Done

The points assignment is up to the pit boss watching your play. They have numerous people and tables to keep track off so it really becomes a subjective thing. I played craps for about 2 hours one night and asked the casino host my point value the next day. He spent several minutes at a computer screen before he gave me a value, 91. Two nights later I played for about 4 hours with larger bets and now it shows I have 118 points. A gained a whopping 27 points the 2nd night. Very subjective. If you are gaming to get points, slot machines are the way to go but, IMHO, you will likely lose more.

Do people make more of an effort to dress in business causal (or better) during the non formal nights in the MDR and specialty restaurants on Celebrity versus Royal? What about formal nights? Is the manner of dress commensurate with the expected dress code? The same questions apply to Luminae dining room.

We did back to back cruises recently and I noticed the heightened adrenaline level of the new guests boarding for the our 2nd sailing. It was much louder and chaotic as vacation excitement took over! Just relax and take it all in stride. Easier said than done I know.

For us (loyal Southwest Airline) we choose the airport based on port city as SW began service to MIA. Before that we would fly into FLL and booked a shuttle from FLL to our Miami hotel. I felt sorry for the shuttle driver as they had no passengers going back and the traffic from FLL to MIA in the afternoon was jammed up.

We did the 1 device surf and stream and shared it. Only one of us could be on the internet at a time but we both could be on the RC local wifi network. It worked for us.

That could be. I read bad experiences about Seattle terminal boarding in the beginning of the Alaska season. Much of it was blamed on guests unaware of they needed the ArriveCAN registration receipt. I tried to show mine and was told it was unnecessary though I was asked for the receipt ID on a form delivered day 1 by our cabin attendant.

The biggest (but maybe trivial) issue is finding a spot on an elevator with big heavy bags. We found the best strategy was to ride an elevator up as they were fairly empty then take it back down. Usually on the way down by deck 8 or 9 the car is full. You'll stop at every floor en route to to the gangway floor and watch the disappointment in the faces of those who see the car is full. I watched others wrestling with the big bags on the stairs. We also have committed to packing for a 7 day warm weather cruise in carry on and backpacks. Warm weather clothes like shorts and tee's are not as bulky as cool weather clothes (Alaska). No more schlepping big bags for us if we can help it.

We were in Seattle 3 weeks ago booked in a Jr. Suite on Ovation and we used the Suite/Pinnacle line and nobody tried to direct us to a different line.

A Cruise Compass for a recent Harmony cruise shows the casino open at 8:00 am when at Coco Cay.

On Ovation the Diamond lounge was on deck 4 forward and starboard just before entrance to the theater. It was empty to be sure. We ate a continental breakfast there and I did appreciate the toaster for english muffins and regular toast. There were "portholes" to see outside and we did get some good lower level views of the Alaskan Inside Passage.

We were on Ovation and we docked at the affected dock but further away from the rock slide area and they used several lifeboats as tenders. As the letter said tender tickets were needed if you did not have a RC excursion. The line at Vintages was very long but only 1 member of your party need get the tickets for your whole party. Check with guest services once on board to learn how The Key purchasers will be accommodated. After 12:30 pm or so tickets were not needed. The said they announced that fact but we were in our cabin and only emergency announcements are piped into cabins.

I really doubt RC will reduce the cost of internet access. My opinion is they will raise the cost for access to "Super Voom!"

OTOH table play yields next to no points. I spent about 12 hours playing craps and walked away with 118 points and no offers. I lost $175 during that time but I am pretty sure I wagered over $2k. Had I wagered that much on a slot machine I'd have 400+ tier points.

Good plan Have a safe and great trip!!

Sorry in advance - ATS?

Veteran? Not sure about that considering the members of this forum! After our experience I would still arrive by 10:00 am. Don't let the driveway team to funnel you to the already long 11:00 - 11:30 am line. My *guess* is some of the those folks were 10:30 check in's who didn't know any better. Once through security it was pretty fast (maybe 10 min) to get to the holding area before the ship opened for new guests. What are your travel plans? Are you flying into Seattle? We did and came in a day early in case flight disruptions made booking a different flight necessary. We chose to stay in a downtown hotel. They are certainly more pricey than an airport hotel but I have read Seattle traffic jams can be "legendary." We had a 10:30 - 11:00 am checkin window and we didn't want to miss it. We left the hotel at 9:30 am. We were going to take a cab from the hotel to the port but a shuttle van to the port was half full and the driver told us he would take the both of us for $25. Despite the feeling it could be a scam we took the ride. We were at the port by 9:55 am and it was already a zoo. We were the first to be told to wait on the other side of the driveway from the port terminal as the line on the terminal side of the driveway could hold no more. Still no big deal as it was a typical "hurry up and wait" scenario. The lead driveway team leader put a first day on the job kid in charge of stopping all from crossing the driveway. The kid really didn't want any part of that but did his best. He did try to get us into the longs lines but we stood our ground and when the doors opened we headed for the end of the Key/Suite line (we booked a Jr. Suite). We have no experience with driving to the port.

To my way of thinking the older the ship the better chance it is a an actual refrigerator. Just a hunch.

We were there Aug 12 and they let people with 10:30 - 11:00 checkin and suite/Key guests across the driveway to line up at the doors until there was no more room and the line started spill into the driveway. They formed new lines based on boarding times across the driveway under the shelters in the drop off areas. You can drop your large bags with the porters prior to getting the appropriate line. Make sure the porter you give the bags to has a Royal Caribbean logo'ed vest on as a Celebrity ship (I think Silhouette) was loading as well and there were Celebrity porters in the general area too. The doors to the security/checkin area are closed until the ship is given to go ahead to begin receiving passengers approx. 10:30 am. We got through checkin before 11:00 am and were directed to take a seat in a holding area until the ship was opened at approx. 11:00 am. They began allowing the guests to board Ovation by Key and Loyalty tier (Pinnacle, Diamond Plus, Diamond, etc.) Not sure of boarding priority for low loyalty, suite guests as we are D+ and were among the first to board. The muster station checkin process was not opened until noon although we used the time in the holding area to view the videos on the app. We got some lunch, did muster checkin after that, then hung out on the pool deck until the cabins were available. Signs on the closed cabin hallway doors said cabin available at 2:00pm but they opened at 1:30 pm. BTW - I tried to show my ArriveCAN QR code at checkin and was told it wasn't necessary. Our cabin steward gave a us form during his initial introduction asking for the QR code number on the ArriveCAN receipt and there was a flyer in the room with ArriveCAN completion instructions. Do not confuse this with the Canadian Customs Declaration form also in the cabin. They are separate things!! HOWEVER, I *think* a person would need VOOM package to reach the internet after leaving Seattle cell service to reach the Canadian ArriveCAN website. If one needs to do the ArriveCAN registration do it at home OR before the ships sails out of cell signal range.

It was very busy on Ovation last week. The line for the hot food was out the door into the Solarium itself for breakfast and lunch. We eat all our meals at the MDR or CafeTWO70 (the Park Cafe clone on Quantum class ships aft at TWO70 deck 5).

On our last cruise (7 night B2B) we left the bar staff $10 day 1 and every day beyond. Starting day 2 of the cruise we didn't need to show our Sea Pass card and they started fill our order when they saw us coming. We never had an empty glass and we learned to tell them when we were on the last drink before dinner or they would have had to carry us to dinner! We had a late excursion day 4, 2nd cruise, didn't go to Schooner, and the next night we were asked by all the staff where were we last night.

I have read the drink vouchers do not include 18% per added to the staff gratuities fund. Is this true?

We are now D+ with 5 bar drinks for each of us each day. We have always bought the Deluxe drink package but now I doubt we will. We will get 4 bottles of water to start the cruise with. We can certainly drink tap water in our cabin but not available when off the ship. I think a 24 pack bought through planner will get us through the 7 day cruise. We also have $250 OBC to cover any bar drinks (like wine at dinner) above and beyond the drink vouchers.

If one doesn't have a drink or refreshment package what does a bottle of water cost?

My wife tested first and was negative. I felt all the pressure was on me to cruise/no cruise!

I'll pass on buffets from here on out whether on a ship or a land based offering.