Wow, finding out a sardine packed cruise is insanity, who knew...

I just did that! I called everyone the next day to remind them to check in. It was 9 hours after I checked in. Everyone got the same check in time as I did 9 hours later.

😊

If you are a first time cruiser, using a travel agent is recommended. But if you have cruised multiple times and are loyal to one of the big companies then you have the experience to get the best rate and setup your cruise. I have never been able to get a better rate with a travel agent than booking direct.

change the travel agent if that agent was not good

@@iloveowls90 I have been booking my own trips for years directly with the cruise lines. I am 70 years old and Have been on at least 50 cruises. so recently through a friend I decided to use this travel agent and that is exactly how it went. Never again for me!

Would you rather look at a bunch of fatties?

55

?

A😢is

🤔️🤔️🤔️how can I get a travel agent?

I did a Greek isles cruise on Odyssey it was amazing but it was super port heavy I was sooo tired 😅😅. Hope you have an amazing trip!

5 days until I board Celebrity Ascent! Enjoy your cruise!😊

@@rmonogue - that’s awesome. Have a great time too!

How was it?

@@jonathanv9587 - ship was fantastic. The Windjammer was the best I’ve had on the last 4 Cruises. However, the main dining was oddly enough hit and miss. I’ve been on Allure twice and Harmony is so much nicer due to it being amplified!

Would love to hear about your experience. Hubby and I are planning similar itinerary for our 30 year anniversary and have never been on a cruise.😊

@mhtammi Congratulations on your 30th anniversary! I could rave forever about cruising, I love every single thing about it. Ship life is beautiful. Since I won't be doing this cruise until Sept of this year I'm not able to give you my experience on that itinerary just yet. I can say that the folks in every video Iv watched in order to prepare have all had remarkable reviews of the itinerary. What I typically do before each cruise is I binge watch different you tube videos about the ports I will be visiting. I get a feel of what I'd most like to see/do in that port. Then when it comes time to book my excursions I know exactly what I want. For example; I learned that Santorini is a bit of a hassle to get to and from. The ship tenders folks in, and then from there the option is to take the gondola up, walk up (stairs are slippery and steep), take a donkey up, or purchase an excursion to get up. Either way, the only way to get onto/into Santorini is these options. I was just going to pre-purchase the gondola up ... until every single video I watched told of wait times of up to a 2 hour wait to go up as well as a 2 hour wait to go down. For me, thats 4 hours of very valuable time when time to see Santorini is limited. So I booked a very short excursion that includes VIP to the top. Also in my binge watching videos of others who have done this itinerary from the same embarkation port ... I discovered the embarkation port is not as it seems, and therefore I had to reroute/reconfigure my location of stay a couple days before embarkation (never fly in the day of, and I actually like to get there a few days early so my body adjusts to the change in time zones, and I can be well rested for my cruise. I hope yous do end up booking your first cruise to somewhere, and I hope you love cruising. Have fun planning, good luck, and again.... Happy anniversary 🎉

Cheryl, I think we’re going to be on the same ship! My travel companions and I are fairly experienced travelers, but newbies to cruising. I was glad to see your tips for learning about the ports (and the specific info about Santorini). Hopefully we’ll be able to make enough good choices to feel like we are getting the most out of our experience:)

I am a travel agent in Ireland and I will admit that if you enjoy the booking side of the holiday and you understand how everything works then it is fine not having a travel agent. However, I would mention that flying on the same day can sometimes be stressful. I have been on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises. My first time, I flew in on the same day and everything went very smoothly, I even had a couple of hours before my check-in time to chill. However, the stress kicked in for my second cruise when my flight was delayed and I was running from place to place in order to collect all of my things, get to my taxi and get to my cruise with minutes to spare before my check-in time ran out. My third cruise, I flew in a couple of days before and was able to explore some local attractions before my cruise which took all the stress away from getting to my cruise as I was a few minutes drive away from the terminal. So I would recommend not to always rely on same day flights as it might not be as calm every time

were you able to reprice after final payment or only before final payment?

@amyvan820 We did before final payment. You can also do after final payment.....if you do after the difference becomes on board credit.

Same here

He didn't say "UP NEXT!" this time. I'm very disappointed.

I said step out of your comfort zone, not step off the side of the ship LOL

I'm trying it.

MEI Travel

Sandi when you go into the RC app to check in, there is a place to add your passport…hold your phone camera up to your passport and it will pick up the needed information such as your passport number. It’s very easy to do. Also when taking your photo for the ship, stand in front of a white wall…it comes out clearly and helps for identification. Enjoy your trip! I’m jealous. ❤

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pZpioJmlnZq9moU.html

it should be on the cruise planner website as something you can add on to your cruise. its listed under "VIP passes"

Pay now. RC doesn't have a pay later option for add on purchases.

RCB has a sponsor, MEI Travel, that you could work with. Personally, I use an agent through MEI and have had fantastic results. If you're not sure of what ship, where to go, etc., talking to a travel agent even before you're ready to book is super helpful. They can steer you toward something you'll really like versus kind of like, and they might have deals that aren't published online. Good luck!

Great advice, pianovomit!

I use Cruisebound and LOVE them. I had an alert 90 days out from our Royal Caribbean cruise, noticed a sudden and dramatic drop in prices, sent them screenshots and the URL and they promptly rebated my credit card almost $200. It was awesome, such great service.

some do you could always say this is what i found ... beat the offer and if interested I will book with you

Yep. Ridiculous!

Are Royal Carribean enforcing an age limit or is it just a recommendation? Asking because my father in law is 73 and still runs marathons - he'd be PISSED if someone told him he wasn't allowed to go for a walk! 😂

@@Daz555Dazyou actually cannot book them. I’m planning our upcoming cruise with my in-laws coming along and my father in law is 72. I could NOT book certain excursions because of his age, his name was grayed out (the same for my 6 year old and 9 year old if there was a minimum age)

@@angelofmusic1026 that sort of age descrimination should be illegal.

MEI Travel

Sadly, points do not transfer between lines. Status match between the two lines is the next best thing when you get to diamond plus on royal. You call and match up with celebrity's elite status with no points accrued.

@@sharonclark-napolitano1733 That's a great deal, too! :o)

I've snorkel ed in cozumel and they didn't weigh us. I don't recall them having a weight limit either. Some say they are picky with zip lines but snorkeling having a limit is weird...

@tduck828 I know it's getting ridiculous. I read the restrictions on the excursion and sure enough it says weight limit 270lbs. We were all laughing about that. Guess you can have a 100 thousand pound ship float there but not a 270pd person.

Many countries require your passport to be valid 6 months by the date of your departure. This is not a cruiseline requirement, but rather a country requirement. Although some countries still don't have this requirement, cruiselines are trying to err on the side of caution so make sure you have 6 months left on a valid passport from the end of your cruise trip. They may not let you board the ship if you don't. Unfortunately, this just means we pay a bit more frequently to renew our passports.

In reading other entries, it looks as if you are sailing on a closed loop where your first & last ports are US ports they will let you board with your original birth certificate. But not so sure they will let you leave the ship to enter another country/other non-US ports. Good luck. Bon voyage!

It's my understanding that Celebrity (owned by RC) cruises adds to your Crown + Anchor loyalty points?

@@CruiseDude1 It does not. Each sailing on each line only earns loyalty points organic to the brand's organic loyalty program - that being C&A for Royal and Captain's Club for Celebrity. There is reciprocal status match across both brands topping out at Diamond (C&A) and Elite (Captain's Club). There has been some discussion by RCCL (the parent company of both brands) creating "synergies" between the two loyalty programs - but if that happens it will happen very slowly and in phases.

I think that policy is short-sighted by Royal Caribbean, and might impact cruiser's interest in trying out the sister Cruise line/

RC website does say must be valid6 months after your return. Certain countries tries require passports too but not sure about that for them. Bring birth certificate just in case!

If you are on a closed-loop US sailing (starts and ends at the same US port), AND you are a US citizen, you can sail with your original (not copy!) birth certificate. No passport required for this. Just note that the birth certificate line at disembarkation is always WAY longer than the passport line.

People who don't live where they can get good lobster! No self respecting New England lobster has been found on a plate of an RC diner!

@@loopner4689 The texture is horrible. Shrimp cocktail is more enjoyable than the lobster

Then why are you on a cruise blog?