billdauterive

@Matt can you share some events that aren't MEI exclusive? I'd like to try to meetup with the group at some point.

Good advise. FYI, prime waives the 5% fee to charge your seapass so I always do this instead of bringing on a bunch of cash (DON'T DO THIS IF YOU CAN'T STICK TO YOUR LIMIT!). I also do it for the reason you mention of making sure the pitboss comes over to see the initial 1st bet, plus getting credit card reward points. I think time is also a much larger aspect of attaining table points than people realize. It doesn't appear to be linear as the rate of points I get seems to grow at a faster rate the longer I'm there, even though my betting pattern never changes. For example, I might get 50 points after an hour of play, 110 points after 2 hours, 250 after 4 hours, and 600 after 8 hours. Purely anecdotal but it seems around 6 hours of constant play at the same table seems to be where the points rate really starts to take off in my experience.

Correct* *at least in all my experiences

I can verify this. Any fully comp'd casino cruises are denied, but "dollar off" casino rates are still eligible just as normal pay ones are.

If you're concerned about Carnival's $32B in debt then you should be just as concerned with Royal's debt which is $21B (but down from $24B 2 quarters ago). Carnival's debt to asset ratio is currently in line with Royal's. Both companies are throwing off enough free cash at the moment to easily service and pay down existing debt. Personally I'm not even close to worried about the viability of either long term.

But I concur the hotel prices are INSANE the day before. In fact we decided to stay an extra day afterward for sightseeing instead of 2 before. The same hotel near Faneuil Hall is $300/night less then...

I just realized one of my casino comps is for this cruise. Guess I won't be able to do some of the group activities but as long as @Matt is at the craps table and it's hot again, I'll survive...

Are you Diamond or D+? If not, then no, it's going to be better to buy precruise as you should be able to find sales for more than 30% off the on board price. If you're Diamond or D+, it can definitely make sense on shorter length cruises since you can use your 1 or 2 free days first, then use the prime discount later. Multiple devices also starts to make the math fuzzy since you will usually get the next devices at a lower rate precruise and I don't believe you get a prime discount beyond the 1st device.. What I do is a mock reservation for all the devices I need to get a total cost that route, then do the math on what it would cost to wait until after I use my free days (using 70% of the non-sale price for the remaining days) to see what that total cost would be.

It can be but not guaranteed. It always depends on the weather that week. It's also possible (although rare) to be really cold to the point of needing a coat when outside. Its also possible to be really warm to the point of sweating even in shorts. I would recommend looking at the forecast as you get closer to know if there will be an extreme. "Normally" you'll probably just need a jacket at night that time of year.

You can enter from either side as you can see in this picture posted yesterday

Yes, the uncovered are the normal North lot spots. The South lot is across the street at the bottom right of the picture. Terminal 14 parking is off the screen to the left. The North lot is definitely walkable from anywhere. I personally walk from the South lot as well as the distance isn't that far, it just doesn't have a marked cross walk for the street crossing.

Yes, Ovation has been stopping in Skagway this season.

0% chance of getting on a tender in time to make a 8:30 3rd party excursion (unless 95% of the passengers are staying on the ship). I would give AT LEAST 2 hours from tender start time to when you'll actually be able to board one after all the royal excursions and statuses have finished. I learned this lesson the hard way a few years ago in Belize when I missed my 3rd party excursion that was booked to start 2 hours after arrival. I didn't set foot on land until 4 hours after arrival even though I was up and in the tender line 30 mins before it opened that morning.

$0

Just off Ovation from last week where the port weather was terrible (rainy, windy and 40s). You would never have known it inside the ship as the temperature was very much normal inside temperatures. So if you normally wear shorts inside, you'll be fine wearing shorts on the ship. If you're normally freezing inside and need a jacket, you'll need a jacket on the ship. But definitely bring layers as you might be spending time on the outside decks viewing the scenery and wildlife.

Amarillo by morning...

I don't know the answer but personally I would think yes since it's a discount and not a comp. You should call the casino line and ask your hypothetical to at least get an idea (even though yes different reps give different answers). I would think worst case you would be able to upgrade to a higher category for no/low cost if prices actually do go down.

I believe you still can through Wyndham (if you're currently Diamond). Check the link in the original post. https://www.caesars.com/myrewards/profile/partners/?id=WYN

Sticking to my guns...

Very good lesson to learn. One thing I'll sometimes do is use a random number generator to get the cents portion of the price so that I'm not stuck on a whole number (i.e. random number of 58 means my order would then be for $30.58 or $29.58 in your example)

Awesome info, thanks! So if I'm reading this correct, no Alaska itineraries are affected. That's really what I was wondering as far as blackout dates.

Are the blackout dates more than in the past? From what I've read I was under the impression the blackout dates were only for major holidays in the past and not summer as well. I've never been prime before but I think I've got a good chance to hit it this year. Since I might be borderline status, I'm just curious if it would make sense to push extra at the last minute if needed. If all summer is blacked out, it might not be worth it to me.

Already looks much better in that picture than it did back in Feb.

Ditto. Late night Sorrentos is a must!