Ambiverol

I am sailing on the 23rd and have a quick question:

Is there a "baby splash zone" on board.

All ships have a kiddie area, but some (like Oasis class) have a small area with only a few inches of water strictly for babies in swim diapers. It is filtered separately and independent of the regular kids zone.

I was on Quantum in November, but didn't think to check!

Thanks in advance.

Hey, if you don't like him, you don't like him. That's your prerogative.

Exactly. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Just don't be cruel.

What about when they don't have $100,000 onboard? Surely they have to find some way to get that money to the pax?

They have it.

According to US Tax Code it doesn't matter if you win $1 on a scratch ticket or $1M on a lotto ticket,,,, YOU are required (by law) to claim this as "Earned Income" on your annual tax return form (1040A).

This includes winning $0.50 on a slot machine on a cruise ship in the middle of the Caribbean. (you can offset these winning by writing off any and all gambling losses up to the amount of posted winnings)

 

For example. Let's say you had a reported winning (W2G or 1099G) for $2000. Now, you gather your Win/Loss Statements from all places where you played for that year and you can show $2500 in losses. You will report that loss also. Now, there will be no taxable winnings since you were able to offset these winnings with documented losses.

 

Now, what each of us do in reality is a different story.

 

As a side note regarding gambling.

A SLOT Machine jackpot of over $1199 will be reported as winnings to the IRS and to the winner by providing a W2G or a 1099G.

A non jackpot payout, but where the casino operator has to come pay out in cash can also be reported.

The above is true and accurate from personal experience from both a land based Vegas casino and from my experience on a couple of different incidences aboard a couple of different Carnival cruise ships.

I agree with most of this. You put it well. I'll add:

Since this is a Royal Carib. thread:

-Royal does not issue W2-G's or any other tax form for gambling (land based casinos and some other cruise lines do after meeting the criteria described by the post above). This technically has no effect on your obligation to report the winnings, but the IRS will not have a heads up about it.

-Royal will not do anything special with cash transactions over 10K

-Royal does not issue checks. If you win 100K, they give you 100K cash.

It is up to the individual to do the "right thing" and:

-Report any cash over 10K to US Customs on arrival

-Report any wins to IRS on annual taxes (offset by losses)

The IRS is satisfied with a gambling diary/ledger. Win-loss statements can be used as supporting documents, but, surprisingly, a simple notepad with handwritten notes is adequate. It can also be supported by losing tickets, atm/cash advance receipts, bank statements, etc.

On a cruise ship, by design, it is difficult to win an obscene amount of money on slots. They just don't offer massive jackpots. Royal does however have decent blackjack rules. So, someone who is used to playing large stakes on land can easily win (or lose!) large amounts at sea.

You need to book through CR to get casino rates. Sometimes it is really good, sometimes it's not. You are still eligible for the other perks, including rebate, regardless of how you book.

"VIP" is what they call any member. So, everyone in the program is technically a CR VIP (member).

I spoke with CR today about a cruise I have booked and asked a few questions about the changes. First things first...they answered the phone immediately...no wait! The agent stated they have recently tripled their staffing. He did not provide too many details about the new program except that they are going to a tiered system and the rebate is eliminated. I can't stress enough how pleased I was with them simply answering the phone.

To add to a previous post, there is currently no official tier system in place. However, bigger gamblers get better perks. The rebate is based on a percentage, so that works itself out. In addition, players with more action get more free cabins, upgrades, wine/treats in the room, specialty dining, spa comps, etc.

Take a blackjack masters cruise for example. Let's say there are 40 cabins (balcony) booked for the cruise. Royal may make 10 upgrades available to club royale close to sail date. Let's say it's 1 CLS, 1 OS, 2 GS's, and 6 JS's. They manually go through and rank the players on board based on previous play. They call and ask the top guy what he'd like and just continue down the list.

Club Royale is more like an old school casino where you had to ask the pit boss for paper comps to get a meal. It seems very manual and tedious. The new program will surely be more streamlined.

I am trying to be optimistic about the changes. I still feel, with the limited info we have, that this will be a great advance in the program and make many people happy.

But...I think some higher rollers may jump ship. Bigger players are used to comped suites, drinks, meals, etc. They'd get that anywhere. Without the rebate, Royal is no different than other lines. I'm not sure what could possibly be added that would make up for the loss of the rebate.

And having that rebate in play made you come back within a year. How does one refuse if CR is offering you a free cruise, with a free entry to a tournament that may win you $15,000 or so, free drinks, and $5,000 cash from the cage (that will disappear if you don't go)? That expiring rebate keeps people coming back, even if they're not in the cruising mood (gasp!).

It's win-win I suppose. Either it will be great, or I can now explore some other cruise lines/vacation options without being roped into this cruise/rebate cycle.

Thanks.

I found/chimed in on that other thread too.

All of this casino/cruise talk gave me the itch. I also called about some stuff this afternoon. They picked up on the first ring! I couldn't believe it, what a relief. Apparently they have recently tripled their staffing. They were very helpful.

I got the same info as you. The big points were rebate eliminated and tiers coming.

We like to play slots so how do the drinks work out, do we pay for all our drinks in the casino or are they free or can we get drinks vouchers from the casino manager!

If you are not a club royale member (invite only, from a previous cruise):

You pay for your drinks in the casino. There are servers coming around taking orders. Like anywhere else, they will put the charge on your sea pass. There is also a bar in the casino. Same deal.

If you are playing a decent amount, but not in club royale (usually at a table), the pit boss may comp an occasional drink. That's somewhat rare though.

If you are a club royale member:

Drinks in the casino are comped ("free")

There are 2 ways of doing this, it depends on the ship. One way is to give you a handful of coupons, good for one drink each. This is provided by the casino host upon arrival who usually says, "come back if you need more."

The method I've mostly dealt with, is having a sticker placed on your sea pass. It's unique to the casino, and you just show that for your drinks (in the casino). Usually they remember who you are rather soon, and you don't need to show it each time.

I only got invited to this program earlier this year while on Allure. We are cruising in 2 weeks and I have a $500 rebate. We are going to try and scramble looking for a cruise 1st week of March. Others have mentioned casino rates? How do you book a cruise that I can use this rebate on? We always book our cruises while on board. Also, if there is nothing I can take can I get this as bonus slot play for this cruise in2 weeks? Help!!!!

You will be able to get your $500 on your cruise in two weeks. Go to the cashier, give them your ID, and they'll give you $500 in cash. It's that simple.

It doesn't matter how you booked it. However, you may want to call club royale (pre-cruise) to confirm they have your rebate confirmation being sent to the cruise ship. If something gets screwed up, it can only be resolved during normal business hours. It's better to confirm now.

The only real concern you have is if you earn a big rebate on the upcoming cruise under the current terms. I supposed then you would have to scramble for a cruise prior to 3/15/15. Otherwise you are fine.

I started a thread asking about the Club Royale changes in the casino section of the forum with no replies. Now I find this!

I too received the email and don't have any info beyond what is mentioned. One thing I found interesting, they never referred to "Club Royale". Instead they referred to it as their "new casino loyalty program". I wonder if a name change is coming.

I've been a club royale member for awhile and have extensive experience with the program. I'm no expert on all things cruising, but this is one subject I know. I'll bullet some points to add to what's been discussed already, in case it helps. It's all moot in a few months anyway!

-CR has already changed. It is invite only, but has become more inclusive in the past few years. This is great news for most, but the top tier gets a feeling that it is watered down. The program used to only be top tier, so the treatment was excellent. Now it is difficult to even contact CR.

-Revamping is probably a good idea. Instead of some strange, secret, invite-only club shrouded in mystery; lay it all out there. Big gamblers can still get excellent treatment and lower tiers can also be comped accordingly.

-There was a lady who used to run the program. She knew investing a few dollars into gamblers, would yield great rewards for the company. They were not receptive. She was great, but eventually quit. Casino staff and players still speak fondly of her. Now, years later, the company seems to be realizing the potential profit from gamblers.

-Their call center is the worst. It's in Oregon (not miami). I make sure I have 2 hours blocked off when trying to call them. Sometimes I'm surprised with a short hold time, normally it's forever. Often, I hang up after holding for 1hr+, but I'm always thinking, "What if I was next!?!" Apparently they just hired a bunch of people, so that should help. This is the sort of thing the bigger gamblers grumble about with the higher number of members. Let everyone in, no problem. But have a system in place to handle all of the new business.

-It seems people are confusing the ship-based rewards and club royale rewards. The point rewards displayed on the chart at the cashier have nothing to do with club royale.

-Rebates are action based, win or lose. 5k is the max.

-Those numbers on Royal's website indicating the minimum bets/time are sort of a guide. What I mean is, don't set the stopwatch at 4 hours exactly each night, bet $25 each hand, and walk out at 4 hours and 1 minute. It might not work. On the other hand, if you are betting a decent amount, you may get the invite with much less time than required.

-Also, even if they followed that formula exactly, remember that is the minimum and would qualify you for the minimum comps (which are still good, just saying).

-I usually only gamble 2 nights on a 7 night cruise, but I hit it pretty hard. I've never had a problem getting comped very well, and nobody has questioned my hours played. As long as the end number of their formula is reached, they don't care how you got there.

-Agree with previous post. Time is the most controllable thing the player has if looking for comps. Obviously, don't play for comps....but if that's your concern, don't hop in and out of different tables during the course of a few hours. Your comps will be really low.

-It's easier for a slot-only player to correlate "points" to rebate. It gets a little more murky for table players.

-Double points promotions will count toward ship-rewards, but do not count as extra "action" toward club royale status

-Free cruises come in various forms. They post the tournament cruises at the beginning of each year. They also open up a few throughout the year (presumably low sellers). One can also call and just ask. Finally, I've been contacted directly by hosts (via email) from certain ships I've sailed, and they have offered free cruises on dates of my choosing on their respective ships.

-They also pick up prepaid grats. I just pay taxes, and am often upgraded to excellent cabins. However, they will not comp a 3rd (child). He gets charged the casino rate plus taxes and grats.

-Free drinks do get attributed to you directly. I've never heard of them being deducted from rebates, but I guess it's possible. You don't necessarily see the receipt, but it does reflect your name. Most of the time it is done in the background. The servers quickly figure out your name. The receipt looks a little different than the one you're used to.

-2k per person, per day for withdrawals...can be increased to 5k pp. So a couple can take out 10k per day on the seapass. But...you can go to the cashier with any credit card and max it out. It doesn't count toward the sea pass limit. It rings up as a purchase, not a cash advance.

-Money is personal and relative. It's hard to compare when speaking in terms of "I spent a ton of time and money in that casino!". That means something different to all of us. Royal is only concerned with the bottom line. They have all of the data, to the penny, and court people accordingly.

In summary, I feel their program has been a little too strange for a little too long. Make it more like land-based casinos. Everyone can be rated, and let the chips fall where they may. The hybrid system in place now (ship rewards separate from club royale rewards) is too confusing for many. Lump it into one big rewards program, just do it right. Have an infrastructure in place to handle all of the new volume. At the very least, do not alienate the top-tier gamblers that have been loyal for years.

If they are going to model land-based casinos, perhaps they are doing a "bronze, silver, gold" type system. If so, at least have a separate phone number for bookings. It is in Royal's best interest to answer the phone when a player with a $57K bankroll (previous poster) calls. If that person is unable to get through because 100 people are in front of him (with $300 bankrolls), he will eventually get frustrated and go elsewhere. Any other line would be thrilled to score that player.

I imagine the changes to this program will make more people happy than upset. I'm just not sure I'll be in the majority, haha.

I received an email the other day that Royal Caribbean will be rolling out a new casino loyalty program starting "early 2015". Rebates appear to be a thing of the past. The email states in order to use my current rebate, I must book by 11/14/14 and sail by 3/15/15. Rebates expire after that date (I have one booked, so that's covered!).

I've been with them forever and have been treated very well. They are not perfect, particularly their call center. I have to put an hour or two aside when I plan on calling them. Sometimes I'm surprised with a quick answer, but it's usually awful wait times.

I also noticed they kept referring to their "new casino loyalty program", but there was no mention of "Club Royale" in the email. So, the name may change. They are touting new "perks, rewards, and benefits".

Does anyone have any further information about the changes? I'd call and ask, but I don't have all day!

How do you fill up a small blow up pool on the ship?

Easy. Fill it with Dad's hot air!

We do it every time (until today, since it's our first time cruising with the baby-allure today!). We have airline approved carry-ons and a backpack each. 3-1-1 liquids that fit in the qt size ziplock for tsa. No formal nights, or else it's be tough!

I wear the bulkiest stuff on the flight. Most of the packed stuff is small...a bunch of t-shirts, underwear, shorts, a few bathing suits, and some "smart casual" attire. My wife's stuff is even less bulky than mine. Smaller shorts, smaller tank tops, sundresses...smaller underwear!

We love the mobility of packing light, but everyone is different.

Killers: formal wear & shoes. And babies.

Don't go to the airport (FLL) no need to do that at all, the closest car rental agency is Thrifty/Dollar which is just outside the Port Everglades gate..they have a free shuttle from the terminal to their rental office on Miami Road. We have used this location..quick and easy.

X2

I've used them a bunch of times. In fact, I will be dropping a car off there today before my allure cruise. I picked it up fri at fll, and will be dropping off at Port Everglades location. Start typing f-o-r-t-l, and that location will pop up on dollars website. It's just outside of port gate, and they offer a free shuttle. The port is huge, so you do need to take the shuttle, or a cab.

I will be doing the reverse rental next Sunday (pick up port, drop off fll).

The replies to your question reinforce the fact that renting a car from this area is confusing.

Wow, cool video.

So, do you believe that people should not be allowed to take photo of your ship from land? What if they use a tripod on one of the balconies from the condos as you leave port?

 

As for the contract goes, I believe that is also in place so that passengers can not sue the cruise line, if they end up being in the backdrop of someones travel blog photo.

Ahhh, the old straw man strikes again!

I know what you mean how it looks but there is no such thing as bras for men and they can't help that from happening.

I've heard they do make something for this--the "manssiere", also known as "the bro"

What others have posted regarding claiming ANY gambling winnings is true. Regardless of receiving the w2g, IRS says you must claim.

W2g form: Royal does not issue them, although other lines do.

Daghis,

I was looking at that pic thinking, "Now why did he post this." Then I scrolled down. Good story.

I had a guy on Vision walk up behind me with a remote transmitter and change a machine I was playing on. I was winning. As soon as I saw him do it, I cashed out.

 

It seems that I spend less time in the casino on each cruise. That's a good thing for me.

The best defense for this?

A tin foil hat.

I've used electronic passes the last few times, nothing to print, faster than paper.

Me too. It's much easier. And, since PR is the US, your data is most likely not roaming (mine is not, but of course check your plan).

I go to the airlines website, enter record locator, click on print mobile boarding pass, and a QR code appears on the screen. I scan that at security, and again at the gate. Easy, quick, and no more searching for printers. Obviously, you need some sort of smartphone or similar mobile device, but that's it. You don't need a special account or app.

Can we just carry it on, or do we need to pack it in a carry on? We have preordered the soda package, would that make a difference in the staff allowing us to bring it on? This is our first cruise; I appreciate all of the help!!

 

 

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You can bring it on and security will probably take a closer look to confirm it's not booze. No big deal. Or, you can check it. It's as easy as putting a sticker on the box, handing it to the porter, and waiting for it to arrive at the room. No big deal.

Security/Porters won't know/care if you have purchased a soda package.

If it's that big of a deal, I would absolutely bring what I like. You should have no problem bringing sealed Dew's on board.

If, in the very unlikely event, they do not allow it on board, you are not out that much. A 12-pack costs $3-4, which is about the cost of one soda on the ship.

To me, the reward of having the specific (non-alcoholic) drink I like available would justify the risk of losing $3-4. And, you'll probably end up saving some money.

A lady, returning on Explorer OTS, was arrested last night attempting to clear Customs with marijuana in her underwear and cocaine in her luggage. It was a relatively small amount, but she now has top billing in the local newspapers and will be dealing with the legal system. Doesn't seem worth it.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2014/04/cruise_ship_passenger_caught_with_cocaine_and_marijuana.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Laughing about the naked comment, but I'm confused. We were in a Crown Loft Suite on Allure in Jan and wore shorts in the concierge lounge all the time. There were plenty of other folks in shorts, too.

We've stayed in suites before, but only spent one evening (two years ago) in the CL. It was too stuffy for us, but we realize that can vary greatly between each sailing. We have popped in to use the coffee machine late morning and it's usually deserted.

I think the "official" rule is smart casual, no swimwear, and no bare feet. I can handle the last two. Smart Casual, to me, means something like khaki pants, polo or button up shirt, and real shoes. It may be more relaxed in the daytime, but it seems like I'd feel out of place in the evening wearing shorts. I don't look like a slob (...khaki shorts, polo shirt, sandals), just like a young guy on vacation in the Caribbean, where it's 90 degrees.

We are in an owners suite on Allure in 2 weeks. Maybe I'll do some recon early in the cruise. I'll suck it up, throw on some khakis, and see what the evening attire is like in the lounge. I don't want to feel like the dirtbag of the group. So, if shorts would feel out of place, no big deal, there are plenty of other places to spend the evening.

Hey, it's not like I'm trying to wear a lanyard in there!

I think this chapter was after Guns vs. Butter

Yeah, I don't get it, either. As long as the Captain knows how to sail the ship, I'm good with whoever it is! As far as a CD goes....I don't pay much attention to them...

 

I remember when I first joined CC, there was a thread about "How to find a CD"...I thought, for the longest time, they were talking about music!!! Never occured to me that anyone would care who the Cruise Director was!!!!

I thought cross dressers!

 

My husband enjoyed the bridge tour both times we had a GS.

 

I've never done a bridge tour when I've stayed in a suite, but it sounds interesting. How would one go about doing this? Do you ask the concierge, does he come to you, is there a pamphlet of some sort that I missed? I'm sailing in a suite on Allure in 2 weeks, and would like to check that out.

Also, to those of you who have had the concierge walk you off...how does that work? I imagine everyone meets in a predetermined location and gets walked to the front of the line for one final "ping" at which point everyone is on their own? I can't imagine this including the customs line too...if so, I may have to do it!

Thanks.