Search the Community

Finally made Diamond status after 7 cruises on RCCL!

I was debating making this post but it's too good not to share. Currently if you're a C&A Diamond or above, there's a backdoor way to get a match to Caesar's rewards diamond status and a way to keep that status indefinitely. The main benefit of having a Caesar's diamond is no resort fees, but there are a lot of other nice perks as well. Personally I think the Caesar's rewards are superior to the MGM rewards. Note that this backdoor does require that you've never had a Caesar's rewards account before and you'll need to make a trip to Vegas (or some state that has an MGM casino) sometime before the end of the year (12/31/2023). First, get the MGM match to Gold tier for C&A diamond and above. Jenna has a great post about how to do it and the benefits. Next, head to Vegas! While there stop by any MGM property and get a physical players card that has your name and status (Gold). Then go to any Caesar's property and stop by their players club and ask for a Diamond tier match from your MGM card. They will verify you've never been a member before and then sign you up and create an account on the spot. You'll also get a little bit of free play and match play for signing up (around $10). Note that your new Caesar's diamond benefits don't start until 7 days after you sign up, so you won't be able to use benefits like the $100 meal credit or waived resort fees until the next visit. If you want to try and keep the status indefinitely past this year there's a little more work and you'll need to keep up with it each year. First, create a Hyatt account if you don't already have one and match your MGM gold status to get Hyatt explorist status. Next create a Wyndham account if you don't already have one and match your new Caesar's diamond status to Wyndham diamond status. Since each status expires at different times each year, you can just keep matching statuses back and forth when one expires. January 1st, Wyndham resets so match back from Caesar's status before the end of the month. February 1st, Caesars resets so match back from Wyndham before the end of the year. Hyatt also resets so match back from MGM before the end of the month. March 1st, MGM resets so match back from Hyatt (or call in for C&A match again) before the end of year. I can personally vouch that this method works as I performed it myself this past week while in Vegas. I can already see several comp rooms available at several properties available to me throughout the year (non-weekends of course) on the Caesar's rewards app and it's a true full comp as the resort fees are waived. I only played the new sign up match-play while I was there so I'm not receiving any benefits based on gaming (I only have 19 tier points out of 15,000 needed for true diamond status). I have reminders set for the beginning of Jan, Feb, and March to try and keep the status match gravy train going!

DIAMOND - Here We Come! At the end of our last blog where we took a bunch of family on the cruise with us, I shared that hubby and I snuck down to the Next Cruise desk and we booked another cruise as a getaway for just the two of us! This time, we opted for less frills (sadly, no suite this time), but we're doing a back-to-back-to-back! When we set up our appointment with Next Cruise, we intended to just book a short 4 night cruise to get us to Diamond level because we were just a couple of points away. Then we decided to add a second cruise to it so we could experience the diamond perks on the second cruise. By the time we made it to our appointment, we had figured out that if we added a third cruise it would include Valentine's Day and the Super Bowl. Had it been a longer walk, who knows what we would have ended up with! Partners in crime on this cruise: Just the two of us (hubby and I) Ship: Navigator of the Seas Cabin: Interior with Virtual Balcony – midship - same room for all three cruises Dates: January 30 - February 17, 2023 Ports: Cruise 1: Sailing RT from Los Angeles to Catalina Island & Ensenada Cruises 2 & 3: Sailing RT from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, & Puerto Vallarta Booked Excursions: Catalina: No excursion, but I'll be on the hunt for a good clam chowder and hoping it's good weather to walk around a bit Cabo: No excursion, but our best friends go to Cabo all the time and have sent us a long list of things/places to experience Mazatlan: Mazatlan Highlights Express. During this tour, we get to watch cliff diving - a bucket list item for hubby! Puerto Vallarta: Still evaluating - Spent a week there a while back, so we did a bunch, but looking for an adventure (a calm one - we're getting old) LAX: We decided to try the LA Highlights and Rodeo Drive Tour with Airport Transfer. Should be a fun way to get back to the airport. Other Events & Things: Super Bowl: We're crossing our fingers that the Eagles make it! Valentine's Day: My favorite holiday, so I'm happy we'll be cruising this day! Hotel & Flight: We are taking a huge risk and flying to LAX the day of the cruise!!! We're flying from PDX to LAX, so it's a short flight, and there are a ton of other flights to fall back on, so we feel pretty good about it - unless our airline decides to pull a Southwest on us. Cross your fingers for us!! We are the most excited that after the first cruise, we will move to Diamond status! I'm looking forward to the coffee machine and being able to venture into an exclusive lounge!! Unfortunately, I have to work a bit while on this cruise because after we had booked the trip, my company changed our fiscal year and caused a bunch of initiatives (for which I'm responsible) to be due in February. Ugh! But I'm only working when I have to and I'm hoping the internet works for me. What to expect from this blog: One thing I've looked for from other B2B cruises is what happens during the debarkation/embarkation process if you stay in the same cabin. We'll also share what happens when you stay on the ship for a second cruise and reach the next level with perks after the first cruise. I read once that you stay on the ship and the Diamond Concierge comes and gives you an orientation (of sorts). Hoping all this to be the case. We'll share what the Diamond Lounge is all about and what to expect with those perks If I have any frustration with internet, you'll hear about it. Just kidding...maybe If the weather is nice in LA during either of our turnaround days, we plan to hit the water slides since that's usually when there is no line! We're not planning on any dining other than the included options on the ship, and we're total foodies - we'll provide an honest review of the food on the ship and any tips and tricks we learn along our way. We may stray from this for Valentine's Day - we'll see. We'll post pics of our cruise compasses from all three cruises, and any other goodies they leave us that could help you plan your getaway. I skipped the different phases ramping up to this cruise in the blogs because I've been so busy with the holidays and work that I haven't thought much about it. But we're just a week out now and things are heating up! The packing/staging has begun, and all of our documents are in order. I hope you enjoy our blog sharing with you our adventure to Diamond status!

Does any know if the Diamond level kids get an arcade credit? This summer our kids got $25 off if they played $50 of arcade games. It was a pain to keep track of but it's cheaper than buying arcade credits before we board.

Our cruise next week will be the first time we use drink vouchers for diamond loyalty and coffee is our "cocktail". Can these be used at the Starbucks onboard, or is that a separate entity altogether? I use a Starbucks app - do you know if this can be used onboard for payment, points, etc?

My points from the Serenade of the Seas finally posted, only 6 days after disembarking. I am now officially Diamond Status after having achieved Platinum a decade ago and Emerald just last rear. Looking forward to the Diamond perks on the Allure in January and the Vision in June.