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Decisions, decisions...


KathyC

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Okay, so yes, I am a little OCD.  In many things but of course as we all are here about cruising.  That being said, with the new deployment schedule I'm already looking at 2019 and 2020 as I am sure many of us are.  Getting a little impatient waiting for the actual schedules and itineraries to come out. 

We know we are going to do Ovation in Alaska late May 2020.  My oldest graduates from college that year (or is the plan at the moment!!) and it will be great to celebrate on an Alaska cruise instead of throwing a party.  So I'm trying to decide how to plan 2019. 

Here is the dilemma:  we will turn Emerald during our May 2018 cruise.  We have another cruise booked for October 2018, and at the end of that we will be 11 points short of Diamond.  Do we book in 2019 looking to get those 11 points, so we cruise Diamond on Ovation?  We won't be able to book it as Diamonds, but we will most likely wait until June 2018 to book Ovation so we are at least Emerald when booking.  Is there a huge difference in waiting to be the higher level?  I know booking as early as possible gets us the better rates, and with flying four of us to the west coast every penny is going to count as it can cost more to fly than the actual cruise.  Would we save even more by getting those 11 points to hit Diamond, then booking?  But by then we'd be a year out so the advance savings wouldn't be as high, me thinks.   Is the extra spending to get those 11 points (by say, sailing 7 nights in a junior suite) worth it just to bump up levels faster?  

I'm very bored at work today...office is empty and I've got nothing to do but think about cruising and 11 points!  :D This is going to be a very long day...

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I guess that depends on how much being a diamond means to you.   Some of the perks aren't really that big of a deal, at least to me.  We'll be diamond after our next cruse but to us its just a thing.  I've seen the nightly diamond party, heard the complaining about how crowded it gets.  Diamond lounge? I like the schooner. We carry off every time so the priority departure isn't anything to us, wife like the high end coffee so she buys it (I drink the swamp water).  So, it depends on what it means to you.

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7 minutes ago, arebee said:

I guess that depends on how much being a diamond means to you.   Some of the perks aren't really that big of a deal, at least to me.  We'll be diamond after our next cruse but to us its just a thing.  I've seen the nightly diamond party, heard the complaining about how crowded it gets.  Diamond lounge? I like the schooner. We carry off every time so the priority departure isn't anything to us, wife like the high end coffee so she buys it (I drink the swamp water).  So, it depends on what it means to you.

The actual status title doesn't mean much to me, but since I'm not part of that elite group I don't know what all those secret society things are all about, LOL.  I may want them once I'm able to get in the door!  :3_grin:

The only time I think it's nice to have the status is when you're traveling with others and they can go places you can't.  For example, on the Harmony Group Cruise it would've been nice to be able to hang out in more places with the group.  Since we didn't stay in a suite, we already lost the ability to join group members in Coastal Kitchen, so by not being Diamond we couldn't join people in the Diamond Lounge either.  Not that there wasn't plenty of people to hang out with in other places.  We could pretty much walk up to any bar and find someone from the group.  LOL 

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44 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Cruising as Emerald vs. Diamond members there is a big difference in on board benefits.  You can compare on the chart.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/benefitsLoggedout.do

Booking as Emerald vs. Diamond members I don't think there is price difference...but someone will correct me if I am wrong...

Thanks, I was looking at that this morning.  Ovation is so new that she probably has some pretty cool Diamond areas.  At the moment RCCL's website won't let me look at her deck plans.  

I just need 2019 itineraries to come out so I can obsess some more and start looking at prices.  OR, I need someone at work to give me something to do. 

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@KathyC , I'm already diamond, and really besides the Diamond lounge there are a few perks loaded on your Sea Pass cards that are useful, at least to my wife and I, our last cruise on Allure (Just in October) we used our diamond status to get:

- Priority boarding

- 3 drinks per night per person at any lounge (Happy hour)

- Diamond lounge (Coffee, tea, continental breakfast, snacks in the evening, free drinks in the evening)

- Top tier event

- 3 free spins in  the Casino

- 15% off Logo products (Spend $25.00 or more)

- 20% off Spa package (We didn't actually use this because we booked an amazing package the 1st day that had to be used the 1st day)

- Free 8x10 photo (Chosen from all that we had taken throughout the ship)

- Free milk shake at Johnnie Rockets (With the purchase of one)

- Priority departure and Lounge

So as someone above states, how much is all of this worth to you? With that said, I'm planning the same thing you are, when the 2020 South Pacific itineraries come out I plan on booking a 40th anniversary cruise for my wife and I out of Sydney, I want to be Diamond+ before this cruise, so I'm calculating it out to where I will be with what I have booked in 2018 and 2019, waiting on the Summer of 2019 itineraries longer than 7 days to come out so I can book a 9+ night cruise in a Junior suite or above to get the points that I need.

The cruise we took in October on Allure was a last minute decision, so when I booked it all the Suites were gone, so we were only able to get a balcony (7 points C&A), if I could have gotten a Junior Suite or above (14 points) we would be in a better position for 2020.

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22 minutes ago, KathyC said:

Thanks JL & Tiny!  I am often hesitant to use other sites, as their deck plans may be wrong or outdated.  I was searching for Adventure deck plans not too long ago and was going nuts with all the mistakes.

You will find the web site provided very accurate on the floor plans, I just use the free site, so not really sure what you get if you join up.

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1 hour ago, KathyC said:

Thanks JL & Tiny!  I am often hesitant to use other sites, as their deck plans may be wrong or outdated.  I was searching for Adventure deck plans not too long ago and was going nuts with all the mistakes.

No problem! Do note that the link I have is specifically for itineraries after April 18 of 2018, when the new category names / codes go into effect. If you happen to go to the site on your own and look up other ships, you'll need to click a link at the top of the deck plan page for that ship to switch over to the same view -- default is to show the plans with names/codes before that date.

1 hour ago, tiny260 said:

You will find the web site provided very accurate on the floor plans, I just use the free site, so not really sure what you get if you join up.

Apart from getting access to all photos and videos people have uploaded for specific staterooms, I'm not sure you really get anything for being a paid member. On the free site, most photos are blocked and only some videos are available.

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26 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Apart from getting access to all photos and videos people have uploaded for specific staterooms, I'm not sure you really get anything for being a paid member. On the free site, most photos are blocked and only some videos are available.

 

1 hour ago, tiny260 said:

You will find the web site provided very accurate on the floor plans, I just use the free site, so not really sure what you get if you join up.

I use that site quite often and I did not know until today that it was a paid site! Lol.  You learning something new every day.

And I find that site quite reliable too.

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22 hours ago, Boston Babe said:

Kathy you make me laugh!! I can't help you with the diamond issue, but it sure put a smile on my face seeing your posts from work! Been there!! LOL:4_joy:

Glad I could make you laugh!!  Fridays at work are torture for me in our "off season" so I am going nuts sitting there trying to look busy for 8 hours. My computer caught on fire last week so I'm at a co-worker's desk which is even worse.  She's on maternity leave so I'm sure I'll be stuck there until February. 

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3 hours ago, KathyC said:

Glad I could make you laugh!!  Fridays at work are torture for me in our "off season" so I am going nuts sitting there trying to look busy for 8 hours. My computer caught on fire last week so I'm at a co-worker's desk which is even worse.  She's on maternity leave so I'm sure I'll be stuck there until February. 

OMG Kathy! How does a computer go on fire!! That must have been scary stuff! They should have given you the rest of the week off!:4_joy:

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2 hours ago, Boston Babe said:

OMG Kathy! How does a computer go on fire!! That must have been scary stuff! They should have given you the rest of the week off!:4_joy:

The power plug thing inside the CPU box caught on fire.  I smelled smoke, then all of a sudden I heard a beeping, like an alarm.  Had no idea it was coming from under my desk, thought it was from the furnace vent on the other side of my partition.  The house our office is in is about 100 years old, so my boss ran down to the basement to check the furnace.  One of the other partners (our IT guy) went straight to my computer as he thought it smelled like plastic burning. By the time he got the CPU cover off the plug had melted completely and was smoking. 

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1 hour ago, Rede411 said:

I'm curious, What is a "Top Tier Event" under diamond perks.....Is that a private captains party or VIP seating for the top shows on board?

I haven't been, still lowly Gold, but it's more along the lines of a captains party.  Drinks and snacks are served, top staff members say a few words, etc.  Others can give better details.

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3 hours ago, Rede411 said:

I'm curious, What is a "Top Tier Event" under diamond perks.....Is that a private captains party or VIP seating for the top shows on board?

We refer to this as the “cattle call”.  Lots of people looking for free, watered-down drinks.  Unless we’re being recognized for some milestone, we never go.  There are just too many people !

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16 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We refer to this as the “cattle call”.  Lots of people looking for free, watered-down drinks.  Unless we’re being recognized for some milestone, we never go.  There are just too many people !

Love that description! Lol.  We usually go if it's on an Oasis class ship only because they usually do a mini aqua show during the presentation.

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22 minutes ago, Rede411 said:

ok Thanks!   Is this the same event they offer to suite guests?

No, suite guests are not invited to this event unless they also happen to be Platinum or higher Crown & Anchor members.  Just being in a suite is not enough to be invited to the Top Tier event.

I also agree with Sabrina about the mini water show.  It is usually worth going to but I find it a bit hard to hear what they are saying sometimes.  

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16 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

No, suite guests are not invited to this event unless they also happen to be Platinum or higher Crown & Anchor members.  Just being in a suite is not enough to be invited to the Top Tier event.

I also agree with Sabrina about the mini water show.  It is usually worth going to but I find it a bit hard to hear what they are saying sometimes.  

Well, I can barely hear WITH my hearing aids so maybe I'll skip the cattle call (haha) Thanks again for the info!

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1 hour ago, Rede411 said:

ok Thanks!   Is this the same event they offer to suite guests?

Depending what ship you are on, they do have some special events for suite guests.  On the Oasis class ships suite guests (Sky class and above) are usually invited to some kind of sail away party on the first day on the suite deck with drinks and snacks.  And then there is usually some kind of sail away party on the helipad from one of the ports (usually Labadee) where there are again drinks and senior crew members there to chat with.  Same thing, Sky Class and above only.  I don't know about the other classes of ships and what they do with their suite guests because we have only sailed in a suite on the Oasis class ships.

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Haven't experienced a suite yet. But, when we turned platinum, we were invited to a "welcome back" event. Free drinks, no snacks, no 18% gratuity (sorry, had to stick that in here) and a firm handshake from one of the ships officers. But, the way he was hanging on to me and smiling maybe he was looking for that 18%?:38_worried:

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2 hours ago, rjac said:

Haven't experienced a suite yet. But, when we turned platinum, we were invited to a "welcome back" event. Free drinks, no snacks, no 18% gratuity (sorry, had to stick that in here) and a firm handshake from one of the ships officers. But, the way he was hanging on to me and smiling maybe he was looking for that 18%?:38_worried:

I think that's the C&A top tier event.

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24 minutes ago, KathyC said:

My boss isn't back from vacation yet, and I believe some itineraries are opening up for 2019 this week.  Hoping enough open up today so I can obsess some more while I'm bored.  

Kathy, let me know if they do open today, have to go to Dr with hubby! I hope nothing else catches fire or explodes! LOL!!

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Made Diamond last year and I would say the only perks we noticed are the Diamond Lounge, 3 Free Drinks and the free photo.

So far we have only done 3 nt cruises since making diamond but I would say those have been "revolutionized" for us ... tired and not really interested in dressing up for dinner ... sneak into the lounge and grab a plate of snacks ... dinner's done.

Couple of free drinks in the lounge and then 3 more at a bar .... night's done.

Kind of "super casual" cruising :)

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11 minutes ago, jticarruthers said:

Made Diamond last year and I would say the only perks we noticed are the Diamond Lounge, 3 Free Drinks and the free photo.

So far we have only done 3 nt cruises since making diamond but I would say those have been "revolutionized" for us ... tired and not really interested in dressing up for dinner ... sneak into the lounge and grab a plate of snacks ... dinner's done.

Couple of free drinks in the lounge and then 3 more at a bar .... night's done.

Kind of "super casual" cruising :)

I like that kind of cruising. 

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2 hours ago, Boston Babe said:

Kathy, let me know if they do open today, have to go to Dr with hubby! I hope nothing else catches fire or explodes! LOL!!

There is someone posting in the Cruise Life Group on FB pdfs of itineraries and dates by ship for the Oasis & Freedom class.  Hoping that means pricing will be up soon.  He reminded us that C&A can book one day prior to regular people, so maybe you have to log in before searching?  I don't have my password with me or I'd try.  I can't log onto FB here at work, and my phone won't see the printer, so I'm having a tough time putting things together.  I may have to wait until I get home to put my itinerary options together.  I have a couple specific weeks I'm looking at based on our work and football schedules, trying to include when our two boys are home from college as well, so to cruise when we'd like to is going to have a narrow window.  I'm thinking if we book early enough we can do the junior suite on a 7 night, get double points, then we'll turn Diamond on that cruise. 

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2 hours ago, Boston Babe said:

Kathy, let me know if they do open today, have to go to Dr with hubby! I hope nothing else catches fire or explodes! LOL!!

Tomorrow for C&A folks!  But only for certain sailings.  I'm hoping to keep this 2019 trip as cost effective as possible, so I can bank more money for the 2020 Ovation to Alaska for the four of us.  I'm looking for something I can maybe drive to, which means Boston, NJ, or Baltimore so we can do a junior suite for the double points.  

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Decision made!  We're holding out until the Bermuda sailings are announced in a couple of weeks.  Since we've got 19 days in the Caribbean in 2018, we're going to go back to Bermuda in 2019.  Depending on when the group cruises are, we'll either book right away and do a junior suite for double points or we'll do either an ocean view or balcony and then a group cruise. This gives Matt a couple weeks to work on those group cruise dates before we have to make any decisions.  :D 

Now I have no idea what I'm going to do at work tomorrow.  LOL 

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