Tangibelle

I will be on Symphony in May and got the 3 night dining for $154.99 w/gratuities included, which is basically $131 plus the 18% but never saw that before and thought it was interesting.

I was on Vision in August and she was wonderful across the board. She is showing her age but in a good way. So much character and grace. Grandeur was our first cruise and fully responsible for our now total obsession with cruising so she has a special place in our hearts but she was old 11 years ago and it sounds (and looks) like she is in desperate need of a make over. Hope she gets some love and soon!

I just got off of Independence and really enjoyed our dinners in the MDR. Chops was great and so was Izumi Hibachi. The Taste of Royal was lovely. The Windjammer was typical from my point of view. Not the best but not the worst either. It was my sister's first cruise and she LOVED all the food. I was joking with her about how I have heard people talk about the decline in food quality, she quipped, "well if this is what a decline in quality is like, I don't ever want to know what it was like before. I am more than happy with this so I don't want to know what I missed" lol

Ah! Thanks @twangster. I knew there had to be something more to it.

I ordered the rum and cokes also and was really hoping I could trade for diet. So glad to hear that could be an option. I also ordered the hard seltzer but only for the bag. If I don't like them, can I give them to my steward if they do? I sure hope they don't lose my order. 😉

What it sounds like to me is that Royal assumes that each person paid for themselves even if it was only one of them (or someone else) who paid the entire fare. If one passenger no-shows, their part of the fare is forfeited so in Royal's eyes, the one who showed paid their half and not the single supplement. Regardless, they made the money of the 2nd guest, I don't see why they can't just give the passenger that showed up the extra point. Maybe there is a reason that I am missing?

We got similar floats the ones that were pictured earlier and they were great and super easy to blow up, float on, deflate and repack. My husband was in heaven bobbing around playing with the fishes.

To clarify, cause I don't think I worded it right, Royal does do a three day, only it's not out of Baltimore. There is a 9 night out of Orlando has 3 days in Bermuda with a stop in Nassau and Coco Cay and other than catching Covid, it absolutely WAS a dream cruise! We are hoping to do that one again someday.

Thanks so much for the great review. It's really nice to have and idea of what to expect. 16 days until our turn and we can't wait! We didn't see the point in spending the extra money on the unlimited dining since there are only 3 restaurants but we did get the Chops +1 and based on your review, I am really looking forward to that treat now. I have found that the itineraries for Bermuda in the NE are generally shorter which makes no sense in my opinion, lol I keep hoping to catch 2 overnights from Baltimore or Bayonne but no luck yet. However, we did basically the same itinerary on a 9 night on Mariner out of Orlando last August and had two overnights and it was amazing. I am really looking forward to Coco Cay. We stopped for the first time last year but I couldn't participate. I had tested positive for Covid the morning we got to the island which was the last full day of our cruise. Thanks again for sharing and I am so glad you are home safe and sound! Looking forward to hearing about the next one. Tracy

Hope you are having a relaxing sea day! There are two on the way back, right? Your pictures have been amazing and I especially appreciate the cruise compasses.

oh Man! Day 5 already? What does it have to go by so stinking fast?! I hope time is going slow on the ship, so great living vicariously through your adventure.

That was supposed to be a question mark after Vision, not a period. lol I was guessing they wanted an Royal Ship since they were asking on a Royal forum. Oops.

Vision.

Not Diamond yet but when we get there, we should still get the refreshment package if we just want to use the vouchers for alcohol, right? We drink more coffee, water and sodas than alcohol but would like to have a couple Pina coladas in the sunshine and a glass of wine or two in the evening.

Great pictures! My son is dying to eat at Giovanni's and it looks so good!

So much fun! Sounds like you've had a great day 1 so far! I love that you posted the compass. If you remember (no pressure) I would love to keep seeing them if you have the time.

WOOHOO! Glad you made it to Baltimore safe! Can't wait for embarkation commentary. We got our GTY cabin assignment today for ours (Aug. 3). Only 29 days behind you. 🥳

I'm looking forward to following along since I'll be right behind you doing the same itinerary the first week of August! Safe travels to Baltimore!

I am so excited to hear your experience was great. Thanks for sharing! We have a Vision to Bermuda coming up in August and another (not Bermuda) booked in February. We've been on 4 cruises...3 of them included Bermuda and so will the 5th and 8th, lol. We can't get enough.

Ok. I can see that. I was thinking surprise for my kids birthday to get a "fancy room" but we could sure use the extra points too. lol

I don't get why you wouldn't get the double points since you are paying more for winning the bid than you did for your original category. Does anyone know the reasoning behind it or maybe they explain it somewhere and I just suck at searching? lol

Thats the first thing I thought of!

Yeah, I realize that now. Looks like the discount and the OBC are two separate categories. I had just thought that since we had paid in full, it would land as an OBC on my planner rather than a "refund" to my bank account". Either way, it's a bonus so its all good.

Just in case any other "new to BOA RCI Card Rewards" people come across this post, turns out because my cruise was paid in full already, they sent the $150 discount right to my bank account. I would have been happy with OBC but I'm pretty ok with cash too. lol

Ok, cool! Thanks Cruiseguy!