twangster

She is a teacher, that constrains their flexibility.  He isn't, he can sail any time.
Gotta take one of the team!  ? 
 

Maybe now you'll finally let Hubster sail solo in 2021 so your family can climb the ladder even faster! 
Solo in suite gets 6x.  Put him out to sea!

? No time off to cruise?
If I'm elected all cruise holidays will be approved.  I'm twangster, I'm not running for office but I still approve this message.
Ooohhh.  Labadee is beautiful.  I highly recommend Labadee.  

Especially if they have to reduce capacity.  Bigger ships means more guests with reduced head counts.  More guests at PDCC means more revenue.

I've done it in pretty short order without "Diamonds in December" or "Loyalty2x" type promos.  I didn't benefit from casino comps either.  Purely revenue sailings using the basic framework of the CAS available to everyone. 
Cabins breakdown 25.6% Interior, 16.3% OceanView, 27.9% balcony and 30.2% suite on 21 different ships.  CAS balcony discounts get better as you climb so I was spending less and less time without a balcony as I climbed higher.  Shy of a year cumulative time on board ships to get it done.
Spent around ~$4,000 for Voom along that journey.
People often assume or make the mistake of finding the cheapest interior cabin in fleet and modeling Pinnacle from that.  It would actually be hard and longer to make Pinnacle that way because those super cheap interior rates can't be found consistently.  They vary with season and typically only occur off peak.  To make Pinnacle just on those would take years longer waiting for them to come around.
Find me at bar on a ship someday and we can talk all about it.    

Perhaps we sat next to each other and didn't know it.  

I've done it in pretty short order without "Diamonds in December" or "Loyalty2x" type promos.  I didn't benefit from casino comps either.  Purely revenue sailings using the basic framework of the CAS available to everyone. 
Cabins breakdown 25.6% Interior, 16.3% OceanView, 27.9% balcony and 30.2% suite on 21 different ships.  CAS balcony discounts get better as you climb so I was spending less and less time without a balcony as I climbed higher.  Shy of a year cumulative time on board ships to get it done.
Spent around ~$4,000 for Voom along that journey.
People often assume or make the mistake of finding the cheapest interior cabin in fleet and modeling Pinnacle from that.  It would actually be hard and longer to make Pinnacle that way because those super cheap interior rates can't be found consistently.  They vary with season and typically only occur off peak.  To make Pinnacle just on those would take years longer waiting for them to come around.
Find me at bar on a ship someday and we can talk all about it.    

This promo isn't going to convert infrequent cruisers to suddenly becoming frequent cruisers booking multiple cruises every year from now until the end of time.  
If someone was booking multiple cruises every year they were already well on their way up the ladder.  
The infrequent cruiser isn't going to crowd the lounge consuming benefits on the ship they aren't sailing on.  Let them be Diamond and if they earn it through this promo so be it.
"Jane and Joe only booked a cruise once every two years but since becoming Diamond they now book four cruises every year" - NOT!!!  However if this was the outcome Royal would be very pleased.  

I don't think Royal would have come up with this promo just to scale back perks a year later.  "Congratulations you are now Diamond but we are removing the perks so really you are no better off".
The simple truth is C&A works and it works well.  
If the cost of C&A perks was concerning or on the bubble the last thing they would do is inflate the ranks just to pull the rug out from even more people.
Guests may complain of crowded lounges during happy hour (they are never crowded during the day) but to Royal that is the picture of success.  The program works.
Most people who will attain Diamond from this promo would have attained it in 2021 or very soon into 2022 without the pandemic.  Net effect is no change. 
Some people will be in a position to go crazy and level up D to D+ or D+ to P a year sooner.  They are the minority but if this promo gets them to book cruises now so what?  They were going to get there anyways so during a period where the company can use some additional cash flow so what if a select handful can level up a year ahead of time?
Look at the interest this promo has generated.  It has the makings of being very successful and creating more new Royal bookings (and less competitor bookings for those that sail more than Royal).  Offering it to new bookings only would have created massive work efforts to rebook existing cruises so they created a win-win by extending it to existing bookings.  

I presume you are on an Oasis class ship in a suite with Sky Class benefits.  
The suite lounge on deck 17 has complimentary beer and wine 11am to 11pm.  Each evening there are cocktail hours typically something like 5pm to 8pm but this can vary slightly by ship.  During the cocktail hours there are well drinks available for basic cocktails such as vodka and soda, rum and coke or gin and tonic plus many variations of basic drinks with cranberry, orange juice and other basic mixers.  
The included choices are from a preset basic menu.  If you prefer a craft beer or a better liquor those cost extra unless you have a drink package.  Frozen drinks are not included and during the day only the suite lounge on deck 17 offers these included drinks with a Sky class suite.
If you are at the pool or even on the suite sun deck, those bars are not included, you have to visit the suite lounge on deck 17 for the complimentary beverages.
Depending on your preferences and drinking habits that may work well for you just keep in mind that if you are at dinner in the dining room or in the theater watching a show or near the pub on the promenade you have to pay normally for beverages unless you make the trip up to deck 17.  
When I have sailed Sky class I have always purchased a beverage package because I like to be spontaneous and have a beverage when I feel like it wherever I am at that moment.  I also prefer better brands and nicer wines compared to the included well drinks on deck 17.  I also like frozen drinks by the pool and enjoying a drink at a show.  However that is me.  
What works best for you and your family is something only you will know.  There is nothing wrong with skipping a beverage package when in a Sky class suite, just remember you have to visit deck 17 for all complimentary drinks.  

I've done it in pretty short order without "Diamonds in December" or "Loyalty2x" type promos.  I didn't benefit from casino comps either.  Purely revenue sailings using the basic framework of the CAS available to everyone. 
Cabins breakdown 25.6% Interior, 16.3% OceanView, 27.9% balcony and 30.2% suite on 21 different ships.  CAS balcony discounts get better as you climb so I was spending less and less time without a balcony as I climbed higher.  Shy of a year cumulative time on board ships to get it done.
Spent around ~$4,000 for Voom along that journey.
People often assume or make the mistake of finding the cheapest interior cabin in fleet and modeling Pinnacle from that.  It would actually be hard and longer to make Pinnacle that way because those super cheap interior rates can't be found consistently.  They vary with season and typically only occur off peak.  To make Pinnacle just on those would take years longer waiting for them to come around.
Find me at bar on a ship someday and we can talk all about it.    

Perhaps we sat next to each other and didn't know it.  

A lot of public opinion was to the effect "He has suffered enough, why is PR torturing this grandfather by persecuting him?".
I'm not saying I subscribe to the notion that he shouldn't have been charged.  A child died because of his actions.  When parents leave kids in hot cars and they die charges are usually filed despite the grief, guilt and loss that results.
The sleazy way the family tried to spin it didn't sit well with me and still doesn't.  Were it not for surveillance cameras their fabricated lies might have changed the outcome of the legal proceedings.
The plea deal will end with people who view it differently.  If it is consistent with other similar cases in this jurisdiction then one can understand the deal.  A child lost their life.  Is probation enough?  If a stranger had done something accidently that led to the same outcome should that stranger get away with only probation?  "Oops. Sorry".  Would the parents be so supportive of that stranger? 
I think not.

Already booked it along with the Pacific Coastal from Vancouver to LA before the canal transit.  
Not sure I'll keep them so I booked refundable, but with Loyalty2x it's a gaggle of points.

Perhaps we sat next to each other and didn't know it.  

I've done it in pretty short order without "Diamonds in December" or "Loyalty2x" type promos.  I didn't benefit from casino comps either.  Purely revenue sailings using the basic framework of the CAS available to everyone. 
Cabins breakdown 25.6% Interior, 16.3% OceanView, 27.9% balcony and 30.2% suite on 21 different ships.  CAS balcony discounts get better as you climb so I was spending less and less time without a balcony as I climbed higher.  Shy of a year cumulative time on board ships to get it done.
Spent around ~$4,000 for Voom along that journey.
People often assume or make the mistake of finding the cheapest interior cabin in fleet and modeling Pinnacle from that.  It would actually be hard and longer to make Pinnacle that way because those super cheap interior rates can't be found consistently.  They vary with season and typically only occur off peak.  To make Pinnacle just on those would take years longer waiting for them to come around.
Find me at bar on a ship someday and we can talk all about it.    

Already booked it along with the Pacific Coastal from Vancouver to LA before the canal transit.  
Not sure I'll keep them so I booked refundable, but with Loyalty2x it's a gaggle of points.

We usually always get the drink package when sailing Sky Class.  Even when we stay on Deck 17.  It is for the reasons that @twangster already stated.  Purely convenience.  Because a lot of times, you won't want to go all the way back to Deck 17 to get a drink, or the suite lounge may not have the beverages that you want, when you want.  Especially if you are someone who prefers mixed cocktails over beer/wine.

If you are staying on Deck 17 and plan on spending a lot of time in your suite, then the access to the Suites Lounge and its complementary beverages would probably serve your drink needs.  If, however, you plan on being out and about on the ship most of the time, or you are in a suite that is not located on Deck 17, you may find visiting the SL to grab a coke or a bottle of water or even a beer or glass of wine, to be inconvenient.
As @twangstermentioned, it's difficult to be spontaneous and get a drink when and where you want it if you have to stop what you're doing and run to the lounge every time you want a drink.
I am not a big drinker....but I do like a canned coke (hate fountain cokes) and bottled water.  I always purchase a DBP and even though I'm sure I pay more that way, I am able to get whatever I want to drink whenever I want it.  I find that to be worth whatever financial penalty I might pay. Neither of us drink wine (much) and Dan will get the occasional beer, but sticks primarily to high end single malt scotch which is rarely rarely rarely available in the SL.  Even during the SL "Happy Hour" most, if not all, of the lounges do not have a blender, so a blended cocktail isn't normally available in the SL.  With the DBP, however, if I feel like having a mud slide or a pina colada with Amaretto (yum) then it's included.  You'll never get either one of those in the SL at ANY time.

Meanwhile over at the CDC...

Keep climbing that C&A ladder!
 
 
 

I presume you are on an Oasis class ship in a suite with Sky Class benefits.  
The suite lounge on deck 17 has complimentary beer and wine 11am to 11pm.  Each evening there are cocktail hours typically something like 5pm to 8pm but this can vary slightly by ship.  During the cocktail hours there are well drinks available for basic cocktails such as vodka and soda, rum and coke or gin and tonic plus many variations of basic drinks with cranberry, orange juice and other basic mixers.  
The included choices are from a preset basic menu.  If you prefer a craft beer or a better liquor those cost extra unless you have a drink package.  Frozen drinks are not included and during the day only the suite lounge on deck 17 offers these included drinks with a Sky class suite.
If you are at the pool or even on the suite sun deck, those bars are not included, you have to visit the suite lounge on deck 17 for the complimentary beverages.
Depending on your preferences and drinking habits that may work well for you just keep in mind that if you are at dinner in the dining room or in the theater watching a show or near the pub on the promenade you have to pay normally for beverages unless you make the trip up to deck 17.  
When I have sailed Sky class I have always purchased a beverage package because I like to be spontaneous and have a beverage when I feel like it wherever I am at that moment.  I also prefer better brands and nicer wines compared to the included well drinks on deck 17.  I also like frozen drinks by the pool and enjoying a drink at a show.  However that is me.  
What works best for you and your family is something only you will know.  There is nothing wrong with skipping a beverage package when in a Sky class suite, just remember you have to visit deck 17 for all complimentary drinks.  

I've done it in pretty short order without "Diamonds in December" or "Loyalty2x" type promos.  I didn't benefit from casino comps either.  Purely revenue sailings using the basic framework of the CAS available to everyone. 
Cabins breakdown 25.6% Interior, 16.3% OceanView, 27.9% balcony and 30.2% suite on 21 different ships.  CAS balcony discounts get better as you climb so I was spending less and less time without a balcony as I climbed higher.  Shy of a year cumulative time on board ships to get it done.
Spent around ~$4,000 for Voom along that journey.
People often assume or make the mistake of finding the cheapest interior cabin in fleet and modeling Pinnacle from that.  It would actually be hard and longer to make Pinnacle that way because those super cheap interior rates can't be found consistently.  They vary with season and typically only occur off peak.  To make Pinnacle just on those would take years longer waiting for them to come around.
Find me at bar on a ship someday and we can talk all about it.    

Perhaps we sat next to each other and didn't know it.  

I've done it in pretty short order without "Diamonds in December" or "Loyalty2x" type promos.  I didn't benefit from casino comps either.  Purely revenue sailings using the basic framework of the CAS available to everyone. 
Cabins breakdown 25.6% Interior, 16.3% OceanView, 27.9% balcony and 30.2% suite on 21 different ships.  CAS balcony discounts get better as you climb so I was spending less and less time without a balcony as I climbed higher.  Shy of a year cumulative time on board ships to get it done.
Spent around ~$4,000 for Voom along that journey.
People often assume or make the mistake of finding the cheapest interior cabin in fleet and modeling Pinnacle from that.  It would actually be hard and longer to make Pinnacle that way because those super cheap interior rates can't be found consistently.  They vary with season and typically only occur off peak.  To make Pinnacle just on those would take years longer waiting for them to come around.
Find me at bar on a ship someday and we can talk all about it.