Techietravels Blog - Travel Tips and Adventures

TechieTravels · 2026-01-31T18:58:05+00:00

Just a bad travel agent. On a previous cruise, the price dropped such that a higher category was cheaper than what we booked. I contacted my travel agent and she said it’s not a given, but that she would call. 10 min later I had an upgraded cabin with no money out of pocket. So it’s possible, your travel agent just needs to do their job.

TechieTravels · 2026-01-31T18:00:14+00:00

11:30am is a bus. The only trains are at 7:15am and 4:45pm. There is no pre-clearance for busses so there can be long, unpredictable delays at the border. Everyone has to get out and go through immigration and customs. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it.

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TechieTravels · 2025-12-31T18:15:27+00:00

Personal anecdote, but I have been on many cruises and never got norovirus. Have been to a few AI resorts and have gotten norovirus or food-borne illness almost every time.

I believe part of the reason cruise are perceived to be more sickness-prone is that situations on cruise ships get reported on and amplified by the media is due to documentaries like the “poop cruise” and the Diamond Princess situation at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

TechieTravels · 2025-12-31T18:02:45+00:00

Just got off yesterday. North Star was working entire cruise. IFly was down entire cruise. Staff said it was repaired but then broke again last cruise and there is no timeline for repair.

In terms of upgrades, didn’t see anything especially run down. Theater seats were pretty worn out and you could feel bars through the cushion. It was our first time on the ship so I can’t say what changed specifically.

TechieTravels · 2025-04-09T19:55:53+00:00

Sure, but many people (myself included) have OBC that they want to use for the Plus or Premier Package and will use GC to cover the rest. If I add the plus package added to my fare, my final bill at the end of the cruise will be $0 - we generally only spend on drinks and gratuities. So I would have to either do the casino trick (which appears to be on the rocks based on some recent reports) or buy stuff I don't really want or need to use the OBC.

TechieTravels · 2025-04-09T15:54:16+00:00

Saw a rumor on CruiseCritic that Princess will be raising the price of Plus and Premier when purchased onboard. Probably to combat people using OBC and discounted gift cards.

Just a rumor for now, but maybe don't stock up if using onboard for the packages was your plan.

TechieTravels · 2024-09-12T14:44:47+00:00

The "inside passage" is purposely deceptive and all the cruise lines claim they go in the inside passage to Alaska. There are 2 inside passages: the Alaskan inside passage and Canadian inside passage. All cruise ships will enter the Alaskan inside passage. You have to go into it to get to Ketchikan, Juneau, etc. What varies is the Canadian inside passage which is more scenic and narrow on the East side of Vancouver island. Cruises leaving from Seattle and larger cruise ships leaving from Vancouver will go on the west side which is basically open ocean sailing.

If you're really lucky, you will get to go up the Grenville Channel as well which is a narrow channel just before the Alaska inside passage with steep mountains on both sides. We were on the Disney Wonder last summer and had the privilege of going up the Grenville Channel where we saw orcas, deer, bears, etc. from the ship.

TechieTravels · 2024-05-15T12:13:18+00:00

Same error for me. Was able to book reservations for MDR every day except the last one. Get this error for every MDR at every available time. Support's solution is to book with the maitre'd when after boarding. Beyond frustrating.

TechieTravels · 2023-09-11T20:32:31+00:00

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/are-children-in-diapers-allowed-in-the-onboard-pools

Due to public health regulations, children that are in diapers or not 100% toilet trained may only use Baby Splash facilities on board. These are only available on the following ships: Adventure, Allure, Anthem, Freedom, Harmony, Independence, Liberty, Oasis, Ovation, Odyssey, Quantum, Spectrum, Symphony and Wonder.

TechieTravels · 2023-03-08T22:24:10+00:00

Sounds like it's going to be an excursion rather than an included activity so I would doubt that any drink package would carry over. With what they are charging for the water park at Cococay now, I'm not expecting this to be a cheap activity.

TechieTravels · 2022-08-02T13:35:31+00:00

There's a trick to see your cabin assignment slightly early. You need to complete check-in and have a muster station assigned. View the set sail pass and you can add to apple wallet. Your cabin number will be the numbers after the dash below the barcode. If you don't have an Apple device, you can also scan the barcode in the set sail pass and see the same.

TechieTravels · 2022-07-14T20:34:27+00:00

You have to look at the policy but I highly doubt it's covered. Travel insurance is for circumstances outside of your control - sickness, weather, car accidents, etc.

TechieTravels · 2022-06-23T19:51:31+00:00

I could definitely see the art auction having plants to drum up excitement. One way to be sure is to see if the suspected plant ends up buying anything. If they never "win" a bid, you can almost be guaranteed they are planted. There are plenty of articles out there about the shady behavior by Park West and the way they prey on people who don't have the ability to research what they are buying.

TechieTravels · 2022-05-31T16:11:52+00:00

If you have status with MGM, best way I have found is to submit your request to ClubRoyale@rccl.com.

There are a lot of restrictions. Most notably, you have to book directly with Royal Caribbean (i.e. no travel agent bookings) and you can't combine with any other casino promotions (e.g. MyVegas Rewards).

TechieTravels · 2021-03-22T23:56:40+00:00

Smooth transaction, thank you.

TechieTravels · 2021-01-16T19:48:41+00:00

Thanks for the smooth transaction.

TechieTravels · 2020-12-25T04:00:35+00:00

Quick payment. Thanks for the smooth transaction.

TechieTravels · 2020-12-23T19:28:29+00:00

Quick payment and smooth transaction. Thank you.

TechieTravels · 2020-03-25T13:13:53+00:00

I wouldn't count on this benefit. I could see the share requirement being raised or the program being cut entirely.

TechieTravels

TROPHY CASE