Cez

There is a discount onboard   It is for D+/Pinnacle.  Irecall a fellow passenger asking for the discounted rate when she was at the bar on embarkation day and receiving it.  The bartender had a “cheat sheet” that showed the various discounts, and total cost.  
when I started this response I thought it was for Diamond  on up, but I did find it in my photos, and modified my post.  Keep in mind this was a price list from last fall.
 

Hubbard glacier doesn't really matter as they spin in place giving everyone a view.
Most people prefer starboard on northbound and port on starboard as you have somewhat more of a view of land.
Either side works well though as you spend most of your time sailing among islands. 

Inquiring minds want to know...What happened?

I second @Blulady opinion. If Central Park is not a must for you, Quantum class is much more attractive. Just make sure that you’ll fully use 270 🙂

I drive Uber and Lyft and private ride service at Port Canaveral and as long as your outside in the pick up area around 8am you will make it to MCO with no issues. The only issues we ever have is accidents along the Beachline or an early rocket launch.

We used Cruise Control Shuttle Service.  Inbound & outbound.  A seamless process overall.  I'm so glad we didn't dick around with driving ourselves or trying to find an Uber.  They upgraded us to a Suburban on the first leg at no additional cost.  But both vehicles were clean and comfortable.  Will use again. 

Absolutely true.  If you are trying to get to [at least] Prime, play the slots until you get there.  Both Dan and I HATE slots but when we were on the ship the first time to try and accumulate points, we sucked it up and played slots.  It is the fastest and most "honest" way to get there.  Tables games ratings is completely arbitrary and depends upon the pit bosses' observations.  It is an awful system for rating....but the slots are very quantitative and are the fastest and surest way to get to your goal.  BTW, we haven't touched a slot machine since we originally qualified which was many MANY years ago.

I don’t see a downside since there is no added expense.
 If you could do a back to back and do shared cabins you get a longer time cruising for your 14 points (assuming a 7 day cruise) for the cost of the additional week of port fees and taxes and gratuities for two….of course that probably also means additional days of gambling too! 😂

I have!

That doesn’t sound good…
😏

On my first visit to the casino, I usually go to the host desk to see if there are any rewards promotions posted for the cruise…and to check the current points reward levels. They very rarely change, but I like to make sure. Plus, I like to say Hi to the host on duty. Always a pleasure!

I usually do slots. This is the easiest way to keep track of my points. Five dollars in equals one point. Sometimes I am lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time at a machine without having to put in much money. Win some, lose some…balance goes up, balance goes down…but I accumulate points every time I press that button. If the machine doesn’t give me much play for my money, I’ll move on to another. Plus, there’s always the possibility of getting a nice win each time I spin. I like the entertainment and the anticipation. I usually just charge to my room (credit card on file) on the slot machine’s keypad because there is no fee either from Royal or my credit card. Sometimes when I get a nice payout, I go to guest services and apply my winnings back to my room account.
I always make sure my card is registered and my play is accumulating. It seems sometimes during a long bonus play or free spin period, the card times out. At the end of my play time, I check my points before leaving the machine. Occasionally, prior to leaving the casino, I’ll go to the host desk and confirm my points have registered. Usually, a certificate will be delivered to my cabin offering money off my next cruise. Sometimes, I’ll just check my offers online when I get home. Either way, I never had a problem applying the certificates to any new or existing reservation. Good luck!

I just became diamond and I’m prime.  I pick up a drink in the casino then head to the show.  I fill my room up with bottle water from the casino.  That leaves my diamond drinks for the casino closed times.  You would have to be a serious drinker to make the drinking package worth it!  

Throw in Prime and you really do not need the UDP.

I disagree. Not the same as mushrooms soup since you have other choices. 

In this case it is like building cruise terminal in the middle of nowhere and include transportation from airport. 
After gathering clients, announce that you are not offering transit anymore but you made arrangements with independent provider and they will transfer your clients from $210 per person. If clients made non refundable too bad for them. 

Please don't give CDC any ideas.

I’m really hoping this is the beginning of the end of this frickin virus. At least the pandemic part of it. Really hope all those infected with Omicron get long lasting immunity to future variants. It’s the only way out of this black hole

I get that Royal wants to offload cost and burden of those tests. This is understandable, but they should meet clients halfway. Charging over $ 210 per PCR test simply disguised me. 
Worksitelabs near airports are doing those test for $90 and still making money. 
Royal could find/negotiate less expensive solutions for their clients who travel from far to cruise with them. Adding over 840 USD for family of 4 on top of expensive flights is discouraging. 

Incorrect. It was part of the service offered by RCL for international travelers. Of course they could stop this offer at anytime but for the clients that made their reservation based on the fact that this costly service will be provided for them, RCL should either offered compensation or full refund with no strings attached. 

I disagree. Not the same as mushrooms soup since you have other choices. 

In this case it is like building cruise terminal in the middle of nowhere and include transportation from airport. 
After gathering clients, announce that you are not offering transit anymore but you made arrangements with independent provider and they will transfer your clients from $210 per person. If clients made non refundable too bad for them. 

Incorrect. It was part of the service offered by RCL for international travelers. Of course they could stop this offer at anytime but for the clients that made their reservation based on the fact that this costly service will be provided for them, RCL should either offered compensation or full refund with no strings attached. 

The US does require a negative Covid test to get back into the US from other countries.  It must be done within 24 hours of flying back.  This will impact my European cruise, where we get off the ship at some ungodly hour, have a 2 hour trip to the airport and somehow must get testing done before boarding our flight  I don't know why some people seem to be placing the blame on the Canadian government.  People booked cruises knowing they had testing (like I did) and that Royal would assist them to get home.  Royal has pulled the rug out from under it's passengers.  I will be evaluating all this prior to my final payment being due to see where I stand-thankfully I have time to do so.

Incorrect. It was part of the service offered by RCL for international travelers. Of course they could stop this offer at anytime but for the clients that made their reservation based on the fact that this costly service will be provided for them, RCL should either offered compensation or full refund with no strings attached. 

Cruising during the restart won't be for everyone.  This policy change is a serious downer for any foreign (non-US) cruiser leaving from a US port but it is exactly the kind of last minute policy change that can occur during the restart.
For me the clear solution is to request a refund and accept no other outcome.
Many of us have stories to tell of something that didn't go our way because of the pandemic both on sea and on land well apart from cruising.  At the end of the day the virus is to blame for so much impact in so many ways.
Sorry the latest variant and reactions from governments around the world has impacted your cruise but sadly that is life during a pandemic.  Take the money and try again, or not, when you are more comfortable and hopefully we are all dealing with less impact.    

BTW: When I was doing my reservations I specifically asked if complimentary Covid testing is provided onboard and the answer was yes. So it is not policy change but simply removal of the service. If they don’t want to refund your deposit you should at least try to get onboard credits. I will be calling them for sure. 

BTW: When I was doing my reservations I specifically asked if complimentary Covid testing is provided onboard and the answer was yes. So it is not policy change but simply removal of the service. If they don’t want to refund your deposit you should at least try to get onboard credits. I will be calling them for sure.