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1 minute ago, above sea level cruiser said:

This is what someone has said on a different thread: "I'm leaving Mariner on the 18th, staying in a hotel for 1 night in Miami, and then joining the ship in Fort Lauderdale on the 19th."

Which thread? 

3 minutes ago, hallux said:

Maybe that's where there is quay space to offload supplies/containers that were used to finish off work during the crossing?  It's also possible that's where there's a berth she can occupy for an extended period while the punch-list is finished out...

That makes sense.. There wouldn't be room for her in Terminal A since Navigator and Symphony have to leave from there on the 22 and 23rd.. 

5 minutes ago, above sea level cruiser said:

Oasis is apparently headed for Ft Lauderdale. Scheduled to arrive there on the 19th of November. So, 10 days from now, which I believe is what a normal TA crossing length would be.

I wonder why its going first to Ft. Lauderdale.. its scheduled to leave Miami on the 24th.. 

I play mostly table games but also some slots.. I ask the Host everyday how many points I earned at the table the day before.. Its no bother. Its their job to assist with these matters and they are happy to help. 

5 hours ago, Aprilfoolx said:

Ok Thanks. I wonder if I could book it for my family with my name on the stateroom (3 people), but If I cant show up, they can still use it? (Paying the extra 3rd person fee)

You can not do this at all unfortunately. If you are not there at the time of boarding they will charge your family members the fare for the entire cruise. You have to be there to get the free cruise.. Your the one who gambles which is why you get the free cruise because they assume you will gamble again which will offset the cost of giving a free cruise... 

On 6/15/2019 at 5:03 PM, time4u2go said:

I'm guessing that somebody at Royal Caribbean must have a smile from ear to ear when they read posts like this! 

Its funny you say that because I have had the pleasure of speaking to one of the VP's who runs all the bars fleet wide.. He is very approachable and interested in guest feedback.. I made my complaints about the food known to him.. He then explained to me Royal's basic philosophy. Apparently Royal feels like they need to keep the base price for a cruise as low as possible which is why the quality of "free" food has gone down.. He said this is why they offer paid options for people who would like better quality food.. I then asked why couldn't they just raise the base cost of the cruise enough to make the "free" food better.. He said they could but its not Royal's model they try to first get everyone on the ship and then give people choices.. We happened to be on the new Coco Cay at the time of that conversation and I had just eaten at the new snack shack.. I said to him the food there is fantastic and free why can't the windjammer taste like this.. He said there really is no good reason and it should.. But yeah until the quality of food in MDR and windjammer change I will keep buying the package... Why don't I just move cruise lines.. For 2 reasons. One I like all the entertainment and shows Royal offers and the second reason is I get most of my cruises comped from the casino so Im happy. 

5 hours ago, peterhof said:

We recently disembarked from the Indy (May 2019) after not cruising with RCL for the last eight years, and were disappointed by the obvious drop in standards of both food and wait staff in the main dining room. Just to give it a try, we booked a 3-meal pre-cruise dining package and boy are we glad we did - so much so that we are contemplating buying the 'All cruise night package, which includes specialty lunches on sea days and even dining in more than one restaurant each night!!, for our 6-night cruise on Explorer in October. The price seems a bargain, however, we a) like to dine on a large table and meet new friends and b) have worries that by the end of the cruise we would not be able to fit into our clothes!

 

The difference in food quality comparing the MDR to Chops and Geovani's Table is like comparing a cart horse to a thoroughbred race horse and way wider that the last time we cruised with RCL.

 

Does anyone else agree with me?

I 100% agree with you.. I have been on 52 Royal Caribbean cruises and I think the MDR is terrible.. I buy the Unlimited dining plan for every cruise and boy am I happy I do.. Like you said the food is so much better and I have a much better time.. I say go for it. you already know you like the restaurants so do it and be happy. 

3 hours ago, Mawelch said:

The only correction I will make to this post is that it goes by how much you wager  not how much you spend. There is a difference. Gotten many comped cruises from Royal, only having to pay port fees and taxes as a prime.

Yes it does depend on how much you wager but also how much you spend.. There were times I wagered between $25 and $50 a hand at blackjack but because I lost $3000 for the week the Casino host bumped up my certificate at the end of the cruise. So basically they use many factors.. All I am trying to say is the casual gambler is not going to get a comped cruise.. I get many comped cruises intact thats all I go on and I go on like 7-8 per year.. 

3 hours ago, 4minimark said:

I broke down and called them.  The internet form didn't work for me for some reason.  They offered a discount of about $400 off of current rates (which included the $150 free play as a discount). Cruise price was $2500 on the website.  I actually had a better rate from my TA once you factored in the OBC received and prepaid gratuities from them.  Wasn't a bad deal but not what I would call "deeply discounted".

Yeah unless you spend about at least $2,000 -$3,000 on a 7 night cruise your discount from Casino Royale won't be that great.. I don't know why they even bother sending those offers you got to people.. It just gives false hope.. The "casino rates" are basically nothing.. You need to reach Prime to get any good discounts.. at that level they start sending full comped cruises and discounts of between $500-$1000 off cruises.. I wish Club Royale was more transparent but they seem to try to play these silly games offering low level gamblers "casino Rates" and I realize that to some people spending $400 in the casino is a lot but its really not in the gambling world. Anyway just my opinion on the situation.. 

20 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

We are on a Thanksgiving sailing on Brilliance and we were able to get the UDP.

 

We are on everything from 3 - 8 night sailings and the UDP has been offered on every cruise that we are booked on.

 

We had the UDP in April on Freedom and we were able to eat at Chops on embarkation day.  As a matter of fact, we were given the "regular" lunch menu while those with the Key received the more limited Key menu.

Yeah I know someone on a Thanksgiving sailing that also got the package.. Also like you I have a 3 night, a 4 night, and a 7 night booked and were able to get packages for all cruises.. So I really have no idea why this person is having trouble purchasing the package.. Also I don't know why her friends told her they don't sell it on Harmony sailings because they absolutely do.. 

5 hours ago, Fab Trips said:

This information is in conflict with what is in the TA site under Planning Tools tab "quick reference" here is the information   

 

 

"Dining Packages:

The below does not apply to China sailings.
 

Ultimate Package has been replaced with new program called "Ulimited Dining Package".  

 

This new program will allow your clients to dine in any restaurant on their sailing as many times as they’d like. Yes, if they’d like to dine at Chops twice in one night, they can! We’re also adding Playmakers which will function similarly to the very popular Izumi: your clients will be given a $35 per person dining credit each time they dine at these à la carte venues. Dining options subject to availability. 

This package will be available to purchase in Precruise Planner starting Friday, April 12th, 2019 and is available on sailings from 3 to 14 nights on all ships except MJ. Pricing for the Unlimited will be very similar to what the Ultimate was previously and will vary by sail date."

 

As noted on earlier posts RCI is not clear on what the Unlimited dining package is about, it has been internally misinterpreted and very poorly and badly communicated. 

your right it is. I reached out to my specific Rep from Royal and thats where I got my info.. Not surprised they are telling multiple things to different people. 

1 hour ago, sandinmyshoes said:

We cruised on Anthem this last fall & enjoyed the $4 appetizer style food at the English pub on board.  We are thinking about booking Harmony but my husband wants to make sure they have pub food at theirs too.

Well I hate to give you the bad news but Harmony is one ship that doesn't have Bar type food yet.. Playmakers would be where you would get this and currently only boats that have this are Mariner, Navigator, Independence, Symphony, and then starting in November after Oasis dry dock Oasis will also have this.. I think Harmony will probably get it when it goes into dry dock but thats not until 2021 or 2022. 

1 hour ago, annnmarie said:

I have 2 booked on Serenade, 11 day and 12 day, neither on a holiday. The only plans offered are the standard 3 and 5 night, dinners only plan. Nothing for the entire journey and definitely not the "unlimited" that includes lunch. Called C&A concierge number, told this is a test program only. Enough data has not yet been gathered and analyzed to determine if it will be rolled out fleet wide. Told it could be implemented regionally only (could be on all US departures and not offered at all in Europe, or vise versa). Told those decisions are only made AFTER a test period to determine their popularity. Am also booked on Symphony and not offered, however, the particular date I am going is for the RCCL 50th anniversary/President's cruise, so understandable with the number of added activities that involve food on these sailings, a "test" program on this particular sailing might not be offered. My "go to" ship near my home is now Harmony, but, friends report it is not offered on Harmony. Would be a nice package to buy on my longer trips on Serenade, lots of sea days to enjoy an "upscale" lunch !

ok I did some research and I think I figured out your problem.. I am a TA so I did some digging. They aren't currently offering it on all sailings over 9 nights so I think thats your problem.. But on Harmony for regular 7 night sailings they are absolutely offering it.. I currently have a client booked on Harmony and I helped them buy the package yesterday so your friends have been misinformed.. Plus I belong to many blog sites and I have seen people do a live report from Harmony and Symphony who bought the package and really enjoyed it. Im thinking if you want to go on Harmony and try it out thats actually a really good place to try it out because Oasis class ships have the most restaurant options. Good luck with whatever you decide. 

3 hours ago, annnmarie said:

I am a frequent RCCL cruiser who usually does not purchase dining packages, usually only single reservations after boarding. However, I am curious about how those who have tried the new "unlimited" plan on RCCL, the plan that also includes lunches, found it to be ? I have three upcoming RCCL cruises before the end of 2019, but so far have found it is NOT offered on any of my ships/itineraries. Have been told this is only available on 7 day cruises and "a few" 5 day itineraries. Is this true ? Can anyone tell me WHICH ships offer this ? So far, no land based agent, nor direct booking with RCCL have been able to tell me which ships offer this new plan ! Told "you need to book and then go to my cruise planning page where it will show you if your ship offers this plan. I'd like to know which ships offer it so I could book one of them just to try this new plan ! Which CC friends out there have tried it ? Pros ? Any cons (such as not able to get reservations ?)

As usual you were given false info. It is not only available on 7 night sailings. It is supposed to be available on all ships and sailings Except for Major Holiday sailings like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.. Now the funny part about that is people have reported finding it on the cruise planner for Christmas and New Years.. I am going on a 3 night Navigator and bought the package.. I also have a 4 night planned and a 5 night planned and bought the package.. There basically as usual with RCL seems to be no Rule. It is supposed to be available for every sailing except for Holiday sailings and yet it has shown up on a holiday sailing so I am curious.. What do you have booked that its not shown up for? Is it a holiday? If not it should be available unless they somehow already sold too many packages for your sailing and they took it away.. 

Liberty was not yet Amplified. it is set to get Amplified in 2021.. It did have a good dry dock in 2016 which added water slides but that was not its "Amped dry dock" 

12 minutes ago, Kmad0202 said:

This is great news for us that are on the Mariner the end of March. (I wouldn't hold my breath, though). Tendering is what it is, but so much more convenient to dock!!! Fingers crossed. Thanks for the info.

I am on the same cruise as you.. I just don't want you to get your hopes up.. I was on Mariner twice in Feb.. One time we made it and one time we didn't.. When I spoke to the staff they were uncertain if the March trips would make it not because of the pier but because of the bridge they need to build and other construction going on at the island. Honestly I have heard negative reports about noise and construction anyway. I think they should just cancel everyone and hurry up get everything done so it can open on-time for May 4th. 

13 minutes ago, Kmad0202 said:

Thanks, I volunteer the Mariner of the Seas to do a "test docking" on March 27th.

When they did the test docking they didn't let any passengers off the boat. It literally was just a test to see if it could dock. 

3 hours ago, proggieus said:

and they will, providing you are willing to play at a $25 min table

Actually Royal changed its policy a year ago. Now you only have to play at a $15 Min table to get the 3/2 payout. 

15 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

I'm a late night snacker --- but we do early dining because of kids ---  It's no problem on the big ships because Sorrentos is always open for a late night slice.... and Cafe Promenade for a while too.

 

When we sailed on Serenade with no Promenade I was so annoyed by not having late night food.   They had solarium bistro but they served hot dogs every single night.

 

I'm hoping for better options when I bored Vision in a few weeks.

Unfortunately with vision being a small vision class ship lol you are going to have the same problem. Only the Park Cafe in the Solarium is going to be open.. Thats something I hated about enchantment nowhere to get good late night pizza. 

13 minutes ago, fla gang said:

So at 4900 points you are prime , correct?

Yes at 4,900 points you are Prime.. But your Original comment made it sound like you needed 4,900 to qualify for Prime. I re read your comment and see thats not what you meant but thats how it came across at first. I just didn't want people to think to Qualify for Prime you needed 4,900 points when really you only need 2,500 points. 

10 hours ago, fla gang said:

4900 points makes you a Prime member and will allow you to take any cruise up to 8 days excluding holidays. Not sure when the deadline is. I think you are responsible for taxes and fees only.

Actually this is incorrect. you only need 2,500 points to be a Prime member. 

34 minutes ago, Grandma Dazzles said:

Not to disagree with you as I know RC can vary from ship to ship and week to week, my comments were relative to my personal experience on the Navigator and Serenade.  They definitely didn’t start that early and stuck to their list - not first come, first served. As always, probably differs based on numbers and staffing. 

 

As as far as luggage tags, yes if you plan to put your luggage out the night before the early tagged luggage is put out first. It’s been my experience it’s no use getting off when number 1 or 2 is called if you have a higher number.  Your luggage will be put out with its correct tag grouping. You are wasting your time if you get off with 1 or 2 and you have 5 or 6 (example).  If you want to get off early you need to do self disembarkation and keep your bags with you overnight. 

 

Also you misunderstood what I was saying about the luggage tags. I was trying to tell the OP to GET tag 1 or 2  not get off the boat if they didn't. I have always been able to go down to guest services explain I need to get off right away and they give me tag #1 or #2. I agree with you if you have #5 and they call #2 you can't get your bag but that's not what I was suggesting to do. 

31 minutes ago, Grandma Dazzles said:

Not to disagree with you as I know RC can vary from ship to ship and week to week, my comments were relative to my personal experience on the Navigator and Serenade.  They definitely didn’t start that early and stuck to their list - not first come, first served. As always, probably differs based on numbers and staffing. 

 

As as far as luggage tags, yes if you plan to put your luggage out the night before the early tagged luggage is put out first. It’s been my experience it’s no use getting off when number 1 or 2 is called if you have a higher number.  Your luggage will be put out with its correct tag grouping. You are wasting your time if you get off with 1 or 2 and you have 5 or 6 (example).  If you want to get off early you need to do self disembarkation and keep your bags with you overnight. 

 

I understand. I have done this on the following ships: Allure, Harmony, Oasis, Enchantment, Mariner. Every time I have done the exact same thing. I think your right each ship does it differently and to be safe the OP should probably take the later flight. My experience has been like I said that I have got to the meeting place right at 7:00 AM put my name on the list and by 7:30 right when they started taking people off I was one of the first they took. 

15 minutes ago, cruisinfanatic said:

9 would be way too late

We seem do be in a dilemma.

 

We have a 10:30 flight from FLL back to Tampa. Would have booked a later one, but that's not until 3:40.

If wheel chairs were taken after self assist, we'd probably be fine

 

We could change to the 3:40 flight now, but if we are going to be put on that anyway, why bother.

 

We could also have a rental reserved in case nothing works out. Not a huge deal to drive 4 hrs if we had to

 

I personally use this service for myself. They start to take wheel chairs off at 7:30 AM. You need to get to the meeting place By 7 because its first come first serve. Also you need to make sure you get a #1 or #2 luggage tag if you need to get off right away. Its first come first serve based also on your luggage tag number also. 

They do, The table just needs to be at a $15 min for it to be 3:2.. If they don't have any open go to the pit boss and request one and they should be able to do this for you.