VillainsGin

Anyone else sailing on January 4th, 2020 and starting the new year right!? I guess this will be the unofficial group chat (unless there is already a thread for this, i apologize) Would love to coordinate to meet up with people for activities or excursions!

Thanks for the heads up waaaytooo! Although a bit uncomfortable bringing that amount of cash on-board I'll try to set it all up prior to sailing. Going to look into their M life rewards/membership since I do have one and see where that plays into all of this.

I found out about MEI travel through this blog as well. I booked my very first cruise in Jan, 2020 with MEI travels! So far they have been amazing but I can definitely keep you posted when everything is completed.

If you don't mind me asking, how much or/and how long would you have to entertain the casino to make it to prime status. about 90% of my stay at vegas has always been at the bellagio but I've been to the golden nugget before for ultimate texas holdem.

It's almost september for you!!!! you're so lucky! My very first cruise is in Jan, 2020 so I have ways to go and a diet plan that is so hard to keep loyal to?

I'm trying to imagine 2 solo cruisers sitting at the same table but both are introverts haha.

Thanks for the info! I always assumed the sauna/steam room would be inclusive on the symphony of the seas. That's pricey per visit since I can barely do 10 minutes in there but absolutely love it.

Thanks! That answers my question, looks like im bringing cash! Since I'm not too keen on slot machines im mainly sticking to tables and poker tournaments. I wonder how much is the poker tournaments

That's a good question that I would like to know as well. Hopefully someone who is more knowledgeable regarding the casino can answer all of these for us haha.

with everyone in such a lively and friendly mood due to vacation I can't imagine there would be any segregation or vibes of it.

I know this is off topic but do you know if the spa/sauna/steam rooms are free for the Symphony of the Seas? I sail for my first time ever on Jan, 2020

Could you elaborate on this? You do have to pay for a drink package when you book. I'm currently hunting for DDP sales and staying vigilant.

I'm glad you brought up the casino part of the cruise! I've been to Vegas hundreds of times and know how that operates but for the cruise I had questions as well. Since most things will be linked to my credit card would I also use the CC to gamble with or do they require me to bring some cold hard cash? If CC is acceptable for the casino what method does the slot machines take for payment, most takes cash but I assume you can swipe your card or something of that nature? for tables and poker tournaments how would that work too? I guess the question would be can i use my CC to gamble in all aspect of the casino. If not, do we just bring cash?

jeez that's a huge score on the ddp sale, fingers crossed it will ever go that low for symphony of the seas haha. Staying vigilant is key.

ME TOO! We're sailing on Jan, 2020 and I've been vigilantly checking for specifically the damn deluxe drink package haha. If Black Friday/Cyber Monday does not fall through at least we got Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and technically New Years. There has to be something for the deluxe drink package for any of those holidays *fingers crossed*

You're right it doesn't hurt to just lock down the price now and cancel later. I'll be booking the ddp as soon as I get back from the office! Thanks for taking your time to help me out!

So since i haven't purchased my ddp yet I might as well wait for black friday sale? At worst if there was no sale I could just purchase it anyways to lock in the price? That was I can at least save the cancellation until after black friday.

Thank you Matt for that guide! This was exactly what I needed since I dont cancel anything often once I purchased it in fear of the hassle and waiting of funds to return back into my account.

How does cancellation work in terms of using a linked credit card. I've usually hate cancellations because of the hassle and the processing work days for the refund to return? Is it fairly simple?

It must of been all the activities you were doing! That's the ideal situation to eat my face off and still lose weight. I'm a strong advocate of excel so I might actually adopt that idea from you haha.

Thanks for replying cobra614, the information is greatly appreciated! Thats so cheap!!! it's currently $61/pppd on the cruise planner ?

I'll be taking my very first cruise ever on Symphony of the Seas 7 days on Jan, 2020. I'm still getting use to all guides and tips on youtube/google. I've also been very vigilant on the cruise planner feature on royal caribbean website. My 2 questions below: What is the cheapest deluxe drink package you have ever purchased on specifically symphony of the seas? (I'm trying to grab an average so I know when to pull the trigger and buy) When is the best time to buy the deluxe drink package? I know we'll be going over labor day, thanksgiving, christmas, and new years. So i'm hoping one of those holidays will have a great sale for the DDP. (the only problem is I don't know the lowest and highest DDP has been sold for) Thank you all in advance for answering my questions!

Challenge accepted!

Oh no..... I saw the thread title and immediately clicked it. I'm going to be on my first cruise with symphony of the seas in Jan, 2020 and have been on a strict diet! I keep telling myself 4-5 months of strict diet is worth it when I can go wild at the buffet on the cruise. Hopefully I can make it to our sailing date without cheating on my diet. For now I will live vicariously though all of your images.

The Key shows for my Symphony of the Seas Jan, 2020 on the cruise planner. If I recall correctly I saw it for $29 dollars /day per person. I can double check when I get home today if you're still interested.