OnTheJourney

Well, in my case I didn't have much choice if I wanted one for having attained 140 points 😉 Would have been much more meaningful if I had gotten one from RCL as they promised.

Ah..so you've had some listed on eBay and sold them? I'm sure you're right about pre-covid. Also, consider that the clear crystal style is no longer being made (at least it seems that way), so those in particular are going to sell for much higher. I would have loved to grab one for $30. Also, I specifically wanted the Enchantment, since that's where we earned our first block on (the one I never got). It seems Enchantment blocks are much harder to find. Once I started looking at them, however, the offers started popping in like crazy. Was that Monarch block one you sold? Pretty cool! Round design. Love the Celebrity bathrobe you've got on your listings!! Bought it and got tired of it?

Uh-huh. If you do, it'll be in pieces and listed 'for parts only" LOL

$20? You've got to be kidding. Try $100 on up - at least the listed prices, but then I suspect many take offers. I got mine for around $75. Listed for $100. I've seen many listed for over $200. Using the search results below, try clicking the "under $85" box and see what you get. I only see one listed for $39.99 and they're doing it as an auction rather than buy it now. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=royal+caribbean+crystal+block&_sacat=0

Good to know! This is EXACTLY what happened with us, despite them saying to the contrary, which is why I contacted them many times by email and then also by phone expressing that they still owe us a block, but finally was told it'll never happen since it was beyond the 12-month rule. Another great (although lame) excuse. So, I bought one! Wonder how many people were told that same "we're out of them" excuse? I'll see what happens once we get to 210. If I don't like the colored version, I know I can get a good price for it. Probably will keep it though since it'd likely be the last one anyway. If only two blocks, though, the crystal and the colored don't really pair up well. Should have some of both. I like Viking too much to ever accumulate a large number of points with RCL. Amazing how one suddenly showed up, right? Half? OK...let's do some math here. I see 14 blocks not including the stratums. So since you mention half we're talking about 28 blocks or so x 70 points per accumulated block = close to (or probably over) 2,000 points assuming single (not double suite points). If you divide that by, say, a 7-night cruise, that comes out to 280 cruises. That's mind blowing if you've truly done that many. If double points, then about 140 cruises. Still impressive. I like too many other forms of travel to ever wind up cruising that often. I see the photo albums there in the bookshelf, as well as a CD collection to the right. Betcha got a cabinet full of VHS tapes too, right? I know I do. Gotta start weeding out some of this stuff. That photo album thing is something I've never been able to keep up with, so no longer try. They go up on Shutterfly and done. Digital clutter takes up way less space than physical, although I save the originals and also back them up on an external drive. I am gradually, though, trying to put already printed pics (from way before the digital age) in albums. Can't believe this thread is still going actually! Never thought it'd generate all that much interest.

Yeah they are really nice. I was quite impressed when I got the one I bought on eBay. LOL! The agent might have never seen one of those before. Oh well, still pretty nice. I was surprised by the weight of it.

I can totally understand your reasoning.

Well, you got a point there!

But feel free to watch it yourself, as many times as you wish NO!!!!! Why did you even mention this??? Another song stuck in my head now😉

Unless you start chomping down on the corner of one....looks pretty solid to me 😉

I honestly don't think I'd book anything other than that anymore (if available of course). We were upgraded to that category one time and it spoiled us real quick. It was great having easy access to the upper level of the lounge, and then a quick trot down the stairs to Mamsen's.

I wouldn't even wear a Pinnacle pin. Hmmm...wonder if they sell on eBay as well as crystal blocks?

Oh, Lordy...don't even go there. If I'd never hear that song again I'd be fine. Never liked it to begin with, but dislike it even more after being on cruises where it has become an all-time sing-a-long favorite.

Well, how romantic. Almost as good as evening chocolate on the pillow 😆

Yes...you're correct. I somehow read it as 'will'. Yeah I really don't care for them at all. El cheapo compared to the clear etched ones. If we actually get one when we reach 210 points, and I decide I don't really want it, I'll probably put it up on my eBay site, especially given that they sell like hotcakes. I'm sure there are lots of people with similar stories, as well as asked for but never got.

Same here if we do 12 nights. Wanna bet? In probably most cases that does indeed happen, but we never got ours, and apparently neither did other people based on some replies, hence the reason I started the thread.

“Having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but often true.” – Spock (Amok Time, Star Trek TOS)

Very little trouble with RC, but the X website often doesn't seem to recognize either my username, pw, or a combination thereof - so often I've wound up just resetting the pw and making it the same thing. Carl Hess (you might remember him? Art teacher for Hamburg and Tilden Elementary) used to say "ain't technology wonnerful"! (BTW...how are things going for you? Long time no hear...) 🤔

Of course I do, which is why I was willing to pay $75 to get one! But, I just wanted to convey that if we don't like one we'd (maybe) get with the newer design (I don't like what I see on pictures anyway), why bother keeping it? Not a chance! They already owe us, so I'll take that sucker at 210 points and decide if I want to keep it or not. Yeah, true enough, but, as my sister-in-law said, who has 13 of them and several stratums, they also make good doorstops. 😉

Doubtful we'll accumulate alot more points. We only have 20 cruises total. Only 9 of those are with RC, with the first being in 2011. At 68 and 69 years old, with DW having developed some health issues past year or so, simply not realistic. That's why I really wanted this block. With any luck maybe one more if we hit 210 points. Thanks for the encouragement, but reality is reality. 188 points right now. Pinnacle only another 512 away! HA! Even with earning dbl points that's 256 nights ÷ an average 8-night cruise = 32 cruises. If doing 3 a year (and they'd all have to be with RC) = 10 years. Don't see it happening. IF cruising was our only (let alone favorite) vacation mode, maybe - but land touring / car trips are still our favorite. Easy to see that in my signature! And, we really like Viking the past few years (even after surviving a bomb cyclone by being air lifted), so we're not "loyal to Royal". My bigger goal is to see more US National parks. Only reason we managed D+ is cause the last few cruises were quadruple suite points. That helps to add up much faster. Never did a cruise (nor wouldn't) without a suite, so at least double points.

Yikes..I'll never get close to that. If all my previous cruises would have been with RCL, I'd be much farther along. I could take or leave the whole tier / points system as far as that goes.

I'll do that for our next cruise. If we do 12 nights we're at the 210 point level and so qualify for another block. Then, IF we actually get one (I'll be frankly surprised), and I don't care for it, I'll list it on my eBay site. No problem selling these. Only a small box needed to make things easier. Some sell with or without the original box. Doesn't seem to matter. People snap them up. Prices are often a bit high but most accept a decent offer.

This is why I didn't think to even call them. Figured it could take quite awhile and never spoke to anyone else about it so as to find out what the approximate wait time actually is. I don't foresee getting more than one more of these quite honestly since we don't always cruise with RCL, and if it's the new design with the color picture of the ship, not really sure I want it. By 8 months following the cruise where we earned the block, there were a good number of trips in the meantime and so totally forgot about the block. If there was some sort of 12-month time limitation, we should have been notified of that. It's all good. I'm going to get the one I just bought, and I'll enjoy having it. Talked to at least one eBay seller who realized that after awhile he simply got tired of these blocks, figured their kids wouldn't want them some day either, and so decided to sell them! He said that each one he sells helps to pay for a specialty dining meal onboard! He'd sell the stratums also except that they're personalized. All in the interest, he said, of reducing clutter. I get it, and something I should do as well.

Just picked one up on eBay. Looks terrific in the pictures. The guy never even had it out of the original box. RCL wasn't going to give me one for reaching 140 points on the Enchantment, so I found one a different way. Case closed.

Surely will next time around.