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tonyfsu21

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Posts posted by tonyfsu21

  1. 1 hour ago, Cactus527 said:

    I'm looking at potentially taking Brightline to get into Miami. I'm a bit confused by the luggage.

    If I have 2 large bags (have to be checked luggage on the flights), 1 carry-on bag, and my personal item, does this mean I only need to pay for 1 carry-on bag since 2 + personal item are included? Is the luggage free if I do the Premium versus cheapest ticket? Or, is it better to just show up there and try to figure it out at the terminal (with ticket in hand)?

    Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

    You might be going a bit out of your way unless you really want to ride the BL (it is nice!) I would say less hassle to just hop in an Uber. 

  2. 22 hours ago, Cruising Granny said:

    Whoop whoop!!!! Got on the ship at 11:15!!!! 
    No problems! They did rescan passport and retake picture. Set Sail Pass was on the app! 
    In the cabin waiting for luggage. 
    It’s all good 😊

    This is totally consistent with every boarding day experience I have had in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Cape Canaveral. Nobody in that terminal has an interest in holding you back it just grinds everything to a halt. I’m glad there are still people who abide by the scheduled boarding times because it makes it all that much smoother for the people that prefer to enjoy a full day # 1 of vacation. 

  3. 3 hours ago, ScottD said:

    They have a huge terminal... people don't need to stand around outside. They can easily have people sit and wait for designated times to be called, just like boarding a plane- they'll call you up as it is your turn to board. I don't think it’s a "low percentage" of people that follow the rules, in fact I think it's the other way around. AND I bet a lot of people pick the earliest possible check in time and don't actually get there until later, which helps.  I feel like if everyone starts showing up as soon as boarding opens, it will be a mess because you'll have the clash of people getting off and new people trying to get on, which is exactly why they stagger the times.  I wouldn't be surprised if they do start enforcing it a little more if too many people show up early.  I don't see the purpose of getting on the ship right as it opens, but to each their own- I get you wanna start vacation, but maybe try to get that check in time, then. 

    Like I said before, to each his/her own. I will be on the ship as soon as the doors open regardless of check in time. 

  4. 1 hour ago, twangster said:

    An influx of new D/D+/P members is a good problem for the company.  

    Time and again I see threads on “the problems” with so many loyal returning guests.  Hello?  That isn’t a problem.  That’s a great thing and proof the loyalty program is doing precisely what it is designed to do.  It’s a phenomenally successful program and from the company perspective it’s a major win.  

    Returning guests who dislike being among so many other loyal returning guests is only a “problem” in the minds of those that choose to make it so.  

    While this may be true to some degree, it’s clearly a problem for the company at some level considering the renaming of the “diamond lounge”. I also find the dead zone between D+ and Pinnacle to be something that is ripe for another tier. 

  5. On 2/20/2024 at 1:47 PM, JFCruise said:

    At some point, if all the included options seem underwhelming, you gotta look at other cruise lines imo.

    I enjoy the complimentary food quite a bit, I even love a handful of dishes. The Dog House is good. Simple enough. I'd hate for it to have a bunch of toppings that just create a longer line. For chili dogs, you can build your own on the Windjammer.

    I can’t imagine you would find anything significantly better quality or more abundant options than what’s offered on RC (especially Icon)! IMHO people should stop expecting 5 star service and food quality from an average 3 star mid tier family cruise line. If you are a food snob then you will most likely be disappointed unless you have realistic expectations. Yes, before I’m flamed for the statement, there are certain situations where 5 star service can apply even on a mid tier cruise! 

  6. On 2/21/2024 at 2:28 AM, JasonOasis said:

    It most certainly did not  backfire.  With all the negative press cruise lines endured both in both on social media and news media they had to do something because some in the media were basically blaming cruise lines for the spread of covid.  

    Without double points promotion I don't know how many loyal cruisers would have put up with all the things we had to put up with just to get on a cruise ship.  You had to get vaccinated, boosted, then tested within days of departure (and when cruising first resumed they wouldn't take the rapid antigen test), you had to answer health questionnaires, when cruising first resumed you had to wear a mask inside certain venues on the ship, social distancing and more.  There were a lot of hurdles the cruise industry had to jump over then passengers had to jump over just so the CDC would let cruising resume.  We were already diamond when cruising resumed and would have needed 2 cruises to make diamond plus instead we made diamond plus in one cruise and we also took 3 other cruises during the double points promotion. Without that double points promotion it is doubtful either myself or my husband would have put up with everything passengers had to put up with to get on a cruise ship when we could go and had gone multiple times to Mexico and really didn't have to deal with any major restrictions to get into Mexico.  Think about it Florida was fully open, Las Vegas had opened back up and those hotels were packed in Las Vegas we took a trip to Vegas as well during the cruise industry shut down and Mexico were booming and the cruise industry or Royal had to come up with something to get customers back on their ships not just one time but multiple times.  For people loyal to Royal that double points promotion along with insanely cheap cruise fares is why we jumped though all those covid protocol hoops just to go on vacation.

    I’m not disagreeing as we sailed at least 3 times in Suites during the points promotion and escalated our C&A status deep into D+. What I’m trying to point out is from a company perspective I think they bit off more then they can chew with the influx of new D members. Just an opinion but I do think the company will make changes regardless of the fact that the system is technically not “broken”. The casino program is certainly broken and that’s just a fact. 

  7. 52 minutes ago, Lexster said:

    They already have masses of people standing around. And the "last minute emails" don't work because they DON'T have strict adherence to the boarding times and everyone knows it. It would only take a month of them turning away people until it's their boarding time for people to get the message. Otherwise, don't bother having check-in times because it just means people who actually show up at the right time get pissed off because certain people think they're more important than everyone else.

    To each his own. We will be at the terminal ready to board the ship by 10am and ready for vacation! 

  8. 4 hours ago, Reigert2008 said:

    Exactly. Everyone has the opportunity to get an early time and I really wish Royal would enforce times at all ports and be consistent.  If more people had to queue outside and wait for their time, maybe people would start showing up at the assigned time and the whole process could be smooth for everyone all the time.

    Of course, I’m a rule follower and will arrive during my window, but  I’ve also been able to get early times by being online when they open the check in window.

     

    Happy Cruising!

    That’s just not going to happen. Do you think turning people away and displacing them temporarily would not become a safety hazard? They absolutely do not want masses of people standing around the active exterior of the terminal as it’s already crowded enough. The process of enforcing boarding times would require resources they don’t have and it would also likely cause more chaos at the gate. The company relies on the low percentage of people who actually follow the rules to give them some element of control in the process. The last minute emails mentioning the strict adherence to scheduled boarding times have proved to be nothing more than an empty threat in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Canaveral. 

  9. 43 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

    I would disagree with this. The promotion did exactly what they wanted. Ensured that people would sail during a time when most people wouldn't and rewarded those who were loyal. I don't think it made too many diamonds. Every time someone post the numbers after a top tier event, I am shocked at how low the numbers are. Shocked because people keep saying how that promotion made so many diamond or higher members. On any given cruise the combination of diamond and higher combined, are less than gold or new cruisers. I think it put people where they would be, had they not lost out on 15mths of cruises.

    Saying all of that, I don't think there needs to be another tier. I know it is 525pt to get to the next "official" tier once you make D+, but the in-between perks are better than being recognized with a pin or some element. Its 25pt between emerald and diamond, why would they put another tier there, they would have to rework everything. Also by having diamond at 80 points it is realistic. That is only 11 seven-night cruises in a balcony or less.  Royal's program is pretty great, I just wish it was more standardized across the entire business. 

    My suggestion would include sliding D and above so there would be more of a point spread between emerald & diamond and then creating a new tier. I can see this happening and hopefully the change will be coupled with a complete overhaul of the casino program. Never say never with the current leadership as anything is possible. 

  10. 1 hour ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

    I don't think there needs to be another level between the two because there are some milestone steps between first getting to D+ and the eventual pinnacle. If anything, Royal wouldn't so much add a level as they would turn a milestone into one (thereby making it look like a new level with no real change to the structure). Diamond Premium or something...

    I never expect to make pinnacle and I'm okay with that. I thought it would take forever to make Diamond and yet, here  I am (and 2 cruises away from getting my crystal block). I think Royal provides enough perks at D and D+ levels that making another step in between would or could take away from the others.

    I think the space to insert another level would be between emerald and diamond from the perspective of RC. The pandemic cruise points promotions backfired and saturated the diamond level. 

  11. 22 hours ago, Michcruiser75 said:

    I would rather see something innovative utilizing the Dining Rooms in 4 seatings at 5, 6, 7, 8

    Smaller number of diners at each hour, group dining staff into 2 service teams A) 5pm & 7pm and B) 6pm & 8:00 pm.

    Each dining time still receives a 2-hour window, with  RC two tiers of dining rooms available there is certainly enough seating capacity

    The sheer numbers of people who want MyTime Dining truly tells the story of how unhappy passengers are with either a very early dining time at  5:15pm or very late 7:45pm

    As a long time Cruiser the numbers of passengers utilizing the dining room dwindle daily.. to the point on my fall 2023 Cruise the dining room was actually calling passengers asking them to come back as so few were showing up, we were asked if something was wrong ie staff, food... the only thing that was wrong was scheduling. Any restaurant who has such an observable loss of business would have made the changes long ago.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    It’s not insane to consider that the MDR may disappear in the next 5-10 years as cruising evolves. IMHO the MDR has lost its appeal and could be replaced by a new concept as the next generation cruiser wants quality, efficiency and won’t be deterred by excessive up charges (aka the new cruise experience). Personally I think it’s time to either wipe the MDR slate clean and start over (again) or axe the entire program. This is going gen up the legacy cruisers who don’t want to spend much beyond the ticket price but will most likely appease the actual targeted cash cow cruisers that RC markets to. 

  12. 2 hours ago, ScottD said:

    They are so good especially the brats.... and the potato salad is great

    I second this^^^ I think the dog house is one of the better no fee options for a quick bite. Obviously nothing is going to be as good as a Chicago dog in Chicago or a Sonoran dog in AZ or the epic capitol lunch hot dog in Connecticut. IMHO, I will take a mediocre “free” hotdog with a Caribbean view on a cruise any day over any other option! 

  13. 1 hour ago, ScottD said:

    Yeah, we only have the one kid and he was 11 the last two times we sailed, so getting him registered to AO was no biggie, did it every time after we got to the room since the older kids stuff doesn't seem to run out of room anymore.  Plus the fact that he never stayed more than 10 minutes either time seems to make it less of a priority for the next time, lol.  I was thinking of booking a lunch for day 1 next time, still haven't pulled the trigger because the boy likes to make Sorrentos our first stop, and that usually does the job until dinner..but a nice steak to start off the week might be nice! 

    Haha, I have to bribe my kids to go to AO! They have recently discovered roaming the ship on their own and there’s no going back. I can normally find them in Sorrentos, Starbucks or the arcade. 

  14. 15 minutes ago, ScottD said:

    we usually aim for an 11:00 check in, but rarely get there before noon. We usually walk right on, no wait by then, and by the time we get some pizza and do a loop around the promenade we can go right to the room

    We need to reserve 2 kids at adventure ocean for the week and fit lunch in there so noon would be too late. I’m usually ready to leave my house in Fort Lauderdale at 8am but I need plenty of buffer to get the rest of my family moving. 

  15. On 2/16/2024 at 3:34 PM, smokeybandit said:

    The same advice can be used in just about any city.

     

    On 2/16/2024 at 2:29 PM, FOB said:

    Think if you check that just means Jamaica is the same level as the UK. And we are safe in 99.9% of areas. 
    don’t flash cash, don’t buy drugs and stay in the main areas and you should get fine

    It’s actually sad that you have to state the obvious but clearly this world is filled with plenty of stupid people buying drugs in Jamaica and venturing off to unsafe areas w/o an organized tour. I would venture to guess if they knew what a Jamaican jail looked like, the decisions would be different! 

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