MindyJohn

I gave 5 of the old ones and am not worried about them not offering the deal I purchased them under. It is a form of contract and I don't see RCCL saying that the change is retroactive.

 

My problem is that based on some of the other changes, I don't see 5 cruises in my near future. :(

If they're the transferable ones, let me know if you want to sell some :D

I was just curious b/c there I have booked 2 cabins on our upcoming cruise and was hoping that the cabins would be side by side so we can open the balcony divide.

 

The only cabins available currently all have 1 occupied cabin in between. Was just curious if it is even possible.

It's not always possible to open the balcony divide.

We are considering one of these for Panama Canal. Any opinions - especially regarding sightlines? Thanks !

The Friends & Family feature is no longer part of Open Bookings that were purchased after March 2013.

Oh bummer - I didn't know about that. Would a NC made on 3-22-13 still allow the Family & Friends feature? I used one for a cruise which I now need to cancel and I'm wondering if we'll be able to extend the benefit to 3 cabins on the replacement sailing we book. Thanks !

Vision of the Seas has shown up on the Civitavecchia port calendar from April 2015. She would do a 7 night cruise following the TA and then a series of alternating 12 night sailings allowing for many B2B possibilities.

 

What link are you using to see 2015 schedules at Civitavecchia? Thanks !

I purchase an open booking for a future cruise. I already used 2 of the 3 that I purchased. My question is if I want to book another cruise for 2 cabins, will they honor the 1 that I have left for both cabins? We want to book an Alaskan cruise for 2015 ..

Thank you in advance David H

Read the fine print on your Next Cruise Certificate. You should be able to book as many as 3 cabins. That's what we did last summer when we took our family on Jewel. To finalize everything and make sure all cabins receive their OBC, there's a form you mail in designating the friends or family that you're including for the NCC.

Just off Legend yesterday and can confirm the Captain is Arild Hansen and Mercedes Lafuente joined on 4th May as Cruise Director, along with a mainly new Activities Team.

 

The cruise was the first in Europe and very much a ship in transition. The first few days seemed quiet as people boarded on those days and many people onboard were actually groups of travel agents.

 

Food is obviously a subjective issue and the Royal Caribbean menu is what it is - we always find something to eat but have seen a lot of variation in how the cooking is executed on different ships. I have to say we were very impressed with the food on this ship - it's the old menu (the new one will be introduced in June) but the execution was very good. Chops was excellent.

 

MTD (as posted elsewhere) needs to be sorted out. The best cruises we've been on for MTD had 2 lines - one for those who had booked and one for those who just turned up. This cruise had one (at times very long) line and led to much frustration.

 

Muster drills take place for people who board that day - our muster (from Civitavecchia) took place on deck, those who boarded in Genoa and Marseille had muster in the theatre.

 

I don't see how Meet and Mingle is going to work on this itinerary. We had notification that the M & M would be held on our final (sea) day - a bit late for a M & M in my opinion :rolleyes: When I pointed this out they said that since it's the only sea day and people are boarding in 3 ports there's no other logical time.

 

We were disappointed to see only one wine package on offer - not the old Gold, Silver, Platinum package and at over $40 per bottle for the first time we decided not to take out a wine package.

 

We were in a JS and had a mini fridge in our cabin and for the first time it really was a fridge - and not just a colder than average cupboard - and kept our wine and water properly chilled.

 

For those who are in suites and/or Diamond and above the addition of the 2 lounges was great and we were well looked after by some wonderful staff.

 

Sorry, this turned into a bit of a review - please ask away if you have any questions.

Did your JS have a walk-in closet and what furniture was on the balcony? Thanks !!!

Thanks so much for the information. While double checking I stumbled across the following link which also appears to have a number of laundromat locations.

 

Bill

You're going to get sick of us - we'll be looking for the closest Laundromat too. We've used the coupons for free bags of wash and fold ship laundry, but it's definitely hit and miss as to whether things come back looking clean.

This was our private van that came with an English speaking guide and driver. If you do the research, you'll find that the private tours in Ho Chih Min aren't cheap, but I would still strongly recommend going private.

 

Ship organized tours were really expensive - US$99 per pax. I had 6 persons in my party and we got this van (looked almost brand new, Mercedes) for USD$430.

 

 

The ride from container port to city center is really far. The van could go much faster than the 40-seater coaches.

 

On the way to city.

For a first time visit to Vietnam, do you think the five hour transfer to HCMC is offset by what you're able to see there? Did you experience any anxiety about returning to the ship in time? Which Tour Operator did you use? Thanks so much for your advice and review!