ampurp85

3 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

It absolutely says to get in the MTD line if you are late.  I am listening to it now.

That is only if you are in port for first seating. OP didn't specify port days and first seating. Since MTD doesn't open until 6:45 it might be possible to seat them on this one special instance. 

OP....That video does not mention what you stated. I have never heard of this and that particular blog I belong to. The owner of that blog always says if you will be more than 15min late and you have traditional dinning, then you need to go to WJ. 

5 hours ago, UnregisteredUser said:

Is that now confirmed that the free drinks are only while actively playing? If so I really hope they will be as bad at enforcing it as they are with the chair hog situation..

No if you are prime or above, you can get drinks as long as the casino is open. I usually stop in and get a couple of drinks before dinner or a show without playing. 

I did Halloween in 2021. There were crew members dressed up as well as guest. Because this was right during the restart, they had small get together. The ship was very decorated. 

There are no shows to reserve on Mariner, if you don't have a UDP you can book specialty reservation now. You will be able to print boarding passes at 30 days. 

I got this email in April for a Freedom sailing, it is a moot point as none of the request were honored. I know a few people who have continued to receive them and still not honored. They say the QR code works better but still not 100%

I agree it sucks that you have to wait to board to get reservations. I am currently stressed because I have to coordinate a group of 8, all with the UDP, for an Oct Allure sailing. But in their mind, it is the tradeoff for the discount. Plus let's be real, Royal's IT is a mess. I feel like it would be a sh$%show to try to allow people with the UDP to book. I am not saying because they treat the reservations differently but because they would need special codes. 

9 hours ago, pcur said:

I'm failing to see why?  I'm still there to eat my lunch and fulfill my reservation, I've just paid for it twice. It's not like I'm a no-show.

Royal accounts for people with dining packages. They then account for people who purchase individual reservation. You are being counted as two separate covers. Now if you don't request a refund for holding the spot you are fine, but if you do, you have screwed them out of a paid cover, which they may not have time to try to fill. This is a loss of revenue for the restaurant and staff. You are saying you will pay twice for connivence, when most people don't and request refunds. 

9 minutes ago, GoochDSA said:

According to the Compass for the cruise that left on 8/13 out of NJ, the Casino Bar hours were 4:30-Late and the Casino Royal was open from 5:15-Late. The ship left at 4.

That could be the case if Oasis is sailing out of NJ......could be. I have yet to be on a ship where the first night the casino opened at the time the compass states. I say 90min to 2hrs after sail away is the norm.

Not 5ish, that is usually the time the casino bar opens. The casino itself will usually open after 6 if the ship leaves at 4 and around 7 if the ship leaves at 5. 

I enjoyed the food but the noise and hubbub is not worth the extra cost. 

Harmony has JR but no Playmakers. Izumi/Hibachi has lunch offerings on sea days. If it is your first time, do them all. I prefer 150 CP to Chops but on an 8N, you can try them all and possibly not have to do doubles. Be advise that Hibachi is a $15-20 upcharge on top of the already paid UDP price and it has to be booked through Izumi and no other kiosk. Unless you are D or staying in a suite, then the concierge can help. 

4 hours ago, ajtaylor29 said:

Not necessarily, i say it depends on the ship and how full it is. We've bid and won twice on Crown Loft suites, and both times were notified maybe a month ahead of our cruise. I also think how much you bid factors in - if it's a low bid i'm sure they'll wait until the last minute hoping someone will bid higher?!?

Not really sure that is the case. I have done RU twice; once early in the restart and then this year. Both bids were minimum, and both won, maybe days after I placed them. So, I knew in weeks, not last minute. But in general, there is no rhyme or reason to RU.

I only place min bids and have won 2/2, so I don't think what you bid matters. But you should only bid for what you want and what you ae willing to pay. 

19 minutes ago, pcur said:

When I purchase the UDP,  I prebook all the lunches in advance.  Day 1 online in the Cruise Planner, and get a credit to my account when I show up.  This way I'm guaranteed a table at my chosen time.  I book all sea days when I first to to the restaurant on Day 1.  On port days I eat a late breakfast, and then show up to the a la carte restaurants when they first open.

 

Next month my sis and I have the UDP, and we are going to go to Vintages for tapas and wine as a late lunch, using my Pinnacle drink coupons, too. She really likes cruising with me.  As Merion Mom told me once:  I tell them what to book and they do it.  My sis follows me like a puppy on cruise ships, as I am the Great Provider of free wine and cool places to go on the ship.

Be careful with this as they are cracking down and charging the cancelation fees. They have found that people who do this hack mess up the reservation listing.

These cabins cost less than what one person would pay to stay in a regular cabin, therefore you get standard C&A points. 

54 minutes ago, seasidemama said:

 

Yes, you pay $3,000 more for a smaller suite to get limited drinks in a lounge. Compared to full Haven benefits with butler and unlimited drinks all over the ship (which include the haven lounge) included in the fare. 

Yes, you said that, but you stated no drinks were included. I pointed out there was. 

2 hours ago, seasidemama said:

RCL is already a lesser cruise unless you are on an oasis/quantum class and book sky or star class which will cost you a small mortgage. Just for fun here’s a comparison.

 

8/11/24 freedom of the seas 7 nights owners suite, 4 people, no benefits (freedom class) pay for your own specialty/drinks/wifi. $11,113 cabin and taxes/port charges.

 

8/11/24 NCL Breakaway 7 nights the HAVEN, forward facing penthouse w/balcony. 4 ppl, gratuities/wifi/specialty/drinks/shore excursion credit plus all the Haven perks. - $9,106 all in.

 

8/18/24 Symphony 7 nights, 4 ppl, Junior suite (no benefits) $9,061.   Jump to a grand suite for   $12,087. So for $3,000 more you get four bottles of water, internet and coastal kitchen. No drinks. No specialty dining (is coastal kitchen worth $3,000??). Grand suite is also a smaller cabin but it’s the cheapest above junior suite.

 

a no brainer really for those that cruise at those price ranges.

none of these are in my budget, but if they were I know where my money would be going. I heard the Haven experience is really very very nice..

 

 

Actually, if you jump to a GS or higher on Oasis class you get drinks in the suite lounge. 11-11 beer wine, sodas water and juice, then 5-8 happy hour drinks. 

13 minutes ago, Goodtime Cruizin said:

Question???s regarding Unlimited Dining Pkg. I'm told one can not make reservations for dinner nightly until you get on board. When I look on the app for Izumi- Hibachi as an example, it allows you to make a reservation if you buy a one night dinner but only 5:30 or before... or 9pm or after. Since were required to wait until we get on board, will we be able to find better times?

For Hibachi this might be a no. The hibachi tables are 8-10 max, with maybe 4 seatings a night. 

I was on Freedom and would give it an 8/10. Grandeur in Jan 2023, 1/10. 

Wasn't a fan before the new menus and still isn't a fan. 

2 hours ago, Abbabug said:

I figured out that I had to first select “plan your cruise” then the order history appeared. However now it’s telling me that only the guest that placed the order can make changes. I made the order but it’s not allowing me to cancel. 

You have to go into the account/booking of the person whose name it is under. Even if you made and paid for the package, it is in that person's name, therefore they ordered it, so they would have to cancel/modify it.

I received this email about an hour ago as I am sailing from LA next month. This was only sent to cruisers leaving from those ports. People are posting it as if it was a major change. It seems as though they can only update the ports that have the least restrictions for unvaxxed.

YMMV, I have heard if it is not booked as a solo, you will get standard points. I have also heard that some people got the extra points. 

On 8/9/2022 at 7:24 AM, little britain said:

Is there a limit on when you can take your annual free cruise?  If we hit Prime in November when do we need to book/ sail by?

 Thanks 

By the end of Casino Royale cruise year which is from April 1st to March 31st. So, if you make prime in Nov 22' you would have to take your free annual cruise by March 31st, 2023.......that is the latest sail date, not booked.

I recall Liberty saying they won't do double points because the pinnacles will be very upset.