WAAAYTOOO

Others have already posted tibs and tabs about this but I don't think there's a thread devoted to it...at least, not that I know of.
There has been a CP "sale" going on for a couple of days.  It is "on again/off again" but it's back on today.
BUT - BE CAREFUL.  Some of the dining packages include gratuities in the "list price" and some do not so be careful cancelling something that you already have until you know for SURE that it's going to be a savings.
1.  It appears as though MOST of the packages - UDP and 3 night, already include the grats.  If the grats are included, it will say so below the advertised price.  If it says "Gratuities Included" then the final price will simply be the number of packages that you are purchasing, multiplied by the price of the package(s) you are purchasing.  If it says "pre-cruise savings", the grats are NOT included in that price so you will have to calculate the total price to see what the final $$ will be.
2.  It APPEARS as though the requirement to eat at least one meal on nights #1 or #2 is gone.  The CP no longer required me to choose a "first" meal time.  That's a good thing, IMO.  Hopefully you can now use your packages on any days/nights that you choose.
3.  It appears as though all of the individual restaurants still require you to calculate gratuities....IOW, the grats are not included in the posted price for individual restaurants.  Some of the individual restaurants that I checked were less $$ than when I first purchased and some were not.  Just be sure that you know what you'll be paying BEFORE you cancel anything and/or purchase at the "reduced" price.  It seems like the package prices include grats.
4.  I was not able to use any of my available OBC when I purchased/repurchased my specialty dining.  It gave me the option of using the OBC but the final price was never reduced by the amount of the OBC so I am HOPING that the OBC is still there.  This is uncertain to me at the moment.  Hopefully the OBC will reappear in a day or so.
5.  As far as I can tell, the ability to make pre-purchased dining reservations ahead of time has still not been implemented.  I was never prompted to make any specific reservations.
6.  Other items in the CP may also be on sale.  I have only looked at dining so I am unaware if other areas of the CP are similarly affected.
The prices are pretty good (considering the upward trend for specialty pricing) and I saved quite a bit of $$ by cancelling and repurchasing but it took me a while to figure out the secret code.

Thanks, Greg. We really are having a blast.
Unfortunately we will just be on that 1, 4 nighter (8-15).  We usually try and snag a couple of add-ons (just like we’re doing now on EX) but so far it hasn’t happened with these IN cruises (June and Aug) but there’s still time !
 
It would be great to finally meet you guys.

Tonite dinner was Izumi.  There is no hibachi on EX so it’s always sushi only….which is fine with me.  I’m not a fan of the hibachi menu (or the “show”) anyway.  This was night #2 of our 3 night dining package.  Chops on night #9, the last night.
Insider tip:  if you see chopsticks nearby, this is probably NOT guacamole.

We went to the casino after dinner (who’s surprised) and it was a mixed bag.  Dan and I played some Dancing Drums (b/c the pigs were all occupied) and we lost a little bit.  Dan went and played some video poker and won while  I played some UTH and lost.  Ugh.  Back in the room now.
Tomorrow is St Kitts (again) and we have no plans to get off.  Today was another visit to Grenada and we just got off for a little while and browsed the terminal shops.  I bought Dan a couple of new Caribbean shirts which he DESPERATELY needed.  He’s been wearing the same sad ones we bought in Aruba probably 12 years ago !  Most of them are missing buttons and I’m a terrible wife who has never fixed them for him.  It’s easier just to buy some new shirts !  He now has 2 new ones…

This is the first time I've ever heard of Bermuda having some weirdo deposit requirement.  Something to put away in the ol' brain pan....

This.  The Star Class MB beds, for example, cannot be split.

Tonite dinner was Izumi.  There is no hibachi on EX so it’s always sushi only….which is fine with me.  I’m not a fan of the hibachi menu (or the “show”) anyway.  This was night #2 of our 3 night dining package.  Chops on night #9, the last night.
Insider tip:  if you see chopsticks nearby, this is probably NOT guacamole.

We went to the casino after dinner (who’s surprised) and it was a mixed bag.  Dan and I played some Dancing Drums (b/c the pigs were all occupied) and we lost a little bit.  Dan went and played some video poker and won while  I played some UTH and lost.  Ugh.  Back in the room now.
Tomorrow is St Kitts (again) and we have no plans to get off.  Today was another visit to Grenada and we just got off for a little while and browsed the terminal shops.  I bought Dan a couple of new Caribbean shirts which he DESPERATELY needed.  He’s been wearing the same sad ones we bought in Aruba probably 12 years ago !  Most of them are missing buttons and I’m a terrible wife who has never fixed them for him.  It’s easier just to buy some new shirts !  He now has 2 new ones…

booked connecting balconies with our 3 kiddos, lots to love about this itinerary, love the voyager/freedom class.  along with a couple nights in Florida makes for a nice weeklong trip.  Very glad to see indy and freedom get off the nassau PD 3/4 merry go round.

I actually went to cosmetology school, so I cut my brother's hair (as well as do my own), he goes over it with a straight razor after😱. No straight razors for this girl. 
My brother can sew, with or without a sewing machine: I can barely close a hole or thread a needle, hem is Mandarin to me 😂.
How long does the drive usually take? Is the hotel you are staying at close to the port?

Meanwhile my wife left me with a tiny bald spot the one time she tried to shave my head (with clippers) a very long time ago. I thought a single length buzz cut was fool proof, especially since I do it myself, but if you accidentally knock the guide off and then go in with just the blade... 😱🤣
I was willing to give her another chance but that was the first and last time she was willing to try, lol.

Hello Miami!

You actually don't have to email them.. I do this every year. All you have to do is go the the rewards desk in Las Vegas at any MGM resort hotel. You tell them you want to status match with your royalcaribbean status.. They then ask for your crown and anchor number to verify. I always just pull up my royal app which has my number and my diamond plus status and they match me in about 2 min. it's very easy. I do it every time at Park MGM. 

I never knew about it either.

Actually looks like it's relatively recent.

Here's today's FAQ which mentions Bermuda:
 
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/deposit-requirements
 
Then from last August, which doesn't mention Bermuda
https://web.archive.org/web/20230807190820/https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/deposit-requirements

On our flight, next stop Miami!

 

 
it’s getting real now!

I have always cut the kids' hair - you can learn anything on you tube! DD always just wants one length, and like go go months between cuts. DS has a weird wavy hair pattern, and the few times I have taken him somewhere to have it done, they mess it up.
I can turn on a sewing machine, fill a bobbin, and make a straight stitch, but I really can't sew well. The last time I used my machine was to make a Halloween costume for DD when she was 6 or 7. It's been collecting dust in my closet ever since. No, when I say I'm going to hem a pair of pants I mean I'm going go just tack them in several places, or in this case, cheat and use heat bond and just iron it.😉
I do too, the last couple trips down to Galveston we have really run into traffic or bad weather. We even had snow on the trip down a few years ago.

Update on this one.  It seems that they DID use the available OBC for these purchases even though it didn't seem like it was, at the time that I purchased.  I just reviewed all of the purchases I made online yesterday and the ones where I wanted to use OBC, do show the OBC calculated in the purchase price.  So ignore this statement from above.

Ok got full clarification from my TA. Glitch in the Royal Caribbean system allowing for a lower deposit. They are allowing the deposit to stand and the price drop. If there is another price drop they will require the extra 500 deposit before honoring the price drop. 🤣 That's all crazy but expected from Royal Caribbean. 🤣

https://seekingalpha.com/news/4094956-royal-caribbean-adds-rewards-member-benefits-through-partnership-with-hard-rock-international-and-seminole-gaming?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0wfaPu8X5T836Yjx1zWqjEF1aDpcpO-OT44WNrBZvXTRhMEM0FkUpGzps_aem_AcXDWDPinXM0MIgHiyiDCt2dnfZmAwPSdtwurw1qvKThaXOLFU6t2KV80Y-x_PuvFb-59q6IFnfTdSs5D3nochl-

This is the first time I've ever heard of Bermuda having some weirdo deposit requirement.  Something to put away in the ol' brain pan....

I believe I exposed the collaboration on March 23rd when I witnessed the RC executive team and Hard Rock leadership meeting at Base Camp on Icon while in Miami. Something was certainly brewing! 

Bermuda does require a $250/person deposit regardless of length. It's nice of them to let it slide because it was their mistake not catching it (unless you made the booking at NextCruise).
I wouldn't trust them not to have IT issues and I'd pony up the full deposit, though 😂

^^^^^^ Hmmmmmm??????? You heard it here first. 

Made it to the airport and the United Club, which is already getting interesting. 

not sure what’s going on there….😂. But I’m sure that will be me at some point tomorrow.

Others have already posted tibs and tabs about this but I don't think there's a thread devoted to it...at least, not that I know of.
There has been a CP "sale" going on for a couple of days.  It is "on again/off again" but it's back on today.
BUT - BE CAREFUL.  Some of the dining packages include gratuities in the "list price" and some do not so be careful cancelling something that you already have until you know for SURE that it's going to be a savings.
1.  It appears as though MOST of the packages - UDP and 3 night, already include the grats.  If the grats are included, it will say so below the advertised price.  If it says "Gratuities Included" then the final price will simply be the number of packages that you are purchasing, multiplied by the price of the package(s) you are purchasing.  If it says "pre-cruise savings", the grats are NOT included in that price so you will have to calculate the total price to see what the final $$ will be.
2.  It APPEARS as though the requirement to eat at least one meal on nights #1 or #2 is gone.  The CP no longer required me to choose a "first" meal time.  That's a good thing, IMO.  Hopefully you can now use your packages on any days/nights that you choose.
3.  It appears as though all of the individual restaurants still require you to calculate gratuities....IOW, the grats are not included in the posted price for individual restaurants.  Some of the individual restaurants that I checked were less $$ than when I first purchased and some were not.  Just be sure that you know what you'll be paying BEFORE you cancel anything and/or purchase at the "reduced" price.  It seems like the package prices include grats.
4.  I was not able to use any of my available OBC when I purchased/repurchased my specialty dining.  It gave me the option of using the OBC but the final price was never reduced by the amount of the OBC so I am HOPING that the OBC is still there.  This is uncertain to me at the moment.  Hopefully the OBC will reappear in a day or so.
5.  As far as I can tell, the ability to make pre-purchased dining reservations ahead of time has still not been implemented.  I was never prompted to make any specific reservations.
6.  Other items in the CP may also be on sale.  I have only looked at dining so I am unaware if other areas of the CP are similarly affected.
The prices are pretty good (considering the upward trend for specialty pricing) and I saved quite a bit of $$ by cancelling and repurchasing but it took me a while to figure out the secret code.

Update on this one.  It seems that they DID use the available OBC for these purchases even though it didn't seem like it was, at the time that I purchased.  I just reviewed all of the purchases I made online yesterday and the ones where I wanted to use OBC, do show the OBC calculated in the purchase price.  So ignore this statement from above.

Had a great cruise!
Service was awesome, sooo many nice, helpful crew members.
We didn't have a bad meal.  MDR food was outstanding every night.  Our waiter and assistant waiter were amazing all week.  Two rolls from Izumi throughout the week, both of them were amazing.
Just a couple quick thoughts, more to come later...maybe.