KathyC

Decision made!  We're holding out until the Bermuda sailings are announced in a couple of weeks.  Since we've got 19 days in the Caribbean in 2018, we're going to go back to Bermuda in 2019.  Depending on when the group cruises are, we'll either book right away and do a junior suite for double points or we'll do either an ocean view or balcony and then a group cruise. This gives Matt a couple weeks to work on those group cruise dates before we have to make any decisions.  :D 
Now I have no idea what I'm going to do at work tomorrow.  LOL 

Tomorrow for C&A folks!  But only for certain sailings.  I'm hoping to keep this 2019 trip as cost effective as possible, so I can bank more money for the 2020 Ovation to Alaska for the four of us.  I'm looking for something I can maybe drive to, which means Boston, NJ, or Baltimore so we can do a junior suite for the double points.  

LOL Yes!! I need them to be nice and low.
But I also need Matt to choose his 2019 group cruise dates ASAP, so I can work them into my plans.  

There is someone posting in the Cruise Life Group on FB pdfs of itineraries and dates by ship for the Oasis & Freedom class.  Hoping that means pricing will be up soon.  He reminded us that C&A can book one day prior to regular people, so maybe you have to log in before searching?  I don't have my password with me or I'd try.  I can't log onto FB here at work, and my phone won't see the printer, so I'm having a tough time putting things together.  I may have to wait until I get home to put my itinerary options together.  I have a couple specific weeks I'm looking at based on our work and football schedules, trying to include when our two boys are home from college as well, so to cruise when we'd like to is going to have a narrow window.  I'm thinking if we book early enough we can do the junior suite on a 7 night, get double points, then we'll turn Diamond on that cruise. 

You meant "pricing will be posted" right? I don't think anyone wants to see pricing going up at anytime.

Haven't experienced a suite yet. But, when we turned platinum, we were invited to a "welcome back" event. Free drinks, no snacks, no 18% gratuity (sorry, had to stick that in here) and a firm handshake from one of the ships officers. But, the way he was hanging on to me and smiling maybe he was looking for that 18%?

Okay, so yes, I am a little OCD.  In many things but of course as we all are here about cruising.  That being said, with the new deployment schedule I'm already looking at 2019 and 2020 as I am sure many of us are.  Getting a little impatient waiting for the actual schedules and itineraries to come out. 
We know we are going to do Ovation in Alaska late May 2020.  My oldest graduates from college that year (or is the plan at the moment!!) and it will be great to celebrate on an Alaska cruise instead of throwing a party.  So I'm trying to decide how to plan 2019. 
Here is the dilemma:  we will turn Emerald during our May 2018 cruise.  We have another cruise booked for October 2018, and at the end of that we will be 11 points short of Diamond.  Do we book in 2019 looking to get those 11 points, so we cruise Diamond on Ovation?  We won't be able to book it as Diamonds, but we will most likely wait until June 2018 to book Ovation so we are at least Emerald when booking.  Is there a huge difference in waiting to be the higher level?  I know booking as early as possible gets us the better rates, and with flying four of us to the west coast every penny is going to count as it can cost more to fly than the actual cruise.  Would we save even more by getting those 11 points to hit Diamond, then booking?  But by then we'd be a year out so the advance savings wouldn't be as high, me thinks.   Is the extra spending to get those 11 points (by say, sailing 7 nights in a junior suite) worth it just to bump up levels faster?  
I'm very bored at work today...office is empty and I've got nothing to do but think about cruising and 11 points!  :D This is going to be a very long day...

Yes it is!  But it's one without invitations, caterers, extended family you don't want to see, rain moving everyone indoors...LOL 

Okay, so yes, I am a little OCD.  In many things but of course as we all are here about cruising.  That being said, with the new deployment schedule I'm already looking at 2019 and 2020 as I am sure many of us are.  Getting a little impatient waiting for the actual schedules and itineraries to come out. 
We know we are going to do Ovation in Alaska late May 2020.  My oldest graduates from college that year (or is the plan at the moment!!) and it will be great to celebrate on an Alaska cruise instead of throwing a party.  So I'm trying to decide how to plan 2019. 
Here is the dilemma:  we will turn Emerald during our May 2018 cruise.  We have another cruise booked for October 2018, and at the end of that we will be 11 points short of Diamond.  Do we book in 2019 looking to get those 11 points, so we cruise Diamond on Ovation?  We won't be able to book it as Diamonds, but we will most likely wait until June 2018 to book Ovation so we are at least Emerald when booking.  Is there a huge difference in waiting to be the higher level?  I know booking as early as possible gets us the better rates, and with flying four of us to the west coast every penny is going to count as it can cost more to fly than the actual cruise.  Would we save even more by getting those 11 points to hit Diamond, then booking?  But by then we'd be a year out so the advance savings wouldn't be as high, me thinks.   Is the extra spending to get those 11 points (by say, sailing 7 nights in a junior suite) worth it just to bump up levels faster?  
I'm very bored at work today...office is empty and I've got nothing to do but think about cruising and 11 points!  :D This is going to be a very long day...

Yes it is!  But it's one without invitations, caterers, extended family you don't want to see, rain moving everyone indoors...LOL 

Okay, so yes, I am a little OCD.  In many things but of course as we all are here about cruising.  That being said, with the new deployment schedule I'm already looking at 2019 and 2020 as I am sure many of us are.  Getting a little impatient waiting for the actual schedules and itineraries to come out. 
We know we are going to do Ovation in Alaska late May 2020.  My oldest graduates from college that year (or is the plan at the moment!!) and it will be great to celebrate on an Alaska cruise instead of throwing a party.  So I'm trying to decide how to plan 2019. 
Here is the dilemma:  we will turn Emerald during our May 2018 cruise.  We have another cruise booked for October 2018, and at the end of that we will be 11 points short of Diamond.  Do we book in 2019 looking to get those 11 points, so we cruise Diamond on Ovation?  We won't be able to book it as Diamonds, but we will most likely wait until June 2018 to book Ovation so we are at least Emerald when booking.  Is there a huge difference in waiting to be the higher level?  I know booking as early as possible gets us the better rates, and with flying four of us to the west coast every penny is going to count as it can cost more to fly than the actual cruise.  Would we save even more by getting those 11 points to hit Diamond, then booking?  But by then we'd be a year out so the advance savings wouldn't be as high, me thinks.   Is the extra spending to get those 11 points (by say, sailing 7 nights in a junior suite) worth it just to bump up levels faster?  
I'm very bored at work today...office is empty and I've got nothing to do but think about cruising and 11 points!  :D This is going to be a very long day...

Yes it is!  But it's one without invitations, caterers, extended family you don't want to see, rain moving everyone indoors...LOL 

Yes it is!  But it's one without invitations, caterers, extended family you don't want to see, rain moving everyone indoors...LOL 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/07/26/royal-caribbeans-junior-suites-what-you-need-know

New graphic posted today! 
 

Us northerners deserve a cool ship too, people!  You southerners can't have them all.   Hmpf. 

Us northerners deserve a cool ship too, people!  You southerners can't have them all.   Hmpf. 

Us northerners deserve a cool ship too, people!  You southerners can't have them all.   Hmpf. 

Us northerners deserve a cool ship too, people!  You southerners can't have them all.   Hmpf. 

Us northerners deserve a cool ship too, people!  You southerners can't have them all.   Hmpf. 

We'll be on her 12 night repo October 28, 2018.  We'll take good care of her for ya! 

Yay, another Dynamic Dining fan!  See Matt, we're not the only ones! 

I check daily, knowing full well that nothing will be different than the day before, since my next cruises aren't until May and October of 2018.  I get so excited for people when they announce a sale or report changes in their prices, only to be disappointed when I check and see my prices haven't changed.  As usual.  The only changes I see are options disappearing from my Cruise Planner for my May cruise.  For about a week I can only book the deluxe or water package, nothing else is offered (while I still have all the regular options for the October sailing.)  At some point in the last month the excursions for the stop at Port Canaveral totally disappeared as well.  I only see two ports on my sailing, even though Port Canaveral is still listed on the itinerary.  
So I will continue to check daily, and be disappointed when there are no changes.  Until that one day...

I check daily, knowing full well that nothing will be different than the day before, since my next cruises aren't until May and October of 2018.  I get so excited for people when they announce a sale or report changes in their prices, only to be disappointed when I check and see my prices haven't changed.  As usual.  The only changes I see are options disappearing from my Cruise Planner for my May cruise.  For about a week I can only book the deluxe or water package, nothing else is offered (while I still have all the regular options for the October sailing.)  At some point in the last month the excursions for the stop at Port Canaveral totally disappeared as well.  I only see two ports on my sailing, even though Port Canaveral is still listed on the itinerary.  
So I will continue to check daily, and be disappointed when there are no changes.  Until that one day...