Considering first cruise- questions for family of 5

[jbrinkm]

On 1/16/2024 at 11:14 PM, volk904 said:

To break even on the drink package you need to drink 6-8 drinks per day per person to break even so it is probably not good value for you. 

On 1/17/2024 at 6:22 AM, Biker19 said:

The break even point on the drinks package is about 5-6 per day per person- buy them a la carte. 

 

UNLESS you also drink the extras often - the Freestyle sodas, milkshakes, smoothies, coffees, bottled waters for room or excursions, etc... those can really add up!

 

On 1/17/2024 at 7:25 PM, Tree_skier said:

Also, sorry no one can help with TA's on the board.  That's not allowed and direct messaging is turned off on CC

 

There are other places you are allowed to ask. I often frequent a blog specific to this cruise line that also has a message board. Called (cruise line name) blog dot com. Both PMs and TA discussion are allowed there, and there is definitely a TA group that is highly recommended. 

 

The thing about using a TA for cruising is that you don't give up that much control. Yes, the TA would have to communicate directly with RCI for any major payment or scheduling issues, but that stuff is really a PITA to do yourself. As long as you use a REPUTABLE TA that you can trust, it is only a benefit IMO. You still get to book all of your excursions, your packages, your meals, etc. yourself, as well as the flights and hotel and other travel that you'll need to line up. Using a TA for cruising is different than other types of travel.

 

On 1/17/2024 at 9:02 PM, LobsterStalker said:

This makes no sense as these cabins are sold to people who are not together and therefore not using the connecting feature.

 

The pricing on connecting cabins irritates me. I know... dynamic pricing... but it stinks for families that want these, and they are higher priced than other cabins, but then families decide to do next door or across the hall rather than pay extra for connecting, and then connecting go to people who aren't traveling together and don't like the connecting door 

 

We've gone to two balcony cabins since we have teens and just walk back and forth through the balcony. We love having the connected balconies and two bathrooms, as others have said. When our kids were younger, we did Freedom class interiors that have two Pullman beds from the ceiling and dark so they would sleep longer. 

 

Two years ago, we did have the connecting door, and our room was on the side that the c-door swung away from, not the side that the door swung into, so we couldn't "block" it with a chair or suitcase or anything. I remember trying to rig up some sort of rope or tie to connect it to our cabin door, or our bathroom door, to keep the c-door closed during private time so our teens wouldn't walk in!

 

But back to the original question. We paid $3658.62 (including port fees & taxes) for each of our 8th floor balcony rooms (aft but mid-aft if that makes sense, not too far back) for our upcoming cruise on Symphony of the Seas. 1. We used a TA and got group rates. 2. This was a refundable fare (more $$ than non refundable). 3. It is an 8 night cruise rather than 6 or 7 nights, also going to Southern Caribbean which is more rare and usually more $$. 4. We're on a fairly new, Oasis class ship, cruising during a peak time. 

 

My parents decided to join us and booked several months after we did. They paid $2944.40 for a GTY oceanview (not balcony) when all the OV rooms that the ship had left in the category were down on the 3rd floor, also non-refundable, not group rate (they used TA but they were sold out of the group rates at that point). However, there was one day during November when the balcony category prices dropped significantly and we were able to upgrade them to a GTY balcony for only $60 total. They were assigned forward deck 6 and the TA was able to swap the room, no fee, with the same category on deck 8 aft, right near our rooms. So they ended up paying only $3,004.40 for their ocean balcony at the end of the day. 

 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

4 hours ago, jbrinkm said:

UNLESS you also drink the extras often - the Freestyle sodas, milkshakes, smoothies, coffees, bottled waters for room or excursions, etc... those can really add up!

Depends on the price difference between the refreshment package and the deluxe package.  The refreshment package gets all you of the "extras".  The only thing the deluxe gets you additional is alcohol.  The price difference could be $60+.  That would be four $14 drinks (including tip). 

[My3Daughters]

On 1/19/2024 at 1:34 AM, SquishTheWhale said:

I agree with everyone else on the connecting rooms. However I'm not sure if anyone else has pointed out that contrary to something you said in your original post you can definitely book cabins for 5 online. If you can't see any when you search then they are probably sold out. They will come up when you expand the cabin category. You dont need to search with 5 people to see them.

 

Excluding suites, you can fit 5 in an ultra spacious interior, ultra spacious ocean view and ultra spacious balcony on Oasis class ships. There's only a handful of each so they sell out and you may find connecting cabins better value.

We booked our ultra spacious interior online so you must certainly can you don't need an agent.

Did you book it for 5 people though? It won’t let me enter more than 4 people for one room when I try. 

[My3Daughters]

On 1/19/2024 at 1:28 PM, jbrinkm said:

 

UNLESS you also drink the extras often - the Freestyle sodas, milkshakes, smoothies, coffees, bottled waters for room or excursions, etc... those can really add up!

 

 

There are other places you are allowed to ask. I often frequent a blog specific to this cruise line that also has a message board. Called (cruise line name) blog dot com. Both PMs and TA discussion are allowed there, and there is definitely a TA group that is highly recommended. 

 

The thing about using a TA for cruising is that you don't give up that much control. Yes, the TA would have to communicate directly with RCI for any major payment or scheduling issues, but that stuff is really a PITA to do yourself. As long as you use a REPUTABLE TA that you can trust, it is only a benefit IMO. You still get to book all of your excursions, your packages, your meals, etc. yourself, as well as the flights and hotel and other travel that you'll need to line up. Using a TA for cruising is different than other types of travel.

 

 

The pricing on connecting cabins irritates me. I know... dynamic pricing... but it stinks for families that want these, and they are higher priced than other cabins, but then families decide to do next door or across the hall rather than pay extra for connecting, and then connecting go to people who aren't traveling together and don't like the connecting door 

 

We've gone to two balcony cabins since we have teens and just walk back and forth through the balcony. We love having the connected balconies and two bathrooms, as others have said. When our kids were younger, we did Freedom class interiors that have two Pullman beds from the ceiling and dark so they would sleep longer. 

 

Two years ago, we did have the connecting door, and our room was on the side that the c-door swung away from, not the side that the door swung into, so we couldn't "block" it with a chair or suitcase or anything. I remember trying to rig up some sort of rope or tie to connect it to our cabin door, or our bathroom door, to keep the c-door closed during private time so our teens wouldn't walk in!

 

But back to the original question. We paid $3658.62 (including port fees & taxes) for each of our 8th floor balcony rooms (aft but mid-aft if that makes sense, not too far back) for our upcoming cruise on Symphony of the Seas. 1. We used a TA and got group rates. 2. This was a refundable fare (more $$ than non refundable). 3. It is an 8 night cruise rather than 6 or 7 nights, also going to Southern Caribbean which is more rare and usually more $$. 4. We're on a fairly new, Oasis class ship, cruising during a peak time. 

 

My parents decided to join us and booked several months after we did. They paid $2944.40 for a GTY oceanview (not balcony) when all the OV rooms that the ship had left in the category were down on the 3rd floor, also non-refundable, not group rate (they used TA but they were sold out of the group rates at that point). However, there was one day during November when the balcony category prices dropped significantly and we were able to upgrade them to a GTY balcony for only $60 total. They were assigned forward deck 6 and the TA was able to swap the room, no fee, with the same category on deck 8 aft, right near our rooms. So they ended up paying only $3,004.40 for their ocean balcony at the end of the day. 

 

Thank you! Sounds like another good argument for a TA.. will probably be contacting one soon.

[My3Daughters]

On 1/19/2024 at 8:28 AM, Mum2Mercury said:

The mid-sized ships are our favorites:  Freedom, Independence, Mariner, and others in those classes.  Ships in that category will have teens' clubs with lots of activities.  You should stay away from the older, smaller ships; for example, we just sailed Grandeur (and enjoyed it) but they didn't have nearly as much for teens.  So stay away from Grandeur, Jewel, Briliance.  

We only sail in the fall, as we love the low prices and moderate weather.  The weeks before Thanksgiving and the first week of December are usually good choices.  Anything in late September or October is good.  January and February are okay, but not our favorites.  

Agree, but not without reason.  

I'll say again, if you're going with a one-bathroom option, consider choosing a room near the gym (which has showers) or a public rest room. 

Doesn't matter where anyone else was assigned.  Your own guarantee assignment could be anywhere on the ship -- no way to know what will /won't sell on your particular sailing.  Personally, I would only go with connecting rooms, if I were putting kids in the other room.  Too much can happen.  Too much risk for me.  

While I love guarantees for myself and my husband, I don't think they're the right choice for you.  

I’m curious what you don’t like about January and February? Can you share? 

[My3Daughters]

On 1/17/2024 at 9:00 PM, elaine5 said:

Thanksgiving is a bit higher, but not much. You can still get a bit of tropical weather in mid-late Nov, esp. in W. Carib. Early Dec weather tends to be calmer and pricing tends to be fairly low, as it's between holidays and most kids are in school, followed by Jan, with Feb getting higher. We love March (usually good weather), but pricing can be a higher due to spring breaks. Water tends to be warmer in early Dec than Jan/Feb. 

The "older, with good stuff" ships on RCCL that I'd look at are Freedom/Liberty/Indy and Voyager/Adventure/Explorer/Navigator. I think all have ice skating shows/sessions, flow riders, climbing walls, putt-putt, sports courts, water slides, fun indoor promenade/cafe area. Most (all) have been renovated.

As it's your 1st cruise, I think you'll be wowed by any of those ships. And, personally, I'd save the "bigger/better/newer" ships for another cruise. We've done both newer and older ships. When we got off Explorer this summer and DH said, "I really like that class of ships, it's a great size and layout, and the slide/flow rider are fun."

Thank you for the tips!! Super helpful. 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 1/19/2024 at 1:45 PM, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I thought they used a captain's hat (like Skipper wore in Gilligan's Island).  It would be appropriate on a cruise, but I don't know if kids would get the meaning.

Would you really want them to "get it"?  

If your parents were in the next room would you want to know what they were doing?  

Maybe just emphasize to the kids you expect them to knock and wait for permission ... just like they would at home.  

On 1/19/2024 at 2:28 PM, jbrinkm said:

UNLESS you also drink the extras often - the Freestyle sodas, milkshakes, smoothies, coffees, bottled waters for room or excursions, etc... those can really add up!

Factor into the equation: 

- You can bring 1 bottle of wine per adult + 12 non-alcoholic beverages onboard.  

- If you've sailed Royal before /are a member of Crown & Anchor, you're going to get a couple discount drinks.  

- The (alcoholic) drink of the day is a couple dollars cheaper than other cocktails. 

 

Changing the topic:  When my girls were teens (I have all girls) I always bought them the soda package.  Before every cruise I lectured them on watching their drinks /accepting drinks only from family or staff members.  I didn't want them to be in a position where they would feel they "should" finish a drink because they'd paid for it.  

On 1/19/2024 at 2:28 PM, jbrinkm said:

but that stuff is really a PITA to do yourself.

Disagree.  It's just a phone call.  I know, people say "Their phone is always busy!"  Nah, just call early or late (they're open super late), and you'll get right through. 

I never have any problem, and I like being in control of my own stuff.  Of course, since we are close enough to drive, I don't have a lot of moving pieces to my cruises.  

On 1/19/2024 at 2:28 PM, jbrinkm said:

We've gone to two balcony cabins since we have teens and just walk back and forth through the balcony. We love having the connected balconies and two bathrooms, as others have said.

We've done that, and we loved it!  Once we had three balconies in a row, so we wouldn't have been able to connect to our girls on each side of us ... but the balconies gave us that connection.  

Do check though ... not every ship's balconies can be opened this way. 

And you can't ask for it before you board.  You'll have to ask your cabin steward, and he will have to get a key from a supervisor.  It's a bit of extra trouble for your cabin steward, so I'd tip him separately for this service.  

27 minutes ago, My3Daughters said:

I’m curious what you don’t like about January and February? Can you share? 

I don't dislike January and February, but the weather's a little cooler.  We really like the weather in September, October and November.  We like the first week of December because bargains are almost always available, but it's starting to get chilly.  For the record, we are Southern and don't deal well with the cold.

[jbrinkm]

On 1/19/2024 at 6:31 PM, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Depends on the price difference between the refreshment package and the deluxe package.  The refreshment package gets all you of the "extras".  The only thing the deluxe gets you additional is alcohol.  The price difference could be $60+.  That would be four $14 drinks (including tip). 

 

You're right - I misread it as they each would drink 4-6, rather than together they would would drink 4-6. 

Edited January 21 by jbrinkm

[jbrinkm]

5 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Disagree.  It's just a phone call.  I know, people say "Their phone is always busy!"  Nah, just call early or late (they're open super late), and you'll get right through. 

 

However, a good TA can help you through billing issues that arise when the person on the phone might not know what they are doing. There is currently a big kerfuffle where the funds from cruise planner cancellations are getting subtracted from cruise fares instead of refunded to the credit card. In the trip reports, half the people writing are complaining that the reps on the phone don't know what is going on and are having their cruises threatened. And all the people who ended up leaning on their TAs when they got FCCs, to make sure they were able to receive and later use all of them that were issued for cruise cancellations. Plus when I book with my TA, I get a lower fare than is advertised online and I get it refundable. 

 

To each their own - I've done it both ways, just listing some additional reasons why people might like to use a TA. With any other type of vacation, I want to control the planning, but for cruising, I'm a TA convert.

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, My3Daughters said:

Did you book it for 5 people though? It won’t let me enter more than 4 people for one room when I try. 

You have to call to book more than 4 people in one cabin. 

[My3Daughters]

14 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Would you really want them to "get it"?  

If your parents were in the next room would you want to know what they were doing?  

Maybe just emphasize to the kids you expect them to knock and wait for permission ... just like they would at home.  

Factor into the equation: 

- You can bring 1 bottle of wine per adult + 12 non-alcoholic beverages onboard.  

- If you've sailed Royal before /are a member of Crown & Anchor, you're going to get a couple discount drinks.  

- The (alcoholic) drink of the day is a couple dollars cheaper than other cocktails. 

 

Changing the topic:  When my girls were teens (I have all girls) I always bought them the soda package.  Before every cruise I lectured them on watching their drinks /accepting drinks only from family or staff members.  I didn't want them to be in a position where they would feel they "should" finish a drink because they'd paid for it.  

Disagree.  It's just a phone call.  I know, people say "Their phone is always busy!"  Nah, just call early or late (they're open super late), and you'll get right through. 

I never have any problem, and I like being in control of my own stuff.  Of course, since we are close enough to drive, I don't have a lot of moving pieces to my cruises.  

We've done that, and we loved it!  Once we had three balconies in a row, so we wouldn't have been able to connect to our girls on each side of us ... but the balconies gave us that connection.  

Do check though ... not every ship's balconies can be opened this way. 

And you can't ask for it before you board.  You'll have to ask your cabin steward, and he will have to get a key from a supervisor.  It's a bit of extra trouble for your cabin steward, so I'd tip him separately for this service.  

I don't dislike January and February, but the weather's a little cooler.  We really like the weather in September, October and November.  We like the first week of December because bargains are almost always available, but it's starting to get chilly.  For the record, we are Southern and don't deal well with the cold.

This leads me to my next question… what does “chilly” mean to you? We are from the Midwest and it the high temperature yesterday was -4 degrees Fahrenheit 😜. Now that said, I do want it warm enough to swim, sunbathe, etc.  

[Mum2Mercury]

10 hours ago, jbrinkm said:

... half the people writing are complaining that the reps on the phone don't know what is going on ... Plus when I book with my TA, I get a lower fare than is advertised online and I get it refundable. 

I hear what you're saying, but I know what I'm doing (regardless of what the customer service personnel know) -- and it's not that difficult to manage things over the phone yourself.  For example, recently I signed up for a ship's excursion, and they cancelled it /refunded my money.  Instead of losing the excursion, I wanted them to give me a similar excursion ... and I wanted it for the Black Friday price (because that's what I'd paid for my original excursion).  I had to go to a supervisor, but I got what I wanted in about 10 minutes.   

 

I've tried to get lower prices through TAs, but I haven't been able to do so.  I think it's because I only cruise in the fall, which is low-season.  And because I watch my prices /call in when price drops occur.  

 

I prefer to control things myself, and no one cares about my vacation /my money as much as I do. 

1 hour ago, My3Daughters said:

This leads me to my next question… what does “chilly” mean to you? We are from the Midwest and it the high temperature yesterday was -4 degrees Fahrenheit 😜. Now that said, I do want it warm enough to swim, sunbathe, etc.  

Yeah, that's subjective.  I'm a Southerner, so I'm used to warm weather.  -4 is unknown to me, but here are my thoughts: 

 

- In September, October, November I find it comfortable to wear a swimsuit, and the water (pool or ocean) feels wonderful. You might need a light jacket if you're walking on the windy deck after dark, but you would be comfortable wearing shorts /tee or sleeveless shirt all day -- you might even be sweaty mid-day.

- By early December it's definitely a notch cooler.  I was in Coco Cay the first week of December, and the (ocean) water was cold upon entering, but within a few minutes if felt good -- but the lower end of good, if that makes any sense.  I thought to myself, "I wish I had a long sleeved rash guard.  I'll have one before I return."  I think covering my arms would've made all the difference.  I stayed on Coco Cay all day (in comfort) but I didn't spend as much time in the water as I would have in an earlier month.  

- On the ship, I enjoy getting up early, claiming a shady spot by the pool (preferably on the edge, looking out at the ocean), and sitting until 12:00 or 2:00 reading.  In September, October, November I wear a swimsuit and a sleeveless cover-up, and I occasionally take a break for a dip in the water.  In December I wasn't quite comfortable, and I went back to the room to get my thin chambray shirt (the addition of sleeves made it perfect).  I saw quite a few people sitting by the pool in thin track suits -- wise choice.  

- January and February are going to be another notch cooler.  If you're not cruising for the water, you might be perfectly happy with that, but I'm not.  

- Of course, this can all vary from year to year.  Once we sailed Thanksgiving, and it was markedly cooler than other years.  My youngest daughter wanted so badly to swim.  She was literally the only person in the pool: her teeth were chattering, and her skin took on a slight blue tint.  I was cold sitting by the pool in shorts, so I made her get out.  That wasn't typical weather, but it could absolutely roll around again for you.  

[pugmom]

Based on the ages of your kids, my recommendation would be connecting rooms. However, as our 3 got into later teens,  it was way better to book them nearby or across the hall, as they liked to stay out WAY later than us and this way we wouldn't be disturbed with them coming and going late, especially on the evenings that we weren't doing something together (the dividing doors are not usually not very soundproof!). Our youngest wound up moving over into my room later in the week since she likes her sleep! The Oasis class ships can be overwhelming for first time cruisers and I believe that a smaller scale ship might be less intimidating for a first time cruiser as you "learn the ropes". Cruising is great for families on RC regardless of the ship.