Lovetocruise2002

Whether I use a TA agent or not, I always "monitor" my own prices.  So there's the price that I booked it at and I know that price.  Then I will check daily (if it's a sailing I know for sure I want to upgrade eventually) or every time there is a new sale.  By "checking", I mean that I log into the RCI website and do a mock booking of the same thing I already booked.  If my category that I want is sold out and I'm unable to check online then that is when I will get on the phone and call to request a new quote.  If I happen to find that a price has dropped for one of my sailings, then I will either call RC directly and request a price change, or if I booked with a TA, then I will call or email the TA and let them know the price dropped. 
You can get a price change anytime prior to final payment.  Once the final payment date has passed, you are locked into that price.  But that is when I start monitoring several times a day if I'm looking to upgrade because that is when prices sometimes drop (between the 45-60 day window).  If I end up upgrading, then I pay the difference.  Hope that helps.

Whether I use a TA agent or not, I always "monitor" my own prices.  So there's the price that I booked it at and I know that price.  Then I will check daily (if it's a sailing I know for sure I want to upgrade eventually) or every time there is a new sale.  By "checking", I mean that I log into the RCI website and do a mock booking of the same thing I already booked.  If my category that I want is sold out and I'm unable to check online then that is when I will get on the phone and call to request a new quote.  If I happen to find that a price has dropped for one of my sailings, then I will either call RC directly and request a price change, or if I booked with a TA, then I will call or email the TA and let them know the price dropped. 
You can get a price change anytime prior to final payment.  Once the final payment date has passed, you are locked into that price.  But that is when I start monitoring several times a day if I'm looking to upgrade because that is when prices sometimes drop (between the 45-60 day window).  If I end up upgrading, then I pay the difference.  Hope that helps.

Maybe they were on the same Liberty sailing the lady was on and they were making up for lost time?  You will have to do some James Bond stuff and scope it out on your Liberty sailing coming up.  ?
Btw...these reactions are driving me nuts!  I gave out one this morning and already have none left?

Sure hope they aren't following the ON, Canada model ?
 Minimum wage in Ontario just went up from $11.60/hr to $14/hr.  That's about a 20% increase.  Going up to $15/hr by 2019. 
All jokes aside, I agree with @ellcee.  It is getting harder and harder to justify (in my own head) the extra tipping that we usually do.  It smells more and more like a scam each increase.

Still crazy here.  Really bad for small businesses...

End of the Last a Sea Day and Reflections on the cruise:
After killing a couple hours on deck 12 after the Sexiest Man competition, which had some alcohol induced cringe moments between one of the judges and Flavio, the Activities Manager, we did some much needed napping there and a little later in the Solarium. I was sad that I was still too full after Chops to have another Kummelwick. 


More napping was to be had, so that continued to happen into the evening.

We had intentions of going to the farewell show before dinner. That did not happen, so we opted for the drawing to guess the carat weight of a piece of tanzanite jewelry in order to win it. I missed it by a half carat, and someone else nailed it. Congrats to him!
We listened to some music by the Kronos Band, and I shared a couple of scopes. They moved from country to Jimmy Buffet, and are my favorite musical ensemble I have heard at sea. Their range goes from Sinatra to Otis Redding, and country to metal. They were extraordinary. 
Screenshot from the Periscope
When 8:30 pm came around, we headed to the MDR for dinner. 

When we arrived, we made sure that we expressed our gratitude to two amazing waiters, Arturo and Lyudmylla. One of my favorite parts of cruising is this connection that develops which I believe is sincere on their part. I have yet to experience a cruise where a short, temporary friendship develops at a minimum and some are Facebook friends to this day. 
So, we love giving some extra to these fantastic people! We also had a chance on disembarkation day to express the same gratitude to Bernardo, our stateroom attendant. I hope that everyone appreciates how hard they work to make guests’ experience wonderful. I will make sure they get our highest evaluation on the email request to do a survey.
Final Thoughts
Embarkation — A+
There’s something about Terminal 6 in Tampa that has it over on Terminal 3. I certainly don’t know all of the behind the scenes contributions to the experience for guests, but it was superior than my previous experience embarking on the Empress.
Stateroom 4014 — A+
access eas early layout was perfect size was perfect everything worked it was close to the forward elevators the Centrum was easily accessible This is by far my favorite stateroom in any of my cruises. I have stayed in a jr suite, Superior OV with balcony, Inside Promenade, Inside. I think it is easily the best value I have experienced, and while balconies are nice, I have rarely used them when I had them. Stateroom Attendant, Bernardo — A Main Dining Room — B
while beautiful, it is over-crowded and there were some organizational and procedural issues that affected others as well as us. I think it had to do with communication between the Head waiters at the two seatings   Waiter and Assistant Waiter, Arturo and Lyudmylla — A ++ I cant speak highly enough of them. They made what could have been a difficult circumstance into not a big deal. In my view, they should run the dining room. They were that good. If you are sailing on Brilliance within the next two months, ask for them.  Food — B++ I could be wrong, but I sensed that some of the organizational issues affected the food quality at times. It was never bad, it just wasn’t as good as I have experienced on other ships.  Windjammer — A
The Windjammer on Brilliance was my favorite I have experienced. It may be because the honey stung chicken was as good as billed, and I finally knocked it off my bucket list. They executed breakfast really well. The made to order omelets were the best I have had at sea. I love the open area at the back. Love. It. I consider Rita’s part of the Windjammer and would like to see Royal Caribbean commit to it or change it into something more appealing. It seems like they are just letting it sit there without any availability of their old menu except on certain days in the Windjammer. Specialty Dining (Chops) — A
i would rate it higher if the Chops on Empress didn’t edge it out by a smidgen. Solarium — B++
I would rate it higher if it was a little larger. I think the Solarium in Enchantment is larger, and remains my favorite. It is a very beautiful spot on the ship.  I really like the Park Cafe and the offerings there. They do Kummelwick roast beef sandwiches during lunch, which was a very nice surprise.  Gym — A
good staff, layout and assortment of exercise options Shopping — B-
they didn’t have a good selection of logo gear, and a limited size availability. I didn’t really look at anything else. Bars
Pub — A+ — favorite pub I have experienced in a ship R-Bar — A
Vintages — B+ — the liquor package seems to be a necessity because the a la carte pricing is quite high. The ambience and location on the ship is great.  Schooner — A — great spot for a cocktail. I really like the location on this ship Solarium Bar — A- — its a little small. The service is really good.  Entertainment — B+  
what we saw was nice, but not set apart from other experiences.  Music — A
The Kronos Band was just great. The options at Schooner are mixed. The Pub singer was pretty good, but we didn’t listen that much.  Movie Theater — A
we saw two movies here, and this is such a great amenity. When you want to chill out. I’d like to see more of these in the fleet. Special Events - A+
The effort and fun out into the College Football National Championship game experience on board was far over and above expectations. It was great, and I would have rated it the same had my team not won.  Dis-embarkation — A +
We self assisted with our luggage. Actually, we have never used the ship’s service. That’s what wheels are for. We were able to walk off with no lines at about 8:45. There was a five minute line at customs. This is the first cruise where we did not have to fill out a customs form. We were in our Lyft 10 minutes later, and having breakfast #2 by 10:30 am. Other — This is just an observation
I’ve never seen so many Pinnacles in one place as on this sailing. Everywhere I turned, I saw a name badge with Pinnacle Club on it. Overall — A-
Some aspects of this cruise could have been better. The ship has an overcrowded feel, especially in the MDR. The beauty of the ship, the well known connection to the sea, the many amenities and especially the crew make for an amazing experience. 

Sure hope they aren't following the ON, Canada model ?
 Minimum wage in Ontario just went up from $11.60/hr to $14/hr.  That's about a 20% increase.  Going up to $15/hr by 2019. 
All jokes aside, I agree with @ellcee.  It is getting harder and harder to justify (in my own head) the extra tipping that we usually do.  It smells more and more like a scam each increase.

Thanks Sabrina, I missed this feed! As Jack said, $27 is dinner in giovanni's almost! LOL

But Kathy, haven’t you heard the dire warning? That many people in your cabin on a Royal ship means YOU WON’T HAVE ANY SEX!!!! ???????

Like @Gears we also bring the bare minimum.  We only bring passports if it's necessary at a port.  We take a look at what we are doing and bring the minimum amount of cash needed.  So even if it does get stolen, it's not the end of the world.  Then we bring a credit card and seapass cards but this is usually stored on us.  So if it's not a water excursion, then in a zippered pocket in my shorts or hubby's shorts.  And if it is a water excursion then all in the zippered pocket of hubby's swim trunks.  I have zero suggestions for snorkeling.
And we also wear zero jewellery.

Not a cruise question...Can someone explain how these reactions work??  Earlier today around noon, I had no reactions left for the day.  I now I do??

Well, guess the bank made too many again cause I just tried to give you one and none left again ?

Correct.  I've never tried to bring a bottle of my own wine to dinner but as I understand it that is when a corkage fees applies. 
I have carried a bottle of wine to a quiet spot on the ship, sat at a table and played cards or just talked without any one stopping and asking for a corkage fee.  This when I cruise with family or friends.  Sitting at a table by yourself, talking to yourself with two glasses and a bottle of wine when solo tends to garner attention.  

I wonder if next year the USA Today cruise awards will have a new category for "Best Cruise Line for Sex".  Knowing USA Today Carnival will get it...

They are going for about $150USD on ebay.  You could make some extra cash @WAAAYTOOO lol

No! Eww!  Mood killer! lol 
I'm still stuck on this too! 

No! Eww!  Mood killer! lol 
I'm still stuck on this too! 

This is exactly what I do.
 
...but...but...but...I mean, unless your kids are babies or you get separate rooms isn't this a given?

Omg....I was trying so hard to be polite and wait for someone to make a comment about this before I jumped in. I laughed so hard at this comment because hubby and I have always said Disney must be the worse for this!!  Really?!  Your kids are just on the other side of the curtain. I hardly call that privacy lol! At least RC price point is affordable enough that you could get 2 connecting rooms and hope for some privacy.  In fact, I've paid less for 2 connecting rooms on RC than 1 on Disney!  It's entertaining reading for sure! ?

This is a Celebrity breakdown..would think Royal would be pretty similar?img011.pdf

@tallpaul86 cut and pasted something he read on Cruise Critic and that review was made by a lady.  

@Bazza We tried to do the same thing on Harmony but like @twangster mentioned, the HDMI port was not accessible.

We'll wave!! LOL, hey you will be on a brand new ship!! 

My way overly complex spreadsheet/eyechart comparing Voom pricing on board using C&A discounts versus advance cruise planner versus waiting to purchase on day two on board can be found below (slow day today).
Day 2 strategy involves waiting until day 2 to purchase on board.  With so much going on during day 1 do you really need Voom while in port and you possibly have cell phone data?   For non-US residents who don't have cell phone data while in the US the day 2 strategy may be less appealing.
Summary
Diamond Plus - Always cheapest to wait until day 2.  If you must have it on day 1 its cheaper to buy it on board except for 12 night or longer cruises.
Diamond - Cheapest to wait until day 2 except for 11 nights and longer cruises.  If you must have it on day 1 its cheaper to buy it in advance except for 5 night or shorter cruises.
Platinum/Emerald -  Cheapest to wait until day 2.  If you must have it on day 1 its cheaper to buy it in advance.
Gold - Cheapest to wait until day 2 except for 10 night cruises or longer.  If you must have it on day 1 its cheaper to buy it in advance.
Comparison does not take into account occasional Voom sale events.
If anyone has the on board offer letters for shorter cruises I'd like to validate some assumptions.  I tend to do longer cruises.
Voom Comparison Cruise Planner 15.99.pdf

This guy gets it!!
 
Clearly Disney cruises cost more and must include complimentary therapy sessions form your children when they realize a privacy curtain isn't sound proof and therefore not all that private!! #Ewwwww