Wilson

Our bid showed pending until the second day of the cruise! LoL

We are D+ and had to factor in our 5 “free” C&A drinks on our current 5 night cruise. Price for DX was $66. Do we normally drink more than 5 when cruising? Yes, but not more than would exceed $66 each. We are in port two days and both will be at an all-inclusive resort. No chance that we will exceed the 5 C&A drinks those two evenings. We carried on 2 bottles of wine and a case of water as well.
Going into this 02/09 sailing the decision was already made to skip the DX package.(first time since offered)
A few months after booking the price dropped significantly on Grand Suites. We upgraded and now alcohol is complimentary in the suite lounge between 5-8pm. We did not exceed our 5 free drinks yesterday, so $0 alcohol on invoice.
It’s a sea day so we will see how it works out today  😂 

 

We are D+ and had to factor in our 5 “free” C&A drinks on our current 5 night cruise. Price for DX was $66. Do we normally drink more than 5 when cruising? Yes, but not more than would exceed $66 each. We are in port two days and both will be at an all-inclusive resort. No chance that we will exceed the 5 C&A drinks those two evenings. We carried on 2 bottles of wine and a case of water as well.
Going into this 02/09 sailing the decision was already made to skip the DX package.(first time since offered)
A few months after booking the price dropped significantly on Grand Suites. We upgraded and now alcohol is complimentary in the suite lounge between 5-8pm. We did not exceed our 5 free drinks yesterday, so $0 alcohol on invoice.
It’s a sea day so we will see how it works out today  😂 

 

Next week will be the first time to sail without the DX. Will enjoy our 5 "free" Diamond Plus drinks. It's a 5 night sailing and going to all-inclusive resorts at both stops. We will definitely not exceed that on port days. I am sure we will drink more than the 5 on sea days but will not be worth $66 (+18% grats). This is a test and I think in the end we will be far under $778 that the DX would cost us.
If this works out, we might give it a try on our April 7 night sailing. I find myself getting drinks on night 6, and especially night 7, that I would not normally consume in an attempt to "get my money's worth".

Remember, the numbers they talk about is across all companies, not just RCI. And it's an average, so you're going to have higher and lower.

I have never seen pre-packaged food on the ship other than candy. I know that fruits and vegetables are a big no no. We carry off bottled water and then sample some local food. If you just need a snack, pack some peanut butter crackers or some peanuts in your luggage and then take ashore to hold you over.

Next week will be the first time to sail without the DX. Will enjoy our 5 "free" Diamond Plus drinks. It's a 5 night sailing and going to all-inclusive resorts at both stops. We will definitely not exceed that on port days. I am sure we will drink more than the 5 on sea days but will not be worth $66 (+18% grats). This is a test and I think in the end we will be far under $778 that the DX would cost us.
If this works out, we might give it a try on our April 7 night sailing. I find myself getting drinks on night 6, and especially night 7, that I would not normally consume in an attempt to "get my money's worth".

Been playing for about 4 years and have never been overcharged. I have spent less than $10 and have received about $1000 in onboard credit. I had a free cruise also, but I had to cancel because of a work conflict. They refunded my loyalty points. I don't play every day but when I do it's for less than 5 minutes.

Wowza! Hope you snagged the deal. Going to check all my current reservations. I know next weeks is showing $66. Pass.

Highly recommend that you do a mock booking and see what it would cost to pay for an upgrade. Two weeks ago, it was less expensive to do that than place the minimum bid. The bid process is handled by a third party that gets a commission for booking empty cabins. We have also discovered that some cabins are not even available and still taking bids. I guess this third party hopes someone cancels and they can fill it and cash in. Personally, I would not pay or bid more than $100 to upgrade if I was solo. When do you sail? We are on Adventure 02/09.

Covid. They would love to sail with cabins full of guests. They are losing money when they sail below 60%. I have sailed 3 times since start and going again next week. Although I enjoy no crowds, no lines and no issues getting a pool lounger, I hate that our amazing crew is potentially missing out on much needed AND well deserved gratuities.  I miss the Quest, pool games, disco parties and the energy on the Promenade.  

Covid. They would love to sail with cabins full of guests. They are losing money when they sail below 60%. I have sailed 3 times since start and going again next week. Although I enjoy no crowds, no lines and no issues getting a pool lounger, I hate that our amazing crew is potentially missing out on much needed AND well deserved gratuities.  I miss the Quest, pool games, disco parties and the energy on the Promenade.  

If you can leave on short notice and get covid test done today or tomorrow, there is a "free" 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise leaving out of Barbados on 02/06.
@BrandonOwen grab the clubs and go!

Like just about anything in life WE set the price that companies charge for packages like this.  
If people are willing to pay they'll keep charging that rate.  If collectively WE don't buy something at their price point they will eventually lower the price.  
As long as people are paying they will continue to accept people's money.
The deluxe drink package isn't required to have a great cruise.  If the math doesn't work for you, don't buy it.

Highly recommend that you do a mock booking and see what it would cost to pay for an upgrade. Two weeks ago, it was less expensive to do that than place the minimum bid. The bid process is handled by a third party that gets a commission for booking empty cabins. We have also discovered that some cabins are not even available and still taking bids. I guess this third party hopes someone cancels and they can fill it and cash in. Personally, I would not pay or bid more than $100 to upgrade if I was solo. When do you sail? We are on Adventure 02/09.

On our Thanksgiving B2B on the Indy, they had NFL games on the poolside big screen, English Pub and Playmakers (naturally). Ms Seafarer and I can't recall if they had commercials or not.  Last year, we went to Key West and watched the game harborside at Dante's, since we couldn't get on a ship. Next month, we'll be hanging out at Playmakers on the Odyssey. Hoping to see your Packers in the SB. I'm sure the Buc and Cowboy fans will disagree.
BTW--great re-use of resources, as this post hasn't been updated in nearly 4 years!!!
 

We watched it from the pool deck in Mariner in 2019.  
 
As mentioned back a few posts, they refer to it as “The Big Game”. 

OMG thanks for this info. Wife anticipates her Packers going all the way and said to cancel our 02/09 cruise if it was not shown onboard. 

OMG thanks for this info. Wife anticipates her Packers going all the way and said to cancel our 02/09 cruise if it was not shown onboard. 

I always get travel insurance, especially after my cousin broke his neck while in Jamaica. It's a small price to pay for peace of mind. To give you an idea of costs, his medflight from Jamaica back to Florida was $30000 that had to be paid out of pocket.

Yes, there will be plenty of spots onboard to watch the game.
Usually the game is shown in a theater or large venue. 
 

Will not be a problem. They did not even ask for state ID. Showed them Sea Pass card. 

Thx for posting. Shocked that some are still available. If not on Symphony the first week of November I would be all over this. 

There are a few cruises up on My Vegas right now. All are in the month of November

I have a few, but was told “what happens on the RC Blog group cruise, stays on the cruise ship”!