scottw3

37 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

This kind of question reminds me of when I used to work (now retired from) an Electric Utility Cooperative when the power went out for a short period of time.  Some, very few, people would call in and ask if they were going to be compensated for the time they went without electricity.  My answer:  I assure you, sir/ma'am, we will not charge you for any of the electricity you did not receive.  

I never implied that I expected passengers to be given anything. I was just asking a simple factual question. As it turns out the answer was yes, they did give a credit. 

Is it a nice gesture of goodwill, yes.  Is it expected or required, no. 

Did Royal offer any credit for the itinerary change?

Thanks everyone. We'll give it a try to all go together.

Please forgive me if this has been asked and answered already.  I searched but couldnt find the answer.  I just booked 2 cabins on the Independence of the Seas for the 4/20 sailing.  I have a Junior Suite with a connecting balcony cabin.  My wife and daughter are "booked" in the balcony and my son and I are "booked" in the suite.  My wife and I plan on sharing the suite and the kids will be in the balcony. Will the 4 of us be able to have priority boarding or only the passengers in the suite?  Thanks.

Following. Thanks for your review. I'll be on this ship in March with a 2 and a 4 year old so it's great to get your perspective cruising with a young one

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So... not sure this is still something you need opinions on, but as it happens we sailed on Adventure when my daughter was 4. She loved the Adventure Ocean activities -- she wasn't sure about being dropped off there the first time, but then she didn't want to leave. We'd get through lunch or dinner and she'd ask to go back.

Thanks for the info. The more positive reviews I can get the better. Did they give you a ship phone to stay in contact with them? Also, I see that they have late night activities for the 3-5 age group. Our son's normal bedtime is 8pm. I'm wondering how he will do staying up late frequently. Did your daughter participate in any of the nightime activities?

Thanks everyone for the info. (For some reason I wasn't getting email notifications of replies). Its good to hear that there actually is a tots program on board (or at least babysitting out of the room during the day). I had 2 RC phone reps tell me there wasn't one, but then I got a call from a "dedicated" rep who assured me there was. Also good to hear about the baby splash area.

We've decided on getting 2 adjoining rooms which will hopefully make the trip a little easier/smoother. Thanks again everyone!

Thanks for the reply Michael. I think our 2 year old would definitely enjoy the cruise; its just a little disappointing that there is no day care program during the day if we needed a little break.

Also, on a different topic, I didnt think there was an area for kids to swim that were not potty trained. Is there a special area?

My apologies if this has been answered already, but when I searched, all I could find were very old threads.

My wife and I will be cruising next March on the Adeventure of the Seas. Our kids (age 2 and 4) will be coming with us. From what I've read there is no organized program for kids under 3 and the only option is in-room babysitting @ $19/hr. Is that correct? I know the 4 year old will be able to go to the adventure ocean program, which looks good. Can anyone comment who has cruised on this ship before with kids? Did you find the lack of the Royal Tots program a major drawback? How was the Adventure Ocean program work out? Any info and feedback would be great as my wife is super nervous about, well, pretty much everything. Thanks.

Just an update for anyone interested...

No flight delays. No luggage problems. No problems boarding. No heart attack.

I likely won't do it again, but luckily it worked out well this time.

(Sitting in Bistro on Five as I type)

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From X site:

 

 

I wish we could do a study on a sailing to see how many people flew to port city, how many of those flew in the day of sailing, and how many missed the ship.

.

While certainly not scientific, I've added a poll to the thread to see the %

Thanks for the replies everyone. I had no idea about the laws re: leaving and returning to different US ports. That makes this it much more stressful. If it were up to me I would 100% book a flight that arrives the night before. But... we have a 13 month old and this is the first vacation without him and so the wife is understandibly anxious about leaving him (its hard enough for 5 nights she says). I know, its only 12ish hours longer vacation but in the mind of an nervous mother it might as well be an extra week, :D.

I found out if I went with the southwest flight I would no longer have choice air coverage because they cannot use that airline and I'd have to book it myself. I think I'll stick with the day-of flight and write myself a presciption for some blood pressure meds.

2nd cruise coming up at the end of the month and we are flying on day of embarkation. We arrive at FLL at 11:50am (it was 10:50am but there was a flight schedule change). Must be on ship by 3:30pm. Am I crazy? I did book through choice air so I'd be able to meet the boat in key west if the worst happens but missing 1 night on a 5 night isn't a great start to a cruise. We're on the earliest Delta flight leaving Memphis with a single stop in Atlanta (1 hr and 13 min layover). I was thinking about changing to a one-way Southwest flight out (arrives FLL 10:25am with 1 stop in Tampa) and keeping the Delta return but I've heard that if you miss one leg of your flight they will cancel the rest of it. Is that true?

So for those of you brave enough to fly on the day of departure... what is the latest you are comfortable with arriving at the airport/ship?

Hmm, so far it seems like no one has done this on a 5-night cruise. I'll just have to see when we get on board. And if not, then that sounds like a good excuse to book another cruise. :D

I'm about to take my 2nd X cruise (a 5-night western caribbean on the Constellation). I'm wondering if this tour is offered on the M class ships and on shorter cruises.

My first cruise on X was several years ago (a 7-night on an S class) and this tour was cancelled due to problems on the previous cruise with Noro. It was also free at that time. Can anyone confirm this tour is offered on a 5 night itinerary? If so, is there still a fee? Thanks!

Are there any charges for getting appetizers for a small group?

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We were on a cruise with our friends and he did that for his wife!! It was an unbelievable surprise for her, and for us!! Try to catch a video of her- it will be priceless!! Have fun!

Thats exactly what I plan on doing! I'll be sure to upload and post a link when we get back (after my wife views and approves the video, of course).

Looking forward to the elite coupons as well. Do the sheets ever change or will they be the same as the pictures I've seen uploaded?

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Thanks everyone. Now I just need to get on the ship without her figuring out our cabin. I may have create a distraction during the check-in process. Or, at the risk of acting like a bank-robber, slip a note to the person at check-in: "Royal suite is a surprise...wife doesnt know. Shhh!"

Well folks, in a brief moment of insanity today, I decided to upgrade to a Royal Suite. I thought less about the money and more about that fact that it would likely be tough to swing a RS on a longer cruise and figured this may be our only shot at it. I'm so excited and the best part is that I'm keeping it a secret from the wife. She still thinks we're getting an sky suite. Can't wait to see her face when we walk through the door! :D

Connect@sea is an app that allows intra-ship texting with no additional fees

I downloaded this app from the android app store last night and it kept giving me an error when I tried to register. From my searching it looks like it may not be ready for use yet

Thanks for all the helpful info everyone. I think I've decided to stick with the S2 GTY. While an extra $800 this cruise wouldnt break the bank, I'm just having a tough time seeing the value in it for this specific cruise. If it were going from a non-suite to a suite, I'd probably do it. We'll still get the suite experience (likely an accessible S2) and who knows, theres always the shot at getting a free upgrade to S1 or CS. I'd love to stay in a CS or higher on a longer cruise and think they best play here is to save up to make that happen for the next cruise. Its a dangerous game looking at the next higher category. :D

While it's not guaranteed, you will likely get the elite coupon sheet for the Celebrity Suite and not the sky suite. So you would get some value back for that suite upgrade. That could be 'worth' it.

Interesting. I actually didnt know those existed until I read your reply and did a search. Does the elite coupon sheet have anything to do with the captains club status (because we're still at the classic level) or are you saying they just put them in the higher category suites?

We make this decision based on the number of sea days on the cruise. For port intensive cruises we find that we don't spend enough time in the cabin to justify the CS and are happy with an S2. However, on our last cruise to Hawaii we had five days at sea and really enjoyed having the additional space, both in the suite and on the veranda, that the CS offered.

Thats definitely a good point. Being only a 5 night cruise, we have only 2 sea days and $800 is a lot of money. I just wish I hadnt looked at the pictures (http://s1256.photobucket.com/user/MoreMoores/slideshow/Celebrity%20Suite/?albumview=slideshow) Only makes me want it more :(

Thanks for the info. I guess it really comes down to the money and how it impacts the overall vacation. I suppose there is always a chance that I could get upgraded to the celebrity if all the sky suites fill up (unlikely, I know). It seems like at the very least I'll get an accessible S2 which, from what I read, is quite a bit larger than the regular sky suites. Its just the idea of having a suite in the true definition (living room + bedroom) is very appealing. Tough decision.

I'm booked on a 5 night western carribean on the Constellation and have decided that this time around I'm going to get a suite. This is our second cruise (1st was a 7 night on the Solstice in a c2 on the hump). I currently have a Sky Suite guarantee (no cabin assigned yet). It looks like there are 3 accessible S2s available, 1 regular S1, and 1 Celebrity suite. Initially I was thrilled with a sky suite but after looking at pictures of the Celebrity suite my mind started to wonder and I started saying... what if. So here is the question... $400 extra per person for the CS from a Sky suite guarantee-- worth it? Thanks.