It looks like RSSC is adding new functionality to their website. It looks like we will be able to access our bookings (not just saved cruises).

This is what site says (functionality doesn't seem to work yet):

"You have 0 saved cruises at this time.

Have a Pending Reservation? Access your reservation to:

View your reservation details
Book Shore Excursions
Complete your passenger Forms
Print your Cruise Itineraries"

If anyone can get it to work, let us know.

Marc, I entered my booking number and its working for me. It even gives me the exact date that my shore excursions will open for booking. Pretty cool!

Karen:

Looks like I had a bad booking number. I tried another cruise and it worked. I am going to have check paperwork for correct invoice numbers.

thanks,

Karen:

Did you notice that you can book shore excursions on line within 60 days. That is great! No more going down to the office to fax in request when docs arrive. Anyone have a cruise coming up within 60 days that want to report on this functionality?

Also, there is a link right to your guest information form, which is nice.

I just checked ours and it works very well. Great feature. Thanks for telling us, Marc.

I see we can book shore excursions beginning on August 5 for DOF!

We're all set now for Sept 22nd! All the shore excursions I wanted are booked! Wait until Frank finds out that I spent another $1000. without leaving the computer! And it was so EASY! :eek: ;) :banana:

Kathy - <img border="0" alt="[rofl]" title="" src="graemlins/rofl.gif" />

Masaki

Marc, Thanks for the "heads up" on this, I just requested our activities for the PG on 9/18, and received a confirmation of the requests by email, very cool indeed!

Curiously, there was no option for any dives at Raiatea - the only activity options for Raiatea were: Classic Sailing Tour, Discover Scuba Diving Theory & Pool, Faaria River & Island Exploration, Raiatea Island Tour, Raiatea Laggon & Snorkeling, and Snorkel & Black Pearl Farm Adventure - no diving!?

For anyone that has recently sailed on the PG - could this be an accidental ommission, or have they possibly dropped the Mushroom Patch dive in Raiatea?

Cheers,
Ken

I just got my docs yesterday for my 9/11 PG trip and the mushroom patch IS listed in the brochure - maybe it has something to do with numbers of people and availability of tour operators. Although the same thing applies to several other tours - so who knows... All I care is that I HAVE MY DOCS!! WOOHOO!!! :banana: <img border="0" alt="[hula]" title="" src="graemlins/hula.gif" />

Thanks Phil, I'll bet that it is merely an oversight. We'll be boarding the day you disembark, have a great time!

Cheers,
Ken

I checked the website tour information as I have already faxed in our requests for two weeks and found that there are no tours listed for Venice on embarcation day or Rome where the first week ends. Both ports have tours offered which we requested, an evening gondola ride, etc in Venice (ship doesn't sail until noon the next day) and a Rome tour for those staying on the ship and people leaving who want that tour before going to their post-cruise hotel. Both tours were in our fax information and are still listed in the cruise excursions area of the website.

SO....for future cruisers, check this more carefully before you use it as your final request form.

Maggie

Maggie:

I concur. Gondola ride was not in our docs last year but was available on boarding. Also, the "special" excursions for air/sea, hotel, (or in your case through)passengers I have noticed were not online.

Kathy/Ken, did you get confirmation that they received your request or did you actually get confirmation that you are booked on the requested tour. If the latter, that is interesting in that it means that they have real time inventory capability.

Marc...thanks for the tip! I've just entered my booking number and updated my Guest Information form. The site even tell us when we can book our shore excursions. Nice improvement!

<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/28/28_1_16.gif' alt='Sandy Beach' border=0></a>

Ken,
The Mushroom Patch dive is not always offered depending on the outside operator's availability. You will need to check on embarkation.

Wish I had a cruise booked so I could try out the new function on the RSSC page.

Margo, I love your little beach smiley sipping the cool drink. Where did you find such a cute animation? Please share!!

Thx, Beth

I just put my "MINT' and "ADRIFT' cruises in and it said they were not availible.
Hmmmmmm.

Margo,

I LOVE your beach smiley!

Marc, It is the former, not the latter, and the email states specifically:

"Thank you for your RSSC online excursion request(s). Below is a list detailing your requested excursions"......

(then it lists all of the excursions)

"You will receive final confirmation of selected shore excursions in your cabin when you embark. All fees will be billed to your onboard portfolio."

(Note the coment below, about not confusing them with multiple excursion requests)

"You will receive a faxable Shore Excursion Request Form within your documentation package; please do not complete and fax this form if you have requested your tours online."

Cheers,
Ken

Beth:

Smiley Source

They have some wonderful Smileys!

Marc-
My point was that in the docs that I received, the excursions for those two ports WERE listed and I faxed in the reservations for them along with several others. However, in the new area on the RSSC site, there are no excursions listed for those two ports, even though they are offered and sent in the mail. In other words, not all excursions may be listed on the site where you can email in your reservation, therefore if we had done it that way, we would have missed out on two excursions.
Maggie

Maggie, thanks. I will undoubtedly book 60 days in advance to make sure I get first choice of excursions. HOWEVER, I will make sure to look at form in docs to see any changes.

Again, thanks,

ChatKat,

What excursions have you booked? Inquiring minds want to know! :D

Wow-- fastest $1200 I've ever spent!!!!

Marc- We may be so exhausted by the time we board a few hours before the evening gondola ride in Venice that we'll wish we could skip it anyway! NOT! I barely remember the gondola experience of my youth when I was in Europe in college - the joy of (kind of) old age...everything is new again!
Maggie

Everything was perfect for my upcoming cruise. The excursions exactly matched the website. I booked our canal boat ride (evening)for Venice and our mountain bike ride for Corfu. I had faxed in my guest information form and they had it on the website just as I had sent. Cool!!

Marc,
Thank you for your detective work! We too checked the site for our upcoming 2005 cruise and guest information. Everything was correct.What a plus to be able to book excursions online. Hooray for RSSC!!
Gail

That is great. I can book my excursions in October but at that time will it have prices? The excursions are listed but no prices.

I'm departing 9/6, and can't wait to take advantage of this - thanks for pointing it out, Marc! I have to check with my travelling companions to see what we really want to book, before doing it! I'm calling them now! Dixie, what excursions did you book?

Charlene

This is what I booked for our NYC/Montreal cruise:

YOUR SHORE EXCURSION REQUESTS:


PORT: Bar Harbor, ME
EXCURSION: Best of Bar Harbor, Acadia & Lobster Lunch
DURATION: 6 Hours
PORT: Halifax, Nova Scotia
EXCURSION: Historical Halifax and Peggys Cove Lighthouse Route
DURATION: 4 Hours

Sydney, Nova Scotia
EXCURSION: Bras d'Or Lakes Grand Tour
DURATION: 7 1/2 Hours
PORT: Charlottetown P.E.I.
EXCURSION: Anne of Green Gables & Dalvay by the Sea
DURATION: 6 1/2 Hours
PORT: Quebec
EXCURSION: Walking Old Quebec and Tea at Chateau Frontenac
DURATION: 3 Hours

Sounds great! I see you have an additional port at PEI which we did not. I'm sure it's just as beautiful as the others.

Hoping your weather is as gorgeous as ours was. Have read about some in July which were solid fog; you would have thought July would be better than June, but who can predict?

Dixie, ignore my earlier post - heaven knows why I asked you what excursions you booked, when you had already told us!!!

Colleen, yes, the prices are listed for us, unlike the main area of the website. I have requested two for the first week: Pompeii, from Sorrento of course ($56 pp), and Santa Margherita from Portofino (also $56 pp). We are in Portofino for 13 hours, so I can still enjoy the town itself, and take a 4 hour excursion as well. I'm waiting for my friends to confirm what excursions they want the 2nd week, for Dubrovnik and Sicily.

There WERE a couple of excursions listed on the website that were not included when I was using this new feature, though, which seems a bit strange. Maybe they'll just be available on board? Whatever.

Still, it's great to have 2 excursion requests booked, as well as the GIF filled out.

Charlene

Thanks Marc,

I went to update my passenger info (they had my husband down as "Healthcare", because he has a "Dr." in front of his name). But the contractual agreement came up, and I balked, since I wasn't sure what I was "signing". I may still back out of my booked Pip cruise, and wouldn't want to find myself not able to get my deposit back. Probably I'm being paranoid, but my info can wait.

Nice to see it works so well, though!

Kathy (ChatKat) - you'll have to let us know if you liked the Bras D'Or tour as much as we did ... :)

Masaki

Wendy:

I've done the form on line and "signed" the agreement. When we canceled our European cruise there was no problem with return of deposit. Of course we were outside of 120 days.

Your only worry in cancelling is to be sure you're not within the penalty period which is explained in the back of any RSSC brochure. I'm think those charges apply even if you haven't signed the Guest Information Form.

Too bad RSSC can't add a "how many people have booked this excusion" total next to each one. I never worry about the excursion selling out, I worry more about not enough people booking it and it getting cancelled. This has happened to me many more times than having it sell out before I book.

That would be a great feature, Karen.

DOF excursions can be booked, beginning today.

EDIT TO POST. I just checked out excursions and pricing. I sure am glad I reserved private guides! This new feature, however, is great!

How did I miss this thread the past 3 days? Thank you, Marc! Until I reached Ken's and Robbo's replies I kept thinking that the Paul Gauguin was the lone exception to this prebooking feature. At least it appears that we are able to get our requests in.

I am once again a happy camper. (Does anyone else still use that expression? It was very popular here in Michigan in the 1970's when we were starting our family.) I just submitted our on-line request.

Masaki,

I picked that tour because of your wonderful review and the fact you did enjoy it so much. I will definitely post my opinion in my review of the cruise

I'm checking it out as soon as I can get a few minutes with my hubby to discuss what we want to do!
JoAnn :eek: