Audrey V.

I called C & A last week to get my fiance(who iis living with me) Diamond status linked to mine. They told me NO! Not unless we are married!

Diamond status saves us about $40-50 per day on various beverages between the two of us (wine, soda, or bottled water).  My wife refuses to have her photo taken, and we really don't see the point to spending extra $$ on this or that to save 10-15%.  If you need the extras, itl's nice to have a discount, but I don't really see the discount as a perk.
The best strategy is to go on itineraries or ships you actually enjoy, regardless of the staterooms you can afford to select.
When I look back at our cruising history, I really don't think about glasses of wine (many of them not that great, to be honest), but about places we've visited or experiences we've shared.
As some have indicated, life interferes with a lot of cruise planning, so enjoy the process rather than the loyalty "destination".  Enjoy your next cruise!

Slow and steady wins the race or in your case the Diamond.  We cruise when we can and usually in a suite which doubles our points.  When RCCL had the double point special we booked enough greatly discounted cruises to accrue 100 points.  This moved us along way toward making Pinnacle which I can now see at the end of the tunnel.  Keep up the effort and it will come.
Bill

We've done GTY cabins on Disney and never had an issue, we like the cost savings and since we are basically never in the room it seems like it a good idea.  We're "inside cabin" people for those savings, and then adding the GTY savings on top adds up and allows us to do more travelling.  We would probably be pickier if we only travelled once or twice a year, but we generally take about 8 trips (of varying lengths) sine our work schedules tend to be pretty flexible.

We don;t mind the wait for the room number, but my in-laws have asked me about a million times about it ?  They've cruised before so it won't be an issue with room location. 
We're also on an Oasis class ship, so I personally don't think there is a bad room location.  

Less desirable location is a relative term. As long as I am on the ship there is no undesirable location.?

There is no set time when they get assigned, it varies for every cruise.
Royal can assign GTY cabins to optimize muster station capacity so they can open a cabin for booking that would otherwise need to stay closed.  Each lifeboat has a specific number of seats and the cabins that use that lifeboat can't exceed its capacity on an aggregate basis.   If a set of cabins have families of four that may fill a particular lifeboat "early" or maybe leave an odd number of seats so by mixing and matching GTY bookings it's like a tetris game where they can optimize muster stations.  
How this plays out for one muster station one week can be very different the next week so it all depends.  
It could assigned months before or literally the day of the cruise.  Friends in a GTY could get their assignment 3 months after you get yours.

I always compare ribs against my own, which since I’m saying so myself, are spectacular.

We all forget that Norovirus is common on ships. Keep hands clean and eat a gentle diet (BRAT plus yogurt) until your tummy feels better. Try to keep others from getting it. 

We all forget that Norovirus is common on ships. Keep hands clean and eat a gentle diet (BRAT plus yogurt) until your tummy feels better. Try to keep others from getting it. 

Cruise expectations can be tough, and all solo travel is hard when you do not make a conscientious decision to socialize. I find there are all types of vacationers on a cruise and have met people I would never know had existed outside my limited life. Some of our friendlier shipmates we have met at activities or scheduled meetings.
For so much to go wrong may be more of a state of mind, and that may pass. We know that we like value (i.e., we don't spend a lot and we feel better by that) so we politely decline the sales pitches. You may feel that with purchasing spa, meals or beverages, that you should have a better outcome or more attentionpaid to you.
Or, cruising may not be for you. 

Here's a month-long megacruise that I constructed, for Brilliance of the Seas next October and November:
7 nights Rome to Athens on 10/30/23
7 nights Athens to Barcelona on 11/6/23
14 nights transatlantic on 11/13/23
5 nights out of Tampa
The whole month of November is spent on the ship!
 

I appreciate the good info everyone. Thank you!!!

You will get double points for that cruise.  That will bring you oh so close.  Almost worth squeezing in a 3 nighter if you can do it time wise.  Otherwise, it will come naturally.  

Recently turned diamond. It's heavenly.  Much nicer than I expected. 
My favorite benefits 
4 free drinks per day per diamond member 
Free photo per diamond member 
Diamond lounge is a quiet place to hang out and get a latte
Discounts on balcony cabins and suites. 
Matching status on celebrity means free laundry on celebrity ships

Our own Marcy miyar wrote an article awhile back on how to achieve pinnacle status “quickly” that was fascinating to read. I’m sure she has insights. 

Visit Florida is the official travel site. They would have itineraries that meet your needs. They also have a website called Florida Vacation Auction where you can get some really good travel deals. 
 
I am a native Floridian.  There are a lot of places that are very different than the road more commonly traveled.  Have fun! 
BTW, Buc'ees is really weird. Good brisket and kolaches. 

When we did our first cruise with kids, my sons, about 7 and 9, were not offered a children's menu, and they only ordered from the regular menu. They also spoke politely to our other dinner companions and ate like an adult.  I advocate cruising as a good way for teaching dinner manners to young gentlemen and to keep them from being finicky eaters. 

When we did our first cruise with kids, my sons, about 7 and 9, were not offered a children's menu, and they only ordered from the regular menu. They also spoke politely to our other dinner companions and ate like an adult.  I advocate cruising as a good way for teaching dinner manners to young gentlemen and to keep them from being finicky eaters. 

When we did our first cruise with kids, my sons, about 7 and 9, were not offered a children's menu, and they only ordered from the regular menu. They also spoke politely to our other dinner companions and ate like an adult.  I advocate cruising as a good way for teaching dinner manners to young gentlemen and to keep them from being finicky eaters. 

Saw a Norwegian Cruise Line Ship docked in Leith when I was in Edinburgh.  Looked like passengers were tendered in. 

I remember traveling in the 1960s and 1970s, and maybe it was just my parents, but we had smallpox vaccines and others. Can't the cruise industry still require the vaccine, but not the testing?

When we went on Radiance OTS, we thought it was a very big ship.  Now I have been on Anthem OTS, a mega ship. In November, we will be going back to the US on Vision OTS, which is one of the smaller ships.  All of these are much bigger than the ships of the seventies and eighties, which have been long retired.  

Being adverse to any specific brand cruise. Yes, some cruises may cater to a different group, but it can still be an excellent experience with the right attitude.  
And another thing, Costco pharmacy has meclazine for $3.99 for 100 tabs. That's a lot of cruises!

I don't think it will be canceled because Ulraine and Russia are both far away,  but if fuel prices continue to increase, there may be a fuel surcharge.
Department of State posts alerts when they think US citizens should not go to a country.  You can get emails from them. 
Western Europe should be safe.

I am just grateful for a paper menu. Hate having to put my phone over a coded block.