Maverick61

On 12/6/2019 at 12:53 PM, SRF said:

 

It seems you have not had shingles or been close to someone who has.

 

It is NOT a short term deal.  And can give the person all sorts of issues that would make traveling ill advised.

Actually my mother has had shingles.  Still has an occasional outbreak.

But that is all irrelevant.

You did not comprehend what I wrote.  Here is what I said:

"That said, I am not sure the insurance company will buy someone saying they have shingles in early December as a reason to cancel a cruise in February. "

And that is 100% accurate.  It is early to cancel a cruise in February based on getting shingles in early December.  Now if the person still is or will be affected by this in February, that is a different story.  But you can't have an illness in early December and just assume you will not be able to travel in February.  That is simply not how it works.  There needs to be certainty.  I just don't see that with shingles.  Something else like a major operation that the doctor can certify needs 3 months of rehab, sure.  But not something like shingles which could resolve quickly or could last longer.  No reputable doctor can sign off with certainty in early December that the shingles will be ongoing in February.  And I will bet that is what the insurance company says.

The OP needed to wait til close to February and if the condition was still ongoing, then make the case to the insurance company.  But since they cancelled the cruise already, they may have screwed themselves

Have to look at the terms of your insurance contract.  They would define pre-existing condition there.

Typically pre-existing condition is one that you had at the time you booked the cruise and took insurance - so if the Shingles came after that, that would likely not be considered pre-existing.

That said, I am not sure the insurance company will buy someone saying they have shingles in early December as a reason to cancel a cruise in February.  The question is whether the medical condition will be resolved by the time of the cruise or not

On 12/3/2019 at 7:48 PM, Arzeena said:

I was also able to take advantage of one such agency offering:
Royal wanted my first born for a balcony. We researched a bit and found some online agencies who had very good group rates for some categories. Called them to inquire what was involved, was there a catch, etc etc. We booked with one our friends usually go with. Got the lower price and cyber "Tuesday" perks same as yours. Very few were offering this.

Yeah - sounds like the same agency 🙂  I forgot to mention, my great rate that I booked on Cyber Monday happened to be a group rate they had available - with a refundable deposit.  The rate was quite less than Royal or elsewhere on the same oceanview balcony

It does pay to look around to see what is out there and not just rely on RCCL's booking direct

I don't know - while Royal's direct sales this past weekend may not have been great, I was able to take advantage of a Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale at a large online agency and booked a new cruise on Harmony at a great rate with a host of perks included by the agency (free gratuities, OBC, free specialty meal) .  May not have been direct through RCCL but deals were out there

3 hours ago, Samanthac25 said:

I just want to say - This year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday "sales" in the Cruise Planner were beyond disappointing. I have two RCL cruises booked, one in April and one over Christmas 2020 and the prices in my Cruise planner didn't budge one dollar from where they have been over the last few months. It was very disappointing and leads me to believe they won't go down much (if at all) before sailing. The Deluxe Beverage Package has been listed at $61/day for months (and claims to be 20% off the onboard price). I've always gotten this package for $42-47/day previously.... Okay, I am done whining, I just had to vent about this for a minute 😑

 

I was able to book the soft drink package at $6.50 a day instead of $9.  That was a win !

17 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Like I said it goes to show what type of crowd RC is attracting. I would rather be judgemental than a slob any day.

I feel sorry for you having to go through life judging others.

1 hour ago, ReneeFLL said:

Some people just don't care if they look like slobs. For the pool that's fine, but for dinner on 'formal' night? I get it that some don't want to dress in formal attire, but short, flip flops and ball caps? Just goes to show what kind of crowd Royal is now attracting. 

 

. . . I'm not talking about the people that dress nice, I'm talking about the slobs.

I would much prefer to share a cruise with a "slob" versus someone who is judgemental and rude and worries what other wear or look like

They are a flat rate - was around $28 a year ago

35 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

I really don't think she meant anything rude about saying "make an effort". Remember, sometimes the written word can be taken in the wrong context. Anyway, just my thoughts.

You are wrong IMO.  Read her whole post.  The whole thing was judgemental and rude

4 hours ago, BytheC said:

What's wrong with dressing in your best attire? What happened to looking your best and feeling you best when you are with the one you love. If  your suit or tux is too tight, get it tailored. You will always look better dressed in good fitting, fine clothes. Make an effort. 

If dressing up is what you like, nothing wrong with it.  And if what you like is being laid back and casual and are more the shorts and polo kind of person, nothing wrong with that either.

Glad Royal has adopted this approach - people should enjoy their vacation as they prefer

Check Hotwire - MCO airport area only if you are ok with opaque pricing (if you know what you are doing you can pretty much figure out what hotel you may get for the bargain price)

For example - I paid $60 for the Fairfield Inn near MCO at the end of October (booked several months in advance)

You may have to look a few times til you find a bargain that pops up you like

I booked this for 2 people later this month - 

Direct:

$73.68  Fairfield Inn (Hotwire opaque pricing but you could figure out the choice) ($60 plus $13.68 tax)

$80 Cortrans Shuttle ($40 per person roundtrip)

$153.68 total

$190.13 Go Port price for Fairfield Inn - $169 plus $21.13 tax

Saved $36.45 booking myself and get to use the smaller shuttle from Cortrans I prefer vs the big GoPort busses

Added bonus - Fairfield Inn has free shuttle pickup from MCO, offers free breakfast and is in walking distance of the mini mart to but wine and soft drinks for the cruise

4 hours ago, brillohead said:

I'm sorry that the truth hurts your feelings, but the truth is that you are all of the things I mentioned:

• judgmental
• ill-informed 
• intolerant of the disabled

If you don't want me to point out the truth, maybe you shouldn't demonstrate those qualities quite so prominently in your posts here.  

Believe me, you were far from hurting my feelings.  I chuckle at foolish people like you who throw around insults and flex their keyboard muscles when someone has an idea or opinion they don't agree with.

As to the truth, the truth is you are the one being judgmental and intolerant of different ideas and opinions.  A normal person can respectfully disagree without tossing out silly insults like you did.

But go on, keep tossing out your insults if it makes you feel better.  It will simply give me another laugh

9 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Afraid I have to agree with Brillohead on this one.  What you say is your "opinion" is discriminatory to those disabled persons who are not blind, but who lead as normal a life as possible due to the service provided by their dog.  I guess that President Bush's dog Sully would be a "pet" in your eyes, since the President was not blind when he obtained Sully from the America's Vetdog organization.  Since the President was confined to a wheelchair, Sully performed many tasks for him (two pages of commands) like fetching things the President couldn't reach, answering the phone, and calling for help in an emergency.  Your discriminatory views towards the benefits of true service animals to those with disabilities beyond blindness does not belong in today's society.

Whatever.  I was just answering the question someone posed, what would you do.

People abuse this all the time so they can bring Fluffy on their trip.

You yourself have said national registries won't work 

My view is not discriminatory toward service animals.  It is simply an opinion of one way to solve the issue of too many people abusing the system and taking dogs on cruise ships to the detriment of others.

Sorry if a potential solution offends you - not my problem

10 hours ago, brillohead said:

Maybe we should ban all judgmental and ill-informed people from cruising instead?  I'd much rather cruise with a hundred true service animals than with someone who is so intolerant of the disabled, who have a hard enough time just doing "normal" things and are certainly entitled to the occasional vacation.

 

 

Good, can we start by banning you from cruising.    I'd much rather cruise with people who understand people have different opinions and don't insult others for an opinion different from their own.  I'd much rather cruise with people who don't try to force their views on others through uncalled for insults.

7 hours ago, time4u2go said:

What would you suggest?

I am sure some will find this harsh but ban them all unless the owner is legally blind.

I am really sick of seeing all these pets on planes, in stores, etc.

Not everyone is a pet lover.  

A dog doesn't belong on a cruise ship or in an airplane

On 9/12/2019 at 2:54 PM, nathanb2 said:

What other detail do you need to know that I haven't already provided?

Well, I included this in a lengthier, earlier response to you sharing my experience and approach

"Without knowing the medication or condition, all people here can do is speculate. "

Perhaps you are uncomfortable sharing this info which is fine.  But it also limits how people can give advice on the subject because again, they have to speculate not knowing all the details.

47 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I personally don’t agree. The fact that it says “your best” lets the wearer choose. Even though I have a Tux and many suits in my closet but I never pack them anymore. So, my best are the clothes I unpack in our cabin. It might also be what I haven’t worn yet or that is clean. 

I agree.  I hate dressing up, and ditched the suits long ago.  But I would always wear khakis and a polo shirt to dinner each night.  Shoot, now I may kick back even more and wear shorts.

It really doesn't bother me what others wear.  Be comfortable and do what you prefer - which is what RCL is basically now saying 

5 hours ago, nathanb2 said:

 

Worst case she can go without the injection for one week and/or plan the previous and next injections right before we leave and get back. Telling someone to not cruise because of this seems a little excessive.

Yes, if you are creative, you can plan the previous and next injections right before you leave and get back.

Even though I am fine self injecting once a week, that is what I will do on my trip just so I don't have to carry the auto-injector and the medicine (which needs refrigerated) in a small cooler with icepacks.

I normally inject on Sunday's anyway - our cruise is Sunday to Sunday - and we are flying in on Saturday.  So I will just inject Saturday before we leave to catch our flight and then the following Sunday evening when we get home.

Just plan it out in advance so if she has to adjust the day when she injects, she can adjust gradually several weeks ahead of time

6 hours ago, cruisebabe50 said:

Anyone have any news on Cococay?  We are doing a 3 day on the Navigator 9/13 and it is one of our stops.  I know they have put so much money and time into it and wonder what the damages are.  

Travel Weekly reports Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley said, "a preliminary team landed on the island late on Sept. 3 and that three teams with different specialties were there on Sept. 4. He said they estimated the winds from Hurricane Dorian reached the Category 2 or 3 levels of 96 to 129 miles an hour."

Damage to CocoCay was most significant on the north side of the island, near the dock that was recently added.  Hurricane Dorian's counter-clockwise winds had a tendency to steer the greatest amount of debris, while the south side of the island was relatively spared.

Up, Up and Away helium balloon will remain temporarily closed for an undisclosed amount of time. 

9 hours ago, korpo024 said:

There are a few people on the island I guess...and they also have mobiles?

No.  They were pics just from webcams

9 hours ago, graphicguy said:

So, been busy trying to get a flight home (I did).  Am home now.  Just got a phone call from NCL telling me my Sept 4th cruise was cancelled entirely and I would receive a full refund.  

 

I put my cancellation request into me TA yesterday instead of me hanging on the phone to NCL and getting put on hold for hours or hung up on.  They confirmed my cancellation last night.  We’ll see how long it takes for them to actually issue it. 

 

So, seems Breakaway is docking in NO. In all frankness, this brings about all sorts of problems....namely, how to get back to Miami or FLL (which is not going to be an easy task given how difficult it was for me to get a flight out of MIA yesterday).  God Bless those folks as that’s got to be a crazy scene right now.  God Bless the cruise Capt, management and crew.  NCL’s decisions have proven to be wrong at every turn.  Not that this one is wrong.  It was just the culmination of a lot of bad decisions by NCL, all mainly surrounding trying to go against common sense and trying to keep from losing a week’s worth of cruise income on the Breakaway (my cruise).

 

They should have errored on the side of safety and cancelled my Sept 1 cruise and worried about keeping the 8/25 cruise passengers safe.  If that meant taking an extra day or two in Cozumel, or docking in NO (which they’re doing now) and not worrying about my cruise, that’s what should have been of utmost importance.  Hurricanes are unpredictable.  Trying to predict when one will land, or how to embark or disembark one on a tight window just makes no sense.  I would have been disappointed if my cruise were canceled (which it was anyway), but I would have understood.  NCL had an opportunity to do this at least 98 hours ago, even 72 hours ago, and that at least would have saved those of us who were cruising 9/1 a chance to not go around marking 3, 4 o4 5 different changes to flights and hotels (which is what I had to do).

 

The largest issue, and this was critical, was the lack of creditable information coming from NCL.  I’ve railed about that enough here.  Suffice to say for a company that’s been doing this for a while this was tragic.  It seemed like upper management (let’s just say DelRio, as these are large decisions that had to come from him) was trying to hide info to keep the 9/1 cruise intact in the face of overwhelming negative odds of sailing.  The 2nd largest issue was the extremely poor decisions as mentioned above.  This is so monumental that the board really should take a look at removing him.  While I’m not litigious, this fiasco is going to generate them, and I can see a class action happening because of DelRio’s extremely poor decision making.

 

Some of this is opinion, some fact.  Yes, I sail in hurricane season and expect some changes to happen as a result.  I put my faith in the cruise lines (who have done this for years and have a lot of experience doing it) to make necessary adjustments due to storms.  These things happen.  Heck, I was on the Escape LISTING CRUISE last June.  Who could have predicted that?  So, the adage “you should know better than to sail in hurricane season?”  Really?  I fly when it’s raining all the time.  Matter of fact it’s probably 50-50 that I fly in dry, sunny weather.  Let’s not keep repeating this.  It makes no sense.  Mentioned above, I’ve had bad weather sailings in June, too.

 

What does this mean going forward.  NCL owes me my fare and all frees.  They need to restore the Cruise Next Certs I used on this cruise.  You’ll probably see them for sale on eBay shortly.

 

I’m a Latitudes Platinum Cruiser.  I’ve sailed with them a lot. I’m probably one of the more positive supporters of NCL here.  I love cruising.  I’m not looking for any compensation.  Just make me whole.  These bad decisions and lack of communication were totally NCL’s fault.

 

No, the hurricane was not NCL’s fault.  Nor, was it mine.  But, the extremely bad communications and decision making by DelRio IS NCL’s fault and will push me away from cruising NCL.  This is what truly exacerbated an already bad situation to make it a fiasco and disastrous.  NCL kept telling us that our safety was paramount.  Nice sentiments,  I don’t believe for a single second that’s true.  They were trying to keep from losing a week’s worth of revenue from one of their larges ships.  Safety was secondary.  If it weren’t for the Miami Port Authority forcing their hand, I have no doubt that NCL would still be trying to get me (us) aboard the Breakaway in some form or fashion, regardless of how bad the weather is.

 

Thanks to all of you here for listening (reading).  I’ve whined and posted.  Really got no more to say.  God Bless and keep those who are still on the Breakaway.  Glad you’re safe, although heading to a different port.  It doesn’t look like it now, but it’s good that The Port of Miami forced NCL’s hand and you’re docking at a safe port.  This is a monster storm, and will affect a large swath of the South East, regardless of if/where it hits.  You’re better off in NO.  Too bad NCL didn’t make that decision sooner.  Would have been much better for everyone.

 

TO NCL....I think this should be a reckoning for you as a company.  You’ve celebrated DelRio’s arrival.  Service and amenity cuts abounded.  We stuck with you.  Now, you’re faced with the fact that decisions made purely on profit and revenue projections can lead to the disaster you’re seeing now.  Blame Dorian all you want.  But, your culpability in all this is huge.

 

Don’t get me wrong.  Royal and Carnival have their warts, too. I’ve sailed both and have seen them first hand.

 

Maybe try Princess...haven’t sailed them yet.

 

 

Glad you are back home safe.

i have been mainly following the Royal board as my next cruise is on RCL in October.  My last two cruises were on NCL.  But sadly they have been going down hill.  So we booked our next one on RCL.  I have to say reading some threads here, NCL botched it big time.  RCL has been far superior in decision making and most importantly, communication.

I will keep that in mind next time I schedule a cruise

And you are right, unlike the other cruise lines that focused pn passenger safety and forgoe revenue, NCL tried to squeeze out every last buck by not cancelling your cruise or modifying it when they should have.  really really sad

7 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Also noticed this.  Wednesday doesn’t seem likely. 🤔

 

Whats another day among friends 🙂

9 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

Nope, fortunately wrong. Looks like wont take long before ships return...

thankfully yes,  I don't mind being wrong.  That said, still not sure it will be fully open next week, that still seems ambitious.  A lot of it is under a little water right now from the pics.  But should be a quicker clean up time if RCL can get the workers there (and that will be the biggest challenge since I assume most of the locals who work on Coca Cay live on one of the two islands that took the brunt and thus are dealing with their own issues

5 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Does anybody know whether they have a hurricane shelter on Coco Cay?  Where would they put all those chairs during this hurricane?  I would assume they take the balloon away also but where would they put it?

I am positive but hoping I am wrong, Coco Cay will have alot of damage from Hurricane Dorian, I am booked on October 14th on the Navigator and going to assume I won't be going to Coco Cay because of the damage?  Anybody know where they dock now in place of Coco Cay, any guesses?  I will be on the Harmony in January and I would assume she be all good by then.

 

Just wished we had some news about Coco Cay and this hurricane, but I realize its pounding the heck out of the Bahamas and nobody knows.  Wonder, if any workers stood on the island?  Disney kept their workers there and claim they have a hurricane shelter on the island there that withstands a Cat 5 hurricane, wonder if RC has one on Coco Cay?

The balloon is deflated and under weights