RoperDK

8 hours ago, RFerrington said:

Yes.  ...unless you are Prime level or above, you will be charged 5% on all table draws on your Seapass.  I believe you can still draw money from your Sea Pass account on the slot machines without incurring a charge.

This has been my experience, also.  Service fee at the tables, but free at the slots.  If you are Prime then the fee is waived.  

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

If you get cash to gamble by charging your room account, there is a 5% fee. So, if you ask a slot machine to deposit $1000 into your slot account as a room charge, you will get a $50 service charge. The casino/cruise line is pay a fee to get money from your credit card at the end of the cruise,,, they are just passing it along to you... with a kicker. 

I have never had a service fee added to my slot machine advances. 

10 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

Good tidbit on the Do Not Disturb sign.  

Yep, learned that the hard way. I sure did miss my wake up coffee that morning!

4 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

What's the draw for the D Lounge Coffee?  Is it better coffee than what is offered elsewhere?  Is it because it's in a somewhat exclusive lounge?  How many venues that serve included coffee are passed on the way to the D Lounge?  Inquiring minds want to know!

Since I like regular old coffee that you can get anywhere, the D lounge has another draw for us.  It has comfortable seating and is away from the crowds.  There is a nice continental breakfast served along with that coffee and yummy appetizers served in the evening.  We've been known to skip dinner and just have the evening snacks.  The Diamond Concierge is also there to help with reservations and other issues.  

22 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Enough to make up for price difference?

7 hours ago, Cigar King said:

I'm guessing their response didn't come out the way they intended it.  I've never been able to order enough room service to make up the difference in cost between a full suite and a balcony.

 

 

Lol, my bad.  I meant to say you could pay for a balcony cabin and all of the room service you could eat and still not come close to what a suite would cost. 

Make sure you head up there first thing after you board.  The early bird gets the worm!

9 minutes ago, Cherful59 said:

Having said this, I am talking about a regular balcony.  I have no idea about a suite balcony, it might be different.

Full suites (GS and above) get free room service. Full suites can also order from the MDR menu during meal hours.  For the difference in balcony and full suite prices, you can order a ton of pay room service and still come out way ahead!

20 hours ago, singleflyer said:

Anyone know of a cruise ship that still has the Deal or No Deal Join N Play slot machine?  Not like the live game, but the slot machine.

I loved that slot game. A bank of machines tied to a big screen.  A bit addicting.  I haven't seen them in a few years.  

On 4/23/2023 at 10:05 AM, nelblu said:

Does it have to be a new booking.  I have a booking for October and was wondering if I can apply the annual free sail to the booking.

We booked a refundable rate for Wonder in Jan. 2024 to hold the cabin we wanted.  We were able to apply our annual certificate and reprice at the non-refundable rate while keeping our original booking number and cabin.  I don't think this works if it is after the final payment date.  

We like to visit Coco Cay.  We might get off the ship or we might not.  It is relaxing to know we don't have to get ready for or rush to get to an excursion.  We play it by ear according to the weather and our mood. It's nice to enjoy the empty ship. Also, the casino is always open during the port stop. For us it is a win, win situation! 

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the phone on the other side of the bed has a USB port.  I know they are that way on other ships.

I was on an Oasis cruise during Yeshiva several years ago.  While we didn't have unruly children issues, it was very crowded.  Are Yeshiva cruisers only on Oasis or Quantum class ships?  We are looking at a Mariner 5 day in late January 2024 and it has limited cabins available.  Could it be for Yeshiva or are there other school holidays in late January?  Trying to figure out why the limited availability.  We can cruise whenever we want to, so would like to avoid the crowds.

We have friends on a visit to Key West right now.  She just texted me this morning that their favorite bartender at Sloppy Joe's told them that since cruises have been restricted that businesses have suffered.  I know the locals don't like the masses to overpower the town.  I don't really blame them.  However, cruise passengers buy trinkets, drinks, food, and do tours.  I believe that Royal always docks downtown. I'm sure it is more expensive to dock there than the old Naval base.  It might be more limited and expensive in peak tourist season, also. Perhaps the price is what limits them.  

17 hours ago, Thisguylikestocruise said:

I felt Wonder had busy moments sometimes, but wouldn’t describe it as too crowded overall. Always found a seat everywhere we went. We had memorable times at a couple bars all to ourselves and chatted with a friendly bartender who recommended his favorite drinks to us. Enjoyed late dinners uncrowded. Can’t wait to get back on Wonder.

We were on Wonder in early March.  Probably a bad choice on our part.  There were 7000 passengers onboard.  We are pretty good at avoiding crowds at meals.  We never ate in the MDR for dinner.  We only ate at Windjammer after the lunch or dinner rush.  We ate in Coastal Kitchen 4 nights and had specialty dining for lunch and dinner a couple of times.  We ate breakfast several times at El Loco Fresh which was great until it was "discovered" mid-week.  We were able to reserve all of the shows we wanted before the cruise and had priority seating, so no real problem there.  We also stay on the ship during port stops most of the time and enjoy the quiet.  We aren't new to Oasis class, but the level of crowds on this cruise was just mind boggling.  It was a slog trying to get from one area of the ship to another.  Everyone was nice and kids were mostly well behaved, it was just too many people in a confined space.  We are retired and can cruise whenever we want.  We will be more aware of busy times in the future.  

I grew up in Coral Gables.  It is an upscale area. Mainly residential with some business and shopping areas along with nice restaurants.  It is not touristy with beaches and such.  There are very interesting sights, too....The Biltmore Hotel, Venetian Pool, and the Miracle Mile.  I gather you will only be staying one night, though.  Access to the airport will be easier than South Beach.   

Both of our Prime free cruise certificates are coming soon.  We have zoned in on Wonder 7 day or B2B Mariner 4/5 day in January 2024.  We would book a junior suite on Wonder or a grand suite on Mariner.  We just got off of Wonder a few weeks ago and were in a JS.  We had a great time and ate in Coastal Kitchen several nights.  However, it was soooo overwhelmingly crowded.  We have cruised on Oasis class several times and truthfully, while I enjoy all of the activities, having the same layout on the ships gets a bit repetitive to me.  We cruised on Mariner last March and really enjoyed ourselves.  We were in a GS on that cruise and enjoyed the suite experience on the ship.  I know the GS experience on Oasis class is better than other classes of ships.  I guess we are wanting to sail on other classes of Royal ships for variety.  The Mariner cruises would end up being a few hundred dollars more than Wonder.  Any thoughts on our dilemma would be appreciated.

3 hours ago, Anton said:

The tier cruise for 2023-2024 just posted, but now it's gone from my casino account.  Others reporting the same problem.  It was probably posted prematurely and they took it down. 

For those that got a peak of the yearly tier cruise offer, was it limited to 7 days or did they expand it back to 8 days?

All right, I'll chime in.  We avoid drinks with ice in certain ports unless we trust that they use purified water. We also avoid salads and other items that are rinsed with local water.  We thought we were safe until DH got sick from what we suspect was a contaminated cut lime in a beer.  It hit him a few hours after we left port.  He was pretty miserable for a couple of days. He was mildly sick for several weeks after that.  He only improved with 3 weeks of antibiotics.  While we are tempted to try local foods, we are very cautious now. 

Any truth to the rumor that Prime drinks will only be while playing starting on May 1st.  This is a deal breaker for us and the reason we gave up on Carnival.  I can count on one hand the number of times a waiter offered a drink in the casino while playing slots.  If you are playing tables there is more access.  I can cruise on Carnival for a lot less and buy the drink package.  Hope it isn't so.  

On 4/2/2023 at 7:50 AM, island lady said:

IMHO..it could possibly be JS  not listed any longer as a suite on set sail pass...since technically they are not "full suites".    JS pax had suite priority check in and boarding probably a bit longer than they were meant to be.  

 

You will not have keyed access to CK or the SL either, and no guarantees to dine in CK (dinner only on available basis).  

 

On last check JS still had priority embarkation listed as an amenity.  Haven't seen anything to contradict that fact.    

I used to buy internet and shared it with my DH.  I wanted to keep in touch with deployed military family members, elderly parents, and fur baby sitters.  It gave me peace of mind and worth every penny.  We now buy internet for both of us and I can text and call my DH instead of using the inconsistent chat feature on the app.  Not really necessary but we are used to instant communication.  

3 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Star class as you stated but much more, tangibles and intangibles.

 

Your suite is stocked every day, all day with non-alcoholic drinks and beer, no limit.  The suite is stocked on regular bases or as needed with cold cuts. sandwiches, cakes, ice cream sundae bar, finger foods, pizza, meals from whatever restaurant you want.  All handled by the Genie.

 

Some of the intangibles:  Priority access to almost every activity, and reserved seating in almost all activities, shows, and events.  Genie is always there to sort out any and all issues that may arise.  Escort to events, shows, and off the ship at ports of call.  Need to do something with the Customer Service desk, Genie will take care of it.  Genie will meet you upon embarkation day in front of the terminal with a ship's porter, not a port porter, who takes your luggage directly to your suite after security.  That is done while your Genie escorts you to your suit and giving a little tour of the ship.  Your suit and luggage are waiting on you when you first get on the ship and several welcome fruit plates (including chocolate cover strawberries), cold cut plates, and whatever you specifically asked for to be there.  And so so so much more.  Every Genie we've had so far gave every member of our party a fairly decent gift, not just a key chain type thing.  On Symphony each of us got one of those ceramic models of the ship.  Can't remember the others right now.  And, from what we've experienced, the word NO isn't spoken by a crew member, that would be handled by the Genie, but they are there to say yes.  

 

Thanks for adding in all of the extra details.  We will hopefully be able to try Star Class one day!  

9 hours ago, Pandamonia said:

I often wonder who pays 20k for a suite on a floating budget hotel (which is what cruise ships are) 

 

You essentially pay 20k for the almost same experience someone who paid $600 gets. 

 

 

 

 

I disagree.  Suites on Royal have more amenities than inside cabins. On newer ships ( where you are more likely to pay that $20k) suites have many amenities that add dollar value to your cruise.  Star class has included drink packages, ultimate dining package, internet, a private Genie to cater to your wishes, the private suite restaurant, the private suite lounge and pool deck.  The suites are spacious and have luxurious added touches.  We personally have never splurged for Star class, but we always travel in at least a Junior Suite and mostly Grand Suites.  We look for bargains and have a dollar limit for our cabin costs.  That works for us.  

8 hours ago, mcurban said:

Do they every do the beef tenderloin- just for one? My husband would get it with me just because he's a kind fellow, but I'm sure he would enjoy the lamb or lobster more. 

Yes, I had the tenderloin for just one on Wonder 3 weeks ago.  My husband wanted the Halibut, so they brought me out the tenderloin for one.  I also mentioned that I was curious about the lamb and they brought me a small portion to sample, also. 

On 7/22/2022 at 8:04 PM, Ozark_Kid said:

Has anyone eaten there for the Halibut? 

My husband had the Halibut on Wonder 3 weeks ago.  He said it was good.  Not fresh off the boat in Alaska good, but just fine. 

Is this benefit for any D+ or when you reach 340?