RFerrington

I thought I had read that the new smoke free casino annex was going to have its own cashiers cage. Is that true ? We left OA just before they finished the conversion so we didn’t get to see what it finally looked like.

It has been my recent experience (all from Miami) that even the Suites/Pinns/Key don’t really get much of a boarding head start. It seems like, as soon as they start the S/P/K boarding through one door, they also begin allowing the GenPop in through the other door, so basically everyone starts at basically the same time -just different starting points. The only ones with true advantage are the B2B’ers.

Me too !

Thank you ! It’s so great to be cruising again. It kinda seems like we’re just jumping from ship to ship ! Things will slow down for us after May. The casino comps are few and far between during the summer. We have a shorty on Serenade in July but that’s the only summer cruise we have booked. Making up for lost time !

Combined interior offers only yield an ocean view cabin. IMO it is a waste of your second comp offer unless it’s just a situation where you only have the time off for one cruise. Upgrading from an interior to an OV is typically only a couple of hundred dollars (ship/itin dependent, of course).

Boarded EX today. To my great surprise, all of my Cokes (16 of them) and waters were delivered. I was happy but surprised. I just want my Cokes - they can keep their totes, toiletry bags, beach towels, cheap-ass slippers and whatever else they try and pass off. I hope it continues !

It usually takes a couple of weeks to show up on your account. It should be available by the 15th.

Boarded Explorer today. We are in a JS. No problem with entering the terminal (G) with “unmarked” SSP. Either they didn’t look, don’t care, or are already familiar with the marking issue. Smooth boarding.

One of the most important perks of SC that I haven’t seen mentioned is unlimited laundry service. They wash and press everything then return it to you on hangers. It’s one of my very favorite SC amenities.

You can use any complimentary casino offer and upgrade all the way to Star Class. In the past, it has been as much as a 60% discount off the website price. You must be a Club Royale member and generally (but not always) at least a Prime level player. I have done this many, many times.

A lot of high end Suite passengers get very good rates using casino discounts so while it may look like they are spending big $$ they are not spending exorbitant amounts. Some people book their high end suites and pay small amounts over time.

Hmmm..that’s something I’ve never even thought about - being separate Pinnacles and earning double reward comps. Is that possible ?

If they are only going to allow the complimentary W&F one day during a cruise, does that mean that we are only allowed to submit 1 bag (if both of us are D+ or P) ? I guess I will find out. On EX on Saturday.

That sounds about right…

I’ve been reading of others who have experienced the same. I guess they are changing the rules, midstream. Definitely a change. IMO they should grandfather those already in the program and start this “reversion” business with new C&A members.

Thanks for the warning. I have been sailing with this passport all year (most recently 2 weeks ago) and no problems (so far). I do get a warning every time I check in for a cruise, warning me that my passport will expire soon but it still lets me check in and no issues at the pier. It is my understanding that as long as you are sailing a closed-loop itinerary from the US, your passport is good until it expires. There are secondary reasons why you might want to have a passport with a minimum of 6 months left, like getting stranded in a foreign country, etc but I’m not too worried about that. We rarely ever get off the ship ! Plus, I’m a gambler ! I’m going to use this passport until the end of May and then shove it through for renewal. We have 2 more cruises in April, plus the 1 in May and I intend to use this passport until then. If something unfortunate happens, I will report back !

I am most likely going to be in your situation very soon. My passport expires in June but I have cruises in May and July. I have everything ready to go for renewal-by-mail, but I am going to wait until we get back from our May cruise on Mariner and then dump everything in the mail. Doubtful that it will be back in time for my 6 July cruise on Serenade, so most likely I will be sailing with my BC in July. No changes in name or status to worry about so I should be good. I just HATE being in this situation.

I believe this is correct. They cannot be combined. The discount only applies to onboard internet purchase, therefore, the discount is applied against the onboard internet price…full (or prorated if purchased for less than a full sailing) price internet package.

I was able to get a foot stool for our CP balcony on SY but not on OA. The stools make it much more comfortable

Totally agree with you re: the long walk. It was the only downside for me. I have bad knees too. I found it very interesting that I seemed to spend more time out on the balcony in the CP than I ever do in an ocean view balcony. Not sure why. For one thing, I found the couch in the room to be extremely uncomfortable for sitting and reading. I think that forced me out onto the balcony more but I really enjoyed it out there....especially at night.

Thanks for the correction. I guess I only looked on the deck that affected me and made a broader assumption. I'm glad that at least we won't have a work closet next to us !

I would think that the UDP would be available for your cruise by now.

Dan and I will have 12229 on Wonder. I looked at the deck plans and they have put an interior cabin next door to the "29" cabins on both sides (229 and 629) so there is no longer a steward work room next door. I think that will decrease the random banging and the sounds of work carts going back and forth. Happy to see that. I totally prefer the CP balconies over the Boardwalk balconies. I find them much quieter (even though there is a lot of pool deck noise during the day), especially at night.

Helen @FromSea2ShiningSea, we would love to have a copy of that photo. Thanks so much ! rayezfun at yahoo dot com

Our Genie recommended we pre-book both Chef's Table and Izumi Hibachi since they can sell out.