Mick B

Hi, Would that work for everyone? I normally board the ship around noon and either go and do the muster first (if they are there as sometimes they don't start until 1pm), then have a bite to eat in the WJ or do the WJ then the drill. At this point in time my sea pass card is still on my cabin door which is still locked off until around 2pm, sometimes earlier. I do not normally have a drink at first lunch, although we do enjoy a glass of wine in the Champagne bar which they normally allow if you give them your details. I think the e-muster should include having your sea pass card in hand to prove you have come from your stateroom, then after doing the drill, allow it to purchase items. The only problem is now you are asking everyone to wait until after 2pm to do the drill making it more crowded again. I still think a better way to do this.... Upon arrival on board the ship you do not go into the inside of the ship yet, but go along the deck to a member of crew who will show you a life boat drill and put your details in the system. Then afterwards you go to your actual muster station where another member of crew ticks you off to confirm you know where to go. (A member of crew could look after several muster areas at a time and save on staff as he could just move to wherever he is needed). Again, the only problem is this doesn't prove you would know your way there from your cabin. I keep going on about this, but isn't this the most important thing. Remember it may be dark, there may be a power failure, lights may be on emergency settings only and the lifts won't be working so you need to know how to get to your muster station asap. Another issue is anyone using the Royal Up who is still waiting for their new cabins to be given to them may now end up in a different part of the ship and therefore having a new muster station altogether, now do they need to do a new muster to prove they now know the new way to their life boat? Maybe anyone that does the muster before the rooms open (and therefore not having a sea pass card) must return to the muster station with it to prove they now know the route and then get signed off. At the end of the day safety for ALL on board must be the top priority. However, enjoying the maximum time you have on board is the trade-off. I really hope they can keep the e-muster and just find a way to tweak it a bit more in order to make sure everyone who uses it gets the same standard as before the shutdown. BTW does anyone else agree with me about the importance of knowing your way from your cabin to your life boat. Remember, although you may get familiar with the ships layout as time goes by, the emergency may come on the first night. Mick.

Hi all, The only reason I suggested proving you could get from your cabin was because on average you would be in there from say 11pm until 7am which means 8 hours which is a third of your day, each day and at a time when it would probably be dark outside and you would be dependent on emergency lighting even more than during the day and also at a time when you may be a little tired and/or worse for the weather. I would suggest that if an emergency did break out during the night then this would be the best time to know where your are going as people may be in a panic and therefore not stopping to help/assist you in getting to go where you need to go. You could argue that collecting your sea pass card from your room when it opens and then going to the muster station proves you took a route of some sort to get there. Would that be enough?. If so, then that method would work for both the old muster and the new one too so no advantage there. Maybe the app could feature a game where you have to fill in the route on a 3D virtual ship detailing the route from your cabin to the muster station correctly and possibly even an alternative route if the most direct one was blocked. Then show this to the steward at the muster station upon arrival to prove you know your way from your cabin. Mick.

Hi all, From what has been posted on YouTube bloggers, it looks like RCI is going to keep the e-muster for now. Although I personally would be glad to keep this new way of doing things, I am a bit bias as I have cruised many many times with RCI and know my way around the ships and what to do. However, someone new to cruising or to RCI probably will not. Is it not more important than anything else that everyone knows their way safely and quickly from their cabin to their lifeboat (Everything else can be sorted at the muster station). Surely, there must be a way of proving this has been done by all guests. The old muster routine was to assemble at say 4pm at the muster station. At that time you could have come from just about anywhere on board so that wouldn't necessarily address this issue. You may not even have been to your room yet at this point in time either. Now if there was some practical way to incorporate proving you came from your stateroom straight to the muster by using your device then surely that would be a very good reason to keep the new e-muster. Anyone got any ideas? Mick.

Hi, The reserved seating on the Jewel was nice, and I bet as more things like the key and multiple classes of suites come along, the D+ members will lose this perk due to high numbers of takers. One thing here though is that sometimes the seating in the balcony is not always the best spot. Great for a comedian that is rubbish that you want to get away from or for watching something like Spectra's Cabaret (on Quantum class ships) which being too close means you miss things going on behind/around you, but if you like loud shows then the first 5 rows near the stage are best. Can Key guests not select their seats beforehand or is that just Star class etc? Again, as it stands (or stood last time I cruised) all seats are released for everyone 10 minutes before the show starts. That rule brings me to this next point. What is the point of paying extra for VIP perks like seats if at the last minute someone can come and sit right next to you who hasn't paid extra for them? Mick.

Hi all, Depends on if you have the extra money to spend on being a VIP? Some may have it and not care, others may want to use their money for other things on board and some may not be able to afford anything extra at all. I personally would use whatever money I have spare for things such as trips at ports, but that's just me! But I am D+ so already get some of those perks so that probably explains my way of thinking here. Also, along with the Key seating in the theatre, there is Star Class seating and others for those in various suites. How many different types of special is there? - oh yes, there's also the D+ and Pinnacle seats too! To be a VIP is to be treated as special in front of others, and is anything on the key list other than seating in the theatre that is really that special at the end of the day? Looks like the best benefit of the key is the internet part for anyone who really needs it. It that really special as no-one else would know you had it? Also, if almost everyone ends up being special ,then surely no-one will feel that special anymore. Maybe it should be re-named "Not so VIP" Mick.

Hi, What we all have to remember here is that the original muster drill came into force for all ships not long after the Titanic incident of 1912. It has been used (or should have been used) at the start of every cruise before leaving port and is there for the safety of ALL on board (passengers and crew etc). If we have to go back to this way (which had been in place for approx 100 years before covid changed things) then so be it, but it really would be nice if after the restart of 2021, we could improve on the e-muster instead. What about having to either watch a video on your phone/device shortly after boarding or on your stateroom TV if you don't have a device, and then follow the instructions to go to your muster station. Maybe the video could end with a code you have to give to staff upon arrival at your muster station to so they know you have watched the video beforehand. Since you have now found the muster station, you have done the most important thing - found where your lifeboat will be launched from in a real emergency. A staff member could then make sure you know how to put on a life jacket correctly and then sign you off. Surely being at the life boat station asap and then putting on a life jacket properly and then awaiting further instructions from the crew is all you need to do in an emergency. The route to your assembly point is clearly printed on the inside of your stateroom door (any anyone who isn't familiar with the ship should make sure they read this asap to be aware anyway) plus crew are normally at all/most stairways to answer any questions you need about getting to your muster station which is printed on your sea pass card, so again what more is there to do? The muster drill is the law for us all on board, and should be done correctly for everyone's safety, but if it can be done in such a way that the impact on your holiday time is minimal, then surely that would be best for everyone - as long as everyone on board as a chance of knowing what they should be doing in an emergency. Mick.

Hi, This is a bit of of a tough one! After covid struck and the muster was changed to the e-muster, I was over the moon as I could now board the ship at say noon, get the e-muster done with, get some lunch in the WJ, go to my room at 2pm and start unpacking (if cases where there) or change into swimwear (from carry on bag) and have a swim whilst the pool area was quiet etc. The old way was to pack loads of people together, sometimes with big/tall people in front of you blocking the view of the demonstration, or people talking loudly around you blocking out the sound. Some cruisers may be repeaters, so you would have a good idea of what is being said anyway, but not good for new cruisers who could hear or see a thing. Would it not be possible or practical to have say the muster take place as you board the ship, right there as you step on board and before going inside, in say groups of 20 passengers at a time, who get the drill done there, but then have to go to their actual muster stations to be signed off by a crew member on the system. Then when they have been given say a card to confirm, then go inside and then start their holiday. I thought the e-muster was the best way but some people didn't get it over and done with when boarding and calls were constantly put out all afternoon to guests who hadn't done it - Why??? Shame it couldn't be done in the terminal as you check in! Then go to your muster station on board to get ticked off the list. I don't want it to go back to how it used to be, but it probably will at some point once all/most covid has gone. Mick.

Hi all, My wife and I have been cruising since 2008 and with the exception of one P&O cruise in 2012 (as it sailed into St Lucia on our wedding anniversary, and that is where we got married, and RCI didn't have a ship docking that day), we have stayed with RCI. We are not massive drinkers, my wife has to be careful and I can take or leave as much and little as offered. We started to cruise in order to visit places that we wanted to see, but not necessarily stay at, so this was the perfect way. We joined the C&A scheme as a means to get the best prices and updates etc. I always found it nice when we hit a tier change to get things like a nice meal or a snack in the room. We are now D+ and probably will be as we still have well over 400 nights. I gave my wife a choice that we could either have a balcony/suite and just one cruise a year or have an interior and have two, as the points would end up the same. She would choose the interior and have two different cruises. I have enough money but not loads, so I have to be careful as we also like short city breaks inbetween the cruises too! My wife is fairly fussy about certain things and if things are not right then she won't bother with them again, so RCI have been doing things right as we have returned time and time again. I am very happy with what RCI provide for us. I know Suite guests now get some things too, but they also have paid more for them. For what I pay, I cannot complain. It took me 7 years to get to Diamond and another 3 to get to D+ which we did in 2019. All by having two interior room cruises a year. Yes some were 4 night, some were 7 but most were 12 to 14 and some were B2B as long as the ports weren't repeated. For us, we stuck with RCI because they provided us with first class food and first class entertainment. As for the drinks vouchers, yes I miss the Diamond lounge at 5pm, but I don't miss the trouble getting into it because nearly half the ship were Diamond or above. I think having 5 drinks at the time I want them is a major step in the right direction. There is also a much wider choice too inc drink of the day! My wife is also happy with the stuff left in the cabin at the start of the cruise. As for our wine selection, we don't really care, we take it home and then take it to parties and share with others! The 5 vouchers a day plus the C&A get together drinks plus the Captains night drinks are more than enough. Too much booze equals not remembering parts of the holiday! Somethings got to give at some point. Food, Entertainment, perks? RCI have to survive as a company. Again, at no point climbing up the ladder did we want to get off, except for the one cruise with P&O which didn't get repeated, so you know that wasn't as good as RCI. As someone said before, if everyone is special, then no-one is special. At every level I climbed I felt special and still do. To be special, you can... Climb the ladder of C&A and enjoy the extra things they give at each stage. You can pay for a grand suite and enjoy the perks with that too and be special. You can even spend money on the Key and be special too. Hell, you could do all the above and be really special. For us, we just want to enjoy our time on board and make some memories. At the moment RCI is for us. However, If the service dips with things such as food choices, lack of decent entertainment, crap ports of call, then we may choose to do something else, but until that happens we will stay as we are, happy with what RCI do for us and grateful for the perks, which they can take away at any time. Mick.

Hi, This is another way for RCI to make money. It may be good for some, especially new cruisers but anyone who is Diamond+ and above gets a few of these perks anyway. I suppose it depends on your circumstances, so... Lets break it down some factors... Since the pandemic, you now have a arrival time given to you that you are advised to stick to and I have now done 4 cruises and can tell you that from arriving at the terminal it has been less than 15 before boarding the ship. Much, much faster than before! So no bonus there! I always have a carry on bag that I take to lunch on the first day. It has a change of clothes just in case the luggage doesn't arrive in time before going to dinner. It also contains a towel and swimwear in case I want to have a swim after lunch (as I now can complete the muster drill upon boarding, so do not need to rush about at 4pm getting ready anymore). So don't need that service! I would love a Chops grill at lunch, but I would have had a big breakfast at the hotel before leaving for the ship and always have My Time Dinning for around 6pm so would simply get on board and go to the WJ and have lunch there at my own pace. There is plenty time to climb the wall or go on the flow rider. Remember these are both outdoors so depending on the weather, they may be closed for H&S reasons, so your private reservation could be cancelled if windy or rough seas. It is always nice to get off the ship first at ports of call and make the most of the day there. However, if you have booked a trip through RCI then you would normally meet in say the Theatre and make your way down to the tenders with a guide, so you already get priority departure here. VIP access to shows is nice. Anyone D+ or above currently gets this and this depends on which ship - some let you enter 40 minutes before and choose your own seat (if not already reserved) and others have a dedicated area such is in the middle section of balcony. I would normally chose a seat at the front for a band for the music and go in the balcony if its a comedian, so I can escape without becoming part of the show. You have to think here about your family and certain things like little kids that suddenly need the loo and require an adult to go with them only to return to find that the next kid now wants the loo too, and so on!. Better to be at the back than at the front in this case - even more so if its comedy night! From what I have seen most Key seats are in the first 5 rows. VOOM! Again Diamond upwards get at least a free day of this each. I give mine to my wife who may use it to check on the grandkids from time to time. Personally myself, I am on holiday and have gone away from my normal world to enjoy a break, so I am not really interested in what's happening back home as I cannot do anything about it. However, I suppose in this new generation of kids being practically handcuffed to a device for whatever reason, if it keeps them quiet, then $30 a day maybe worth it I suppose. Although why some kids today can't simply go and enjoy all the things a cruise ship has to offer. They don't know it, but they have never had it so good. There was nothing like this when I was a kid. A nice meal on debarkation day. Would be nice, but a lot of people have to get up early to get off asap to catch a flight etc so a quick rush to the MJ and off they go is all they can manage. We always try to stay over for a day or two in the final port so are not in a rush, but you still have to be off by say 9am at the latest if taking off your own luggage. I have tried MDR breakfast, but it is slow in they seem to get your order wrong (almost like they no longer care). Best bet here is the WJ where you can eat what you want/need. As I say, it depends on your circumstances, but any top tier C&A member probably would not bother with this and any family that did would be paying a great amount. If only the internet to keep the kids happy is the reason, then surely a better option would be to find other things around the ship for them to do to keep them happy. As you can tell, its not for me! For me, I could use the money saved on this to help fund another cruise instead! Mick.

Hi, What I find odd, is that RCI could have had $200.00 from me for an upgrade. The ship was only half full and I believe there were plenty rooms available. What got me was the guest services staff didn't even bother to check if there was an available room even though they knew lots people had not turned up (as staff were talking about it around the ship). If no upgradable rooms were available, they could have just told me that, but they didn't and weren't interested in even checking, which I am sure they could have done if they had wanted. I just find it strange that a company that is cutting down on certain menus in the MDR to save money doesn't want to take mine. In the end, with the rough seas, we were glad to stay where we were. Still, how many customers have they lost money from like this. It must amount to something. If cruise lines need cash to survive without cutting down on menus or entertainment then surely they should be biting off the hands of any customers coming to guest services asking for an upgrade that are offering to pay for it! Mick.

Hi, RCI would probably not be too bothered if Diamond and above cruisers chose not to cruise with them anymore as a result of the menu changes as RCI would probably save money on the perks Diamond and above members have and therefore, more importantly to a business, it may free up the cabins to possibly new cruisers that may spend more money on things. This could also be a way to make guests who normally eat in the MDR every night start to spend money in speciality restaurants on certain nights instead. I would say this may affect repeat cruisers more as new cruisers wouldn't know what the old menus were like. However, looking at the new menu for the Welcome aboard night, there is Roasted Tomato Soup or Escargots for Starters, Slow Roasted Prime Rib or New York Strip Steak for Mains and Key Lime Pie for Dessert - so, as there are enough old favourites still on that menu, we will be in the MDR that night for sure!. Can't say yet for the other nights as RCI have not put them on the app for our next cruise on the Enchantment in May yet. My wife also likes the food in the Windjammer, but not every night! - only when we have been out on a long trip and cannot get back/ready in time for dinner in the MDR would we normally have dinner here. If I was on a ship that had a Coastal Kitchen (Quantum/Oasis class) then I would book a JS and use that every single night (where possible) without a doubt, if the price difference was reasonable, but I am just not willing to pay out extra ££££s for a JS just for access to this venue for food. We have tried just about all the restaurants on the ships and may wife has no intention of going back to any of them as she says the food in the MDR is just as good. Furthermore on talking to fellow cruisers in the Diamond Lounge who have been to them in recent years, they all said it was a bit disappointing to how it used to be - so that's that then! Lets hope the new menus provide food that is just as good, if not better, then before in the MDR. Mick.

Hi, Although I have been back here a few times, I haven't been over to Megan's Bay since 2011. Back then we didn't even know about it and only found out when we went into town and found taxi drivers showing pictures. Six of us went over the hill which takes about 10-15 minutes and we were all put in the back of a van/small bus type vehicle. Getting back is the same, however, I would check what port time the ship spends there as IIRC they drop you back in the town which is a 20 minute walk along the sea front from where the ship docks. The whole thing isn't that expensive and it was a lovely beach. BTW watch out in the sea for the diving birds! Mick.

Hi, My wife and I are D+ We were just on a TA last October on the Anthem. Our Travel Agent had booked us an interior as a precaution for high seas etc. I bid $100.00 for a upgrade to a Balcony and was told we would be informed either before boarding or on the day if we had been successful. Didn't hear anything back. On the day overhead crew saying the ship was only half full. Went to guest services to enquire about the upgrade. Was told it would not be until 4pm that they would know. My wife liked the interior room so much she wanted to stay and said that if the cases came before 4pm she would unpack and stay. I went back to guest services and told them the same. They did not seem bothered and were not in any rush to try and find us a upgrade. The cases came before 4pm and I went and cancelled the upgrade with guest services. I suppose they are not bothered about not taking our £200.00 and yes, being D+ made no difference. On the cruise before that one I complained about the state of our interior and got a free balcony upgrade, so may be that is the way to do it? To be fair it was a virtual balcony room and the virtual balcony wasn't working and couldn't be fixed. Oh, and BTW, they let me go and see where the balcony cabin was and have a look inside first before moving too - something Royal Up fails to allow anyone to do. You may get moved somewhere you don't like or find it hard to get to and from. As you can tell Royal Up isn't really for me unless the room I have is so bad that any upgrade is better. Only had 2 bad rooms in 3 decades of RCI cruises though! Mick.

Hi all, Further to my last post, RCI have now sent me this e-mail... "What I will be able to recommend as you mention your wife has had operations and require special food options is to send us a Special Needs request with the Dietary options she will need. I have sent you a Special Needs for on a separate email for you to review, fill out and sent to RoyalSpecialServicesUK@rccl.com.We will be happy to assist you with your special meal requests." So it looks like they may make allowances if you have medical issues. To be honest, we have never had to e-mail RCI itself before, in the past the waiters have done a fine job at sorting the food choices. Another thing that happens to my wife if she has the wrong food is that she gets doubled up in pain about an hour afterwards and I do not want that to happen to her. So far, this has not happened on a RCI ship because we have been able to sort the food with the waiters. In due course I will ask her to complete the form RCI have sent and then see what happens when we get on board the Enchantment in May. I will let you all know the outcome of that cruise later. regards, Mick.

Hi All, Since the restart, we have done 4 cruises. Sept 2021 on the Anthem doing a UK only cruise. Should have been the Norweigan Fjords, but Covid took care of that. Anyway that ship was only half full and we managed to get a Junior Suite for nothing as the original price dropped and the Suite was now the same price as we paid for a interior. This meant we had access (via booking daily) to the Coastal Kitchen. Well, let me tell you my wife and I dined there every night and it was really great. Better than Chops etc. Didn't get much entertainment during this cruise. Joff vanished after day 2 and the theatre had nights with nothing on. Next cruise was in Oct 2021 on the Jewel. This was a med cruise from Cyprus. Well, this ship was in very good condition for its age. Again, Cruise director (can't remember her name) went AWOL halfway through the cruise and again, no shows in the theatre on certain nights. Food in the MDR was as before Covid and perfect. Next cruise was in April 2022 on the Voyager from Barcelona to Copenhagen. Well, this ship looked OK at first glance, and had been laid up as a hospital ship, but on closer inspection there was food under the bed left from when crew had been using the room. We got moved to a Balcony with rusted paintwork and dry/rotten wood on the rail outside. Why someone could not have given it a lick of paint/varnish whilst out of service, I don't know. The cruise director (Rob) stayed the distance this time. Again, some shows missing. Food in the MDR was spot on. Just hope the galley wasn't anything like our first cabin! or second as well! Our last cruise was in October 2022 on the Anthem doing a TA. This ship has always been kept in good condition, although she is only 8 years old, but still impressive. We were inside this time, so no Coastal Kitchen. We had dinner every night in the MDR and was surprised how good it was. We wasn't expecting this, because although we ate at Coastal Kitchen the last time we were on this ship in 2021, the very first time we were on this ship back in 2019 the MDR was awful and lead to the only time EVER that we had to complain to guest services about the food. So to us, things did actually seem better post Covid. The cruise director was Mario, and yes he stayed the course (possibly because there was no-where to get off!), but wasn't around much. Now to be fair, maybe the CD's have been warned not to mingle due to possible Covid outbreaks, which is why they seem to disappear from view. Entertainment was OK, Beatles Celebration were still on board from 2021s cruise and there was a different (but just as good) lead Spectra in the 270. I do miss some of the entertainers I used to see, but it may be that they are still around, but on different ships. Can anyone remember seeing Pete Mathews on his tall uni-cycle lately? I have seen him several times from 2008 to 2016, and I believe he was on board the Anthem at some point recently. If covid is the reason why entertainers don't want to come on board, then that is a real shame, but I cannot really blame them. I think all in all things could be better, but they could also be far far worse too. Hopefully, over the course of the next year or two, we may see entertainers coming back. After all, don't they need the cash? Mick.

Hi All, I am on the Enchantment in May/June from Italy to Spain I have emailed RCI to ask if the new menus will be on that ship and in what order they be so I can plan for things. BTW At the moment, the old style menu's are showing on the app. Here's what I got back from them today... "Thank you for your email regarding your upcoming holiday.Kindly note that we are unable to provide information about the dining menus. Please note that we are not able to confirm when or if the menu will be updated in the future". Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed too, that since Covid took over the planet, just about everyone in a job that you ask a question to responds with the most unhelpful answer. As I have said in an earlier post, although I am OK, my wife has had several operations including Gall-Bladder removal and we would normally be able to plan our holiday so that my wife doesn't have any nasty issues. To put it bluntly, Some foods come out 12 to 18 hours later no matter where you are, so I would not want her to eat something that would cause her an upset the night before say climbing the leaning tower of pisa where there would be no loos. In the past RCI MDR waiters have done a really great job of helping my wife choose dietary items from the menu, but now with the possibility of limited menu choices, I cannot yet see how they would now achieve this. I really love my cruising and we have done at least 2 cruises a year for 3 decades and have 2 booked for this year, but my wife has now asked me not to book anything for 2024 onwards until she has made sure she is OK with the new menu, the one RCI cannot confirm is happening, although from what I see here, it certainly is. Ironically, I am OK with the new menu, but possibly won't be cruising again after this year unless this gets sorted out properly and we are given the details of the new menus asap. Mick.

Damn, I was hoping that all the themed nights would be in the same order across the whole fleet for the first 7 nights. Currently my next cruise is on the Enchantment in May 2023 but the app is showing the old style menus which surely will change. Having a wife with certain diet issues, we need to plan in advance which nights have which food. That way we may be able to do a longer day trip and go to the WJ instead. Royal have to be very careful here, They may cause several issues here. 1) People actually not returning for another cruise and trying another brand. 2) People going to the WJ instead and that may lead to even more food waste as I am sure you have all seen certain people pile food on their plates like food was going to vanish from the universe within an hour or something, only for them to leave most of it and have it thrown away. Better to have the servers again! 3) Go for a meal elsewhere on the ship but pay $$$ at say chops. Now, how many people that would normally be happy in the MDR may take this option ? Has Royal changed the menu to save money (if actually possible) or is option 3 their plan here - to make more revenue? Or... The other reason may be to allow people to eat their dinner and be able to then go to the show that starts shortly afterwards without arriving late. No-one really wants to be that person(s) who arrives at the theatre 20 minutes after the start of the show and then going down to the front area and asking everyone in a row with 2 spare seats in the middle to move for them. HOWEVER, the reason why people may be late to the show may not necessarily be because of the time it took them to eat dinner, but because they were sat with other people who arrived late back from a trip and had to get ready. In that case it may not matter if dinner lasted 75 minutes or 120 minutes as people would still be late as the waiters don't normally take orders until everyone is there at the table. In fact you can get delayed in the MDR if waiting for other people who don't show because they have decided to go to Chops at the last minute and no-one in the MDR knew. So here are 2 reasons why saving time with the choice of food may not save any time at all. This is why my wife and I book my time dinning, so that we can have our food at the time we want it (and not be waiting for others to arrive) and be able to go to the entertainment venues on time and get good seats. Mick.

Hi all, Both my wife and I live in the UK. Although we can sail from Southampton to Europe or even the USA, we like to book our cruises based on several factors... 1) Where the ship is going (ports of call including somehere new) 2) Class of ship (Wife isn't a fan of too many people on board/crowds) 3) Cost of cruise (as we have limited money and have to be careful) 4) Getting to/from the ship (flying/staying in hotels etc) 5) Being able to have enough time off work to do the cruise. We have to factor in not just the days on board, but also the days travelling. We do not like travelling on the day the ship leaves and prefer to be near the ship in case of any travel issues. So we have to leave home and travel a few days before and work our way bit by bit to the port and the same at the end. This makes a 7 day cruise turn into a 10/11 day holiday at the least. We can only do this twice a year due to holiday entitlement, but manage to do it. My wife is not in the best of health and gets out of breath quickly when walking long distances, so we cruise in order to visit places for a few hours then get back on board and rest during the afternoon so we are fit for the evening. RCI allows us to do this perfectly and it has worked for us for 3 decades now. Although we are D+, we did not cruise to become D+, we cruised to enjoy the places the ships would take us and to enjoy the ship itself and all the entertainment it provided. I must admit that it was nice getting to Diamond and having access to the Diamond lounge. We are more than happy with the things we get for free, bottle of wine in room (second if its our birthday onboard), 5 free drinks each to the value of $14, a photo each, laundry and seating in the theatre/ice shows etc, just some of the perks that add up to a lot of money. I had been looking at all this for a few years and wondering how/if RCI would make any changes given the large amount of C&A members on each cruise. It is possible for us to pay say as little as £900.00 for a week for the 2 of us and then get £60-70 per person, per day drinks vouchers. If you do the maths it is possible that with all the perks given, we almost get a free cruise (although we don't, but you can see what I mean). Given that we are not the only ones, you can see why changes need to be made. Although I am a bit saddened to not have access to the Concierge lounge, I must admit that now the free drinks between 5pm and 8pm have gone, there is a bit more space in the Diamond lounge as a place to go and get a nice coffee and chat (if machine is working) and a bite to eat. The opportunity to use the Concierge lounge now would only have been to use their coffee machine if the one in the Diamond lounge was broke. At certain times of the day there is now a big queue for the Diamond lounge coffee machine. I know I can use any of my 5 free drinks vouchers at the coffee shops, but we are not likely to swap a $14 alcoholic drink voucher for a $7 coffee. One thing RCI did on our last voyage (which was a TA on the Anthem), was to give us an additional voucher for the coffee shops or MDR to have a special coffee. I believe this was just a one-off, but wouldn't it ne nice if RCI made this a full time thing for all D+ members as a way of balancing things out against removing other perks. It may cut the queue in the Diamond lounge too. As you can see from above, although not done deliberately, we are 2 of those cruisers who get perks and do not necessarily spend a lot of money on board as a result. My wife cannot drink too much alcohol due to health issues, so therefore a drinks package is a waste of time for just me. The 5 free drinks are just about right for both of us and my wife can also have one of those Virgin drinks too. It is possible that when we book a room on a ship, RCI may lose out to other customers who may possibly have taken the room instead of us and who may have gone to Chops every other night, booked almost every tour going and gambled heavily in the casino, but... this may have been their only cruise with RCI and they may never return again ever no matter what, whereas we return twice yearly, year after year and as I have said before, not for the perks (although they are very nice) but for the whole adventure. BTW we have dined at all venues in the past and also done as many trips as we could too, but now we are older, we are happy with the food in the MDR and sometimes just getting off the ship for a small walk before getting back on again. We both work hard, so want to get the best holiday experience we possible can in return and to be able to do our own thing when we want to. Are we possibly to be considered bad/cheap customers for not wanting to repeat the same trips over and over or not wanting to pay for a Chops etc if we are happy with the menu in the MDR? RCI needs to make sure they give their loyal customers the perks they promise whilst also giving the customers in suites their perks too to be fair. I think another way for the cruise line to save money (rather than remove perks) is to get rid of food wastage in the MDR and Windjammer - but that's for another topic another day - hang on! Some of that is happening right now with menu changes! Another factor that may make some not want to cruise anymore too - oh no! Mick.

Hi all, I suspected something would change with the food as this is the biggest money waster for the cruise line. Looking at the menus, it could be a lot worse. I don't think it is that bad considering the cost of food etc these days. Although I am a bit of a pig and can eat just about anything, my wife on the other hand has had several major operations inc removal of Gall-Bladder which means she cannot eat certain food without being in severe pain afterwards or needing the loo urgently (which would be dis-pleasurable to anyone sitting nearby), and so with the old menu's there was always something she could eat, or could arrange an alternative in advance if there wasn't. BTW since 2017 when she had her last major op, the staff in the MDR have all done their very best to suggest the best food for her and we have not had any issues and I know she is grateful to them for all they have done. Try getting that service at some land based restaurants! Looking through the menu posted here, all seems very good. Just one question, and I hope someone can confirm this, she used to like the lamb shank which was normally on the night before last. I see on the Med night the chefs recommendation is braised lamb, so does anyone know if this is the same meal? thank you. Mick.

Hi all, There is a fine line here between giving us D+ members free benefits and giving those who have paid more for Suites their perks too. Let's face it, it was only going to be a matter of time before things changed due to high amount of cruisers per ship that are Diamond and above. I thinks the way to go here is to do the following (which has started)... 1) Rename all Concierge lounges to Suites lounges so we know what they are and who they are for. Allow Pinnacle members access to them but NOT to the Diamond lounge (to allow space in the Diamond lounge as Pinnacle also get their own overspill if too many Suites are cruising). 2) Only allow Diamond and D+ members access to the Diamond lounge to allow space (as above). 3) Takes points away from cruisers who have not cruised for over 5 years with RCL. Sounds drastic, but why give perks to people who don't spend that much time with the brand? 4) Remove certain food from both the MDR and Windjammer that is likely to go to waste in order to cut down the cost the cruise line. Remember, it is important here that those of us that are not mega wealthy but like to cruise once or twice a year but still work can still can get rooms on the ship that we can afford. I am very worried at the moment seeing the amount of extra rooms being added that are fancy and expensive as if for stars and celebs that soon cruising will become something for the rich again like 50 years ago etc. I don't think we should get too upset at the moment. Looking at the perks we get, I think it is still great value. I would bet that at some point in the next 5 years Diamond lounges become D+ lounges or worse, you need 340 points to get in them as RCL already have a few things you get extra at the 340 level so I would bet that may become a new tier. Hopefully by then anyone who is D+ and sailing yearly should have passed that mark by the time something happens. Mick.

Hi all, I am all in favour of being able to get a better room than the one I booked or the one assigned by paying a bit extra, however there are 2 major downfalls to the current Royal Up program... 1) not being able to choose your room beforehand. 2) not being able to cancel the new room and stay where you are once the royal up is accepted. Now, I cannot speak for everyone here, but I can speak for both myself and my wife, and this may apply to others too, so... Whenever we book a room on a RCL ship we first look at what class of ship it is and look at the plans of the layout in order to choose a room that is in the right location for what we want/need. What we want is a room that will be quiet at night and not prone to much movement. Therefore we will normally have a interior room towards the stern (but not at the stern) and with at least 1 floor of cabins above and below us to block out any noises. As to noises, this means not being below the main dinning room or below the running track (yes people do get up at 5am for a jog, and fair enough, that's their choice!), and not above the theatre or pub, also not too close to the lifts (due to people talking too loud), but close enough to the lifts if needed. Both of us are in our 50s and although I consider myself fairly fit (except for my big belly!), my wife is not a well person and suffers a lot. This is why we cruise, so that everything she needs is fairly nearby if she needs to rest. We go for the mid/back so getting to the dinning room is easy. If the aft lifts are busy we can take the stairs down. Again we can climb a few levels too to get up to the pool. The longest distance is to the theatre which we would only go to possibly once a day, whereas we may go to the dinning room 3 times a day depending if it is a sea day etc. So, for us, here comes the BIG issue... What happens when we bid for a balcony but get moved to the very back or very front. The very back means a long walk to the theatre and the very front means a long walk to the dinning room. Although the walk would do me some good and I don't mind, it would sadly result in my wife being out of breath and having to retire early as a result and the day would be ruined. Also, what if the room we got moved to is above the pub and entertainment is on till midnight, or next a crew cut-through passage and doors are banging 24/7. Or under some equipment that starts emitting a loud noise at 5am. These are all things we have had in the past and now do our best to avoid. Yet the Royal Up program could potentially put us right in these locations and we would be paying for it? Right? In our circumstances, this type of program is not for us, I know anyone with similar issues will probably feel the same and others won't care where they go if the room is bigger and/or better. What I believe would be a much better option here would be for Royal to offer the chance to bid on a better room that has not been taken before the cruise and let us see where that room is before accepting, or to at least be able to choose the room that become available on the first day if some person/family cannot board, so you know in advance where you are moving to and to give you the choice of whether to move from your original room or not. Currently there is no choice. You can only cancel the upgrade before being given the new room. We look forward to our 2 cruises a year and plan them very carefully as we want to enjoy our time on board doing as much as we can and this does not include standing in the long lines at guest services for hours on end moaning about the room. This is exactly what you possibly risk with the current program unless you really don't care about the location of your room or/and any noise that is near it. Hope this helps Mick.

I know this thread was originally about Diamond members and the Diamond lounge, but... With regards to the Royal Up program, here's what happened to me the other month. I had a TA cruise booked on the Anthem via my travel agent and she had booked us into a Virtual Balcony room on the 11th floor not far from the aft lifts as she advised this was one of the best cabins for this ship during a TA as it can get rough. Fair enough! A few weeks before the cruise RCL offered us the chance to bid on an upgrade. I suspected this would be for a balcony and not a junior suite, so I offered $100 each. I was told my bid was received and I should be notified either before boarding or by 1pm on the day. Fair enough again. On boarding the ship I overhead crew talking about the ship only being half full, so knew there should be plenty of rooms available for an upgrade, but by 2pm I had heard nothing, so went to Guest Services who didn't like the fact that I knew about the half full ship. They said we should know by 4pm. The room we had booked had now opened and my wife took one look and said she liked it so really didn't want to move. I went back to Guest Services and explained that if our cases arrive at the room before they give us an upgrade then I will keep my money and the current room and cancel the upgrade. They made no attempt to find me a balcony and clearly didn't seem to care. So a ship running half full with rooms to spare, and they can't be bothered to find me a upgrade. The cases arrived early on so we cancelled the Royal Up. Its only $200 dollars they lost, but who else as had enough of this situation? Anyway, there was no-one in the room next door so we had a really peaceful time. Best room we had and it did get rough, so maybe we were right to stay where we were. To be fair on this class of ship, the only good perk from getting an upgrade is if you can get a junior suite as then you get access to the coastal kitchen at night as long as you book in advance. I wonder how long it will be before that gets changed? The big issue with the Royal Up program is that you CANNOT choose your upgraded room nor cancel out of it once you have moved. Your new room may be bigger but may be right at the front or back where walking becomes an issue or right next to noisy things like under the Theatre or Dinning room or above the pub or below the running track where there is always someone wanting a jog at 6am. I normally research my room on the class of ship carefully and make sure it just far away from the lift so people drunk at 2am don't wake you when they fall out of the lift, but close enough to the lift for easy access. I think a better way would be for the cruise line to inform guests that there are several rooms that are now available (for whatever reason) and to inform the guests what type of rooms they are and exactly where on the ship they are and then let the guests put in a bid for that room. If you really want it, then you know what to do and you would know in advance what you are going to get as surely that is very important to a well enjoyed cruise. Mick. Mick.

Hi, Sorry about that, yes the robes, I remember getting those early on - perhaps Platanium? As for the 2 days internet, yes that is a good perk and very useful. I think the half price chops at lunch on either day 1 or day 2 is actually buy one get one free, which makes it half price each only if there are 2 of you. As for misinformation, or just multiple amounts of it... I recently did a TA from Southampton to Bayonne on the Anthem. I needed to take a Covid test via a health professional at my own cost to board, even though I am fully vaccinated, and my travel agent told me that this was because it called into Halifax, Canada and they required the test for entry. Fair enough!, However on 1st October Canada dropped this requirement, so I emailed RCL to ask if I still needed a test as we were not going until 2 more weeks. I actually got several separate replies back over the course of the following week from various RCL employees varying from... You need to take the RAT/PCR test 2 days before. You need to take the RAT/PCR test 3 days before You no longer need a test You can now do your own test from any European port including an at home unsupervised test. Luckily, I had already factored in my rapid antigen test at Southampton and it was un-refundable anyway. In the end this was the test all adults needed. Phew! Hopefully that was the last cruise where I needed a test. I have booked two 7 day Europe cruises next year just to be sure! Anyone else get contradicting info like this? regards, Mick.

Hi again, I know this topic has been stretched/misunderstood a bit, but lets be honest here. Firstly, Diamond members at the time of typing this are not banned from the Diamond lounge on any ship. I do think that they may be banned at some point in the future, which I believe would be a real shame for those cruisers who are working their way up the tiers when they may have been able to have had a similar cruise (perhaps even for for less) on another brand, but stuck with Royal just for this type of perk. I love meeting and talking to the newbies when they first get to Diamond as sometimes, they have not read or not been left anything to read about what their perks are. I try and help people as much as possible as we all have to live together onboard for the duration of the cruise, so isn't it a nicer experience if we help each other. My wife, however, does not like going on the Diamond lounge if she can avoid it as sometimes as she enters she feels like she is being watched, judged and looked down at by certain people who may think that this perk makes them above everyone else, when in fact we are all equal. I don't care about it and don't let it bother me at all as I believe we are all the same on the ship and none of us are above anyone else, so will give as good as I get, although this is not what I want to do. Anyone else felt like my wife? Or maybe she's just getting old and grumpy!. BTW the free coffee I mentioned before on the Anthem back in October was an additional drink added to the sea pass on top of the 5 drinks D+ got. Not sure if Diamond members got it too or if it was just for D+ upwards. So it would be nice if Royal made the extra 1 special coffee per day a permanent thing as a way of compensating for the loss of the Concierge lounge access. Talking of which, if the pre-mentioned incidents with chair hogs and giving guests the evil eye are going to become the norm in the both the Diamond and Concierge lounge then we are better off staying out of both and just using the drinks vouchers at the bars around the ship when you want AND I do now believe that Royal are changing the timing from 0000-2359 to 0500-0459 or something like that so you won't have that issue where ordering at drink at 2358 gets rung through at 0001 losing the drink off that day and taking one off the next without knowing. Also, I think you will now have to sign for each drink too, so keeping a tab on what happens should be simpler. At last - some common sense has been applied here! Lastly, and most importantly here, please, please, please don't get too upset with the changes RCL are making and remember as D+ members, we get (off top of my head)... 5 free drinks per day to the value of $14 per drink. 1 bottle of wine in your cabin (per cabin) at start of cruise plus another for your birthday if you happen to be onboard for it. A £35 wash and fold - Perfect for washing the cloths you arrived in and then wearing again at the end when you leave for home. A free photo to the value of $20 (getting easier to choose with the computers on board certain ships) A $6 spend in the casino. The wife won $19 last cruise! Half price chops lunch on first few days. Reserved seating area in the Theatre and the Ice/Aqua shows. If you add all these perks up and subtract them from the price of your holiday (if you already had got a good price) then you should see that for the price per day onboard, you really do have a good thing going and everything to come back again and again for. So I would not stop cruising with Royal just yet. In fact, I would suggest for all D+ members to strive to get to 340 points as I really do think something is going to change in a few years and that milestone looks to me like where the better things may start from as more and more C&A members progress. Hope this helps. Mick.

Hi all, I too am not surprised by this announcement, and I am sure this is just the start of many changes. Due to Royal having a Diamond lounge at only 80 cruise points, it is possible on certain sailing that most of the ships cruisers would have access. I too can see them re-branding the diamond lounge the diamond plus lounge or possible creating a new tier around the 340 point area and calling the lounge after the new tier barring all diamond and any d+ under the 340 mark. There is another solution here, before barring the diamond members from the diamond lounge, it may be an idea to bar the Pinnacle members instead as they currently have access to the concierge and/or suit lounge and also get a spill over lounge if too many suites guests are on board (which is becoming more and more which is why parts of ships are being changed from golf courses to suites). The reason I suggest this is because I have witnessed situations where a pinnacle member has gone into the diamond lounge at 2pm and taken with her, various knitting items and laid them across an entire row of seats and refused to move them at 4pm when guests arrived, but then moved them when her friends arrived so they can have seats leaving others who arrived on time either standing, going to an over-spill or leaving feeling let down by RCL as the staff have said they know about this but don't want to say anything as they could get into trouble. I used to love this lounge when I first became a diamond member and loved to have a drink and a chat with fellow passengers and make new friends, but it became a task of having to arrive at 3pm to get a seat and part of the day was lost to this. I still go in there from time to time, but only for a quick chat, a coffee and some grub, and to see the concierge to arrange anything that he/she can help with. The one thing about having a concierge club for me was when the coffee machine in the diamond lounge was broke for days on end, you could nip into the concierge lounge and use theirs. On my last sailing which was a TA on the Anthem back on October 2022, they uploaded a free coffee onto my sea-pass everyday and these could be used in the MDR or the coffee shops which cut down on going to the diamond lounge. Perhaps, as a good-will gesture to the D+ members that have spent a lot of time and money cruising, RCL could make this perk a permanent thing on all ships as this may help cut down the queues for the diamond lounge coffee machine as this is now the biggest issue in the lounge, yes, the queue for the coffee machine which can take up to 20 minutes as you now get the 4, 5 or 6 free drinks on your sea pass everyday, the need to use them in the diamond lounge has dropped which is what I suspect this perk was introduced to do. So, sending pinnacle members to the Concierge/suite lounge and having 1 free special coffee on your pass each day may cut congestion in the diamond lounge and would be a much better option than banning the diamond members. After all, it is not the cruiser's fault that so many people are rising up through the tiers, lets face it, for sheer value, what other holiday destination could offer anyone the things they get on these ships for the price they charge, so naturally, people will come back time and time again and join the C&A club. There is no point getting upset with the changes that will come, as there will have to be some changes made in order to make a profit, and I suspect certain food in the MDR and Windjammer will be next to be changed/cut-down to possibly make people take up the pay-for restaurants. all the best Mick.