ACCRUING POINTS TO GET TO DIAMOND

[little britain]

5 minutes ago, gmerick said:

Been diamond for 3 cruises now.  What do you expect to get out of having that status?  Here's the list, Member Benefits.  I don't see the value.

$14 x4 x ( number of nights in cruise) for starters….🤷‍♀️

[wolfcathorse]

On 5/17/2023 at 4:00 PM, elizabethbp said:

This is probably a silly question but I  will need 7 points to reach Diamond after  a July cruise.    If I book 2 balcony  rooms on  a 5 night cruise - one for me and one for daughter, do I get  10 points and does she get 10 points?  Reservation  would be under my name.

 

Thanks for any info.

 

On 5/17/2023 at 4:00 PM, elizabethbp said:

This is probably a silly question but I  will need 7 points to reach Diamond after  a July cruise.    If I book 2 balcony  rooms on  a 5 night cruise - one for me and one for daughter, do I get  10 points and does she get 10 points?  Reservation  would be under my name.

 

Thanks for any info.

a cheaper way would be to book 2 interiors as solo cruisers. You still get double pts. As others have noted, your daughter has to be over 21 to have her own cabin, you only get the pts for the cabin you're in.

[coachmike1959]

On 5/17/2023 at 8:21 PM, OCSC Mike said:

You aren’t kidding. I'm fortunate enough to have our next cruise paid for by my generous FIL & actually got a reasonable deal for next Spring Break via dumb luck (a new TA happened to have a good rate & tossed in some surprise OBC I wasn’t even expecting) but the deals I’m used to are long gone.

 

Since I’m almost there, I know the actual D+ BOGO perk reads “booked on nights 1 or 2” but I also know I’ve read about people occasionally being allowed to use them on other nights. Do you just ask politely & hope they let you choose other nights?

i always book on night one for whatever night i want to do a specialty dining. All you need to do is pay for it on the first night

 

[Another_Critic]

On 5/17/2023 at 8:36 PM, crzndeb said:

But so happy, I have now passed the 340 mark and get that solo discount. Hallelujah!

Congrats.  I too just passed the 340 mark (348 points) on my recent TA.  Next stop: 525 ... have a double 15-night TA and two solo 14-night TAs booked.

[cruisegirl1]

21 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Congrats.  I too just passed the 340 mark (348 points) on my recent TA.  Next stop: 525 ... have a double 15-night TA and two solo 14-night TAs booked.

I guess you are on a Pinnacle quest.  The ride is fun but, considering the current benefits, the prize is not really worth it.   Stay with D+ 340-mark and try other lines. 

M

[cruiselvr04]

40 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I guess you are on a Pinnacle quest.  The ride is fun but, considering the current benefits, the prize is not really worth it.   Stay with D+ 340-mark and try other lines. 

M

This is where we are and we are ready to try others mainly because we want better itineraries on smaller ships.  We have about 100 more nights booked now but after that we have to branch out to go to the places we want to see. We’re over the big ships that go to the same ports of call.  
 

I do think it’s the best rewards program out there by far.  We really enjoy the perks and it keeps us coming back for sure. The free drinks, balcony discount, pictures, internet, it all adds up.

 

 So yes, book enough to get to Diamond!

[Another_Critic]

3 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I guess you are on a Pinnacle quest.  The ride is fun but, considering the current benefits, the prize is not really worth it.   Stay with D+ 340-mark and try other lines. 

M

I'm not booking to get to Pinnacle, but if I get there, I get there.  Only book when/where I want to cruise.  I've sailed on Celebrity, Azamara, Carnival, NCL, Princess, HAL, and a couple of budget lines.  But, it's hard to pass on Royal now with the DP340 discount, if I want to travel solo.

 

If I was actually going for Pinnacle, I would have booked a lot more cruises when there was double points, plus many sailings with no single supplement (equals 4x points).   

[firefly333]

25 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

I'm not booking to get to Pinnacle, but if I get there, I get there.  Only book when/where I want to cruise.  I've sailed on Celebrity, Azamara, Carnival, NCL, Princess, HAL, and a couple of budget lines.  But, it's hard to pass on Royal now with the DP340 discount, if I want to travel solo.

 

If I was actually going for Pinnacle, I would have booked a lot more cruises when there was double points, plus many sailings with no single supplement (equals 4x points).   

Truthfully I wish I'd booked more at double pts. 

[Merion_Mom]

On 5/17/2023 at 5:14 PM, OCSC Mike said:

 

 And we like getting our 2 free pictures printed so we can toss them in a drawer and never look at them.😁

 

 

I have started putting them in 3 ring binders in plastic page protectors.  I highly recommend this.  Lots of memories in those books.

[Rogueperson]

On 5/20/2023 at 1:03 PM, cruisegirl1 said:

I guess you are on a Pinnacle quest.  The ride is fun but, considering the current benefits, the prize is not really worth it.   Stay with D+ 340-mark and try other lines. 

M

I just made Diamond Plus on my last cruise and will enjoy my first Diamond Plus cruise this September.  I squeaked over using the double point promotion, but now that I'm at 176, the daunting road to Pinnacle is 524 points, almost TRIPLE what took me 14 years to accumulated.  Now, granted, 80 of those points was earned after covid thanks to double points, if i were to earn 40/year at that high rate (for me), it would still take me more than 7 years to make it and ONLY if i sailed nothing but Royal, which is unlikely.

 

[The Scurvy Pirate]

On 5/20/2023 at 5:10 PM, firefly333 said:

Truthfully I wish I'd booked more at double pts. 

We went from barely Diamond to Diamond+ in three cruises (at quadruple points for JS that were bookd during the Covid double points sales).  Passed my brother in law, who has been cruising yearly for many many years in balconys.  He was a little pissed/annoyed when he learned we now have more points than him.  He didn't know about the covid double points cruises...

[cruisegirl1]

On 5/20/2023 at 6:55 PM, Merion_Mom said:

 

I have started putting them in 3 ring binders in plastic page protectors.  I highly recommend this.  Lots of memories in those books.

We have them in 8X10 albums.  Jokingly, I've told the family that there is money hidden behind random photos.  Thay way they need to take a look at them! 

 

M

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by cruisegirl1

[OCSC Mike]

On 5/20/2023 at 5:10 PM, firefly333 said:

Truthfully I wish I'd booked more at double pts. 

 

I wish I could book more... anything. 🤣

[cruisegirl1]

Just now, OCSC Mike said:

 

I wish I could book more... anything. 🤣

Sadly,  the booking window is closing due to pricing.

 

[LilBlackDress]

On 5/18/2023 at 6:33 PM, wolfcathorse said:

 

a cheaper way would be to book 2 interiors as solo cruisers. You still get double pts. As others have noted, your daughter has to be over 21 to have her own cabin, you only get the pts for the cabin you're in.

The daughter can be booked in her own cabin if she is next to, across from, or diagonally from the father 

[twangster]

They way the new higher prices are working out, the extra points I earned through the double points promotion in 2021 and 2022 are now being countered by the cruises I'm not booking due to current pricing.

 

In other words my cruising budget didn't go up to match inflation, so I cruise less.

 

Once we are into 2025 and looking back, any extra CAS points earned in the restart years, 2021-2022 will have been "lost" over the next two years 2023-2024, so over the four years from 2021-2024 I'll be at my normal average.  

 

In the end the double points promo did nothing for me but maintained me where I would have been with no pandemic and the crazy inflation that came out of it.

[RFerrington]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

They way the new higher prices are working out, the extra points I earned through the double points promotion in 2021 and 2022 are now being countered by the cruises I'm not booking due to current pricing.

 

In other words my cruising budget didn't go up to match inflation, so I cruise less.

 

Once we are into 2025 and looking back, any extra CAS points earned in the restart years, 2021-2022 will have been "lost" over the next two years 2023-2024, so over the four years from 2021-2024 I'll be at my normal average.  

 

In the end the double points promo did nothing for me but maintained me where I would have been with no pandemic and the crazy inflation that came out of it.

😞

[cruisinghawg]

On 5/17/2023 at 8:21 PM, OCSC Mike said:

You aren’t kidding. I'm fortunate enough to have our next cruise paid for by my generous FIL & actually got a reasonable deal for next Spring Break via dumb luck (a new TA happened to have a good rate & tossed in some surprise OBC I wasn’t even expecting) but the deals I’m used to are long gone.

 

Since I’m almost there, I know the actual D+ BOGO perk reads “booked on nights 1 or 2” but I also know I’ve read about people occasionally being allowed to use them on other nights. Do you just ask politely & hope they let you choose other nights?

We just walked up to Giovanni's on the last night of our transatlantic and got in with no problem. Never made a reservation.

[Merion_Mom]

On 5/22/2023 at 11:43 AM, cruisegirl1 said:

We have them in 8X10 albums.  Jokingly, I've told the family that there is money hidden behind random photos.  Thay way they need to take a look at them! 

 

M

 

 

 

 

I love it!  🤣

[Merion_Mom]

5 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

We just walked up to Giovanni's on the last night of our transatlantic and got in with no problem. Never made a reservation.

Don't try that on Anthem.  The answer will be a very firm "no".

[John&LaLa]

On 5/20/2023 at 6:55 PM, Merion_Mom said:

 

I have started putting them in 3 ring binders in plastic page protectors.  I highly recommend this.  Lots of memories in those books.

 

I do that right after I scan them

[John&LaLa]

On 5/22/2023 at 11:45 AM, cruisegirl1 said:

Sadly,  the booking window is closing due to pricing.

 

 

You can't take it with you

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Merion_Mom said:

Don't try that on Anthem.  The answer will be a very firm "no".

 

I've never even had luck with the paying on day 1 for a booking after day 2

[topnole]

On 5/17/2023 at 4:06 PM, OCSC Mike said:

EDIT:

Yes, you get double points for traveling solo.

 

Another option would be sharing a JS for double points.

Or just do a grand suite on a suite class ship and enjoy those great perks.   She will have a great time with her daughter going in style.  
 

If you are gonna chase, might as well chase hard, right?   Of course, if it’s a budget issue, a JS could be the way to go.  

[The Fun Researcher]

On 5/17/2023 at 4:28 PM, rjrpar said:

I agree.  Except for a few free drinks,, being Diamond is no big  deal.

$800 savings in drinks for my wife and I on a 7 night cruise is not "no big deal", at least not to us.  Add in my son's non alcoholic vouchers and it's closer to $1000.  Add to that three free days of wifi.

 

On 5/18/2023 at 7:33 PM, wolfcathorse said:

 

a cheaper way would be to book 2 interiors as solo cruisers. You still get double pts. As others have noted, your daughter has to be over 21 to have her own cabin, you only get the pts for the cabin you're in.

This is what we did in March on the Anthem.  Myself solo interior connected to my wife and son in another interior.  I got double points and now all three of us are Diamond.  It will be wonderful for my wife and I to be Diamond on our July Alaska cruise, and my son can share his vouchers for specialty coffees with his sisters.  Actual points:  Me 82, Wife 75, son 53, daughter 46, daughter 46

Edited May 23, 2023 by The Fun Researcher