Swar

Heading to Port Canaveral today to board the Mariner of the Seas for a 4 day. 

Screwed up. Sorry. WOTS is not at Port Canaveral but Everglades.

Probably not very crowded. Ships are running less than 50% capacity and Coco Cay can handle 2 fully loaded ships fairly well.

Was offered $300 min bid x2 to upgrade a Club Royal interior room to a ocean view balcony for a 7 night cruise on the website. Called Club Royal and the confirmed upgrade price was  $549 (room locked in on the spot). Another offer was for a Boardwalk balcony - $200 min bid x2 vs. $340 to just pay for the upgrade. Just random information to encourage people to call and look at all their options.

Anybody else notice (in the manual) that CDC wants people to wear proximity bands that will notify a person if they are too close to someone else or to track/record your movements for easier contact tracing? I read 1984 recently, sounds familiar... 

20 hours ago, BowTieBrigade said:

This very much upsets me. I can only imagine walking around unmasked with my kids in tow asking why they have to wear theirs. I really hope this changes before my next (July) sailing…

You can continue to wear your mask (for social reasons) or get your kids the shots (I assume your kids are old enough since they are walking around). I like the mask optional - should have always been that way.

At one time I was supposed to (maybe) parachute into Haiti. I was more worried about landing in the polluted Bay then facing an armed threat. Still pretty funny.

Additionally, I'm still getting tons of Club Royal offers on cruises through June. Also, all my Royal Ups have been accepted - up to 6 weeks out.

Naa, it's Haiti's fault.  they shouldn't have that island in the way of the trash.

You just book each cruise separately. Once you have assigned room numbers, let your TA or RCL try to get the same room for both cruises. Once on the ship, you will usually take a Covid test the last full day of the first cruise. On B2B day, you will meet somewhere, get a new Sail Pass, temporarily disembark ship, and be the first ones to reembark.

My buddies got upgraded last night from a suite to a grand suite for @$400 Total. They are a tad spoiled.

My B2Bs on 13/20 March were not upgraded to the same room. However, I just called Club Royal and they put me in the same room for all 14 days.

I just received upgrades on a 13 and 20 March B2B, Explorer of the Seas, out of San Juan. Interior to balcony. $160 TOTAL for first one, $170 TOTAL for the second.

I ran into the Brilliance Captain and the Staff Captain several times in the Windjammer and other locations on last month cruises.

It is hit or miss. During the past five cruises, since October, only one security person questioned our beverages. We combined all our beverages into one roll on ice chest and had to show we had 2 staterooms and not just one. None of the five Ports seemed to care about size though.

The Key will get you on earlier, but not sure if it is worth it. We just completed 3 January cruises on Brilliance of the Seas out of Tampa. We had the earliest boarding times (@ noon) for all 3. The wait was never more than 10-20 minutes from pier to ship. This was as a "normal" passenger.

It is not how much you win or lose, it is how much you bet. Generally, it is 1 point for every 5 dollars spent on slots. 

I am so glad that we don't need the drink package anymore. We get Prime/free drinks whenever the Casino is open. By early March we will be Diamond and get 4 drink tickets /day each. The money we save goes toward the Casino, shore excursions, and specialty dining. Gambling is not for everyone, but if you are going to do more than a few cruises a year, it is a thought to keep in mind. I made Prime on a 3 day and a 4 day cruise in total and pretty much broke even $$$.

I have gotten every Royal Up bid so far with just over a minimum bid - usually interior to spacious balcony. I have been notified anywhere from a week out to @2 months out. My sailing upgrade for 2/22 just showed up today. My 2/28 upgrade showed up weeks ago. 

Basically you are "allowed" a 12 pack of up to 17 oz nonalcoholic beverages. On our 5 recent cruises (November thru January ) my wife and I each brought onboard a 12 - 16 can/bottle mix of sodas and water. Nobody cared or commented. The Ports were Port Canaveral and Tampa. A rolling cooler is perfect to alleviate the shoulder strain. The cabin attendant refills the cooler, with ice, everyday.

I only sneeze when I'm trying to clear an elevator. I have a annoying cough due to environmental issues. Kinda sucks, but nobody has freaked out to much about it.

I think they removed all specialty restaurants. They are now McDonald's, BK, and Subway. Yummy

Another option is to do USB Tethering between a phone and computer that counts as one device. So, if my wife and I are in the room or playing cribbage somewhere, we tether. We both can surf, email, and message at the same time. 

https://www.clubroyaleoffers.com/

The Prime cruise is a 7 day cruise pretty well anywhere. A pretty good deal. You are now Prime until 31MAR23.

Yep, many topics cover this subject. I have gotten all 4 Royal Ups in the last 2 months with $5 over minimum bid. interior to spacious balcony.