Rob&Ana

Too many generalizations.....I know many Pinnacle Members that only cruise in Suites, to have sailed 700 days deserves perks and that's why RC have the most repeat customers and the most high cruising passengers. The whole reason Diamond Members got access to the CL back in the day started because the Suites were not using the lounge....they sat empty....CK is the same, many times they limit Pinnacle Members access....then it sits empty and they start booking the Pinnacles again....
I don't think Royal  has created a problem, they created an amazing business model that fills there ships with a diverse population and each year the build another ship and fill it too....this in part is there loyalty program....and they way many many people chase points to the next level.....it's actually quite genius.
I'm not so sure a Suite generates more revenue....it's the passengers that actually generate the revenue and it's easy to see that volume works with revenue generation because the ship have been carrying more and more passengers. Lets look at this way...... Suite is 500sqft (Premium Realestate plus perks) and 2 people pay $6000 or to have 3 Interior rooms at 150sqft (space that cant be used for anything more than storage, no perks) that pay $2000 each cabin (2 passengers)...so 450sqft brings in $6000 plus you have 4 extra people to buy drinks, shopping, tours and specialty restaurants...I think the sweet spot is about 5000 passengers….
I think Royal know exactly what it's doing and that's why they own a few different brands, Celebrity, Azamara, Silver Seas etc. each one has it's following and cliental.
Just my 2 cents.
 

I haven’t noticed any free snakes so far but the O class ships offer snacks throughout the day.  On non-Oasis Class ships the snacks are limited to a few hours in the morning and at the happy hours around dinner time.  I’ll keep my eyes open for the snakes though.  I will want to know if anyone else sees them. 
???

^^^+1
To me, the Diamond Lounge is like a refuge from the chaos.

Congratulations it really is the best perk Royal offers in my opinion....access to the Diamond Lounge. Inside you will meet some great people, they offer a breakfast in the morning, snacks throughout the day and a great social event for 3 hours in the evening with drinks and appetizers. There is a great espresso machine for lattes all day and the lounge is available 24/7 for you to enjoy, read a book and the view from many Diamond Lounges is amazing. You will also have access to the Diamond Concierge who can help you with many things and save you so much time as you will never need to go to guest services....
Enjoy your new status!
 

Congratulations it really is the best perk Royal offers in my opinion....access to the Diamond Lounge. Inside you will meet some great people, they offer a breakfast in the morning, snacks throughout the day and a great social event for 3 hours in the evening with drinks and appetizers. There is a great espresso machine for lattes all day and the lounge is available 24/7 for you to enjoy, read a book and the view from many Diamond Lounges is amazing. You will also have access to the Diamond Concierge who can help you with many things and save you so much time as you will never need to go to guest services....
Enjoy your new status!
 

Congratulations it really is the best perk Royal offers in my opinion....access to the Diamond Lounge. Inside you will meet some great people, they offer a breakfast in the morning, snacks throughout the day and a great social event for 3 hours in the evening with drinks and appetizers. There is a great espresso machine for lattes all day and the lounge is available 24/7 for you to enjoy, read a book and the view from many Diamond Lounges is amazing. You will also have access to the Diamond Concierge who can help you with many things and save you so much time as you will never need to go to guest services....
Enjoy your new status!
 

Wow it's nice to know people are paying attention and are ready to act when an Emergancy arises. Good Job!

We have done the drive but the inverse, Newark (very close to cruise port) to Baltimore cruise port and it took us just under 4 hours but we stopped for gas (was a rental and needed to return it full) it was a simple trip so you should be fine for 11am even with parking. I think we took 95 all the way.
Enjoy your cruise!
 

That would be awesome, I love to play the slots but my time is limited by the smoke smell (Sometimes it's limited because I run out of money....). I think it was on Grandeur that they had these smoke eaters...kind of a humidifier looking thing that filtered the air, they had 5 or 6 of them in the casino and it was better but NO SMOKING would be best.

The Jewel is an awesome ship, it's a smaller than the Voyager Class....no Promenade... but the ship is very well appointed. 
One big plus is the indoor pool and solarium, sometimes in northern Europe the weather can be cold so this is nice to have on those days. The Jewel is the same size as the Norwegian Gem (90,000 Tonnes) and has lots of thing to do and a beautiful centrum where they host a lot of events. The northern Europe cruises are very port intense so you will be kept busy. Another thing I love about the Jewel is it has an outside eating area just behind the Windjammer so you can have lunch outside with an amazing view from deck 11 if the weather is nice.
I am sure you will have a great time aboard the Jewel of the Seas.
Enjoy your cruise!

And you can also get a beer, wine or a soda from the SL if it's an Oasis Class ship

My wife accompanied her mother on a cruise 14 years ago and enjoyed enough to book a cruise for us the following year.  We haven't lost our love for it.

I guess that's their way of justifying not taking a cruise....
You will be able to give them first hand info when you get back!
Enjoy your cruise!

It's a great thing to be addicted too, a bit expensive but well worth it. Enjoy!

I vote for a Chocolate Martini....mmmm very addictive
Enjoy your cruise!  you'll love the Suite Lounge on Liberty, the espresso machine is nice too, it's available all day....

I guess that's their way of justifying not taking a cruise....
You will be able to give them first hand info when you get back!
Enjoy your cruise!

I could think of thousands of things that is far worse than being addicted to cruising haha

It's a great thing to be addicted too, a bit expensive but well worth it. Enjoy!

I'll be shoving photos and videos full of adventure and smiles in their faces
Perhaps a powerpoint presentation or chromecasting my fun on the TV.
Thanks but I still have 130+ days left to go ?

I guess that's their way of justifying not taking a cruise....
You will be able to give them first hand info when you get back!
Enjoy your cruise!

Different people have opinions about everything, thats whats great ,we are allowed to have opinions.  Personally I have opinions about certain types of travel, hotel brands, specific places in the world etc.  The great thing is they are just that, my opinions and other people can have their own and we should all be able to get along happily ever after. :)

True, if you are a citizen of Australia.  The rest pay.  
From your article:
The new travel authorization and tourist tax affects U.S. citizens visiting New Zealand starting October 1, 2019. All international visitors—except for Australians—will be charged NZD$35 (about US$23) per person. The government hopes that this new tax will bring in an additional NZD$57-$80 million (US$39-$54 million) a year. The new tax will be collected during your eTA application and also will be valid for up to two years and multiple visits to New Zealand. Where it gets more complex is when you apply on the government of NZ's website.  There is no "cruise ship" category.  The cost is actually higher than $23 USD because you are required to pay the conservation fee ($70 USD) as well.  Transit passengers like if you land and fly out the same day don't have to pay the conservation fee which is clearly targeted at cruise ship passengers.  
Note - it's a work around by not calling it a VISA, it's an eTA.  U.S. Citizens are not required to have a VISA, but we sure need an eTA and we get to pay the conservation tax as well.  

There is a $10 charge.   They are saying it is limited to 1 entree per restaurant, but you can go to multiple restaurants.  The cruise planner is very specific about multiple entrees and multiple restaurants, but I guess they are treating them like the seafood tower at chops.  Since there would be an extra charge the fine print overrides the description. 

i was sick of CHOPS and GIOVANNIS on Allure 7 night UDP.  I was wishing i could get some Tutti salad from the MDR for Lunches (I know i could have but to me it felt like i was leaving money on the table).

Fast Track Boarding...Fail #2!
One of the reasons I wanted to get off today was to check out Fast Track Boarding again. Today Royal got it correct in that the first gangway (coming back to the ship) was dedicated to Fast Track Boarding.  Here is the signage for it. 


This was about all Royal got correct. ?
For research purposes, I asked the crew member at the podium how it works. If guests who qualify for Fast Track Boarding would by pass the lines coming back, or if guests who don’t qualify would have to use the other gangway? The crew member at the podium had no clue. I pointed to the sign and he said, “Oh that, that is nothing. It doesn’t mean anything.”  Ok, classic Royal. Let’s roll out something and not give everyone the memo. 
Upon our return to the ship, the lines were quite long at the Fast Track Boarding gangway, obviously because this was now the first gangway.  We got in line and did not notice them re-directing anyone or giving anyone priority. After we got to the podium, we asked another crew member about the process. He too said, “Oh no, you just get into line with everyone else.”  So Fast Track was slow track today.