VillainsGin

That is something I'm definitely going to be trying, thank you for this information! All the bookings also qualify for C&A points as well? I assume every booked cruise where you pay port/tax fees will qualify for C&A points, only ones that do not qualify is when you have a special promo where port/tax fess is waived or covered.

So what you're saying is you can use both the casino royale website AND you can also check offers directly on royal caribbean website which is also for casino royal offer?

i had no idea they had their own separate website, they never advertised or notified me of this. The entire time i thought everything had to be done by contacting them via phone! Thank you!

I guess that's the most anxiety inducing fear I have. Hoping I chose a date that will not get canceled, it's a shame RC won't honor and reschedule the booking. The money on the casino was already spent but if you're unlucky and chose the wrong sailing date that feeling could be devastating. Thank you for your input as always!

I've received an instant cruise certificate from casino royale after meeting whatever their threshold is for "casino points" There was an expiration of exactly 1 month of the date I was awarded the certificate. I went ahead and booked Icon OTS for 7 nights western caribbean almost immediately, no problems there and booking was locked in after I paid port/tax fees over the phone. My Questions: If my booking was cancelled (booking paid before expiration) by royal caribbean will they offer me other similar bookings with icon OTS or do just I just lose out entirely on the comp'd cruise? If I need to reschedule the booking I already paid for after expiration date will they allow me to change to a different sailing date? Any helpful insight or tips/advice much appreciate regarding casino royal program for comp'd cruised! Thanks in advance!

Can you recall the exact location or have address of this place? I’m always roaming outside the tourist area but don’t remember that one!

Unfortunately not retired, I have ways to go working for corporate I take any and all cruise when I can, If possible to forecast I definitely would. Nowadays the furthers I book out to is 6 months and I start lining them up from there.

I personally can't fathom counting down 2 years the anticipation and anxiety would have ended me long before haha. I wish i had the discipline to book years ahead of time for cost effectiveness but society had molded me with instant gratification everywhere.

It never gets old for me, I get extremely giddy and excited for every single sailing. You just can't compare or compete with the vibes and moods of sailing. Everyone is in a great mood because they're on vacation, social interactions are so much more engaging and genuine, hot tubs, buffets, casino, shows, etc. Also something about the smell of the ship cabin and ocean that triggers my nostalgia and serotonin.

I'm fine with RC refunded the full amount paid for the booking but at that point its not about the money. Canceling a cruise 3 days before sailing is absolutely unprofessional if it wasn't for a valid reason. I can't imagine waiting months sometimes over a year, count the days to come and had it cancelled. Trip insurance is the shady part for me since I always opt out of travel insurance. Who do you use or how do you go about getting compensated or cost outside cruise fare like hotel/flight?

I was afraid of the looming facts that supports Los Angeles from being interested at all for expanding the ports. You bring up a good point of the itinerary and ports of visit being limited, even for 7 night sailing I can only imagine us either going up north more or down south more along the coast. I think we represent the minority with the opportunity to sail the same itinerary more than once. This could also be a great option to leverage reduced revenue from logistics/container shipping when it under performs by filling it in with cruising. Regardless of the limited ports of call Los Angeles accommodating for larger ports definitely will bring in more traffic from neighboring states as well. I personally prioritize the amenities and features of a cruise ship over the ports of call, the bigger the ship the more entertainment. Helps when they dock in the various ports of Mexico the new guest gets off the explore and I can take advantage of the empty hot tubs/pools Click bait articles got me all riled up and was hoping for some truth in there.

I'm a bit behind on the news for Los Angeles since I'm already accustomed to flying out towards MIA if i want to sail the larger ships on royal. (symphony/icon/odyssey/etc.) It looks like they're resuming a decade old plan of expanded the ports to accommodate larger cruise ships, if I'm reading it correctly. There's a lot of fluff in between the articles but keywords I was mainly focused on was expanding ports for larger ships. This would be absolutely HUGE news for all the residents of California (myself included) and states neighboring us! I always dread flying to MIA to sail the much larger ships so if these news articles are true does that mean we'll have oasis/quantum/icon class ships eventually calling Los Angeles port!?!? I'm extremely giddy finding out about this, although the news was dated earlier of this year. I've been complaining for about a decade now wishing there was a larger cruise port to accommodate larger royal ships. It helps tremendously with time & money. •Pros to having larger cruise ports • Saves time from coordinating flights to MIA and back. Saves money from all the related cost/fees/taxes that comes with flying/hotels. ( I always book a hotel the night before to give myself enough time before embarkation) Caters to the west coast guest and helps generate more traffic for the state. ~~~Can anyone confirm if they're actually in the works of building larger ports for larger cruise ships?~~~ New sources below: https://maritime-executive.com/article/los-angeles-seeks-input-to-double-cruise-terminals-with-outer-harbor https://www.cruisehive.com/los-angeles-new-cruise-terminal-plan-underway-again/94634 https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/travel/2023/02/16/port-of-la-expands-cruise-services

My attention were in other stocks when everything went on discount during the shutdown but i regret not checking up on RCL during that time. what a steal for $31/share with a 100 shares only costing $3,100!?!? My holding avg is beyond doubled that position nonetheless i'm planning on just leaving 100 shares and forgetting about it as I book more cruise with RCL

PREACH IT! I'm fortunate enough to not prone to any motion sickness and was introduce to cruising at an early age from family vacations. Since then I have not stopped cruising and it has honestly been the ONLY way I vacation now. Cruises gives so much value for your dollar compared to any other way of vacationing it is too hard for me to pass up! Also helps to be an "enthusiast" of casinos with the comp'd cruises!

RIGHT!? I still remembered paying $15/day like it was yesterday! Makes a huge difference when your cruise is 4+ days

Got off Navigator OTS last week and noticed a few guests exiting the parking lot having a verbal scuffle with ticket attendants regarding self-parking prices. Noticed an increased volume of guest doing self-parking since Navigator OTS has been sailing out of Los Angeles so it might be helpful to know. Personally I was not surprised because I remembered (back in the days) when it was at $15/day and I've seen it gradually increase throughout the years up to currently $20/day. Below is some information so you'll know what to expect when paying at the ticket booth towards the end of your trip. (They have ticket attendants standing outside to assist you with paying which is much better than me leaning out the window and fidgeting with the payment panel) (Examples: Navigator OTS 3-Nights $60.00 for parking / Navigator OTS 4-Nights $80.00 for parking) / $20 is charged per overnight your vehicle is parked at their lot. •For Your Information• If you're doing self-parking at: World Cruise Center at the Port of Los Angeles (US LAX) 100 Swinford Street San Pedro, CA 90731 (Harbor Blvd. and Swinford Streets) Self-parking rates have increased to $20.00 per day.

I think that's where we should direct our pitchforks and torches. This is unacceptable! APES TOGETHER STRONG!

I ENVY YOU SO MUCH, i'm over here in Los Angeles so I would have to fly over to MIA to get to enjoy coco cay which can sometimes be excruciating. Although as of recent, navigator of the seas is calling LA its home port which I immediately booked twice lol. Drives me nuts we can't build a larger port here in california for larger ships, we can only accommodate the smaller ones!

For me personally if there was a budget involved the first thing I would determine is not the ship but my current location. Checking to see if you're near or within driving distance of an RCL ship port can save you money. Rules out having to pay additional for flight cost and all the fees/charges that comes with flying. (especially flight coordinating with embarkation & debarkation) Then I would go to RCL's website to look at departure ports and hope they have some options sailing out from there. I love all cruise ships although I leaned towards the ultra mega ships with all their insane features. I'd do some research on the smaller ships departing from ports closest to me and mentally start planning if that's something I can honestly enjoy. As long as the cruise ship has a buffet, hot tub, pool and casino it's a party!

Conflicted if getting in at an absurd position to keep me holding the bag for benefits OR getting in at a discount to enjoy profit and benefits? I see myself cruising with royal caribbean indefinitely but sometimes the price action gets really enticing to sell but once I do its hard to get back in again.

just to clarify, any discounted cruise fare would qualify for OBC just not comp'd cruises in general i.e. BOGO deals, 60% off specials, etc?

Now im interested in getting into this rabbit hole. if a cooler has cords or is battery operate its using electricity to maintain a certain temperature ideally keeping items consistently cooled would it be considered a fridge? my definition of a cooler would be a cordless box essentially not able to keep consistent temperature for long, only serves the purposes of prolonging items for perhaps a few more hours? once it can be powered it changes classifications? I feel like wording here is important since royal caribbean can confuse a lot of guest who do not understand their definition/technicalities of a fridge vs cooler

I'm dumbfounded till this day with the sheer number of cruisers annually that the cruising community stays tightly knit. With millions of cruisers a year I still manage to bump into familiar friends from past cruises. Definitely does make it easier for cruisers to recognize you based off any patterns and distinct aesthetics you have on every cruise. Personally for me I have my designated fanny-pak, gambling charms and you can always find me at the casino on ultimate texas holdem tables every night of the cruise HAHA.

sounds like printing $1 bills is a greenlight, they'll never suspect it. all of a sudden we see a splurge of culprits with thousands of $1 single bills HAHA

unfortunately this is only a suggestion for some people LOL I like to wake up around 8am to soak in the hot tubs then swim in the pool versus the solarium to people watch and I've seen multiple guests place their towels/hats/sunglasses on those chairs around 8am and not return until 12-1pm. pool deck was already filled up around 11am and many guest are just perpetually wandering in hopes for a chair. I try my best to notify attendants but for some reason they never removed their belongings, could it be a liability issue?