YellowBrickRoad

Yeah noticed that so I grabbed it for my August sailing. 

I noticed that even the 3-night packages have a discount, something that I've not seen in forever. I wish they had done that in time for my Symphony sailing back in February. 😕

Thank You. Thats what I mentioned in other post about 3 night dining package and not having  1 or 2 night courtesy reservation. It was about $30 less than I I have been looking at these last few weeks with gratuity so I purchased it. I thought the courtesy res not there is maybe that is because they may be allowing to reserve ahead of time down the road as they have been talking about. 
I have had to refresh a few times as I’m looking at internet package which is a good deal right now.  
I’m happy with our DBP/Refreshment package as we got the best price on the Diamond Member sale. 

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.

I don't recall the courtesy reservation actually showing up anywhere visible.  It's just in the system.  When you board and go to make the rest of your reservations, it should be there (and can be changed at that time).

I bought the three night dining package yesterday with a sale. I noticed there was no making a courtesy reservation on either night #1 or #2 when you purchase a package. Does anyone know if that has changed? 

Good to know! Thank You 😊 

As crazy as it seems, I would not count on them NOT using his coupons, even if he has the DBP.  I recommend that you (and he) tell the bartender/server EVERY time, how you want the each and every drink paid for.  It’s kind of a nuisance but I’ve seen/hear of waaaytooo many peoples’ loyalty coupons getting used when they shouldn’t have.

We were just notified yesterday of our bid acceptance for a sailing in two weeks. 

FYI - I just did a check it for Symphony of the sea sailed from Cape Liberty for May 31 cruise.  They do have 10 to 10:30am.  I got the time I wanted.

Nj was the easiest on/off I've done. 

I think Royal has loaded some of the more “distant” sailings with package prices but no individual restaurant prices but as far as I know, they have not ceased selling individual restaurants.  My guess is that they will load individual restaurant prices later.  The package prices have increased !
One interesting datapoint.  For one of our upcoming cruises, they are offering a 3 night dining package for a 5 night sailing which I haven’t seen in many years.  Normally the 3 night packages are only available for cruises 7 nights or longer in length. 
Yes, they are still making a courtesy reservation on either night #1 or #2 when you purchase a package, but those place holder reservations can easily be changed once you board.

I usually purchase the 3 night package on a seven day cruise. The only issue I have is I can’t  make reservations before boarding day. Then, after boarding, I go directly to any restaurant host desk and make all my reservations for the week. The one reservation made for you is just a place holder. Just change after you board.
With these new protocols, I decided not to purchase the package. I’d rather spend a little more and just make my individual specialty reservations in the cruise planner prior to sailing day. This way I’m guaranteed the times I want. Less pre-boarding stress.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/12/14/wonder-of-the-seas-vs-symphony-of-the-seas

1.  Yes
2.  Yes
3. No

Since we almost always have a couple of specialty meals stuck into the itin. somewhere, I suspect we will stick with MTD.  I don’t want to take up a “fixed” seat when chances are I’m going to be somewhere else more than half the time.
I guess we have been extremely lucky with MTD.  We’ve never really had a bad experience.  As long as it continues to work for us, we will continue to use it.

Any time it goes into pending mode, it cannot be modified or cancelled, regardless of the outcome.

Oh boy...I am most confused now. I think you guys are all correct, it is full Sky on Utopia, Icon, Star.
My conclusion? I will not be booking a Sky Junior on any ship. Forget the shady "is it full Sky" "is it not" nonsense, I don't even want to be on Deck 6! lol

Definitely a full show tonite.  It is possible that they are missing a female diver but it didn’t impact the show at all.  Excellent show as always.  

We have reservations for tonite’s show.  Hopefully all is well.

I’m with @FionaMG…risk tolerance: ZILCH!  That timing is just too close for comfort.  Of course, it could be just fine BUT there are too many possibilities that could delay your perfect timing from ship to airport.  IMO, it’s better to be safe than sorry…those 4 hours are worth peace of mind and perhaps a few extra $$$!

I have done the Castia a couple of times on Oasis and will be doing it on the Symphony in August. 
Go the first day you get on ship (16) to see where they are located and choose what works best for you  They will write your name on a sheet with your location. If not sold out on the day you want, you can change. With the sun changing, I ended up switching on the day with getting sun only a few hours. On Oasis there was none with ocean view. 
There are some together, and there are some near stairs. We choose close to bar area and stairs. There was a button to press for staff but we have never needed to use it as they could always see us and were very attentive so we enjoyed being closer to bar.
We did  get an unexpected fruit platter while there both times we have used it. There is water on ice for your enjoyment as well. We enjoy it. I purchase when it’s on sale. For us not a necessity but nice not to have to look for seats and we use it for many hours and about the whole time.
It seats two so we usually get a chair next to us that is outside the Casita for my son if he comes  
 

I have done the Castia a couple of times on Oasis and will be doing it on the Symphony in August. 
Go the first day you get on ship (16) to see where they are located and choose what works best for you  They will write your name on a sheet with your location. If not sold out on the day you want, you can change. With the sun changing, I ended up switching on the day with getting sun only a few hours. On Oasis there was none with ocean view. 
There are some together, and there are some near stairs. We choose close to bar area and stairs. There was a button to press for staff but we have never needed to use it as they could always see us and were very attentive so we enjoyed being closer to bar.
We did  get an unexpected fruit platter while there both times we have used it. There is water on ice for your enjoyment as well. We enjoy it. I purchase when it’s on sale. For us not a necessity but nice not to have to look for seats and we use it for many hours and about the whole time.
It seats two so we usually get a chair next to us that is outside the Casita for my son if he comes  
 

There are 3 ways to get a “free “ cruise in the casino.
1.  Earn at least 1500 points on any cruise.  This is called an “Instant” reward.  These are the cruises listed in the QR codes found in the casino.  The level of the offer depends on your level of play and your losses.  You can earn an instant reward every time you cruise if you earn the points required.  Certificates earned on the same cruise can be combined (see @Pattycruise comment above).

2.  Earn 2500 points over a 1-year period from 1 April of one year through 31 March of the following year.  This is a tier level (Prime) reward.  You can claim this free cruise any time after ~15 April…or when the new casino year starts. Each tier level player gets 1 of these per casino year.  
3.  A random offer that comes through the mail, email or on clubroyaleoffers.com. These rewards are called “Monthlies”.  Monthly offers are based solely on the level of play and losses from your most recent cruise.

#1 also has some bizarre sub-categories that can be very confusing.  For instance, if you earn  a certificate for less than 1500  points, sometimes there is a complimentary offer associated with it but in order to use it for a complimentary cruise, you must have purchased a Next Cruise Open Booking.  Without the NCOB you will only receive the $$$off associated with the certificate.
Also, ANY instant reward comp cruise, regardless of its value, requires a NCOB in order to receive the “free play” bonus associated with it.  No NCOB, no free play.
Clear as mud ?  Yea, me too.