Jump to content

TexanTwoStep

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    311

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by TexanTwoStep

  5. Royal, don't get any funny ideas...

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    I don't want it, but I would love to be a fly on the wall of the "Pinnacle Pin Wearers" club if it happened.  Pearls will be clutched!

    Seriously though, I don't see Royal doing this -- they know that they have the best loyalty program in the business and (arguably) the most loyal cruisers.  We are fairly new to cruising and I've only cruised with Royal and don't see that changing.  Seems like Carnival is going the route that most hotels and airlines go with their loyalty programs where you can earn "points" by using a branded credit card.  In theory, you could get to Carnival's highest status without ever stepping foot on their ships.  Is that really loyalty? 

  6. Avoid Blue Lagoon Island "Deluxe" Beach Break in Nassau

    in Shore Excursions

    Posted

    42 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

    @TexanTwoStep So sorry you went through all that but glad you at least got a quick refund and were able to turn a horrible day into a post so entertaining (from your humor, not your ordeal) that my wife was LOL'ing and asked me to tell you how much she enjoyed your writing.

    I hope you had a great time during the rest of your cruise.

    Hah, thanks!  The rest of the cruise was absolutely perfect and Royal made it right! 

  8. Avoid Blue Lagoon Island "Deluxe" Beach Break in Nassau

    in Shore Excursions

    Posted

    Not one to complain much, but this one was a doozy.

    We booked the named excursion through Royal and from the time we stepped off Symphony, I knew it was going to be bad.  We arrived on the pier and our "meeting" spot was complete chaos.  People from Blue Lagoon running around, lining people up, putting people in wrong lines -- you name it, it happened.

    *Cue two hours of standing in the heat with no shade later*

    Now that we've wasted two hours on Bahamian Queue Simulator 2025, we finally are finally (over)loaded on to the crappiest catamaran I have ever seen....You would've thought that the hefty law suit and them literally killing a lady from 2023 would have taught them, but nope.  I (an ex-coastie) made it a mission to count everyone on board.  They stuffed over 300 people on this vessel.  Yes, I spent the 20 minute ride over counting.  Max should've been 150-200 at most.

    But wait, the fun doesn't stop there!  To relax, I decide to go to the death vessel catamaran's bar and try to purchase a Kalik beer to help ease my nerves (or at least be a tad bit tipsy when fighting for my life when we sink).  That'll be $15, sir.  So I nope right out and go sit next to my family with a scowl on my face.

    We finally arrive to our "deluxe" and "exclusive" Blue Lagoon Island and (you guessed it), it was packed.  I am talking nuts to butts.  No chairs, no seats, no umbrellas, everything packed.  These people then have the gall to give us *one* drink voucher and *one* food voucher and tell us where to go.  I go to the bar with my new golden ticket like I'm Charlie heading to the chocolate factory, but way more disappointed.  The bartender looks at me and points at the two options I have.  Delicious ice cold water (tap water) OR powdered lemonade!  Spoiler alert, I drink the lemonade because I'm dehydrated at this point and guess what I have when I get home!  An immigrant from the Island named H. Pylori!  YAY!

    I wish this was the end of this grand tour, but alas, it isn't.  The food we were served was akin to that of what I would receive on Riker's Island -- absolutely awful.  Think the saddest hamburger you've ever seen in your life, double it, give it to your enemy, and it's somehow worse.

    By now I've already turned on my phone and paid the $10 to let Royal know exactly how I feel about their deluxe offering via email.  During this time, I again attempt to get a mixed drink in hopes of salvaging what little patience I have left of this godforsaken place.  I ask for a margarita on the rocks, no salt.  That'll be $25 please!  I loudly decline and ask how much a simple bottle of water will be.  You're in luck, it's only $10!

    By now I *hope* I dehydrate so that they'll be forced to take me back to the beautiful ship with unlimited beverages.  

    Finally, the straw that broke the figurative camel's back was when my 16 year old asked me to "follow him" with a grin on his face.  He's a down-to-earth kid, so I knew this was gonna be good.  He directs me to a lovely beach on the north side of the island that is a little more quiet and had 3 lifeguards.  He then proceeds to tell me that the lifeguards asked him to get out of the water because he went in over his knees (it was a calm day).  As we walk toward the beach and near where the lifeguards are sitting, the smell hits me.  That sweet, sweet smell of the Jazz Cabbage (also known as the Devil's Lettuce).  Cheech, Chong, and Snoop were sitting under the only umbrella on the beach, passing a joint at work like it was 4:20 in Denver.

    Back to the ship, and the lovely hotel director has already called my room (see email above) and asked to meet me.  He apologized, thanked me for letting him know (I also let him know about the stoners), and immediately used his super duper bat phone to call the excursion desk to refund me. 

    Too long, didn't read?:  Avoid anything Blue Lagoon like the plague.

    Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

  11. Earned ~ 4000 points in one cruise — what’s next?

    in Casino Royale

    Posted

    On 6/11/2025 at 4:14 PM, Tecmage said:

    If you did hit 4000 points on a 6 day or longer sailing I believe this is the award chart.  I'm not 100% sure though
    https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/casino/offers/2506C03A.pdf

    Hi, got the certificate and this is indeed the list.

    Quick question -- do they update the list periodically or is this the list I have to choose from?  We were hoping to cruise in late June or July because of our work schedule and PTO.

  12. Earned ~ 4000 points in one cruise — what’s next?

    in Casino Royale

    Posted

    1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

    Fantastic !  Wow…glad you had GOOD luck.  I seem to be having plenty of the other kind….

    You did exactly the right thing by getting a Next Cruise open booking.  That’s all you need to do right now.

    Either the second-to-the-last day or the last day, you will get an instant cruise reward certificate….probably attached to your stateroom door.  Look for it.  Keep that, but hopefully you won’t need it.  Only once have I ever had an instant reward NOT show up on the website but that one time, boy was I glad I had my “hard” copy !

    Very shortly after you disembark (usually the next day), your instant reward will show up on the Clubroyaleoffers.com website.  Depending upon whether or not you lost $$ during you casino quest, your certificate may get upgraded above what the hard copy certificate awarded you…there is some voodoo algorithm that they use to try and placate those who lose money (me) by upgrading the certificate…but that doesn’t always happen.  If you did not lose money, then chances are, your online reward will be the same as your hard copy.  Either way, you will have a NICE comped cruise.

    There will be a nice, long list of cruises to choose from.  Once you decide which one you want, it’s time to call Club a Royale and book it !  You can either do that directly, or get your TA to do it for you.  Side note:  TA’s, generally, hate dealing with casino comps.  They yield very little commission and are a complete PITA to do….but that’s entirely up to you.

    Was the cruise you are on done by a TA ?  If so, then the Next  Cruise open booking is, most likely, in their name and you will have little option to book your comp cruise yourself.  If you booked your current cruise directly, then all is well, and you can book the comp directly with Club Royale.

    Congratulations !  You have a new side addiction now !

    Not *that* lucky — this happened to me in the blackjack tournament on the last round. I didn’t have enough chips to split because I was in 2nd…wish this would happen in a real round! It was rare enough the host let me take a pic 

    IMG_8749.jpeg

  14. Earned ~ 4000 points in one cruise — what’s next?

    in Casino Royale

    Posted

    Hey gamblers!  This is my first time ever hitting prime, and I did it all in one nights on Symphony. I’ve earned between 4-5000 points due to a very nice machine (Karma Kat in non smoking for the win!)

    When do your points show up on the website?  From what I can tell, we should be eligible for a free balcony or junior suite. I went by next cruise and did the $200 deposit, do I need to call the casino rep to link that reservation once I get the free cruise?

    Thanks for the assistance! 

  17. How does PD Mexico change the schedule?

    in Royal Caribbean News and Rumors

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Cakemeister said:

    It's a little farther to get to Costa Maya than it is to get to Cozumel with just one sea day. It might not be doable. If they can comfortably get from Galveston to PDMX with just one sea day, they could do a 4-night cruise. 

    Day 1: Galveston

    Day 2: At Sea

    Day 3: PDMX

    Day 4: At Sea

    Day 5: Galveston.

    EDIT: It's quite a bit farther to go from Galveston to Costa Maya than it is to go from Miami to Costa Maya. 

    Yeah,  looking at a map I could measure distances with now, I really don't see them being able to make it from Galveston to Costa Maya in 1 day (unless they leave in the morning and arrive at night?)  I would bet it's about 900 nautical miles (about 1000 statute miles).  A 4 day would be nice, but would be super tight.

  21. Getting Into Room Early?

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Married2Grumpy said:

    Has anyone been able to get into their room a little earlier by asking the stateroom attendant? We are going on a bachelorette cruise and would love to get into the bride's room at least 15 minutes early to decorate as a surprise. She has on her itinerary rooms open at 1:00pm and I know everyone will head to their rooms to check them out as soon as they can. Do you think they will allow us to get in just a bit earlier?

    I would book a nice lunch at Chops or another restaurant for her at 1pm.  That'll give you at least 45 mins - 1 hour to surprise her 🙂

×
×
  • Create New...