mac66

There are so many diamond/elites on X now that it has pretty much become meaningless. We were on X three times this year. A 7 nighter, a 10 nighter and 12 nighter. Had drinks as part of our inclusive package so the happy hour drinks meant nothing and they didn't serve appetizers on any of the cruises.
We did get the laundry done on our 12 nighter, but not on the other two.  We did go to the Captain's party fpr elite and up on one of the cruises but it was so packed you could hardly move. We skipped it on the other two.

I bought a hundred shares this summer when it was 32.   It is at $50.72 today.
I also bought 100 shares of Carnival @ 9.37 at the same time because we may go back on Princess once in awhile or maybe Cunard or Holland America. You get the same benefit as RCL.  Carnival is at 10.74 but it's bound to jump up higher. It was at 27 a year ago.
Just been looking at NCL as well. We started cruising on NCL back in the day. Have 4 cruises with them including two in Hawaii, the last one in 2018.    It'll take us forever to get to diamond + on RCL so we were thinking of trying NCL again depending on ship, itinerary and price.  NCL stock was at 59 in Dec 2019 before covid, currently at 15.09. It's bound to go back up.

I've looked at the key, currently $26.50/day/person = $371 for the week for my next cruise.  Wi-fi is about $20/day for one device which can be shared i.e, $140/week.  We don't need wi-fi since our next cruise is port intensive and we can connect in port, besides I go on a cruise to disconnect.   We're diamonds so there is some overlap in perks.
Never had a problem getting good seats at the shows, the first day Chops lunch is a nice perk but you can buy the lunch a lot cheaper than $26/day.
Can't remember the last time we tendered at a port on a RCL ship.
You can check any luggage including carry ons at the curb to be taken to your cabin, just put a luggage tag on them and they will be delivered. Makes it easy to walk off the ship at the end as well. Don't really do the climbing wall or flow rider anymore but if I did, for the limited private hours available it's not worth it.  Never had a problem getting a 11:30 am check in time. And have noticed that's when everybody shows up anyway. We prefer a 2 or 2:30 check in time when there is no one/lines. Everyone has to weigh the cost vs. the value you get. It's not worth it to us when you consider what you get for the money.  Your mileage may vary.

I started cruising in 1979 and have been on most of the cruise lines. Cruising (and society) has changed A LOT over the years.  All I can say now is that every cruise is different depending on time of year, itinerary, ship, cabin, crew, length, departure point. Some are good, some are better, some are just okay but they are all different.

First sailed in 1979 on NCL. Sailed first on Royal in '94. We've also sailed Carnival a couple times and a few more times on NCL and our first Celebrity (X) in 2013.  We liked Royal with the kids but liked X more with just the two us.  The Oasis class ships opened up Royal again and as we got close to Diamond in points we stuck with them.
After getting Diamond we pretty much went back to X. Except we've done a few more Royals with our grown up kids which was fun.
We did three X cruises this year primarily because Royal didn't do those itineraries,  but X has become so expensive and the food and service on each of those X cruises were so bad that we've booked two cheap Royal cruises in the next 6 months.  I doubt if we'll get D+ anytime soon but maybe if we stick with Royal we'll make it someday.
And.... Royal stock prices were down this summer so it was a good time to buy  stock to get that benefit on both RCI and X.

The Equinox is/was a good ship. Been on it a number of times. The last time this past April but was not impressed this time.   Haven't tried the Edge class, not sure the added cost is worth it, but that's just me. Did two cruises on the Summit this year as well. Not impressed either time but they had the itinerary we were looking for. Based on those three cruises I will say that I believe Celebrity is neglecting some of the lower class ships in favor of the Edge class so there's that.

I suppose it depends somewhat on the circumstances. We sailed one time and they lost our luggage. We went to dinner that night in shorts and a t-shirt. Our luggage was lost for 3 days until it finally showed up. We switched between stuff in our carry-ons but went to the Oceanview cafe the next two nights.

Don't know about the Luminae dining room but we saw no difference in dress in the MDR between Royal and X. People wear what they want to on both. There is no real dress code on either anymore.  We had dinner one of the specialty dining rooms to celebrate a wedding anniversary. The middle aged guy at the next table was in shorts, t-shirt and flip flops.🙄

First sailed in 1979 on NCL. Sailed first on Royal in '94. We've also sailed Carnival a couple times and a few more times on NCL and our first Celebrity (X) in 2013.  We liked Royal with the kids but liked X more with just the two us.  The Oasis class ships opened up Royal again and as we got close to Diamond in points we stuck with them.
After getting Diamond we pretty much went back to X. Except we've done a few more Royals with our grown up kids which was fun.
We did three X cruises this year primarily because Royal didn't do those itineraries,  but X has become so expensive and the food and service on each of those X cruises were so bad that we've booked two cheap Royal cruises in the next 6 months.  I doubt if we'll get D+ anytime soon but maybe if we stick with Royal we'll make it someday.
And.... Royal stock prices were down this summer so it was a good time to buy  stock to get that benefit on both RCI and X.

Regards of sales, we've found the cheapest cruises are between Thanksgiving and Christmas and after the holidays, from January to about mid Feb.
Just booked an 8 night that leaves the Sat after Thanksgiving. With travel agent loyalty perks and refundable OBC from RCI and our travel agent it comes to less than $100/night for the two of us in an ocean view cabin. Hey, it's a cheap getaway 😁
We also have a first week of Feb 7 night cruise booked for just over $100 night. Also ocean view which in both cases was only $25 more than an inside. We like insides but a window is nice for the price.
Those prices includes all fees and taxes but not transportation costs or parking. We are driving to Florida on both occasions.

We've did the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins through Native tours twice and Maya Chan once. The ruins were very good though a long bus ride. 
Maya Chan has great food and is very relaxing. If all you want to do is eat, drink and lay around Maya Chan is your place. The beach is covered in seaweed. Swimming and snorkeling were marginal. Absolutely nothing to see in the water.

On the other hand, booking a flight late in the afternoon on disembarking day is excruciating. Better to get the earliest time you can get to the airport and get through security. 
Staying over another day? No thanks.   When I'm done cruising I just want to get home.

On the other hand, booking a flight late in the afternoon on disembarking day is excruciating. Better to get the earliest time you can get to the airport and get through security. 
Staying over another day? No thanks.   When I'm done cruising I just want to get home.

On the other hand, booking a flight late in the afternoon on disembarking day is excruciating. Better to get the earliest time you can get to the airport and get through security. 
Staying over another day? No thanks.   When I'm done cruising I just want to get home.

At various times we've brought 2 bottles of wine on board, our travel agent sent a bottle and we won a bottle in a drawing on board.  We asked for glasses, cork screw and ice to chill the wine. We walked around the ship at various times with the bottle and glasses in hand. We took a bottle to the dining room on numerous occasions and were never charged a fee. No one knows whether the wine came from the ship or not, they don't care.

IMO....cruise ships should ban smoking completely but promote and sell vapping stuff. Say what you want but vapping is considerably safer and less obnoxious than smoking.  They could hold clinics and sell vapping stuff.
Just to be clear I am not/never been a smoker or a vaper. I do have relatives who switched from smoking to vaping and they are pleasant to be around even while vaping.  It's also a good way to stop smoking.

IMO....cruise ships should ban smoking completely but promote and sell vapping stuff. Say what you want but vapping is considerably safer and less obnoxious than smoking.  They could hold clinics and sell vapping stuff.
Just to be clear I am not/never been a smoker or a vaper. I do have relatives who switched from smoking to vaping and they are pleasant to be around even while vaping.  It's also a good way to stop smoking.

Same in my state. Cheaper on board and often cheaper still in Caribbean ports.
The difference in price is usually the taxes, has nothing to do with blue laws. Duty free=no tax.  The last cruise I was on I bought two bottles of bourbon for $50. Back home those  would cost at least $30/each. When we went ashore, same bottles were $2/bottle cheaper than on board.
And not to mention that cruise ships often sell liter bottles instead of 750 ml (fifth) bottles. So you get more for less.

Google Rainforest Adventures in St. Maarten, Fantastic zip lining, slide. Do the whole thing.  Catch a cab early before the cruise ship buses show up. Not offered by Royal but others. Be back by noon and enjoy the beach afterwards. You can see the whole island from the top of the mountain. Great time particularly if you have kids. Makes the zip line in Labadee look lame in comparison..

I usually get three lobster tails on lobster night. I don't get lobster at home so I go all out on cruises.  My wife ordered lamb chops on lobster night and gave me one. They were so good we ordered another and split them. I don't eat desert (on keto) but occasionally my wife will order another desert if she doesn't like the first one.

I can't say never, but we rarely have a problem flying in/out of FL, though Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale is sometimes a pain. Prefer Orlando, Tampa.
And...we've gotten pretty good at minimizing to carry-ons for 7 day cruises. Usually fly Delta and they usually allow carry-ons to be checked at the gate free. That means last loaded, first off. Our COs are usually the first off the plane, no waiting.

There is no flagging.  They don't match the people going through security with what is on the x-ray conveyor belt. So conceivably as long as you look like you're not together they won't/don't know who's in what cabin.
 
And an FYI-Forgive me if this a taboo subject but on our last cruise there seemed to be a change in policy. We were able to buy bottles of booze in the ship's store (second day) and immediately take them back to our cabin. On another cruise we were allowed to bring bottles of booze back from our first port stop (3rd day of a 12 day cruise) and they weren't confiscated. In the past booze bought on board or in port was held until the last day.  We could have tapped into any or all of them in our cabin.  If that change in policy remains true it might alter the way we drink on board.

We often book what you call "shoulder season" in late Nov/early Dec. I have a birthday in early Dec so it's a good excuse to cruise then with the low prices fewer passengers. I usually spend most of October & November hunting at the cabin roughing it. Come Dec I'm ready for some warm weather, service and getting reacquainted with the wife.

When we made diamond we stopped getting the drink package. We don't drink pop. We fill our water bottles from the tap. Regular orange juice is fine. Don't drink foo-foo coffees, regular coffee is fine, iced tea makes up what else we drink. We bring two bottles of wine with us.   We've found that limiting our drinks to 4 a day, plus the wine is plenty.