Engineroom Snipe

@time4u2go Good to know. I never tried. Do they add a room service charge for the drink?

Add on: The standard US "shot" is 1.5 ounces of 40% spirits in general mixed with approximately 6 ounces of soda if it is say, a rum and coke. The 375 ml will roughly translate to 12 ounces (13.2 ounces if you want to get picky) which gives you 8 US standard shots. The package includes 4 X 12 ounce sodas which happens to be 8 x 6 ounce servings of soda to go with the 8 US standard shots. At $45.99 for the Rum and Coke package, it comes out to 8 drinks for $5.75 per drink. Not bad if you did not want a drink package or wanted something for your balcony since they do not deliver drinks to cabins. There is a caveat that it should be consumed in the privacy of your cabin but I do not think anyone cares if you take the glass or cup out of the cabin. They just do not want to see you pouring the alcohol from the bottle in public spaces. I.E. Going to the Schooner Bar area at a table with the bottle, the pool deck, dining areas (you get the picture). This is a nice add-on for Crown & Anchor members who might like a bit more alcohol than their voucher minimum and it can be consumed over multiple days of your cruise.

Years ago, Royal used to give "Ship Shape" dollars for engaging in physical activities onboard. I can't believe how hard we worked for those yellow paper Monopoly style money dollars to exchange for shirts, water bottles, and visors. So much fun and so many memories. The competition was brutal and some people tried to pull the "New York Marathon via the subway" run. We might have to do ten laps around the promenade deck to get a "Buck". They would do slow laps, disappear for a while and mysteriously appear during the "last" lap. I still laugh when I think about it. "Money for nothing and your chicks for free." (Dire Straits, 1985) Now , Royal is helping us to get additional steps in as they are consistently ported at the furthest dock. Now, at Nassau, I think I walk more steps from the gangplank to the exit of the port area than ten times around the promenade on the Nordic Prince. Where are my "Ship Shape dollars" for doing my exercise? Come on Royal, "Throw me a bone."

Some typos are better left uncorrected if only to make us smile and laugh as we tend to take ourselves too seriously. Thank you for leaving us something to chuckle about.

I am on vacation and hate to read all of the fine print. Only those who look at the final bill sometimes say, "Where is this x.xx% VAT coming from?" I am still in the United States. We are used to the foreign islands tacking this on. Domesticated VATS, they are multiplying everywhere. The cruise lines can pass them on and keep that price per person double occupancy number looking very lucrative to the newbies.

In thirty-five years of cruising, I only applied for one military discount on Royal which was worth about 10% off of the cruise but conditioned that with non-refundable deposit. I had insurance and knew, short of something going catastrophic, we would make that cruise. I took it and saved some money. Maybe once in my lifetime considering my cruise experiences. TA's pricing is so good that I have never been able to get a price adjustment on any of my cruises to date. I am hoping this changes because I might have lost my house on a bet about the timeline of the Baltimore shipping channel. I need all of the discounts I can get! 😬

🙄🤭🤣

Yeah, they really love the ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo and fresh Jersey tomatoes. We take turns guarding each other as we eat under a beach umbrella....I always carry a loaded flyswatter with us. The ammo is unlimited until I get exhausted. From Finding Nemo (2003), "Mine,...Mine...., Mine, Mine...." 🤬

As my TA explained to me: I qualify for LEO, Veteran, and over 55. I have seen LEO and first responder discounts on a few cruises this past year but it was in the last ninety before embarkation. I book almost as soon as the cruises are listed on the TA's website. I normally get to pick my room for the same price as Royal's GTY of the selected cabin class. I get a small amount of OBC from my TA and in most cases OBC from Royal. My deposit is fully refundable until 120 days when final payment is due as part of my TA's contract with Royal regardless of the length of cruise. If I try to apply the discounts in most cases, the deposit becomes non-refundable. I am not sure if it would be worth the 4 to 5% savings to lose my ability to refund unless my cruise was within the 120 embarkation period when the full amount would be due upon booking anyway. If you click discount check boxes for all of the discounts, it normally defaults to 55 plus discount because all of the them are the same percentage and it only allows one discount in most of my mock bookings. I could click any one of them and get the same discount and the deposit changes to non-refundable.

I was thinking the same thing. If all of the equipment used for tendering was stored and the anchors up, maybe any attempt at boarding was considered unsafe? I cannot imagine what would happen if someone fell into the water during the transfer.

Spot on.

Thanks for the all the responses. The question has been answered. As the Madagascar Penguins would say, "Nothing to see here." 🤐🫥😶‍🌫️

This is something that took me some time to digest with my TA. Everyone wants to combine every discount they see with their current discounts. He had to "edukamate" me. Still learning the ins and outs of it all.

No, absolutely not. Drinking vast quantities of alcohol are long gone in the mirror that says, "Objects appear closer than they seem." Just preparing myself for a cruise that might have passengers jumping through some hoops to make a voyage, getting there, and finding out THEY cannot numb themselves a bit after some stress to start their cruise. I was more concerned about placing my out-of-state licensed vehicle in a public parking garage for eight days in an area where would be car thieves know no one will report the car stolen for seven days. I have that handled now. thanks to some great advice from fellow cruisers on this site who did not tell me to put my "big pants on" but actually gave me solutions which I am grateful. I am great. No need for alcohol until day 2, 3, or 4. I just hope passengers who are not well informed are prepared to go "Sugar Free" for a bit or be informed of the price they might pay. 😁

Sounds logical to me and that is what appears to be happening after @smokeybandit responded in a similar way. I have never seen Cruisehive.com report this in such a specific fashion but it must just be because of the events happening in the reshuffling of Baltimore cruises. Another question: Does this affect Crown and Anchor complimentary drinks the same way? I know, I am starting to sound like Lt. Columbo with the "one more question" routine.

Thanks for responding. I never purchased a drink package but this sounded a bit unusual. Per your response, this is not unusual and happens in certain ports. Something they do not advertise when you buy it. 😁

Unfortunately, @bajathree, those "yutes" were us forty years ago. They just found a loophole in the system and took advantage of it. I feel your pain for the lack of Patron in Hideaway Bay but maybe Royal has to anticipate the consumption and have more available. Royal likes the bookings and the profit off of the "spring breakers" and this is part of the deal. We think they might be inconsiderate but they think they are paying for it and getting their money's worth. What a tangle web we weave. Oh, to be young again, consume all of the Patron in the house and feel healthy enough to do it again the next day..... 🫠

I received a military discount for my last November, 2023, cruise which amounted to about 10%. Since then, I have seen anywhere between 4% to 6% on certain cruises. Unfortunately, this seems to be a ploy to sell rooms on sailings that have not met quotas without having previous bookings trying to get their original prices adjusted since they are not veterans. I know, I am a bit cynical on Royal's sales tactics. Just my opinion.

Just read the following article on: https://www.cruisehive.com/home-port-change-impacts-carnivals-drink-package/127393 regarding first day cruise drink packages being voided in Norfolk, Virginia. The cruisers were made whole by refunding the first day of the package. I would think this would affect Royal's Vision of the Seas passengers for the two embarkations in the month of April, 2024. Does anyone have more solid information? I have not received any emails from Royal concerning this subject.

I have read that in multiple posts over the years. Are there steep cliffs or long trails in order to get to see the birds? I could understand if it was a rocky or mountainous region. The most dangerous thing about bird watching in New Jersey is when the seagulls try and take your lunch while you are distracted.

The two that had no age limits used ropes with no safety gear over crocodile infested swamps. If anything went wrong, there would be no evidence and more importantly, no refunds. 🤣

"An extended three hour tour.....of the Schooner Bar." ☺️

Another reason why Royal is transitioning to a younger family oriented cruise crowd would be to make more money on excursions. Many higher levels of Crown and Anchor are sipping their complementary drinks onboard since they cannot buy shore excursions due to age restrictions. "Trow-em overboard.!" 🤣

The best I have seen in the past twelve months on a Vision Class Ship was $60 per person plus gratuities for seniors. Other than that, you are dead on, $65 on small ships and $78 on large ships is about the best I seen plus gratuities. I think many new cruisers tend to say, "Wow, unlimited drinks for $80 per day" and not immediately see the catch of both people needing the package They remember how many drinks they had at a wedding, bbq, or other event in a day and know they will get their money's worth. The big difference is you are not going to a wedding seven days in a row. Royal never offers a "deal" or "special" unless they know they are going to make a profit. Some people may drink more than their package is worth but my bet is on the house that most people do not and that is how Royal makes their profit. I say, go on one cruise and pay as you go. Look at the bill on your TV at the end of the day. If you are drinking more than the Beverage Package per day, they will let you sign up for it during the cruise. Rarely have I ever heard any couple drink over $1200 worth of drinks on a seven day cruise. Everyone hits the bars hard on embarkation day and the first sea. As already mentioned by another poster, port days start to decrease the usage of the package as well as mild saturation of the body by two days of hard drinking. I am not saying anyone that does purchase the drink package is wrong because many like the idea of tasting different drinks and not worrying about a final bill or check their bill daily, Heck, they are on vacation. The package does include non-alcoholic drinks which is a plus.

I saw that posted earlier. Maybe a reason Royal should have chosen Bayonne! I am still trying trying to not lose my vacation home on this one! 🤣