Dad2Cue

We reached Diamond level for the second cruise of a B2B this past January 2022.  With luck we should reach Diamond+ on the B2B next January 2023. We didn't notice any difference being Diamond but we didn't know what to expect.  We got the Diamond pins though.  

Our upcoming cruise schedule is a 7-Night Alaska cruise starting August 29th in a Grand suite.  We have never been in a suite before and Diamond level so we aren't sure how to act.  With double points, the cruise should net us 28 points.

On October 2nd we will embark on a 13-night Panama Canal crossing in an ocean view balcony so no suite perks on that cruise.   The cruise should net us another 26 points.

Two days after the Panama cruise will get on a 4-night Perfect Day cruise in a junior suite so 16 more points.

We currently have 97 points + 28 + 26 + 16 = 167 points.  The first cruise of the B2B in January 2023 is 8 nights so that should be 175 points to make us Diamond+.  We are putting the FCCs to good use.

We need a crash course on being Diamond level and in a suite for the Alaska cruise before moving up to Diamond+.

I don't remember where I was but there were monkeys around.  They would steal anything they could even reaching into my pockets and taking things.  Keep your hand on your wallet when monkeys are around.

We just got an email about an itinerary change on Wonder, Jan 15,2023.  Instead of Nassau we are going to CocoCay.  Fine with me because we have been to Nassau more than CocoCay.  I can't say that we are too disappointed about this change.

1 hour ago, Jailman said:

Heck, I would take the freight elevator if they would let me!

Maybe the freight elevator would be a possibility.  I can't recall ever seeing the freight elevators except on the lower decks.  I'm not saying you should have to take the freight elevator but maybe it would be allowed.

Thanks for shedding some light on this issue.  Maybe one elevator on each end of the ship could be designated as a handicap elevator.  People could still use it but at least people may realize who had priority.

I have considered using a scooter on a cruise because my mobility is challenged.  I do have a walker that I plan to use on my next cruise. I never thought about this particular issue with a scooter so thanks for your insight.  Maybe Royal has never considered this problem and maybe they could do something if it was brought to their attention.  No answer ... it isn't like you can use the stairs when the elevators get crowded.

4 hours ago, Jeff618 said:

Sorry if this has previously been answered, but if so I can't find it.  We have purchased the deluxe drink package to have all of our drinks prepaid.  Does this include gratuities?  

It does include gratuities but many times you will be handed a receipt to sign.  There is a line on the receipt for a tip.  I may be overly generous but I suppose it just depends on how often they bring you a drink.

17 hours ago, Pooch said:

I thought if we canceled our third guest, RC would reprice the cruise & there would be very little difference AND they might move us to a J2 cabin.  BUT my TA called & they told her no reprice, just a refund of my daughter’s portion of the total and no cabin move.  We have til final payment to decide.  What a nice surprise!

I got the same surprise not too long ago.  We had a cruise booked quite a while ago in a JS for 3 people.  My daughter decided not to go so I thought they would do a reprice for 2 people at current rates. We only booked this cruise so my daughter could use her $250 FCC which wasn't her money to begin with.  I thought it would be a nightmare scenario because the price of the cruise had gone up in the room category we had but we might have saved a bit of money if we switched to a 2 person JS, repriced it, and made it nonrefundable

I forget what all happened but my daughter told the Royal agent we could apply her $250 FCC to our cruise fare.  The cruise price reverted to the price had we originally booked the cruise for 2 people --- no reprice was done plus we got the $250 FCC applied to our cruise fare.  The cruise was refundable so her share of the deposit was also applied to our cruise fare.  We had only paid the deposits on this cruise but our remaining balance due decreased significantly. We kept the same room and it was still refundable and no change fee.

54 minutes ago, MG728 said:

Hi All, I'm updating my post- it took me days to get through to an agent. I had booked through Costco travel and called them first.  I never complained about the uber long wait or my multiple calls and just asked nicely. I was fully prepared to possibly pay $100 per person and a rate increase if necessary.He did not charge me any fees and changed my reservation, and to make it even sweeter, the price of my rooms had gone down! I hope anyone else in this situation has the same results.

Does Costco and other travel agencies reserve or hold staterooms at a "bulk rate" or "discounted rate" and resell the rooms later at a profit based on Royal's current pricing?  Royal's price usually goes up over time.   Maybe travel agencies aren't subject to Royal's policy for nonrefundable fares.  Do travel agencies keep these staterooms in their inventory a year or more in advance and sell them later?   Does this make sense? 

I'm just wondering how it works.  Maybe @Sharla would know.  I used a travel agency a long time ago and they imposed their own change fees when Royal didn't have any change fees.

20 minutes ago, Ray said:

Fee isn't charged by RC so they cannot put it on your bill. 

Maybe RC would pay it for me if I pay Royal.  

Have you looked at the port fees and taxes??  I rarely look at those so maybe they could just put this fee there.

On 6/18/2022 at 1:22 PM, Bill G said:

1.  Has anyone had a similar experience with a refund being issued to a credit card other than that card to which the refund e-mail indicated the refund would be issued?

It has happened to me but never to a credit card that wasn't mine.  I just check all my credit cards to see where the refund went.  I have learned with Royal you need to expect the unexpected.  I don't get too bent out of shape about it. 

I believe they have a weird accounting system. 

During Covid, I was told all the refunds were being done manually.   I have used different credit cards but the refund amounts never matched anything remotely close to the "original payment method".  Cruise planner purchases were consistently correct but not all the time.

I somewhat enjoy catching their mistakes when it isn't in my favor.  I just call and ask someone if it is correct.  They usually acknowledge the mistake and correct it with another mistake in my favor -- then I say it must be correct and I don't say anything!

2 hours ago, steverk said:

About a year ago we had the opportunity to compare surf with surf and stream side by side. There was no noticeable difference,  but ships have more people now and surf is slower than it was.

I have always purchased the multi device stream internet package because the price differential wasn't that much compared to the surf only package.  We don't usually "stream" anything but internet speed while surfing can be frustrating at times.  The price of any internet package has doubled in recent years.  I'm tempted to try a 2 device surf only package but the cost is still about the same as what a 4 device stream package used to cost. 

Should we do a single device "stream package" and share it or a two device "surf package" and get used to the slower speed?  It won't matter on our next Alaskan cruise in August.  Am I correct in thinking our 1 BR Grand Suite is sky class and each of us will get a single device stream included???

8 hours ago, Shari said:

Radiance of the Seas transited the Panama Canal old locks on 1 April 2022 (this year) so she will probably transit using the old locks (new ones are much more expensive from what I am reading on cruise critic).  We are on the 20 October 2022 cruise and are definitely looking forward to this bucket list trip that was cancelled 2 years ago.

We were booked on Radiance as a bucket list trip that was cancelled 2 years ago.  I don't recall what happened exactly but I'm now booked on Serenade this October 2022.  As long as I don't kick the bucket between now and then, we intend to go this time.

On 5/23/2022 at 4:38 PM, GatorCruiser said:

So no more hospital ships for quarantined crew?

I wonder if certain stateroom areas on each ship are reserved for Covid quarantine areas.  It might be a way to maintain some reduced capacity at least.

12 hours ago, JC Pats said:

Both are nice areas, and I cannot think of any Cons, except the current price point.

I agree with this statement.  We had a cabana in the Beach Club area for 4 people at a great price considering it included the admission into the Beach Club.  Now a cabana in the Water Park area that includes admission is tempting.   

A cabana in the Oasis Lagoon was nice too but harder to justify since there was no admission price associated with the Oasis Lagoon area.

On 5/3/2022 at 1:38 PM, KenCP said:

The crossing has been excellent, the crew steered us around the growing storm.

Thank-you for the update.  I was so disappointed that we didn't go on this cruise.  My wife wasn't that disappointed.  My doctor recommended that I didn't go and wanted to schedule surgery.  I still haven't had the surgery and I'm doing okay so we probably could have gone.  I didn't want to chance a medical evacuation from the middle of the Atlantic so we decided it would be better if we didn't go.  With some luck, I will have surgery and be fully recovered by the October 2023 trans Atlantic westbound from Barcelona on Symphony.  We might even tack on the short 3 day cruise from Rome to Barcelona and do a B2B with the trans Atlantic. 

My wife doesn't think 8 sea days in a row is such a great idea.  I think it would be fantastic if the weather was good with relatively calm seas.  I would love to hear about the westbound trans Atlantic you will be on this fall. 

Do you know how easy cruising from Rome would be as compared to Barcelona.   We have been to both cities but haven't embarked on a cruise from either city.

Thanks again

On 4/19/2022 at 7:38 AM, smokeybandit said:

I think skipping Nassau is worth avoiding 5 days of 20 foot seas

How were the seas/weather on this cruise??  We were supposed to be on this TransAtlantic but had to cancel.  A TransAtlantic is still on our bucket list and we have rescheduled it for October 2023.  Is it better going east to Europe in the spring?  We are now thinking it might be better to go west from Europe and end up back in the USA.  Any ideas on what might be better logistically and weather wise.

What are the pros and cons?

I only saw one sign that was for "The Key".  We followed the sign but it led us to the same place with everyone else in line.  The line wasn't long because of reduced capacity so no big deal.  The lunch in the main dining room was good but it took forever and we almost decided to skip it.  Our carry on bags were in our room but they would have been fine with us as we waited for lunch.  By the time we got out of the main dining room the staterooms were already open so once again the bags could have stayed with us especially since there was a long line to check the bags in.  We had separate internet packages but we could have done as well with a single device internet package and shared it. 

I was a bit confused about free room service but that wasn't included.  The doors to the shows didn't seem to be open early for anyone with The Key but perhaps everyone had The Key.  I honestly don't think The Key opened up anything at all but we wanted to try it ... once was enough.

We usually plan every detail a year in advance for a trip like this however, time is getting short. We have been on a Mediterranean cruise that included Barcelona (first cruise ever at the time).  We liked Barcelona and have never been to Spain except for that. A TransAtlantic cruise is somewhat of a bucket list cruise.  I feel comfortable with the TransAtlantic part and ports in Spain --- not so comfortable with disembarkation and 7-day stay in Barcelona.  We need everything to be as easy and as convenient as possible because nothing seems very easy anymore.  We don't intend to take Barcelona by storm.  We recall taxi service was great in Barcelona. 

A TransAtlantic cruise has been in the works for a couple of years but has been postponed or rescheduled several times.  I didn't think this trip would happen so I didn't plan anything except for the cruise and the flight back home.  I would not want to cancel the cruise. It doesn't seem like anything will prevent us from going this time except for health issues -- I think I'm up for it though.  Cost is a factor but we realize we can't take it with us when "that time" comes.

Any recommendations.???   Staying onboard the ship and doing excursions would be fantastic.  Anyone know how the 4-day gap will be handled?  A back-to-back with another Mediterranean cruise is a possibility.  Thanks for any recommendations. 

2 hours ago, Ray said:

If any government imposes sanctions on Russia to make it harder for them, is it morally correct that tourists on a cruiseship can go onshore spending money which may help in war? 

Tough call in that regard but generally I would agree.  I was a "tourist" during the Cold War.  Officially, my dollars needed to be exchanged at government banks and goods needed to be purchased at government stores just for foreigners.   However, my dollars were well received by the citizens of Russia.  The people were very nice to me considering I was the enemy.  St Petersburg was called Leningrad back then but it was still a beautiful city with good people.

On 1/21/2022 at 10:47 AM, CruisingNewb said:

Just curious:

Is suggesting a rapid test for the purposes of a work around in order to board?

OR

Is the suggestion because PCR testing still picks up traces of the virus from the past?

 

That's a good question.  For us, it isn't a work around just to get on a cruise ship.  We actually don't care anymore whether we go on the cruise or not other than to get what we paid for.  My wife doesn't believe she is still contagious.  I can't believe that I didn't have covid because I was as symptomatic as my wife but tested negative. 

From what I have read and heard about PCR tests, they can detect "dead virus" for months after being infected.  We were advised not to do a PCR test before a cruise for a few months because of that. It isn't like we are trying to game the system.  I think the CDC is clueless too when they changed the isolation time from 10 days to 5 days.  Everything just seems so arbitrary (and political) ... we don't know what to believe or what to do!

16 hours ago, Curtis Kari said:

My wife just tested positive and our hopes of a Jan 22nd cruise on the Allure are dashed. Hoping to get rebooked for a future date.

Same thing happened to my wife last month.  We were within 14 days of a January 9th cruise on Jewel OTS which was the first of a B2B on Jewel.  The second part of the B2B wasn't within 14 days of her testing positive for covid.  We cancelled the first cruise and weren't sure what to do about the second cruise.  Royal decided for us and both of the B2B cruises on Jewel were cancelled.   

Since we cancelled the first cruise because of testing positive, we requested a refund.  That seems like yesterday but you have to love Royal because a full refund just popped back onto our credit card today!

We are now in Florida two weeks early for another cruise on Odyssey.  My wife's last PCR test about 3 weeks ago was still positive.  We decided to go to Florida anyway to enjoy some warmer weather compared to Iowa.  We are waiting to do a rapid test before the cruise next week.  We aren't sure what the result will be but neither one of us have any symptoms.  I tested 3 times and never did test positive.

18 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

After you sail and hit the 80 point mark the following cruise you are recognized by Diamond. The double points for the cancellation will apply to whatever cruise you use the FCC from the cancellation on.

It says the FCC just needs to be issued and applied which I would gladly do.  It doesn't say it will apply to the cruise that the FCC is applied to. Now my bubble has burst because something tells me the FCC won't be issued anytime soon.  By that time, we will already reach 80 points after day 6 of our upcoming cruise ... what good is that???

Dear Crown & Anchor Society Member

Late last week, we announced the unfortunate cancellation of your upcoming January 15, 2022 Jewel of the Seas sailing. Today, we want to respond to the many questions received regarding Double Points. We are happy to share that once the Future Cruise Credit (FCC) issued for this cancellation is applied to an upcoming booking, we will automatically apply the Double Points. There's nothing you need to do to ensure the points are applied. As a reminder, your new FCC can be used on any Royal Caribbean International sailing that departs on or before December 31, 2022 (or one year from your original sailing - whichever is further out). We know many of you booked your vacations because of the Double Points promotion, and we look forward to seeing you back onboard in the future. Sincerely, Royal Caribbean International

5 hours ago, rccruiser44 said:

I am now a diamond member and have never used the new drink benefits.  As  I understand it you get 4 drinks per day added to your seapass card.  Does this include speciality coffee, water, etc?  If that is the case you should pay for those and save them for alcoholic beverages.

If I go to the diamond lounge and get an alcoholic drink or coffee does that count towards the 4 per day?

Thanks for asking this question.  We are at 68 C&A points.  I got an e-mail recently about the cancellation of Jewel OTS and was pleasantly surprised that Royal would be honoring double points for our cruise that was canceled.  It was an 8-day cruise so double points gets us 16 points.  68+16=84 points so that makes us Diamond!  When will we be officially Diamond cruisers?  We have another cruise scheduled for Jan 29th.

My wife gets the refreshment package and she is happy with that.  I usually get a few "refreshments" too in terms of the souvenir soda glass which she doesn't use.  I would rather have a  couple of beers once in awhile and maybe an occasional mixed drink.  My wife doesn't much care for alcoholic drinks.  Seems like the drink vouchers will work just fine for me!

On 1/15/2022 at 3:41 PM, need2cruz said:

I did prepay the tips already.  I didn’t think the price of the cruise would go down so much.  But that’s a good problem to have!  Sounds like I can still cash anything left in the slot machine, if we can’t manage to spend it onboard.

I have a $853 "problem" to solve just like your problem.  I'm sure I'll think of something.  I have already whittled the problem down to a $650 problem with cruise planner purchases!  Strawberries and champagne is a good way to begin a cruise.  Chops+1 is a good way to spend some money too.

If all else fails ... I'll visit the casino.

6 hours ago, twangster said:

I like to keep mine off any booking until closer to final payment due date.

I certainly can understand that strategy too!  Except when the time comes to apply a FCC it seems to be hard to find the FCC.  On the other hand, it can be challenging to remove a FCC and apply it a different cruise.  I was told it could take months to accomplish that feat.  

I agree with @Sharla and "I have nothing nice to say about finding FCCs and applying FCCs". 

I did manage to apply a FCC once and went on the cruise so it is nice that I don't have to worry about that FCC anymore!