StephanieH

Ah, the endless mystery that is the Casino Royale points system.
It's pretty straightforward if you just play slots.  Well, the scoring is more straightfoward-ish.  The comps you get for your play seem to be all over the place.  I'm sure there's some system struggling along valiantly on a 1980s vintage PDP-11 in some high-tech data center (basement closet in a parking garage in Miami) that figures it out.  Or they use tossed chicken bones.  Probably both.
Table play is an exponential increase in scoring vagueness and rewards.  I can sit 4 hours a night playing $50-$100 a hand at blackjack for a week and get an offer for a comped interior room on a 3-5 night cruise... or get a comped JS on a week long one at the end of my cruise.  I don't think they use a fancy basement PDP-11 for this.  Probably a TRS-80 with a fickle cassette tape drive and a Morse code key for the pit boss to input play rating.

My feelings on this is to look at your casino time as entertainment and the cost of that entertainment.  What price are you comfortable putting on an hour of casino time?  Then you just allocate yourself that amount of money to spend. 
You can't really say spending X amount of dollars will get you to a certain level because you don't have an exact idea of how much you are going to win or lose.  It's easiest to track the points on the slots.  It will show you how many points you've accumulated.  It's 1 point for every $5 played.  You insert $100 into the machine and play through it all and you will have 20 points at a minimum.  But you can't calculate how many points you are going to earn as you play on your winnings from that initial $100.
The only sure thing is that if you don't put your SeaPass into the machine you won't get any credit for playing. 

Do not try to understand how club Royal works , quantum physics is easier to understand. Just enjoy the cruise and do not think you owe them anything . Play as long as you heaving fun not to win another cruise . Have fun

Royal Caribbean has not released a schedule for when the next batch of deployments will be released.
More than likely, they will follow the pattern of itinerary releases they have used in the past. Some itineraries announced in late 2019, and the rest in Spring 2020.

If you are even considering any of the group cruises shoot MEI an inquiry for a quote.  The group rate right now for the NYE GC on Freedom is less than half of what the price is on Royal's site.  They get in on the cruise early and snag group rates before they go up.

We end up doing a Pub Crawl, Poker Run ...... All participants put in $5. At every bar, not only do you have a drink, you draw a card ...... at the last bar, you find out who has the best poker hand - that person wins the cash ..... I was fortunate enough to win two years ago w/ 3 Kings ... Nice .

I typically start at the coffee bar for a little baileys ?
You can also get mimosas in the WIndjammer 

You should share with them Matt's podcast #284 - Reasons people avoid going on a cruise (and why they are wrong)   
I'm assuming people who say things like that have never been on a cruise themselves (like my brother in law!).  Don't let them get to you and have a fabulous first cruise and many more to you!

Thanks for the info!
I'm going through my first TA ever actually discovered on this very blog here called MEI Travels.
Love them so far.

Unfortunately, I think this is one of those inconsistencies where the "rule" says one thing, but in practice it's something different. The multiple entree "rule" has only ever been enforced at Chops. 

While not in the Jr suite on Deck 7 - I have done the corner Balcony rooms on this ship on the aft.  Yes there is a little bit of metal in the way, but nothing beats the view of seeing the ship sail away from a location or that color blue of the sea you only get from the back of the ship when moving.  I love this location and this is the deck I typically book when on the aft on this class ship.

Considering the Surf & Stream runs about $13/$14 a day, yes that would be a good deal.  
Just remember you have to get the same drink package for everyone over 21 in your cabin.  So if someone doesn't need an internet code, you should call Royal and order that way so one can get the Deluxe package and the other get the combo.

Forgot to mention that if you buy the Deluxe Drink Package at $49 then your break even point is about 4 cocktails (@ $13 ea) per day.  5 cocktails if you are including gratuity.  Anything over that is gravy!

Stephanie has done a fine job for me and my family also.  Our first MEI experience was the group cruise last November and Stephanie handled ours and my daughter's reservations.  Since then we have booked two additional cruises with her.  The last, just a week ago on the Celebrity Edge.  The day after booking the price went down and when I received my confirmation it reflected the new lower price.  I've found her to be responsive and helpful.
If you ever get the chance to take one of the group cruises do it. Annette does an amazing job organizing the activities and herding the cats.  

Hey there!
We will not have any issues taking something over after the 60 day mark.  It may take a couple of days, but we can accept the transfer and start looking for discounts for you right away!

Stephanie has helped us with our last 4 cruises on RCCL. She has saved us each time and is so easy to deal with. Our latest booking last week for January was great and she took care of the reservations through Casino Royale. It is so much easier letting her do this plus gave us some OBC.

Check out this post from lovetocruise2002:
 

I booked our first cruise ever for this past July last December,  watched the cruise planner almost every day and bought the key for $19.99 and the deluxe beverage package for $49 plus gratuities on Symphony.  I just booked a May 2020 cruise today on harmony today (thanks Stehpanie from MEI) and the key is $37.99 and the deluxe beverage package is $65 before gratuities.  No way I'll pay those prices, so I will be stalking the cruise planner for sure.

I just think it's way too early.  There's no rhyme or reason when things show up in the Cruise Planner.  All of the dining package options have been available for my Oct 2020 sailing since I booked it last Feb, but for my Symphony cruise in Feb 2020 there's still just Jamie's and the 3-night option (and that just showed up last week). Go figure.

It really depends on how full the ship is.  I've had luck changing when there were other cabins available in the category they were assigned to.  Unfortunately if that category is sold out, there's no where to move to and request was denied.
 

Absolutely, yes.
I recommend, and personally use MEI Travel. Note, they are a sponsor of this blog.

Biggest bit of advice I've read about the casino is make sure the host knows who you are.  Talk to him/her about your play, and the size of your bets, and make sure they see you playing.  They will be much more likely to record your play if they know you are part of the casino program.  If you're just another face in the crowd, you may not get any credit.

Last cruise on Symphony had the drink package, they let my daughter go in several times and go to the counter and just get a milk shake (no meal required).  
 

Last cruise on Symphony had the drink package, they let my daughter go in several times and go to the counter and just get a milk shake (no meal required).  
 

don't get me started with chick-fil-a's shakes! oooooo they're amazing.
I alternate from their peach shake and the frosted delight which is milky orange/lemon cream shake.