VillainsGin

Symphony of the Seas, 7 nights!!!!
 
What about you!?

I'm playing it safe by printing it out and having my app. You never know what may happen to your phone or papers!

I noticed no one mentioned miami vice.
I don't know why but in order to feel like a vacation I would always go for the "vacation-type" drinks to set the mood for me.
There's a lot of drinks mentioned on this thread I definitely added to my list for my cruise in Jan, 2020 now that I know more than miami vice haha.
Usually I drink beer or have most of my harder stuff neat, but for a cruise I like to get tropical or vacation-like vibe.

That’s how we came to have B2B Star Class cruises on Anthem in Feb. Those were our 2 annual Prime cruises that we upgraded to SC.  Those were our 2028-2019 Prime cruises. For our 2019-2020 Prime cruises I squandered Dans on a 4 night NAV cruise b/c we ran out of vacation !  Mine will be used for another 8 nighter on Anthem again but no SC this time ??

You must use both.  You absolutely want to give them your Seapass card if you are looking to be compensated. If you just play without having them swipe your card you will get no credit.

8 nights on a small ship vs 7 nights on one of the Oasis class ships?  

Ordering room service breakfast and enjoying it on your balcony.

Very nice summary....and 100% accurate.

Husband and I went on our one and only Royal cruise in late June - early July and he earned Prime status on the last night of the cruise. He  left the casino in the wee hours of that night  (morning, really) with the cruise certificate in his hand. On the back of the certificate is a list of cruises - some as short as 4 nights (I believe) and some as long as 7 nights. There may have been 1 8-night cruise as well. In any case, you have 30 days to call Casino Royale to book one of the listed cruises. If none of them will work for you, the certificate is redeemable for $500 off the price of a cruise of your choosing. The cruise that you reserve must sail within a year's time. 
We weren't picky and one date/ship worked out for us. From what I recall, the cruises offered were starting in September 2019 and went to April 2020, and I have read that they are updated every quarter. So maybe in October, another list will be available, but I don't believe that you can use any list but the one that is on the certificate, or the trade-in value. 
2400 points earned will gain you a cruise for 2 for an interior stateroom. If you have better luck, you may earn a comped OV stateroom (3600 points) or balcony (4800 points.) I think that some people earn suites as well, of course, by racking up even more points. I believe that these certificates are always for 2 people, but I am sure that someone here will correct me if I am mistaken. I understand that these higher-level certificate will have a higher trade-in value, but again, that factoid was gleaned from reading message boards and Facebook group posts. 
Don't stop at 2499 points - that will earn you the interior cruise certificate, but you will need 2500 points to earn Prime tier. If you earn Prime status on your January cruise, in April, 2020, you should receive a "code" for your free annual Prime cruise (not the same one as the certificate cruise!) This can be a cruise of your own choosing, up to 8 nights, I believe,  but no holiday cruises. Husband hasn't received this code yet, obviously, so we haven't experienced this yet, but we received the information about the annual cruise in an email from a Casino Royale rep. 

Here is a list of all Royal Caribbean ships and their technical information, as per request from @TJ! 
Click Here
Hope you all enjoy, and yet again if there are any mistakes please don't hesitate to let me know, and I will make sure they get amended!
Thanks and enjoy!!!

You are amazing! I would love to see that as well if it isn't too much trouble from you!
These spreadsheets are very well made and thought out.
 
I appreciate you!

I agree with that.  They punch in your cash amount each time with your SeaPass. I think using cash each time you sit is the most beneficial way.

I always wondered if cashing in my winnings on roulette or craps and re buying chips at the tables increases my points.?!

Wow your first cruise?? You are going to LOVE it!! Which Ship?

I usually get a bit paranoid and super cautious when I do things for the first time.
I'm sailing on my first cruise this Jan, 2020 and I have been planning for ridiculous things ahah.
I am not missing the boat or complicating my vacation by not being prepared.
 
"better safe than sorry" overused by still so relevant!
 
Its weird because I'm bringing my old phone which is used as an alarm now on top of my current phone as an alarm so I make sure to wake up on time from the Hotel to the ship lol.
 
Made a huge list of things to buy before I get on the ship and triple checking all my documents, flight bookings, hotel bookings, excursions on/off board, and cruise bookings!

Good point! Thanks

Prime isn't a permanent status.  You have to re-qualify each year. 
The free cruises have limitations and you may not be able to find one of the free cruises that lines up with your ability to take a vacation.  If you don't have any restrictions on when you can sail, you can price your own comparable off-season cruise out for the amount you would need to gamble to hit prime.  However, if gambling is something that you enjoy you might as well play with your SeaPass card in the slot machine or on the table and collect the points.  Whatever you are willing to lose on gambling can be looked at as an additional entertainment cost of a cruise.
You can be an infrequent gambler and still get offered cruise deals from Casino Royale as well.  

I think the appeal of looking at the open ocean at night is seeing the stars and the moon reflected on the ocean's surface because its so dark.  You'd be surprised how bright the moon is when there's no light pollution.
And then there's the existential aspect of the vastness of the open ocean and how minuscule we all are comparatively to the great universe.  If you're into that kind of contemplation, its very nice.  

Provided it's not cloudy and it's the right moon phase, moonlight will reflect off of the water and it can actually be quite bright!

I've got so much time to just ponder and think of all scenarios since we have 5 months to go!
 
I've got nothing but the cruise on my mind and wanted everything to go smoothly along with being well prepared since i'm a cruise noobie haha!

If one of you doesn’t go and you don’t replace them with somebody, ..... I THINK that as long as the person not going makes sure to cancel with Royal (they’ll still lose their money if no insurance) then the person going alone will get 2 crown and anchor points per night ....... can somebody else confirm that?

Yes, the people booked do not have to show up for the cruise, and if one doesn't show up, it has no impact on others on reservation.
You can swap names on a reservation up to 72-48 hours before sail date (I've seen both times quoted) as long as at least one name on the original booking stays on the reservation.
Swapping names? No. Adding or removing people? Potentially, yes.

I've got 13mos and booked last April! ?

Wow! I thought I was a planner! ? I hope you don't have to find out.
Happy Cruising!

On Navigator now, day 5 of a 3 night cruise.
Boarding on Aug. 30 they had already informed us it was going to be an extended 5 night cruise the day before. No additional costs.
I had bought the DX drink package and UDP dining package before sailing.  Both were extended at no cost. 
I bought the internet on board as a "full voyage" plan.  The Voom plan was priced based on a 3 night cruise.  It cut off last night near midnight (night 4) thinking my 3 nights were done.  I visited the Voom desk this morning and they re-activated my plan at no cost.
Yesterday a letter was in my cabin to inquire if I would care to add automatic gratuity for days 4 and 5.  I had prepaid my automatic gratuity before sailing but that only covered nights 1 to 3 so I agreed and took the letter to guest services. 
I've eaten at Playmakers nearly everyday covered by the UDP.  
Last night for our dinner in Hooked they couldn't add the reservation in the system since the system sort of still thinks the cruise is a 3 night cruise.  In Playmakers today for lunch (day 5) they had a print-out that listed everyone who had the UDP and they manually recorded the meal for internal reconciliation later.  No charge for lunch again today.
They've done a great job with communication, I must have a dozen emails plus the announcements.  
Great experience overall.