Chuck586

I understand the food coma problem!  That is why I said after Wonderland -- not sure I, oops I mean my friend, is a Wonderland type of person...lol.  I think we might need some late evening sushi after that.
 

I understand the food coma problem!  That is why I said after Wonderland -- not sure I, oops I mean my friend, is a Wonderland type of person...lol.  I think we might need some late evening sushi after that.
 

Frankly, the whole tipping system is nuts.  Moreover, it is really the cruise companies' fault.  They want to collect gratuities as part of your cruise fare but then provide no information regarding how that money is allocated so the passengers have no idea who is getting what and we feel guilty if we don't give more.  Frankly, I think that is the plan so that the companies can pay their employees less out of the fares that they charge yet the employees still make a living wage out of the extra tips they receive.  It is a system that begs for clarification.

I understand the food coma problem!  That is why I said after Wonderland -- not sure I, oops I mean my friend, is a Wonderland type of person...lol.  I think we might need some late evening sushi after that.
 

For the sake of argument let's assume I just got back from dinner at Wonderland and I now have a hunger for a Ribeye from Chops.  Where do I call to get it delivered to my room?  Do I call the restaurant directly or go through the regular room service number?  
Of course, I am asking for a friend!!  😆

The whole loyalty thing based on nights aboard seems nuts to me.  It seems that a more equitable system would base the status on the amount spent, whether on the room selection or during the cruises.  
I have heard of several people being pinnacle because of the nights spent in an interior cabin all the while demanding that they be allowed in the suite lounge etc because of their status.  That seems like nonsense to me. 
In my case, my wife and I are spending $14,000 + on a 7 day cruise this summer.  I am paying for all of the perks.  I am getting 2 points per night because I stay in a suite. We are going to generate about $500 per point awarded by Royal on just our cabin fare.  I could have booked an interior cabin for two people at $1221.00 per person per day.  That works out to $174.00 per point based on 2 people in the interior cabin.  
Now perhaps a couple in the interior cabin will spend an additional $325.00 per day each on food, drink and other purchases and if they do, they should be rewarded.  If they are drinking lemonade and eat at the Windjammer all week they should not be rewarded the same as if they are staying in a suite. 
Just my $.02!

Agreed - resort casual should be the norm for your cruise vacation (most likely to the Caribbean) and suits and tuxes kept for the transatlantic and cold weather cruises.  If a cruise ship has orange, pink, green, and blue ornamentation on the pool deck, don't expect anything more than a relaxed attire anywhere on the ship (and I know people do dress up, but some folks get huffy about others not dressing up too).

The whole loyalty thing based on nights aboard seems nuts to me.  It seems that a more equitable system would base the status on the amount spent, whether on the room selection or during the cruises.  
I have heard of several people being pinnacle because of the nights spent in an interior cabin all the while demanding that they be allowed in the suite lounge etc because of their status.  That seems like nonsense to me. 
In my case, my wife and I are spending $14,000 + on a 7 day cruise this summer.  I am paying for all of the perks.  I am getting 2 points per night because I stay in a suite. We are going to generate about $500 per point awarded by Royal on just our cabin fare.  I could have booked an interior cabin for two people at $1221.00 per person per day.  That works out to $174.00 per point based on 2 people in the interior cabin.  
Now perhaps a couple in the interior cabin will spend an additional $325.00 per day each on food, drink and other purchases and if they do, they should be rewarded.  If they are drinking lemonade and eat at the Windjammer all week they should not be rewarded the same as if they are staying in a suite. 
Just my $.02!

We sailed out of Port Liberty a year ago on the Oasis.  At that time we stayed overnight in Jersey City and drove into the port the next morning and parked at the port.  If I had to do it again I would do the exact same thing.  Given the amount of congestion in that area and the time it will take to find a shuttle and get back to the hotel to get my car I think I would want to just pick it up at the port and be on my way.  The cost of parking at the port is expensive , but the cost of parking everywhere nearby is expensive.
Just my $.02

I don't swim in any water that has things that can sting me and take a bite out of my leg.  

We sailed out of Port Liberty a year ago on the Oasis.  At that time we stayed overnight in Jersey City and drove into the port the next morning and parked at the port.  If I had to do it again I would do the exact same thing.  Given the amount of congestion in that area and the time it will take to find a shuttle and get back to the hotel to get my car I think I would want to just pick it up at the port and be on my way.  The cost of parking at the port is expensive , but the cost of parking everywhere nearby is expensive.
Just my $.02

Getting to Galveston from Houston and back isn't difficult, except for us as we didn't realize our hotel was the finish line for the Houston marathon, but still a fun story pushing luggage through throngs of thousands for blocks because all the streets were blocked. There are shuttles that run between the two cities, we stayed the night before and after in Houston. Uber can be a haul from Bush as can trying to make it same day with airline delays. We went with two other couples, two flew into bush, we flew into Hobby but all stayed the night before  and after in downtown houston and booked a private car service since with six it was the same as a shuttle which charges per person. But my backup was uber and it was like $100 worst case scenario per couple and on the uber estimator it is $80 from bush to the port without any surge pricing, but the marathon would have screwed us up so do check for any major events. Where we live many friends have weekend homes in the Palm Springs area which is an hour or two from much of so cal, it's very spread out so we always uber to/from dinner so we can drink wine. Go out there during Coachella, Stagecoach or any of the music festivals that attract as many tourists as residents, it's like trying to get an uber on New Year's eve at 1230 am. I'm not sure what events houston has but do check, I learned my lesson nut I'm glad I had a car service reserved.

Harmony of the Seas, June 23, 2024 here we come!
We have been to Cozumel a couple of times but the Roatan stop is new for us!
Something to look forward to at least!

Exactly why I think that the suite lounge should be reserved for those that are paying for a suite.  The sense of ownership or entitlement among some, and I am stressing not all, of the pinnacle members is simply irritating.  
The looks and comments my family would get from some of those folks is really shocking.  My kids were never disrespectful or exceedingly loud it would just be the reaction and the whispers when we would disrupt their private meeting room with our presence.  It would seem that they believed they owned the lounge and coastal kitchen.  Every time we would go into there they were always sitting in the same spots.  I can only assume that they were they from morning until night as they were always in the same spots whether we went for breakfast, lunch or dinner.   

This is similar to the way Celebrity Captain's Club does their point system. I do wonder if Royal will switch to it at some point. 
Captain's Club: Cruise Rewards Program | Celebrity Cruises

I drive in from Austin so I get to avoid all of that.  You can either stay in overnight in Houston and make the drive in the AM, or Make the drive on arrival and stay in Galveston, or the Webster TX area which is much closer.  There are advantages/disadvantages to both.  There is a lot of info in this thread, if you have not already read it.
 

My next cruise is in 346 days... but who is counting?

I am counting: 414 more days until my cruise. LOL!

We are booked on the same cruise!  We cruise out of Galveston a lot and I really like Roatan.

June 2024 for us heading back to Alaska

I have to agree that Royal should phase out the lounge access from the reward program and stick with additional drinks or a specialty dining benefit.  The suite lounge and coastal kitchen should remain a suite level benefit.  Folks who are cruising at that level are paying dearly for that benefit and the quality of their experience should be protected.

My son asks, "are we getting a two bedroom suite this time? I don't want to sleep on the sofa"

I'm glad Royal finally ripped off the bandaid and got on with putting into policy what they've effectively been doing for 5 years already but doing so sheepishly once D+ guests got on board and read the letter left in their cabin. 
At some point Pinnacle will be banned next and that's okay with me.  As an investor and as someone who occasionally books suites I firmly believe they need a solid suite product that includes a suite lounge with quality drinks. 
I also think they need to standardize suite benefits across the fleet.  I get that not all ships have a dedicated suite restaurant but all other suite perks can be standardized.  

Hi @Chuck586!
It's never too early to start a countdown!  😎  🚢  ⚓  🏝️
 

Harmony of the Seas, June 23, 2024 here we come!
We have been to Cozumel a couple of times but the Roatan stop is new for us!
Something to look forward to at least!