cruisellama

Curious if some of the more severe protocols are employed by the lines (like face masks), will the normal "cruise crud" also decline?

Cool idea, like a river boat casino, but it actually sails.

There is a twist, there's a "blind" pick - for example - if you purchase a 3 specialty restaurant package, and you really wanted to eat at the Steak place more than once, you won't get that. They pick your restaurant rotation, which can be problematic if you don't understand how it works. So if there are 4 specialty restaurants, and you pick a 2 or 3 night, you may not get your desired pick. If you're in suite class, the Retreat concierge or your butler can fix it, but if you don't really have status, it will be a surprise. It can work in your favor, but if you're not prepared to work the system, you might be disappointed. You get a better price than a la carte buying the package, but you loose control of where and when. If sailing under reduced capacity, I'm sure this will not be an issue.

Star class sounds like an experience as close to "all inclusive" as you can get on RCL. I read the amenities, and Star gets you about every on-board dining, drink, internet, specialty, chef's table, in-room bar option, plus the Genie, probably priority tender, embarkation. Does it get on-board all access tours also? I was just trying to sum up the difference between Sky and Star. We're trying Sky next year, but in the following year I wouldn't be opposed to bumping to Star if the package is better than adding a laundry list of amenities a la carte.

That's essentially what I end up doing. I just use the cruise line website for the alert. You can set it, then forget it. If I get an email I'll then check the cruise line website and do a mock booking to ensure I see a reduction in my cabin category or one above. If I see a 10% change, I'll call. We have a B2B med cruises planned I've seen and benefitted from 2 drops - saved about $1500/cruise. Also on our next cruise (Edge) our TA was able to upgrade us from an S3 to S1 after we provide him with the info.

Dessert

We really enjoyed it. The food is definitely unique and the presentations makes the food look like a work of art. Kinda of a little showmanship that goes on throughout the meal. The drinks of the house are also very unique and can only be purchased at the Wonderland bar/restaurant

Love the food in this place.

That is unique

Sounds more straight forward. How do you get the daily pricing info loaded into the spreadsheet? Is there an app that can pull it? Or it software that only a TA would have?

Its really a 2 step process, because as you observed, you have to see the discount on the right category. I get an alert, then I go to the cruise line website and go the the mock booking process for the same room type I currently have. If I see a reduced price, I call the TA or the line and execute the discount (or in another case, was able to get an upgraded room). So the CL alert just gives you a generic ping so then you need to dig down to see if its real. I only will use the cruise line website after that because its verifiable with the agent. Its easier to use it as a filter/alert so you're not logging into the website and doing mock bookings every day.

Thanks again. That works.

Thanks (forgot to ask also) - is there a walking/jogging path around the island?

Yes - only 1 bath in a JS

Actually before the C19 outbreak Richard Branson was going to introduce the Scarlet Lady in NYC as a restaurant for a weekend. You would pay a fixed fee/pp to get on-board and eat at the buffet. Was a good marketing move but cancelled.

Yes

How often does the transportation run? Are they crowded or run frequently enough to avoid having to wait for a ride?

Me too (and Numbers)

No need to leave the suite - has everything!

Scratching my head too. They do need lots of cash to keep things warm. The uncertainty of restart - another quarter, two, a year? No one knows and carrying the debt long term can sink everyone's fleet.

We've seen them as early as 90 days out. (After you've paid)

Anyone with experiences to share? Most curious about the different cabin levels and how to distill from the marketing. Thinking we'd like to try them out once the ocean opens up again.

Great rank!