troykahack

For a high end player like you I suggest you play with dead chips or non-negotiable chips. You should get I or 2 percent off the chip purchase. Every thing else should be free including some fancy dinners and wine.

If you really want to impress somebody then I suggest you deposit $100,000 with the casino and ask for a million $ loan or advance from the casino. Subject to their vetting process and approval they will put you in the biggest suite in the ship and treat you like royalty. Don't forget to ask for wangu beef or caviar if you fancy that. They will get it for you no problem.

They do have Caviar. We had it two weeks ago on Allure in the CK. Notice SO has a lanyard too. The beef was nothing special.

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Hi

 

I wanted to come back and give everyone an update on what I found out when I called Club Royale...

In our case we knew we unfortunately would not be able to use one of the free cruises listed so ideally would use the values towards the cruise we have booked already. We also didn't think we'd be able to squeeze in another cruise between the ones we already have booked.

 

 

It was no problem to apply the value of both certificates (the $1,000 and the $750) to our previously booked cruise. However, since we booked it via our regular travel agent, it needed to be repriced to put it as a casino rate booking. While this did add a few hundred dollars to the original price, deducting the $1,750 after made it worth it We are currently booked in a D1 for our next Anthem sailing and after our last sailing in a JS (12 nights on Anthem) were thinking of upgrading to a JS again. The casino rate to upgrade was still less than our original booking in the D1. However since we'll be traveling with family who are all in regular balcony rooms, we wouldn't really take advantage of the JS perks so we decided to stick with our D1. The family cruise is 5 nights to Bermuda on Anthem. Since it was booked with my travel agent, I conferenced her into the call with Club Royale and it was easy to do.

 

 

He told me you can always combine the casino rate with the $ off certificates.

 

 

I was told I will still earn my C&A points for cruises booked through the casino even if I'm using a free cruise certificate. Junior Suite and above gets double points.

 

 

I can continue to use my travel agent and for future cruises - can either book directly with Casino Royale then transfer the booking to her, have her call and book things for me through Casino Royale, or do a conference call like I did today.

 

 

The interesting thing I learned is that with a free cruise certificate, you can also get a slightly discounted rate for one other cabin that may be traveling with you. It doesn't go against your points/credit - it's just a nice thing they do. I asked them to see what they could do with my sister's booking (same sailing). Since she also used my travel agent and we were all on the phone he looked into it. Because he needed to reprice hers she only ended up saving about $80; but any little bit saved is good. This is only for those certificates for free cabins (not just the $ off certificates).

 

 

He also told me that where you used to have to call a week or so before sailing so they can let the casino host know who is sailing to give the sticker the first day for free drinks and no fees for taking $; he said if you are booked through Club Royale they automatically will send that info now.

 

 

I asked about Celebrity's casino program - Blue Chip. He said it's a separate program but I should call them and they should be able to see our recent play and maybe offer us casino rates. I haven't called them yet since our first sailing on Celebrity is next April on the Reflection. I booked a Celebrity Suite (celebrating a big birthday) and the price now for a Sky Suite (kind of like a junior suite) is more than what I paid for my Celebrity Suite. We also received a lot of perks with our offer - Go Best. I'll call them but just haven't done so yet.

 

 

As always, thank you all for all your advice. It made my call with Club Royale go smoother as my questions were more pointed.

 

 

Noreen

Getting the $1000 and $750 puts you with the CR VIPS. We find we can travel in GS about what we would pay for a balcony. I would say, I am about even on over the last 12 months and 5 cruises. I enjoy the Casino and it is entertainment to me.

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No, I am sitting next to Mario right now in the CL. It is Karen Hernandez (used to be LA) that is

in the DL.

 

 

Great cruise so far, nice weather for our two days at sea. :)

Mario Reyes is the best. We loved him on 1/21 cruise. Glad to see him back. I am sure his family misses him.

You should ask him to play a little bass for you. He's good.

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Sorry...but I find advertising your C&A level ridiculous as well as wearing your gold SeaPass on a lanyard (always making sure it's seen). However for those that this makes them feel special....their choice...I prefer to keep a lower profile

We wear our SeaPass cards on a lanyard for convenience. We have drink packages and Casino play and easier to hand off from a clip than from a pocket. I try to wear it under a shirt but if it shows, it is not because it is GOLD or PLUM color. Besides, I have a bad case of CRS and this way I can keep track of my SeaPass.

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Unfortunately, Seaview Cafe is gone from all Radiance class ships now. That space has been turned into an extra cost restaurant.

Thanks ASK BOB

I was wondering how I missed the Seaview?? Was scratching my head for sure.

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Sorry, doesn't fly. I have seen lower level C&A in the category cabin as I had get upgraded. It's all here on CC, you just have to open your eyes. BTW, we are PC and have never been upgraded. Ever. In spite of what Millie says, Revenue gets almost all of the upgrades first. And they have no problem upgrading a first time cruiser.

 

 

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Of course if it was posted here it was fact. [emoji23]

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DH and I would like to know if we can join and earn points towards CR with playing Texas Hold Em. We have played for hours in the past cruises and haven't been offered. What's the secret? Thanks in advance!

 

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Yes and No secret. Just make sure you get to know the dealers, pit boss, and Casino Host. The host has a list of players that are on the ship. Just make sure they track your play.

If you play minimum bets, points don't rack up as quickly. Play $50 or more per hand, for 4 hours or more a day, points rack up quicker.

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I thought you had the pins already. ;)

Yes pins are easy to obtain. EBay is loaded with them.

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when having a nice meal in the MDR one doesnt want to see someones bare knees. im not a snub in the least but i think that there should be a certain level of decorum. if you wear slacks and a collared shirt/ polo there is nothing wrong imo. however one time someone was wearing a sleevless shirt and his arm hair was sticking out. that im sorry but i object to.

Oh I love seeing ladies bare knees!! Armpits are the pits. Worse yet is Men in dresses.

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I have one. [emoji33]. Laura got it from someone who sailed Freedom with her

 

 

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I like that but your size is too skinny for me. Besides, a long way from D+, about 2 years.

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I take it you aren't D+. For me, we just love to cruise and D+ happened along the way. And yes, I'll gladly accept 250 to 375 off my balcony, pictures, drinks, meals, and laundry without a charge. It's nice that we are afforded amenities for doing something we would do anyway.

They are soon to be PC... good people

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Thank you everyone! I went ahead paid the gratuities.

 

 

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I think you will enjoy your cruise more with prepaid Grats.

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The lifejackets would be inspected monthly by a 3rd Officer or two, who report to the Staff Captain, who reports to the Captain. I suspect that the USCG had a different interpretation of what was "worn" than what the ship's management felt. This is a fairly common occurrence with PSC inspections, and can happen on the best maintained ships. The PSC inspectors (USCG) are the final arbiters, and basically what they say is law, sort of like US CBP, which makes their own rules as they go.

Thanks again for your factual information. It's nice to get real info.

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2:45. CG still onboard going over thing with a fine tooth comb. Currently running a fire drill. No update from the bridge.

 

Me? I am 3/4 through both a good book and a 1/2 gallon of Captain Morgan spiced rum I "forgot" was in my luggage from my Disney trip earlier in the week. At this point, I am ok sitting at the pier with increasing discounts until Friday. :-)

Lots of snow on the ground at home and I think I like Cocoa Beach better than Nassau anyway.

Great attitude..... enjoy your cruise...

Here is another link from Florida Today, ran across it on FB

 

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2017/02/13/port-cruise-ship-fails-inspection-sailing/97880656/

Thanks John... this article says nothing about end of service life (a date).... this is a good example how FAKE NEWS on Social Media is adopted and then passed on and on...

Here is the quote... (now this may be FAKE as well)

In a statement issued Tuesday morning, Royal Caribbean said: "Yesterday, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a routine inspection of Majesty of the Seas. They came across some technical issues, including some outdoor life jackets that were showing their age." (not expired)

Use your own mind, do your own research.... who is to believe on Social Media anymore...

I bought several D+ pins off of EBAY to give out on Allure but forgot them.... Never seen a POLO shirt with a D+ logo. I am sure they do that so they can compete with the PC name tags.....

Yes, that's what exactly th case, Troy.

Ok, that makes sense then.... We stay in GS, so the discount is typically higher than a $1000 certificate. Interested in seeing the difference on 3 nighters.... a $1000 might be more....

We also received OBC on our last couple of bookings though CR. Haven't tried since Phase IV but we really don't worry about OBC. We transfer our CR bookings to our TA and also get OBC from them as well.

Hi we are looking for Love My Love of Cruises Margie and Alan? Do you still have room on the Golden Circle Tour #2 for 2 people? We are Grannysandy (Sandy and Sam).

Huh?

I had this in the past too, Troy, but the last Time I tried to apply certs to an existing cruise, they would have made us reprice at current rate so it would not have been a savings even with the certs deducted. This is a very recent change (past 2 weeks). Believe me, I tried everything and they would not budge.

 

I'm sitting on the (lovely) balcony of my ATS as I'm writing this - a cruise where I WAS able to apply 2 certs to an existing, previously booked casino rate - but it seems this is no longer allowed. More power to you if you can get someone to do it but I was not.

I'm guessing here, but I suspect it has to do with the length out you book. Typically, we seldom book more than 6-12 months out. Right now we are looking for 3 nighters in May and July timeframe. I just has to do with SO schedule. I am guessing you already have a highly discounted rate because you booked so far in advance.??????

Enjoy your cruise.... and play some more...

To which I would add than for non-residents of the US, currency exchange is part of the issue. We bought $1,000 USD worth of OBC in 2015 at a conversion rate of $1.10 to cover our gratuities and other anticipated onboard expenses for a cruise next month. If I had waited to pay at the end of the cruise, even with a bit of strengthening of the Loonie over the past few weeks, I'd still be paying in the $1.35 range. That's $250 in my pocket for purchasing in advance, minus perhaps a couple of dollars in lost interest had I left it in the bank.

Interesting a different perspective and this post is not headed for deletion and locked. (I was interested in learning the CA perspective on the other Thread)

As others have noted, it is entirely possible that you might get conflicting information even from the CR representatives, themselves. As I'm sure you know, the CR program is in the middle of a complete transformation and the misinformation and conflicting information blowing about (even from the program itself) is rampant.

 

My advice is...if you don't get the answer you want the first or even the second time you call, keep calling back until you get formation you are comfortable with. I recommend you advise your TA NOT to accept anything less than the most beneficial "deal" as you understand it. If you have a good TA they will not accept what CR offers unless they know it is accurate and complete. Trust me, I've just been down this rocky road which is why I am relaying the latest information I have.

 

You can pretty much ignore the expiration information on the certificates. You can also request a more current list of "free" cruises if you find that the list they provided on the back of the cert is on the "old" side.

 

While CR is more than willing to extend the various deadlines, it is advisable to start making inquiries about how you cert(s) can be used prior to the expiration date. In other words, the "within 30 day" and "within 1year" dates are negotiable, I recommend initiating contact with CR at some point before 30 days and then let them extend the deadlines. Better safe than sorry.

 

Recent personal negotiation: received 2 certs on Nav over Christmas/NY. Didn't like any of the "free" cruises so booked a Bermuda cruise on Grandeur. With casino rate + combined cents value, final cruise cost was an 85% reduction off of full retail. So don't settle for their "free" cruises unless you see one you really want. These certs will work with an cruise. Will it be "free" ? No, but neither is a free cruise !

This is excellent information. If you play enough, you will get your own personal representative within Club Royale and they can swing more things for you.

Also note, the Certificate for play is generally computed sometime around 8pm, the night before last. It DOES NOT count your play the last night. Club Royale may update your points based on the last hours (a full day and a half) if you call them a few days to a week after the cruise.

I agree with RFerrington and Daghis. If you want to modify an old onboard booking using a casino rate now, they're going to reprice it at current rates and you'll also lose any OBC that might have been applicable initially.

True, you will lose previous OBC but CR "may" award OBC as well, if you have been a good player. We have NEVER used the Certificates I get from the Casino. Our discounts are much higher than the certificate.

I do not understand why anyone would want to prepay, why give RCCL the money before you have too. RCCL charges you daily a flat fee for tips, amount depend if you have a suite or not, ( we also normally tip extra depending on service )

Because it is prepaid.... that is the catch, prepaid.... nothing to worry about on the cruise.

I do not know the correct answer to this one. I have never taken one of the "free" cruises...but it's a great question. Let us know what you find out.

There is no "Free" cruise.... you must still pay port fees, taxes, and gratuities. We could upgrade a OV to a JS on Empress for $200 and get double pts. This was for Solo cruiser, me.