Ampurp85

It is time for the shenanigans!!!!
It seems like I haven't been on a cruise in forever, but it's actually been like 90ish days 🤣.
These 11 days of cruising are actually 3 shorties combined. It is a 4n, then a 3N, and then another 4N. They are all casino comps in some capacity. The first two are monthlies, which are random offers the casino sends out either through mail or email. The last one was earned on Wonder. I only paid taxes, fees and gratuities for them. Which amounted to a whopping total of $595.05 for all 3, making it only $54/N. I have OBC on some and Freeplay on all. 
Itinerary: Nassau and PDCC X3, I never get off in Nassau and PDCC is a casino day. 
People: myself, brother and mother x2, myself and my brother x1
Flights: SWA and AA
Extras: Chocolate birthday cake $25.99
My brother's birthday is on April 27th and mine is May 21st. I ordered the cake for the 3n to split the difference. My 39th birthday, hence the title name 🤪, is on the second day of the last 4N cruise, and we will be in PDCC. This is the first time ever that I will be on a cruise for my birthday. Normally its work or Vegas. I mean truthfully, I don't really celebrate it, but I do acknowledge it. It is also the first time I will be sailing in May, my normal window is September through April, excluding March and Easter sailings. So, I am thankful it won't be too hot but warm enough from Chicago to not have bulky outerwear. 

It is time for the shenanigans!!!!
It seems like I haven't been on a cruise in forever, but it's actually been like 90ish days 🤣.
These 11 days of cruising are actually 3 shorties combined. It is a 4n, then a 3N, and then another 4N. They are all casino comps in some capacity. The first two are monthlies, which are random offers the casino sends out either through mail or email. The last one was earned on Wonder. I only paid taxes, fees and gratuities for them. Which amounted to a whopping total of $595.05 for all 3, making it only $54/N. I have OBC on some and Freeplay on all. 
Itinerary: Nassau and PDCC X3, I never get off in Nassau and PDCC is a casino day. 
People: myself, brother and mother x2, myself and my brother x1
Flights: SWA and AA
Extras: Chocolate birthday cake $25.99
My brother's birthday is on April 27th and mine is May 21st. I ordered the cake for the 3n to split the difference. My 39th birthday, hence the title name 🤪, is on the second day of the last 4N cruise, and we will be in PDCC. This is the first time ever that I will be on a cruise for my birthday. Normally its work or Vegas. I mean truthfully, I don't really celebrate it, but I do acknowledge it. It is also the first time I will be sailing in May, my normal window is September through April, excluding March and Easter sailings. So, I am thankful it won't be too hot but warm enough from Chicago to not have bulky outerwear. 

27 days to go.......
Since I made my brother prime, he gets a nice number of monthlies. Usually, they match with mine but of lesser value. Most of my offers are OVs and my brothers are interiors or "1 complimentary guest." It works out the same for us moneywise, but gets us double point, so we booked 2 sperate rooms for the first two sailings as the upgrade option is just OV when you combine. I hate OV so I will often just take the interiors, in this case the first two sailings are GTY. I normally prefer an aft cabin and to pick my own, but I also like a cheap sailing. I really spend minimal time in my room, so location takes a backseat to savings. My brother was excited about his first B2B and then he decided it would be nice to bring our mother along. She of course is sharing a room with him 🤣😂. But she didn't have enough vacation time to do all three, so she will just join us for the first two. We are gifting this as her Mother's Day present.
For the first cruise, check-in opened on the 28th of March I believe. The earliest slot was 11am, which wasn't a big deal because we are flying in the day of......first flight out as usual. I never recommend this, but I have insurance and live in hub city, meaning there are usually 3-4 flights after mine that will get me there. Which brings me to a side rant: there used to be more flights. I remember when there were flights between 8pm-10pm that went to Mia, MCO and FLL. Now the last flight is often around 6:45 to 7pm, which is not ideal when flying with my mother who has church until at least 3pm and requires another couple of hours to be ready. So 5am flights are what I have to deal with, and the sucky part is my preferred airline makes those the most expensive flights. So even though I complain and say I hope to never fly them again, I am often stuck with SWA...... and their crappy boarding procedure 🤣. 
I don't know if 10/10:30 opened up, I didn't bother to check. We will be on the ship for 11 days so I can care less about getting an earlier time. Plus, there are no reservations required for Freedom class entertainment.  My brother brought his own snorkeling gear, the price for snorkeling all day at PDCC is like $50 on sale now 😱. No ecursions are planned.
I used the barcode trick as soon as I checked in and I was able to see our room assignments. For the first leg we are on deck 3 in rooms #3253 and 3251. On the second leg we are on Deck 2 in rooms #2567 and 2569. I chose my own room for the last leg with deck 9 and room #9391. I was happy that the rooms were assigned so close to each other. We have traditional dining for all three legs at 8:30.........which will probably be 8 in most cases. Since the reservations are linked, they should sit us together at a smaller table, if we are assigned to an 8-top I will request a different table. My brother doesn't want people judging him as he eats all his meals. 
I will not be pre-purchasing anything. I get 2 free days as D+ and then can use my prime discount on the remainder. I will also be using my BOGO. There will be the B2B'rs lunch so I will take advantage of that to avoid the WJ. Plus, we will do embarkation day lunch at Playmakers. 
I plan to prepack each leg in its own packing cube. I am also bringing a ton of casino-friendly snacks as I have a 2025 S2S2S or B2B2B to plan. I am following @AshleyDillo advice and bring specific clothes for the casino, so the rest don't get smoky. 

27 days to go.......
Since I made my brother prime, he gets a nice number of monthlies. Usually, they match with mine but of lesser value. Most of my offers are OVs and my brothers are interiors or "1 complimentary guest." It works out the same for us moneywise, but gets us double point, so we booked 2 sperate rooms for the first two sailings as the upgrade option is just OV when you combine. I hate OV so I will often just take the interiors, in this case the first two sailings are GTY. I normally prefer an aft cabin and to pick my own, but I also like a cheap sailing. I really spend minimal time in my room, so location takes a backseat to savings. My brother was excited about his first B2B and then he decided it would be nice to bring our mother along. She of course is sharing a room with him 🤣😂. But she didn't have enough vacation time to do all three, so she will just join us for the first two. We are gifting this as her Mother's Day present.
For the first cruise, check-in opened on the 28th of March I believe. The earliest slot was 11am, which wasn't a big deal because we are flying in the day of......first flight out as usual. I never recommend this, but I have insurance and live in hub city, meaning there are usually 3-4 flights after mine that will get me there. Which brings me to a side rant: there used to be more flights. I remember when there were flights between 8pm-10pm that went to Mia, MCO and FLL. Now the last flight is often around 6:45 to 7pm, which is not ideal when flying with my mother who has church until at least 3pm and requires another couple of hours to be ready. So 5am flights are what I have to deal with, and the sucky part is my preferred airline makes those the most expensive flights. So even though I complain and say I hope to never fly them again, I am often stuck with SWA...... and their crappy boarding procedure 🤣. 
I don't know if 10/10:30 opened up, I didn't bother to check. We will be on the ship for 11 days so I can care less about getting an earlier time. Plus, there are no reservations required for Freedom class entertainment.  My brother brought his own snorkeling gear, the price for snorkeling all day at PDCC is like $50 on sale now 😱. No ecursions are planned.
I used the barcode trick as soon as I checked in and I was able to see our room assignments. For the first leg we are on deck 3 in rooms #3253 and 3251. On the second leg we are on Deck 2 in rooms #2567 and 2569. I chose my own room for the last leg with deck 9 and room #9391. I was happy that the rooms were assigned so close to each other. We have traditional dining for all three legs at 8:30.........which will probably be 8 in most cases. Since the reservations are linked, they should sit us together at a smaller table, if we are assigned to an 8-top I will request a different table. My brother doesn't want people judging him as he eats all his meals. 
I will not be pre-purchasing anything. I get 2 free days as D+ and then can use my prime discount on the remainder. I will also be using my BOGO. There will be the B2B'rs lunch so I will take advantage of that to avoid the WJ. Plus, we will do embarkation day lunch at Playmakers. 
I plan to prepack each leg in its own packing cube. I am also bringing a ton of casino-friendly snacks as I have a 2025 S2S2S or B2B2B to plan. I am following @AshleyDillo advice and bring specific clothes for the casino, so the rest don't get smoky. 

It is time for the shenanigans!!!!
It seems like I haven't been on a cruise in forever, but it's actually been like 90ish days 🤣.
These 11 days of cruising are actually 3 shorties combined. It is a 4n, then a 3N, and then another 4N. They are all casino comps in some capacity. The first two are monthlies, which are random offers the casino sends out either through mail or email. The last one was earned on Wonder. I only paid taxes, fees and gratuities for them. Which amounted to a whopping total of $595.05 for all 3, making it only $54/N. I have OBC on some and Freeplay on all. 
Itinerary: Nassau and PDCC X3, I never get off in Nassau and PDCC is a casino day. 
People: myself, brother and mother x2, myself and my brother x1
Flights: SWA and AA
Extras: Chocolate birthday cake $25.99
My brother's birthday is on April 27th and mine is May 21st. I ordered the cake for the 3n to split the difference. My 39th birthday, hence the title name 🤪, is on the second day of the last 4N cruise, and we will be in PDCC. This is the first time ever that I will be on a cruise for my birthday. Normally its work or Vegas. I mean truthfully, I don't really celebrate it, but I do acknowledge it. It is also the first time I will be sailing in May, my normal window is September through April, excluding March and Easter sailings. So, I am thankful it won't be too hot but warm enough from Chicago to not have bulky outerwear. 

It is time for the shenanigans!!!!
It seems like I haven't been on a cruise in forever, but it's actually been like 90ish days 🤣.
These 11 days of cruising are actually 3 shorties combined. It is a 4n, then a 3N, and then another 4N. They are all casino comps in some capacity. The first two are monthlies, which are random offers the casino sends out either through mail or email. The last one was earned on Wonder. I only paid taxes, fees and gratuities for them. Which amounted to a whopping total of $595.05 for all 3, making it only $54/N. I have OBC on some and Freeplay on all. 
Itinerary: Nassau and PDCC X3, I never get off in Nassau and PDCC is a casino day. 
People: myself, brother and mother x2, myself and my brother x1
Flights: SWA and AA
Extras: Chocolate birthday cake $25.99
My brother's birthday is on April 27th and mine is May 21st. I ordered the cake for the 3n to split the difference. My 39th birthday, hence the title name 🤪, is on the second day of the last 4N cruise, and we will be in PDCC. This is the first time ever that I will be on a cruise for my birthday. Normally its work or Vegas. I mean truthfully, I don't really celebrate it, but I do acknowledge it. It is also the first time I will be sailing in May, my normal window is September through April, excluding March and Easter sailings. So, I am thankful it won't be too hot but warm enough from Chicago to not have bulky outerwear. 

Thanks at least I can plan accordingly now. Looks like Icon will be my prime 2026 cruise🤣

It is time for the shenanigans!!!!
It seems like I haven't been on a cruise in forever, but it's actually been like 90ish days 🤣.
These 11 days of cruising are actually 3 shorties combined. It is a 4n, then a 3N, and then another 4N. They are all casino comps in some capacity. The first two are monthlies, which are random offers the casino sends out either through mail or email. The last one was earned on Wonder. I only paid taxes, fees and gratuities for them. Which amounted to a whopping total of $595.05 for all 3, making it only $54/N. I have OBC on some and Freeplay on all. 
Itinerary: Nassau and PDCC X3, I never get off in Nassau and PDCC is a casino day. 
People: myself, brother and mother x2, myself and my brother x1
Flights: SWA and AA
Extras: Chocolate birthday cake $25.99
My brother's birthday is on April 27th and mine is May 21st. I ordered the cake for the 3n to split the difference. My 39th birthday, hence the title name 🤪, is on the second day of the last 4N cruise, and we will be in PDCC. This is the first time ever that I will be on a cruise for my birthday. Normally its work or Vegas. I mean truthfully, I don't really celebrate it, but I do acknowledge it. It is also the first time I will be sailing in May, my normal window is September through April, excluding March and Easter sailings. So, I am thankful it won't be too hot but warm enough from Chicago to not have bulky outerwear. 

I will be perfectly honest. We have not sailed UT yet (booked for next March), but we just sailed LB last August (2023) and we did not enjoy the ship too much. We booked LB solely based on itinerary (it was going to Canada/NE) and once onboard, we found her to be lacking compared to her sister ships (Freedom/Independence). Now, UT is a whole other class, so it really isn't a fair comparison, but the thing we found lacking the most about LB is the she has not truly been amped. We missed things like El Loco, freestyle machines, even hand washing stations at the WJ (LB doesn't have these). The entertainment was typical of Freedom class ships, but the ship itself seemed a bit more run down than Indy and Freedom. For that sailing, it did not matter to us as much because we were off at the ports a lot, but I personally would not do LB again unless it was an amazing itinerary or she gets amped.

I'm glad you had a good time! I think we went through 2 bowls of their guac on Allure. Their jalapeno margarita is pretty tasty too if I recall. Guess I'll have to order one just to be sure I'm remembering correctly. 😉

Our family has always sailed in suites. DH and I in Jr Suites before we starting letting the kids tag along, and then the 2 bedroom grand every time the kids have been with us. We really love, and need, the extra space of the separate living room. DH is up without an alarm by 4:30 every morning, and he needs a place to go while the rest of us sleep until a more decent hour. DD is on the spectrum and needs a place to really move around to process the activities of the day before heading out to dinner. Being spoiled in the suite lounge has been a big perk for us too. We're budgeting to replace a car and living room furniture soon though, so we decided to try out connecting balconies for the next few cruises. We're almost diamond plus, so the drink vouchers help take care of what we are missing in the suite lounge, but we sure will miss the service and breakfast in Chops or Coastal Kitchen! 
Along for the ride: Myself, DH, DD (15), and DS (12)
Rooms: 12150 and 12152 - pretty far forward for us aft facing dwellers. 
Itinerary: 7 day Western Caribbean - Galveston, Sea Day x2, Roatan, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Sea Day, back in Galveston.
Pre cruise purchases: soda packages for the kids, 50 photo package (pared down from our usual 100), 24 bottle water package, 3 device internet.
We have MTD with reservations at 6:45 each night. I would do 150 Central Park, Jamie's, or Sabor, but we were in a star class room a year ago on Allure, and didn't eat in the MDR. Since we have only had the new menus on our Liberty cruise this past fall, we will most likely stick with the MDR this time. Who knows, maybe DH and I will have a date night and just send the kids to the WJ. I'm sure we will do Johnny Rockets once for lunch - it's kind of a tradition, and the kids have already been asking about it.
What else... I booked all our entertainment. I want to say it opened up about 45 days out. I meant to make a note, but forgot. I also was able to book Escape the Rubicon about a month ago. It's still showing on my calendar, and they haven't refunded my money yet, so hopefully it is opened back up.
We have a little bit of OBC that will find its way to the casino from the RC card - we redeemed the points on the Bank of America site about 30 days out and they posted to the cruise planner just a couple days later. 
That's all I can think of for now - let me know if you have any questions, and I will try to answer them along the way.

You can use offer code 24Tier3 if you want to go ahead and see the full exclusion list.  http://clubroyaleoffers.com/CertificateOfferCodeLookUp.asp
 
Summary:
No Icon at all (even Feb/March)
No Christmas sailings
No New Years sailings
No Thanksgiving sailings
A lot of Summer exclusions
A few very random exclusions (like 1 Oasis and Odyssey in Sept)

Lol funnel cake????? I love this description🤣.

Lol funnel cake????? I love this description🤣.

Lol funnel cake????? I love this description🤣.

Lol funnel cake????? I love this description🤣.

Lol funnel cake????? I love this description🤣.

Lol funnel cake????? I love this description🤣.

Also keep in mind they don't show up until midway through the cruise, if they show up.

I would say my current total is about 23 cruises. My first cruise was in 2012 on Carnival. I have done some river cruises in Europe, including one along the Nile. I am fairly young, 38, to have cruised as much as I have. 
I started sailing Royal in 2019 and I have been on 17 cruises since then, I have a B2B2B on Freedom in May that will bring me to 20, it will also be the first time I cruise during my birthday. 
I have 6 cruises scheduled after Freedom, including my first Alaskan cruise in Sept and a Celebrity cruise on the docket for 2025 that will probably get moved to 2026. 

That’s exactly where I am right now !  I have to stay out of the sun and the loungers are not for me so I am in a nice comfy couch with cushions next to the bar.  I actually loathe toes in the sand so I’m happy to be missing out on that.   Agree that I’m not pleased with the loud music but my butt and back are thanking me for choosing this spot !  😂😂🤭   Dan abandoned me and found a lounger in the sun.
This place is much bigger than it looks from the ship.  The bar is huge !  So far the only disappointment (for Dan, not me) is that it doesn’t appear that there’s any real ocean access for snorkeling.  Maybe there is and we just haven’t found it yet.
We are here with Wonder and nowhere near capacity.  Maybe that will change later.  It’s a bit breezy but that will probably turn into a blessing as the day goes on.

I have been eyeing that one up. It's out of Miami. (the Ex one, is). It's a great itinerary.

Yes, that's a very important consideration to note. There's no way to know if it will be offered at all on any sailing.
They were practically extinct between 2021-2023.

I think those names might be the new combined tiers. 
Royal has the best loyalty program of the cruise lines imho. But if they could merge those perks with SilverSea and Celebrity, they would be top notch. I personally don't see any issues with the current program other than its not universal across the lines. With hotel loyalty, you can stay at different brands under the umbrella and get the perks. It means access to more revenue. As a pre-vintage I would love to sail Celebrity but between my casino and loyalty status, there is an issue of finances. It's not as financially feasible to sail celebrity when my sailings on Riyal are discounted heavily in the casino and come with discounted internet and free drinks thanks to loyalty. 

Moving on to leg #2.  Explorer 5 night 4-14-24 thru 4-19-24
Turnaround was uneventful.  We met in the Star Lounge at 9:15 and the B2B parade started a bit after 10:00.  It seemed like we were a bit behind schedule but not significantly.  I’m guessing there were 30-40 B2B’ers.  Frankly, I expected more.  We had a very short walk through CBP and then right back on the ship.  There was a tasty B2B lunch at 11:30.
Upon our return to the ship we made our BOGO reservations and visited the mustard (sic) station.  That was it.
Interesting cruise passenger make-up dynamic between this cruise and the last….very predictable.  Many more young families on this shorter cruise.  Not nearly so many scooters…but more strollers.  Not sure which is worse !
Bad start in the casino.  I should have stayed in the room.  😂😵‍💫. At least I had the good sense to cut it off and go home.
Dinner at Izumi tonite.  Yum.  Chops tomorrow and then MDR the rest of the nights.
We went to the ice show.  We always enjoy those even if we’ve seen the show before.
When we came back to the room after turnaround, but before going to the B2B lunch, I called and booked our 2 instant comps from last cruise.  While my original plan was to use the cash value of my cert ($300) to upgrade Dans, we changed our mind and instead booked a 5 night Enchantment cruise (1-27-25) from the short list of comp cruises on my cert.  We have never been on Enchantment and we decided that if we were EVER going to book EN, this probably the only chance as we always look past EN to choose a newer/bigger ship. So we booked it.  Dans cert went for a 10 night EX southern Caribbean (3-20-25).
Tomorrow is PDCC which is usually a stay-on-the-ship-day but we will be going to Hideaway Beach.  I had no intention of ever visiting Hideaway b/c I thought it was so slimy the way they originally  announced that Hideaway would be adults-only and complimentary and then decided to charge for it.  But I got it for $19.99 PP so we will see what it’s like. I’m not one that enjoys laying about in a lounger (it kills my back) so not sure what we’ll do, but I will give it a try.