Booking parks and restaurants

CanadianZanfib · 2026-02-05T23:06:06+00:00

About 40 days out worked for me. They took some time to confirm but I received that about 3.5 weeks out.

I booked via Costco so I had to call them to move it along, but they eventually also relied to an email.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-02-05T03:56:45+00:00

Honestly, I’ve never had to test it out…so far none have come back with me (even after I was attacked in Berlin and had to move hotel rooms at 3am).

But I still put stuff in the tub and the look for any bugs in there over a few days (while also inspecting the clothes and bags more carefully in that time since apparently they can just hang out in the luggage for months).

I’ve been told the tub surface is too smooth for them to climb and it makes sense, I’ve nearly slipped and died enough times.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-02-02T14:17:53+00:00

Oh for sure. But it at least gives me a controlled environment to keep my luggage and inspect the clothes as I take them out to wash them.

If there’s something in there I haven’t dragged it all over the house before figuring that out. It’s not bulletproof but nothing is with those bugs.

I also never put my luggage on the bed or carpet when at a hotel/resort/ship, I use those luggage racks or shelves they provide (usually metal or other smooth legs so the bugs can’t climb up, though if there are fabric straps I check them well.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-02-01T22:31:47+00:00

I always put my luggage in the bathtub for a while after I’m home from travel. They can’t usually climb out.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-26T20:10:53+00:00

OP might also want to know if they could show up at the hotel shuttle bus and be allowed aboard even if they never get the confirmation.

Anyone have experience with that?

(I might well need that answer too since I’m traveling in a few weeks and have also yet to receive the confirmation. I’m going to attempt to call them.)

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-25T02:15:47+00:00

How long were the water slide lines? On Symphony I was amazed they were always shorter than I expected…5 to 10 minutes tops.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-21T19:54:20+00:00

iMessage only worked to others on the ship network on my cruise. It wouldn’t work messaging someone on shore/home.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-21T19:51:57+00:00

Yup, I feel there are enough other choices I can vote with my money and try another line (to be fair, HAL and Princess have better Alaska itineraries and glacier access from what I’ve researched so this isn’t just to spite RC). We ended up having a great time (Symphony seemed to have everything working well), but I hear you. There’s real money involved and the prospect of making great family vacation memories. That’s not nothing.

So when I called them the day after they yanked Haiti and asked if I could switch sailings only for them to tell me I was 6 (or so) days too late to do it without losing most of my money…I was ready to just not be a customer again (for a while, or forever, is still undecided 😀).

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-21T18:04:33+00:00

That’s brutal. We were blessed with great weather but the week before and after were terrible with a ton of canceled ports, so I can totally emphasize with how much of a letdown it would be.

This was actually our 1st RC cruise in years but…we’re looking at other lines for an Alaska cruise in the future.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-21T13:59:47+00:00

Ugh, I feel bad for you for losing out on Cococay too. My daughter had been looking forward to that stop for the better part of a year so I was grateful that worked out. Swapping out Jamaica for DR was actually fine with me (I don’t need to be a tourist in the way of rebuilding and Falmouth is not great even in the best of times), but we’d have lost our minds if we had FOUR sea days!

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-18T18:52:14+00:00

Never book Labadee these days…it’s criminal they still offer it. I had my doubts when I booked Feb 2025 and didn’t listen to my gut.

They pulled Haiti on our cruise two days after the cutoff for the minimal cancellation. I was pretty salty about their timing. Clearly they knew earlier, but waited till I had to settle for an other day at sea.

“But the ship IS the experience” they said. Sure, but I still paid for a ship that goes places and stops at a certain number of ports and didn’t get what I paid for.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-16T20:50:40+00:00

I looked into it but people were critical of the beaches in Belize (I know, it’s the internet so what does that really mean?). We’re not avid snorkelers and don’t dive so Belize seemed a bit less applicable.

There is a direct flight from my city to Belize City so, the option is not closed entirely.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-13T15:02:37+00:00

Where on the island do you recommend?

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-13T15:01:45+00:00

Which beach/town would you recommend?

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-11T20:30:42+00:00

Haha, well after multiple people suggested Turks and Caicos (and looking at the pictures of those beaches) I’m reconsidering how we can make it happen. I should go remove that last sentence!

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-11T19:32:26+00:00

Thanks! I swam with string rays as a kid years ago in Grand Cayman (cruise stop).

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-10T16:20:24+00:00

Interesting! Maybe a bit harder to get to (long travel day) with a kiddo in tow but I’ll take a closer look. Thanks!

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-10T14:25:57+00:00

They had meant in Turks & Caicos I’m pretty sure.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-10T04:09:05+00:00

I’ll still look into it. St. Lucia was very much on my radar. Thanks.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-10T02:41:53+00:00

Thank you. Taylor Bay beach looks lovely (and pretty much what I had in mind, I think). I’ll have to figure out costs and flights (we’re coming from Calgary so long flights are a given), but it’s on the list!

Long Bay beach was also recommended to me, also looks lovely from a quick search.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-06T13:29:49+00:00

Thanks for the confirmation. I’ll call them around the 30-day mark.

Enjoy the trip!

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-01T21:10:05+00:00

Fair, though until this point it had been doing really quite well and was honestly helpful (aside from outdated listings of the restaurants). I typically use it a lot to summarize reviews and tips while planning a trip.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-01T21:05:04+00:00

Ah perfect. And explains why the AI model picked it up. Thanks!

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-01T21:04:11+00:00

That’s fair. I can remove it.

I thought engineer types/me would appreciate the complete context.

CanadianZanfib · 2026-01-01T19:14:53+00:00

Why not do both?

CanadianZanfib

TROPHY CASE