WAAAYTOOO

I wonder what they meant by "loyalty has already boarded".  That doesn't make any sense.  You ARE Loyalty if you are Emerald.  Confused by this one....

Yes, generally on the last sea day there will be loads of sales items.

Wow.  Just Wow.

I've lived that nightmare, myself.  We had a friendly ongoing week-long feud with another couple over a table that overlooked the railing.  It was always a joke to see which of us would get there first and get "the" table.  We all became fast friends but it was ridiculous that they could not manage to secure a table at the SAME TIME EVERY NIGHT.  This is one (among many others) reason why we quit going to the MDR altogether.  The final deal was the ungodly atrocious Thanksgiving meal we had on NAV 2 Thanksgivings ago.  That was the last meal we ever ate in a MDR and we will never go back.

31 minutes ago, wstephensi said:

What about the casino?  Would it be allowed to stay open if ship is docked? 

Hard to say since this is a hypothetical situation but my guess is the casino would open at, say, 6 or 7 PM like it does at other overnight ports (i.e. Bermuda).

The UDP will not cover the upcharge items in the MDR.  If you eat in the MDR and want the filet or lobster, you will have to pay the upcharge.

The only down side to having the UDP on a smaller ship like Enchantment is that you will end up eating in the same specialty restaurant numerous times.  If you want true variety, I would recommend you stick with the MDR and just pay the upcharge if you want one of the upcharge items.  If you want a filet or lobster every single night then you should stick with the UDP.

If I understand your OP correctly, you have paid $590 for 5 UDP packages.  $590 will buy a lot of upcharge items from the MDR.  Personally, I think your best bet would be to cancel the UDP, go to the MDR and order the occasional filet or lobster if the mood strikes.  As a frequent user of the UDP I can attest that you do get tired of eating at the same few restaurants after a while....especially when you throw in lunches on embarkation and sea days.

I agree with you about the tendered port.  I had forgotten about that perk !

Honestly, I do not think that Royal has anything called "priority check-in".  It seems that the only 2 options for true "priority" are suites/pinnacles and the Key.  There are different lines for C&A status but they are basically all the same priority.  To my knowledge, only Suites/Pinnacles and  The Key get any kind of special handling (exception....Star Class, but not every port even has Star Class).

I really think that the value of the Key is mostly a function of the length of the cruise, the number of people that are traveling, the PP price and the amenities of the ship that will be included (things like North Star, Rip Cord and lots of live shows).

If you are on a long cruise with a big family the cost of the Key will be enormous.  However, for 2 people on a 5 night cruise, the value, when you consider that it includes internet already (if you were going to be purchasing the internet anyway) makes it quite reasonable. If you really want to take advantage of the flow rider or the North Star or a live concert in 270, the Key will be very beneficial.  If you are on a small ship without a flow rider or lots of live shows, it may not be that valuable.

33 minutes ago, CurtisM said:

September 5th 2019 cruise, my wife and I paid roughly $1800 for 2 out of Richmond, VA with American.

YIKES !!!

...and who says it would be closed anyway ?  No reason why most of the island couldn't remain open if there are guests there overnight.  Obviously they would not remain open ALL night but I would guess that they could have the water park and most of the restaurants, etc. open until fairly late.

Interesting.  I thought I had read that Empress did NOT have a formal night.

2 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

 I'd also rather do the trek out to the port area the day before so that's one less thing to deal with in the morning.  

This is most definitely our philosophy. My motto is always "let's get to where we're going first" and then everything else is secondary.

Say what ??  ....what a bunch of bumbling morons (RCCL IT).  I wonder how many people choose BOGO 50% off for $52 because it's "on sale" and the one for $49 isn't  ?

Yikes !  I hope nobody was planning on flying there on boarding day !  Good luck with the weather.  Sorry to hear that you will not get to visit Kobe.

Wow, those eyeglasses were a great deal.  I admire that you knew how to go about getting this service.  Well done.

35 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

+1.  All the W properties that I have looked at do not have a concierge lounge.

That will probably be a deal breaker for us then. Probably stick with Biscayne Bay.

What a splendid view of Shanghai.  So envious !  Enjoy. 

We are now seriously considering the W for our Dec stay.  Does it have a Concierge Club and did you visit it ?  We usually stay at the Marriott Biscayne Bay but Dan wants to try the W. I have a  brazillion points I need to use so we might as well try it when it won’t cost us anything !

Hmmm...I wonder if I can used my points for the Ritz.  I will look into that.

Just now, Fuzzywuzzy said:

 then realized that many of the cast members are dead.

Yep.  That could present a logistics problem for them.

Great googly-moogly.  That thing looks worse than the insulation  foam that served you yesterday on the plane.  Glad it tasted better than it looks !

20 minutes ago, arebee said:

We've done a segway excursion a couple times.  Takes you to the lighthouse then down the beach on a paved path.  Its ok, you go through some of the tourists areas and will stop at the beach where you can get something to eat and drink.  For the trip back, if you're lucky, you can take the segways.  We were the last on one trip and got to ride them all the way back.  If not they pay for a taxi back to the port.  It was something different.

Good to hear from you, arebee.  It’s been a while !

Yes.  I have done the opposite many times (asked for red velvet cake from Chops when dining at Giovanni’s)

Is that the W Marriott property ?  I’ve been eyeing that one or the regular Marriott for my Dec Oasis cruise. I thought the W sounded kinda “funky” (not in a good way).  How are the rooms ?