WAAAYTOOO

Looks like we will just miss each other, but you will be on the same week as @PaulRC

We'll be on Allure Oct 3-10 and 10-17.

That's an oldie bug goodie.

Yikes ! That IS high. I don’t blame you

It depends on the ship and the length of the cruise. $99 for an Oasis or Quantum class ship is about as good as it's likely to get. I paid $99 for all of my Oasis class 7 night sailings. I paid $79 for my Liberty 7 night sailing and all of the prices for December 2021 and beyond are still full price so I have not purchased any of those yet. I'm hoping that the prices will go down once they get a little closer but who knows what the CP prices are going to do once sailings restart.

Unfortunately, they will always make you cancel the original purchase and you have to re-buy, which, essentially, ties your money up, twice. That's the way it works 100% of the time. At least the refunds aren't taking quite as long as the first did. It's definitely not fast though.

It has been my experience that the cruise planner "sales" don't really start until a little closer in than a year. The prices on my cruise planner items for 1+ year out cruises (beverage package and dining packages) are still relatively high....but those for October 2021 and sooner are going up and down. The notable exception to this "rule" was the Coco Beach Floating cabana "deal" for $1049 for a Jan 2022 Oasis sailing (I know...not much of a deal, really). ...and when they do start reducing the CP prices, I suggest that you completely ignore any % off advertising. The percentages mean nothing. Just look at the bottom line - the actual price that they are charging and go by that. It is my guess that as soon as they announce a restart-sailing date, CP prices are going to jump up and stay high. It's just a guess. I have no inside information. I would suggest that, if it is financially possible, that anyone who is seriously considering CP purchases, to purchase now and watch for price drops. I know it's a long time for Royal to be holding your money...but I think it's a good investment. Of course, I could be completely wrong...I usually am. ...in which case, you can always cancel and re-buy if the prices go down. Last year's Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales were a disappointment. Maybe they will be better this year.

I really don't know either. I know that MLife gives you a status match for your C&A level but I don't know if it works in reverse. I status match to MLife Platinum and I use it for valet parking. That's about the only benefit I have ever realized. I would think that since it works in 1 direction, it should also work in the opposite direction but my MLife status (aside from the status match) has never been impressive or enviable so I really don't know.

On every holiday cruise I have ever been on, the Christmas decorations remain up through NY.

We've done a number of holiday cruises that combined Christmas + NY. We loved doing those extended cruises. Unfortunately, it seems that Royal is no longer doing the double holiday mix. That's unfortunate. I love cruising during the holidays. The ship is very festive, everyone is in a celebratory mood and there are lots of activities. It's pricey to cruise during the holidays, but it is worth it, IMO.

Welcome to the blog !

LOL. Willing to help in any way I can !

I would (and am !) sail on Allure as-is with no problem, but I do understand that if you were expecting water slides and Playmakers and now they're not going to be there, that you might be disappointed. As a matter of fact, I have 5 cruises booked on Allure between March and November 2021. Maybe she will get amplified during that time (doubtful) but it doesn't matter to me. I don't do water slides anyway and Playmakers is not a deal breaker to me.

We have the BoA Royal Caribbean card and we use it constantly. I know there are those who believe there are cards out there that offer a bigger percentage return, and that's true....but we find the BoA card to be very beneficial. I use it for all of my RCCL purchases, including cruise fare, cruise planner purchases and onboard expenses. We get 2% on all RCCL purchases and it goes directly to OBC. I think there is an option to actually get a "free" cruise, but we have never tried to do that so I'm not sure what the process is. Since we are casino people, we easily use the OBC in the casino. It works very well for us.

We have done the UDP many times on the smaller ships with only a few restaurants. We like the convenience and the quieter and more serene (usually) atmosphere. It really is a personal preference. It it is any help, we are sailing on Serenade in May and I have purchased the UDP.

Me too

Nice sleuthing on the Greek isles itins, Joe. If Odyssey has a similar itin in the summer of 2022, you have a winner, IMO !

We were there at the end of filming but I still have never seen the movie so I don’t know if we’re in it or not ! I don’t think so.

Of course ! I’ll take you and the Twangbot, both.

Good luck. I hope it happens for you. Welcome to the blog !

THAT is funny !

My pleasure ! ?

A lot has to do with which ship you will be on. If it is one of the O or Q class ships, yes, I think the 3 night package is a good deal at $99. ...but remember that the UDP offers a LOT more than just dinners. It also includes lunches any time that the restaurant is open and can accommodate you (this usually means sea days, but not always). Also, with the UDP, you can eat as many times in as many different venues as you want - even on the same day/night. We sometimes go to Chops for dinner and then wander over to Wonderland for dessert. Many people enjoy having wings and other snacks at Playmakers in the afternoon and then having a regular full service meal somewhere later in the evening. You can enjoy a sushi snack at Izumi and then go to another restaurant later. So, if you are a "wandering" eater and think you would enjoy eating at more than 1 venue per day, the UDP is a much better deal, IMO. If, however, you are just looking to sample a few of the specialty restaurants and don't envision yourself eating multiple times per day, then the 3 night package would probably make more sense.

On my last 3 bookings, Michelle has been able to apply a military discount when none was showing on the website. I can’t imagine that a RC sales rep would have done that for me.

Agree with @Lovetocruise2002and @twangster. During the day, those doors are almost always open. They do secure them at night usually.