twangster

Pretty sad loyalty program when free laundry is the top perk. I'm two cruises away from Platinum on CCL. CCL gives Platinum two bags of laundry on a 3 night cruise. How many people need to do laundry on a 3 night cruise? Zero motivation for me to book a cruise based on VIFP perks. Suspect I'll be two cruises from Platinum 5 years from now. If I do book something on CCL it won't be because of the loyalty program. Isn't a loyalty program supposed to motivate you to come back?

My first Royal cruise was towards the end of 2016. I made Pinnacle in 2020. Easy peasy.

The few remaining holdouts in the Eastern Caribbean will hopefully see the latest CDC updates and follow by lifting their protocols. Next step is for the US to end the PHE.

If they are in their 20's now with 2,000+ points they may be one of a very few people in the Crown and Anchor society who might ever be in a position to challenge Super Mario for the title.

If you had never sailed on a Royal ship before then boardred Oasis class would you ever guess that deck 17/18 was the "Viking Crown"? I can understand that you knew that was the closest thing to a VCL based on prior VCL experiences on earlier ships yet for a new to Royal guests I think they'd have a hard time finding a "Viking Crown" on a scavenger hunt while on any Oasis class.

No ship in the Royal fleet is family friendly for free communications using your personal devices. Royal has monetized the ability to text. That starts with the $2 daily fee per person to use the Royal app for chat and much higher if you want to use an internet based chat or text app on your own devices.

As far as Port Canaveral goes I like the accessibility of the port to the public in general. Port Everglades is a fortress. No one would go to Port Everglades if not going on a cruise, in fact you can't really. The Port of Miami doesn't really lend itself as a port to drop by and enjoy the port without a cruise either. Port Canaveral is a place where you can go and find many restaurants/bars and other attractions so that you could go there without being booked on a cruise. As a cruise guest that's easier when sailing from terminals 1 and 3 and less so for terminals like 5 and higher yet a local can go to PCN and enjoy the port without being booked on a cruise at all and that is rare for many cruise ports in the US. For example there is a campground at PCN for folks that have nothing to do with a cruise.

They don't really belong in an apples-to-apples comparison (specialty vs. CK). There are two, maybe three CK dinner menus that stand out for my food preferences. Since food is personal that will vary for each guest. CK service has always been better than MDR in my opinion so even when CK food isn't much different than MDR, service has always been better and so is the ambiance. Yet I wouldn't ever say that CK was designed to eliminate the need or desire for specialty dining. That's probably the intention. Why discourage suite guests from spending more for specialty dining? CK was presumably intended to be a prefered suite venue compared to the MDR but not a suitable replacement for specialty dining. YMMV.

Wonder clearly doesn't have a crown either but the crown first truly disappeared with Quantum. Oasis class sort-of-crown was the first marker of it's departure. They copied the Oasis pseudo-crown through Symphony. Yet it's hard to claim that Oasis in 2009 really had a VCL. When Coastal Kitchen was introduced on Oasis after Quantum was deployed without a VCL that should have been the first absolute notation it was going, going, ...and gone. One could argue Quantum's lack of a VCL was the first confirmed buh-bye to the VCL and that was 2014.

Some cruise lines had this already during the initial restart. Unvax kids couldn't disembark in several ports. When they tried to get off the sea card scan at security made that "nope" buzzer sound. I remember the posts well with guests ranting at guest services over it. "No one told us", "My child has been forever mentally broken by it", "I'll never cruise this line again" and so on. I assume they'll do the same at GC. Aren't they still asking to see proof of vax at check in? Granted it's gone from the app but vax can still show it at check in right?

In the world of airline loyalty programs there are the concept of "mileage runs" where people fly certain flights just to earn status. The primary difference is that airlines require annual qualification and for many frequent business travelers there can be more incentive to level up for certain perks like free upgrades to first class. One similarity between cruise lines and airlines... if your butt isn't on board you don't get status credit for that booking. If cruise lines awarded points for booking a cruise but not sailing the cruise then folks would find the cheapest last minute deals and book them just to get the points. It doesn't work that way. Sleep in a Royal bed on board a ship or no points for you. Extra points for a no show cabin mate is purely YMMV.

I used to say that too. It's not a matter of having a butt kissed. That doesn't happen. It does open doors that are not opened when the pin is off. It's hard to explain but you'll see once you get there. Keep an open mind.

Voyager class is a sweet spot for me. Not too big so easy to get around but new enough that there are many modern features like water slides. Royal has updated most Voyager class ships to refresh them. Voyager did get updated before the shutdown. Being much smaller than Oasis class obviously they don't have the real estate to have everything that Oasis class has. Across the fleet Oasis class are in a league of their own both literally and figuratively. No other ships to date are as big or have everything that Oasis class offers. The extra wide Oasis platform gives them space to do things like Central Park and the Boardwalk. Oasis class are newer than older Voyager class ships so naturally that means there are features that have evolved over time that won't be found on the older ships. Keep in mind that at one time Voyager class were the largest cruise ships in the world. They remain larger than anything that other lines like Carnival ever had before Mardi Gras launched last year. So they aren't a small ship by any means, just not nearly as large as their bigger sisters in the Oasis class.

Key card? Everyone who sails is given a sea pass card. Are you referring to "The Key" program that comes with Voom internet and other "priority" perks? I personally see no value in "The Key". Wheelchair or not the value of "The Key" is a personal matter no different than if you should buy a dining package or a beverage package. "The Key" comes with private hours at activities like the zip line or flowrider. Does your wheelchair bound friend use these activities? Does your friend always buy a paid Voom plan? For many people the value of "The Key" is bound to having a paid Voom internet plan. The value or wisdom then relates to the cost of Voom versus the cost of "The Key". The boarding lunch is a one time first day thing but you have to be there early enough to eat at the lunch. For many "Key" perks there is no apparent correlation to a wheelchair guest so it comes down to personal preferences for the perks that come with "The Key". Priority boarding on day one might be of some value if getting on board first means something to your group. That is a one time perk mostly wasted if you are not in the terminal early on day one.

Ask a travel agent for a quote for 3 guests. We all know that Royal's website leaves a lot to be desired. Every week we see evidence of some wonky behaviour on the website. Travel agents don't use the public website when they quote or book a cruise.

On March 1, 2022 the policy changed. The Best Price Guarantee that came with Cruise with Confidence stopped for cruises booked after March 1, 2022 because CWC stopped for cruises booked after March 1, 2022. If you booked this cruise prior to March 1, 2022 then after final payment due date the price dropped you would have been issued OBC for the price adjustment. Once CWC ended for new cruises booked after March 1,2022 the Best Price Guarantee reverted to the old best price guarantee that says you have 24 hours to find a better price after booking. So for a cruise that was recently booked (after Mar. 1, 2022) once final payment due date has passed there is no price adjustment available. They are correct.

My biggest advice as someone who sailed almost to Platinum on Carnival before switching to Royal would be... Give yourself a cruise lobotomy before boarding. Remember that first time you ever boarded a cruise ship? Go back to there like you have never cruised before. They are very similar in many respects but there will be subtle difference in how the buffett works for example. If you go in constantly comparing it Carnival and saying... "That's not how Carnival does it!" it will get old quick. If you go in with an open mind and embrace the differences you may find you like some of the subtle difference.

When I lived on St Thomas Avis had a policy of no rental cars on the ferry. Road are bad with lots of potholes. Renters would get flat tires and leave the cars on St. John while dropping the keys at the airport and getting on a plane from St Thomas. Made for a lot of effort to retrieve the cars. I don't know if they still have thay policy but you might ask before renting. Most of the rental agencies had that policy at one time.

Here is a pic of a connecting door on Odyssey. It was right beside the main cabin door in this case. When opened it would cover the mirror. In my cabin the sofa was by the balcony.

The truth is I only pursued Pinnacle so I could access the Suite Lounge without booking a suite. 😱 JK!!!!

The connecting cabin I had on Odyssey had the connecting door very close to the entrance as opposed to the area where the sofa is like on other classes. Let me see if I can find some pics.

I don't think you can point the finger at NCL for all cruise lines cutting into the experience. They all collectively involved with downgrading the experience in the name of expanding cruising to the masses. Mass market cruising is the result of years of subtle and not so subtle changes in the industry. The blame is more at the hands of Wall Street investors than one cruise line trying to go there first. Cruising is cheaper now adjusted for inflation than it was when the experience involved better this or that. The mass market cruise industry is defined by the need for cheap cruises. For those that want something more each brand has a line that offers more for a higher price.

On Radiance some people don't like the forward extended balconies on deck 7. I ended up in one with a GTY one time and personally love them but I also respect that other may not have the same opinion given they are less private. I don't use my balcony in my underwear so it isn't an issue for me. 🙂 At the aft end of each deck on the side of the ship the last cabin fully aft there are some of the balconies on this class that are odd shapes or have obstructed views due to washing equipment parked there. Some hump balconies are small and oddly shaped. Deck 7 midship has the balcony right next to the cover over the lifeboat so you can't look down to see the water while your view straight out is unimpeded. The cover is at the level of the balcony floor so it's not really an obstruction unless trying to look down to the sea. So when I am booking a balcony there are some locations I would make a point not to book and places where I would prefer. To each their own. If you can score an inexpensive upgrade and are willing to accept a cabin that may be less popular for someone paying full balcony rates then a cheap RoyalUp win would be great for you. If the upgrade is going to cost a lot and your expectation is a perfect balcony then Royal Up may not be the best idea.

Isn't the point of a loyalty program to entice members to book more cruises? Why is it a problem that the CAS is motivating frequent cruisers to book more cruises with Royal Caribbean? That's kind of the point.

That is not accurate. The CAS balcony discount can be combined with many but not all promos. At lower levels in the CAS the tendency for the CAS balcony to have an impact largely depends on the dates and region you are booking. One cruise for you may not have a positive impact while someone else at your level in the CAS might get something for their booking. It's more variable at lower levels of the CAS. Once you climb higher in the CAS the balcony discounts tends to become a factor more often since it a larger discount. Just because it did nothing for you does not mean it does nothing for everyone.