Neo

Alright, Drinkcalc V.2 is ready for testing.  The underlying math is identical but the interface is better due to it being through a different service.
DrinkCalc V.2

Im from the Detroit area in Michigan. Winters here suck, summers here aren't great unless you go up north to see Michigan’s true beauty. I’d take a bad day in St “whatever island” over the greatest day here! ?

Im from the Detroit area in Michigan. Winters here suck, summers here aren't great unless you go up north to see Michigan’s true beauty. I’d take a bad day in St “whatever island” over the greatest day here! ?

We don't gamble at all but if that's what you have to spend in the casino then it's not really a discount is it? 

Just thought I would share a recent experience I had with Club Royale... Just so you know I have been a member since 2011 and even though they have changed dramatically its how I still book all my cruises... So I am already going on the June 29th Mariner cruise that I booked using certificates from Club Royale. My other friends said they wanted to go on the July 13th Mariner sailing and would I like to go. Well I currently don't have any certificates to use as I am also going on the July 21 Harmony sailing so I told my friends I would call Club Royale and if they can give me a decent deal I will do it. So I called this morning and asked what kind of "Casino Rate" I could get on this Mariner sailing. The man said do you have any certificates or offers you would like to use. I said no currently I don't. He then said would you mind holding so I can look into what I can do for you. I said sure and when he came back he said ok good news based on your play I can offer you a Comped Balcony room for 2 and I would only have to pay for taxes and fees. I was pleasently surprised by this as I thought maybe they would take 50% off but no fully comped. They gave me a nice room also right on the hump. Anyway the reason I am sharing this story is I strongly feel it really depends who you get on the phone when you call. If you call club Royale and you don't hear the answer you want call back and see if someone else offers you something better. I got lucky this time and got what I wanted on the first try but I think when it comes to club Royale it takes patience.  I forgot to mention about my play. I play blackjack and bet $50 a hand and play around 6 hours a day. sometimes more sometimes less depends on if I am winning and for a week spend about $2,500- $3,000 which at that level is where I find you start to get some good comps. Feel free to ask me any questions. I just felt I would share a recent experience. - Stephanie  

@Neo  We are absolutely the very same... I could have written this.
I also think vacationing is very subjective and relative.  We all travel/vacation for different reasons, we all have varying WAYS we like to vacation...heck, even MY OWN vacations are all different.  We've done lots of "vacations" over the years and (maybe it's my age and the fact that we will be empty-nesters soon) we are really enjoying cruising.  For the money and the time and the ports and the...everything.  We researched and read this blog and talked to LOTS of friends and family who have cruised, RC and other cruise lines, and decided that RC makes the most sense to us for when we CAN vacation and get to choose a cruise over something else.
Perks, for me anyway, are just that...perks.  Not requirements for me to continue or discontinue cruising.  I'm gonna cruise anyway, and if I get a perk/free drink/etc...yay!  If not, I'm still cruising.

As someone newer to cruising and still only Gold, the thought of loyalty perks is pretty foreign to me.
Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line I’ve personally sailed with, but at the end of the day after having heard hundreds of reviews and talking with friends and family who have sailed other cruise lines, Royal is the only one I’d want to give my money. Disney is too expensive and RC has an excellent experience-versus-cost ratio that fits perfectly for my family.
I’d never consider leaving one company over another due to loyalty rewards, my money and time is better spent seeking out the best bang for my buck and sticking with it for that reason. 

As someone newer to cruising and still only Gold, the thought of loyalty perks is pretty foreign to me.
Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line I’ve personally sailed with, but at the end of the day after having heard hundreds of reviews and talking with friends and family who have sailed other cruise lines, Royal is the only one I’d want to give my money. Disney is too expensive and RC has an excellent experience-versus-cost ratio that fits perfectly for my family.
I’d never consider leaving one company over another due to loyalty rewards, my money and time is better spent seeking out the best bang for my buck and sticking with it for that reason. 

Most of this thread is about perspective and where you have been and where you want to go. My wife and I came over from Carnival and have a whopping 5 points on RC. For the value RC has a better business model than Carnival but they do have drawbacks too. They are a for-profit-organization and that drives their many faceted decisions. They balance that with their business model to make shareholders happy as well as consumers; not an easy task.
I have noticed that if you have been around for many points you have seen things come and go and your perspective can be very different than a newbie like me. Cruising is still a very good way to spend vacation dollars as it has about everything you would want and don't have to do a lot of planning once you board the ship.  Some of my friends say they will never step foot on a cruise ship but they are also the ones that always ask me how it went when I come back.
You guys and gals spend a lot of money on annual cruises and at some point you want to have some perks for all your efforts - I get it as well as does RC, but in the end, their decisions will always be based on profit margins and that is something that can make some people upset and threaten to go cruise somewhere else.
As a newbie I will keep cruising for awhile until I get bored with it, if ever, and I will stick with RC until it doesn't make sense.  I'm 57 so all these perks won't matter too me much since I started so late and only take 1 cruise a year ☹️.
I have learned a lot from the members on RCBLOG and have saved myself countless time and research just based off of the groups discussions. For example - I just did a 5 day cruise on Indy out of Fort Lauderdale and the place I stayed the night before and where I went to eat (La Bamba), beaches at Costa Maya and Cozumel (Nachi Cocom) all came from conversations I have read on this Blog. Good stuff on this board!

As someone newer to cruising and still only Gold, the thought of loyalty perks is pretty foreign to me.
Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line I’ve personally sailed with, but at the end of the day after having heard hundreds of reviews and talking with friends and family who have sailed other cruise lines, Royal is the only one I’d want to give my money. Disney is too expensive and RC has an excellent experience-versus-cost ratio that fits perfectly for my family.
I’d never consider leaving one company over another due to loyalty rewards, my money and time is better spent seeking out the best bang for my buck and sticking with it for that reason. 

I am a cruise nerd.. I am Diamond Plus with 326 points.. Here is what I am excited for.. at 340 points I get a meal with an officer.. I am praying I get this meal.. I want to pick that officer's brain like no other. So im just hoping they don't take that perk away before I get to 340 which I will be getting by Jan for my birthday cruise. Other than that I have no complaints.. I like that I get my nightly diamond drinks and I like getting 2 days of free internet. I don't really care about boarding quicker as I cant always make it to the port before 12 anyways due to work issues. I mean would I love it if they threw in a free meal at chops like how NCL does with Cagney's sure that would be great but because they don't that doesn't make me want to stop sailing with Royal. I think people are getting way to upset with this whole loyalty program. I cruise on Royal because I like their product. I love how innovative their ships are. I love the shows/entertainment on Royal, I love the casino, I love the Unlimited dining package, I love the solariums, and now I also love Coco Cay lol so I absolutely don't keep cruising with them because of their loyalty program to me thats just so silly. But hey everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if the OP is done with Royal because they cant get on the boat fast enough ok no problem more room for the rest of us. 

Have to look at Royal's main competitor, Carnival.  They have been offering Faster To The Fun passes for years now.  If people are basically throwing money at you for access, you can only say no for so long.  Especially when they have shareholders to answer to. 

This blog is the friendliest, most helpful and upbeat source of useful information anywhere! Thank you all. I'm proud to be about to become Loyal to Royal (I think I have to actually take my first cruise in order to qualify.)! But you have answered all my questions . . . . . . so far. ? 

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I took a 3-day cruise on Mariner of the Seas out of Port Canaveral to celebrate our 20th anniversary.  The ship was wonderful as anticipated and I can't believe how nice Perfect Day at Coco Cay was.  The day of debarkation was an unusual experience, however, and I thought I'd share it in case any other nitwits like myself still use a birth certificate instead of just ponying up for passports.  When I scanned my card to leave, Royal Caribbean security told me that Customs wanted to speak with me face-to-face - which was, of course, a weird experience even when you know you don't have anything to worry about.  We were escorted down the gangway and into the terminal, ultimately to the CBP agent waiting all alone in the Pinnacle/Suites line.  He collected our identification and led us to a room marked "Secondary CBP Processing".  Turns out the issue is I have a VERY common first and last name, which happened to match that of someone they were looking for I guess.  The agent said that had I been traveling on a passport it wouldn't have been a worry because they already knew who I was, then politely showed us how to exit the terminal once my identify was verified (I guess they just see your name and that you are traveling on the birth certificate). Needless to say, my next stop is applying for the passport before my next cruise!  That said, it worked out great because we essentially went through the Pinnacle lane and bypassed a huge line, exiting the terminal within 5 minutes.  The agents were very professional and I'm happy they were doing their job, but definitely something I'd rather avoid.

107 days until freedom of the seas!!!  Can anyone confirm if after dinner drinks like Bailey's and sambuca is included in the unlimited beverage package?  Also,  is there a list anywhere of wines by the glass that are also included. 

I thought Carnival was for the Bachelor party types!! Just kidding. I would go with Navigator because there are some nice options in Miami for a Pre/Post cruise party as well.

UPDATE: I just finally spoke with someone who got the final word - the helium balloon is no longer available for pre-booking on the cruise planner. They decided that since it was so dependent on the wind that they wouldn't pre book. Anyone who prebooked will keep their reservation. I had prebooked. In the 30 seconds between finding the new price, canceling my booking and trying to rebook they took it out of the cruise planner.

Or you could just go with the YOLO mentality and keep your booking and add in the GC!  Been there, done that.  @Matt will vouch that I kept saying I could not in any way go on the Anthem GC since I had already booked SY before the AN one was announced.  The cruises are two weeks apart.  Well, guess what I am doing this July...?

I once stayed in a room right off the Centrum on Jewel of the Seas back in 2013 and had terrible noise bleed. Only time that has occurred to me.  Since then, I've cruised Brilliance (sister ship) 4 times and never encountered that problem, but never stayed that close to the Centrum.

I couldn't agree more .... it's one less thing to worry about ..... Besides, I tend to turn a profit by the end of Day 1 ....lol

Love hearing that, thanks!

The Royal Caribbean website can be challenging to work with, especially when trying to book multiple rooms. I never used a travel agent before listening to the Royal Caribbean Blog podcast, but boy oh boy I’m glad I found it.
We just used Michelle with MEI Travel to book connecting staterooms on our next cruise. It was so easy, she is wonderful and so helpful. The rooms we booked were not showing on the website, and we also had similar issues with trying to find multiple rooms on the same deck. Michelle was able to not only find connecting rooms, but gave us multiple options to choose from.
Do yourself a favor and try a travel agent! You only stand to benefit from it and you’ll be so glad you did. You can still use the cruise planner and plan out your entire vacation, the TA just takes all the hard work out of it so you can focus on the fun stuff ??

The Royal Caribbean website can be challenging to work with, especially when trying to book multiple rooms. I never used a travel agent before listening to the Royal Caribbean Blog podcast, but boy oh boy I’m glad I found it.
We just used Michelle with MEI Travel to book connecting staterooms on our next cruise. It was so easy, she is wonderful and so helpful. The rooms we booked were not showing on the website, and we also had similar issues with trying to find multiple rooms on the same deck. Michelle was able to not only find connecting rooms, but gave us multiple options to choose from.
Do yourself a favor and try a travel agent! You only stand to benefit from it and you’ll be so glad you did. You can still use the cruise planner and plan out your entire vacation, the TA just takes all the hard work out of it so you can focus on the fun stuff ??

The Royal Caribbean website can be challenging to work with, especially when trying to book multiple rooms. I never used a travel agent before listening to the Royal Caribbean Blog podcast, but boy oh boy I’m glad I found it.
We just used Michelle with MEI Travel to book connecting staterooms on our next cruise. It was so easy, she is wonderful and so helpful. The rooms we booked were not showing on the website, and we also had similar issues with trying to find multiple rooms on the same deck. Michelle was able to not only find connecting rooms, but gave us multiple options to choose from.
Do yourself a favor and try a travel agent! You only stand to benefit from it and you’ll be so glad you did. You can still use the cruise planner and plan out your entire vacation, the TA just takes all the hard work out of it so you can focus on the fun stuff ??

Second this one, we used them and it was great. Shuttled us from the airport to our Hampton Inn hotel in Cocoa Beach, then took us to the port the following morning, and they picked us up on debarkation day and shuttled us back to the hotel and airport.