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Now I know every ship and cruise isn’t like this, but our first impression: The Diamond Lounge isn’t all that and a bag of chips. We are currently on our first cruise as Diamond. On boarding day we went in the lounge for a coffee. It was really good coffee. We went back after sail away for another cup and were approached by an old guy (a complete stranger) who asked how many cruises we had done. When we said we’re on our 11th he started telling us how many he had and asked if we belonged in there. He asked how many points they lowered Diamond level to. Normally I’m aggressive to people like that, but we laughed, acted nicely deferential, drank our coffee and walked out. After all, we know jerks exist all over the place, not just on cruise ships. We went back a couple afternoons later for a cup of coffee and he was holding court again. He saw us and started in on C&A points, and number of cruises he has that he knows is more than years I am old. This time I quietly stared at him until everyone became uncomfortable and found other places to be. This approach ended up with us being able to sit in some comfortable chairs since they were vacated after five or six minutes of complete silence. Today we went in for a cup of coffee and he asked if we were still on our 11th cruise. I’m not looking for help with dealing with idiots, I work retail and am very comfortable doing so. My reason for posting this is to remind older Diamond Plus and Pinnacle cruisers that they aren’t the future of Royal Caribbean. People like my wife and I are, along with the young families we’ve heard people in the lounge complaining about. Another reminder….no matter how much money you like to brag about spending, it costs nothing to be nice to someone else, especially people who obviously share a passion with you We’re heading back for happy hour tonight. It will be fun to see what all the regulars do when we walk in

Just say your dad is the Captain.

We, too, are looking forward to our first cruise as Diamond, Oasis tomorrow. I feel we have worked hard for it and deserve it. I look for it to be a time of sharing experiences with others and maybe making some new friends.

My problem with getting into pissing contests is that I don’t really have a middle ground. I go from 0-100 immediately when I open my mouth. There’s no place on a cruise (or most places, truth be told) for that….plus, it can be fun to see how complete silence and a blank face makes people react when they think they’re pushing all your buttons. Besides, I don’t want to have to register here with a new login and complain about how I got kicked off a ship for being an ass.

Cruise #2 Days 5, 6, & 7 - Wow that went fast! Puerto Vallarta Day 5 - Wait, I already did PV! I think I got my days all mixed up. That's been happening a lot lately. The days in the elevator aren't helping me either. I need the day of the week, the day number of the cruise, and the date of the month. The fact that we've sailed in three time zones, we live on the west coast, and I work east coast hours, has been too much for a cruise brain to deal with! Thankfully, I'll be off most of next week (cruise #3). We had two sea days wrapping up the end of this trip and we spent them roaming about the ship looking for fun things to do, people watch (there is a lot to see on a ship), and we frequented the diamond lounge because we met some fun people this trip with whom we loved hanging out. I don't know if it's the fact that we're now part of something semi-exclusive, or if we just found our kind of people (I'm sure it's all in my head), but the DL has been so much fun! Our first sea day (day 6 - Wednesday) was dress your best night, so we got dressed up a little and found some nice photo backgrounds to pose in front of for our free diamond pics. We went to dinner just a little early and let our servers know we wanted to get in and out quickly because we wanted to go to the 7pm show, Ballroom Fever. I'm a former competition ballroom dancer, and love to watch dancing! Dinner was okay - nothing had to be sent back - and they got us in and out in 45 minutes without dessert! That's gotta be some kind of record! Of course we ordered the lobster tail and it was sufficient when we added an extra plate of veggies and a baked potato to it. We ran back up to our rooms and got changed, stopped by the DL to see our new friends and grab another drink, then on to the show. The show was not terrible, but wasn't the level of dancing we were hoping to see. There were several parts where there was singing to the music that would have been great dancing (like a waltz) but nobody was dancing. Knowing a bit about theater, I wonder if there was a costume snafu back stage for that song and they just all remained off stage. Who knows. The main dancers were definitely the stars of the show, and it was easy to tell the backup dancers were not trained in ballroom. But overall it was okay. Our second sea day (day 7 - Thursday) was very relaxing. I still did some work in the morning, so no sleeping in, but when work was done, we put on the suits and back into the pool/hot tub. Since we were getting closer to California, it wasn't nearly as warm, and we spent most of the time in the hot tub. When we got out, we found a couple of loungers in the shade overlooking the ocean, and we both fell asleep. Naps at our age are a beautiful thing! When we woke up, it was time to get ready for dinner once again, so we did the DL for a pre-dinner drink, dinner in the dining room, and a post-dinner drink and visit with our new friends in the DL. We wandered down to see our pics from the night before and their system was on the fritz, so we added a reminder to our schedule to look in the morning when the rest of the ship was trying to get off. Dinner in the dining room on night 7 was terrible. We both ordered the pecan crusted salmon, which was amazing flavor, but both of our salmon came out completely raw. I cut into mine and it was bright pink and gel-like. Not good. We both sent ours back and hubby said not to bother bringing another for him. I wanted mine and asked that it be replaced. At least I hadn't bothered to try prepping and eating the rest of what was on my plate like I had the night of the steak debacle. It took them three tries to bring me a salmon that wasn't raw. It's clear that the kitchen (yellow scarves) are too new and need more training on how to serve food at the correct temperature. We chatted with our server about this for a bit. We know it wasn't his fault, so it wasn't like we were upset or anything. They get very upset when things don't come out right. We're pretty chill about it and don't get angry or upset. I almost feel badly for sending things back on the ship because I've heard stories of how much they are berated when things aren't correct. However, raw food that should be cooked is where I draw the line. Had to send it back. When I got salmon cooked the right temperature, it was very good! Sorry I forgot to take pics! I'm terrible about that. Our daughter was the one who always took the pics on our last cruises. Since it's just hubby and I, I can't remember to save my life! I'll do better on the next cruise! Which starts tomorrow (technically today, since that's when I'm posting this).

Man I hope someone flexes on me next month in the diamond lounge.

My wife told me she’s floored that I’ve kept my mouth shut. Nice visit this evening . A couple people asked how we’ve been enjoying the cruise. No awkwardness or arrogance. I can’t speak to the fancy coffee machine, but the regular coffee is great.

I'm not sure I could have avoided being a complete smart ass with him.

We met a lady in the lounge this past cruise who was wearing a pin that said “Pinnacle in Training”. It was the cutest thing ever!

We had lunch with a very nice Pinnacle club guest and during our discussion, I was surprised she was being apologetic about getting over the Pinnacle line from the recent double points offers as the shutdown was coming to a close. I think its great that folks were able to "ladder up" after the difficult circumstances, but I guess there are a few folks who want remind everyone they walked uphill in the snow both ways to the cruise terminal to get their status. Just roll with it.

It's a human nature thing. Since the beginning of time, groups of people like to separate themselves into smaller groups of people in order to feel strong. You did a great job @teddy. I think I would have just asked him if people were so welcoming to him when he first became Diamond. Enjoy the perk that you earned!

But then how will people feel important?

Truth be told they ought to just eliminate the lounge and turn it into a revenue producing space. I mean they already provide 4 or 5 complementary drinks. The hors-d'oeues are nothing to talk about, the only thing you could miss is morning coffee

I am so looking forward to walking into the Diamond Lounge for the first time next week with my kids. We all earned our points, including my kids, and I have zero "F's" to give. I will have no problem telling someone how unimportant they are! I've watched too many pinnacles berate crew members to stay quiet.

I'd steal a couple of his pool towels and return them as my own. Then call it even....

Yep, my kids will be Diamond Plus by the time they reach 18, so they’ll be the 20 somethings in the lounge.

There are definitely some curious expressions in the DL from longtime cruisers that "earned it the hard way" when my 20-somethings show up. It's good to have parents that were loyal to Royal. No one has ever been as confrontational as OP's situation. A quick conversation with the Concierge would have cleared that right up too. We also have acquaintances that took full advantage of the double point promotion that RCL was running during the restart. They were able to reach Diamond status in just four cruises in JS and above staterooms. 5 nights x 4 points x 4 cruises = 80 points & Diamond status. They took full advantage of the opportunity to cruise in spite of the vax and mask mandates. Fortes fortuna iuvat.

Just to finish this off….the last night (night 5) was the farewell menu. There was literally nothing on the entire menu that interested me. I decided (reluctantly), to go with the roasted turkey. When it arrived I was suddenly reminded of what drove us from the MDR in the first place….the completely inedible turkey dinner on Liberty, years ago. This was just as bad. There was a shining victory hiding in our final [crap] meal on GR. The farewell dinner advertises braised lamb, so Dan decided to try that, believing that he would be getting lamb chops. To our amazement, it was his beloved lamb shank ! He was so happy and I was thrilled for him, particularly in contrast to my awful choice. It’s great to know that the lamb shank didn’t disappear - it just transitioned and now identifies as braised lamb !

Challenge accepted, hope I see him or anyone like him on one of my cruises. I guess I've been lucky in the suite lounge thus far, everyone was either reserved or very nice. Just made diamond, mostly by going on suites during the quad point post pandemic days so I would be the most undeserving diamond he ever met. Looking forward to taking one for the team.

That sucks. I’ve never had anyone act this way to me in a Diamond or suite lounge.

I work retail also, its good training for these situations. In my experience, people who act like this are nobodies in real life so its best just to laugh at them (silently)

Yes, yes it is nice I earned it from my parents. Yes, I found a seapass card on the floor and knew immediately it would work to get into the diamond lounge! I've not, but who cares how it was earned. People need to get a life. I'll have to take my 20 year old to the Diamond lounge so people can stare at her. She'll really hate me.

Well handled. I suspect you will be greeted well by the other loungers tonight. Few people like or support a jerk like that.

Genie Stuff: At exactly 90 days out, we did get our genie survey. For my neighbourly (neighborly?) cruise with @Lovetocruise2002 this past summer, I had saved everything in a word document, so it was easy to update and tweak for this sailing. I did put in the notes that we would love to work with Derick again since we had him last year. The kids really liked him. At 30 days out we got our welcome letter, and we were thrilled to find that it was from Derick! The kids were so happy. I sent out an email with life updates, and we have had a few more back and forth emails regarding scheduling etc. Here are some of our requests, I'll keep everyone posted on how they come out. I pre-booked Izumi hibachi in the cruise planner quite a while ago knowing that is the new norm. But like an idiot, I accidentally booked it for formal night. I've asked Derick if he could switch it to a different night for us. I got the canned "I can't promise anything" response, so we will see what happens. After reading some other posts, we requested Cabana #43 in Thrill Water Park. I was surprised to get a "you got it" response. It seems to be in a good spot, close to the slides as well as the attendant station. We are there at the same time as Freedom, so I anticipate the park being super busy. I'm already looking forward to the chicken sammich hack! Dining wise, we are skipping chefs table and CP150. While I would like the meal at Chefs Table, the rest of the gang wouldn't. Most of our group weren't impressed by CP150 either. I may have to make some requests for their bread and the fillet at some point, because those were REALLY good. Night 1 will be in CK because fillet night. We also asked Derick that we wanted to get to Portside BBQ sooner in the cruise. Last year when we finally made it there, we were in full on Star Class food coma status and really couldn't enjoy it. I would also like to get to Playmakers. We have not eaten there yet. We are going to surprise the kids with a birthday party for them on the cruise. Lydia became a teenager a month ago, and Johnny turns 10 a couple weeks after the cruise, so why not. Johnny is obsessed with hippopotamuses and Lydia is a competitive cheerleader. I asked for cakes in those themes. I did tell Derick I fully understand that there are limitations that the pastry team have, but there is no harm in asking right?

As I type this we are 9 days 15 hours 49 minutes away from boarding, so I suppose I should get this blog started! As you can see in the tags, we are returning to Oasis of the Seas, this time an Eastern Caribbean route. We are star class again in an Aquatheater Suite. We were on Oasis last February doing the western route in the ATS2BR. We are excited to go the Eastern route, as this is the one we lost when COVID shut everything down. We will be in the same suite category, but now on Deck 8. So, Waitress of the Seas? Here is the story. Two weeks ago, The Boss and I spent the weekend in NYC for some time away from the kids, and finally got the chance to see Phantom Of The Opera on Broadway before it closes its doors for good. As would be expected, the show was amazing, and our little trip was a nice little get away. While we were gone, the kids were staying with my parents. While there, they were asking Johnny all about the cruise etc. He told them the name of the ship, and my father, who is a little hard of hearing at this point in his life thought he heard "Waitress of the Seas" and instead of trying to get clarification, just went with it, and thought, "huh, what an odd name for a cruise ship." It wasn't until we picked the kids up did the mistake get cleared up. For me, the name stuck, and she shall forever now be known as Waitress of the Seas to me. Now that that is cleared up, back to the usuals. Whos Going: Its our typical crew, myself, The Boss (Heather) D13 Lydia, D9 Johnny, and my sister Julie. We all have a great time together and my sister likes to call herself our third adopted child since we include her in many of our adventures. Route: Eastern Caribbean. We are visiting Labadee, Puerto Rico, St Thomas and PDCC. All of these are new ports for us except for PDCC so we are excited about that. Stateroom: We are in an ATS2BR as before, but this time we are on deck 8. We were on deck 9 last year, and we would have been perfectly happy there again, but the price difference to move to the bigger suite was so small that it was a no brainer to go bigger. I can thank @Lovetocruise2002 for letting me know that the itineraries were going live and introducing me to her amazing TA, IYKYK!! Pre-Cruise Purchases: As we are all painfully aware of, cruise planner prices are going way up especially for vacation week cruises, so I have been watching prices like a hawk. We were able to get a good price on the things we wanted to do. Other prices were so crazy we quickly passed on. IE Coco Beach club passes were over $200pp and the OTW cabanas were nearly 3k. As much as we loved that last experience last year, that is way more than what we paid then, and I don't see the value for that price. With the kids being older and less inclined to just play in the sand, we did book a Thrill Water Park Cabana though. The kids are old enough now that its easier to say go have fun while I lounge in the cabana, but not old enough where I don't have to be in the water park with them. Labadee we were able to get dragon tail coaster rides and the inflatable park passes for quite cheap. In a big stroke of luck, the beach cabanas at barefoot beach actually dropped in price significantly so I was able to snag one of those. We had originally planned on just getting beach chairs because they were in the "ousands" of dollars at first. Maybe there was another new intern because the price dropped to $400 for a brief time and I snagged one. Puerto Rico we are just going to get off the ship and wander around old town and find something to eat and explore a bit. St Thomas we booked the Champagne Catamaran Sail and Snorkel excursion through RC. Julie, Lydia and I will snorkel. The Boss will enjoy the Champagne and Snacks, and I'm sure Johnny will be in charge of the boat by the end of the day. More to Come!

Yes, it must be purchased in advance thru the cruise planner (not onboard), for the whole trip, and for everyone 6 and older in your stateroom.

Ideally, the questions for vaccination status and booster status should just be removed. We are past the pandemic stage and in the endemic stage, meaning it is here to stay. The questions have no more meaning than asking if someone had a seasonal flu vaccine or not. Those of us that wanted the vaccine, and could get it, have had it. And those of us that did not want it, or could not get it for some reason, did not. I personally have been vaccinated and boosted, but that was my personal choice and my personal business -- the same goes for those that choose not to get vaccinated. Outside of itineraries that have ports with vaccination regulations, this question should simply be removed. The only reason I can see it still being asked is that adult non-US citizens or residence card holders entering the US are still required to be fully vaccinated by federal mandate. I honestly believe Royal is just making sure their policy aligns to current US policy. If that is true, and the mandate is lifted and not extended in May as currently planned, this question should hopefully disappear. Foreigners flying to the US must still show vaccination status to the airline before boarding, so I am assuming this is the policy Royal is following to cover their legal butts. This would make sense in some repositioning cruises, like from Barbados to Miami, but admittedly, makes little sense for closed loop cruises originating in the US. At the end of the day, I don't think these questions are there to make a political statement, or to make anyone upset, or to deny access to cruising for unvaccinated US citizens or residents. It does restrict access though to unvaccinated foreign visitors, but that is by US policy / mandate, and not Royal's policy.

Earning it within the bounds of how RC allows you to earn it is still earning it. Whether 1 point per day, 2 per day, 4 per day or getting your parents' status.

Don’t worry about it, really. I bring my kids in all the time. It’s a great place to find open tables to play cards, dominos, etc. we’ve never had anyone be anything but nice to us, even offering to change tables if they’re sitting alone at a big one. The chances of someone being rude to you are so incredibly slim, don’t let it bother you at all.

Yes, you can most definitely have JR delivered. Shakes too. One of the things that Hubby and the girls like to do when we sail star is arrange for JR shakes and fries to be delivered to the room after a show, right before they close.

Oh, you don't need to convince me! I know I cannot do any nights in the MDR. But I am on a mission to convince Hubby and the girls how good they have it since they always roll their eyes at me. Room service chicken wings is a personal favourite of mine. That will be my default on the really bad nights. You might even find me in the WJ

Yes ! Imagine when he realizes he can have unlimited shakes delivered !

When we first started sailing as a family back in 2015, it had only been a couple years since kids were allowed in the suite lounge at all. A couple 30-somethings with a small for his age 3 yr old in tow drew all sorts of looks. This was back when the lounges were mostly interior midship, and weren't exactly roomy.

I know! Definitely get the free photo. You get one and the Boss gets one too, so make sure you get both for full value (that's Hubby's tip lol) Other than that, I don't find as much value in the Diamond perks when sailing star. When you hit D+, the next best thing is the free bag of laundry, so that you can be reminded of your star days lol I have decided that if I ever make it back to London, this is a must do for me. Twice now, we have been to London and have not been able to catch it.

No cruise playlist would be complete without the Jaws theme song!

I've had problems transferring to my TA, even before the 30 days is up. I think they manually review each request and it depends on whomever is handling it as to whether they will transfer it or not. If your TA has some "friends" in Royal, then they may be able to grease the skids a little to help transfer it. I have learned the hard way that casino comps are almost impossible to transfer after the fact, and that I need to include my TA on these at the beginning.

be de deee dooooo......(Sorry, I cannot use this meme without singing/typing the rest of that riff) We are one week from our wheels up. The endless stream of Amazon packages that are arriving daily as The Boss remembers something else that she forgot she needed is probably driving our mailman nuts. We took advantage of the free laundry services to great success while in Norway, and I plan on doing the same this coming week that I plan on packing WAAY less clothes, but The Boss, I can't convince her otherwise. I almost think each cruise, the luggage gets heavier and heavier. Side note, anyone have experience with solgaard luggage? I've been debating upgrading our soft sided luggage. Travel plans. Last year we road tripped the whole way to Miami from NY because flights were stupid money. This year, they aren't as bad, but still crazy. We decided to drive to BWI and fly from there. It's a relatively easy drive from our house, and cut the cost of the flights significantly. We will arrive in Miami Saturday night and we chose to stay at The Homewood Suites Blue Lagoon by the airport. We like this brand of hotels, and this one has 2 bedroom units. We are going to stay here one night after the cruise too and fly home on Monday.

Congratulations!!! The happy hour munchies and coffee are really good in Anthem’s Diamond Lounge this week.

Kudos to you. It's been my experience some older folks just don't know when to stop. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how you stared him down. I think it's hysterical. I'm very slow to come to the good comebacks but some that come to mind -and again I would not think of them until I was out of the situation: I'm in here, obviously I earned it, if you have doubts feel free to call security or talk to the diamond concierge. Thank you for asking, I didn't know anyone would be overly concerned with how many points I had compared to them, is it supposed to be a pissing match? Oh, I've only sailed in Suites for my 11 cruises-with Royal (let him think you've sailed other lines) the points add up quickly, you must have done it the longer way. I'm surprised you aren't Pinnacle given your age, or are you? isn't there a special place for people like you? Oh, I'll make Pinnacle in 3 more cruises, I did double double points during the comeback. Can't wait, maybe the pinnacle people will have more class. Oh,how I could go on! LOL See, I said on the other thread I hold back, I don't want to come off like that pompous buffoon when I answer questions of those who are new to these boards and quick to complain, though I could easily do so. Generally the few people I've met in the Diamond Lounge (I don't go often and if I do it's pretty much off normal peoples hours) have been very nice. Typical quesitons are Favorite ports, favorite ship, other cruise lines. I've yet to run into a pompous a$$, thank goodness. I did meet a young man at the Diamond 340pt and up luncheon and was shocked he had so many points. Of course we laughed at how we earned them during the comeback. I guess it was a good thing the others at the table didn't speak English or their feelings might have gotten hurt. Happy Cruising!

I don’t play any of my own music while onboard, but I listen to stuff I’ve downloaded while traveling to and from the ports. I’m of the age and environment where my musical tastes run a little “heavier” if you will.

I mistakenly went to the Solarium bistro expecting an omelet station. the chef behind the counter saw my confusion and when I expressed I was looking for an egg white omelet she said they had only the predone omelets (with yellow). When I stated I could not have the yolks she had an egg white omelete made for me. The next day I went to the WJ and found the omelet station. Very disorganized. On most of the ships I have been on lately they give you a beeper that alerts you your omelet is ready and you can go get it yourself or hand it off to a waitstaff person (I never tried doing that). Symphony they asked where you were sitting, of course people know to order an omlet first and then look for seats, so naturally the answer is "IDK". They had omlets just sitting there waiting to be served to people (or for people to come and get them). Thankfully I was able to sit within eye shot of the omlet station and watch my egg whites come up, so I had hot eggs. BTW< side note: why has spell check disappeared? I've spelled omlit 9 different ways and no corrections! Has it always been like this? Omlet, Omlit,Omelet, omlett,

I don’t believe anyone here can answer that question. In addition, I believe Royal Caribbean is following the rules they have to based on the places they sail to, not making their own vaccine regulations.

More pre-cruise stuff. Last year on Oasis we sailed while everything was still at reduced capacity and the ship had about 3500 guests on board. While it was nice to not have any lines, the ship felt dead. This will be our first Oasis class at full capacity, so it will be great to see the ship come alive. I'm going to channel my inner @Ampurp85and do some good people watching. We crossed the points threshold and now are diamond status. I plan on chatting with the Loyalty Ambassador to make sure we take full advantage of our perks. Granted the drink vouchers aren't in play here, but I'll check out the diamond lounge, get our free photos etc etc. Any suggestions, throw them out there. I don't know if it's just me or not. Does anyone else have flashbacks, or a nostalgia moment when you're out and about and The Power of Love comes on the radio, and you are brought back to the opening of Aqua80? (now excuse me while I pull up Youtube and watch the music video)

Starting my awkward this guy can't dance single digit dance today! (actual footage of me dancing, that's me on the left)

We were able to tender right away with The Key. I don’t have any particular insight into that particular port, but you can get off in One of the first few groups I’d imagine. We never even stood in line for tickets, we just found The Key sign and an attendant took us right down in the elevator.

Never witnessed the described behavior in the DL, but I have seen disrespectful behavior in the MDR. When we encounter well travelled guests in DL I ask which cruises or destinations they liked best and why. That enables them to feel important and be helpful at the same time.

@Dislike RC, with the smallest amount of effort, you're going to be able to see the shows. I hate to see you having this level of anxiety about a problem you think might happen when it hasn't happened. If you open your heart to the experience, you'll see that the shows will be available. You'll find that some nights the food is exactly what you want exactly when you want it and some nights not so much. Your room will be cleaned twice daily. My sincerest advice now if to just take your trip with the spirit you had when you booked. I wouldn't call RC anymore about things like this, that will surely make for a bad day and there isn't anything they can do about those things for you. The shows are an on ship thing to resolve. Keep checking for the shows, check the app onboard and so forth but even if they remain "Sold Out", go stand in the stand by line. You'll get in. I didn't mean to be harsh earlier, but I can see that I was. I'm glad you came back to the thread and I hope after your trip that you come back again. You may feel the same at that point and if you do it will be for what actually happened.

This cruise went fast and is now in the books. It was a delightful cruise. We met up with fellow bloggers @EvergreenCruzers and had a wonderful visit. I am gonna add... We've done this cruise twice in the last 3 months. Leaving the port, don't book your flight time too close! Both of these cruises, the transfer from the ship to the airport, purchased from Royal, was totally dysfunctional. First time, we sat in a full bus for nearly an hour without explanation until the bus left the port. Last week, they ran out of buses long before everybody was loaded. It was nearly two hours until the final folks were loaded. Passengers with tight schedules had to call taxi's. And that's why I don't schedule too tight. It was uncomfortable standing and hoping for a bus, but we made our flight.

The nineties actually and have also taken grandchildren with us sans parents. When they are done, we take them back to the room and put them to bed. That’s a parent’s job.