twangster

Spoiler alert. I’ve been in most of the suite lounges. On Royal Caribbean it isn’t a massive perk. I think some here have been brainwashed by Royal into thinking it’s a lot more than it is. PS - the coffee machine in the Liberty Crown Lounge is better than the one in the Suite Lounge. Just don’t tell any suite guests that…

Consider that typically the Pinnacle count on the ship is between 1.6% and 1.8%. Now factor in a small fraction of that going to extreme lengths just so that another couple get SL access but will not get any free drinks, rather they may need to consume their Pinnacle hosts vouchers if the leaches are not at least D. Why would anyone go these extreme measures for nothing but the ability to join their Pinnacle hosts in the SL, but never go on their own, and get no free drinks, other than using their Pinnacle’s hosts vouchers? Seems like a lot of effort with little gain, but even if one such couple did, the overall impact is negligible. And that is assuming they think they will be above the threshold which they won’t know until T-48h.

Liberty working well. Better Starlink speeds compared to Oasis class as well.

Maybe it was Mario who fought for this. I've heard some stories. Oops. Did I say that out loud?

Having dated a few ladies over the years and subsequently making it to the point of sharing a cabin with some it is a nice perk. I'll be able to bring my "date" with me into the SL/CK without having to contemplate when it's time to make them a "spouse" in the eyes of the CAS. I'm not looking to get remarried so this is a welcome perk. Plus since I am already consuming a table for two by myself, allowing my "cabin date" in shouldn't really impact anyone.

When I visit the SL or CK as a solo or as the only Pinnacle in a cabin I typically consume one seat but at a table for two people. Rarely will another solo Pinnacle/Suite guest attempt to sit with me. Consequently this new policy doesn't really impact the SL/CK capacity for me as a solo Pinnacle. If I share a cabin with my non-Pinnacle son for example, as I did last year on a cruise, now I can bring him with me into the SL/CK assuming I myself have access on a cruise. He would sit across the table from me consuming a chair that would likely otherwise go unused. Plus I cruise with him once every couple of years. No impact. If my son had his own cabin, then I can't bring him with me into the SL/CK assuming I myself have access on a cruise. Grandma and Grandpa Pinnacle who book separate cabins and have one non-Pinnacle guest in their respective cabins is a possibility but probably not a frequent scenario. I'm not saying it will never occur, I'm saying it's not that often. I think the target is Pinnacle parents of dependent children. By policy Pinnacle is not conveyed to dependent children so can Pinnacle parents bring dependent children from their cabin into the SL/CK? By policy no, until now. As the demographic of Pinnacle has shifted younger they need to accommodate the Pinnacle parents with dependent children. That's probably not a large portion of the Pinnacle population so impact should be minimal. I know a couple of Pinnacle parents with dependent children but as it turns out they generally book suites so for them it's a moot point. They have mountains of data to run models from. In reality I think they ran the numbers and it didn't amount to a significant impact in the modeling outcomes. Any impact is accounted for by adjusting the threshold over time. They set a threshold and observe the numbers over a few months. Then they adjust the threshold. Over time they learn how to set the threshold for typical cruises and for special events such as holiday cruises and elite heavy like transatlantics. The most likely impacted are junior Pinnacles who get locked out due to being low on the totem pole.

The only way to get free drinks in the casino is to reach Prime. If you can find a cruise in March before the program resets April 1 AND you earn 1300 more points before April 1 then you would earn Prime until April 2025.

Doesn’t it reset April 1?

Should have had more Labradoozies.

Interesting that pinnacle are booted from the golden and silver dining on Spectrum.

Another great day at Labadee is in the books. Since I saw my shadow does that mean six more weeks of cruising? Farewell Labadee, until next time.

Interesting observation on Liberty this week. Visiting NextCruise she asked my cabin number and said “Oh, you are Pinnacle Plus”. Never heard of Pinnacle Plus. Perhaps just her own label or maybe how they intend to track the cut off line for SL access?. 🤔

Days are shorter (less daylight hours) but every Alaska cruise is an opportunity to see something. Cheaper fares make it a great time to see Alaska.

And we’re off. Can you see my shadow? Im the one waving.

I would check with the eSIM provider.

4:13pm and it’s getting close to all aboard. Given the crowds returning I’d say most enjoyed the day on Labadee, not the ship.

Still no Voom WiFi coverage on Labadee. They had to write up paper tickets for CAS drinks. Those typically get entered later tonight so I'll have to mentally deduct the ones I used on land to avoid going over my daily CAS complimentary drinks. The local cellular provider NATCOM is included with my TMobile service. Plenty of signal on the Columbus Cove side but no signal on the Adrenaline beach side. Weird. Speeds aren't terrible for a beach day.

Not really. The casino slots were open but there were only a handful of people in there. It was pretty empty. I had to "swim upstream" to get back on the ship this morning to post this. The general flow was off the ship at 10am. It felt like a normal stop here other than seeing the jet skis parked all day.

All in all it's a pretty normal day here. I understand some excursions were cancelled such as Jet ski tours and Amiga island. I don't know the reasoning and didn't ask. I would not hesitate to book another cruise with only a stop in Labadee. Now back to Labadee for round two with the Labradoozie Society.

The point was now open so I ventured out for a look. Walking along the fort the little bit of cloud cover has burned off and it's a beautiful day in full sunshine. With the ship in full sunlight I stopped at the overlook again for more pictures. Finishing at the base of pier the area was much busier now so a few last photos of the ship.

Guests were streaming onto the roller coaster and by now zip liners were making their flight over water. These featherweights stalled at the bottom and needed a rope assist to finish their journey. In other words, it's a pretty normal Labadee day.

More guests have been strolling off the ship and it was getting harder to take photos without guests in the pictures so it was time for a Labadee tradition. The Labradoozie Society was calling my name.

A quick stop at Barefoot Beach before it was heavily populated with suite guests for the day. Next over to Nellie's Beach. And on to Columbus Cove. A short stroll through the artisan's market. Then over to Adrenaline Beach. It's an absolutely fantastic day here at Labadee.

Our arrival was on time without any special announcements. Right on time the gangway was open and off I went, nearly first off the ship. Being early off means the usual instagram photos spots were void of fellow passengers. I walked up the nature path to the overlook for another view of the ship.

I didn't plan to do a full live report from this short 4 night cruise on Liberty from Port Everglades with a single stop in Labadee, Haiti. However Haiti has been in the news lately and so I thought I'd at least post some Labadee photos to illustrate Labadee is still as beautiful as it has always been. I booked this cruise at the last minute just three days before the sail date. Haiti has been in the news since before I booked this cruise yet on Friday morning when I saw a relatively okay cruise fare that was open for solo cruisers to book I had no hesitation booking this cruise. I've been to Labadee countless times and I'm very familiar with the social economic and political background of Haiti. There is no need to visit any of that in this thread. I'm here in Labadee as I write this, back on the ship after a two and half mile walk around Labadee. Spoiler alert - It's still beautiful here and I still love Labadee. Next up, some photos...