twangster

That is no longer a sure thing. Many reports lately from guests who didn't get the extra point with a no show and when they later called they were shot down. It's inconsistent. If you recently had a no show cabin mate and scored the extra point be happy.

DP340 only works if the guest has >340 points. They opened up DP340 on the Prez cruise in 2023 for a few weeks as a temporary measure. Looks like it been closed.

Varies by ship but most allow two visits to two different restaurants. Pay 100% first night, second visit is a zero bill.

Artists who have been around longer know what they can get away with. Newer artists on first contract tend to be more careful. Then they learn tips increase if they...

MoveUp? I assume you mean RoyalUp. The inventory displayed on the public website is not an indication of what is actually available.

Typically Royal provides a list of acceptable music to their artists. Not every request will be honored if the song is not on the list.

The benefit of good TA is that check all rates. With and without CAS/DP340, groups when available, single fare reductions not associated with CAS, etc. Royal's website may present the best published fare but that is not always the best fare available for you.

In May (Alaska) CK used my CAS drink vouchers. The Quantum experience is much like that of her sisters prior to Quantum Ultra. In most places around the ship if you were magically teleported between the Anthem, Ovation and Quantum you might have a hard time guessing which ship you were on if you didn't know the artwork from each. With Alaska internet being what it is I did a not so live from Quantum in May: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2851353-quantum-may-9-2022-7-nights-alaska-not-very-live

Meraviglia doesn't have the stuff that Oasis has. It's not fair putting any Oasis class ship against a more conventional ship. It will be more a classic cruise experience. Not knowing your kids I don't know how they will do on Meraviglia. There are things to do some of which are paid activities like bowling or the Formula 1 race simulator. No My Time type dining unless you step up to Aurea experience. You may be fine with the fixed time dining for the cheaper cabins. Probably better to open this discussion outside of this thread.

Meraviglia is fine. The cabin and ship decor is sort of modern art deco... sort of. Internet uses O3b and is faster than Royal but they lock each internet plan to the first device that logs in so no sharing. When it's cheap there is nothing wrong with MSC. If I was paying comparable rates to Royal I'd pick Royal every time. Their Yacht Club is a good product with good price points. Non-YC is okay depending on tastes. It can be "meh" at times so just keep reminding yourself what you paid. Ocean Cay is a gem so if your cruise stops there it's nice especially if you get an overnight stay at OC. I still prefer Royal but for a cheap short getaway MSC is fine if you can roll with the differences and just enjoy a cheap cruise.

Better to live in an orange house rather than across the street from one. 😇 When you sit on the Magic carpet it provides really great views to the sea. Some complain that some ships lack a connection the sea. The Magic Carpet is a pretty great panoramic bar/outdoor patio to sit back and enjoy the sea. It isn't ugly when sitting on it. Magic Carpet 360

I suspect it's because a significant portion of overall revenue comes from onboard spending. They are enticing two guests to book so they have one more wallet or purse on board to spend money. The lower cruise fare, they hope, will be offset by the spend on board. Two guests also pay two daily service charges so that also helps with overall crew compensation. Solo guests pay one daily service fee.

A TA can import a NC open booking and convert it to the cruise you want.

Usually any payments applied above the deposit amount per person would be refunded if you cancel before final payment due date. The deposit amount is subject to the cancellation terms and conditions. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/booking-cancellation-refund-policy For sailings booked after March 31, 2022: Non-Refundable Deposit Fares Outside of final payment, when a non-refundable deposit cancellation occurs, the full deposit amount will be held in penalty. Any additional payments made will be refunded. Should you choose to change your original ship and/or sail date, if you booked directly with us, please contact our Consumer Outreach team where a representative will assist in making the desired changes, while also applying the qualifying change fee(s) and collecting payment, if not already done so. If you booked via a travel advisor, please contact them for any booking changes.

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The panda's are Zan Ma and Li Bao.

That depends on the FCC.

Power source for the booking server had a malfunction briefly.

As cruisers we are all fortunate to have so many choices. It never hurts to try something different. My opinions are worthless because they all reflect my likes and dislikes. Food is personal. I eat nearly the same thing for breakfast at home day after day. For me the breakfast buffet on any ship far exceeds my normal breakfast routine. Other people must have five star Michelin chefs at home because I often see people complain the breakfast on the ship is the same day after day. Their opinions just don't make sense to me. Food is personal, to each their own. Neither opinion should matter to you because you are not us. Try it and see if you like it.

The 3rd party that runs the RoyalUp program is PlusGrade. https://www.plusgrade.com/partners/ Just understand you are bidding on the potential of an upgrade. No upgrade may actually be available for your sail date. In some cases they accept bids in case some cabins become available at the last minute such as someone deciding a day before sailing they can't go, or they tested positive, or there is a personal event that requires they cancel the cruise. Suddenly a cabin becomes available and now they have a series of bids to evaluate to determine who they can sell the cabin to. Someone else might bid less and win the upgrade if their old cabin in turn can be sold to someone else. That's never revealed and you will have no way to know if there was ever a cabin available for anyone to "win".

Here is an example. Two FCC were applied to a booking for a total of $600 towards the cruise fare. Note the last sentence that the booking is subject to $600 in cancellation penalties - the exact amount of the FCCs that were applied. I ended sailing this cruise so I didn't get ant FCC penalties but if I had cancelled the booking then I would have lost the FCC value plus any other normal cancelation penalties.

Was that before or after they officially announced Pinnacle were allowed back in the SL?

I've "paid" my own way twice for CBC access, free once (CDC test cruise) and once at $39 early in the restart. I've been invited to join cabana folks a few times at zero cost. Total visits equals five. The steak has been okay but not the orgasmic experience some people describe. Certainly not the "best ever" and I am hardly a foodie. To each their own, food is personal. There is so much to do at PDCC that's included I don't see myself paying anything to get back into CBC anytime soon. It's a wonderful experience and all that but for me the value proposition just doesn't work relative to what you get at PDCC without spending anything above the cruise fare. If PDCC sucked or if they charged for everything at PDCC then the upgrade to CBC would have some value for me. So for me...

Some of my refundable bookings where I applied an FCC have a warning on them with a penalty amount equal to my FCC. It's still a refundable booking but with an FCC penalty. If I cancel I will get my deposit refunded.

Kind of typical for a crossing.