The Fun Researcher

Your points are valid. I also think it all depends on any given couple, or family. Drinks are expensive on RCCL's ships, and we take that cost into account when budgeting for our cruises. Once we have Diamond, a line item of our cruise budget goes way down. Knowing that, we will transition some of that spending. We will be more willing to spend some of the saved money on things we normally do not do, like specialty dining, tours, entertainment, etc... So I don't think our total spend will change drastically, but now our cruise experience is heightened because we can use the money saved on drinks for other splurges that we haven't done in the past. ...and RCCL maintains their margin on us fairly close to before. Plus, we are now even more Loyal to Royal due to the perks, so they get more of our money more often That's just us though. Everyone is different Dan

In general I find the strip steak a good fallback option on RCCL if I can't find anything to my liking on the menu. There always seems to be that one day every sailing when I need to revert to the strip steak. 🙂 If it's a true strip steak it's normally solidly good, but sometimes they try to swap it out for a sirloin, which just isn't the same. I like the flavor of sirloin but they are lean. The tenderness and flavor of the true strip steak tops it. I order mine medium rare for what it's worth. It's worth asking the waiter if it's truly strip steak that's being served or a different cut. Dan

Can you clarify this for me? We do have an Alaskan Cruise booked for July 2023, so final payment is in April. Are you saying that making Diamond needs to occur before our final payment is due in April? This seems silly. (not shooting the messenger, just sayin 🙂 ) For instance if I achieved Diamond in May I wouldn't be Diamond on our Alaskan cruise, a full two months later?

Quoting myself only to clarify that I meant fee, not discount LOL. Got my wires crossed. My last two brain cells are hungover I guess:D Dan

Even at $13 per drink, 4 drinks per day, on a single 7 night cruise for my wife and I that alone saves $728. We don’t drink much more than four drinks any given day so this perk is perfect for us. We’ve slogged through our cruises to the 68 points that we have now. We don’t cruise to get points, we cruise to have a great vacation with friends and/or family. However, now that we are so close it would be nice to have this perk in hand for the many future cruises we hope to complete, God willing. -Dan

The points I listed in my original post are the actual earned point for them and us. My daughters are both platinum and my son just got Emerald through us after our June cruise since he’s still 15. Here’s hoping for an IT issue in our favor 🙂 Dan

You are right, I should not be so quick to state that it is only about the drinks. I didn’t even know about the Wi-Fi but that is a very nice perk as is the specialty coffee. Thank you for those tips!

Single supplements are just discounts if you are traveling solo correct? They don’t impact the number of C&A points given if you are traveling solo right?

Got me thinking. Is solo in an interior or balcony 2 points per night? Thx, Dan If so, I could find a cheap 6 night but I don't think I'd want to be away that long.

Good stuff. 🙂 Regarding my wife along, would love to but we would each only get 8 points then and not reach 80 total. Suites get 2 points per night normally with double or more occupancy. Solo in a suite gets 3 points per night, which is what I need on a 4 night to get the 12 total we need. Kindly, Dan

I don't care about status. I do care about the 4 drinks per day, as we will use them all. Drink prices have gone nuts on RCCL in my opinion. It would nice to have that perk nailed down for cruises going forward. We have one cruise booked already, and probably another, for summer next year. Beyond Diamond (D+, P...), I don't really care as we will already have the main perk we've looked forward to. It's not work to jump on a 4 night cruise to get us to Diamond before our more substantial upcoming cruises. There are some options for just over $1,100 total for a single occupancy JS. I get to enjoy some time off, and my wife and son benefit as well going forward. Dan

You do you and I’ll do me. Thanks. 🙂 Dan

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I would book a Jr. Suite for sure. Just need a short 4 night sailing for my needs too. Now just how to figure out how to keep my daughters from getting jealous of their brother's Diamond status 😅 Dan

All points are actual: Myself: 68 points Wife: 68 points Daughter 21 yrs old: 46 points Daughter 18 yrs old: 46 points Son 15 yrs old: 46 points If I sail solo on a 4 night in a suite, that will get me 12 more points and hit Diamond (80 points) correct? I can then link my son who's under 18, and my wife since she is my spouse to get them to Diamond? What about my daughters that also still live in our household? Are they not eligible to be Diamond since they are 18 and older and must get their points on their own, or can they get diamond status since they still live with us? How long does it take for the status to transfer? Thanks, Dan

Good question OP. I was wondering about this for our Alaska cruise in July. I booked the White Pass train excursion in Skagway for all 16 of us but wondered what would happen if the price dropped and I cancelled and tried to rebook. The price is pretty reasonable through RCCL, and not much different than third party vendors, so I'm not sure it's worth the risk. However, for things like soda packages or drink packages, or dining packages that don't sell out, there is virtually no risk to cancel and repurchase. I've done that many times. Dan

I request a table: Away from main entrance (don't like constant flow of guests past our table) Away from main waiter bussing stations (don't like the noise or look) Near a window if possible (a nice to have for ambient light but not necessary) Dan

Thanks for asking about this OP. We are sailing on the Quantum on an Alaskan cruise in July 2023. We are all family and have 16 of us on board, all early traditional seating. I'm guessing we'll be split into two tables. Looks like we'll probably be in the Grande or Chic based on the fact that we're traditional dining. The Grande probably suits our style best anyway. Have you folks had luck requesting a specific dining room with the maître d' once you board on embarkation day? Otherwise I'll probably email rccl with my dining request a couple of weeks prior to our cruise, which I've done before. Thanks, Dan

Thank you both. This is perfect. Knowing that most food and drink options are aft on this ship (and most RCCL ships) I was a little concerned about a long hike in the morning for coffee and/or breakfast. My parents are on this cruise as well and are early risers so this will be perfect for them as well. Thank you kindly, Dan

Yeah, couldn't find enough cabins together back there. Maybe next time when we have a smaller group.

Booked the Quantum for an Alaskan cruise July 2023. We're deck 11 forward, so the Solarium Bistro is just a deck a few decks overhead. Looking for the closest coffee in the morning. Thinking that the Bistro is the closest location for coffee? Is the Bistro typically open for breakfast, and if so so you enjoy breakfast there? We're typically MDR people for all of our meals. We do the Windjammer but not nearly as often. Lunch is also served correct, and complimentary? Tried searching for this info but it's fairly specific so wasn't finding good answers. Thanks in advance. Dan

Thank you all for the help. We went ahead and booked our 6 balcony cabins on the Quantum July 2023. We're deck 11 forward, and are split with 3 cabins port side and 3 starboard side. Personally I think I'll probably spend more time on the outer decks, for 360 degree views, than on my balcony. I've never been one to camp out on my balcony but then again we've never done an Alaskan cruise. 🙂 This was one of the few itineraries that fit everyone's schedules. We're all coming together from Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas and Washington state. Praying for clear weather but we'll take what we get. Dan

Yeah you're right. The more I learn about these Alaskan itineraries the more the nuances come in play. More nuanced than Caribbean sailings IMO. I do see one sailing, July 7th 2023 on the Ovation out of Seattle that does leave through the Inside Passage for some reason, but there are VERY few instances like that. Dan

Thank you so much! Really helps. Love the pictures Dan

Ok, so this is our first Alaskan cruise, and I just found a more detailed path for our itinerary. See below. Maybe it's just the way it's drawn, but for instance that first full day of cruising (up to Sitka) it looks like we're pretty far from land. Can you even see the shoreline? (same goes for the last day after Juneau) My parents sailed Celebrity one way from Vancouver to Seward about 18 years ago and they hugged the shore the whole way, and a Starboard balcony was really important to have.

Thanks for they reply. My parents will be on the cruise and plan to spend A LOT of time on their balcony taking in the sights as we cruise along. Just wondering if there are certain stretches of the itinerary where you would particularly want to be on a certain side of the ship vs not.