jean87510

1 hour ago, RFerrington said:

Is this true ?  I thought everyone who purchases the Key (which is everyone in the cabin) gets a 1 device plan.  I have never used the Key so I don't know, but that's what I thought....

My husband and I both got it the one time we bought the key.

43 minutes ago, Tim Cruise said:

We get one complimentary phone internet access. How do we chose what phone gets it and what do we do to get it on that one phone. Also how to we NOT get it on the other 2 phones. Lol

you just sign in on the device you want.  It doesn't have option to switch around like other cruise lines.

On 4/11/2024 at 7:51 AM, craigtompkins said:

I know St. Croix is not visited as frequently as other islands in the area and as such there are fewer posts here and fewer 3rd party options so I'm starting my search early.  We will be visiting St. Croix for the first time in October.  Normally I like to do an island tour the first time I visit an island, but I honestly don't know if I'll ever visit St. Croix a 2nd time, so I'm looking for what might be considered a must do excursion/activity.  Our trip has plenty of beach days, so unless the beach is better than St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Barbados it does not need to have beach time.  Royal Caribbean does offer an excursion over to Buck Island if that's a better option that staying on St. Croix as I have not been there before either.  If an island tour is the right option, does anyone have recent experience with local tour guides?

Thanks in advance

We like hiking and snorkeling.  We rented a car at the airport and did both.  St. Croix is really easy to navigate.  Probably my favorite of the USVI.  We looked at tours but then just decided to research places of interest and go on our own.  Absolutely beautiful island.

On 1/7/2024 at 4:45 PM, joyandjerry said:

Jerry and I are going March 28, and have done a tour of the island on a previous visit. Does anyone have experience with snorkeling on your own, ship's excursion (RCCL), or other private tours for this? We are interested in the turtles and the shipwreck. TIA.

I know you have gone already but husband and I did this on our own in dec 2021.  We were in our late 50s and are both strong swimmers.  Had zero issues doing this.  We also snorkel with buoys.

On 4/29/2024 at 1:11 PM, xyzcruiser said:

Years ago I bought a beach pass for Melia on Cable beach and the resort was great and the snorkeling from the beach decent. I know Melia is no more but trying to find something similar. I have been to Nassau 25+ times, taken every boat snorkel excursion (only so-so). The only ones I actually found worth it was the Stuarts Cove snuba. But on my next cruise the timing doesn't work for that. I usually do cruiseline excursions since I'm solo but not exclusively. So I'm looking for suggestions of a beach snorkel, that is easy and safe for a solo traveler to get to and from port. I have no interest in just lying on the beach, so none of the 6 hour, lunch included ones will work for me. I really just want to snorkel, maybe take a walk and then snorkel again, then head back to the ship. I am okay with the resort for a day passes but they have gotten expensive, so I want to make sure there is actually decent snorkeling off the beach before I waste my money. Thanks for any info.

We have taken boat tours to Rose Island for 4 hours where I thought snorkeling was pretty good for Bahamas.  We are also booked to do a snorkeling tour with Clifton Heritage which appears to have good snorkeling from the shore but you do need to pay.  Shore snorkeling wise, no, not much and not worth it on your own.

2 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I would disagree with you here. The pool on Divina is mostly in the shade and there are more dining tables in the shade by the bar.

 

We've been on Seaside and think that the YC One Pool deck has way more -- and too much -- sun for us.

 

I guess it depends on your perspective of where you want your shade -- loungers or tables/pool.

I wasn't talking about eating outside.  I was talking about sitting outside.  If you want shade, there are no lounge chairs in the shade.  Only shade is where the food is.  I was on in December and January and could not find a shaded spot to lie down in that area.  Umbrellas would have been nice.

3 hours ago, dedosr said:

I just checked in for a cruise on the Symphony departing June 14, 2024. 
 

How do I access my luggage tags to print and the cruise documents?

 

I need a refresher course since this is my first cruise since Covid. 
 

Thanks 

 

 

As others said, 30 days out you will get an email with docs.

I strongly recommend if you haven't already to get the RCCL app for your phone.  It is really nice to have especially on the bigger ships for booking shows, restaurants if interested, and other areas of interest like the daily activities.

If you like using your phone as many of us do for shopping using apple or google wallet, you can save your boarding pass to your wallet as well.  It's a much nicer option for those of us who prefer as little paper as possible.  Of course if you prefer paper passes, they are still there and will be available to print with the luggage tags.

23 hours ago, looking4info said:

Daughter has an older iPhone and is unable to download the app. so no check in when boarding. I am guessing the "old fashion way" of printed documents is what will need to be done. Am I correct with this? Any other options? Thanks

yes

14 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Curious why you would print out a copy just in case. I always add our boarding passes to my wallet (IPhone). I understand the possibility of WiFi not working at the port, but passes in your wallet always work, assuming your phone still works/has power. 

I have my passes saved and it has always work even recently in Australia where I was in airplane mode with no wifi.  I don't think people understand the concept of the wallet or the screenshot.  Especially a screenshot.  Its a picture.

21 hours ago, fenton04 said:

We were departing for Baltic sea cruise. Whipped out my trusty Iphone and zip, Nada . So the printed copy came in pretty handy.

Screenshot and apple wallet is what most of us use.

MCO in December?  You didn't say when.

I'm on Camp no problem normally as when my vacation is done, I just want to get home as quickly as possible.  It always has worked for us.

However, if you are in a suite, or have TSA pre check, are very mobile, can skip breakfast, have no issue possibly dragging suitcases down flights of steps, know that you may be required to take elevator at Port Canaveral port with large suitcase (always happens with us), have a car waiting at the port, yes, it can be done.  But in December if during holidays...  I don't know.  I know my husband would book it and he has (Miami dock, FLL for a 945am flight).  But we were in MSC YC and were literally the 1st people off the ship.

I have only been on Divina and soon will be on the Seashore.  If I can make an observation if flying, Miami is usually cheaper to fly into than Port Canaveral *MCO.  If the sea*** are that close, use that to factor.  HOWEVER, the Seashore includes the overnight now on her 4 day sailings at Ocean Cay.  She is out of port canaveral. 

One thing I will note Divina has terrible shade for those of us shade chasers.

We were just choosing sailings for a 3 day in November to balance out a land trip and we actually opted for the Magnifica with no YC but much smaller ship, Aurea, and Key West and Ocean Cay.  Leaves out of Miami.  No specialty dining other than a sushi restaurant I believe.  Probably not what you are looking for though.

4 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

I hesitate to agree with the whole be honest philosophy.  Why? On more than one occasion I've had wait staff tell me that they get dinged if you say anything bad about the food as it is their responsibility to ensure you are happy with the food.  Doesn't seem fair or even logical for that matter but more than one person has said that to me.  Personally I would express any concerns of that type by an email to corporate.  If you give a lower grade but put notes in a comments area is that enough to mitigate the damage of a bad rating? Honestly I don't know. 

If you want things to change then be honest.  If the staff matters more than the food, give them all 10s but then don't complain about food.  

Edited to add the better solution is to tell them WHEN your food is unacceptable.  And would you say something at home if going out to eat or would you feel sorry for the staff?

17 hours ago, burne318 said:

Long time lurker on this forum and follower of many of your live threads (which are good reads for people to use to prepare for their cruise), but I must set the record straight here.

 

My group of 7 was in the pergola immediately next to you on the cruise last week.  We didn't have a conversation because I am not one to necessarily reach out to strangers to strike up a conversation.  I knew you were to my left, because of your previous post about the way you had your pergola made up, weaving towels in the back slats.  That was a good idea by the way and you probably saw that we copied it.  My wife and 2 kids were on our 3rd YC cruise (Seaside 2020 and Meraviglia 2023).  We were most certainly in the YC.  Cabin 18025 with butler Wayan to be exact.  My sister was solo in 18027 and my two parents were in 18029, both YIN cabins on their first YC experience.  On the first sea day both my dad and I woke up pretty early (6:15am) since our bodies were not on vacation time yet.  We sat in the unoccupied pergola next to yours and had our coffee.  During our coffee, one of the pool attendants (Caran sp?) approached us and asked us "Would you like to sit here everyday?".  We said "Sure, but it's absolutely not a requirement".  Well low and behold, every morning we woke up before breakfast, and Caran showed us to the pergola he made up for us.  He repeated this each day and on the last day we did give him a tip.  So the 7 of us used that pergola and the daybed next to it I would say upwards of 75% of the time from breakfast until dinner.  Did we venture to the waterpark and leave our stuff there?  Sure.  But most of the time someone from our group was hanging out in the pergola.  And we only utilized a single pergola with 3 loungers for 7 people.  I am super conscious about overusing space, so many times there were 4 or 5 of us on the 3 loungers because frankly we didn't need a single lounger for each person, especially small kids.  As a non-OS/RS guest, I certain did not expect to get a pergola each day since they are FCFS, but Caran approached us early in the cruise and definitely earned a tip from our group.

 

As for dinner, we ate exclusively in the YC Restaurant every day at 5:45, with the wonderful Kevin as our waiter.  I was pleased to see that they opened before 6:00.  We are early eaters and were worried that the move from 5:30 to 6:00 was fleetwide.  Like you, I missed the "Deliciously Healthy" section of the menu until day 6, which was a real bummer to realize that was there the whole time.

 

The group of 6 that were in the other two pergolas appeared to be 3 couples.  They sat kitty corner to us at dinner in the YC Restaurant I would say 50% of the time and we saw them plenty of times on the YC Pool Buffet for breakfast.  We didn't really talk to them either until the last sea day when they approached us.  They mentioned they were on their 35+ cruise and their 3rd YC cruise as well.  Now I can't speak for their whole group (since I only chatted with two of the couples), but it did appear they were all staying in YC Cabins.  That said, I didn't talk to all of them so I can't be 100%.

I suppose some of us are not quite the interloper or slacker spotters that we thought we were...🤔

4 hours ago, Toddcan said:

 

Was that $1,000 total, or per person?  Remember, YC comes with the drink package and internet (2 devices per person).   We don't drink, and we were also in a deluxe balcony suite, but we jumped at the chance to upgrade to YC balcony suite for ~$600 per person ($1,200 total ).  The onboarding, and debarkation are wonderful, and the YC lounge, restaurant, and outdoor area are to die for.  

You missed the part where I said I was offered to bid $1000 on an upgrade to a YC deluxe suite.  We are currently in a YC deluxe suite.  

On 4/25/2024 at 8:19 AM, MeganGC1983 said:

I’ve never paid $150 for a golf cart in Bimini. We’ve done this 8 times. I’ve been quoted $80 and talked them down to $60 or $70 at the most. 

And I would not either.  But that was what we were quoted.  Taxi is still cheaper as well as bikes.  

There are quite a few posts on social media, reddit, google reviews, TripAdvisor...etc... about the price gouging and poor maintenance.  It's important to let people know this does happen.  Maybe you were one of the lucky ones but you are probably in the minority.  The cheapest 6 seater rents online for $110.  The cheapest four seater is $90.  We had not reserved but saw a sign.  The one the kid was trying to rent for $150 was pretty dilapidated.  

I have a half wet suit I use for snorkeling in Florida at the cold springs.  It is helpful.  Husband uses a full wet suit.  If you have room in suitcase and can put it on quickly over bathing suit, why not?

delete

9 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

something like this: https://www.amazon.com/NATCHILL-Chicken-Heating-Instant-Noodles/dp/B0B51T5HCD/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Oz4ADcv3EK05VvZ3gQjOZUyVh2_waBGxMqhUuzWHP9jlfQTD483fqOStKzRV3p5oA_fBRhscroSd8bvc0S8JFImtYIqJcYye1Mw2djyZkjH42ekVdoKdqCh5lnJ3H8KwUI2e1qEh3T0vyv0LuGUJFXQaT6lZ7iT44rcPagjyOz-usqujzLuzA1QvtXEhMLVfT3u3aB7bZq_b9eCCnNWsdOuCE0T3GjrBE9y8LRIkrkleyS6ZgdGWFyBSejUzwoC3BhSyBA1-MgQ0gmXQnil48r9SV7McuaybX5cz83bVA6U.31YLkKXiXlFdDZv3SNI4-q4LCEUWzHBxx5MmNWS2j3k&dib_tag=se&keywords=self+heating+food&qid=1714347502&sr=8-3

those pack of 4 are $35?

5 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Dh, granddaughter and I are booked in a 2 bdrm grand suite on the Navigator in July.  They are suggesting we do a Royal Up bid to a Royal Suite, 1 bdrm, or a Owner's suite, also 1 bdrm.  Admittedly they are both very nice but why would I give up a bedroom?  I know, it's an automated process but still strange. 

We just had a offer to bid on an upgrade for MSC for a YC deluxe suite for $1000.  We are currently in a YC deluxe suite.  🤨🤔

Just delete email.  You have a great room.  I guarantee there are those out there who, in the same room as you and got the same email, would come on here and all over social media complaining because they lost their great room if they received the upgrade.

On 2/17/2024 at 12:27 PM, Niallnas said:

I would love some help as this is my first cruise, costing a lot of money and worried I’m going to get something wrong.

 

Two parents and five girls ranging in age from 16-20 we are going on a Royal Caribbean, Odyssey of the Seas in August from Rome and back to Rome for 7 nights. We have the cruise booked and the cabins all sorted out (3)but it’s everything else. There is only two sea days so I need some advice. We are seasoned traveler's and my partner is very good at organising and using apps etc for booking holiday stuff (Disney etc)

 

Do I include tips or pay at the end?

Five girls who spend a lot of time on their phones so what wi-if package should I be looking at?

As a rule excursions with the cruise company or sort it yourself.

Drinks package which I think is $64 per head per day, I like a drink but I think with time off the boat etc even I may struggle to get value, my partner isn’t bothered and even the older girls would only be having 2-3 cocktails per night and mainly soft drinks etc.

 

Lots of questions I know and probably asked 1000 times on here before but Thank you in advance.

Can only suggest wifi.  Having 5 kids, I do understand they may want wifi.  And there is absolutely nothing wrong with them or you in getting it for them.  You know your kids better than us.  My suggestion if you are splitting the rooms, just get the one plan plus however many people are in the room (2-3) and buy that.  Another suggestion is a router.  Still another is to check your phone plans to see if you can get an international plan which would help in port.

Excursion wise, well...  That's the best part of the trip.  Have the kids involved.  Research all the places.  It may benefit with private tours as there are 7 of you.  Try the Europe boards here but also go on other sites as the ones here just suggest the same companies over and over and sometimes that may not be what you want.

4 hours ago, JohnnyPro44 said:

I agree 100 percent they emailed us on Tuesday before are Friday departure told us there was a problem said they would update us Thursday and then said they would update us Friday morning never did we got on then told us we weren’t leaving until Sunday at 4 it sucked because most bars were closed nothing really to do staff were saying they should have canceled us before we got on then Saturday afternoon they canceled it’s the same issue as last year is what I was told 

I'm so sorry for all of you.  What a nightmare.  We board in September for the 6b land tour.  I would be so disappointed as I love Alaska.  

4 minutes ago, notscb said:

This is the true "life pro tip" that I also discovered on my last cruise. Arrive around 1pm and walk straight through onboard to your room without stopping once you hit the port. Hassle and crowd free to boot.

It's what we do normally.  Did used to go to specialty but got very bored of Chops lunch.  It's cheaper to grab a burger at the airport or near hotel.  Either fly in day of or night before and take our time.  If we drive, we stop to eat.  I love after 1pm boarding because no lines at check in.  And just walk to room and drop off carryon.  We now do late check out if we get a hotel and wander over.  Recently we were in Sydney and walked around Circular quay and the Opera house before we got our stuff to head over to board.  I don't know when I'll be back in Sydney and that was more exciting then getting an 11am check in time.

Did post in Cozumel forum but thought I'd post here as well as it's a RCCL excursion in Cozumel.  It's not the Jade Cavern one.  It goes to the mainland.

I'm curious if anyone has done this and what you thought.  Not finding much on searches for recent.  

This is a tour offered by Royal Caribbean on an upcoming cruise in December 2024 in Cozumel.  We decided to try something new for our umpteenth time here instead of our usual snorkeling/car or bike rental adventures.  Our cruise goes to Grand Cayman, Progreso (new port for us) and Cozumel.  We have ruins planned for Progreso so didn't really want to do 2 days of ruins.

This tour is on the mainland so we opted to do the ship excursion.  However, with searches online, it's difficult to find information as I keep getting results for Jade Cavern which this is not.  

If anyone has done this and can share, please let me know how the cenotes were, ATVs...etc...  I'm assuming it's near Casa Tortuga but I could be wrong.