DandDM

managed my time and got this taken care of today. The odd part was that the Royal rep tried to say it was because some of the OBC was dedicated to my wife instead; very strange, but they got it fixed. Stayed on the phone until I got confirmation. Thanks for all the advice.

Thanks for all the responses. Tried to call during lunch break, but the stated hold time was longer than I had! Emails give me a deadline of the 30th; didn't get the 'great' deal on the package but the price is now $4 more pp per day, so a solid ($64) incentive to get this straightened out. All of the OBC was from Royal - bonus for booking a suite on board another cruise. The $400 was available to use on the web site when I bought the package so pretty sure it was removed when I changed cabins. Will know to focus on that next time before I get off the phone! Cheers,

Thanks so much! Having a reason and plan in mind before the call will be very helpful!

Thanks for the quick reply. We did switch cabins; same category but moved to a different location. Was a very pleasant, quick conversation, took five or ten minutes tops. Confirmed that there were no changes to pricing but didn't specifically discuss OBC. Do you think that could of 'cancelled' our onboard booking bonus, or just a re-pricing issue that need to be cleared up? Thanks

Hoping this is another Royal IT issue... Booked a drink package for our Dec adventure cruise a few months ago and applied all of our $400 OBC for booking on board toward the purchase price. Starting getting daily emails from Royal that we now owe $300 on the package and the emails specifically reference a $100 OBC. Been traveling and now headed into a conference and not looking forward to spending my breaks on the phone getting this resolved. Before I get started, curious if others think this is a straight up error by Royal or is something else going on? Thanks

Any thoughts on Vueling? We can do a round trip with them for $55pp which includes 10kg 'cabin bag' and 'smaller bag'

Thanks for your thoughts on the ships. Regarding the direction, we've done the crossing both ways and seem to be in the minority on preferring the eastbound. Enjoy slowly dealing with the time change, so we are rested and adjusted for touring in Europe. Cheers,

Wow, I just checked this out, and we can fly to Ibiza from Barcelona in the morning for $32 on RyanAir, then back to Barcelona in the evening for only $15 on Vueling. Crazy! We wouldn't have luggage for a day trip (just back packs). Since we are planning a week in Barcelona after the cruise, this could be a solid idea for a day trip. Thanks

Hi kpms. Even if we switch, still might see you - both ships are very similar schedules and share these ports: Ponta Delgada April 25, Cadiz April 29, Malaga April 30, Palma de Mallorca May 2 and arriving in Barcelona May 3. Kinda strange NCL would have two ships doing such similar stops on the same days!

Thanks for all the great input, folks! We ended up putting a deposit down on the Epic cruise to lock in the price, so now we have until final payment in December to make our final decision. Much to ponder...

I've seen threads before from folks asking for help choosing a cruise and never really understood the purpose... seems like only the individual can really know what they are looking for on a cruise. But now I understand as my wife and I have been thinking about this for a couple weeks and cannot make up our minds! Hoping that someone out there as that one item that will sway us one direction. Here is our dilemma: Quite a while ago we booked a14 night April 2020 crossing from New York to Barcelona on the NCL Dawn. We were(are) happy with the ports of call and especially visiting Ibiza. However, we are not excited about the smaller ship. On previous crossings we have been on different sized ships, and on our last one on the Jewel of the Seas, realized that we prefer the larger ships and increased entertainment options they provide on the sea days. Based on that, been monitoring prices of other cruises and found a price drop on a 15 day crossing on the Epic. The cruise is a day longer (sea day) and itinerary is very similar - the material change is that it does not call on Ibiza. Price for a mini-suite (same as we have on Dawn) is $350 cheaper than we originally paid (and about $1000 cheaper than current price for same category on Dawn). Perks with booking are the same on either and we would fly to either port as we live on West coast. Being a planner, made a detailed spreadsheet on pros and cons of each cruise and boiled it down to our biggest three items: 1) extra cruise day vs missing Ibiza 2) larger ship (Epic) vs larger cabin and balcony with a more 'traditional' layout on Dawn 3) sail away in New York harbor (which we have not done before) vs potential hassle dealing with logistic in New York compared to Miami (which we are familiar with) Any and all thoughts are appreciated! Cheers,

Gosh, that was a typo. Should read, 18 to 25 each MONTH! 4 to 6 a week. Typing faster than my calculator can keep up.

I've heard statistics like this on CC before so did some research. From what I could find searching the internet, there was a report from 2015 that calculated that 200 people die annually on cruise ships, and also saw other estimates up to 300. Breaking that down, would calculate that around 18 to 25 people die each week on a cruise ship (Note that almost all of these are from natural causes). Since there are a lot more than 25 cruise ships (over 300), one a week per ship is not realistic, but being that Allure is one of the biggest ships out there, it would make sense that they see deaths quite regularly. Was once on a ghost tour in Las Vegas and the guide told us that if the hotel room you were staying is was over 20 years old, the odds say that someone had died in that room. But that was a guide on a ghost tour...

Thanks Princeton123211! I find that type of info fascinating. It’s hard to see in this photo due to the low quality, but I’ll attach an example of the ‘sheer’ on QM.

A bunch of great info here already, but since I had a great time on the QM recently, figured I would share my thoughts, as well! Our ship docked at the World Cruise Center (think that might be San Pedro?) and we took an uber to the QM for $17. Arrived very early for check in (10AM) but after some negotiation, was able to pay a little extra to upgrade to a port hole room that was available immediately. Happy with the room - small portholes looked out into the harbor which provided a decent view plus a breeze. I thought the room was good sized and comfortable. Ate lunch at the restaurant near where you board, decent food and prices (IMO) but nothing to get excited about. Did a self walking tour during the day and now wish we paid for a formal tour. It was great to see the ship and read the signs, but a tour guide would have added a lot of history and give access to places that we couldn't get to (like the first class dining room where we were just able to peek through a crack in the door). Ended up paying around $50 pp for the evening ghost tour, enjoyed seeing different parts of the ship and hearing the stories on that one. Those tours are not for everyone, but would recommend it if you like your history with a bit of storytelling mixed in! We got a coupon for a free glass of champagne (probably sparkling wine) at the "captain's reception". An actor in a Captain's uniform was there to pose for pictures; was disappointed that he didn't have stories to tell... For dinner, took an uber to downtown LB at a cost of $8 each way. To access the ship, you go through industrial dock areas and over a long bridge, would not recommend walking that route with so many other transportation options. Visited the ship's bar, but some event was going on and it was very crowded so did not stick around. To enjoy a stay on the QM, I would think that you would need to be on the ship for the history and experience...if it is intended as just a place to stay before the cruise, you likely would be disappointed. It is far away from everything, has no amenities like a pool or even deck chairs, and it is old! I saw signs for a spa, but not convinced the spa was in operation. Also be prepared for some neglect - per what I understand, the ship has changed hands a few times and has nearly bankrupted some owners. Seems like some of the displays and improvements were updated in the 60/70's when it first became a hotel, and have not been updated since then. For us, an amazing experience and would consider doing it again in the future. Good luck and enjoy!