Gasman62 Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Hi all. We are going to be sailing on Adventure in April as first time Diamond level. Just wondering if there are any tips youse could share about what to expect or to look for at this new level for us. Thanks in advance for any feedback. KristiZ, PPPJJ-GCVAB and Bazza 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy cruisers 2 Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Congratulations! Same situation for us in May. For us, the main thing is the 4 complimentary drinks (up to $14) per day, excluding Starbucks of course. We like to purchase internet access for the entire cruise, but if you don't do that you would get one free day for one device. I see those as the two main items that would be new for us. There's a few other changes, but nothing that I will get too excited about. I guess I should add the Crown Lounge access too. That will be new for us. Others might have better info on this. Gasman62, PPPJJ-GCVAB, RCIfan1912 and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 (edited) Congratulations!! We had our first Diamond cruise on Oasis in January. I guess it all depends what you usually 'do/purchase' when it comes to drinks and internet. I bought the soda package and bottles of water as I didn't want to use our 'free' drinks on Dr Pepper and water during the day, and then used our free drinks on wine (I don't drink alcohol so the 'boss' did well from it!). At the end of the night if we had any drinks left we would grab bottles of sparkling water to take back to the cabin. For internet we pre-purchased the 1 device as we usually do and flipped between us, but we then chose to have our 'free' days on sea days so we both had access if/when required. The Crown lounge was a nice place to get away from the crowds, and when the coffee machine was fixed on week 2(!) it meant lattes etc were accessible without queuing. The snacks were quite nice and despite it being a huge ship with lots of Diamond and above guests, it was never crowded in there. On Oasis it was ideally placed for the theatre for pre and post shows! We also took the chance to get our 1 free photo each (well 2 each in our case as we were B2B) so make sure you do that on your last night if you have had some pics taken. We didn't really use any of the other benefits although we did get the complimentary waters and snacks in the room each week. There will be much more experienced Diamond members on here with more/better advice! Enjoy! Edited March 19 by Bazza update Gasman62, Gilley, RCIfan1912 and 2 others 2 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 My tip is to enjoy the cruise, remembering why you chose it (itinerary vs ship, etc). It's nice not paying extra for some drinks, but get value from the thousands you did pay. I do agree the lounge, if available to you, is a nice, peaceful venue. Gasman62 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Congratulations! A few tips: Make sure you specify whether you are using your diamond drinks or not when you order. Waiters will often apply them automatically if you don't specify and you may waste one on a low cost drink. The coffee machine in the Crown Lounge is an underrated perk. They also have a nice hor dourves set up at happy hour and a waiter to get drinks. The concierge located in the Crown lounge can do a lot of things you used to have to go to guest relations for. The free photo (each) is another nice perk. billdauterive and Gasman62 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 10 hours ago, happy cruisers 2 said: Congratulations! Same situation for us in May. For us, the main thing is the 4 complimentary drinks (up to $14) per day, excluding Starbucks of course. We like to purchase internet access for the entire cruise, but if you don't do that you would get one free day for one device. I see those as the two main items that would be new for us. There's a few other changes, but nothing that I will get too excited about. I guess I should add the Crown Lounge access too. That will be new for us. Others might have better info on this. Don't forget that the 1 day of Voom is for each Diamond person as well, and the the free day of internet can be used toward purchasing a package onboard (one day value onboard is usually $26.99-$30.99). If you are willing to go without internet on embarkation day after sail away (no cellular service) and wait until midnight of day 2, it may be cheaper than buying voom ahead of time. That means going without internet from about 6pm to midnight on embarkation, then purchasing 6 day plan with 1 day free. Using my worst case Icon sailing in October, internet pricing for 1 device is 23.99 (planner price) vs 30.99 (onboard). Pre-purchased cost for 7 days would be $167.93. Onboard using one day discount on day 2 would be essentially only 5 day cost (30.99*5=$154.95 for example) or $13 cheaper onboard. Obviously the longer you are willing to go without internet the cheaper it gets if you decide to get it later in the cruise. For what it's worth, I have heard stories of people buying voom through planner and then getting one day credit applied once on board through guest services, but I have never tried that myself and would not count on that. Gasman62 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkelBierJay Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 I thought my favorite perk was going to be Diamond drinks...and they ended up going under utilized. I just don't drink all that much any more. If I had two drinks a day, that was a lot. My favorite perk ended up being the coffee machine in the Crown Lounge and the overall quiet of the space along with the food they had out at most times of the day. Occasionally, I would bring work or a book there and enjoyed it very much. Gasman62, WAAAYTOOO and The Fox 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billdauterive Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 The free picture (per person) is a very underrated perk. I forgot about it my first couple of times but now it's a nice little souvenir to remember each cruise or port individually. Now I have pictures taken at every opportunity and then just pick the best 1 or 2 to download free on the last night. VirtKitty, teddy and Gasman62 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billdauterive Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 4 hours ago, wordell1 said: Congratulations! A few tips: Make sure you specify whether you are using your diamond drinks or not when you order. Waiters will often apply them automatically if you don't specify and you may waste one on a low cost drink. The coffee machine in the Crown Lounge is an underrated perk. They also have a nice hor dourves set up at happy hour and a waiter to get drinks. The concierge located in the Crown lounge can do a lot of things you used to have to go to guest relations for. The free photo (each) is another nice perk. This is a great summary of tips. Gasman62 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Congrats on making Diamond! Recent Diamond member here too. I'll echo what others have said. The two biggest perks are free Cappuccinos or Lattes in the Crown Lounge, and the 4 free drink vouchers. Your call if you tip, but we ended up taking out a bunch of $1 bills from the bank before we left so we could tip the bar or theatre servers for the drinks. (You can also tip right on the bill if you want). Also...we used to pass on getting our pictures taken by the Royal photographers, but now we stop often. Then on the last night, look through them (they show on the app now) and pick the best ones (one per adult diamond member). Another thing I loved on our recent Wonder cruise was the Backstage Tour. I'm a big theatre fan and this tour was really neat, especially seeing backstage. It's for Diamond and above (although they didn't even check our Sea Pass cards). I guess it depends on the ship though as on Odyssey it was just a talk with theatre staff. We don't get internet on the ship as like to disconnect, but a free day is a nice bonus too for those that use it. Enjoy your cruise! Gasman62 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last2Know Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Congratulations on making Diamond! Don't forget to introduce yourselves to the Diamond Concierge during their posted hours in the Diamond Lounge. They can work wonders on resolving most issues that pop up during a cruise. WAAAYTOOO, monctonguy and Gasman62 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinK Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Congratulations on making Diamond... For me is the 4 free drinks daily anytime, since it is load it into your sea pass. I like going to the crown lounge for the coffee and some quite time. There's also some snacks to eat during I believe from 4pm to 7pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colon Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 I have a question. I will sailed my first cruise as a Diamond on June. My sister is gold. Does she allow yo use the Crown Lounge with me or just me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 They let family members in as long as your with her. At least they have for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 1 hour ago, Colon said: I have a question. I will sailed my first cruise as a Diamond on June. My sister is gold. Does she allow yo use the Crown Lounge with me or just me? They let family members in as long as your with her. At least they have for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 On 3/18/2024 at 8:36 PM, Gasman62 said: Hi all. We are going to be sailing on Adventure in April as first time Diamond level. Just wondering if there are any tips youse could share about what to expect or to look for at this new level for us. Thanks in advance for any feedback. Show that card to every RC employee so that they move you along faster, especially main dining! Take advantage of it! It’s worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 2 hours ago, Colon said: I have a question. I will sailed my first cruise as a Diamond on June. My sister is gold. Does she allow yo use the Crown Lounge with me or just me? Officially no, but if you use your card to enter and she follows you in, nobody would really know. VirtKitty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 4 hours ago, Colon said: I have a question. I will sailed my first cruise as a Diamond on June. My sister is gold. Does she allow yo use the Crown Lounge with me or just me? She is not allowed to use the Crown lounge, it should be just you. Bringing people in could possibly take a seat from someone who has actually earned it. Baked Alaska, Scooter6251 and fireclan 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike n Ky Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Not sure this is still in effect but on our January cruise on SOS Diamond was not allowed into the Crown Lounge during 'happy hour'. In the early evening it was D+ and Pinnacle only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatsFanBrian Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 We had our first sail as Diamond this past January on Odyssey. These are the perks we used: Four drink vouchers per day We passed on the DBP as we don't typically drink more than 5-6 per day. When we ordered a drink, we specified when we wanted to use the vouchers. We always saved them for the cocktails and paid for beer. We received 20% off our first beer (specified not to use the voucher on them). Free day of internet We knew we didn't want to be connected much, so we used our vouchers on different sea days and shared the connection. We had no issue finding free Wi-Fi on port days when we chose (except Coco Cay). Diamond/Crown Lounge We typically stopped by once per afternoon on sea days to get coffee, a snack if they were still out and just relax in a quiet environment. Picture discounts We used each of our discounts to purchase one picture each 15% Merchandise discounts (picked up a few trinkets and my Odyssey model ship) We may have missed a perk here and there, but overall, it added up to some nice savings for us. WAAAYTOOO and Peter D 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJ28 Posted Monday at 12:21 AM Report Share Posted Monday at 12:21 AM Can anyone tell me if the drink vouchers start and end at midnight? I thought I read somewhere on the blog that it was 5pm to 5pm. Any clarification would be helpful. Thank yo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted Monday at 12:27 AM Report Share Posted Monday at 12:27 AM 6 minutes ago, FJ28 said: Can anyone tell me if the drink vouchers start and end at midnight? I thought I read somewhere on the blog that it was 5pm to 5pm. Any clarification would be helpful. Thank yo 5am is when they reset VirtKitty and FJ28 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowBrickRoad Posted Monday at 09:52 AM Report Share Posted Monday at 09:52 AM We are now Diamond members for our upcoming August cruise. My husband has a DBP and I have refreshment package. For his 4 , do you just tell them to use the vouchers since they won’t think to use it with the DBP? This way I can use if I go over my 4? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted Monday at 11:55 AM Report Share Posted Monday at 11:55 AM 1 hour ago, YellowBrickRoad said: We are now Diamond members for our upcoming August cruise. My husband has a DBP and I have refreshment package. For his 4 , do you just tell them to use the vouchers since they won’t think to use it with the DBP? This way I can use if I go over my 4? As crazy as it seems, I would not count on them NOT using his coupons, even if he has the DBP. I recommend that you (and he) tell the bartender/server EVERY time, how you want the each and every drink paid for. It’s kind of a nuisance but I’ve seen/hear of waaaytooo many peoples’ loyalty coupons getting used when they shouldn’t have. YellowBrickRoad and OCSC Mike 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowBrickRoad Posted Monday at 12:48 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 12:48 PM 52 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: As crazy as it seems, I would not count on them NOT using his coupons, even if he has the DBP. I recommend that you (and he) tell the bartender/server EVERY time, how you want the each and every drink paid for. It’s kind of a nuisance but I’ve seen/hear of waaaytooo many peoples’ loyalty coupons getting used when they shouldn’t have. Good to know! Thank You WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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