Balsam

Generally, the "40lbs" rating is for the magnet attached to a solid, flat piece of steel, and 40 lbs pulling it perpendicular to the steel. e.g. magnet on the ceiling with a 40lb weight hanging from it. As soon as you apply force in any other direction, the load capacity is reduced. I have similar magnetic hooks with a 48lb rating, and struggle to pull them off without any sideways motion.

Please note, I'm not saying the OP is incorrect, but I really don't see WHY RC would upgrade randomly from Balcony to GS? Surely, if they had to upgrade someone to GS, they would select someone that has paid for JS and upgrade them. They would then upgrade someone else from Balcony to JS. This would then mean two bookings would get upgraded, and they would have twice as many people who were very happy instead of one. The whole story just makes zero sense to me, especially since the advent of Royal UP... they could have at lease made a few dollars from someone willing to pay for an upgrade?

Not sure about 90 days out, but for me, once a cruise is booked, the following are checked Daily: Cruise planner prices on everything I might be interested in Flight times for both out and in bound flights for that day I have a spreadsheet for both so I can see how the prices fluctuate on the cruise planner, and also to see how "on time" my flights are historically. As an example, here is the Beverage package for our March cruise on Radiance in AUD: Beverage 27/04/2019 $87.68 24/07/2019 $90.42 12/08/2019 $89.05 30/08/2019 $83.57 $83.57 06/09/2019 $89.05 21/09/2019 $78.09 $78.09 04/10/2019 $83.57 08/10/2019 $72.61 $72.61 20/10/2019 $83.57 29/10/2019 $78.09 27/11/2019 $69.87 $69.87 05/12/2019 $75.35 11/12/2019 $65.76 $65.76 20/12/2019 $69.87 08/01/2020 $65.76 Middle column shows the prices as they changed, with green indicating the low point. Right hand column shows the points at which I purchased, then cancelled and repurchased. Prices in AUD BTW.

The thing to note about this is that not everyone on the cruise has the $18 beverage package, so the staff are not getting completely stitched up. I would think most people on the cruise have either purchased the package at a "normal" price (whatever that is ?), or are paying for their drinks as they go. These people are contributing a "normal" amount to the tips pool for the staff. Let's just try an example with some ball park figures: A seven night cruise on a ship that carries 3000 passengers. Let's say even 10% of them got the $18 bargain. Say they would normally have paid $50 for the package, so they saved $32. This means that instead of $63 in gratuities, they only paid $23, or $40 less they normally would. For 10% of passengers (300), this equates to $12,000 less in the tipping pool. Now let's say there are 1000 crew in the pool. They each get $12 less for that cruise. So... nobody like to lose money, but $12 for the cruise isn't going to send them broke. My figures are VERY ball park, but should give some idea of the impact on the crew.

We did similar last cruise and it worked for us as well. Have made 7:30 reservations for each night of our upcoming cruise with the same intention .

Hang around the pier and watch the Carnival ships?

I would disagree about the drink package. For our next cruise, the DBP has fluctuated from AUD 95 down to AUD 67. There seems (on the outside) to be no rhyme nor reason to the fluctuations, but I have cancelled and repurchased it 4 times so far. I don't think it will drop below 67, but one can always hope.

I look forward to your next update, and I hope it works so I can do it next time.

I've called RCI Australia a few times, with different responses. One that comes to mind was... I had the brilliant idea that I could pay up $2000 AUD in OBC. I could then use this to purchase the beverage package for myself and my partner. If the price of the beverage package then went down, I could cancel, have the OBC instantly refunded, and then purchase at the lower price. The savings would then remain as OBC, which I could use for other purchases, or have refunded at the end of the cruise. Saves having to wait up to two weeks for the credit card refund. The first time I called, I was told that would work, however I would need to call RCI if I wanted to use my pre-paid OBC for cruise planner purchases, as it would not show in the online cruise planner. No problem with that concept from my end. Discussed it with my partner, and we both decided it was the way to go. Rang back the next day to execute the plan, only to be told that purchased OBC could only be used after boarding. Explained what the previous consultant had told me, but no dice. So glad I double checked, or I would have made a big blunder and tied up $2K for nearly a year. Main point... do more online research and don't trust what RCI tell you on the phone.

Looking at this flyer, it doesn't look promising for Spectrum passengers (unless "SC" is another vessel?) http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Promotions/Snapshot_of_CruisePlanner_Offers.pdf

Did this on Voyager back in March. One code, and if four devices were signed in and a fifth tried to sign in, it was simply blocked... it did not bump one of the existing devices.

The vegan menu doesn't appeal to me either, but it is good to know RC can pretty much cater for anyone without impacting on others. I would hate to see the number of real food options on the menu suffer to accommodate vegans, but this shows everyone can be a winner... if only land based restaurants could do the same.

Very interesting topic... I'm an ex-smoker (about 8 years now), however people smoking around me has never been an issue. On our last Voyager cruise out of Singapore, I visited the casino quite a few times. My partner ( another ex-smoker, but she now hates smoke) did not visit anywhere as much as I did. The smoke didn't put me off, however, by about day four, I had developed a cough. Didn't think much of it until my partner suggested it may be due to all the smoke in the casino. Didn't visit the casino for the next two days and the cough disappeared. Our next cruise is Radiance out of Sydney, so there is no smoking in the casino, and I'm actually very happy about that idea. All land based casinos in Australia have been non smoking for many years, and none of them have gone out of business.

Just a couple of comments for this thread.... I'll start by clarifying that I have never worked for RCI, but I did work in the casino game for twenty years, with some of that time on another cruise line. Your buy in will make zero difference to your rating. Your win/loss will make zero difference to your rating. On table games, the only thing that counts is average bet and time played. Depending on how they actually work out the average bet, you should increase when you see the inspector or pit boss watching... that's if the figures are entered manually by the staff. In some cases, casinos base the rating on the table minimum you are playing, so playing $25 per hand on a $10 table will not earn you the same points as playing $25 per hand on a $25 table. I don't know if RC is one of those or not.

Stay away from Northbridge on a Saturday night.

I don't keep a tally of drinks (and I'm normally a spreadsheet guy!) as I'm sure we get more than our money's worth. As noted, a fresh juice and a decent coffee with breakfast, a couple of bottles of water to take ashore, a pre dinner cocktail, a wine or two with dinner, an evening cocktail and finally, two bottles of water to take back to your room will probably at least break even with the package cost. That's a day in port. If you have a sea day, add in a wine or beer with lunch and a couple of cocktails or beers in the afternoon, and you're well in front. So on a sea day, my example has 6 alcoholic beverages over a 10 hour period, so you certainly wouldn't be falling down drunk like some people suggest you need to be if you want value, and a port day has only four alcoholic drinks. If the idea of four alcoholic drinks in a day has you aghast, then the beverage package isn't for you, and you should just pay as you go. At the end of the day, if you only just break even, you also take into account the intangibles... no worrying about your drinks bill at the end of the cruise, and being able to try different drinks without worrying about whether you'll like them or not. BTW, those examples were rather conservative ? ????

Interesting how your Rolex changes colour... is it the light, or do you have two?

If he were Australian, at 18, he can do anything a 30 year old can do... but he can't buy a gun without a license. If he was on a cruise from anywhere in the world except the US, he could do anything a 30 year old can do on the ship.

Interesting.... I've never actually booked a cruise on Royal's website. I have, however, made many, many mock bookings, and every time I've selected "You pick your room" as I simply don't like the idea of a guarantee room. In every case, after selecting this, I was given the option to look at deck plans and select the room of my choice. I can therefore understand that if this didn't happen for the OP, he is now rather frustrated. I don't buy the concept of "maybe there was only one room left" as when it gets to that stage, Royal will generally remove the option to pick your own room and all you can book is a guarantee (in my experience anyway). From this, I think a few people here have been very harsh on the OP.

Is he worried he won't be able to lose them?

Not sure if it is the same on sailings from various countries, however a friend did exactly that on the first day of our cruise from Singapore recently. She had the refreshment package, and one of the crew approached her on the first day (while we were still in port) and offered her a deal to upgrade, which she accepted. Apologies, but I can't recall the pricing.

Just a question to people doing this research.... Have you checked the "gratuities" on UK vs US pricing? I looked at US pricing and thought I was getting ripped off on the Australian site... until I realised the Aussie price included the gratuities and the US one did not. I'm not sure how it works with the UK pricing.

Just did 8 nights on Voyager. MTD and ate in MDR 5 nights. Had same two waiters 4 of those nights. Gave them US 5 each three nights and US 10 each last night. Not based on what we "should" give, more on the fact that they provided very good service. Note that we are Australian, so therefore not inclined to tip unless the service warrants it.

I actually like the NCL idea.... "Here are 5 things that other lines charge you extra for. We charge a bit more, but you get to pick three of them.". As everyone has different priorities, everyone gets to pick the ones that they want. Personally, things like overprices photos that will go home and sit in a drawer are a waste for me. Shore excursion credits are a waste if you use third party tours anyway. Beverage packages on the other hand are always welcomed ? along with dining and internet. A cruise line could take the whole concept further and add in options like arcade or casino credit, ship tours or programs like "The Key".

Well that's another possibility I suppose. I didn't factor that in as I've never worked in a casino where dealers could accept tips, let alone just take them without asking.