livingonthebeach

⁉️ 3 night Freedom out of Miami is over $1000 for an interior. By contrast the 5 night Grandeur out of Galveston for an interior is $366. Freedom is a bit newer than Grandeur but it's not Quantum or Oasis classes and it's also two nights less. What gives ⁉️

Allure, Liberty and Mariner have changes in their itineraries so far.

Lots of cruise ships in the area (red is Carnival and green Royal). Hope everyone stays safe.

Good luck to you. The point of entry now is north of Clearwater very close to the Tampa Bay area then making its way toward Central and Northern Florida.

Orlando mayor is saying they are going to take a hit from a Category 1 hurricane by the time Ian gets there and will hit directly like Charley unless it takes a turn elsewhere but the odds are showing a direct hit to the Orlando area. Flights will more than likely be affected there.

Which dates are you booked for? I'm on the Nov 13 out of Miami and was told all the balconies are unavailable on Grandeur.

Miami is out of the cone of danger - you'll be fine. Safe travels ✈️

When was that? There"s a lot of controversy going on right now.

Not always - even if you call ahead your CC can be declined while away and in a different country. It has happened to me and to friends a few times. The CC companies now tell you there's no need to call ahead to inform them you will be using their CC in a different country but whether you call or not, the outcome differs.

Is it à propos here to say "whatever floats your boat"? 😄

Have you noticed that that URL is redirected?

Labadee is a bit sheltered from the rest of Haiti -- nothing to do with the "real" Haiti but RCI will certainly not port there if it is unsafe for its passengers.

🔝 This

Yes, other cruise lines are porting there -- but you're correct RCI hasn't yet since the referendum -- keeping my fingers crossed 🤞

The lack of excursions could simply be RCI is in negotiations with vendors, an IT issue or a change of port. It's not common not to be able to choose shore excursions 57 days out.

I'll be on the Nov 13 Grandeur sailing. Grandeur is on the KW port schedule for Nov 14 however there are no excursions available through the cruise planner -- this is concerning as there are many scheduled for Labadee. My thought is that there may be a substitution - maybe Nassau or CocoCay?

We're not all the same -- just like Canadians are not all the same, eh?

Yes, good point.

It was reported by our local news that a couple dining at Jamie's Italian was mistakenly charged $98,638.93. It was discovered when they tried to buy something at port and their Amex was declined. RCI reversed the charge but it still appeared on their card. Imagine if they only brought one card? I don't think this was their case but I'm always nervous about something like this happening so I always bring more than one card, especially when traveling far. I guess the take away here is always check your onboard account, don't use a debit card and bring more than one credit card. What a nightmare! https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/09/14/couple-charged-nearly-100000-for-dinner-onboard-cruise-from-fort-lauderdale/

Anyone know if you can substitute diet coke for coke in the Bacardi and coke package? Do you have to wait 'til you're onboard to exchange? There is no option for diet versions of soda with these packages.

For Grandeur I paid $37.99 for the cheese tray and red wine before the sale and $33.99 for the Champagne and strawberries (on sale). For Odyssey I got the sale price for both: $29.99 for the cheese tray and red wine and $33.99 for the bubbly and strawberries.

Thanks - I see it now.

Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely try this.

I guess each ship is different. On Freedom we only had 6 participants so it was easy to seat us all together and serve us all at the same time - this helps out the wait staff. They did ask for our seating preference though, so if you prefer your own table they will accommodate you. The Sushi and Sake lunch sounds appetizing - I've been eyeing that for my future cruises. How was your experience? Do you recommend it?

My last one was on Freedom in Chops and it was a wonderful experience - food and wine as well as table companions were delightful!