_Quinn_

I calculate value of room, food, entertainment, and destination travel. I don't pay more than 250 for room, and the rest is worth 150 for a couple. So I don't pay more than 200 per day per person with taxes. That's 1400 on 7N cruise. We once got jr suite at that level, but usually balcony. Others splurge on vacation. I believe in getting your money's worth, but you've got to know when you've had it. (Hemingway.)

You'll find the port of Baltimore so friendly and easy going you'll scratch your head and ask yourself Why aren't they all like this?
Parking? Baltimore is the only port that you'll be able to check if you left your headlights on by standing on your balcony. It's just like a strip shopping mall.
Security? Thankfully there is only one Ft Lauderdale. Baltimore is the anti-Ft Lauderdale. The few cops at the Port of Baltimore are polite, kind, and happy to be what they are doing. The private security inside has a lot of patience for folks who are not mobile or are taken by surprise that they have to go through a metal detector or put their possessions through an x-ray machine. 
Condition of the port? The terminal is an old pole barn. It serves it purpose well. I have never understood the reason to spend $125M on Galveston or $225M on Miami thinking that passengers value a sparkly terminal. I don't think they do. Little known fact about the Baltimore terminal: they have had solar panels supplementing there energy needs for many years now. 
Once onboard you see that your fellow passengers have the Baltimore Chill attitude too. You'll be scarce to find a chair hog. You won't see the line cutting, Me First people. I've seen Balto passengers bus their own tables in the Windjammer--several times. In general Baltimore passengers are genuinely just happy to be aboard.
Baltimore is very similar to Tampa if you have ever had the good fortune to sail from there.
 
 

Thanks all, for the information and the advice. The difference in points decides whether I make Diamond on this next cruise or not, so I want to get it right. I'm still confused about something, though. I've always booked specific cabins so this is a little new to me.
If I do a mock booking for the cruise I'm taking (November 6, 4 night, Navigator of the Seas, Los Angeles), there's a choice between "We pick your room" in the suite category and "You pick your room" leading to "Junior Suite guarantee." Why would anyone ever pay a premium for a Junior Suite guarantee over the generic suite guarantee? If the answer is "it doesn't make any sense" I'm okay with that, it just seems odd.
Thanks again for the replies,
Quinn

There’s an equally good chance the person at RC gave her a wrong answer 

I've often wondered that too - go with the cheaper option and keep the opportunity for MORE than a junior suite open! 

I did a 3-night in January in an interior room and got double points. I'm doing a 3-night in September in a JS and getting TRIPLE points! 
(solo cruiser)
Your TA needs to check his/her information...

Showing so little knowledge about Royal Caribbean, I would change TA ASAP

Find another TA for next cruise.

If you are in a JS or above, regardless if it's GTY, you get an extra point per night. The length of your cruise doesn't matter. I also echo the sentiment that you might need a better TA. This is basic knowledge and them telling you points aren't earned unless it's 7n+ is cuckoo bananas.

WS category gets the extra point. As does the JS, guaranty or otherwise. And also your TA is wrong about this. 
Hope that helps!

Appreciate the info!

I know this is well after the original post, but I just got off Harmony of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale yesterday. I booked the airport transfer to FLL and was given a 7:30 departure time from the ship. We had The Key so our bags were separated but I don't think that really made a difference. We were at the airport with bags checked in by 8:30 so I wish we'd had a 9:30 flight (but I would be too anxious to ever actually book that early).

I have to give a shout out to Solarium Bistro. We're just back from 5 nights on Harmony of the Seas and we had dinner at Solarium Bistro twice. Appetizers and desserts are buffet style, and you order your entree with your waiter. Honestly some of my favorite food on any ship. It may not be the same experience as a specialty restaurant, but it's complimentary, has excellent food, and without the crowds of the Windjammer or the time commitment of the MDR.

thank you for this plug!! we are considering doing the same on harmony come the spring and i was anxious to know how the experience was.

I have to give a shout out to Solarium Bistro. We're just back from 5 nights on Harmony of the Seas and we had dinner at Solarium Bistro twice. Appetizers and desserts are buffet style, and you order your entree with your waiter. Honestly some of my favorite food on any ship. It may not be the same experience as a specialty restaurant, but it's complimentary, has excellent food, and without the crowds of the Windjammer or the time commitment of the MDR.

Sounds like it's truly an overbooked situation 🙂 Wow, 100% refund and booked on a new cruise for free. Shoot, I wish mine for this weekend was oversold. 

I'm actually pretty excited about the swap from plastic to cans. Already planning on taking along one of my Yeti bottles to keep water cool and allow it to be resealed. 

Thanks!  Got through 6 today myself (assisting on all) and totally agree I was really over it by the end.  Just glad to be all negative and set to cruise Monday!

Currently on Enchantment of the Seas. On Tuesday we did six Binax tests: me, my wife, our three kids (25, 19, and 12), and my mother-in-law (78). My wife was the only one I didn't assist. As long as the person being tested verifies it's their account and the proctor can see everything I don't think it's an issue. Mostly by the end of all those tests I was just tired of hearing the same script every time. No issues with any of the tests. @DunwoodyDad, our 12 year old was on a managed account. 

Thanks, @SpeedNoodles. We're sailing out of Baltimore this month, and this is only the second time I've bought the drink package. I was just counting on blind faith that it would show up on our SeaPasses, plus receipts if I needed to argue my case. Here's one more thing I don't have to worry about!

It's a shame on two fronts: guests not following the rules and Royal not enforcing the rules. Both are pet peeves of mine, primarily the latter. 

I have been all along and will continue to by booking more Royal cruises.
Penalizing Royal isn't going to make the virus go away.  

I just want to make sure everyone is clear that these policies have nothing to do with CDC guidelines or "government bureaucracy."
Nothing is forcing them to do this. No government is mandating these policies. RCI is doing this because their medically trained health experts, who are tasked with evaluating the efficacy of these types of policies, have determined that this policy will help to ensure safe cruising. This is a decision being made by a private business in the best interest of its future and the safety of its customers and employees. No government body is forcing them to do this.

@BrianB, I agree completely with your assessment. For some, I think it is this last minute shift, in a situation we are all weary of, no matter what our level of risk tolerance is.  We personally chose to sail under the previous guidelines and had a truly wonderful cruise, despite the “put on/take off/etc” of the masks indoors.  We personally believe masks are theatre for the most part if they aren’t N95s, but the rules are the rules and we chose to sail, which means to us choosing to observe the guidelines. 🙂  I personally have a lack of tolerance for people who know the rules, choose to go, and choose to break those rules, as if they don’t care that the cruise lines will suffer for their childish behavior.
IF the new guidelines require wearing/removing during meals and drinks in addition to theaters, etc, we would be sad and postpone cruising for a bit if we had one coming up soon.  My husband works in food manufacturing, 12.5 hour shifts, in a mask. For him, that wouldn’t be a vacation. So, for us, we would choose to wait. For others, it won’t bother them, and they would choose to sail. As you and I both know, both are personal decisions, and neither is wrong.  So many have no tolerance for choices different from their own, which leads to the bickering on social media. 
I think it’s great that RCI is sailing again, and they allow cancellations for situations like this. 🙂 Not many vacations you can say the same for.
Hopefully the current drama over Omicron will prove to be wrong, and Omicron will be one more step toward exiting a pandemic. Hopefully, THIS will become COVID’s last hurrah. (Wouldn’t that be great?) 

I posted this to another forum but I think I’ll post it here, also. I don’t like masks…I don’t think anyone really does (with the exception of Batman and the Lone Ranger) but it is what it is. The cruise industry is still transitioning from total shut down to taking baby steps…all while under the microscope of unrelenting scrutiny, fair and unfair, of the media and political appointees. I knew this transition would be flexible and fraught with change, for good and bad, and decided I will enjoy my cruises.
 
It’s not only the passenger’s health being protected…but it’s the crew…and with the crew, the business.
Remember, the crew has to wear masks virtually all the time. Especially when near passengers. They are all completely vaccinated with the addition of boosters and they have to remain on the ship. Shore leave is cancelled. Any infection would likely be carried aboard by a passenger or contractor. As the Hotel Director just told me…if one crew member gets infected, then contact tracing results in a whole group or section of the crew being quarantined as a precaution. That’s what happened to the entire entertainment crew on the November 8th cruise…and that spilled over to the November 14th cruise. Doesn’t matter whether they have symptoms, test negative, are asymptomatic or not. If he loses a few to infection, then the amount of crew being quarantined multiplies. With that comes a lack of personnel to operate a cruise. Cancellations would follow.
As masking is supposed to be good at stopping the infection (droplets) from leaving an infected person…it’s makes sense to me that they try this reasonable step to protect the health of the other passengers in general…and the crew…and the business.
Inconvenient but understandable. Just my opinion.