Rackham

2 hours ago, orville99 said:

They would actually have to elevate the P benefits to match the Z benefits, and I doubt they are going to do that. The president of X stated (twice) in a web video today that the Z benefits would absolutely not change as a result of the matching program.

One way this could settle out is drink vouchers go away on Royal, Celebrity stops nightly happy hour, Pinnacles gain a deluxe beverage package on Royal, and Diamond/Elite & Diamond Plus/Elite Plus receive a significant discount on the deluxe/premium beverage package.

Would there be many angry people below P/Z with losing the drink vouchers or cocktail hour? You bet.

Would there be many people below P/Z who'd be excited that they can get the top tier beverage package at a nice price? You bet.

And RCG comes out ahead since they've turned a previous cost sink into a revenue generator for everyone who's not P/Z. I would be willing to bet there'd be less people bailing on the RCG companies to other lines than the number who'd claim to online with this change.

3 hours ago, Cruising89143 said:

Jason Liberty stated that this recent move was step one and more changes might be coming. I am willing to bet changes to perks are coming. No way will RCG give both free internet and the Premium Drink package to all of the new Pins moving to Celebrity. Many are ecstatic now but I give it six months and reality of combining loyalty programs will hit. 

I fully expect if there's one loyalty rewards chart, and RCG decides on including drink vouchers, they'll increase the voucher value to cover premium drinks on Celebrity while decreasing the voucher count given at each loyalty level compared to the C&A program. It sounds generous, but the company would save money on the raw value at every tier, excluding the top, even with one less voucher issued per level.

On 12/19/2023 at 5:16 PM, 65Mommy said:

Is it really worth all the trips and expensing to reach this status?

It really depends on a multitude of factors. But the biggest one would have to be are you enjoying the cruises needed to climb the C&A ranks. Because if you're not enjoying the journey, the destination here is meaningless.

With that out of the way, the major questions you need to ask yourself when it comes to dashing for Diamond (or higher) are:

• What is the cost of reaching the tier in terms of money and used vacation time (if applicable)?
• How often will the benefits be used once earned?

Past that, there's a few questions which require predicting the future.

• How much will the benefits I actually use be worth aboard future sailings?
• How much will loyalty points cost to earn in the future?
• How will changes to the program affect my benefits received?

Personally, I thought that it was worth climbing to Diamond over a two year period due to the fares I was seeing post startup back in 2021. I've sailed to Canada, Alaska, Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, and have been to both of Royal's private islands. It's been a blast, and I've done it for less than how much some people will spend to reach Platinum. I also have the interest and the time off from work to sail a few weeks each year if I choose to do so. The status makes for a nice set of perks just for booking a run-of-the-mill cabin which extends out my vacation dollars.

3 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

 I had them on Allure last September. Any baker will tell you that is not factual.  They should have the Potato Bread Flour on all the ships, but maybe yours didn't.

 

Here's the recipe courtesy of BIGKAHUNA:

Savory Bites Recipe

Based on information from that thread (haven't tried this yet!) here's the home version.

Savory Bites for the HDR

48 servings

Ingredients:

23g      Potato Flour
431g    Refined Wheat Flour

45g      Marmite (the savory base)

36g      Margarine
6g        Instant Yeast

300g    Water
 

Directions:

1.Mix all ingredients for 2 to 3 min slow and 5 to 6 min fast speed in a stand mixer until well developed.

2.Rest the dough for 30 min.

4.Divide the dough in half. Roll each half, half-sheet pan long, then roll in poppy seeds.

5.Store in freezer overnight.

6.When ready to bake, defrost about 3 hours in the fridge, cut them into small triangles (24 pieces per roll).

7.Divide rolls between two half-sheet pans.

8. Preheat oven between 425F and 450F with one rack in the middle and another towards the bottom. On the lower rack, place an oven safe baking dish for water.

9. Once the oven is heated, place one sheet of rolls on the middle rack. Then pour 1 cup of boiling water into the oven safe baking dish.

10. Bake them for about 13 to 17 min until golden brown.

Edit: If you're a baker, you've noticed there's no salt listed as an ingredient. That's because the Marmite is providing the salt in this recipe.

1 hour ago, sockmonkeygirl said:

This class is on sale for my cruise $34.  If it includes the tequila tasting and a margarita, seems like you could nearly drink the price you paid and walk away happy, no? 🙃

When I did it on Allure this summer, we were only offered one margarita and I don't recall a tequila tasting. There was a bit on the history and different styles of tequila, but no sampling of the different varieties. It was still a full lunch with a range of Sabor items alongside the guacamole we made however. I thought it was worthwhile for the price if everything on offer sounds appealing.

10 minutes ago, shipfriend_max said:

Yes but that's from the last update in JULY 2025, obviously @SummmerInKefaloniahas the most recent programs which feature Brilliance from Piraeus, see his latest post #897  .

If you want to trust a poster on a message board over the port authority in charge of the port itself, more power to you. Until Royal themselves has the sailings under question on sale, I'm trusting the people in charge of the ports. Ships might be swapped later, but at the moment, the hard evidence is pointing towards Brilliance in Amsterdam. The Cruise Port Amsterdam has the ship listed for summer 2025. Multiple ports in Iceland have the ship listed for summer 2025. If Brilliance isn't ending up there, I'll be mildly surprised.

51 minutes ago, shipfriend_max said:

But she will sail out of Piraeus throughout summer 2025... 😕 

Could you provide your source? The only RCCL ships I'm seeing listed in their port schedule are Voyager, Explorer, and Odyssey.

https://www.olp.gr/en/services/cruise-terminal

25 minutes ago, shipfriend_max said:

Nothing from Amsterdam? 😞 

https://sea.cruiseportamsterdam.com/cruise-calendar/2025/

Brilliance is listed with intervals which match up with current longer sailings from Amsterdam.

On 10/18/2023 at 8:09 AM, welshrich said:

 

I'll probably get flamed for it but I wish they would introduce a cover charge during peak times, it's frustrating when you want to have a drink and watch some entertainment and virtually every seat is taken with no one drinking.  

I'm kinda surprised Royal hasn't instituted a package deal when major games are on like they do for New Years Eve. Get a table in Playmakers for the duration of the event with so much Playmakers credit and a pitcher of beer or soda for for X dollars.

25 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

“A bit extra upfront”

Do you mean a bit extra upfront compared to Royal’s current full suite prices?  If do, that would be a lot more upfront to those accustomed to Royal’s cheapest cabins.

Yeah. This comparison never made much sense to me since the products are at completely different price points.

For comparison. Two itineraries with similar ports of call from the same port of embarkation and debarkation:

Royal Caribbean, 8-night Southern Caribbean ($681-$1743 pp; starting at ~$85/day/pp, port fees and taxes are extra): https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/itinerary/8-night-southern-caribbean-from-san-juan-on-rhapsody/RH08SJU-4064789089?sail-date=2025-04-13¤cy=USD&country=USA#step=0 

Viking, 11 Day West Indies Explorer ($3,599-$12,999 pp; starting at ~$327/day/pp, port fees and taxes are included):  https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/caribbean-americas/west-indies-explorer/index.html

Viking isn't "nickel and diming" because it's already covered in their cruise fare. 

8 minutes ago, doghog said:

I know perks/benefits can be added or taken away at their discretion.

 

I didn't imply the CAS program wasn't free to join. You don't even have to cruise with RC to become a CAS member. I don't see it that way. I paid for each tier level. 

I'm surprised to learn that Royal sells C&A tiers. I thought the only way to gain status was by booking then sailing aboard their ships.

Can't imagine the drink vouchers costing Royal that much since they actually increased the amount given out at each loyalty level, by one, after they were introduced. Based on message board postings and Royal's actions, this perk sounds great on paper,  but very few actual make full use of it. Thus Royal gets bookings because "free drinks" without having to cover X number of premium beverages. 

8 hours ago, Billy Baltic said:

For those that are familiar, how do the prices look compared to those already released? I’m trying to get an indication if 2025 are going to be priced sky high. 

I haven't been tracking prices outside of occasionally looking, and these seem to be slightly more than where they've been in the past. In other words, reasonable increases based on how much everything else is costing these days. With that said, who knows how high they'll go even a month after release? 

7 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

P.S. I'm not looking to be convinced that I should enjoy a relaxing day on the beach there. If you enjoy that, great, everyone has their own preferences, it's just not our thing unless there's good food to get in between lounging like on CocoCay.

 

They had these large, coconut macaroons during summer 2022 that were better than anything on the desert table at CocoCay (I've only visited Labadee once). The rest was alright, but CocoCay's lunch spread was generally better.

I did it last July on Brilliance's multi glacier cruise and it was completely worth it at $250 (booked during Black Friday).

42 minutes ago, amindu said:

what does "blocks are in the house" mean?  What blocks? 

Ship blocks.

1 hour ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Here's a link to the Webinar. This is what I heard: 
1. Currently some status match 

2. Opportunity do to more

3. 3 different brands RCI, Celebrity and Silversea

4. Status match doesn't thread together and is something we're working on. 

 

Starting at 18:12 you can listen....and decide for yourself......what was said.

 

 

5. And they're hoping to tell us more in a few months.

So something new for the new year?

3 hours ago, Its the journey said:

This would help.  They don't intend to take status away from any who have earned it, but the changes would make it a much harder road to earn status in the future without spending buckets of money.  It will likely happen eventually.

I've been speed running C&A levels to Diamond (between last year and this) because when looking at their different loyalty programs in 2021, and how the C&A program has evolved over time, this seemed like the next logical evolution. It was a question of when and the form it would take.

44 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Will it save money to walk it back to the old happy hour?  I suspect it averaged more than four or five drinks per Diamond member during the old happy hour.   There were lots of doubles ordered; lots of generous pours.  Plenty of people seemed to try to maximize the drinks ordered in that timeframe.  

I figure that Royal wouldn't go back to the old happy hour. Instead, they'd offer a generous discount on the DBP based on loyalty status instead of drink vouchers beyond what's currently on offer. For example, instead of 4 vouchers at Diamond, maybe they'd get 50% off the DBP once onboard. D+ receives 75% off and Pinnacle could receive 90% off. It still appears to be a great deal for everyone who hasn't reached these tiers, people who are already at one of these levels and still buy the DBP comes out ahead, and Royal would undoubtedly convert some people who wouldn't otherwise buy a package to do so. They would lose some higher tier members of C&A with this, but it might be a net positive in their eyes since the people lost might be those who primarily take advantage of the benefits, but aren't opening their wallets for Royal beyond the cruise fare.

10 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I don't remember if it was Allure or Symphony that had a Brizillian Steak House menu in the Solarium Bistro.  We loved it.  Wish/hope it is still available.  

Allure. Still kicking, but will probably be put out to pasture during the 2025 amplification. Liked it more than Chops.

19 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Some people will have their Set sail pass, their receipts for every excursion they purchased on the cruise planner, the recipe for their drink package. printed maps of the ports of call.  On top of that, possibly their flight itineraries, a list of dining times for their UDP, a spread sheet of events they want to go to onboard.

 

There truly is no end to the amount of extraneous things people will print out prior to a trip.  I trust my tech.  I has never failed me.  

The printed copies are like travel insurance. It's extraneous until you need it and don't have it. Printed copies are cheap and don't weigh much or take up much space in my carry-on bag. It's much better if there's an issue to hand someone a printout, versus a phone, if they're having computing problems and need to disappear for a moment to talk with someone to get the situation rectified. Paper copies are also seen as more official traditionally by many in customer facing positions. It's more likely to be seen as the truth versus a phone if there's a difference between a personal claim and what their system is showing.

I'm on team paper for this. I'll take the paper set sail pass, fold it in half (with the pass itself visible) and  place as a bookmark inside my passport to the photo page. Then, during check-in, the agent has my passport on the right page and set sail pass right there. Things go super quick.

On 9/21/2023 at 9:42 PM, KKB said:

Just saw it on our last day & wondering if it’s worth $40.

If you like the menu, then yes. If you don't like the menu, then no. If you have the DBP, then maybe not since the Taste of Royal lunch includes a specialty restaurant spritz in its pricing (on Anthem, they kept bringing them until we cut them off without an additional charge. YMMV.)

1 hour ago, Jetdriver787 said:

The rules are that you have to book it and use it on one of the first 2 nights of the cruise. On Rhapsody last year they weren’t too fussed. On Anthem this year they stuck rigidly to the letter. 
 

Im not really sure why they do this? Spreading it out would seem to be a lot more sensible and likely to generate additional (albeit discounted) revenue.

 

D+ users of the offer will likely be very familiar with the restaurants and more likely to pay extra with more flexibility on timings.

Historically, nights 1 and 2 have the fewest specialty dining reservations. The D+ and up offer is there to assist Royal in driving bookings when they'd normally have tables avaliable. 

31 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Other cruise lines are already charging for their version of the solarium. THAT Is the natural progression. Once one line is the test case that proves people will pay; others follow. 

I'm not familiar with other lines' version of the solarium, but at least with Royal, I can't see them charging due to the size and location of the area. Charging for entry would cause major headaches with moving about the ship and further crowd the general pool deck. What I can see them doing, and what I suspect they're doing on Icon with The Hideaway, is adding upcharge areas aboard their ships which are specifically designed for this purpose. By doing so, Royal has a way for people who didn't book a cabin with access to the suite amenities to purchase admission to something like the suite neighborhood.

4 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

LOTS of people are saying -- and I'm with them -- they're turned off by the idea of a loud DJ in this adults-only area.  But I think I know why Royal's going this direction: 

 

They've gotta offer SOMETHING to entice people to the area.  Something more than an exclusive location.  People who want a quiet day in a lounger with a view of the ocean and quiet to read their book aren't willing to pay $$$$.  

Part of the problem with offering a paid, quiet, private beach with Hideaway is there's already one in the form of the Beach Club. Since Royal is choosing to make this an upcharge,  there needs to be some differentiation besides more people and less upscale food offerings at a lower price.

I'm kinda surprised with the direction they took this that admission isn't over $100 and includes two complementary drinks while in the area. Might as well go all the way with the beach party vibe.