Skippy67

I am an ex-truck driver, so I am not very picky.  I am 61 years old, so I don't eat what I don't like. 
Now with that said I will hardly eat at the buffet on the RCL ships.  Every time I do, I am sorry because of the quality of food.  The main dining on the RCL is not bad and I have a good dinner.  Lately I have been purchasing the Unlimited Dining Plan and eating all my meals at the Specialty Restaurants on the RCL ships.  I have been very happy with the quality in the Specialty Restaurants.
On the Celebrity Cruises I have been very happy with the food in their buffet.  The main dining room is very good and makes me want to eat there and not the specialty restaurants.  The Specialty Restaurants on Celebrity are just OK.  I do not think there is enough difference in the main dining room and the SR to spend the extra money.
Sad to say I have not been on Silver Seas.
Note:  if this helps... I can lose weight on the RCL ships, and I seem to gain weight on the Celebrity Ships.

My wife and I will be on our first Alaska cruise!!!

I think this whole “rule” about requiring an on-board booking or lose your bonus is ass-lame.
A couple of cruises ago, I was told by the casino host that I had only been awarded a $$$ off certificate, which I always throw directly into the sh*t can…so I booked nothing.  Come to find out, later, they upgraded my certificate to a comp cruise.  B/c I didn’t book while onboard, I lost the bonus.  Now, granted….it wasn’t much.  But the rules just seem to be so fluid.  You never really know what you’re working with until the last damn minute of the cruise….a time that is pure pandemonium in the casino.  And, OBTW, I don’t trust them to properly and accurately report my points earned, either….but I also am loathe to get into that ungodly line waiting to talk to the host/ess on the last night.  As long as I continue to obtain Prime, I’m good.

On Anthem for IFly and NorthStar they had several reservation slots available to The Key People.  After boarding go to where they take reservations for them, tell them you have The Key and they will let you know a handful of times for each.  You can pick one

You still need to get a check in time. the earlier the better. The " Key Lunch" is only on embarkation day. It is a limited "chop" menu served in a section of the Main dining room. They stop serving approximately 1330 I believe. If you arrive later in the day it might not be available.
There will be a welcome letter in your stateroom listing the "the Key Times" for those activities. Based on your personal schedule, the times may not work out for you.
If there is something you really want to do or try, reserve it once on board. If the Key times work in your favor then cancel other reservations, if not , you won't miss out.
There should be crew at I-fly sign in kiosk, same with flow rider during embarkation.
The paid reservations for I-fly provide a longer time "flying"
The disembarkation breakfast is in a section of the main dining room. the menu is very good IMHO. It usually opens around 6:30 (ymmv).  Disembark at your leisure.
Earliest disembark with or without the Key would probably be 0700ish.

By pennies, I do mean 1cent machines.  I do try to play at least 5cent machines because they are typically set with a slightly higher return to player.  I do still play 1cent machines sometimes but is usually not my preference.  I usually bet $3 to $5 per spin, so instead of doing it at 1cent, I sent the machine to a 5cent denomination if it supports it.
I have spent too much time as a developer, and even did some development work for a gaming company in Vegas, so I do not believe in hot machines vs cold machines or moving to another machine if I don't get a hit on the first few spins.  Each spin is a new independent event and has no memory of the previous or prior spins.  You have the same chance of spinning a jackpot or bonus on each spin.   There are a lot of superstitions people have about slot machines, that I typically shrug off and don't try to argue with people about them because they are often convinced that their beliefs are true.  But the reality is, your fate is set as soon as you hit the button, it does not matter if you wait for the animations to finish or hit the button again to stop the reals -- the spin will be the same.  If I do hit an unusually high line pay on a spin or a jackpot, I do usually cash out that ticket and put that money aside.  I save it to tip the steward and dining room staff at the end of the cruise, or just take it home and put it back in the bank.
The topic I have been addressing is about getting casino tier points to get to prime status as cheaply as possible.  This is not about trying to win jackpots or even coming out ahead in the casino.  At the end of the day, they casino will take your money over time if you play long enough.  There is no avoiding this fact.  But if we can get something in return for the money they take, like free cruises, then it becomes worthwhile as many times you will be able to pick these perks up at a lesser cost than if you bought them outright.  Prime is usually achievable with a smaller size bankroll, although you still stand a chance of losing your bankroll.  I personally would not go after signature or master status, because those tiers require you to put a lot of money at risk.

@DoomSlayer really breaks things down. I never thought of it that way.
I just know I generally play platinum hits and dancing drums; I noticed that by staying on one of those I can play for hours and rack up points. I also like a slot where on a smaller bet you can win because of the mini, major, etc. jackpots. I played hot stuff on Oasis and won mini and major jackpots on .80 cent bets. That meant I could play more for my 7 days, while not going through the bankroll too fast. I actually like to gamble, so I will keep a steady bet so I can do it for longer. 

Slot machines are all set via PAR tables / PAR sheets which determines the payout outcome of each spin when the random number generator is stopped by the player hitting the button.  The PAR table has a list of every possible payout outcome the game can have based on the random number selected.  It is common for a 5 real machine to only use the last 5 to 10 digits of the random number to determine this, so the math of the number of payout outcomes is 10^5 which is 100,000 payout outcomes, up to 10^10 which is 10,000,000,000 payout outcomes.  The payouts are adjusted by how much the casino presets the expected return to player, usually somewhere between 95-99%.  On machines that offer multi-denominations (1cent, 2cent, 5cent, 10cent, etc.), the PAR tables and return to player are set differently for each denomination.  General rule of thumb is that the higher the denomination, the better the return to player is. (Fun tip, instead of betting more per spin, change the denomination to get a better PAR table).  Once the payout outcome is determined, the slot machine then determines a spin for the wheels that matches the selected PAR table payout. (It is funny, because most people think the outcome of the wheels determines the payout, but the reality is that the payout outcome determines what will be displayed on the wheels).
Let's assume you are playing in a casino that has set the return to player at 97%.  This means that after 300 million spins, the slot machine is expected to return 97% of what is bet on the machine.   On machines that offer larger jackpots, the payout outcomes in the PAR table will have a LOWER win/loss ratio -- meaning a large probability of a loss for any given spin, but if/when you do win, it will more than likely be a bigger win.  You will typically see big swings in your bankroll playing these types of machines and will require a huge bankroll to support a losing streak.  This type of slot machine is extremely volatile!
On machines that don't offer big jackpots or where the top normal payout is not too big, the payout outcomes in the PAR table will have a HIGHER win/loss ratio -- meaning there will be more smaller wins or break evens in the PAR table (which lowers the probability of a loss on any given spin) as compared to the machine described above.  This decreases volatility and you should experience lower swings in your bankroll over time.  These types of machines are what allow you to recycle money and get more points.
Another type of machine to avoid are branded machines.  These typically have licensed themes like Wheel of Fortune or Big Bang Theory and royalties are paid to the trademark / creative property holder to use these themes.  These royalties are paid as a percentage of the money the casino makes off the machine, so the return to player on these machines is set lower around 93-95%.  To make things worse, the Wheel of Fortune machine is a progressive jackpot machine, meaning the PAR table has a high percentage of losses in it.
I tend to play Aristocrat games like Buffalo and Miss Kitty as they tend to have a lot more small payouts hit and I can sit there for hours playing without seeing huge swings in my bankroll.  I really like Buffalo Gold Collection and spend a lot of time on it playing 2cent or 5cent denominations.  I will play it on the Wonder 4 tower if I can't find a standalone game available, although it does have a fixed PAR table at 1cent and can't be adjusted.
At the end of the day, don't take this as a way to beat the slots as that is statistically almost impossible. It is more of a "how do I last longer and get more casino player points" response.  You can obviously run into a lot of losing spins that will cut your day and point tally short, but that is part of your choice when you decide to gamble.

Cabin 9631 would be just like the first picture. We were in 9653 on Harmony which would be like your room 9633, the bed was to the left with the sofa by the window.
It won't be difficult for the room attendant to split the beds but they might have to stay with where the headboards are situated.

If you're sure about getting to the port at 9:45, make a note of the date you can check-in so you can go online to reserve an early time; the earliest I've gotten is 10:30. At my last sailing from the Port of LA in August, they had designated lines for different check-in times and took less than 30 minutes to be on the ship.

I don't think anyone here will know the algorithm and I suspect the algorithm changes based on capacity.  However, as a general rule of thumb, Casinos tend to value slot players the most as they have a high number of plays per hour compared to table games or even video poker.  I tend to play at about $4-$6 per spin and average about 2000 points per cruise, where my wife is around the $0.50-$1.50 range and averages less than 1000 pints per cruise with the same play time.  I get a ton of full comp cruise offers and my wife tends to only get some money off offers.  So based on this personal observation, they defiantly track your play and make offers accordingly.
Congrats on crossing into prime.  I personally enjoy my prime status and free drinks in the casino because it means I can be happy with just buying the refreshment package as opposed to the deluxe beverage package, saving me about $550 of the bat per cruise (for me and my wife).  I don't chase the Signature or Master levels -- chasing them seems like a bigger risk to me than any reward I would get -- but if they happen naturally for me, I won't complain.  If I want perks similar to the Master level, I just buy the Key using that $550 which gives you the perks like priority boarding, checking in carry-ons, free chops lunch, and relaxed disembarkation day breakfast perks.  About the only thing you miss out on is access to the costal kitchen.
The silliest thing I saw on the trip I was just on was that several people refused to use their seapass card in the machines because they thought it brought bad luck.  They were betting big and lost out on getting credit for a lot of points because of this.  Yes, they do track your play history, but it does not influence your next spin.

From what I've gathered in talking with various executives, I don't see Royal leaving the LA market in the short term.

So frustrating how California goes out of it's way to ruin good things, I hope navigator stays or for Royal to increase it's offerings, it seems a likely spot to reposition after Alaska if even for a short while as well. It's not a small market, it is arguably one of the the biggest markets with almost 24 million people in Southern California most of who m are less than a 2 hour drive to the port. That's more than the state of Florida and just 5 million less than all of Texas, which is far more spread out. If So Cal was a state it would be the 2nd largest behind Texas as Nor Cal is 1/3 less populated. Carnival has had 3 ships permanently in so cal for 30 years plus princess and their other lines permanently or at least when not in Alaska. Understandably the 3 and 4 day cruises in order to fire up the casinos only go to Ensenada which has little to offer however on our recent 3 day Navigator trip we went to El Valle Guadalupe wine country and I found it to be more enjoyable than Nassau for the Florida short cruises. I love Cabo and even more so Puerto Vallarta but admittedly the pacific is rougher and colder than the Eastern shore of Mexico plus there are no island nations to visit, I just hate that our preferred cruise line is the one that until recently was almost non existent on the left coast. From a marketing perspective it would be a huge mistake to leave the West coast if for no other reason than to introduce people to the brand as most start with a shorter and a conveniently located cruise, plus it's closer to Asia and already gets significant numbers of tourists from around the globe. We drug along with us about 25 friends and family on our little Navigator 3 day cruise in March, most of whom had never experienced Royal before, alll of whom became fans. Put a quantum, oasis or icon class ship on this coast and they will get more loyal customers than any amount of commercials can buy. As a shareholder I'd be unhappy if they left the West as a resident I'd be forced to look for other options on occasion.

Royal Caribbean has laid off it's American Casino and Escalation call centers, many 5+year employees now have no jobs.  Not profitable? or not enough profit?

I like the quick hit ones. Usually the max bet is under $2, which means I can play for awhile. I want to hit big but I also want to play awhile. 

A casino comp is a free cruise for the gambler who earned it.  It’s only one port fee/tax unless you add the second person , then you pay the additional port fee/tax.  Gratuities, are per person sailing.  I’m not aware of any solo supplements-I’ve never paid one.  You can upgrade your cabin, that’s an additional charge-sometimes within $100, other times it could be near or over $1k-it depends on the ship capacity/demand.   you could also add more than one person, but that’s going to cost more than port fees and taxes….

I’m not sure if this question has been asked before but I searched and couldn’t find it.  I’ve gotten a few comped cruise offers but none for the dates my husband can go on as his PTO from work doesn’t reset until 4/1/23 so I was thinking of doing a short solo cruise.  Can someone do a solo cruise on a casino royale cruise offer where only taxes and port fees have to be paid?  TIA

Yes, all you need to pay is Port fee, tax and gratuities.

I consider one of the types of biggest cruise mistakes to avoid is any action that results in you having a stay in the special Royal Caribbean accommodation called the Brig.

Thanks for the tip on The Key. I've been contemplating it for our Dec. Harmony cruise, so I picked it up for $19.99; not as great as the early birds but better than the $28.99 I saw yesterday. Now to cancel the one Soda+Voom we had and replace it with the regular soda package. 

Thanks for the tip on The Key. I've been contemplating it for our Dec. Harmony cruise, so I picked it up for $19.99; not as great as the early birds but better than the $28.99 I saw yesterday. Now to cancel the one Soda+Voom we had and replace it with the regular soda package. 

Wow I gamble in the casino, even made prime, ........but I have a cap. No more than a $100 a day and if I win, I play off my winnings. I know that amount won't make or break me and considering I rarely get off at ports, it is mostly my vacation budget money anyway. My upcoming Sept B2B on Nav is a casino comp, I will spend a nice amount of time in the casino, but they won't be making thousands of dollars off me. 

And I was happy we’ll go from Gold to Diamond with our 2 cruises this year, 15 days total in suites with the double points promotion.

This is what I did to conveniently present the required documents.  It took me less than a minute at each checkpoint
 
 

I wonder how many people cancelled after they removed some of the perks and now regretting it. It was at $26 for our sailing and jumped to $37 after the recent announcement.