YadaYadaJodi

My DD & I went last summer on the Carnival Magic. We did the Zip & Dip with South Shore on our own. We felt totally safe. They took excellent care of us & we had a wonderful time. Whole heartedly recommend this company & excursion!

And RC's website now shows the least expensive fare as $524 for an interior guarantee.

If you login you can see the $495 (even me who is only Gold).

Congrats Delirious!! Good price drop percentage!! Bon Voyage!:D

I do most of these - Get a tropical drink, maybe something to eat, call either DD or DH - whichever one had to stay home with the dog - the other one will be with me (note - I don't have to take my turn ;)).

Unpack.

But one thing I've added to my list for the Navigator this fall is go to the Promenade - I believe between 1 & 3 - to get tickets to the Ice Skating show later in the week. Thanks CCers for the heads up! :D

Not sure I'm qualified to say since it's been 13 yrs since I sailed on Royal. I am really looking forward to my cruise this fall though and expecting a great time on the Navigator! :D

From reading these boards the 2 things it sounds like I will miss from Carnival are:

robes (had them even though we were in inside staterooms & 1st-3rd time cruisers)

pagers - MTD - only had to wait once & it was because I was requesting a particular waitstaff, but it was nice to get a pager and be able to go sit down and wait at the bar right outside the MDR

Not that it will ever likely affect me much (if at all) but I agree on the above about the step-up in the loyalty program being honored on the first day of the current cruise where you will meet your milestone like on Carnival vs. having to wait until your next cruise.

Other differences I take as options - wouldn't want everything the same. I like having choices.

They weren't advertized on Navigator. They had them out in the mornings until about 11am. The first half of the week they were offering them at the table where they were selling the drink packages, the second half they were set up outside Vintages.

Thanks for the info! Adding to my notes.

I had been leaning toward the Premium package but now leaning towards not getting it. Seems like the closest I've come is to breaking even on the Prem package so with these specials - maybe I won't get it and won't be forced to feel like I need to get my money's worth.

Still wondering about the DOD. On Carnival they seemed like they didn't have much alcohol so not worth the calories. :rolleyes:

How are RCI's? Do you get some bang for your buck or are they weak to make up for the discount & free glass?

You do know that you have to use the plug at the "desk" in the cabin.

The plug in the bathroom is a lower voltage just for shavers.

Could that be your problem?

Phones are also located around the ship (near the elevators, for example) so that you can call staterooms and such.

Thanks, Ken for answering my tack-on question before I even asked! ;)

Hello, have only recently started using a US TA and am just looking at prices on the RCI website to try and plan, there is a cruise on Freedom of the seas on Feb 22nd 2015, the price of a basic inside is from $599, when you click to book it goes up to from $617, I selected a cat Q at $617 per person but when I then look at the summary the cruisefare is $823 per guest, $93.15 taxes and there is the half off discount for the second person. Does anyone know why the initial price is not the price you pay?

$599 price may include a discount like being a resident from a particular state in the U.S. that you may not be eligible for.

$617 price takes into account the discount off the $823 for the 2nd person. It has averaged the total price per person. (823+823-411.50)/2 = $617.50/pp.

What about the Passport Card?

 

We are on Liberty out of Ft. Lauderdale in March 2015. Only stops are Jamaica & Labadee. DS's girlfriend is going and doesn't have a passport.

 

She wanted to know if she can just get the Card. She is a college student on her own and if she can just get the cheaper option that would be great!

 

Anybody have experience with this?

If she is looking for a cheaper option I would go with the birth certificate & driver's license. You won't gain any benefit from a passport card vs a birth certificate for traveling on a cruise (other than a card vs a piece of paper). Passport cards are mostly for traveling by land between US & Canada and US & Mexico.

A passport book is what you will need if under the rare circumstance you have to fly home from a port or to fly between 2 ports to catch up with a cruise.

Too funny - not only can you add me to the magnet group but I am definitely planning on checking on this Sheridan's thing I learned about on CC. I meant to pick some up or at least go to a tasting on my last cruise on Carnival but didn't get around to it. Now will definitely have to check on my Oct Royal cruise.

Also love the wind chimes idea! Now I'm going to be on the lookout for those as well.

One more thing besides magnets I always try to get is a drink koozie.

Loving all you May 25th Navigator posters! Looking forward to what you have to say!

We have a deck 9 D2 booked for Oct. Looks to be a good location. We're just forward of the hump so not too far from the rear stairs/elevator.

Would love to hear about your excursions since we're doing the same ports.

Also curious if you had MTD & if so if you made nightly reservations.

TIA!!

Here's my pricing story for my current cruise booked for

Halloween week - Navigator of the Seas out of Galveston - D balcony

1 - leaving TA discount out of equation because it would be same

2 - leaving port taxes/fees out

3 - deducting any OBC rec'd from Royal

4 - averaging price per person

a - DH over 55

b - Texas residents

c - 2nd RCCL cruise=Gold C&A

10/26/2014 Departure:

Booked in March (Balcony for OV price promotion)

D2 - $770/pp

Current price - 6/4/2014:

D2 - $1001/pp (have seen up to $1051/pp since we booked)

10/25/2015 & 10/18/2015 Departures:

Current price - 6/4/2014 (BOGOHO promotion):

D2 - $567.50/pp

D1 - $558/pp (LESS than D2)

So have to agree with advice above - if it's a good price to you book it - if not wait. $770 for a balcony was good for us. Looks like we could save money booking over a year in advance - at least this year. But at least we booked when we did because prices have just gone up since.

YMMV

Just wondering what people's opinion were of the Drinks of the Day. Are they a good bargain? On Carnival they seemed to be too weak to be worth it to me. Wondering if it's the same on Royal. TIA

On Navigator last week they often had $3 Bloody Mary's, Mimosas, and Belinis offered from a table on the Royal Promenade

They had one on our last cruise from 5-6 every night. I think most non-frozen drinks were included.

 

 

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Glad to hear! Were these specials advertised in the Cruise Compass or did you just happen upon them?

When were the specials on the Navigator?

Please forgive my ignorance on this topic but I'm completely confused. I've read through lots of threads and decided to just ask:

 

How does tipping work for the drink package? I want to get the $55/day premium package, which includes cocktails up to $10. If I order a drink that is listed on the menu at $10, is that covered? Or are drinks only covered that are $10 after tip?

 

Thanks

 

 

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For the $10 max for cocktails and $12 max for wine - you go by the menu price. So, yes, a $10 drink would be free with the drink package and the gratuity would already be included as well.

Aren't you doing the Cozumel/Georgetown/Falmouth itinerary?

 

Yes, this is the itinerary. I am on this cruise also. We have 1 sea day at the beginning and two at the end, going to be great. Back to packing

Would love to especially hear about your excursions when you get back!

I have a couple of ideas for Cozumel and Grand Cayman but haven't figured out Falmouth yet.

Have a fabulous trip!:)

Hahaha this is what I love about CC! Now I know if we have a strange noise in our cabin to make sure the speaker is in the "on" position! :rolleyes::D

Subscribing! Aren't you doing the Cozumel/Georgetown/Falmouth itinerary?

We're going on this route on the Navigator later this year.

Bon Voyage!!

Now that it's booked can you transfer it to your TA and get your perks?

Do not bring. Use the ship's towels even on excursions. You can even check out more than one per person just be sure you check them back in so you aren't charged.

Much easier to use the ship's than to deal with your own dirty wet towel.

Btw - helpful hint - especially when leaving the pool area onboard:

We always go by & switch out our dirty towel for a clean towel when headed back to our cabin. That way we can put a clean one on the shelf for next time and not have to worry about what to do with a dirty towel.

What an amazing upgrade! Congrats!

And I must say "DITTO!" to your first sentence! Thanks CC friends and advisors!!:D

Was the TOTAL different though? If you take the total RCI price (fare less any discounts plus taxes & port fees) and the total of the TA price is there a difference?

The only difference should be any perks your TA may provide. As Ken076 above said, TA's break out the charges differently but the total should be the same. You can't go by the description for each line item.

I found this out because my TA was offering 5% off but that wasn't what I received based on the cruise line's website fare. I learned they carve out the non-commissionable piece of the fare before they compute the 5%.

YadaYadaJodi: I have the Compasses for each day from the Coz/GC/Jam itinerary. Send me an email to pmarkstone at gmail dot com with "Cruise Compass" in the subject line. I will be scanning them to my computer this weekend and can send them to you.

I sent you an e-mail. Thank you so much for the offer and the information on the shows!!

Just got off the Navigator on Sunday. Two great production shows, two late night comedians (adults only), The Texan Tenors who won America's Got Talent in 2009 performed one night (amazing!!!), a Las Vegas act one night (excellent), and of course the ice show (which was held at least four times during the cruise). Very impressed with their entertainment!!

Do you remember when the ice shows were held? Were they on sea days?

What itinerary did you sail? I am interested in the Compass for the Coz/GC/Jam route.

Ways to go until my cruise but I can't rest til I have everything planned out. LOL

Oh man, this is the kind of thing I'm afraid of. I'm planning to wait til 2nd day to purchase also. I am adding a printout of this FAQ to my cruise folder!

I already had a printout of the FAQ regarding only having to pay the difference on drinks over the limit.