twangster

1 minute ago, smokeybandit said:

I'll be really curious if this has lasting power, or it's a general one and done like Wonderland.

Probably why they are looking at different themes.  Do the same one again, probably not, a different one?  Probably.

Just now, Nickles_1 said:

August 12. They are taking their sweet time opening reservations for anything. Show reservations still aren’t available yet. 

I know right?

When is your sail date?

It looks to be available for many dates in July and August.  They haven't opened it up yet beyond that.

2 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

Ovation has been operating in some pretty small islands in the Pacific for years.

Yes but usually by itself.

When NCL has a large ship at Cabo they hire every single local tender leaving every other ship in port that day to use only their lifeboats.  The volume of tenders from all the ships can make Cabo difficult when another large ship or several small ships are in port.  I've been there when it took 4 hours to offload Vision using tenders.  We were in port for 6 hours.  We left several hours late that day because it also took 4 hours to get everyone back on board. 

Vision has half the capacity of Q class. 

I'm not even sure Cabo would allow two large ships to visit on the same day.  If they did the tendering would be a nightmare.    

Just now, nelblu said:

My experience is that they usually ask you to confirm.

I'm about 50/50.

I've booked 15 cruises at NC this year.  

3 hours ago, Cruising89143 said:

Unfortunately Ovation will have the same crappy three, five and six night itineraries that they gave QN. Not sure why they couldn’t throw in some seven or eight night MR cruises or longer cruises to Hawaii. I know that shorter cruises seem to be the thing right now but throw us a bone. I also noticed that on some days both NV and OV or QN are in port at the same time. That will be fun as both terminals are not large enough to handle those two ships comfortably and the parking is already tight. 
 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ship-operations/royal-caribbean-sending-2nd-ship-los-angeles-lieu-china-taking-part-port-rfp

 

West coast MX ports are not typically capable of many ships at the same time.  Given there are other cruise lines vying for berths it's complicated, especially for extra large ships and for tendering in Cabo.  

Hawaii on Q class is unappealing due to the limited ports that can berth Q class.  

There just are not a lot of destination options for west coast cruising and with the competition consuming berths it's a wonder they managed to get anything for Ovation with this much lead time.  

Ovation

Los Angeles To Tokyo Cruise Sept 23, 2025

Tokyo to Singapore Oct 9, 2025

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I got off Grandeur a few days ago. Like most cruises I spent time at the casino bar and talked with a bunch of people sitting at the bar over the course of the cruise. Like most cruises the majority of people I talked to were not doing very well in the casino, with one guy saying he had already lost over $10K on the third night of the cruise. However, it seems everyone who posts online says something similar to either they usually win in the casino or their cruise(s) would cost more than they lost in the casino. I realize there are people who win in the casino, but they are the exceptions. The casino program with comped cruises, free drinks, etc. would not exist if the majority of gamblers were winning or losing less than the cost of comped cruise(s) they booked. 

Absolutely.  The casino program exists because overall it makes money for the company.

The casino can get quite busy on any given ship.  The vast majority of those folks will not come out ahead.  Many of those folks are not there to play for a free cruise.  With more than 50% new to Royal on board many of those gamblers are not likely fully up to speed on the concept of earning a free cruise in the casino, how points accumulate, what Prime is, etc.

Earning a free cruise costs money.  It's not really a free cruise but when combined with some gambling the casino program can be an avenue for reduced cost cruising. 

It can also provide some different options.  I don't typically cruise during the summer peak for example.  It costs more and there are no reduced single supplement fares usually.  However with an instant reward cruise I can cruise in the summer months and the absence of reduced single supplement doesn't matter.

As it turns out for me I am ahead having won B2B jackpots.  Statistically if I continue gambling I'll lose.   I'm hoping Casino Royale will see I am ahead and that I've stopped gambling.  Maybe they will throw me an extra comp cruise to get me back into the casino.  

12 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I clicked on wonder seemed like a decent price, within $100 of what I paid for central park over a year ago, for boardwalk balcony, I was kinda interested, not booked until oct.

 

Clicked to see available rooms says that selection isnt available any more. Well darn. Maybe everyone here is also clicking but cant click thru. 

 

Wonder balcony cant get below 2k now, but a LOT of interior with virtual balcony for $1696 available. Never had one but price seems kinda ok, matches my old wonder booking a million years ago. Not cheap but in line imo, solo DP340 rate clicked. Dont know if that helps.

 

Wonder 7 days 

 

 

If there is only one or two cabins left then as people click on them it takes that cabin out of inventory while that potential guest goes through the booking process.  If that person decides not to go all the way or doesn't complete the booking that GGG cabin rate will eventually return to inventory for someone else to consider.

Depending how the potential guest exits or doesn't complete the booking the cabin can come back into inventory quickly or it can take 15 minutes for that cabin to return to inventory.  

For example, I was watching a balcony cabin for an upcoming transatlantic.  There was one such cabin.  I was booked in an interior.  The one available balcony cabin would disappear from inventory as people clicked on it doing a mock booking.  Then 15 minutes later it came back into inventory.  I kept checking until it was back in inventory and then I pounced on it and got it.  At that point there no more 2B cabins available so it was gone.

Not directly and not exactly.

You can request to have the booking pulled from the TA you dislike but it will take some cooperation from them, or a complete lack of communication you can demonstrate to justify it.  It's a pretty drastic move to yank a booking from a TA even if you are not happy with them based on a prior experience so it's not something that Royal makes easy.

If you make it through that first step, if the timing is right, under 30 days old, you may be able to then have it associated to the new TA but that can sometimes be problematic too.

Royal doesn't want guests chasing the latest deal or TA who offers more OBC, or an extra dinner or whatever so it's not a easy thing to get done.

It's a lesson learned when booking at NextCruise.  By default it goes to the TA who booked the cruise you are sailing on when you visit NC.

If booked through the US/Canada system or travel partner then prior to final payment due date you can change categories and request price adjustments for the same category. 
 

Once final payment due date has passed there are no price adjustments to lower the price of the cruise.   Usually you can pay additional money to upgrade to a better cabin after final payment due date.    
 

You can sometimes encounter a contact center person who cites the “new bookings only” rule but often a second call yields a different outcome.  

Your seapass card could be deactivated and you may not be able to reboard at the next port.

3 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Great informative post. You already touched on being lucky, but I think it’s important to mention most people lose more money in the casino than if they simply paid for their cruises out of pocket. The casino program would not exist if this wasn’t true. 

Not everyone is happy with interior and ocean view so they continue on towards the higher point awards which increases the opportunity for losses.

Jewel was treating me terribly.  I just couldn't get into a groove so I cut my losses and abandoned any hopes for an instant reward free cruise.  I got as far as a minimal discount off an existing cruise so it wasn't all thrown down the drain but it will impact my annual statistics.  

But then on my last two cruises I hit hand pay jackpots on each so while I lost some money on Jewel I more than made up for it on Icon and Freedom.  

I'm up on the year and Prime is renewed but two hand pay jackpots in a row probably means I'll soon enter a losing streak so that will be on my mind on my next cruise.  I'll pull the plug quickly if it isn't working out.

23 hours ago, little britain said:

At $5 per point assuming you hit a run of back luck your potential outlay cost for “free” drinks is $4960… isn’t it cheaper to PAYG?!? 🤷‍♀️

 

I also don’t understand potentially laying down $12500 to get a “free” cruise?!  Where do you draw the line and stop 🎰?

The $12,500 figure would be required if no spin ever won.  You would need to be massively unlucky to spin that many times and never once get a single hit.

For example one time I charged $300 to my room.  Not long after I hit a ~ $900 win.  I still had over $200 from my original $300 available.  So now I'm staring at something like $1,137 in the machine.   

If I cash out I am up $837.  I chose to continue playing because I wanted to make Prime.  I played that $900 for points not using any new money until all that was gone.  At that point I was around 950 points.  I wanted to reach 1200 points for the 1200 point level free cruise so it took me another ~$200 in new money to get there. 

I ended up with something like 1237 points.  That earned me a free instant reward cruise.  So far my run to Prime cost me just over $500.  The free cruise I booked was 6 nights on Adventure in an interior.  At the time that was a $1,300 cruise.  

On my next cruise I wasn't as lucky.  I completed my Prime run, earned a 1500 instant reward free cruise with around ~$1,100 more invested in the casino program.  I booked a 3 night on Allure in a balcony that was at the time something like a $1,500 cruise.

So at this point I have spent around $1,600, have earned Prime and two free cruises.  Come April they hand out the annual Prime free cruise which I used for a 7 night Wonder cruise.  That was an interior that I spent ~$600 to upgrade to a balcony through the casino department which at the time was around a $3,000 cruise.

I chose to split my Prime run over two cruises to get two free instant rewards cruises plus the annual Prime free cruise.  

In summary for ~ $1,600 I earned Prime with free drinks in the casino for the rest of that year and all of the following year and I booked three cruises which cost me port fees, taxes and a balcony upgrade.  Those three cruises would have cost $5,800 to book on the website as a solo Pinnacle.

I have been lucky.  The $1,600 Prime cost is probably below what most folks invest.  The following years will not always be so lucky.  Consequently my average to maintain Prime will likely go up.  However if I continue to spread my gambling across multiple cruises I will continue to earn multiple free instant reward cruises as well as the annual Prime free cruise.

In 2019 it wasn't that hard to find balcony deals on short Florida sailings for $200-$300.  Back in those days the Prime math was different.   Those days are over.  With the high cost of cruising in modern times the Prime math works for me.

I room charge and let my gambling be charged to my credit card.  This nets me 2% cash back through my credit card.  I pay off my card monthly so I am not financing my gambling, it floats on my credit card for a month with no cost to me.  Sure that $1,600 only netted me $32 in cash back rewards but $32 is $32 and it costs me nothing.  

Gambling will never be profitable or revenue positive on it's own.  For someone who loves to cruise and since I live in Florida it's a means to be reduce the cost to cruise.  Free drinks at the casino bar is actually a pretty great perk too.  This have proven to be more valuable than I originally thought.

Another item to be aware is that the low level instant rewards are mostly interior or oceanview.  I am okay with that for a free cruise.  If you must have a balcony or suite the math is different.   Instant rewards are better when earned on a short cruise, you can view the list at the URLs already posted above.

On 7/10/2024 at 12:21 PM, cruiseaholic777 said:

Does anyone know the exact date of the opening of the Royal Beach club? I have heard April of 2025, but no exact day. We  are on a cruise April 10th 2025 and would like to visit the resort if it is open. If not I will book a daypass at Breeze's Resort.

It’s construction in the Bahamas. It’ll be done on Ísland time.  
 

Seriously. I lived on St Thomas working for a mainland company.  They never understood the delays and missed deadlines.  “No one bribed the customs house so the product is stuck in customs”.  Silence on conference calls.   Sorry was I supposed to phrase that politically correctly?  😂

At this point no one, not Royal, not Nassau, not the government, nor the contractors know the guesstimated completion date.  

I always assumed there would be a fee involved.  

11 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Voyager is going to Asia in fall of 25 - TA?

Oops. wrong year.

2 hours ago, pghflyer said:

Even $10 per (plus 18% grat), they are making about $9 profit per drink ha

Yes, Royal is actually a for profit business.  

9 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

LOL!!! Maybe a @twangster / biker / hoopster renunion? 😉

Conflicts with a Star class booking I have.  

The Voyager TA on the other hand ends in my backyard so much more attractive.

1 hour ago, MillbrookMom said:

Was your cost in US or Cdn $?  Because I thought we had a good deal for our interior, but we are Cdn.  So our $ doesn't go as far.  

$USD

GTY balcony on this class is usually a good gamble.

Sometimes the deck 6 obstructed balconies sell out.  This may seem counterintuitive.   Since they are the least expensive balconies they often get heavily booked.  Consequently don't assume you will get a deck 6 obstructed balcony from a GTY.

That's not to say you won't get a deck 6 obstructed balcony, it all depends on timing and if folks cancel or move to another ship and sail date.  I have done fairly well playing the GTY game on this class since there are so many balcony cabins and by percentage not many are obstructed.

If you will be disappointed should you get a deck 6 obstructed balcony from a GTY you may want to consider paying upfront now to ensure you get a balcony that won't disappoint.

On 6/27/2024 at 3:20 PM, RCCLNYMETS41 said:

Somehow, I'm not familiar with this GGG sale.

Is there a code to enter to get a discount, or is this just to bring attention to a sale, but the discounted price is already on the website?

I routinely stumble across GGG rates just by searching and sorting by fare.  They tend to be close in sailings as the name suggests.

The GGG flier simply makes the fares known to travel agents and through the URLs posted in this thread to anyone with internet access.  You don't need to enter special codes, the fares are out there for anyone to stumble across simply by searching for cruises often.  

They are offered on a limited basis and once folks like me see them and book them they may not be there when the next person searches.  If you find one you'll want to act quick or folks like me will snatch them up before you make up your mind. 🤣

Just now, five. said:

I see posts like this and automatically assume they are out of my budget. Would you mind saying ballpark cost for an interior cabin, I no longer see these on the site to check myself.

 

Speaking of interior, did you have any regrets going with that option?

 

It looks like a wonderful once in a life type cruise.

There were some pretty significant price drops before final payment at least for those who booked through the US/Canada system. 

My balcony cabin started over $4,500 solo when I booked the same sail date when this cruise first opened.  That ended up at $2,600 about a month before final payment.  

I am over 340 points in the Crown and Anchor system and being May the DP340 reduced single supplement helped significantly.  Booking for two would naturally cost more.  May is before the summer peak so going early in the Northern Europe cruise season helps keep costs down.

Be aware the heritage fjords are being closed to cruise ships after this year, at least from a Royal Caribbean perspective.  Royal will continue to visit coastal Norway in the future but Flam and Geiranger will be off limits due to new emissions standards imposed by Norway.

At Cococay the ships connect to the island VIA fiber to facilitate extending WiFi to the island.  That is also how they authenticate if someone has a Voom plan or not.  

During a May stop this year I saw them setting up a wireless repeater test on the pier in Nassau.

I suspect they were testing the concept of using a wireless link to the Beach Club.  

There may be an issue for multiple Royal and Celebrity ships being present.  They may have to set up a wireless link between ships and use the ship at the outermost pier as the master link to the Beach Club.  

I've used the same access points in my professional life.  They are very capable access points that can handle the distance without issue assuming Royal berths a ship at the outermost pier.

Authentication of Voom clients may be the biggest challenge, particularly with multiple Royal ships in port.

Regardless of the outcome and logistical challenges it does appear they are looking at it.

32 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Gotta pump up on that on board spend revenue.

Lots of new to cruise on this sailing.  Very few CAS.  I am the only Pin.

I suspect it's a different strategy or approach on such cruises.