tinkerme1

My wife and I aren't much of gamblers, but I have a conference in Vegas later this year that will put us at MGM for 5 nights. I've read through how to get the gold status engaged, and read through the M-Life perks at MGM website, but still had some questions.

 

I've read some perks don't apply when you get the status this way, do any Gold perks not apply?

 

-Room Upgrade (What does this mean in real terms? If we book as part of the block for our conference do I still get an upgrade to gold and what does an upgrade change from a basic room?)

 

-Cafe/Buffet Line Pass (Is this 1/2/3 free meals per day or just a special line to get in?)

 

Thanks for your help, just want to make sure we are getting everything out of our trip!!

When you get to the MGM HOTEL, go to the MLIFE/rewards area and sign up, showing them proof of your RCCL status. Due to your Convention/group rate, you may not be offered a room upgrade but it never hurts to ask.

The Buffet Line pass just gives you priority to be in a special line which usually gets you in quicker.

I can tell you this, SKIP the buffet at MGM! One of the worst buffets on the Strip! Try one of the other MGM properties like Bellagio Buffet which is fabulous.

Luggage valet is wonderful! Just make sure you look for the sign-up form early in the cruise. The form will explain everything and give you which airlines participate and the times they will offer the service depending upon your flight home.

Pinnacles receive free luggage valet.

Just make sure you have not bought a senior fare on SWA. You need to be age verified BEFORE your flights or you won't be able to use Luggage Valet!

I hope Blu can find some way to get me escargot and my husband French onion soup. Something we really enjoy in the MDR. I thought I would nicely ask the first night if it was at all possible and see what they say.

 

Laura

Check the main dining room menu and if you see something you like, but would like to have it served to you in Blu, ask the Head Waiter if that would be possible. We have done this a couple of times because I love escargot and creme brûlée!

Glad you posted a link to your review! Your pictures are lovely! Thank you! We just loved the Independence of the Seas! :D

Anyone ever have a 7:25 pm flight leaving FLL? Sure hope we can use the valet service.

 

Good to know about the senior rate on SW, who would have known.

The form I filled out on the Independence said the flight had to be between 11:30 AM and 6:00 PM. Hope your 7:25 pm flight isn't affected but be ready for a possible no Luggage Valet.

P.S. Ft. Lauderdale airport has become much more crowded than ever before and they won't let anyone through the Security checkpoint until 2:30 hours before your flight. You can check luggage in early downstairs, but lines are LONG!!!:eek:

I just got off of the Independence of the Seas and my Luggage Valet is "free" since I am a Pinnacle Member. I really love Luggage Valet but read on........

Thirteen people were cancelled out of the luggage valet program on my cruise, and I was one of them. I was very confused why this happened so I dug into the issue at the Southwest Airlines counter and again when I returned home. It seems that when you book a "senior fare" you will have to present yourself to the airline and they cannot take your luggage!

This is the first time this has happened to me and I'll NEVER book another senior fare on SWA again! So, head's up! Take note.....the SWA senior fare isn't worth losing the Luggage Valet benefit.

My wife and I are wanting the same stateroom on the Liberty and are wanting to hang a hammock. Do you have any pictures of how you hung the hammock?

Thanks

JIMBO has a great photo pictorial on how to hang and purchase a great hammock! See post 282 on the "Show Us Your Aft" thread! Great info!!!:D

When we did our online check-in, it only asked for the last 4 digits of the credit card. I DEFINITELY think it was something that happened at the port, but probably by another passenger vs. a RCCL employee.

 

As a previous poster mentioned, there are machines that can read your CC through your purse. I suspect that someone read his card info and created a new card, but with his own name on it. THEN during the cruise, went down to guest services to give them that card to use for the onboard purchases.

 

To answer a previous poster's question about timing - I believe the perpetrator was on the cruise with us, and did not have the opportunity to use the card stateside UNTIL we got back from the cruise, which they did at 11:00 AM on 1/9 in W. Palm Beach, for $100.00 worth of gas.

 

There is a reason I have not contacted RCCL yet. This is not something a rez agent can take care of. It must be handled by RCCL's accounting dept. Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to get someone from RCCL corporate on the phone? I do, as I am a TA and have had to do this MANY times for clients. IMHO, if I dispute the charges, someone from RCCL will contact me, making my hold time with RCCL negligible.

 

If it was a CC hold, it will fall off and no one will be out anything, otherwise, they can contact us and justify how/where the money was spent.

Be aware that most US CCs do NOT HAVE RF chips in them, thus readers can't grab your CC number! Check to see if your CC has this chip. If it does, ensure you have a shielded CC sleeve designed to protect your card.

The Hilton Rose Hall has a fabulous all-inclusive deal. You can find out about it on Jamaicaforaday.com We have done this several times and thoroughly enjoyed it! Just be sure that you include transportation with your booking!

If you get enough people to join you, you can receive a modest discount.:D

Highly recommend!

I understand the disappointment, but honestly, you should be thankful they alerted you to this change BEFORE boarding. In this case RCI did the right thing. Happy Birthday!

Thank you so much to those who "understood" my post. I have always felt that RCI has done a beautiful job of providing adult and childrens activities. Unfortunately, those days seem to be slowly disappearing.

I love RCI and would never think of switching lines. I would much prefer to point out where RCI is making a policy mistake and hope that they see the error of their ways.

When the cruise line hangs banners all around the ship advertising an intimate, romantic dinner at the CT and then decides to allow children at the table, they are actually contradicting what their marketing is trying to convey to the passenger.

Everyone, have a lovely Thanksgiving Feast! :D

i love kids. We have three of our own. And they all managed to survive to adulthood.;) i coached kids' hockey, baseball and soccer. Our house was where all the kids hung out, playing hockey in the driveway, throwing hoops, or playing x-box. That being said when i want to attend an adults only event, i want to attend an adults only event!

 

Now that the kids are grown my dw and i want an adult cruise line.......

 

Disney here we come!!!!!:d

lol!!

But Celia, your experience was on November 16. So Royal Caribbean was WRONG regardless!!!!!!!

 

:eek:

Carol, you are absolutely correct which is why they called me this morning with their sincerest apology. My motive for bringing this to CC is to warn those that may book the CT with the wrong assumption that children will not be allowed. Obviously, this is no longer the case. :(

BTW, great to see you once again! The rest of our cruise was lovely!:D

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1339774&highlight=chefs+table

Not allowed, period! It seems that RCI uses the exception rule frequently which is not acceptable to us.

They have allowed children for years now, if you contacted them before hand, have seen several pics of children at the CT on cc. I think its been easier for VIP's with children

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1486817&highlight=chef+s+table

Actually, not true! See FAQ's on RCI Website about age limit for Chef's Table. As I stated in my post, we have been to the Chef's Table numerous times. Never a question that children under 21 were not allowed. We actually received a pamphlet with the menu for that night's dinner and it was printed clearly on Allure stationary that children were NOT allowed. This morning, they told me the policy changed on November 20, 2014.

(Background)....Recently (Nov 16 - 23, 2014), we cruised on Allure of the Seas and booked the Chef's Table prior to our sailing for our Anniversary dinner on the first night. We have been to the Chef's Table many times in the past, and LOVE this event!

Everything you read about the Chef's Table says that the venue is for adults only (21 and over). The FAQ's on RCI's website as well as an onboard menu with information was also provided in our cabin describing the "rules" of who could/could not attend. Confirmed that it was an adult only venue.

This was our Anniversary Dinner and we were very upset to see that a family and a "baby" were scheduled to go to the Chef's Table the same time we were scheduled to attend. They told me that an "exception" was made to allow the baby.

This was truly a shocker to us and decided to cancel the Chef's Table since we felt a baby was not going to create the proper mix of folks for a gourmet dinner with wine pairings and actually went against RCI policy.

BTW, my husband and I are not against children, since we cruise Disney often. Disney has a venue called REMY's which is extremely elegant and does not allow any children to attend.

BE AWARE THAT RCI HAS CHANGED THEIR POLICY AS OF NOVEMBER 20, 2014 TO ALLOW CHILDREN AT THE CHEF'S TABLE. This is what I was told on the phone this morning.

Although RCI contacted me after the cruise, I thought it would be important to inform those who are thinking about booking the Chef's Table that the Policy to allow children has, in fact, changed. What they are now saying is that children can attend the Chef's Table, they just need to be 21 to drink.

I understand a family friendly cruise line is what RCI is striving for, however, I feel that some venues should be left to Adults Only.

It is really all about "Wall Street" folks. Where does mass media want any major product launch to be displayed? NEW YORK! It may be wrong of RCCL to depict the launch as New York, but the media moguls will tell you, it is the perfect place.

We had a party of 4 in Chops and we each ordered a filet mignon. The filets were very dry and each of us sent our steaks back to the kitchen. The menu in Chops has significantly changed. Many items are now gone from the menu. Although I love a good steak and very rarely send one back, this was one time where sending it back was essential. We all left Chops shaking our heads.

When we asked our waiter what was happening to the Chops meat, he couldn't answer us. Most of us thought that the meat supplier was different than it used to be. We actually thought that the meat was a grade lower than what we were used to in Chops Grill.

What was more disparaging, was the increase in price to $35 per person and some steaks were actually priced as an additional cost.:eek:

Our experience was on the Freedom of the Seas in October. I certainly hope this is not fleetwide.

So odd, I wonder what is going on?:confused:

What is really going on is that people need to fly home and need early disembarkation to get to the airport on time. With Port Canaveral 40 to 45 minutes away from the Port, RCCL is trying to accommodate those that fly home first. I really don't think it has anything to do with taking away benefits.

Yes thank you for following up on this. Did I see that self disembarking was not offered? I hope it is. We have an 8 hr drive and need an early start if possible. Work on Monday :mad:

You can self disembark, but the lines are huge!

I see, since you have reached exalted status, now we are 'them' :D You might as well say, "those people" creating such a mess. :D:rolleyes::D

That is really not a nice thing to say at all. I am one of "those people." I waited for over 1 1/2 hours to get off the ship! Exaulted???? Really????

Our disembarkation from the Freedom on 10/26 was absolutely awful. I do understand why they are taking so much time to disembark, so I just wait my turn and growl under my breath. LOL!

Port Canaveral has several ships disembarking and then shuttles are timed to pick up passengers. If the ship is delayed, like ours was on 10/26, due to sniffing dogs and late arrival, it may have been better.

Ft. Lauderdale is becoming a mess since there are so many ships in port! Allowing folks to just get off the ship with D, D+, etc. is becoming a real problem since there are so many of them now.

I have circumvented the long wait to get off by trying to find lines that have people walking off the ship with their luggage. I also use LUGGAGE VALET which is amazing if you are flying home! The cost is worth every penny and if you are Pinnacle, it is free!

For those traveling by car and residing in Florida, maybe wait to get off the ship later until those traveling by airline have disembarked.

Customs and Immigration are the biggest problems though. They have reduced officers which really slow up the lines. Having too many people in the luggage area can cause serious injuries, and I've seen plenty!

You can't wait to get on the ship, try relaxing and take your time getting off the ship if at all possible.:D

Two weeks go by and I check the RCL website. They are still offering a GS guarantee and the price is significantly lower than when I booked.

Go to the TA. Can I get some relief? A cabin upgrade? A reduction in cost? OBC? Or just a different GS cabin (like I originally requested)? He calls RCL.

I get nothing. They will do nothing for me.

Bottom line is my trip is a month away and I feel that RCL took advantage of me. This is about my 30th cruise. Only my 2nd on RCL. Now we know why.

First, I agree with most of the replies here but I do have a question. What do you consider "significantly" lower in price? Sometimes, if you call RCL and ask to help you upgrade to next category, they will take into consideration the lowered guarantee price and find a price that may or may not be acceptable to you for an upgrade after final payment.

I hope that your TA followed up with the cruiseline about this. Some don't want to be bothered. This is why I always book directly with RCL. If you book through a TA you cannot negotiate with RCL by yourself. Booking with/without a TA is always a personal choice. I just find that being able to speak with C&A about my booking far outweighs the advantage of receiving a small OBC.

Let us know what happens after you sail and you check your points.

Already sailed. Only got my original points, not the upgrade points. They did refer me to C&A Benefits page, then to C&A Benefits, then #14. If you can see anything in that rule that speaks about upgrading, please let me know! LOL!:eek:

Reading this thread with interest since I upgraded from an E1 to a Jr Suite as a solo cruiser. Nowhere in the email sent to me does it say you won't get the additional points! I paid for my upgrade. I called C&A and was then transferred to the Resolution Dept.

They told me that whenever you have a reduced rate for a cabin, you lose the benefit of the extra points, even if you PAY for the upgrade.

I feel like I wasn't given the information I needed to make a good decision about whether to upgrade or not. Needless to say, I'll never pay to upgrade again unless the cabin is more important than the points. :(