monctonguy

I wouldn't worry about it being sold and as a result, your cruise is somehow affected. I was on Monarch of the Seas a few months before she was sold, and I wouldn't have been able to tell you any difference. It was "business as usual" in all aspects from what I could tell. Enjoy the cruise..it will be great!

Wow..something I should consider checking as flying from my location is very expensive to pretty much anywhere. It can be over $1000 to fly to the next province at times which is just a cpl hours drive away! Even when willing to drive hours and hours to get to a different airport, it makes very little difference. I have been thinking/looking at Euro cruises as there are some great deals to be had...airfare is the killer of course. But now maybe I have some hope....guess what I will be doing for the last couple hours of "work" today...lol Congrats on finding an amazing flight deal btw!

I would defn call back and speak to someone else. I have had to do that before to get a deal and it worked out in the end.....kinda disappointing that it comes down to that, but worth it if you get what you want in the end!!

Yes, I spend very little time at all in the room..sleep and shower that's about it. Now maybe on certain more senic cruises a balcony would be nice but I cant pay an extra $1000 for a balcony, just not justified for me. But with some cruise deals plus my discount, I would like to experience it at least once to compare for sure! As for suites, I"ll have to win the lottery before I can afford to book one of those!...but again, something I would like to experience at least once.

Never got any calls or emails from them for any of my cruises so far. I am really starting to think they don't like me...lol. But to be honest, they seem to have it down pretty good....why mess with it at this point is my question?!

Well I will be platinum after my Nov cruise, and at least entitled to the C&A discount for balconies and suites...so at that point I will prob start looking more closely at the price difference once the discount is factored in. For me its more about quantity than quality...I would rather do 3-4 inside or oceanview's than 1 balcony or JS suite a year. But its on my list of things I want to experience with RCI...from balcony to the suites!

I thought that maybe the case, but that just seems to easy. And I an not sure how someone giving them a photo that they then have to scan and attach to your seapass card is quicker than the 3 seconds it takes to take your photo while standing at the desk that you already have to check in at.. Something has to be missing here.... I hope that someone here can refute that this is something they are actually asking for/proceeding with......

I watch everyday for the chance I have to upgrade to a balcony or suite for a nominal price......9 cruises so far and holding with never been offered to upgrade for free or a price....and never seen anything that isn't over double what I paid for my original booking so... But if/when that day happens...I can't wait to experience it all.....that being said, would prob be hard to go back to a "regular" cabin after that experience!

I hope this doesn't roll out. On every cruise I have taken so far, there has been very little wait at all, and it seems like people tend to arrive at all times of the day, which naturally stagers the amount of people trying to board at any given time. That being said, I have not been on a cruise ship with 5000 pax or more so perhaps that makes the difference?! As for the headshots.....wont ever be happening for me. Are you kidding me, they want you to take and provide headshots for all those in your group? Am I missing something here or is this a joke or?..lol What do they need them for. They already take a picture of you for ur seapass card, plus your passport has a photo of you.....how does bringing another picture make things quicker or easier...not to mention, potentially less secure I don't mind wedding parties or wheelchairs getting priority for boarding, but after that it should be based on loyalty standing. This is the normal practice across the board when travelling/vacationing......

I will be watching this for sure as I have some cruises booked for the new year and going solo. Not hard to spend $450 when the drink package is almost $300!! I just may get to Diamond even faster if they roll this out fleet wide!

I heard about this email over on CC. As someone who often books solo cabins, I can only assume I would need to spend the $900 for 3 points, which won't happen as I could book another whole cruise for that price and end up with10-14 points for the same price! But for couples I guess its a good perk. Is it 3 points for each person?

Based on my experiences there is nothing you have to do to self-check out. You just keep your luggage in your room the night before...and usually between 7-8:30am you can walk off the ship with your luggage. Has never taken more than 30 mins total for me from out of my room to curbside. I realize this can vary, but its usually a very quick and smooth process and probably the best option if your trying to catch an earlier flight!

I am not chasing points per se....BUT, to be able to save myself the money from not booking 3 flights(saves about $2000 for me), plus this 1 cruise is less than half the price what I normally pay per cruise and get a long cruise in for a cheap deal...PLUS bounce me to diamond....makes sense. I haven't booked any of my previous 9 cruises based on points...just deals and vacation times....

I hope that is not true about diamond losing their perks! I am getting close to that level now.... If that is the case, they need to change something...as the D+ and pinnacle are so far away that it is not possible for most to reach. I get that the suite people deserve more when spending that kinda $$ on the cruise...but there should defn be something for us lowly ppl that book many cruises. I could book a suite once a year, or cruise 4x a year in oceanview or inside.....and someone who goes 4x prob spends more on those 4 trips that someone doing one cruise in a suite!

I am going to get to Diamond one way or another. Its the airfare that kills from here. SO if I can find a way to do a longer cruise, great price AND double points, its a win win. I know at Diamond level is when the real perks start to kick in...things like the Diamond lounge, some free drinks each day as well as drinks at the lounge, discounts on balcony rooms and suites, plus some smaller perks and nice touches from what I have heard and read. After my Feb cruise, I should be exactly 28 points from Diamond..so a 14 day solo cruise gets me there....OR I can take 4 more 1 week cruises with friends to get there......which is a lot more cost.

Yeah...I kinda figured that...perhaps I will look at doing a B2B..that will get me my 28 points going solo and reduce air cost, but at the same time allow me visit many more ports and enjoy a more lively cruise I am sure. However, with some of the pricing I see for those repositioning cruises...its tempting.

I am considering doing one of these, strictly for the price/points to get me to Diamond level. Just wondering for those that have done these, what kind of crowd I can expect on this boat. Due to the long duration, I am guessing its a much older crowd...retired, long time cruises or do many others take advantage of this type of pricing? Do the number of sea days get to you day after day with really no change in the scenery? Any advice, tips or ideas would be appreciated!

With that many people travelling, it would be wise to book a hotel that has a air/cruise package or option for shuttle included. Otherwise you will need either 2 cabs each way or to pay for a shuttle for 5-6 people each way will add up quickly. Adding potentially a few hundred dollars to the total cost!

I would take the drink package over the wifi anyday........ Royal is defn one of the slowest to get into the "free" offers......Celebrity, NCL, MSC, HA all have had deals in the past/currently where you get to choose extras like drinks, gratuities, specialty restaurants etc as "free" perks.....Royal nothing that I have seen since cruising with them...

Very nice...thanks for sharing the pics. I have been there a few times, but never ventured down the nature path. That will be on the list when I am back in Nov!!

I have done P.C. many times. While it is a bit of a drive from the airport to the port, there are lots of shuttles and hotel/shuttle packages. And based on my research, its cheaper option than Fort Lauderdale or Miami for the hotels. Its a very quick and easy process in and out of the Terminal there as well. I like Tampa as its just a short cab ride from the airport or hotel to the port which is a bonus. I am doing Miami in Nov and FLL in Jan, so I will have first hand experience of all the ports in Florida that RCI cruises out of and will be able to decide from there. The hotel prices out of FLL are just absurd from what I have seen and would make me not want to book out of that area unless I absolutely had to.

I was invited to a "welcome back" or something on my last cruise. I was surprised, as I have cruised many times and never been invited. It was nice just to see others, hear some stories and enjoy a few drinks for free. I am going from gold to platinum on my upcoming cruise and then after my next 2 cruises I should almost be emerald. Once I reach emerald, I am seriously considering doing something like a 14 day transatlantic cruise....they are pretty cheap and that would get me 28-42 points depending on what room I book which would basically bump me all the way to Diamond from emerald. I figure even if the airfare's are a little pricey, its still cheaper than having to fly to another 4-5 cruises to make Diamond.

Always avoid formal night...feel like a wedding crasher as I refuse to pack a suit to wear for 2 hrs on a cruise. But that's just me. If it wasn't for not liking the formal night, there really would be no other night to say to avoid the MDR for a specialty restaurant imho.

Here is a great site with some deals and options as well!! www.goportcanaveral.com It provides shuttle from airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the port and then back to the airport from the cruise ship.....usually some great value in the package deals!!

Well to answer my own question with experience now..YES, it can be much cheaper and better perks booking with a 3rd party site or TA!! I just booked Brilliance for almost $600 cheaper(CAD) than if I went through the RCI site...PLUS I got double the OBC that RCI offers on their site. Wow...looks like I could have saved myself a lot of money over my past 7 cruises if I had known this... :( Also, there was a huge sale with another site....Ocean view Balcony room for what RCI would have charged me for an inside cabin on Oasis and an OBC of $150 compared to 0 with RCI.....I didn't pull the trigger on that as I already have 3 cruises booked in a 4mth period but what a deal!! So, there are MUCH better prices to be had out there quite often from what RCI has on their site...... I am usually pretty savvy when it comes to deals when travelling....except in this case obviously. Fool me once, shame on you.....fool me twice......won't happen!..lol