RCI secrets they don't tell you

[marquisite]

Well, my brand new (still in packaging) power board was removed from my carryon luggage on my February cruising of Radiance from Sydney. I had to go pick it up at the end of the cruise. My mum on the other hand had her power board (exact same brand, still in packaging) in her checked luggage and it was delivered to her room fine. I guess you can't really generalise from only your own personal experience. :)

 

Well there goes my theory! Maybe it is only a recent clamp down on powerboards, then. Rhapsody does appear to have more frequent 'I got my powerboard confiscated' CC posts than Radiance & Voyager.

 

Powerboard and powerstrip mean the same thing. Aluminium vs Aluminum! *ducks* Powerboards/strips have multiple outlets (4 is the most common in Australia) running off of one plug. The more expensive ones might have surge arrestors in them and/or individual switches and/or various power saving features but I wouldn't be taking that type of one on a ship :p.

Edited March 20, 2014 by marquisite

[Anthony63]

Power board power strip I find that for me I can normally tell what a word is by the context that it is used. Ie pants... he took his trousers off then his pants. Well frankly I would not think he had two pair of pants on so the second must be underware. But that is just me.

[Kimnjimnkids]

We just brought a basic extension cord from the Dollar Store ( has three outlets at the end) and also we brought a three-outlet plug-in that they sell at Walmart or HomeDepot. We had no problems. The room had only ONE outlet (that allowed for three electrical items)...I'm SO GLAD we brought our own extras. If you pack a hair dryer or flat iron or something with a cord, just wrap the extension cord around that item and the X-ray scanner will not alert anything out of the ordinary. Of course for everyone's safety, be sure that your extension cord is fairly new (as to ensure it is approved by current safety standards) so there's no fire risk.

 

 

Royal~FreedomOfTheSeas 2014

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[runner2013]

Breakfast and lunch in the MDR - better food and calmer than the Windjammer. Sauna, steamroom, showers, and tons of towels in the fitness center locker rooms.

 

Pretty much everything is out there somewhere on a deck plan or buried in the Compass Activities, but it takes time to sort it out - music venues and times, Quest, Ice skating shows, etc.

Can you take the towels from the fitness center and use them by the pool??

[138east]

Can you take the towels from the fitness center and use them by the pool??

 

i have done this. But it may no longer be necessary depending on the ship. Checking out towels is apparently gone on most ships. The fitness center towels used to be the pool towels.

[DrD]

This is important to do on the ship. My kids did not have signing privileges and at check in she even asked as it was on the paperwork and I told her they could charge absolutely nothing. Well when we got our bill there were charges not by our teens but my youngest and my niece that we had with us over $50 each in the arcade. Turns out you have to disable the card once on board, they could not put anything on our credit card but that doesn't mean that they can't charge to the cabin. There also was Ben & Jerry's charges on it. I paid for the Ice cream but refused to pay for the video games. We were then told spending limits or disabling the sea pass card has to be done on board and can't be done at check in regardless of what your sign & sail paperwork say.

 

Or you can just tell your kids not to buy anything without permission. Works for me. Although they're not teenagers yet so maybe I'll have to eat crow in a few years. Anyway even if they did they'd just have to pay me back from allowance so I don't worry about it.

Edited March 20, 2014 by DrD

[LetsGetWet!]

Or you can just tell your kids not to buy anything without permission. Works for me. Although they're not teenagers yet so maybe I'll have to eat crow in a few years. Anyway even if they did they'd just have to pay me back from allowance so I don't worry about it.

 

I had thought exactly the same thing, actually. Glad you said it though... :D

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 via Tapatalk

[DrD]

I had thought exactly the same thing, actually. Glad you said it though... :D

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 via Tapatalk

 

Yep, I'll probably get flamed for giving parenting advice, but won't be the first time. Or the last.

[Ourusualbeach]

Yep, I'll probably get flamed for giving parenting advice, but won't be the first time. Or the last.

 

If parents actually parented instead of relying on others to do it for them then there would be no need for the advice. Sadly I think those days are gone.

[rum & monkey]

Or you can just tell your kids not to buy anything without permission. Works for me. Although they're not teenagers yet so maybe I'll have to eat crow in a few years. Anyway even if they did they'd just have to pay me back from allowance so I don't worry about it.

 

Wasn't the teens but the two 11 year olds. Arcade is right outside the kids club and they were watching and it was a staff member that told them they could play the games. They told him that they could not charge anything and he told them that all cards could be used in the arcade they just have a limit on them and they just won't be able to play after they hit their limit.

 

Guess what, no limit if you don't put one on it onboard and they had no idea that it was charging to the room. They thought it was a credit similar to the coupons that you use with your card. We didn't have a talk with any of the kids because we had no idea they could use the cards onboard to charge anything since they did not have permission on the set sail form. I only mentioned it so another might not be onboard thinking their kids cannot charge to the room if they do not give permission on the set sail.

[spyke5]

They always have large beach towels by the pools.

 

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[mets550]

i have done this. But it may no longer be necessary depending on the ship. Checking out towels is apparently gone on most ships. The fitness center towels used to be the pool towels.

 

We did not have to "check out" towels on Enchantment last month.

[DrD]

Wasn't the teens but the two 11 year olds. Arcade is right outside the kids club and they were watching and it was a staff member that told them they could play the games. They told him that they could not charge anything and he told them that all cards could be used in the arcade they just have a limit on them and they just won't be able to play after they hit their limit.

 

Guess what, no limit if you don't put one on it onboard and they had no idea that it was charging to the room. They thought it was a credit similar to the coupons that you use with your card. We didn't have a talk with any of the kids because we had no idea they could use the cards onboard to charge anything since they did not have permission on the set sail form. I only mentioned it so another might not be onboard thinking their kids cannot charge to the room if they do not give permission on the set sail.

 

Thanks that's good to know.

 

And thanks for being cool about it all.

[madelk]

We did not have to "check out" towels on Enchantment last month.

 

Radiance was still checking out pool towels on the seapass cards in December....

[MrsPete]

Why would you go to all this trouble when all you need is your ship's ID to come and go from the ship?[/if unexpected things happen its hard to get to your next port with just a ship's ID]

1. Since missing the ship is about 99.9% avoidable, I'm not overly concerned about the need to find my own way to the next port.

2. If you were foolish enough to miss the ship, the items you mentioned would not help you get to the next port. A notarized seal on a color copy isn't going to get you on a plane or a boat.

Or you can just tell your kids not to buy anything without permission. Works for me. Although they're not teenagers yet so maybe I'll have to eat crow in a few years. Anyway even if they did they'd just have to pay me back from allowance so I don't worry about it.

I have teens, and they still listen to me, so don't assume you'll have to eat that crow! Edited March 21, 2014 by MrsPete

[DEwinegrower]

1. Since missing the ship is about 99.9% avoidable, I'm not overly concerned about the need to find my own way to the next port.

2. If you were foolish enough to miss the ship, the items you mentioned would not help you get to the next port. A notarized seal on a color copy isn't going to get you on a plane or a boat.

I have teens, and they still listen to me, so don't assume you'll have to eat that crow![

 

MrsPete you are missing the point, but then again you go ahead and believe what you want, as I can see no one can enlighten you as to the importance of at least bringing a copy of your passport with you when you leave the ship. I thought this was a great piece of advice and that is what this board is all about.

99.9% avoidable....I think not! What if one of your traveling companions has an accident...heart attack/breaks leg/car accident or other such issue. If you only have a sea pass you are out of luck! Should you have a credit card, sea pass, and copy of passport, you can go to the US embassy and get cleared to leave the foreign country. But if you prefer to be known by the locals as "Big fatty face" then go ahead and lock that passport in you safe.]

[DrD]

.....as to the importance of at least bringing a copy of your passport with you when you leave the ship. I thought this was a great piece of advice and that is what this board is all about.

 

 

I think that's good advice but I can go one better. I scan my copies in and put in dropbox, then all I need is an internet cafe and printer and I can get copy. That's easier I think than remembering to bring a paper copy. Plus even if the whole ship sinks I don't lose my copies. I also scan in cc, DL, med insurance cards, etc.

 

I can even charge stuff since I have cc number and have memorized security code (I don't scan in the back of the cc.)

 

And best of all dropbox is free.

Edited March 21, 2014 by DrD

[caseythegr]

Wasn't the teens but the two 11 year olds. Arcade is right outside the kids club and they were watching and it was a staff member that told them they could play the games. They told him that they could not charge anything and he told them that all cards could be used in the arcade they just have a limit on them and they just won't be able to play after they hit their limit.

 

Guess what, no limit if you don't put one on it onboard and they had no idea that it was charging to the room. They thought it was a credit similar to the coupons that you use with your card. We didn't have a talk with any of the kids because we had no idea they could use the cards onboard to charge anything since they did not have permission on the set sail form. I only mentioned it so another might not be onboard thinking their kids cannot charge to the room if they do not give permission on the set sail.

 

I did not know this. Thank you!

[Sat1]

Are there any secrets, freebies, secret doors, great sail away spots etc that most people don't know about or that RCI doesn't tell you about?

 

On NOS public restrooms, Men's port, ladies starboard.;)

[Cruisin' Along]

I think that's good advice but I can go one better. I scan my copies in and put in dropbox, then all I need is an internet cafe and printer and I can get copy. That's easier I think than remembering to bring a paper copy. Plus even if the whole ship sinks I don't lose my copies. I also scan in cc, DL, med insurance cards, etc.

 

I can even charge stuff since I have cc number and have memorized security code (I don't scan in the back of the cc.)

 

And best of all dropbox is free.

 

This is a really good idea. I will do this for future travel that requires a passport (or other documents!)

[sharse]

First order of business when my kids got their shiny new "charge cards" was to go to the general store and buy them a lanyard to keep the card around their necks (which would be promptly rung for losing the card)..... then I went up stairs (without using priority mode on the elevator, just to be clear), signed them into the kids program where they got FREE LANYARDS. Dang it.

 

Please feel free to improve your experience based on my $20 mistake :)

 

I'm reading through this thread and realize this is a 4 year old post. Do the kids still get free lanyards in the kids club? We are headed out in May and I was going to buy one beforehand, but if they get one free, I'll gladly take it!

[chica]

They did not give my son a lanyard on our sailing last week and he spent a lot of time in Kids' Club.

[taninaus]

I'm reading through this thread and realize this is a 4 year old post. Do the kids still get free lanyards in the kids club? We are headed out in May and I was going to buy one beforehand, but if they get one free, I'll gladly take it!

 

On voyager this month there were kids with adventure lanyards, so I think so.

 

TanInAus

[sharse]

Wasn't the teens but the two 11 year olds. Arcade is right outside the kids club and they were watching and it was a staff member that told them they could play the games. They told him that they could not charge anything and he told them that all cards could be used in the arcade they just have a limit on them and they just won't be able to play after they hit their limit.

 

Guess what, no limit if you don't put one on it onboard and they had no idea that it was charging to the room. They thought it was a credit similar to the coupons that you use with your card. We didn't have a talk with any of the kids because we had no idea they could use the cards onboard to charge anything since they did not have permission on the set sail form. I only mentioned it so another might not be onboard thinking their kids cannot charge to the room if they do not give permission on the set sail.

 

Thanks for this. I guess there are TWO places we have to disable their cards. I have one who just doesn't understand money yet, and if a staff member told him "use your card to play the games" he would think this gave him access, but not understand that it cost MONEY to do so. So thanks for the heads up.

[rum & monkey]

I'm reading through this thread and realize this is a 4 year old post. Do the kids still get free lanyards in the kids club? We are headed out in May and I was going to buy one beforehand, but if they get one free, I'll gladly take it!

 

They are free, we had to ask last time (Dec 2013) but they even gave them to adults that asked. You can go to guest services and they will punch a hole in it (they sometimes punch the hole in it if you go to the open house and sign up there but if they don't guest services will do it). Caution though they snap together (safety feature) and if you use bug spray at all (we did in Belize on the river) it will melt (not all the way just enough to mess it up) the clasp and it will come undone and not snap back tight (our kids had to get new ones when we got back on board).