Starry Eyes

Same here. I tend to just assume by the time I make Pin, the Pins will no longer have any Concierge Lounge access.

🥱

Mariner’s lounge has a nice view and that undoubtedly contributes to its popularity. Even CL’s without views can be busy these days. Most seats were filled in Wonder’s CL (no view) when we dropped in a couple times; D’s were excluded.

The Diamond/Crown Lounge on Mariner has not been a ghost town. In fact, on some of my Mariner cruises there were no seats in the lounge on multiple occasions. There aren’t a terribly lot of seats in that lounge.

I laughed when I read your post. We are about 100 points from Pinnacle and sometimes (actually, more and more often) I feel the pull to design bookings to reach P as quickly as possible. That fever generally passes quickly and we go back to booking cruises for the joy of cruising in the manner that makes sense for that cruise. We’ll get there when we get there. It will be soon enough. If the OP just wants to climb the loyalty ladder (as you do), that’s fine…enjoy. The OP now understands that crown lounge access may or may not be a D benefit in the long run. The rest of us know Lucy has a history of pulling the football away from Charlie Brown. Now the OP knows Lucy’s history. The OP can now make an educated decision whether to take a run at that ball or not.

In the previous incarnation, MTD folks could dine from roughly 5-9 pm. Now MTD does not open until about 6:30-6:45. It does not take a rocket scientist to see why people previously liked going to MTD early (for example 5:30 or 6 pm, often with reservations) would feel the change impacted them negatively. They were seated promptly under the old system. Others probably just miss the flexibility of dining from very early until very late (MY time dining vs Royal time dining). On some sailings there a long lines at MTD opening, especially if the kitchen is slow serving the early dining guests. I realize some MTD folks report approaching the podium early in hopes of being seated before the official MTD start time. That may or may not work out depending how many early diners attend, how many MTD use that stray and the size table needed. I am glad your experience was fine; not everyone has had reported the same on every ship/sailing.

There has been a lot of negativity about the changes to MTD, and I am not a fan of the revamped MTD scheme. That said, I think the new MTD scheme has more impact on people who tend to eat earlier and less impact on those who tend to dine later.

Currently Diamonds are only being excluded on some cruises for a few hours during the evening cocktail hours. Even on those cruises D’s have access the rest of the day (coffee machine, continental breakfast, concierge, relax).

We enjoyed the extra benefits when we hit D. And again when we hit D+. And again at 340. Enjoying the perks is great, but be careful about chasing a specific perk, as it may disappear. How will you feel if spend thousands of dollars for JS just for the points (not because you wanted the bigger cabin) or take cruises for the points (rather than for the pleasure of the cruise) chasing a certain perk, only to have that perk eliminated (or greatly reduced)? You can hear plenty of stories here on CC from people who lost perks, including lounge access, in past rounds of loyalty benefits changes.

The single Pinnacles are surely as adorable as the Emeralds. Good luck.

Though I think you should cruise for the joy if cruising, if you want cost efficiency per point, do the calculation on each cruise you select. If you are single and interested in a relationship, try to meet other cruisers. If you happen form a relationship (marriage or cohabitation) with a loyalty member, you could gain their status by linking accounts. Love may or may not be the most cost effective method but it has other rewards.

Are you joking? If not… They recently re-named the Diamond Lounges to Crown Lounges, so there may literally be writing on the wall about those lounges). D’s are already being excluded from the Crown lounges during cocktail hour on some sailings; this may increase as the number of loyalty members increases. The lounges are not especially large compared to the number of D, D+ and PC members on board most cruises. Depending when you enter, you may have trouble finding nice seating; you may not feel all that special. Some lounges are in nice locations, but on most of the newer ships the Crown Lounges are windowless room in less desirable areas. The four drink vouchers are are a nice D benefit. The balcony discount can be nice, too. I suggest people cruise for the joy of cruising. The points will accumulate naturally. That way if the loyalty program changes in the future you don’t feel as though you spend money just to earn loyalty status that no longer gives you the specific rewards you hoped for.

Prices from Port Canaveral have been running higher than other Florida ports, especially on those new ships. You might consider sailing from Fort Lauderdale or Miami. If your trip includes visiting the attractions in Orlando or other Orlando based activities, you could rent a car or use the new Brightline train to make the trip between Orlando and South Florida. Depending on your airline you might be able to buy an open jaw flight itinerary (into MCO and out of FLL/MIA or the reverse). Or just accept that prices for the Star are higher.

Ocean View with Large Balcony View details Larger than standard balcony Private balcony with chairs Extra square footage to relax on your balcony Size Stateroom: 182 sq. ft. Balcony: 80 sq. ft. This is the description from the website for category c1/c2. Note the 80 sq ft balcony (vs 50 sq ft in description on regular OV balcony cabins)

Yes, I’d agree that is a pretty low minimum bid. That would be nice. On a couple recent Wonder cruises, I think OV balcony to GS were over $1000 US pp minimum. On another Wonder cruise, inside to OV balcony is $395 US pp minimum.

It’s funny how the minimums can be pretty low on some cruises and pretty high on others. Recently the minimums on my Wonder cruises, for example, have been so high I have declined to bid on many categories, sometimes almost all categories.

Assuming Royal Caribbean sticks with this system, over time more people will adjust to the new system announcing events. They will know to look for the list in the welcome aboard flyer. Fewer will throw away the flyer on day one, mistakenly thinking it is a generic list of C&A benefits. If delivery failed (or they lose it), they will know to pick one up from LA. They know the schedule on day 1, so they can plan their cruise or fix conflicts.

Perhaps you missed Post#11

There were no individual invites on our Wonder cruises 5 weeks ago or last week. The notices are on the back of the “welcome aboard” letter, though that letter was not in our cabin either cruise. We picked it up at the LA desk. There was an obvious mail delivery problem as items (shore ex) with a different, nearby cabin number and dissimilar name was in our cabin…oops. Voicemail reminders were left by LA on cabin phones the evening before the events.

Acceptances can come anytime. A few days before the cruise is a pretty common timeframe. It can be sooner. Our bid for our upcoming cruise (next Saturday) was accepted at about the same time the cruise sold out. That was about a month out. Recently when our bids have not been accepted (which is the fate of most bids), we have received our denial emails the evening prior to sailing.

I submitted electronically yesterday. On the FAQ page linked below, click on the link in #11. Repeating for emphasis: do not be distracted by the link in 3; go down to #11 for a working link to the electronic submission form. (Well, the link is working today. Royal IT allows us to wonder what tomorrow might bring😉). The email address is in item #12, so that alternative is on the FAQ page, too. https://www.rclinvestor.com/contact-us/faqs/shareholder-benefit/

Really? I do. How long ago did you start sailing Royal Caribbean frequently?

Newbies should be warned that check in might not open promptly at midnight. Do not be surprised if it opens a few minutes late or more. Just keep checking until it opens. Note to OP: this poster likely checks in on the website (picking a time is the last item for website check in). Others use the app to select their time, as with the app one can simply select their time and defer the rest of the data entry to a later convenient time. As we do the check in at a convenient time, we typically do take the photos. They have only once been retaken at port out of multiple cruises. So, it is your choice with the photos.

I agree. In addition to email, many people have agreed to text and/or app notifications. Those could be utilized as well and might elicit quicker responses. Given the negative PR and the negative consequences for involuntarily bumped guests from this situation, one hopes RCI creates a contingency plan for requesting volunteers (even last minute) that can be quickly implemented if a similar situation arises.

You’ll have to read the terms and conditions for you dining voucher (check your cruise documents just before the luggage tag). One I received recently did not include Chef’s Table; there’s a chance your’s is different. My voucher would not have been very helpful on a cruise with the UDP….though maybe if it would have allowed me to bring a guest who did not have the UDP