Marc

Hey @Richard Huntington! Fancy meeting you here! After my husband got the news that we're getting that fantastic discount, he figured out how much we'd be saving over our cruises next year. With four weeks of sailing, and assuming we could've gotten the drink package for just $50/day, the net savings is a bit over $2,000. He then started calculating just how many carats that'd buy.

If you mean sail away from the embarkation port, then I don't think they have that, even for suite guests. The helipad is typically off-limits (unlike most of the other ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet) to passengers.

My family and I went on Liberty of the Seas in 2007 (during her inaugural season), and I fell in love with Royal Caribbean almost immediately. The next summer, we sailed on Adventure of the Seas. I was slightly disappointed that cruise because I felt I was on the less pretty cousin. I basically said to my self, Freedom class or bigger for the future. Last year, we had an opportunity to go on Mariner of the Seas after she was Royal Amplified. What a difference that made! I'd have no problem going on any Royal Amplified Voyager-class ship now, and will be doing so in June 2020 (Explorer of the Seas).

My husband and I did Escape the Rubicon. We enjoyed it a lot. We did "escape" which I think was a result of us all communicating and working well together. I'm going on Symphony of the Seas in a couple of weeks and I'm quite disappointed that the escape room on her is the same one because I'd really like to do another one again.

That's very true, @dodgestang. Of course, those of us who have cruised a few times recognize how difficult it would be for Royal Caribbean to try manage two separate suite areas (one lounge, one in the regular boarding seating area) for priority boarding. On a related point, we were in an Owner's Suite on Harmony of the Seas in October. There (Terminal 18 at Port Everglades), they had actually separated the suite part of the boarding area into Star Class and Sky & Sea Classes. The Star Class suites had comfy chairs and had a table set up with some basic refreshments (I remember bottles of water, but there may also have been some cans of soda), and we were told that we, in our Sky Class suite sitting on the regular boarding area chairs, were not entitled to them. (I may or may not have sneaked a bottle of water for myself from there.) The Star Class section did board ahead of the Sky/Sea Class passengers.

That's awesome to hear! Thanks!

@tiny260, it may simply be that you've not sailed in a Royal Suite Class cabin (only Oasis and Quantum class ships) since that program was implemented. Also, I would expect that the existing ships at the current embarkation terminals would continue doing what they've done in the past. With Symphony of the Seas being at a brand new terminal in Miami, they might enforce the rules differently there. We all know how consistency is for Royal Caribbean.

Now, here's where it gets a bit interesting. In the "What are the benefits of the Royal Caribbean Suites program?" FAQ page, it does say: The Royal Suite Class FAQ page, however, omits mention of any special boarding amenity for Sea class cabins.

@Jess, I think Royal Caribbean may have changed their info. When looking at a Junior Suite on Liberty of the Seas (so not "Royal Suite Class"), here's what the details say: Note that there is no mention of any suite-esque perks. However, the Grand Suite says: Here, it does explicitly call out the suite benefits including priority check-in.

Same here! I got it for this cruise (also at $152) and also for a Freedom of the Seas cruise in October for $126! The Black Friday specials were really good.

Thanks for the warning! Fortunately, we have the Ultimate Dining Package (which is no longer being offered in the Cruise Planner for our sailing next month), so it'll only be once, maybe twice, that'll we'll want to eat at Coastal Kitchen.

Thanks! I'm glad to hear it. In all honesty, it was a photo of the suite/Pinnacle area the terminal that sparked my interest in upgrading. I'm probably spending way too much to upgrade just for that and for access to Coastal Kitchen, but after having been in suites on my most recent cruises, I'm not sure I feel right going back to a regular old balcony cabin. 😆 I also just found indications that junior suites also get complimentary WOW bands. That's a nice added bonus.

(I posted this on Cruise Critic and was surprised to see that no one at all has posted a reply there, not even certain individuals who seem to reply to every thread with incorrect information.) For those of you who have had the opportunity to sail on Symphony of the Seas, do you know whether "Sea Class" cabins (i.e., junior suites) get access to the private suite embarkation lounge in the terminal? Everything I've seen from Royal Caribbean doesn't mention that as a benefit for "Sea Class", but it is included for "Sky Class" and "Star Class".

This isn't about dinner, but it is about capacity in the Owner's Suite. Last October, I was on Harmony of the Seas in an Owner's Suite. I wanted to host a party for the large group of friends I was traveling with. I arranged it with the Suite Concierge, and he was able to set up an array of hot hors d'oeuvres (yes, with Sterno!) and sweet items on the balcony and a large cheese assortment and some wine inside. We had about 40-45 people in the cabin and on the balcony at any given time. It was a fantastic experience, and I absolutely had a blast being able to treat my friends to this party on the high seas.

My husband was on Independence of the Seas a couple of weeks ago and I think he said that he saw Super Mario there. We had also seen him (and shared an elevator with him) on Mariner of the seas in August.