kac0426

Thanks again, everyone, for the helpful replies. I thought I'd tell you what I decided to do. I cancelled the cruise. It's just not something I wanted to do by myself, and it's too expensive and too long of a trip for someone else to go with me. I will use the $150 credit towards a cruise in the future. He'll have a $150 credit in his name as well, but I doubt he'd ever know or use it.

I will also try to use the American Airlines credit sometime in the future. I assume the credit in his name stays with him even though I paid for his flight?

Appreciate all of the help and guidance through this process. It's something I never imagined having to do. I thought we were both in it for the long haul. I was wrong.

I'm sorry about the breakup. Been there, and they suck.

 

My vote would be to still go. What type of cabin did you have? Maybe there's a less expensive cabin on the same ship that you can afford on your own. Go and have a good time. Call Royal Caribbean and see what your options are.

 

https://www.letsmend.com/posts/5-things-i-learned-traveling-alone-after-a-breakup

 

https://www.letsmend.com/posts/10-reasons-to-travel-after-a-breakup

 

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/breakup-travel-feat/index.html

 

There are lots more. I just found these by Googling.

Thank you for these links. I needed that.

We had a panoramic oceanview room. Pretty pricey for me to cover on my own. I think the Norwegian fjords cruises sell out months in advance so I don't know if a cheaper cabin is even a possibility. I can check though. I just worry about being too sad to enjoy it if I go by myself. If I'm in my room crying the whole time, that's not a good use of money! :)

Thank you, everyone, for the kind replies. And thank you also for not telling me I should have had insurance. :) I always take the chance of not getting insurance and this time it backfired. But I never thought this would happen. It truly came as a shock.

I understand the $100 penalty now and understand the $150 would be applied towards a future cruise. Many, many thanks to everyone who explained this in detail. I tried to read it on RC's website but it wasn't making sense to me. Again, not thinking clearly today. You all broke it down and explained it in layman's terms. Can anyone tell me if I can make this change (cancel the current cruise and rebook a new cruise) online or do I have to call?

American Airlines charges a $200 change fee. My round trip flight to London was $900 so I'm not sure if this means I would have $700 to use as credit towards future flights that must be used in a year? Not sure when I would use that much credit on AA. That's my concern with changing it.

I am still torn between cancelling the cruise and cutting my losses or planning to go. Losing $350 isn't the worst thing. Could be much worse. Part of me wants to just cancel it and try to forget about the whole thing and part of me still wants to go on this trip--what he and I were calling the trip of a lifetime. I worry I'd be too sad to go by myself and worry about paying the entire solo cost. We had a pretty expensive cabin type. I was hopeful my mom could go with me but it's a bad time for her to take off work. I know no one can tell me if I should cancel or go, but I am so torn and have to decide in a day. All on no sleep with puffy eyes. :(

Thanks again everyone.

[emoji22] Sorry.

My advice is not to jump the gun yet. Things change and you never know if something will get worked out before the cancellation date. If the breakup was just today, and you’ve been together for 10 years, it’s safe to say that there’s a chance the differences will get resolved and the trip will go as planned.

 

Don’t make a rash decision based on your feelings today; they’re too fresh. Let a month or two pass and then decide what to do.

 

You can always swap out a friend for his place, and that friend can pay him his $250 (or maybe you can negotiate $150 or $200- since he would lose money by cancelling anyway). Or, vice versa, have him find a friend to take your place.

 

Otherwise, you will both lose $100, and you will each get $150 cruise credit to use on a future cruise. You wont get the whole $300, nor can he agree to give it to you. They’ll assign it in his name, and it’s non transferable.

 

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He seemed pretty set on his decision and said he has feelings for someone else. :(

Final payment is due in 2 days so I need to make a decision. Unfortunately I can't take a few months to see how things shake out, but that's definitely not a bad suggestion.

OP, First of all, I am very sorry about the breakup. Did you or someone else book the cruise? If so, did you book through Royal or a travel agent?

 

I am going to assume you booked it, paid the deposit and booked directly with Royal. If all of that is true, call Royal and explain the situation. I rebooked a cruise for one which had a nonrefundable deposit. All it cost was the $100 per person, and the rest of my deposit was applied toward my replacement cruise (different ship, different sailing date).

 

In my experience, airlines sometimes will issue a credit even on a nonrefundable fare, though there may be some penalties involved.

 

But I am with a previous poster. Why not go on the cruise with someone else? You already have airfare and paid the deposit, so if it is something you still want to do, maybe do it without the ex.

 

I know this sucks, but hang in there and good luck figuring all of this out.

I did book it myself directly through RC. I will be open to going on the cruise with someone else, but it's expensive and would require 7 days off work (we had planned to do a few days in London before the cruise so our flights are about 10 days apart). I don't really have friends/family who can pay that kind of money and/or take that much time off work. I do appreciate your suggestion though.

If I rebook a different cruise at a different time on a different ship (say, a Caribbean with my mom in January) would I pay the $100 fee just for me or would I have to pay $200 for both him and me?

My boyfriend and I planned a norweigan fjords cruise for this August to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. He broke up with me today. We booked with a non-refundable deposit and no, we didn't have insurance. I know insurance is to cover those unexpected situations (like this) but I never expected this to happen.

My cruise receipt says I can cancel before June 2 and just lose my $500 deposit, which I may do. At this point, $500 is the least of my concerns. Or, it says I can change the ship/cruise for a fee of $100 per person. Does anyone know if this means I can change it to ANY cruise? Can I just change mine and leave his as it is since he's the one who caused this mess? Would I then just pay $100? Or do I have to pay $100 for each of us since we're in the same cabin If I change only mine, would he be stuck with paying the full fare as a solo? Sorry if these are stupid questions Not thinking clearly.

Also, we have nonrefundable flights to London on American Airlines. I assume there's no wiggle room there or no penalty for changing the flight? I know it's nonrefundable but didn't know if there was a way to change it and just pay extra.

I'm sure the fine print is out there somewhere and yes, I should have had insurance. But I am truly heartbroken and not thinking clearly at the moment and appreciate any kind replies.

You get the visa at checkin, need to fill in before arrival (Month Day Year date) $75 charge to account

 

 

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RC will give you instructions on how to fill out the Visa so don't jump the gun and fill it out too early before you know what you're doing. If you mess up they may charge you $75 for a new one...

On RC the cost of $75 for the visa is put on your on-board account and is given to you when you check in. You also have to give the check in person your completed OFAC affidavit.

 

When you get off the ship you first go through customs. then you continue on to the money conversion lines.

I got an email about 2 days before my cruise telling me to fill out the affidavit before I arrived at the terminal. I almost missed seeing the email. When I arrived at the terminal there were affidavit forms and plenty of people hadn't filled theirs out ahead of time, so it didn't matter. But it was nice to have it filled out ahead of time, to save time.

We were told the Cuban officials would keep half of our visa and give half back, but they kept the whole thing. That threw a lot of people off! LOL

Thanks for the great Majesty review. Cuba has been on my list since my first cruise in 1981. Of course, no one could cruise to Cuba then.

 

Just booked myself on 7 night cruise, Empress of Seas, an old favorite from the 1990’s. Deck 7 with a window, at stern of ship. Sailing from Miami early January 2019. Always wanted to see Key West and Havana plus this itinerary includes Grand Cayman and Coco Cay. Sounds good to me!

 

My only question is whether we must book SOME tour of Havana at all. Have heard conflicting reports about that and some say you can just get off the ship and walk around on your own. Does anyone know for certain.

We were told you have to book with RC but that's not true. Plenty of people had their own tours booked and were allowed off the ship with no problems.

I’m cruising to Cuba with three girlfriends in November.

If we take a private tour are public restrooms available throughout Havana?

 

 

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In addition to lacking toilet paper, most of the restrooms we encountered also did not have soap or paper towels, so plan accordingly. I knew this going in and brought hand sanitizer, which I promptly left in my cabin. :)

thank you, kac0426. You answered questions I didn't yet know I had. I think I need to do more research.

 

thanks again ;)

Thanks for the nice compliment. If you have additional questions, I'll be happy to try to answer them. As you can tell, there is a lot of (mis)information floating around about non-RC sponsored excursions. I can only share what we were told, not what people were actually allowed to do. LOL

We disembarked Majesty today. Did want to clarify that they did have the Tutti salad bar in the main dining room for lunch. Enjoyed by many.

 

 

Interesting! The Tutti salad bar was not listed on the menu when I looked, nor did I see it when I peeked into the dining room. Unless it was set up in a really out of the way area, I don't think they had it the day I checked.

Thanks for your review and tour information! For our cruise week in October, DH and I have 9 family/friends joining us so we reserved the Classic Car tour (4 cars @ 3 in a car) for all of us through RCI to insure everyone is allowed to exit the ship earlier, stay together, and also to get back on time without the stress/fear of being left behind in Cuba!:eek: If it was just DH and I, we may have chosen a private tour but, for our large group, I think it was a wise choice!;)

You'll probably hear this when you're on board, but just be sure that your entire group is together when you arrive for your shore excursion. RC may not give you a sticker (number) if your entire party isn't there. It's easy to get separated through customs (you may be directed to different lines) but it's easy enough to meet back up in the currency exchange section of the terminal.

Have fun! Cuba is wonderful.

Thanks Bob, I've just sent them and email :D

I'll be curious to know if you get it worked out. I eventually gave up and just had bottled water. LOL

Thanks for the information, very helpful.

 

I booked a 2 day private tour, so I will just let them know I can't guarantee the time and I am sure they will be flexible. The tour I booked, after much research (I am retired), was saving more than $50.00 p/p, that's for sure! I was able to pick everything I wanted to see and do. (walking tour, Classic Convertible Car tour, Jazz Club, Hemingway's former residence and farm to table experience). I have booked private tours all over the world, with much success. :cool:

 

Looking so forward to seeing Cuba and because the ship wasn't filling up enough I got a great price. I only booked this cruise a little more than a month ago. :D So all information is appreciated.

I'm sure you'll do just fine with your private tour. Others on our ship had one and did fine. I just heard a lot of people stressing about it and wondered if an RC tour would have put their mind more at ease and let them enjoy their vacation more. RC could be a little misleading in making you think you had to book one of their tours, so watch out for that.

I assume it was part of the taxes/fees we paid for the cruise. Do you mean physically “getting” it? Sometimes it doesn’t work that way- I don’t know if you actually need anything in hand.

I went with RCCL so it might be different, but we got our visa when we checked in and it was charged to our on board account. The affidavit we filled out to say why we were going to Cuba was a completely different form than the Visa itself. The affidavit you could redo/fix; the Visa you could not (unless you wanted to pay for a new one).

Hi again: Can you give more insight on the disembarkation process in Cuba. I booked through an outside agency and I have a hour to meet up just outside the terminal. Of course, I am very nervous.

 

 

How long do you non-Royal tour passengers have to wait? Is it a feeding frenzy to get off the ship? Thanks. :cool:

Great question. From what I've read, it can vary greatly. I don't know that there's any rhyme or reason to how many security lines or immigration agents Cuba will have working on any given day. They are a very laid back type of people-not in a hurry for anything. I witnessed security workers just standing around but refusing to open up their line. You just have to get used to that.

I can share my experience with the disclaimer that it may not be the same as yours. We had a tour booked with RC and were told to meet in the dining room at 8:45 am. Not earlier, not later. We arrived on time and waited 45 minutes for the ship to be cleared. We were allowed off at approximately 9:30 am. I'd say we waited in the line for customs and security for about 30 minutes. They had many lines open but they weren't moving quickly. Then maybe 5 minutes to exchange money and use the restroom if you need to. RC takes all of this into consideration. When I looked at the scheduled leave time of our shore excursion in the excursions brochure, it said 10:00. Everyone was on our bus and we were rolling at about 10:05. Pretty amazing if you think about it. From what I could tell, RC was only letting off one bus load or one tour at a time so it wasn't a frenzy. Some waiting in line, sure, but not masses of people, which was nice. On the other hand, our tour was scheduled to end at 4:00 pm but ended at 5:00 pm. So you always need to allow some wiggle room.

We were told in the Q and A session that people with non-RC sponsored tours would have to wait until the RC tours were off to get off the ship. If that's true, I could see it taking much longer for them to get off, as RC was calling tour after tour once the ship was cleared. Now, is it possible they were squeezing in a few non-RC tour people in between the RC tours? Sure. But what they *said* is that you'd have to wait until all RC tours were off.

I completely understand why people want to book non-RC tours. You save money and often see more. Cuba is one place, in my personal humble opinion, where I would book an RC tour. Too much unknown for my control freak brain to handle booking a non-RC tour. I saw people stressing all week about whether or not they'd be allowed off the ship with a non-RC tour. (They were allowed off, in the end, but was it worth a week of stress to save $50? I promise I'm not asking that to be snarky; I ask it sincerely because for ME, stress-free is worth the extra $50. I know everyone is different.)

I know you didn't ask about re-boarding, but I read horror stories about people waiting in line for hours to get back on the ship. I'd say we waited 5 minutes, tops. So you can see how much it varies.

Hope this helps.

Hi again, I was able to see the daily cruise compass and I saw Latin/Salsa dance classes during the day. Did you take any of the classes and if so, were they for “real” Latin/Salsa dancing or more of a Latin Zumba type class?

Thanks

I'm a terrible dancer so I didn't participate in any of these, sorry! I do know there was a Cuban band on board who played in Boleros a lot. They were fantastic so if they are involved, even if the classes are lame, I would go for the band if they are playing!

Thanks for the review. We leave in 15 days!! I was happy to hear that the terminal and ship were Cuban festive. :D

 

I too have a Category 3 outside cabin aboard the Majesty (I always book balconies) and was forewarned by my TA that the window was a porthole. Based on price, 5 nights and port I didn't care this time. I am in Cabin 3098 and hope the location is nowhere near your noisy cabin. Again, thanks for the insightful review.

We were in 3516. I'm not looking at the deck plans at the moment but hopefully it's far from your cabin. I wish I knew what I was hearing. It sort of sounded like the stabilizers but it seemed louder than usual. It didn't happen all night long, but it wasn't a rare occurrence either. The seas couldn't have been any calmer, but I think they use the stabilizers even in calm seas?

The cabin was definitely tiny, so go in prepared for that. But for 5 nights, it was fine. And the shower actually seemed a little bigger than average. Go figure!

Thank you for that wonderful review. I do have a question for you. Did you book Tropicana through RC? If not, approximately, how much was a taxi ride there from the port?

We booked it through RC but I heard someone say a cab would be about 30-50 CUCs round trip. Hopefully that's accurate.

I'm trying to book a private tour, and the response I got from the tour company says: "We have had reports that it can take a number of hours to clear customs on arrival in Cuba and disembark the ship. You should take this into consideration when booking a tour with us."

I arrive in Havana via Royal Caribbean at 8am. Tour starts at 9am. Is this feasible? Does it really take hours to get off the ship?

I was on a RCCL cruise in Havana last week. I think we arrived in Havana between 7 and 8. Our RCCL tour said to meet at 8:15 but it was 9:00 before we were cleared and allowed off. Then it was about 30 minutes to get through customs and more to exchange money. I think we made it to our bus around 9:45-10:00 and this was after meeting at 8:15. So, it took a while. I was also told they were letting RCCL tours off first. Non-RCCL tours would have to wait until we were off. So to me, 9:00 am would be pushing it.

Because Havana, Cuba is a new port of call for Majesty of the Seas, as I was planning my 5 night Key West and Cuba cruise, I didn't have much information to go on. My cruise on May 14, 2018 was only the 2nd time Majesty had cruised to Cuba, with the week before being the very first time. I hope the information in this "mini review" proves helpful for others planning a cruise to Cuba.

Background about me and my cruise history: I've cruised a pretty good amount, for my age. I'm in my 30s and this was my 16th cruise. I've previously cruised with HAL, NCL, Princess, and RCCL with the majority being with RCCL. I cruised with my mom who is in her 60s.

Embarkation: I love cruising out of Tampa and wish more cruises sailed out of this port It's easy to navigate and the Tampa airport beats the Ft. Lauderdale airport in every category. Embarkation was super smooth. We were on the ship within 30 minutes. The only very slight hiccup was the additional forms you have to fill out for your Visa. It slowed things down a bit. But overall it went fine.

Ship: Majesty is small in comparison with the huge RCCL ships of today but it never felt small to me. In fact, its layout was probably my favorite of any RCCL ship. It's super easy to get anywhere on the ship and the layout makes a lot of sense. It never really felt crowded either. You could always get a seat at the show and in the Windjammer.

Cabin: We were in an outside cabin on deck 3. It's probably the smallest cabin I've ever stayed in. Just beds and a chair - no sofa or loveseat of any kind. The window is actually a porthole which you can see out if if you position yourself just right, but a large picture window it is NOT. I've been spoiled by balcony cabins in the past but Majesty's are expensive so this was fine for a 5 night cruise. I do not understand the built-in nightstand/cubby hole thing in the room. When you need the beds separated, as I do with my mom, it makes for an awkward staggered bed placement. Whoever thought a built in nightstand was the way to go needs to rethink that. It meant I didn't have a nightstand or anywhere to put my glasses, book, remote control, etc. which was sort of annoying. First world problems. One other thing that was annoying was the loud banging/thumping sounds I'd hear in the middle of the night. I don't know if it was the stabilizers or a loose lifeboat banging against the side of the ship or what, but it happened pretty much every night, except for the night we were docked in Cuba. It made sleeping difficult at times and was something I haven't experienced before. Not sure if was just a deck 3 issue or if others heard it as well.

Food: My mom and I agreed that we were disappointed with the dining room food on this cruise. With our previous 3 cruises being on HAL and Princess, I do feel that RCCL's dining room food is not up to theirs. I understand that you get what you pay for. The "theme nights" seemed pointless. On formal night there was nothing formal about the menu. On Latin night there were no Latin food options. Why have theme nights then? There were also a LOT of repeats. I don't mind some repeats but when the menu is 80% identical each night, it gets old. I have not experienced this on other RCCL cruises so I don't know if Majesty is different in this regard? There was also not the classics menu that I'm used ot seeing on other RCCL ships with the linguini pomodoro and salmon offered every night, and I missed that. I also missed the Tutti salad bar that I've experienced on other RCCL ships. Not sure why Majesty doesn't offer this unless it's just due to the smaller size. In contrast, however, we were VERY impressed with the Windjammer food and this is where we ate the majority of the time. The Compass Deli was a nice touch as well.

Entertainment: In 16 cruises this was the FIRST time I've had a female cruise director, and it was nice to see some female representation! Cruisin Susan was great. Loved her sense of humor and her Scottish accent. The shows were good as always. We had a Lionel Ritchie tribute singer and a juggler/comedian, in addition to the production shows.

Cuba enrichment: One of my favorite things about this cruise was how RCCL tried to incorporate Cuba into the entire cruise, From Cuban music being played in the terminal during check in to a Cuban band being on board to the enrichment lectures and Cuba Q&A session to instructions on how to complete a Visa, RCCL did a great job of preparing you for the Cuba experience. They explained the currency situation very well (CUCs versus CUPs) and told you how to exchange money. (You can do it in the cruise terminal. You'll get 87 CUCs for $100 US dollars.) They were also extremely organized. I could not have been more impressed with how well they did everything, especially considering this was only their 2nd time sailing to Cuba. You would not have known it by how smooth everything was. If you have been to Cuba before then you know that smooth and organized aren't really words used to describe this country. So, RCCL deserves a lot of praise for how well they prepared us. Whenever there was a small hiccup, I don't think it was RCCL's fault. I think they relayed information to us the best they could but sometimes Cuba would change things on them at the last minute. That's just Cuba for you.

Key West: A beautiful port, of course, but being that it's in the U.S. I doubt many people have too many curiosities about this one. We had beautiful weather. We did the Conch Train and Aquarium which I highly recommend. I loved how easy it is to walk around Key West after getting off the ship. You are right in the middle of everything. If you are a fit walker, no transportation is needed.

Cuba: I know there's been a lot of mixed information about whether or not you have to have a tour booked through RCCL to get off the ship. If memory serves me correctly, in the shore excursions talk on board they implied you do have to book through RCCL. That's not true, though. You can have a tour booked through an outside operator. I will say, though, that you may be at somewhat of a disadvantage if you do this because they let off all the RCCL tours first. If you had a non-RCCL sponsored tour booked at 9:00 am, I'm not sure what would have happened as I don't think they were letting off anyone who didn't have a RCCL tour at that time. You might save money booking outside of RCCL but my advice (which isn't worth much) would be to just do the RCCL tour. It's easier and more reliable. Our tour guides were great. We did the Havana Express with Hemingway house and the Tropicana Cabaret. I highly recommend both, especially Tropicana. That was the highlight of my entire trip. Before arriving in Cuba, the RCCL crew kept telling us to go in with an open heart and an open mind. This is perfect advice. Cuba is different, in every way. Things move at a different pace there. If you are the type of person who will get impatient if your lunch order doesn't arrive in 5 minutes, don't go. If you don't like to stand in line or wait for anything, this isn't the place for you. But if you can go in with an open heart and open mind and embrace the difference, you'll have a great time.

Passengers: For whatever reason, I found the passengers on this ship to be some of the kindest, best people to be around on any cruise I've been on. They were extremely well traveled, cultured, and intelligent and wanted to experience the Cuban culture. They also looked out for one another. The toilet paper situation in Cuba is a big topic of conversation, and fellow travelers on our tour were always kind to share TP with one another. You can often bond over bathroom humor.

Overall thoughts: Despite a few very minor nitpicky complaints (small cabin, lackluster dining room food), this was a wonderful cruise. RCCL did a great job of educating us about and preparing us for Cuba. After disembarking, I realized this was somewhat a cruise of contrasts. You see the best of the best (think wealthy) in Key West and the worst of the worst in Cuba. But there was true beauty in the "crumbliness" of Cuba. If you go, or have been, you'll know what I mean.

Questions? Just ask. I'm happy to answer anything I can!

Would you be able to tell me if there's a formal night on your cruise?

Thanks, everyone. Order History is what I needed to be clicking on but wasn't until I read your advice. For some reason, I thought order history would just show which excursions I booked, not what I owe and my OBC. I see it now. Appreciate again all the replies.

That takes care of my upcoming cruise.

I still can't figure out how to see how much I owe on my cruise 4 months from now (and when it's due) but I can worry about that another day.

When I've used it, you get a pop up window as soon as you enter the cruise planner.

 

Try calling this automated number to get a copy of your invoice, the OBC should show there: 866-562-7625, press #4.

I don't get a pop up window of any kind. I see places to book shore excursions, specialty dining, etc. but nowhere that tells how much I owe, when the deadline to pay is, or how much OBC I received.

I tried calling the number you gave me but ended up in an endless loop of an automated system that never gave me an option to obtain an invoice.

I really wish it wasn't this difficult to view an invoice. Princess emails you one when you book , which is nice.