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3 hours ago, kris816 said:

Has anyone had any luck lately with Royal allowing them to pay the difference between the rate they paid, and what is now on the website to change cabins after final payment?

Yes, we just did this a few of days ago when we took advantage of RCL's dynamic pricing. We upgraded from a 2T Promenade View Interior to a 2D Ocean View Balcony for $42.00 total. It can be done, but you will have to check the pricing continuously to see if the prices fall. The timing is critical, because the deals don't last long. Sometimes for just a few hours.

On 10/11/2023 at 12:39 PM, Dan83 said:

I’ve read enough about them on this forum to know that they are a hassle. I’d never buy one but my wife received a gift certificate from her coworkers. I submitted the online form to be redeemed as onboard credit on an upcoming cruise. There’s no email confirmation sent and after a week it doesn’t show up in the cruise planner. I’m thinking that it may show up onboard like a travel agents OBC would show up on the second day. I resubmitted the form after a week and it says already redeemed. So I know they’ve processed it. Anyone with recent experience on this? 

Side note: I submitted shareholders benefits form at the same time and OBC showed up in cruise planner about 3 days later. 

Well, it looks like how the gift cards can be used has since changed.

https://www.cruisehive.com/royal-caribbean-updates-gift-card-policy/113609

6 hours ago, SilkySal said:

We're not seeing that as an option for our upcoming cruises on Mariner or Adventure, so maybe that's only an option for Oasis class ships. Our only gift option for water is for 6 bottles in a cooler bag. Sorry I couldn't help.

It's not ship class specific. Look under the 'Treats' category on the Gifts and Gear page. There should be a drop down menu for selecting the quantity, the ship and sailing date.

It's not showing up in your cruise planner because gift certificates redeemed for onboard credit cannot be used toward pre-cruise purchases. The certificate(s) are nonrefundable, so they're treated the same as when a TA gifts you OBC. It doesn't show up in your cruise planner, but the funds will be available to use once you're onboard.

Increase in prices in some Specialty restaurants? Hmm, could this be a result of  RCL deciding to keep Sorento's Pizza free? For now.

3 hours ago, Harrisonkid said:

Started pricing 2025  cruises and it's clear Inflation ,lost covid revenue years and pent up demand have impacted my de$ire/ability to cruise. Do you think the pool deck will be so crowded that I could start selling My Sorrento's  for $1 a slice?

If you do try to sell pizza by the slice poolside, it'll probably be a loss leader. By 2025 Sorento's will likely cost $2 a slice at the counter. 😎

Just goes to show you, some people will gripe about being hung with a brand new rope because it will chafe their neck.

I might consider paying for Sorrento's pizza if Mario Batali or Giada De Laurentiis were personally hand tossing pies using the finest ingredients available. Until then, Sorrento's is worth exactly what we now pay for it.

7 hours ago, apierson23 said:

I didn't really mind the current mandatory tip level on my recent cruise but I didn't give much more than the mandatory.  I know the people in my group that got the drink package tipped extra at the bars since they consumed a lot of drinks but in general the $36 tip per day seemed sufficient considering the 1 per day cleaning and the less employees I saw cleaning and serving drinks around the pools.  Stuff goes up in price including the tip but it did reduce any extra tipping for me.

There was a time, not all that long ago when RCL left it up to the personal

7 hours ago, apierson23 said:

I didn't really mind the current mandatory tip level on my recent cruise but I didn't give much more than the mandatory.  I know the people in my group that got the drink package tipped extra at the bars since they consumed a lot of drinks but in general the $36 tip per day seemed sufficient considering the 1 per day cleaning and the less employees I saw cleaning and serving drinks around the pools.  Stuff goes up in price including the tip but it did reduce any extra tipping for me.

It's not mandatory, it's a suppositional amount concocted by RCL (and, in all fairness, not just RCL) to have their customers supplement the wages of crew and staff. The quaint notion of the 'olden days' where remunerating the crew and staff on a personal level for service(s) rendered has gone by the way side. It has since been appropriated, co-opted and repackaged under the guise of taking 'care' of 'the people behind the scenes. As long as RCL has is a solid value to us, we'll sail with them. When they aren't, we won't.

4 minutes ago, barric said:

Oooh.  We are Elite on Celebrity, so I believe this translates to Diamond on RCL?

And then, how many drink certificates does this entitle us?

Four (4) per day up to a value of $14 per beverage. If you go over that amount, you just pay the difference.

21 hours ago, lovelife said:

Understood.  Thanks, but their reason is "Since this booking was made 06/28/23, it would appear that this booking is ineligible."

Well, it just so happens that was the first reason they gave me for denying an award also. However, when I pressed them, because they had applied rewards in the past, they then told me it cannot be a applied to a group booking, which mine was. I rebooked as an individual booking and gave up $50 OBC from my TA. After rebooking, Casino Royale then honored the award and I received $150 in match play. 

I've successfully applied rewards a few weeks after a booking through Casino Royale, however the booking has to be an 'individual' booking. They won't apply rewards to group bookings and many other promotional fares.

While it could happen, and the answer to your question it's not an unequivocal 'no,' you're more likely to come face to face with a Velociraptor while walking your dog.

I was never very good a math and have heard for years that numbers don't lie, but the BOGO for 50% off posted today is exactly the same price as the BOGO at 35% off that was posted two days ago. That's equivalent to buying a 3 foot long ruler at a yard sale.

When it cost $1.99 it really wasn't a value. Now that it's free, it's worth every penny that you pay for it.

12 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

Sprite is good for cleaning your toilet. 

You might be on to something, now that RC has gone to once a day stateroom cleaning service.

15 hours ago, scotlady said:

 

And yes - these are the packages I was talking about.  Didn't know whether I should wait for them to go on sale.

These offerings don't really ever go on 'sale' like the Cruise Planner 'sales' do. Unlike the beverage package prices, which have gone up almost exponentially, the pricing for these gift selections has remained pretty steady over the last few years.

These are pre cruise purchases made through the Royal Gifts portal. I don't know if they're US specific or not, but here's a link for you to try: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/royalgifts/wine-liquor/alcohol-packages

Please give it a go and let us know if it worked for you. Cheers!

2 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Rarely, but be aware. The package bottles are the tiny 375 ml. Not worth the $50+ price

Not worth the price? Maybe, but compared to paying almost $13 a drink, it can be bargain. Some simple math bears that out

1 US fluid ounce = 29.5735297 ml
Normal shot glass pour is 1.5 ounces
375ML bottle divide by 29.5735297 = 12.680 ounces
12.680 ounces divide by 1.5 once shot glass = 8.45 shots in a 1.5 ounce (normal) shot glass
Or, roughly 8-1/2  shots.

Figures are based on an average pour of rum and cola on RCL:

Eight rum and colas at current bar prices = $10.99 plus 18% gratuity $1.97 = $12.96 per drink = $103.68. The Rum and Cola Package is $45.99. There's no tax or gratuities added to the liquor packages, at least for Texas sailings. So, there's a savings of roughly $57.00 over ordering drinks at a bar.

Granted, some people feel it's worth paying extra $ for the convenience of walking up to a bar and ordering a drink as opposed to being a mixologist in their stateroom. Is it worth it or not? That's really up to each individual to determine whether it is or isn't.

Here's a menu of the current whisky/bourbons available and their shot prices. As in all things RC, they may or may not be available on any particular ship, or at any particular time. Other choices may be available that aren't included here.

You can sometimes negotiate a BOGOHO as a solo cruiser once onboard. I've been successful negotiating a 'discounted' price in the past. It really depends on the revenue manager and their targeted sales goals. Just ask, you may be pleasantly surprised. 

7-13-23 - DBP - VOTS DEC23. Prices have been fluctuating between $77 - $72 - $67.

It's not just you. The famous (infamous) RCCL IT department is standard operational mode; SNAFU. Not to worry. Wait a while and the booking will reappear. This sometimes happens when the pricing algorithms make changes in the Cruise Planners. Mine just came back up and some of the prices have  actually dropped.

Been a while since I've touched base on this board and it sure looks like RCL's trajectory of higher prices and diminishing amenities is still in full swing. At this rate, it probably won't be too long before they start matching status with Carnival.

23 minutes ago, jdmerck said:

It’s been since 2019 since I have been on a cruise it’s gone up in price since obviously but now juices and coffee is included?? How about soda and

bottled water????

Yes, yes, yes and yes.