twangster

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.    

Casino has its own program that comes with its own perks and offers for more free cruises.  Heads would spin trying to layer that into additional earning of C&A points.  At some point they have to account for every dollar.  What is the cost of a free point based on casino spend when that guest got a free cruise and is already earning C&A points for being on board?
What if I have $400 in OBC and use that on board?  Tracking refundable OBC versus other OBC versus OBC from travel agents versus cash relative to items purchased and tracking costs down to the dollar is not an insignificant effort.  Cruise Planner purchases versus truly on board purchases and keeping track where the money came from sounds easy but it isn't.  
$400 of t-shirts & watches or $400 of artwork or $400 of booze all have different margins and some won't cover the cost of the additional C&A points bundled in.  Royal can hardly handle it now, trying to write a program to track all of that relative to spend to calculate C&A points earned by spend would be a huge undertaking.  
Then guests would get upset.  I used OBC to buy six specialty dinners, why doesn't that qualify?  It's my OBC, it's just like cash.  
Revenue managers on board are accountable to reach revenue targets but now after the cruise is over they have to subtract the cost of C&A points awarded and find themselves short in some areas.  Sounds like a nightmare.
It's slippery slope.  Once you start to deviate from "nights with your head on a pillow" it becomes very confusing for everyone involved.   

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 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.  

The Lulubot would know it. haha

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

Find the elusive Twangbot?  Should we look for a shadow?  Quite the challenge lol

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.    

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.    

? 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.  

? 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.  

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.  

Just tell the school you've come down with some kind of novel cold and need a week or two or four off.  

? 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.  

? 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.  

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.  

Moving away from nights on a ship to credit card spend is a slippery slope.  It's a loyalty program to get people to book more cruises (and the associated revenue from on board spending that follows naturally).  
Once you introduce spend where do you cross the line?  Shore excursion generate revenue but not the margins like dining.  Dining generates revenue but not the same margins as alcohol sales.  Beverage packages are successful now.   For any of these on board revenue sources could they raise prices to cover the cost of C&A points to be included?  If not they are giving away something for free or at a loss. 
Next guests would want t-shirt sales to get points.  Guests would want bingo sales to get points.  Guests would want candy sales to get points.  If I buy $10 worth of gummy bears, how many points do I get?  Does a double espresso get one point or two?  If I'm one point from Diamond and I buy fresh squeezed orange juice three times next cruise will that make me Diamond?  
How come a $79 dining package nets one point but a $700 helicopter excursion only nets 2 points?  If a 3 night dining plan nets one point then that expensive excursion should get 7 points, but those are the points a whole cruise gets.  At some point it can start motivating guests in the wrong way.  I can get more points from a back massage compared to an excursion so let's not do any excursions, instead let's do 4 back massages because it's cheaper per point.  
I lost $2k in the casino.  How many points do I get?

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.  

? 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.  

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.  

? 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.  

I am booked on this cruise so I have direct awareness of what you are seeing.
Juneau was originally on day 3 but now we visit Endicott Arm on day 3.  I had an excursion for Juneau in my cart but I hadn't purchased it yet.  That Juneau excursion remains in my cart for day 3 while the cruise calendar shows us at Endicott Arm on day 3.  
So what we are seeing is that Royal has updated the itinerary to reflect the loss of ISP but they have re-populated excursions for the new itinerary calendar.  They have to check with local excursion providers and verify what they can offer at each port based on what other ships from other lines are in port those days so this exercise isn't as simple as just making the same excursions available on the revised itinerary. 
This is common when an itinerary is changed.  Give it a few weeks and I am confident we'll see excursions re-populate for the revised itinerary.    
PS - I am also disappointed at the loss of ISP but I have been there before and will visit again some other time.  This is the nature of cruising unfortunately.  I'm hoping the extra hour at Dawes Glacier means we can do more than a 180° turn before leaving.  On Explorer we were there longer than on Ovation.  Ovation did a quick turn and left while Explorer turned twice around before leaving.  I'm am hoping that is what Quantum will do with the extra time on the calendar now.

I got a lump of coal in my account!

? 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.