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Yes. Drink packages work on GSC.

I believe you're right. NCL has already collected their cruise fares for two people. They are not going to charge the first passenger an additional suppliment because the 2nd one no showed with no refund possible.

 

If the 2nd person wants any sort of refund, then they must cancel within the timeframe set up in the cancellation policy. If that happens, then the first person will likely be subject to a suppliment. So if the OP is thinking they can book a dummy person and then cancel and get a refund of taxes and port charges in order to save $ over booking just themselves and being charged a suppliment, that is not going to work.

The only money I would expect to get back in these circumstances is the port fees. I would expect 100% of the second person's fare to be forfeited.

Very helpful everyone - thanks.

Now let's see if NCL can woo me into going on fewer RCI cruises. :cool:

Background: I'm a frequent cruiser but have yet to try NCL. That may change in March. Before I book, I have some questions. (As a once-frequent visitor of CC I feel the need to post this: please only respond if you know the answer. That would be helpful.)

I'm planning a group trip on a 3-night Epic cruise in March.

* If I book 2 people in a room can I change one of the 2 guests at a later date?

* Follow-up to the last question - if "yes", can I also book one guest as "TBD" and fill in a name later?

* If I book 2 people in a room can I arrive with only 1 and expect that the second person's port fees would be refunded?

Thanks in advance for the assistance!

Greetings, fellow cruisers.

I'd really like to book a spa appointment for my wife on our upcoming cruise and present it to her as a gift before we're on the ship. But I know that Royal Caribbean has a 20% off discount available to Diamond members.

Has anyone attempted to receive the discount as a credit while onboard against a spa service that you prebooked/prepaid for online?

Thanks in advance, and happy cruising.

I just called Royal Caribbean and was told that all of the ships have the soda machines. I am very confused now. I did ask specifically about the Liberty and was told yes they do have the machines.

 

I have asked someone who just got off the ship last week and am waiting for a response.

I was on the ship as recently as 6 weeks ago. It did NOT have the Freestyle machines.

Calling the Royal Caribbean number to ask them something about one of their ships is about as useful as dialing a random phone number and asking whomever answers the same question.

The kids programming (Adventure Ocean) is excellent. For a reunion of people across multiple generations I couldn't think of a better ship that the Oasis class. Something for everyone.

Some of the production shows are family-friendly. It really depends. You probably wouldn't want to take a 3-year-old to a Broadway show on land so you probably wouldn't want to take them to a Broadway show on the ship either.

Adventure Ocean is divided up into three age groups:

3-5

6-8

9-11

Adventure Ocean always takes them to lunch on port days. It's a given on every ship.

To summarize.. only the first two people get the UBP, the others will receive the soda card.... this extends all the way up to and including suites and Haven cabins as well...

Excellent - thanks to you both for the quick response!

Hello, NCL cruisers. If NCL is anything like Royal Caribbean then this forum is probably better at answering questions than calling their 800#. So here I am.

I'm considering booking a 4-person oceanview cabin on a Bermuda cruise in June that is eligible for the "free ultimate beverage package". Nowhere in the booking does it state that the package is only available for the first 2 passengers. Does that mean that all 4 of us will receive it?

Thanks in advance for anyone who can answer definitively!

It is a pic of the ship only. At least on Celebrity. Oh Boy!!

On Royal it's any picture that was taken during your cruise.

So as it stands now anyone searching for policies can easily and quickly find two conflicting policies on the RCI site, with no clarification that one is more "correct" than another, and as evidence by posters here some ships allow children, others do not.

 

It is disappointing that the policy isn't clarified by the company and instead seems to be left to the discretion of concierges and can change from ship to ship, week to week, etc. I generally do research and like to know what to expect. The way this is handled is not objective enough in my opinion.

Welcome to Royal Caribbean! Where rules are suggestions and suggestions are ignored.

Not sure how those comments relate to use of the Diamond Lounge though. :confused:

I've been Diamond for a while and I don't use the lounge any more. Too many poorly-behaved children AND adults in my humble opinion. If I wanted to watch a lot of boorish behavior I'd book myself on Carnival more often.

Yet another reason why I buy the unlimited drinks package - if I'm at a bar and someone has annoying kids I'll just leave and go to another bar! :)

Can anyone do a search on March 2015 cruises? I can't. It keeps resetting the date to April. It is literally impossible for me to find a cruise that sails this month.

Magically, it just started working for me. For now...... :rolleyes:

Can anyone do a search on March 2015 cruises? I can't. It keeps resetting the date to April. It is literally impossible for me to find a cruise that sails this month.

No hats and no shorts in the dining room. That's the rule. Everything else is a suggestion.

Although the "no shorts" thing is a rule I've seen quite a few people wearing shorts in the dining room - usually children, sometimes adults. The only time I've seen anyone turned away was a gentleman that was wearing a baseball cap. They asked him politely to remove it, he politely declined and then immediately left (assuming for the Windjammer).

I'll come back to this thread tomorrow with some popcorn. :)

Definitely no limit on RC. I have been on multiple "guys cruises" with my friends and I'm certain of that.

On those cruises I have seen the following, however:

• Cut off by a specific bartender due to giving drinks to someone without an alcohol pass
  
• Cut off by a specific bartender due to safety concerns
  
• Cut off by a specific bartender and security (or Guest Services?) was asked to deny alcohol against their card the rest of the night
  

In all 3 incidents the staff handled themselves professionally and our group had no complaint regarding their action. I truly believe that they want everyone to have a good time, right up until the point where you might hurt yourself or someone else. :)

Adventure Ocean

I have 3 kids, now 9, 11 and 12 and have cruised with them multiple times over the years.

Your kids will be in two different age groups for Adventure Ocean. But there are a lot of activities where they mix the 6-8 and the 9-11 classrooms together to make one big group of kids. So, while they're technically separate there will be a lot of activities where both of your children are participating together.

Agree with the previous poster - your kids will both make immediate friends their own age. There's only one person that will worry about them not being together - their mother. :)

Children's Menu

I don't have a menu handy but it's the same menu every night and is typical of a children's menu from a land-based restaurant. Slice of pizza, hamburger, chicken nuggets, etc. They can order off of the adult menu any time they like.

Excursions

Seconding Mr. Sancho's - my kids really liked that place. You can just get off the ship and take a taxi there. There are a lot of other private beaches which I'm sure are just as good but I haven't personally been to any of them. As for Belize - I would recommend a snorkeling trip that includes stingrays/sharks and a visit to Caye Caulker.

Post #2 was correct, with some additional assistance from Post #3. Congrats to both of you.

I'm imagining everyone insisting that 18 isn't an adult is a helicopter parent. I would know because I'm a college professor. I'm tired of arguing with parents. (I'm legally not allowed to discuss anything about your son/daughter with you. Yes, I understand that you pay the bills. Yes, I understand that they still live with you. Yes, I understand that the came home from my class in tears the other day. I STILL can't discuss anything with you.) :D

I think you should reconsider and book an extra cabin, or look for one for free on board.

Sorry, Lynn. There were only 30 free cabins on their cruise and I've booked them all for myself.

Take advantage of the shower and towel facilities in the fitness center locker rooms. It may take a little more time, but will significantly ease the pressure on your cabin bathroom.

I came to this thread to give the exact same advice. The showers in the fitness center are significantly larger than what is in the stateroom. There are 4 or 5 of them. Plenty of elbow room and plenty of extra towels.

My youngest (now 9) loves Adventure Ocean. If it were up to him he'd spend every minute of every day in it.

My oldest (now 12) never really cared for it.

Agree with the other posters - have her go the first day for a couple of hours and try it out. If it's not for her, it's not for her.

One of the posters mentioned dining. They have this thing called "Adventure Dining" that you can sign them up for. Basically, she will get her full kid's meal when you get your appetizers. When she's finished eating you take her over to the Adventure Dining staff at the entrance to the dining room and they escort the kids upstairs. Works out for everyone. You get to have a family meal, plus you and your husband get to enjoy some dining time at a leisurely pace as well.

Does anyone know what deck they use to get off the ship when they are in port? Will be sailing in May on a 9 day to Bermuda and the Caribbean..:confused:

You get off the ship on Deck 1. If there are a lot of people trying to disembark at once they will sometimes send you to Deck 2 and have you wait in line on one of the stairwells. (Exception for disabled people, of course.)

I read this whole thread and have reached the conclusion that I will continue buying the Premium Drink package so I don't have to mess around with any of this. :)

We've noticed slow beverage service in the dining room and as other have noted, no Sommelier. It is a good idea to bring beverages in as it can take a while to get a drink, especially the first night or two.

Agreed. I think part of the change has been the all-inclusive alcohol packages. Since they came out we haven't ordered a bottle of wine - we order by the glass.