FrannyK

For us the beverage package is 20% off right now so $48/p/person/day. For our 5 day cruise total would be $566.40 (including tax and gratuities). We don't drink soda. The water would be nice though. We always bring two bottles of wine on board at embarkation. We do 4-5 day cruises annually and drink till our hearts content and our bar bill has always been between $250-$350. So not worth it for us. Although in our younger years we would have given the package a go :)

That only applies to the 3,4,5 night or Ultimate dining packages.

That makes sense to me. Thanks.

To change, find the cabin you want and then call. Say "I'd like to switch cabins within the same category". Say nothing else.

To downgrade, you would get the current price bottom line price. BOGO means nothing.

I have done this many times. It is no problem changing your guarantee assigned cabin to another cabin in the same category.

I took a suite guarantee for our upcoming cruise and was assigned a junior suite that was adjoining another cabin. I don't like having that door in the room and I feel you can hear the people in the next room when the adjoining door is there. I checked to see what suites were available and called and switched to a junior suite on the aft (we prefer aft) and it was no problem.

Bravo! Good job.

What's the catch?

 

I read that when you book a specialty dining package, you get 40% off wine if you buy it while you are in the restaurant.

 

Do they offer different and more expensive wines in there or something?

 

Seems like it makes sense to pay to dine and then save on wine. Like the cost of the wine savings would cover the cost of dining, no? Ex: If it is $20 per person to dine in a specialty restaurant and you purchase a $60 bottle of wine at 40% off. You save $24, which covers the cost of dining.

 

There MUST be a catch! Help me before I do something stupid...

Does this 40% off wine apply when you buy the BOGO dining package?

They starting showing up in the bars on day 2, I guess they didn’t sell enough full drink packages on day 1, so they put these out to entice people

 

 

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Interesting...

I will be using Verizon's travel pass on my cruise to costa maya and Cozumel...is it only good when I am actually off the ship or can I use it in Port also?

I am considering travel pass too. My daughter used it in Spain and loved it. I'm just not sure how it works on a cruise. Has anyone had experience with this?

 

 

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I think these cards are a great idea. Haven't seen them before. We don't drink enough to get the drink packages offered but these I think we would use. I just wonder if there are any restrictions on mixed drinks?

No difference. Aft JS staterooms on Indy are not as wide as side-facing JS staterooms.

I'm glad to hear you say this. I looked at videos on youtube and noticed the aft JS's only had a slider whereas the side JS's have a slider and a window so I KNEW the aft JS had to be narrower! But I've never heard anyone mention it before this. Still, I think the aft balconies having less wind, less neighbors and more shade and a tad more room suits us well. This is only our 2nd time in a suite so it's a real treat for us. The suite guarantee was just $28 more than our E3 cabin we had so we upgraded.

Thanks so much for checking out the Connoisseur Club! My cigar smoking hubby will be thrilled. Why is lobster tail on night 4? Is it formal night?

Deciding between these two cabins. 7712 or 7714. They seem identical. Any differences? We like the aft because of the balcony shade and not much wind. The suite itself looks smaller than other JS's but I think the larger balcony makes up for it.

I also would like to know if the Connoisseur Club is open or not. Also, we will not be paying for wifi onboard so wondering where we can get free wifi in Costa Maya and Cozumel. Thanks in advance!

I agree. The walking doesn't bother us, and I like the space, plus the shade is good as well, a benefit of the superstructure.

 

JC

We are aft lovers and the walk never bothers us. It's just that we rarely pay for a JS and I hesitate paying more for the smallest of JS's even with the larger balcony.

Trying to decide what JS to choose on the Independence in January. My choices are some JS's on the sides of the ship (decks 10, 9 and 7) and a couple of junior suites on deck 7 aft (7714, 7712). I looked on youtube to see the difference between the side JS's and the deck 7 aft JS's and it looked to me like the aft JS's were narrower than the side JS's. The side JS's had a slider and a window but the aft JS had just a slider and the room seemed narrower. Is this right? We really like aft cabins, and I know the balcony would be bigger but having trouble deciding.

I am sailing in January so no changes there. But in the videos of the junior suites the side junior suites have a sliding door and a window and the aft junior suites just have a sliding door and the room definitely seem narrower.

Are there any junior suites on Independence of the Seas that are better than others? I was looking on youtube and it looked like the aft junior suites are narrower than the side junior suites Is this so?

Maybe the OP is on Anthem, which I think has higher drink prices.

Is this true?

We just got off the Anthem last week. We chose self carry at 6:30. We got on line about 6 and we're in our car at 7:04. It was a very easy disembarkation. We have been on other cruises where there had been an issue with customs (not the cruise lines fault) which delayed things. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time.

 

 

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Thanks for the update. I think we will have one last breakfast on board and then just walk off at our leisure then.

Thank you all for this info. Really appreciate it :)

Here is an update on 14A. The exiting pattern has changed again. If you are coming eastbound there are three toll lanes. Farthest to the left will be the easiest to get on 440 south to the port. The middle toll will be the easiest to go Avenue E (basically straight ahead through the toll). You can then take Ave E to 45th or 40th Street and make a left. Make a right at the bottom past the fire house, to the end, and a left will take you down the port.

Thanks for this info. We leave on the Anthem this coming Sunday. We are coming up the turnpike from Philly. When we get to 14A, would you suggest taking 440 or Avenue E? Is there signage on 440 or Avenue E?

You both get them. Enjoy! :)

Great! Thanks

I'm a bit confused still. Husband and I are Platinum. We've always gotten a coupon book but I like that coupons are now loaded on your card. We leave on the Anthem next week. My question is do both my husband and I get the same coupons on each of our cards or are these coupons per cabin? Another-words, for instance the "buy a beer, get one free" - do we each individually get this? Normally, we just use one of our sign and sail cards to pay for things so if we each get these coupons, I guess we will use both of cards at different times to pay and keep track of our coupon deals.

The search function hasn't worked all day for me. Glad to hear it's a problem with CC, not my computer LOL

For the same reason RCI has suggested arrival times at check in - to spread out the crowds.No one will stop you from leaving.

 

Even if you have luggage tags you can ignore the luggage numbers being called - you can leave at any time, but, your luggage may not be in the terminal to pick up yet. It's much more comfortable waiting on the ship than in some terminal.

We may be talking about two different things here. I'm asking about SELF debarkation, where you don't put out your luggage the evening before, but carry it off the ship yourself. We've never done this before but are interested in doing it this time as we need to be home early that day. Even though we've never done it before, on our past cruises I noticed the SELF assist people all got off the ship first. That's why I'm wondering why different times and meeting lounges are listed throughout the morning for SELF assist.

You can leave at any time you want. Get in line at least an hour before scheduled arrival.

Then why are there different self-debark times and waiting places listed?