RoperDK

Sad to hear this. Disappointing for those onboard for sure.

We think the extra daily drink (5), free bag of laundry, and the BOGO specialty dining offer are the stars of the Diamond+ benefits. The 340 point level is sometimes referred to as Diamond++ or Junior Pinnacle. People have wondered why Royal hasn't added this as another official level, but they haven't. Sounds like those that have wondered why Carnival hasn't added a level between Platinum and Diamond or added a Diamond Plus level.

Here is a list of benefits: Crown and Anchor Member Benefits (royalcaribbean.com) This might also temp me to give Celebrity a try. I do wish Carnival would offer some reciprocal benefits with their other lines. I don't think it will happen, though.

They actually did a true status match along with adding Silversea. Instead of everyone being capped at either Diamond or Elite, they are matching all tiers now. For instance, as Diamond + on Royal, I will now be Elite + and Pinnacles will now be Zenith. Do I think that Carnival will status match with their other brands? No. That's not what Carnival is about.

Carnival doesn't combine offers like Royal does. On Royal, if my DH and I both have a free OV cabin, we will combine to get a free balcony cabin. On Carnival, you get the one person's best cabin offer only. The extras (funplay, drinks, etc.) apply to each according to the terms of the offers.

We booked the Star and upgraded to an Infinite Balcony. Can you lower the shade in increments or is it all or nothing? Thought it would be nice to partially lower the shade to block some sun, but still get some water view. There really isn't much detailed info out there. thanks!

I agree with your comparisons. I have settled into mainly Royal, with a dash of Carnival. They each have positives. Even though I am in my mid-sixties, I don't care for Princess (too stuffy and old fashioned) and I really doubt that Celebrity would be exciting enough for us. Each has a good casino program, so that is where we are comfortable right now.

I've been surrounded by animals my entire life. I had horses before I got too old to safely ride. I trained and showed dogs. I've always had cats, too. My most satisfying memories have been when a feral cat has finally decided to trust me.

Thanks for the input. I still feel that my RCCL perks are better, especially when combined with the casino program, but to each their own. I may venture back to NCL one day.

Other cruise lines do extra points for suites or singles. What perks does NCL offer that makes you think that they have the best perks.

If I were to move back to Florida, Titusville would probably be my first choice. I grew up in South Florida and there are very few places left that have that "old Florida" charm. We always eat a meal at Dixie Crossroads. It brings back so many memories of the way things were when I was growing up. I absolutely LOVE the Wildlife Refuge and all things space. We have started staying an extra hotel night before our Port Canaveral cruises and spend most of our free day in the Titusville area.

@colesc15 I have an odd question, if you don't mind. We have an OV cabin on deck 4 and my husband wants to know if the escalator is accessible from the cabin corridor? It would be a great location if we could access the casino and escalator to deck 5 from that cabin location. I doubt that is the case, but it would be nice to know ahead of time. Thanks!

I totally agree about staying in Titusville! I consider that close to the port. I have stayed in the Orlando area or Jacksonville area before. It does make our drive shorter than going all the way down. However, all you need is an accident on 528 (Orlando) or I-95 (Jacksonville) to ruin your day. We are Hilton Diamond members and have enough points to pay for Canaveral hotels, but I wouldn't hesitate to stay in Titusville. It's actually a hidden gem. Shhhh...don't tell anyone. 😉

We enjoyed our B2B cruises very much. We usually cruise on the larger ships and we were pleasantly surprised with Grandeur. I thought the common areas looked quite nice. I didn't notice anything in disrepair. We were in a Grand Suite and the cabin condition inside was great. Carpet and fabric coverings looked brand new. Bed was very comfy. Even though the cabinetry and bath fixtures were older, they looked and worked just fine. Balcony furniture was a little beat up. Our AC stopped working at some point, but it was fixed quickly. I did hear that people in lower deck cabins didn't feel they were in as good a shape as ours. The internet worked very well. There was good connectivity in all areas. The crew were amazing. I guess that is a big plus on the smaller ships. We really enjoyed the Centrum entertainment. We didn't go to any of the theater shows. We felt that the food was good. Food was great in the specialty restaurants, very good in the MDR, and the Windjammer was just fine. I'm not sure that kids would have enough to do on this size ship. We will definitely book Grandeur again! Let me know if you have any other questions.

I love staying close to the port overnight. The drive from Orlando can back up if there is an accident with no exit to make an escape. I like being stress free morning of embarkation.

Enjoy your cruise! Can't wait to hear more.

4. If you only do something once a day, you can assign any category to it. In my book, it doesn't actually happen until you do it twice. Vacation rules are different than home rules. That's how I get around the "I never eat bacon" rule. 😉

Isn't the MDR open for breakfast on all days and on all ships?

Can you use the dollar value to offset the price of a newer ship (Icon) when casino offers aren't yet valid for that ship?

Could you be confusing Royal and Carnival? They have a Crown lounge with coffee machines, infused water, continental breakfast, mid-day snacks, and evening hot appetizers. There is evening drink service although you must use your free drink vouchers. Perhaps you meant the departure lounge. They usually have coffee and maybe snacks. I haven't seen embarkation extras in a while.

Thanks for your balanced review. We have decided that Excel class just doesn't suit us. We've tried it twice and it just missed the mark for us. A lot of people love that class of ship, but we now cruise on other classes.

We are on the next Grandeur cruise. I thought there would be more info. I guess everyone is enjoying their cruise, lol.

We use FaceTime, Messenger, What'sApp and Gmail. They are great for people you expect to have contact with. It doesn't help for a random call that you might get that you weren't expecting such as a Dr's office, appt. scheduling, or a neighbor trying to get in touch with you about your property. I've gotten used to that communication on other lines. If you have an IPhone, then I think a lot of texts still go through. I haven't had that luck with Android.

Someone could also turn that around to say that Carnival bribes its upper tier cruisers with the laundry perk. The "free" laundry that Carnival "gives" to upper level cruisers is a consideration for some to book Carnival. It's all just perks to me. I don't label them differently depending on what cruise line I'm talking about.

We have an OV cabin on deck 4 mid-ship starboard side. Is there cabin hallway access from the casino escalator area or is it closed off. In other words, from the cabin hall areas can you only access the casino from both elevator banks or is there also a shortcut near the escalator side to the cabin hallway?