tonyfsu21

UGH.  Yep. Worst fear, confirmed.  Not happy with this.  Will have to see how it goes.  
I have always found the casino rates to be the best deal, too but was always able to top it off with the certificates.  That's gone, I guess.
In that case, I agree.  The certificate is basically useless unless you want to cruise on one of their "free" cruises (which has only happened once for us).
It certainly is becoming less and less attractive, that's for sure.

It's not what it seems. $7000 (if that is actually the figure) is not a true $7000. It's the running total of what is cycled through. That includes all the ups and downs while playing the machine. 

Tony, I would not worry about the fares on any of the cruises that you have booked.  They are "safe".  The only thing that could gum that up would be if you tried to upgrade or change the reservations.  If they remain as they are, you are good.
What COULD happen though is, if you decide not to gamble, [according to  other blog posts] you might lose your status, meaning that you might not be able to get free drinks and waive the 5% convenience fee on cash advances.  ...and it might affect your ability to get a casino rate discount on any future cruises that you book.  BUT there is a chance [according to other blog posts] that we are losing those big discounts and ability to combine certificates, etc anyway.  So, as with all, things Club Royale, I just don't know !
I wouldn't worry about anything that you already have booked though.  I have the same (cruises already booked) and I will not be able to make any changes to them either not only b/c of the craziness with CR but also b/c of the non-refundable deposit bullsh*t.  The RCI glitter is definitely flaking off....

No, "speak" was not a pseudonym for gratuity. Just explain your situation and that they're not booked in suite and you'd like them to join you in lieu of the children. For two, it shouldn't be a problem. All 8 would be a different story. 

Tony, you definitely will not have to pay for room service from the MDR.  That much I know for sure.  As long as the food is delivered to your suite you can get as much as you want from the MDR during hours that the MDR is operating.
As for access to the CK/Suites Lounge, I'm not really sure what to suggest to you.  There are 2 Concierges - one in the D Club and 1 on the Suites Lounge but from my experience, there are numerous people at or near the doors of both the CK and the SL so "seeing" the Concierge might not really help you.  It can't hurt to try.  I'm sure that the correct answer is that only suites guests are allowed in the Suites Lounge but I also know that having them go to dinner with you in the CK should be easy to arrange.  The lounge is definitely more problematic than the restaurant.  I would just ask and see what happens but then you're alerting them to the fact that your parents are NOT suites guests so if the answer is not the one you want, then they will know for sure that your parents aren't eligible to be there.
I was in a similar situation last Feb. on Harmony and, in the end, we ended up just not inviting our non-suite guest friends to the lounge b/c we didn't want to make them feel bad that they weren't allowed in and we didn't want to put the Concierge in an uncomfortable position to have to deny them entrance.
One thing I will say....we were in a Star Class suite and our Genie made sure that our [non-suite] friends were always included in any activities that the Genie arranged for us.  They were presented with a bill for specialty dining (we were not) but they were never excluded and they always had reserved seats with us when we went to the theater or the ice show.  I was very grateful to him (our Genie)  for that.
 

I can't answer your question about the suites but as far as I know the $7.95 is per order, but I don't think that applies to suite guests. 

Like John, I can't really answer the question, either. However, you can get a "key only" card for your parents so that don't need to use the kids' cards. Also, if you speak to the lounge attendant, it's likely he or she will work with you rather than needing your parents to use the kids' cards.

To be honest, I don't even know if Royal Caribbean still has a link to information about the Player's Club.  I couldn't find it...but that doesn't mean there isn't one.
You do not have to join the Club anymore.  It is my understanding that you are automatically enrolled in the program when you insert your Seapass card into a slot machine or have a dealer swipe your card at a table. HOWEVER, I recommend that if you want to be "noticed" and seriously considered for benefits (if you aren't a high roller...as I am not) your best course of action is to make sure that you make yourself known to 1) the casino host/hostess 2) the casino manager and 3) the pit bosses, in that order.  Tell the casino host, the very first time that you enter the casino, that you want to be considered for casino rates on bookings and the other benefits that come with being a member of Club Royale.  IMO there is no substitute for being known by the management.  You will be "known" one of 2 ways (or perhaps, both) - either throw a lot of money around (make large wagers, consistently) or spend a lot of time in the casino with more modest wagering.  I fall into category #2 as I do not make big wagers. 
Undoubtedly, the casino management will tell you that is a function of accumulating points.  As Marc said above, doing that with slots is a whole lot easier than it is with table wagering.  The slot machines tally your wagers very methodically (1 point for every $5 wagered, I believe).  Tracking play at the tables is much more difficult as it is a combination of swiping your Seapass card and depending upon the dealers and pit bosses to track your wagering and win/loss patterns.  ...and in the end, no matter what they tell you, I think it's really a matter of perception - whether management believes you have played a sufficient amount of time in the casino or not.  Obviously, if you have sufficient points then you have sufficient points but there are times, I know for CERTAIN, when neither Dan nor I had sufficient points but we still retained our status.  It's really a fickle program without much structure or metrics.  They will, no doubt, recite the rules to you, but I'm not sure that they actually follow them.  Just my opinion.

I know exactly what you're saying, Marc.  ...but I will say that, as with all things Royal Caribbean, including Club Royale, it depends on who you talk to.  I was also told that the envelope for advanced booking a CR discount was 18 months (no more than 18 months in advance).  In March 2017 I booked a cruise on Harmony for Feb. 2019 - almost 2 full years ahead and they started out telling me I could not book a casino rate that far in advance, but in the end, they did it anyway.  So the rules are never hard and fast with them, it seems.
Maybe they are getting stricter with these kinds of restrictions.  I know that, for the past couple of years, some people were having trouble applying their earned CR certificates to previously booked casino rate bookings but I was always able to get mine applied - even multiple certificates to the same already discounted cruise...until I couldn't anymore.  So they clamped down on that one, maybe they are clamping down on the 18 month advance thing, too.  So far, I have still been able to combine the casino rate and the value of the certificates but only for new bookings, now.
I'm not going to panic until I am denied combining the cruise certificate with a casino rate...or until I find that the 42 - 50% discount I have previously been getting on suites is reduced significantly.  At that point I will have to make some decisions.  I have 6 cruises [suites] booked - all with casino rates, all with refundable deposits and all with certificates of some kind added on.  This may be the end of my gravy train or it may not be.  I will find out, eventually !

I have 6 on the books (all either at significant casino discounts or "free" as a result of certificates) so I will keep doing what I'm doing until those have been exhausted BUT if it turns out that they are no longer giving the [admittedly very generous] casino rate discounts then that will be all for me.
A number of years ago I cruised with NCL for the first time and I received a "free" cruise from them - after just ONE cruise !  Up until now the NCL casino program has not had the same lucrative benefits that Club Royale has so I stuck with Royal but if those benefits are now gone, I will certainly be looking at NCL and other cruise lines again.
I completely agree with Marc and Tony. It's like we're finding some kind of hidden treasure whenever they give you a discount or a certificate.  NEVER have I seen a PROMOTIONAL program so steeped in secrecy, ambiguity and anonymity.  I never seem to know what the rules are from sailing-to-sailing.  Maybe these latest tales are misinformation.  I certainly hope that is the case.  Only time will tell, I guess.
I will never stay out of the casino.  That's the primary reason I'm on the ship....but it may well be the casino on another cruise line or shore casino.

If you have never seen the Everglades take an Uber to Everglades Holiday Park and go on an airboat ride. It's pretty entertaining if you have never done it. You could also catch the water taxi at the Hilton Marina (close to port) and take it to the Margaritaville Hotel stop. Walk across the street & cut through the hotel to the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk (lots to see & do). If you want to stay local to Fort Lauderdale beaches just take an Uber to Fort Lauderdale beach (las olas) and enjoy the beach. There's lots of dining choices & the beach is perfection. 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/03/06/barefoot-beach-cabanas-royal-caribbeans-labadee

See the casino host when the casino opens on the first night. Introduce yourself and ask them to rate your play. If it's just slot machines your sea pass card will keep track of your play and qualify you. It's always a good idea to introduce yourself to host though. 

I think that virtually anyone who puts a dollar into a slot machine with their card inserted will automatically become a Club Royale member these days.  I don't think it takes any special level of play to get into the program anymore.  In the old days you had to qualify at a certain level to become a member but now, anyone who wants to join, can.
The discriminator is what benefits you will be eligible for...and that depends upon your level of play and as  Tony said, the amount of time you spend in the casino.
The bottom line is....it never hurts to ask what benefits you have earned.  I tell everyone who asks...that before you book your next cruise, call Club Royale FIRST to see if there is a chance that you will be eligible for a casino rate or other discount.  Club Royale does a TERRIBLE job of letting people know what benefits they have earned (probably by design) so you have to squeeze them to get information.  I was eligible for a casino rate long before I ever thought to call them and ask them.  There's no telling how many cruises I took where I could have been given a discount that I was not just b/c I never thought to call them and ask.  888 561 2234.
Even if you do not qualify for a casino rate they can tell you what you need to do to get one on future cruises.

100% right on. I just booked the Allure for next May w/ my wife and 2 young children. The casino rate for the grand suite was only slightly better then the current promotional price but when they added in my personal tier discount the savings were great! My only wish is that one day in the future the program will be more transparent. I wonder if cruise ship casinos are taboo to the different lines and they want to convey that image of a "family vacation" so they don't advertise much or speak much of it for fear of turning off potential customers?

Soooo happy to hear that the casino worked out for you.  I have found, over the years, that the most beneficial perk is definitely the casino discount. The certificates are nice but the amounts are incidental to the 42-50% discount that the casino rate offers.  The nice part about the casino rates is that they the same for everyone.  The casino will then add a personal discount on top of the casino rate.  That person discount varies according to your club level and your rating from the last cruise but the basic casino rate is the same for all qualified Club Royale members.

In the following cruise as points are not credited until the completion of your voyage. 

You will have to wait until the following cruise to take advantage of any status gained during a sailing.

Casino lingo....

Casino lingo....

"hundo", can I steal that word/collection of letters?

I'm hoping I can get just another couple in w/ us. Maybe if I tip the bartenders really well and hand the concierge a hundo on the way in they will "ignore" us for 7 days?

I've had mixed results trying this.  On Anthem of the Seas in Cape Liberty, I had no problem but failed to get friends into the Diamond waiting area in Port Canaveral for Freedom of the Seas.

IMHO: I believe the frequency of slot bets and the amount (min or max, $1, or .01) equate to points on your seapass card. This is then evaluated at the end of the cruise. I play a healthy mix of slots, roulette & blackjack and bet a significant amount on all three so I don't necessarily know what game has granted me membership. Although on Harmony I hit back to back to back 17's on roulette with $100 on the number....

I asked RCI Customer Service about this when we were booked in a suite and my parents were not and they said they could only do that if the booking number was the same. In reality through when we went to the port they allowed us all to check in together so it is worth a try. You do sound like you will have a lot of people checking in together at the same time though so they may not be as lenient.
With regards to the lounges I have always seen they are pretty strict on entry and check out any people they haven't seen before to confirm they are allowed in the lounge, so I think you will be out of luck there. The lounges are already busy with people who are allowed in and the first time we went in they came around the tables to check that you were allowed in. After that they just checked any new people in who came in throughout the cruise as they get to know the people pretty well. Their cruise documentation makes it clear that friends and family travelling with you that do not meet access rules are not allowed in. This is one rule I haven't seen them bend.
Enjoy your cruise.