Rogillioville

Booked my internet on all my 2023 cruises, paid more than I did last year even with the 'black friday' sale. As for those who don't believe in getting it on a cruise, I still have a business that I need to keep in touch with so for some it's a necessity and convenience.

Princess was cheaper than Royal for years and they upgraded the whole fleet to O3b unlike Royal that only did new ships.  Plus it actually worked well on Princess.
It stands to reason that Princess finally woke up to the fact they were leaving money on the table with their internet plans.
I don't understand why bloggers (or the public) draw conclusions when one line does something.  Just because it goes up on Princess does not mean it is going up on other lines. 
In fact with SES/O3b losing Royal as a customer SES/O3b may have had to jack up their rates to compensate for the lost revenue from the new competition from Starlink.  Princess may have had to renew a contract only because the existing contract was coming to an end.  Naturally with costs going up and SES launching new satellites for greater capacity their rates are going up.  Whatever the reason for Princess to raise prices is irrelevant.  
Royal sets their pricing with a lot of market analysis and marketing intelligence regarding how to set the price to maximize revenue.  From their perspective the fact that their costs have dropped 70% is irrelevant as it relates to how they will set their pricing for Voom going forward.    They already know the price point that will ensure maximum revenue in each market, at different times of the year and across different demographics.  Who provides the service at what cost doesn't matter. 
If Royal bought their booze through one distributor two years ago and now they are using a different distributor at a different cost none of us would know or even think about it.
Their supplier of satellite services and what they pay is the same as any other supplier they purchase from. 
Royal does not use a cost plus fixed margin to determine price.  They are not Costco.  They will charge what the market will pay.   If enough people are willing to pay $35 per day for internet that is what they will charge.  There is a number that has historically been determined to maximize internet revenue.  Is that $11 per day?  $15 per day?  $18 per day?  Only Royal knows but that is how they will determine the price for Voom.  Their cost, up, down or the same is meaningless. 
Royal will charge whatever they can as long as guests continue to buy it.  Most cruisers have no idea what Starlink or SES or Speedcast or whatever are.  They just want internet and will pay a number they are comfortable with.  Royal knows exactly how to position advanced sales and on board rates to ensure they leave as little on the table as possible.  
 

Coast Guard and CDC want to avoid helicopter medivacs at all costs. A patient typically needs to be in a life threatening situation for that to occur.
 
Further emphasis on avoiding medivacs in the post covid world could be a reason there are more medical diversions, too.

Can confirm.

This.
It's not a trend, it's just the way life goes sometimes. 
Medical emergencies are not new and happened pre-pandemic as well.

Helicopter evacuations are not appropriate for every medical emergency nor are they available in all weather conditions or sea states in all regions.  A patient may not be stable enough for the extra stress of being hoisted in a basket to a helicopter.   Helicopters have limited range and the USCG does not provide worldwide coverage or even coverage more than a few hundred miles away from the US.  When a ship requests medical assistance the relevant agency in each region such as the USCG decides how to proceed and they can direct the ship to make the closest port at which point the bridge crew are likely to make every effort to comply.  
I've been on several cruises before 2020 where we have diverted to meet a helicopter but we sailed for hours to put is in range to effect a helicopter evac.  
Every situation is unique and in every situation they will do the best that can be done for that unique situation.  
I'm not seeing a trend other than more of what has been occurring for years.  Accidents happen, unplanned medical events happen.  Life happens.  The crew respond to the situation.  When they do they can't just declare they'll visit any port that may suit your fancy as an alternate.  Most cruise ports are full of ships from various cruise lines and there often isn't room for another ship that wasn't expected.  Ships travel relatively slowly and there are usually limited options within range that also allow the ship to get back to the home port on time.  They do the best they can with the circumstances and options available.   
You can choose to perceive some sinister plan or you can accept that someone had a medical event and the best they could do wasn't good enough for you.  That's on you.  Ship happens.

You can try [email protected] - it's the general-purpose email address for the casino.

We had a lot of fun and pulled a lot of money out of the Heidi's Bier Haus on Harmony back in January.
 

have that conversation with your room steward, we've always found them to be very helpful and willing to "hook you up" if they can.   

Travel Agents can book casino cruises but there is little incentive for them these days as the commission for casino cruises is extremely poor.  They receive a flat fee commission (the value of which I am unaware) and the casino really doesn’t make it easy for the agents to book anymore.  They (TA) can do it but they usually don’t really want to as the casino bookings are more trouble than they’re worth.

my 2 cents:
1- likely no testing will be required by then, so all of this is moot.
2- IF tests are still required, you could do your tests using your cellular data (and thus no possible ship wifi troubles) while in Mexico on Friday the 17th (2 days before your next departure...verify your cellular plan allows this without extra charges)
 

have that conversation with your room steward, we've always found them to be very helpful and willing to "hook you up" if they can.   

A basic and informative video on how Casino Royale works onboard our ships!
 
I hope you guys find this information useful.
 
 

I've become an expert in blowing through my $6 credit in record time.

Thank you guys for your support. I have big plans moving forward with my YouTube channel!

Yep, he should be Royal's version of John Heald!

Congratulations and I feel for you too, were booked for an Alaska cruise tour and are sitting at 79 points....well probably book a quick December  cruise just to enjoy the status Lol....

Motivation to book your next cruise on board?!  Enjoy your trip!

@Wendy Burns  Welcome to the Royal Caribbean Blog Forum!
No, but I can give you a big CONGRATULATIONS!

If you like your meat soaked in mayo, yes.

You still get the 4 free drinks per day. 
I like that I can use them how I want, not restricted to happy hour.

Many people including myself prefer the new approach of any drink,  at any bar, at any time of day, including the private destinations.
The nightly happy hour event had to change.  It wasn't scalable with the growing number of Diamonds and during a pandemic it is a super spreader event.  Yes, the virus is still with us and impacting cruising.  
Personally I love the new approach.
Diamond is not being cancelled.  It is still one of the best loyalty levels on any cruise line.  The any time, any drink four voucher drinks made it even better.
If you have grown weary there is nothing wrong sailing with other lines.  NCL doesn't provide a nightly open bar for loyalty tiers.  Carnival doesn't provide a nightly open bar for loyalty tiers.  MSC doesn't provide a nightly open bar for loyalty tiers.  Despite that if the grass is greener somewhere else for you, by all means go there.  It's always good to try something different if for no reason than to remind yourself why Royal is still the best.  

I got off Quantum this morning.   We had a very similar situation that Ovation seems to be going through.   Our facebook group was lit up with all the usual rumors, even if half of it was true then RC is not prepared for the full capacities that are boarding right now.  Several of our “everyday” crew members disappeared and we were told they were sick.   The entire crew was told to upgrade their masks to N95’s midweek.  One of our concierges that we were extra friendly with profusely apologized for the cruise experience (I wasn’t even complaining about anything).  They were struggling to find their groove all week.   It was obvious they were not staffed for the full ship.

I got off Quantum this morning.   We had a very similar situation that Ovation seems to be going through.   Our facebook group was lit up with all the usual rumors, even if half of it was true then RC is not prepared for the full capacities that are boarding right now.  Several of our “everyday” crew members disappeared and we were told they were sick.   The entire crew was told to upgrade their masks to N95’s midweek.  One of our concierges that we were extra friendly with profusely apologized for the cruise experience (I wasn’t even complaining about anything).  They were struggling to find their groove all week.   It was obvious they were not staffed for the full ship.

Was colonoscopy scheduled or needed because of two weeks of cruise excess food consumption? I respect your HIPA rights to not answer.