joepeka

14 minutes ago, kitkat343 said:

Cruisetimetables lets you search by port and will show all the ships in roatan

Quite true though in the case of NCL, MSC and Disney (referring to the OP's list), you can't know for sure which dock (Coxen Hole or Mahagony Bay) those ships will be at. Though as I mention, NCL usually shares with RCI.

Without knowing which cruise docks NCL, Disney and MSC normally use in Roatan and Coz, it's difficult to say where they will be on the days you're looking at. I'm "guessing" that NCL will often use the same docks as RCI and that Disney and MSC will use the same docks as Carnival - but that obviously can change from itinerary to itinerary. Regardless, four or five ships in Cozumel (even with the docks separated by about a quarter mile) is a heavy port load. Four ships in Roatan seems less problematic give the distance between the ports. I'm sure others here who have been to those ports on heavy cruise traffic days (we've only been to those ports on light days) can provide more first hand insight.

Are these all RCI ships? I ask because in Roatan and Cozumel, RCI and the Carnival family (Carnival, HAL, Princess, etc.) have separate docking areas. In fact, in Roatan, they are separated by several miles.

Maybe I've missed it but I haven't read anything to indicate these pax were not on a NCL sponsored excursion. Did I miss it?

Edit: There is a Fox News report that, per NCL, the pax left the ship on their own or used a private excursion provider. I did miss it.

We were looking at RCI sponsored zipline tours in Roatan, three had upper age limits (60, 60 and 75) and the other two had no upper age limits listed. Not sure why.

10 hours ago, Jetmama1 said:

I know the name of my muster station, just not the actual location. 

My apologies, I misunderstood your query. Just for grins, I googled muster stations for Harmony (our upcoming cruise) and found someone on Pinterest posted a photo from that ship of the muster locations. I did likewise for Quantum but came up empty. ☹️

When I launch the app, it opens on the Day 1 calendar with a "Welcome Aboard!" message. I swipe left on the screen and it takes me to more details about my sailing including the cabin number, guests and muster station.

27 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

Thank you are this bottles already in our cabin when we arrive or do we have to request them? I am Diamond member.

They should be in your cabin upon arrival. Suite guests also get some amount of comp'd water in the cabin.

27 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

It is not necessary. I never take it off the ship. Some people do. They think they will might miss the ship. St. Thomas is a US territory by the way.

Interestingly, the only time we've been required to take our passports into a Caribbean port was in San Juan - a U.S. territory. No explanation was given but pax were told that if they debarked in SJ to be sure and bring your passports because they would be checked before allowing you to re-board. Sure enough, security were checking both Set Sail cards and passports. Perhaps a one time situation, I don't know but at least we knew ahead of time.

2 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Yes, you don't need a Sign and Sail card to enter the shopping area of Puerta Maya.

Thank you.....  🙂

5 hours ago, Oviedo32765 said:

Google is your friend:

Yes, I looked at Google maps prior to posting but I did not know how old the image was and if there were security entrances at either port area restricting who can come or go.

Is the Pancho's in the Carnival cruise port area accessible on foot from the Royal Caribbean port area? I know it's close but don't know if there is walking access to it or if a taxi is required/recommended. TIA!

Glad you enjoyed the GS. We've always had a GS on RCI and got more than a little spoiled. That said, we have a JS booked on Harmony and recently did likewise - put in a minimum bid for upgrade from JS to GS - I doubt it will be accepted but like the local state lottery people used to say in their slogan: you can't win if you don't play.

21 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

There is nothing inherently dangerous about using a non-surge protected power strip, or extension cord on a ship, it is just RCI's rule for passengers.  RCI can control crew, they have a much harder time controlling passengers, so they are more restrictive to passengers.  Also, crew use company approved, and inspected equipment.  Moreover, crew typically use a 220v power strip, which is designed for European use, and has a circuit breaker that interrupts both legs of the power, whereas US power strips only interrupt the "hot" leg, and in a shipboard application, this can lead to continued power to the power strip through the "neutral" leg.  This danger, from US consumer power strips when used on a ship, can be why RCI does not want any power strips to be used by passengers.

Chief: a question for you. Since some people may be concerned about their electronics being fried while on board, are power surges really very common at all on cruise ships? I would think that in a closed, controlled environment like a ship, surges would really be rare compared to at home or business where the electricity is coming from a large power company. Just curious.

24 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

We were on the Harmony out of Galveston 3 weeks ago, Uber dropped us off at 10:20 and they were already allowing passengers to enter the terminal.  We were quickly through security and sat in the lounge for maybe 10 minutes before they allowed passengers to board.   We were on the Royal Promenade by 10:45 making dinner reservations, it was quick.

Just curious: what arrival time had you picked when you did online check-in? Or were you in a suite/etc. and it didn't matter when you arrived at the terminal?

32 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Found it.  June 2023 on Oasis of the Seas.

I had to blow up the photo but yeah, I can see a typical power strip inside the glass. Muy malo.....

20 minutes ago, DennysDad said:

You are lucky. My App (Same sailing) Says March 19th, but website says March 20th. So going to check at midnight both.

I noticed the same one day discrepancy on check-in date between the app and the web site (the app was one day earlier) for several weeks but just recently, they synched up to the same date (the one the web site had been showing all along). As mentioned, I would go with the earlier date and see what happens.

If the bookings are linked, cannot one person do the arrival time selection for everyone in all the bookings? 

I've been watching the internet pricing for our Harmony cruise this summer and it's bounced between $21.99 and $23.99 mostly (sometimes higher) - currently $23.99. I think the next time it hits $21.99, I'll probably purchase since I've not seen it any lower than that.

On top of the curious International Date Line references, that's not Symphony in the photo but rather looks like a Freedom class (can't tell which, the photo is too blurry).

Our upcoming Harmony cruise, we have early dining selected - our confirmation from RCI says 5PM, the app says 5:30 in one spot and 5:15-5:30 in another. I guess just show up sometime between 5PM and 5:30PM and we're good.

58 minutes ago, J80crew said:

Thanks.  I would have assumed that if not for the others who were able to do it. Maybe a fluke?  In any case, I’ll check it out later. 

We're on Harmony the week after you and I see the same thing for entertainment on the web site - check back later. As to the app, I don't see any option for entertainment reservations. But I wasn't expecting anything different until I saw your post above about others being able to reserve now.

2 hours ago, Den7Cruiser said:

Wondering if guys are all on iPhones?  I think our apps vary slightly because I don't have an option to Browse Our Ships.  The closest I come is "Cruises" and it takes me to a page where I can purchase my next cruise lol.

 

It's moot now that you've found the menus (congrats!), but I'm on Android so it appears the RCI app is a bit different between the platforms.

23 hours ago, Den7Cruiser said:

Remind me, where do I go in the app to find the daily dinner menus for the main dining room?  I thought you went to "Dining:" at the bottom of the app, selected "Main Dining" and then a main dining room and you'd be able to pull it up but mine doesn't show anything in there.  Cruise leaves in two weeks so it's not that far out!

That's interesting - our cruise isn't for three months yet I can see the menus for all three MDR's, all seven days of the cruise using the steps you mention above. I didn't have to select a specific cruise since we only have one booked at the moment.

1 hour ago, SG65CB said:

Another option is to purchase regular travel insurance that has the medical coverage you want, but don't insure the entire cost of the trip. This reduces the cost of the policy but does not reduce the medical care and evacuation coverage limits.

 

For example I buy a policy but instead of insuring the trip for the actual cost of $4,000 I will insure it for $500. The insurance costs a lot less and the medical coverage is exactly the same. The only thing you lose is the reimbursement if you have to cancel your trip. I would insure for $1 but the cost for this policy is the same for $1 to $500 of coverage (and the same for $501 to $1,000, etc.)

 

Edited to add: Since you are not covering the cost of the cruise for cancelation reasons you can wait to buy the policy until a few days before you leave. 

 

 

This is really a good option and something I had not previously considered for myself and DW, since medical and evacuation are our primary concern, like the OP. Thank you!