Kezzie62

17 hours ago, ShillyShally said:

Royal follows where they are registered, not where they are sailing, so they can allow it even if the ports they are going to don't.

No they follow the law of where the cruise departs from. That’s why all the ship that sail from Europe have smoke free casinos. 

We were on Anthem in the spring for the transatlantic crossing we had good internet connection the whole way. 

When doing a B2B on turn around day its sad to see the cleaning staff with bags of ducks putting them in the trash. 

Sadly the very same thing happened to us. My mother in law died very suddenly when we were due to board a ship. When I eventually spoke to RCL they were wonderful. They refunded the port fees and taxes and all excursions we had booked. They sent us a confirmation invoice showing exactly what was refunded. We were able to submit that and the death certificate to our insurance company and they refunded the remaining amount. I am sorry for your loss, I hope in time your memories of your father will bring you comfort. 

His show is that last show I would want to spend any time watching. We came across him a few years ago and watched as he intimidated and bullied a woman in the audience. No funny and certainly not entertaining. 

2 minutes ago, klfhngr said:

On the ship, either will work. While on land, Euros are preferred. We just got back from a 10 day Med cruise, I was SHOCKED that no one wanted USD! A few shops in Greece took our dollars, but in Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, and Italy, ALL wanted Euros! We were  there in May of THIS year, so trust me on this!

 

EDIT: We took a boatload, no pun intended, of smaller USD bills and $2 bills, we came back with a bunch! 😉

We were just as SHOCKED that for some reason nobody in the USA wanted tips in € or £ strange!!!

Oh boy!! As a U.K./USA Citizen there are oddities in both languages! Parkway that you drive on, Driveway that you park on, you send a parcel by truck it’s a shipment if you send it by ship it’s cargo! There are 1000s

6 hours ago, Apple37 said:

Thank you for replying. Do you by any chance remember which test they sent you?

 

thank you 

It was a rapid antigen fit to fly test. 

We used DocHQ to test 2 days before getting on the ship and flew into the US the same day as the test. Had no issues. 

On 6/14/2022 at 12:32 PM, Apple37 said:

We’ve bought the flowflex fromBoots and booked the docHQ. Was this what you did or do you need to order the test from DocHQ. Thank you

 We bought the test with video appointment from DocHQ 

We too get two free days of internet, BUT if you are going to be getting the internet for the duration of the cruise then you are cheaper to buy it before you get onboard as the onboard price is higher and even with the discount of two days free you will pay more..

9 hours ago, Naunie said:

On DocHq do you purchase one consultation and three certificates for three people travelling? Website says max four per consultation but doesn’t say if you need to have one of each booked per person 

We bought the test with consultation included. You need one for each person. When you make the appointment you pick how many people attending. 

14 hours ago, Garden_Girl said:

Did you find DocHQ easy to do?  I am concerned about the video-linking part working. 

It is very easy to use. I did it yesterday from our hotel room using my iPad. The medic tells you step by step what to do and once the test is done they check you have your certificate before they end the link. 

3 hours ago, Juliecruzin said:

Sorry slightly off topic - was this for a cruise from the US?

we’re travelling on freedom of the seas out of Miami but from the UK and trying to work out if any of the UK based supervised tests are suitable? 
does anyone else have any experience of this?

We have used DocHQ supervised test to both enter the USA and later to board the ship. 

DocHQ is who we are using for all our cruises this year. 

Yes they are accepted by RCCL for getting on the ship. We are using them again on 23rdApril to get on Anthem in Bayonne. 

58 minutes ago, crazyank said:

ok, but read down a little further and see what is required for a person traveling under that exemption.

Yes there are conditions but they can enter the USA. 

13 minutes ago, crazyank said:

This is from the US Embassy in London.

All nonimmigrant, non-citizen air travelers to the United States are required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to the United States.

Are you sure you can fly into the USA with unvaccinated kids?

Children under 18 are exempt 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/proof-of-vaccination.html#noncitizen

Just read that U.K. citizens on the TA will not be allowed to get off in either of the ports of call in France!!!

2 minutes ago, kernow said:

No mention of any compensation for those on the TA despite the cruise being 3 days less? 

 

Are you missing ports too?

If you choose to sail…

To help make up for the unexpected shortened cruise, we’re providing you with the following: 

• A refund for the cruise days missed, plus a Future Cruise Credit so that you can come back and sail with us. 
  • Both amounts will be in the value of the 3 days your cruise was shortened by, and based on the cruise fare paid, per person, non-inclusive of taxes and fees.
• A refund in the form of an onboard credit for any remaining taxes and fees, after the itinerary change.
• In addition, if you purchased an internet or beverage package, unlimited dining package, or pre-paid your gratuities, you’ll receive a prorated refund for the shortened 3 days.
• Any pre-purchased Royal Caribbean International shore excursions for the missed ports will also be refunded as an onboard credit.
• Also, we know we have many Crown & Anchor members on this sailing, and we know how important it is to get you to that next tier …so, we will honor the days missed as loyalty point nights – even though the sailing is shortened. 
• Transport rearrangement fees only, meaning you needed to get to the ship regardless of this change – but if you pre-booked it and there is an issue changing, we will review this expense. 

All refunds will be applied to your Onboard Account as a refundable credit can be used anywhere onboard. Any unused credits will be refunded back to your credit card on file about 3 - 5 business days after the sailing ends.

If you purchased your air with us directly, we will contact you to assist with changing your flights. If you purchased your air independently, we are currently working with some of our airline partners, as some have agreed to waive change fees for our guests due to this special circumstance.

• If your airline does not waive the change fees, we will cover your non-refundable air change fees: up to $200 USD/£155 per person for domestic flights and $400 USD / £310 per person for international flights. 
• If you are not a local guest, and are unable to change your flights, and incur a cost due to a hotel stay, we’ll provide you with a refund of up to $200 USD/£155 per stateroom. 
• Please send your receipts to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for reimbursement review.

If you choose to not sail…

While we hope that you do, if you decide not to, we’ll provide you with: 

• A 100% Future Cruise Credit of your cruise fare paid to rebook at a later time. 
• A refund for all pre-purchased packages like, internet or beverage, unlimited dining package, or pre-paid your gratuities. And, you’ll receive a refund for your pre-purchased shore excursions.
• You can expect to receive your Future Cruise Credit via email by November 12^th, 2019. 

If you prefer to rebook another cruise now…

• If you’d like to re-schedule your cruise sooner, you may move your funds over to a new reservation with no penalty.
• Pricing will be at prevailing rates and you will not receive a Future Cruise Credit. If you’d like to re-book, please do so before November 5^th.

Again, we are truly sorry for this last-minute change, but appreciate your patience, understanding, and cooperation during this very fluid and unexpected circumstance. We are confident, you’ll have a wonderful holiday!

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International 

just got this:-

Dear Guest,

We’ve been carefully monitoring four storms with our Chief Meteorologist, James Van Fleet, that have impacted the current Explorer of the Seas sailing, which in turn impacts our route while crossing the Transatlantic. These storms are large, growing, and moving quickly, at different times. Unfortunately, when one passes, the other makes its way into our path. So, to avoid rough seas and a bumpy journey, we were forced to change our current itinerary, causing the ship to arrive in Southampton on November 8^th, instead of November 5^th. As a result, we’ll set sail on November 8^th and we’ll visit Philipsburg, St. Maarten as we make our way to Miami, Florida. 

We are terribly sorry for this last-minute change, but know we made this decision to maintain a safe and comfortable journey. As always, your safety is our top priority and fortunately, being onboard a ship is one of the safest places to be during a storm, as we can sail out to sea and navigate around inclement weather. Plus, our ships have the latest technology, satellites, communication equipment, along with a team of experts who closely monitor the weather. Below, please find our new itinerary.

1 hour ago, little britain said:

There are strange rumours on the Zuckerberg site that we are extending the cruise by 4 days and not back till Friday 😬

Has anyone on the 11/5 TA heard anything? 

we are booked on the 11/5 and just spoke with RCCL diamond + help line. They have confirmed the ship is delayed due to weather. They have told me that we will now sail on Nov 8th and there will be changes to the itinerary in the caribbean but we will still arrive in Miami on Nov 19th. Everyone booked with RCCL will receive an email within the next 1 - 2 hour outlining the changes.

I take my crochet needles with me on every cruise and I have never had any problems.  I even take them on the flight and again have never had any issues.

I have sailed over 17 cruises with Royal and I have never had a problem with the special needs department.  I always email the special needs form about 90 days before we sail to request shower seat and extension cord for charging my chair.  They have always been in the cabin or arrived shortly after we arrived.  Wheelchair assistance at the port has always been arranged and if we have flights booked with Royal then they sort out assistance at the airport as well.

As a wheelchair user who likes to cruise, I can tell some horror stories about people and elevators.  I have had people climb over my legs to get into the elevator before me. I have had drinks poured down my back and food spilled over me. Coming back from a day ashore I had a lady hang her shopping and beach bag from the handles of my chair! Just to give her hands a rest until we get to her deck!!! a man from Texas announce "there should be separate elevators for your sort of people"  I have seen and heard it all. My family have done the stairs and then had to come look for me as 20 minutes later I am still waiting to get into the elevator to join them... Yes there are rude disabled people I have met them too.. but there are also some very helpful people who will hold doors and stop people from jumping infront of me so I can take my turn at going up or down in the elevator..