be redeemed within 30 days and within 30 days of booking, and finally sailing must be within a year. Is this true? Is there anything I can do to get this OBC? Are they like Carnival in that the answer depends on the rep that answers the phone? Or am I just left with a little bad taste in my mouth? TIA

I don't disagree with you on the refund of taxes for missing a port. That seems a little... uhm... wrong. Where I don't necessarily agree with you is that this is a tax implemented in the future and it applies almost exclusively to sailings that have not reached their final payment deadline. People generally have the ability to be OK with the additional fee or not OK with the fee and cancel or rebook on another cruise. Daily fluctuations of the daily taxes after final payment I see as different. However, I do like how Carnival and NCL handles it better. I just don't see this specifically as being dishonest because the cruiser can choose to accept or not accept.

I have the same question about some My Rewards I sent in. I am expecting $100 obc but it's been 2 weeks since I submitted the form. Does anyone know if there's a phone number I can call?

Not many people can claim they went from the worst to first in a fleet within a year 🙂

We're actually on the 7th sailing so we'll see you on turnover day :). I too had problems finding a guarantee. I never did find one directly with RCL, but an online TA did have some. The pricing was all over the place. This is our first time on RCL and there are some definite differences. I am having sticker shock from the cococay and drink package prices. I looked to see if we could add our son recently and the prices have doubled since we booked. I think we ended up with a really good deal.

All of that is fair and will be taken into account. We were on MSC in February and had an awful time. The ship was great and was very well kept up, but the lines were out of control... everywhere. We have been on Carnival's oldest and smallest. A little rust doesn't bother us. This would be a birthday cruise to get some sun before the Ohio winter kicks in. Mostly looking at this cruise because the travel expenses make a 5 day more palatable for us and we like the idea of going to Cococay. In general, as long as we can get some sun during the day, main dining room food, a drink here and there and a little live music in the evening, we're golden.;

The rewards I would be cashing out is only $100 so not so large.

Is it a certain time prior to sailing because I don't see anything on my Icon booking, but we're still over a year out on that.

So we have a family cruise already booked on the Icon for next September and cannot wait. My wife and I are debating on a Royal cruise this September on the Grandeur. We are frequent cruisers, just not on Royal so we do know it's an older, smaller ship.. No issues with that. I do have a couple of questions though: We are buying Royal's cancel for any reason insurance. If we do need to cancel and get 90% in obc, can we apply those funds to the Icon cruise next year? I don't want to assume yes. Can you pre-order a bottle of alcohol like rum to drink in the cabin? I have some my vegas rewards that I can redeem for casino credits. On Carnival, we could put that credit on a machine, pull the arm once and then cash out and keep the rest. Is that possible on Royal? TIA