Jjohnb

All I’m gonna say is if Royal gets rid of the D drinks there will mass outrage! Going to find my torch and pitchfork right now just in case 😂

Bit concerning that it already needs repairs to one of it's Azipods

Do you pay double gratuity as a solo cruiser?
Be careful what you wish for...
 

Oh well I'm glad they charging 2 people 12 grand for an inside cabin in Icon and then also cutting costs on branding. I mean why not just cut every cent out of it makes the CEO more money his stock options are worth more. 

Looks like Ben & Jerry's has been "Liberty'd"

Looks like Ben & Jerry's has been "Liberty'd"

Good morning all,
We have not yet been on RCL but are booked in an OV gty on the Icon for Sept 7th and cannot wait.  We have what is looking like a great rate.  We were assigned a cabin very soon after booking and thought all was good.  However yesterday I received the following email from RCL:
Dear Guest,
We are thrilled to welcome you onboard Icon of the Seas for our September 7, 2024 sailing.
It's an exciting time onboard, as we put the finishing touches on our brand new ship and go over every detail to ensure our guests have an amazing vacation. After an accommodations review, we've noted that some staterooms, including yours, will be re-purposed for crew travel. As such, we're automatically relocating you to a new stateroom with like-for-like accommodations as purchased.
We're sorry for the last-minute change and to help make up for this unexpected change, you'll receive a $50 USD Onboard Credit, per stateroom. These credits will be applied to your onboard account once you board and are not refundable.
Please know, there's no action necessary on your part. In the coming days, you and your Travel Advisor will receive an updated booking invoice reflecting your new stateroom details. If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately or contact us at:
Generally, we are people that go with the flow and don't stress over much, but with the recent overbookings and the seemingly ridiculous pricing of everything RCL we are a little nervous.  Why would they need rooms for crew members?  I've never heard of crew traveling in an OV room.  As it stands now, the website is still showing our previous room assignment.  Has anyone else received this letter or received anything similar in the past?
TIA.

Sugar Beach has been a new venue added to a couple of new ships now.  Should be no surprise, they are getting rid of 3rd parties that have fees associated with using their name and replacing them with similar venues that have no "relationship" fees.  
This has been a trend now for some time.  The licensed Dreamworks characters, Michael Swartz Pubs and 150 Central Park menu, Johnny Rockets on some ships, Broadway shows and now Ben and Jerry's.  
If they do install full Sugar Beach venues to replace B&J it does open it beyond just ice cream.  

I don't think it's a forgotten class because you hear enough about Anthem and Odyssey. 
I did Odyssey and I am doing Quantum for Alaska in 2024, but in all honesty this class doesn't rank high. The esplanade and general layout leave a lot to be desired imho. 

Deck count isn't precise.  Some lines publish the number of public decks that are open for the public to use and some ships start their public decks at 4 or 5 versus another line that starts counting at deck 2.

Air draft numbers are hard to find. Oasis is supposedly 236 feet which can be retracted down to 213 feet with the telescoping funnel to get under those NYC bridges.

I think it will still be worth it and congrats.
 

Who really knows at this point, but I have read elsewhere that it will be determined by the seniority of the top Pinn in the stateroom, and that anyone booked in that same room will be eligible to join him/her regardless of their C&A status.  So I think your latter hypothesis will be the correct one.
I understand your concern.  It’s very real.  

My question is actually the way it's worded. When they say top 30 pinnacle bookings, does that mean the top 30 "people" or actual "bookings". So for example, that allowed number could be 60+ if they are counting the actual bookings. It's confusing.
The other sad realization that I am coming to, is for the D+ people like us, who are slowly trying to climb that ladder, is there even a point anymore? By the time I get there in a few years, will Pinnacle benefits be so watered down that it won't really matter? Just thinking out loud cause I know that this forum is my safe place to do that, not like those other places out there.

Yep. That’s pretty much what I expect.  It looks like access to the CK will be completely denied to the “below 30” even for lunch and dinner which totally sucks for us.  At least they’re giving us a breakfast venue.

i wonder if they will do this for oasis class ships with CK as well or just the lounge?

Just to provide a bit of intel, this sailing on Indy (11-6-23) is restricting access to the Crown Lounge during Happy Hour (5:30-8:00) to D+ and Pinns.  Diamonds can go into the Crown Lounge any other time, but not during HH.  IMO, this will be a permanent change on all ships going forward.
 
Adjacent topic - Pinns are NOT being restricted from the Suites Lounge on this sailing. I also believe that the “top 30 Pinns” in the SL will be a permanent policy.   My guess is that there are fewer than 30 Pinns on this sailing, so basically every Pinn qualified but I look to be restricted from using the SL whenever there are 30 or more Pinns on any given sailing b/c we will be low man on the totem pole for a good while.  I guess we’ll see.

Congratulations! 

We used to get a chair at the pool and slip into the pool often.  There are now "chair hogs" and "chair cops", neither of which fun to vacation with.  We no longer use pool chairs.

Congratulations! 

We boarded Mariner on 10-13-21 and our welcome letter says nothing about limiting access to Diamonds any time of the day/night.  This week, due to the number of Pinns onboard, Pinns are not permitted into the Suites Lounge but next week (our first week as Pinns), we will be allowed in !  Yippee !  Forgive the sideways image.
 

This sign would've been float tested if I had seen it :)

Do we know this person is actually being a chair hog? Or are they just being creative so that when they do step away, people don't assume?

The pandemic losses/debt are forcing them to downsize to James Van Ship. 😏

Wow...@Brianb, you must be my long-lost brother !  We sound very much alike re: our cruising habits.  Not sure why the "tag" feature isn't working.....