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Summary of "recent" changes on RCI

moopetguy

By moopetguy,
in Royal Caribbean International

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moopetguy

moopetguy

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Also added lifeguards to the pools, apparently not yet fleetwide.

 

That started over a year ago now however it varies by ship and sailing date.

 

Yep, I noticed lifeguards on Liberty when I last sailed in November. Thanks :)

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moopetguy

moopetguy

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Not really recent (but semi-recent), but the 3 drinks for Diamonds and up on the seapass card is wonderful for those who don't want to sit in a crowded lounge, or get their drinks at a show instead. We definitely use that and to us is a big positive. Even more if you have a kid who might not be allowed in the DL but want to actually get a drink and spend time with their family.

 

I am not confident that the 3-drink benefit will still be there when I make it to Diamond ;p It'll be 2019 before I get to that C&A level.

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payitforward

payitforward

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I do think that the non-refundable booking option is a positive. I have seen a LOT more suite availability already since this was announced. The room service thing can be both negative and positive. While the extra charge is a negative, the increase in options and service should be a positive.

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Merion_Mom

Merion_Mom

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Off the top of my head...

 

If it's truly a discount off the price (and not just prices jacked up ahead of it to cover it), I think the non-refundable option is a positive across the board. In all my cruises I've only cancelled twice, and one was just to move to another cruise that I could have kept otherwise.

 

Not really recent (but semi-recent), but the 3 drinks for Diamonds and up on the seapass card is wonderful for those who don't want to sit in a crowded lounge, or get their drinks at a show instead. We definitely use that and to us is a big positive. Even more if you have a kid who might not be allowed in the DL but want to actually get a drink and spend time with their family.

 

Slides on ships. For those with kids (or being kids at heart) this is a nice addition (and yes, it ruins the look on the Oasis class with the Abyss slide. Still well worth it).

 

Country Kitchen

 

Coastal Kitchen

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moopetguy

moopetguy

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I do think that the non-refundable booking option is a positive. I have seen a LOT more suite availability already since this was announced. The room service thing can be both negative and positive. While the extra charge is a negative, the increase in options and service should be a positive.

 

I am glad to hear the new booking rules for suites appears to be having the desired effect. I will probably never book a suite (I'm too frugal) but if it's curbing selfish behaviour that's negatively impacted others, I'm for it.

 

I previously tried room service a few times (but never for breakfast), and it was never a good experience. Usually there were lengthy delays, but one time, there was an epic failure involving food allergies I previously posted a story about. I hope that the service charge is improving things. Has anyone tested the theory of "all-you-can-eat chicken wings for $7.95" with the new room service menu by ordering the equivalent of say, 4 or 5 lbs at once? :D

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AdGuyMG

AdGuyMG

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The new mattresses are hard as a rock and you have to ask your room stu for a comforter to pad it.:*

The large flat screen TV'S are nice, but there's nothing to watch.:eek:

 

What about Fox News?

 

That's a new addition not mentioned above.

 

And about a week or 2 ago, there was a nice lighthearted discussion thread about it here on CC.

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Doug S

Doug S

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I am not confident that the 3-drink benefit will still be there when I make it to Diamond ;p It'll be 2019 before I get to that C&A level.

 

More likely you will get the 3 drinks, but no longer have access to the diamond lounge. Some see the vouchers as a step toward relieving DL crowding by eventually upping the entry requirement to D+. I have no specific knowledge here, but it seems RCI is edging in that direction, which on some sailings would not be a bad thing as the DL can be chaos.

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dacsmom

dacsmom

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I like the option of the non-refundable deposit. I booked the Anthem for next September and was pretty happy with the price. If for some reason I have to cancel I only lose $100, the rest of it is put towards a future cruise. I saved more than that by booking the non-refundable fare

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Forums mobile app

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

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I am glad to hear the new booking rules for suites appears to be having the desired effect. I will probably never book a suite (I'm too frugal) but if it's curbing selfish behaviour that's negatively impacted others, I'm for it.

 

I previously tried room service a few times (but never for breakfast), and it was never a good experience. Usually there were lengthy delays, but one time, there was an epic failure involving food allergies I previously posted a story about. I hope that the service charge is improving things. Has anyone tested the theory of "all-you-can-eat chicken wings for $7.95" with the new room service menu by ordering the equivalent of say, 4 or 5 lbs at once? :D

 

You get 5-6 wings per plate. That may mean 3 plates per pound, so you need 12-15 plates. [emoji33]

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

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Johnamac123

Johnamac123

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The service charge for room service ($7.95 per order) is absolutely confirmed to be fleet-wide. (ok, I don't know about China sailings, but I would guess "yes" as there are more upcharges on those cruises, not fewer)

 

The 7.95 room service charge includes the gratuity, unless you choose the tip extra. For many, that amounted to a minimal increase...

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Clarea

Clarea

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Hi Bob congratulations. You have been helpful in past regarding cabins Whats your opinion on Ovation cabin 12664 just be allotted from being guarantee.Regards Irene and Stan

Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, I have zero experience with Quantum class so cannot offer any opinion.

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moopetguy

moopetguy

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You get 5-6 wings per plate. That may mean 3 plates per pound, so you need 12-15 plates. [emoji33]

 

Thanks, I didn't know how many wings they'd provide in one plate/serving. So the question remains, would they actually take you seriously if you attempted to order 12+ plates of wings? That's totally do-able, especially with multiple people in a stateroom. :p

 

Follow-up question...are the wings actually any good? I haven't seen any first-hand reports on them yet...

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Paulxyz2004

Paulxyz2004

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Still waiting for that positive list

 

636013889952414242-2051018886_impatient.jpg

 

 

It has been posted in post#1 already, but here it is for you to read again.

 

 

Hi folks!

 

I've been trying to keep up on the boards by poking my head in periodically, but life is busy, so I think I may not be up-to-date on all the latest developments. I thought I would try to summarize what I remember, and hopefully others can help fill in the gaps. This summary might be helpful to others, too!

 

 

 

  1. I'll start with food, since it's one of the most important things to me ;) Have the new(er) MDR menus been rolled out fleet-wide yet? If not...what progress has been made/which ships? My information is dated now, because last I recall, it was only on Oasis.
  2. A service charge of $7.95 is now effective for each room service order, excepting continental breakfast.
  3. Introduction of a non-refundable deposit booking option that offers some savings...if you dare. :D
  4. Booking a grand suite or above now means a mandatory non-refundable deposit. A per-person change fee applies if changes are made more than 30 days after booking.
  5. A corkage fee of $15 has been (re-)introduced for wine you bring on board when opened in a public area (e.g. bar, restaurant), though the charge is not 100% consistently applied (well, nothing is 100% with Royal ;p). You can open your bottle in your room and carry your glasses of wine/bubbly anywhere to avoid the charge.
  6. On certain sailings (was it only Harmony?), if someone in a stateroom purchases an alcoholic beverage package, other pax over 21 in the same room must get it as well (barring special circumstances e.g. medical condition or pregnancy that would preclude drinking).
  7. NextCruise bookings on-board have eliminated the reduced deposit and instant OBC benefits (regular deposits apply and you will get future OBC).

So, what did I miss? They have certainly changed a lot in just the last several months...

 

To you pedants out there (I count myself among you :*), please offer gentle corrections for any details I may have wrong above.

 

Thanks!

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Biker19

Biker19

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Follow-up question...are the wings actually any good? I haven't seen any first-hand reports on them yet...

Yes, most reported the wings being good.

 

Biker, who also wonders what sort of upper limit per order would be taken.

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