emeraldcity

I've been giving the server a dollar for the drinks that are loaded on my card, but is that enough? 

Mainly, I'm confused about whether servers receive any compensation for those D and D+ drinks. If they don't and it's a $10 drink, then my dollar is only a 10% tip and I need to up my game.

And I'm sure this topic has been covered, but I tried several searches, and apparently my searching skills are deficient.

3 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

I suspect it's because a significant portion of overall revenue comes from onboard spending.  They are enticing two guests to book so they have one more wallet or purse on board to spend money.  The lower cruise fare, they hope, will be offset by the spend on board. 

 

Two guests also pay two daily service charges so that also helps with overall crew compensation.   Solo guests pay one daily service fee.  

OK. That makes sense. In my case, I tend to tip the cabin steward extra because I don't want him/her to feel like they got shafted by having only one person in the cabin.

23 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Sometimes when you put in 2 passengers it is pricing a guarantee cabin and then for some reason if you put in 1 person you can not book a guarantee.

OK. You're right. It was a guarantee for the couple but not the solo. That's a strange policy. I wonder what's the reason behind it.

In any event, I clearly want to book as a solo because I've just hit the magic 340+ points, so I should be able to qualify for the solo supplement reduction. Not sure how I go about getting that discount. Do you have to book with a phone rep?

I've been watching pricing on January cruises for Anthem. And the situation hasn't changed in months. When I run a mock booking for a given cabin with 2 people in it, the final price is nearly $200 less than if I back up and run the numbers again for one guest. I'm getting $2551 for a solo and $2375 for a couple in a balcony. I was prepared to pay for double occupancy plus one charge for taxes and port fees ... but that's not what's coming back.

Whoa! Given the big upcharge I had to pay for that accessible cabin when I was still wheelchair-bound a few weeks before my May cruise, I can't see people plunking down that kind of cash unless they are getting a suite with suite perks. Granted, the only one available was the "spacious" oceanview, but I've paid far less for a junior suite and at least got double points with it.

Thanks for the info ... I was told last night that price adjustments are no longer made (as of May). So it's back to the method of calling back to get someone who will give me the answer I want.

Until things settle down, I'm sticking with booking with Air2Sea. When a cruise gets cancelled, there's no hassle getting your flight money refunded (instead of airline flight credits). And when I had to return home early because of an accident, they were awesome on getting my return flight changed without cost. 

But one of the best things going right now is that you can book your flights and lock in a price ... then, until final payment you can call periodically and check pricing. If it drops, they will lower the price. They will also check to see if they can get better flight arrangements for the same price. I've gotten several price drops and reschedulings. And several of the price drops were significant.

I'm still recovering from a bad fall that happened in February. As May 21st approached it was clear the cruise was not going to be business as usual. I ended up switching to an accessible cabin and renting a 3-wheeled scooter to get around the ship. Those two things saved my vacation.

I am so grateful for everyone who held a door for me or assisted me in reaching something in the Windjammer. People even helped me move chairs in the Windjammer to get reasonably close to a table.

This trip had been two years in the planning, since it was my gift to my Granddaughters for their high school graduation. This turned out being one of the best cruises I have ever taken. 

I finally decided to try to set up a new account, using my original email address and the original password and that worked. WAY too much stress. But I have my negative results in hand now, so all is good.

Thanks for the support. Hope this helps anyone else who is struggling to get logged in.

Both my daughter and I have tried to log into the emed site for the BinaxNOW monitored test. It tells me my password is wrong and then it won't send an email to reset. Is anyone else having any luck today?

Thank you. Email sent.

I've tried several searches, and I've not hit on a great search string. I know there's an email address to which you can send special requests regarding dining table assignments. Can someone provide that to me?

Thank you in advance.

7 hours ago, brillohead said:

You did rent a scooter, right???  

I haven't rented it yet, but it's on my to-do list.

I spent much of yesterday researching and choosing a hotel with airport shuttle and accessible room ... and then getting the flights for the two different airlines pulled into my accounts, upgrading to aisle seats close to the front of coach and sending requests to each airline for transport and boarding assistance.

Then of course, I got the fun of doing my on-line check-in for the cruise ... that's always a milestone.

I didn't do any of that preplanning before, because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to take that trip.

10 hours ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Here’s Allure sorry no Symphony

 

Thank you ... I expect they will be similar.

2 minutes ago, kokopelli-az said:

There should be an instruction manual in the pocket behind the seat back.   

If there's an issue with the scooter, you can also go to customer service and they can put a call into the rental company for assistance.  

If you've never used a scooter you might go to a mobility store near you and try out a couple of scooters.   They are pretty easy.    In all the years we've rented scooters for a cruise, we've never had any problems with any of them.   Except on one occasion when the scooter was making some noise.  We went to customer service and they just gave us another scooter they had on board that was actually owned by the rental company.   So on some ships there are apparently spare rental scooters kept on board.   

Thank you for taking the time with such a detailed reply. It makes me feel comfortable that this is going to work out.

It's not the cruise I had planned on, but I intend to make it a very memorable one, regardless.

If the scooter is left in your cabin, then does it come with an instruction sheet so you know how to properly care for it (i.e., charging periods, troubleshooting guide, etc.)?

36 minutes ago, Tee & Chilli said:

@emeraldcitywhat ship are you sailing? I may have accessible cabin pictures.

Symphony

1 hour ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

 

What a stroke of good fortune that there was one available!  Have a great time with your granddaughters!

Thank you.

Personally, I suspect someone had to cancel. If that is the case, I wish them all the best in whatever issues they are facing.

A stripped-down version of the Tutti Salad Bar was available in the WJ and Cafe in Central Park on the Allure.

1 minute ago, Jimbo said:

Still sounds to me like 6 to 12 months from now taking this cruise would be a better option............In less you are someone in shape like Tiger Woods.

Next up is the Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen in September ... there is no way I'm missing that one. I intend to be walking with nothing more than possibly a cane for assistance by then. 

On 4/12/2022 at 8:14 PM, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

I'm sure it depends on the ship and possibly other factors, but on my most recent cruise (Odyssey balcony cabin), there is absolutely no way that my walker would have fit into the bathroom. Not just because it wouldn't fit through the door, but also a question of square footage. For me it wasn't a problem because I only need the walker in limited circumstances, but based on what you describe, I wouldn't recommend it.  An accessible room would probably be a much more comfortable and stress-free experience. 🙂 

I came to the same conclusion overnight. Yes, an accessible room is going to cost me more, but I looked into shifting to a different cruise sometime in either June or July (with the hope I'd be more mobile by then) and the cost skyrocketed for that option. So it just makes the most sense to bite the bullet, pay the extra now for this cruise and move forward with a situation that I am now convinced will result in a successful cruise for me and my two granddaughters.

I'm just happy there was one accessible balcony room left.

On 4/12/2022 at 4:22 PM, tallnthensome said:

Disabled cruisers forum 

Thank you for the suggestion. I didn't realize there was such a forum. Frankly, I've been balking about putting the label "disabled" on myself, but I suppose it's accurate -- at least temporarily.

I checked it out and there was a lot of information that helped me make the decisions I need to make in order to take this cruise and enjoy myself.

23 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Contact special needs and ask for a shower stool or chair if you have trouble standing in shower.

I'm sorry but I don't have their email address.

I'm not sure maneuvering a walker will be possible in standard bathrooms in cabin.   

Also suggest you email rcldining and ask for a table near entrance to avoid having to walk to the whole other end of MDR and maneuver dining tables can be a challenge.

Are you the person that broke both ankles in FL crossing a street before a cruise?   That sounded so painful!!

You have a very good memory. Yes, I'm the person who had to cancel my Odyssey cruise due to a fall.

I appreciate the suggestion to ask for a table near the dining room entrance. I didn't think of that.

And Yes, I have had to admit that it's unlikely the standard balcony would work out. I called RCI this morning and they had one accessible balcony cabin left, so I transferred my booking to it.

I am 39 days away from a cruise and looking at final payment shortly. I broke both ankles two months ago and am currently still non-weight-bearing on the left for another 3 weeks. I'm making fair progress with the right, but using the walker now means I only make a few inches each time until I can swing forward to stand on the good leg and advance it again. I'm hoping once I get a go-ahead on more weight on the left, that will improve. In any event, I need to know how realistic it is to plan on negotiating the cabin in a walker. Is the bathroom door wide enough to get through it? 

8 hours ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Wishing you a healthy recovery.

Thank you.