Jetdriver787

Yes, we did a week on Valiant Lady out of Barcelona last month and thoroughly enjoyed it! Food was excellent, and service was as well! They status matched us and I felt they really wanted our future patronage. We thought we might find the experience adrift from our "age demographic" but that wasn't the case at all. We have 3 weeks worth of cruises on Royal in the next 4 weeks and then 3 more booked beyond that. I am seriously considering dropping the last 3, subject to our overall experience in the next month.

Just another victim of inflation! 🤷‍♂️

If the cruise is in Europe the drinking age is reduced to 18 in any event.

It won't matter in practice. The airline is liable and fined if they land a passenger without the correct documentation. In practice they will check the passenger has the documentation before they accept them for carriage.

Didn't Enchantment of the Seas have an issue with " Half & Half" back in 2005?

Even if it was, it would now be "Quarter & Quarter" and still cost 30% more!

Will that be $33,150 with the Diamond+ 15% discount?

We've done 3 Transatlantics now, with two more booked, the next one this November from Barcelona. I would definitely recommend this and particularly so with a teenager on Oasis as there is so much more for them to do. The late Autumn Westbound crossings tend not to have many kids on them because of the term times, but there will be some. Similarly some of the ships can be sailing at lower occupancy as it's an awkward travel time in the run-up to Christmas. That is less likely on a large ship such as Oasis. Depending on the route, the weather can be a bit cool for the first week or so, gradually warming up as it slips into more Southerly latitudes. Everybody has different aspirations, but personally I wouldn't touch Icon with a bargepole (not that you could I guess?) until those premium prices fall away, and that isn't likely to be for a couple of years or more.

Interesting figures and I would say that based on our recent Mediterranean cruise two weeks ago probably about right? Despite being (very) well into the 16% demographic, we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. We felt welcome and completely spoiled. Loved the variety and difference with the entertainment, and the food and service was completely "top notch!" Can't imagine how the design for the pools made it to the final draft, but otherwise it was fantastic.

To me the question would be simple. Would winning a bid in that cabin in any possible location enhance my vacation? If the answer is “yes” then play. If not, then don’t. In the last 8 months I have had 2 successful upgrades. One with Virgin voyages to a “Rockstar” suite and the second with Royal Caribbean for a Grand suite for a 14 night Southern Caribbean cruise. Both of these changed a great experience to a fantastic experience, more so since both offers were pretty much “floor level” bids! If you are happy with what you have booked, and any potential win could make you less happy, then honestly it isn’t worth doing.

If that is the T/A to Tampa, we are on it with you?

One was booked about 6 months out and the other two have been within 4 weeks of sailing. You will get an email telling you there has been a change to your booking once it is assigned. Other than that, you can just check the booking reference online and it will show up there once it has been assigned.

Had 3 "Guarantee" bookings in the last 8 months and all of them confirmed within a couple of days. Booked one the day before yesterday and it firmed up yesterday evening about 30 hours later! So far we've been very pleased with all of them. Of the two we have sailed, one subsequently won a "Royal up" from a JS to a GS, which is obviously a matter of luck, but only made the deal even sweeter.

Just got back from a week on Valiant lady. Originally had a Sea Terrace cabin (regular) booked through the Virgin points offer, and was really looking forward to the "bargain of the decade!" Put in a cheeky upgrade bid on the available Rockstar suites at minimum bid plus £50 or so. Absolutely delighted at V-3 days to receive confirmation of an upgrade to a Brilliant suite! whole deal worked out at around $1850 (plus base points) for a $10,500 (at retail) suite! The whole thing was indeed brilliant. They also gave us a status match to our Royal Caribbean "Diamond plus" level, which only enhanced the otherwise excellent offerings. Very impressed with the food, drink, service, quality and friendliness. Would do it again in a heartbeat although that deal is unlikely to be on the table again!

I have to say that I think the C&A loyalty programme is very clever! We took our first cruise with Royal Caribbean in 2008. We booked 3 balcony cabins for a 2 week Mediterranean cruise for ourselves and our 7 (mostly) young children! We enjoyed it. They all loved it! The following year we booked again in Junior suites for a 10 day cruise and then again the following year. Loyalty for our kids was the excitement of moving through the ranks of Aquanauts and Navigators and Explorers and God knows what else. Even when they became teenagers they somehow managed to “hate” us even less for a few weeks when a cruise was on the cards! Fast forward 15 years and all of them are adults and most of them have their own families! All of them have booked cruises (individually or together) in their own right. All of them have been on Royal Caribbean and no other cruise line! The earned and inherited loyalty adds to the past experience to make Royal Caribbean their “go to” cruise line! Of those with upcoming cruises this year (4 children and 6 grandchildren) the icing on the cake for the adults are the drink vouchers! Nobody could care less about the Concierge lounge! When Royal Caribbean hooked us, they hooked our kids and probably our grandkids with a good product and a clever loyalty programme. We recently took 3 almost back-to-back cruises after a hiatus of 5 years. These were the first without any kids and our first on an older ship. We visited the concierge club after first boarding. There was one other person in there (not the concierge,) a broken coffee machine and a few (rather unappealing) sandwiches and cakes. In the course of the next month we visited twice more, mainly because I felt a bit guilty as the concierge had telephoned to enquire why we hadn’t been there. Truth be told, the “happy hour” had no particular appeal when the vouchers spread “happy hour” through the entire day and throughout the ship. The venue has evolved past its original raison d’ etre! It needs to offer a better range of suite benefits to those that have paid for that real estate. This has already happened on the newer ships and I suspect it’s only a matter of time before it happens on the older ships, if indeed those older ships are part of the long term plan. The “Diamond lounge” still provides a venue as a loyalty benefit and I can’t say I ever saw more than a handful of people using that recently. The vouchers have completely negated the “evening crush” in that venue. I also suspect the D+ popularity of the concierge lounge from 5-8 pm would be subdued if the drinks in there were still subject to voucher deduction? They were supposed to be, but I suspect that was often difficult in practice? Anyway, I think the inclusive vouchers are a very real “enhancement” and The corporate offices can take comfort in losing one and gaining 19…… and counting! 🤦‍♂️👍

Recently sailed T/A from Barcelona to Barbados on Rhapsody. I’d say it was OK until about 100 miles South West from last landfall (Madeira) until probably the same distance from Barbados. I expect the very high user demand on the large number of “sea days” coupled with weaker reception is a significant factor. For a large portion of the open crossing the streaming was poor to non-existent. Staying on the same ship for an Eastern Caribbean and Southern Caribbean venue was significantly better.

We just recently got off a 33 day cruise coupled with a 9 day land stay in the Caribbean. I have to say if I ever see another “Diamonds International” or “Colombian Emeralds” again, I think I will go full postal! It’s not as if we didn’t learn from that time we attended (what seemed like) a 72 hour timeshare presentation in order to get 2 free Disney tickets in Orlando back in the day! Every hotel we stayed in had a “Colombian Emeralds” in the foyer, and every port sported either the same or a “Diamonds International” within spitting distance of the entrance. Despite the fact Christmas (other holidays are available) was just around the corner, it did occur to me how light the footfall was in these stores. I commented to my wife often (although she rarely pays any attention) that I wondered how these places made money and whether they might have held some sort of ambassadorial status for various “cartels?” and…….on the same theme! I cannot understand why a cruise makes her (and others) effervescent for products alleging to be made out of Bamboo? Bedsheets, underwear? I was lucky enough to visit Chengdu China in my professional career and to see the Pandas in droves munching there way through tons of the stuff. I learned that it is full of cellulose, something of a fast growing nuisance, and despite the Pandas fondness for the stuff, it isn’t particularly nourishing and it turns their faeces a peculiar shade of phosphorous green! Given their notorious libido difficulties, I’m not really sure why I would want my bedsheets made out of the stuff? Likewise, I have never felt the need to enclose my nether regions in underwear made out of it either! I don’t know what it is about cruising that seems to bring out these strange retail cravings. It’s not even as if friends or family ask us to bring back a diamond, an emerald, or cellulose knickerbockers, just because they discover we are visiting some sort of dodgy tax haven for 8 hours! Don’t even get me started on the Art auctions. Although, I did notice a lot if it seemed to resemble that “Britto” stuff that presumably has been sitting in a cupboard in the basement of the ship ever since the retail space was turned over to some other overpriced nonsense! Not a day went by (honestly!) when there wasn’t an envelope left on our bed inviting us to some champagne reception or masquerade ball being hosted by these purveyors! I bought 2 artwork prints in the Seventies, “Chimpanzee sitting on toilet” and “Tennis player scratching left buttock” that have yet to show any positive investment return! Anyway, I have gone on too long and still haven’t got to those “pop up” shops in the Royal bazaar or esplanade or whatever it is on your particular ship!

Or possibly?…… a small commemorative paperweight made from the component parts of a Neutron star*! An atomic mass so dense that your 23kg (50lb) baggage allowance and that of your fellow 300 airline passengers combined, will struggle to convey it home! (Florida residents excluded!) * Osmium (atomic number 76) may be substituted for the component parts of a Neutron star due to global supply issues. The Royal caribbean logo beach towel will not be provided as a substitute under any circumstances!

I am guessing?…….But maybe an extra cookie if you telephone the C&A loyalty department in Guatemala City at least 210 working days in advance of your cruise. Please note the cookie cannot be shared or re-gifted to an ineligible category of membership. Only valid on sailings of 7 nights or more that do not include a Saturday! Cookies may be substituted by other baked or unbaked items of similar or lesser value and may be packed in some sort of miniature wooden packing crate stuffed with straw that resembles a young child’s first attempt at an unpopulated Nativity scene. Void where prohibited by law!

I assumed it meant that “the man from Del Monte” said no! 🤷‍♂️

Last night We flew from Barbados to London. The check-in line took us 50 minutes! “So what?” Well, the line was for First class for a single flight. The queue was 25 deep when we arrived. The flight only had 14 first class seats! Again, the problem is that “loyalty” perks allow various category of coloured card holders to use facilities that they aren’t actually travelling in or paying for. The net effect is that it eventually totally devalues the product. In all honesty, I think Royal Caribbean has handled this same problem with a fairly clever and (I believe) generous solution. The only real attraction of the lounges seemed to be the prospect of a few limited option free drinks during the relevant “happy hours.” The canapés and snacks never really set the world alight, and the coffee machine (when it was actually working) could easily have been accommodated in one small venue open to all qualifying loyalty levels. The “vouchers” though, are a significant bonus! Now you can obtain loyalty value of up to $70 per person per day (potentially) if you are D+ to be used pretty much anywhere and anytime you wish. Suite passengers are (in most cases) getting nowhere near this benefit! If you are going to sell a premium product for a premium price then you need to be able to consistently deliver it or it will fail! If you devalue it by giving it away as a “perk” offered as a concession then eventually you will kill your own product. At the moment it is a mess. I appreciate that is because it is an always evolving reality and also the 2 year “covid” hiatus has complicated that evolution. I cannot see why renting a “Grand suite” on some ships gets you free internet, but not on others even though the product is available on all of them in some form or other? Similarly, why does a ship need a “concierge lounge” as opposed to a “suite lounge?”

I can’t really see that the Concierge lounge has any real purpose any more. The change to a “suite lounge” should delineate its use to those that have paid for the necessary real estate. As a “suite lounge” it needs updating to reflect the rewards it gives to those people who actually rent that accommodation. The vouchers are undoubted disproportionately weighted for the loyalty levels, but are nonetheless a generous concession given their versatility of use. We have spent the last month in a suite as D+. In that time we have visited the concierge lounge twice and had one drink there. Truth be told, it offers us no particular value. The vouchers have given us (as a couple) up to $4,200 in “free” drinks at any venue or time we choose. In reality of course we simply haven’t used them to anywhere near maximum value, the point being that a “ free bar” for a couple of hours in an often inconvenient (and crowded) venue comes nowhere near the amenity value of the vouchers. It’s about time (and very likely on their radar) that the company used its suite facilities to properly reward those paying them for the privilege. The loyalty aspect is far better rewarded as things currently stand with the provision of a Diamond lounge and the generous voucher allocation?

We have been on 3 of the last/current 4 cruises on this ship (a total of 33 days!) our 13th/14th and 15th cruises with RCI. This is our first cruise in 5 years and the first time without any children and also the first time on one of the “older” ships. Our real estate has been Grand suite/ inside/ Grand suite. We booked the second two cruises while doing the first, hence the eclectic mix based on last minute availability. Obviously we were sufficiently impressed by our first experience to book the subsequent cruises. We agree that the crew have generally been great. Every bit as friendly and welcoming as we remember from past cruises. Would also agree with the shout out to Ryan, Rommel, and Kevin at the pool bar and to our MDR wait staff, room and suite attendants and indeed almost everybody we have had any interaction with. The ship is obviously “classic” and a little dated. In many ways that has been quite a positive experience as the distances between venues are much shorter and there is a greater sense of space and comfort. You don’t feel that every inch of deck space is given over to an “attraction” or retail opportunity as is so often the sensation on the newer ships.Certainly less crowds. There is a greater degree of wear and tear than you might ordinarily expect to find on a newer ship but it is generally kept in check in public areas. One aspect that we have found a little disappointing is in the cleanliness of some areas. Dining venues have been excellent on all counts, but some of the public restrooms have clearly suffered from a deficit of scheduled attention. (no soap in any dispensers) and dirty floors. Routine maintenance in the cabins has also been rather disappointing particularly in our latest room. Being an older ship it is inevitable that many of the electrical sockets become loose with age and use, but it shouldn’t be a major issue to replace them as they wear and that doesn’t seem to be happening? In our latest suite, all of the closet doors are misaligned such that they don’t close properly and swing open. A couple of towel rails are hanging loose a faucet wasn’t running properly. The cabin door won’t close properly as it sticks and needs a concerted pull to get it to click shut. If they would lend me some WD40, a power screwdriver, some new hinges and a woodworking plane, I reckon I could fix most of these in an afternoon. However they won’t (which is fine) but they don’t seem in any hurry either. I suspect staffing levels are still very much below par, particularly away from the front of house roles and this might explain the deficiencies, but it is noticeable.

Depends on the class of ship I guess? I’ve had some real savings on letting them pick recently. 40% on a a short cruise balcony guarantee on Anthem. Similar saving on a 7 night Caribbean that we are currently on. Did a suite guarantee on a 14 night Caribbean that resulted in a well placed JS that we were very happy with. That saved around 50% on a “selected” JS. Then the royal up bid was also accepted and that saved just over $5000 on booking the same GS.

Had our first Royal up bid success yesterday at cruise date -5 days. From an assigned JS gty to a GS. Nice for a 14 day cruise! 👍