koikeeper123

The cost of the deluxe beverage package went up for every cruise that I have booked (for which the beverage package price was available).  No savings whatsoever.  Obviously they increased the cost of the package before the sale started.  So slimy.
Has anyone seen the combo deluxe beverage + ultimate dining package anywhere ?  It seems to have disappeared completely.  Are they no longer offering this combination package ?

If Royal runs me off it will be because of 2 things, primarily.
#1 - Non-refundable option ONLY for suites.  I book mostly (but not exclusively) suites and I do not like the fact that I only have non-refundable options now.  I don't buy their lame explanation that suite customers hog up all of their suites and then cancel at the last minute.  Yes, I did (when I still could) book a lot of suites and sometimes cancel but it was NEVER last minute and let's face it - Royal has never had to worry about booking their suites.  They are always the first to go.  With suite prices getting so incredibly ridiculous (particularly for star class suites) I can see that they MAY have some trouble keeping those sold but they still manage to sell them all out, even at the ridiculous price that they are now asking.  So think of something else, Royal.  Your explanation doesn't hold water.
#2 - The casino rate has either gone away or has become so restrictive (cannot book more than 1 year out) that it's virtually useless.  This has been the one thing that kept me around.  If it's gone, I will have no reason to remain exclusive to Royal.  NCL has always had a competitive casino program and it seems to be getting more favorable as Royal's seems to be waning.  To be brutally honest, I don't find the difference in service and overall product to be that much different between any of the big, mass market cruise lines.  I will go wherever I get the best deal.  That has always been Royal but maybe not for much longer. 

Yes i called casino royale directly but i did not ask when this went into effect.  I called on Dec. 7 and Dec 13 and got the same answer from 2 different people that the casino rate could not be applied to a grand suite or bigger.  I think i will call next week and see if i get the same answer.  I will post what they tell me.

Well said, Tony.  It is all voodoo and they really do not let anyone know what the truth about "points" is.  That is why I ALWAYS say, the MOST important thing you can do is be noticed...regardless of how much money or how long you are there.  As a rule, we have poorer playback results on the larger ships than we do on the smaller ships even though our playing habits are always the same.  I feel positive that this is b/c there are so many more players on the big ships and they just don't notice or track you as closely as they do in the more intimate casinos.  Being friendly with the management and tipping well will get you noticed.  Sorry if that sounds crass, but I believe it to be the truth.
Another thing that they do NOT advertise well is the fact that so many are eligible for casino rates.  Most people have no idea that they are eligible for a casino rate.  As @bobburd said, unless you get an email or some other kind of offer, you just would have no way of knowing.  My advice to ANYone who EVER plays in the casino - big spenders or otherwise - is ALWAYS call Club Royale FIRST when you are thinking of booking a cruise.  The worst that can happen is they tell you that there are no offers for you.  You MAY be very pleasantly surprised, as we were, the first time we did this, that you are eligible for a very NICE casino discount. 
They have changed the way they calculate casino rates YET AGAIN but quite honestly, I think the "new" way is really the best.  They now allow you to take EVERY discount to which you are entitled (C&A balcony, senior, state, military...whatever it happens to be PLUS whatever the current booking incentive is (BOGO 50% ,etc.)) and THEN they give you a casino discount on top of all of that.
We are sailing on Allure next week (Thanksgiving week).  We received an email offer (sounds like the same one @bobburd got) for a complimentary inside guarantee room (Z GTY) and had Michelle Cunningham, our MEI TA book it for us.  All that we owed were taxes, port fees and grats (total of $415.96).  After a number of weeks we were assigned an inside way up at the front of the ship.  TERRIBLE location and I decided to see what we could do to upgrade.   After a couple of days and MANY emails back and forth (and MUCH time on the phone for Michelle, no doubt), Michelle was able to upgrade us from that awful forward inside room to a D1 hump balcony for $278 !!  This is what the discount looked like:  $226 C&A balcony discount, $944 BOGO50, $251 Senior discount, $2299 casino discount.  So, for a $3998 D1 cabin, we were discounted $3720 for a balance of only $278 (plus the original taxes, port fees and grats, which brought the TOTAL total to $693.96).  I think this was a heck of a deal and the tribute ALL goes to Michelle and the Club Royale agent.  I have no idea how they did it but it was a wonderful deal.
This is even more amazing when you realize that this was basically a $-0- commission sale for Michelle.  What a TA !
 

I have not sailed in a Star suite yet.  I go in Feb. 17 on Harmony.
 
I know that the questionnaire has undergone some tweaking since the program started.  I haven't seen a copy of a recent one lately.
 
I'm not sure how useful it really is.  Some of the questions seemed to be kinda "out there".  I guess they are still finding their stride with this program.  Seems like they've made some changes to the perks already.  Everyone I've heard from seems to have enjoyed it though.  Looking forward to it !
 
What ship are you on and when ?