crashdavis565

Thank you so much,

perfect.

Has anyone ever done a free cruise through Stations casino on Princess?

Does the casino arrange it or the cruise line?

It is a free benefit if you reach Chairmans level in their reward program.

I reached Chairman but I do not know how to collect the reward and Stations does not really answer the phone anymore ( who does?)

Thanks-

On 1/7/2022 at 6:56 PM, RFerrington said:

I just received my first ever offer from MLife for a complimentary 4 night stay at MGM Vegas.  It is still showing me as Platinum.  We aren’t interested in flying to Vegas so we won’t be using the offer but I was shocked to get it and surprised to see they’re still showing me with Platinum status.  Things must be very slow in Vegas !

The change went into effect 2/1/22 

:(

So funny, I am Diamond Plus  on Royal but now sailing other lines as the value is no longer there for RCCL. But as the other poster points out, the market dictated the price and they are still getting the price.

I don't see it but countless others must.

She has now been "boosted" to the Allure, still doing her thing.

We did do the Grand Suite with the adjoining balcony and it was amazing. They let us have some of the lower end suite perks and the kids had the independence of their own rooms, also giving us some nice privacy.

Thanks to the forum board as always for their great input.  I have found this board is waaaaayyyy better than travel agents and the line itself for knowing the cabins and the ins and out of the ship.

Brilliant and done

I will post how it works out with the split cabins and such

Thank you Ken and as far as I can see, in the OS or Aqua suite or Crown Suite, the boys will be splitting a bed?

Do they have rollaways or such? And I get it that may be a stupid question.

The Junior Suites are a couch and a Pullman?

That would be sold I believe

Now that is a bummer!

Talking it over with my wife, we are going the suite root, cannot do the non-suite way again.

What are the sleeping arrangements in the Crown or Aqua suites for the children?

6th of October that is.....

I am just dizzy trying to figure this thing out of what to book. I will be sailing on the 6th with my wife and two kids 12,13 ( really one kid and one small adult per RCCL )

The boys do not like to share a couch so we need either pullmans or two separate cabins. We just had adjoining cabins on Freedom and this worked out really good but we also would like to have a suite as the non-suite passengers nowadays are kind of being treated like cattle.

I am Diamond and looking for the best value and idea for the sailing.

Part of me wants to just take the Suite Guarantee available for 5K.

Part of me wants to book to adjoining balconies and just be treated like cattle.

Part of me wants to splurge and get a crown or aqua for about 8-9k.

Looking for some input.

In the Jr Suite and Crown suite. will the boys be splitting a bed? Hard to justify that price and have them gripe about sleeping together.

Thanks you guys for your amazing help!

As I wrote this, I new that I would have offended some and I sincerely apologize for not adding that all who look "able bodied" may not be so. I totally get this and do not make light of anyone and their incapacity to make it up or down a floor or two. My apologies and I am sorry to hear about your cancer.

I have to say, I was simply blown away by this show. This lady can sing and she really put her heart and soul into it. Bravo to her and RCCL for letting her do her thing. I would not miss this if I was going to be on Freedom and she was performing.

When will it happen?

When will they start treating their Diamond customers so bad that they will look somewhere else?

Just got off the Freedom and there was some very good stuff here.

1) The vibe of the ship was grand. Staff was engaged and working hard.

2) The Windjammer I actually liked. The staff was moving things and clearing tables. The food was good enough and overall, it was better than most of my previous 25 cruises.

3) Labadee is now amazing. Great upgrades all around and although you have to pay, they have made it a very enjoyable and cannot miss stop.

The bad stuff-

1)Security was too slow. Acknowledged due to some bad planning by us we got there right at the wrong time (1:00) but what a mess. I will not travel without being in a suite ever again. Waiting for 30 minutes in that line was awful.

2)The continued and unabated decline of the quality of food in the MDR. There are now some good things most nights but one night was just pain awful for the whole menu (first time in my 25 cruises there was nothing I wanted to order from the whole menu!) and the now added lack of variety too. They have pared the menu down to most things repeating every night with some things now new. That is just awful. I used to love to cruise to try new things and different things, now most of the menu repeats every single day......boring. I used to love all the cold soups and crazy salads and cheeses etc. These are all gone....Boooo

3) The gall of the "chair hogs" has become unbelievable. They rise before anyone and take the best chairs only to leave them open all day. I sat by the pool on days 1 and 2 at sea and watched the same prime chairs stay open all day. Now they have added clips to the repertoire so the towels stay in place all day. No one from Royal is patrolling this or cares about this and why people do this is way beyond me. Awful, boorish behavior.

4) The elevator idiots. With one of the elevators being down the whole cruise (c'mon now RCCL) the elevators became even more packed than normal in the aft. That said, I saw countless apparently able bodies people take the elevators for just 1-2 floors. It got so bad that people would get in any elevator and pack them even more, just to have a chance to get where they were going. Riding up from 6 to 12 and then back down to 3 ( I only know this as many people were doing it and talking about it) Yes, we took the stairs most days but harder on the formal days when you have to traverse 7 floors or so in heels and dress shoes as a couple.

So has it tipped? Not yet. Yes, I will cruise again and unfortunately, I will just pay for suites going forward. After getting to Diamond and now D plus, there really is no benefit in it for me anymore other than the free booze. I love the sea, I love the ports but I hate waiting and being herded like cattle. The game has changed and now Diamond is not enough. Now you have to be Pinnacle (not obtainable before 75) or in a suite. I will buy the suite going forward. Royal wins again and makes even more money and the game continues......

Crash-

Perfect. Thanks for the thoughtful answer and I have to agree that is dead on with what I was thinking.

That is lemons, you will need to make lemonade. I agree with above, do not spend the whole day at the airport, try to put it to good use.

I will be travelling with my two sons (11,13) and my wife. We are looking at the Grand Suite with one bedroom, versus the Grand Suite with two bedrooms, versus the Crown Loft Suite.

If this question has been posted before, I am happy to look at any links.

Curious about privacy for the boys who may now notice some adult activities in the room. Access to the ship and dining rooms etc. The Crown Loft suites on line just look beautiful in their layout where the Grand Suites seems to offer more privacy but maybe not as panoramic or awe inspiring.

Finally, cabin choices for these levels and preferences on specific cabins.

Thanks-

Crash

1) I had no idea about the pool chair hogs. It was obscene on the ship. By 9:30, you were stuck in some awful corner or in the shade. I agree, everyone hates this and sees this but does anyone have a really good idea how to fix it? I know RCCL posted a sign that all items left unattended for 30 minutes would be picked up but I never saw this happening and it was not even threatening. I was thinking about marking a chair after 30 minutes with a cone or something if it was unoccupied and then picking up the stuff on the next 30 minute lap around the ship if it was still there. The problem with this though is the manpower to enact it. Does anyone have a solution for the pool chair issues on RCCL?

2) Tipping at Chops. We tipped $50 dollars on our bill of $100, just figuring that that would be the tip in a high-end steakhouse in Denver. After I left, I felt like it was too much. What do you all tip at the specialty restaurants on board? I know that there is some tip in the upcharge for eating there.

Thanks

P.s. try Chops on the next cruise, it is worth the extra money.

From a gentleman with over 30 cruises who was also just on the Allure I would add:

Chair Hogs- This is deplorable. We searched high and low on sea days for chairs and they were very hard to come by. I would love to see some kind of policy implemented to really remove people's belongings after 30 minutes as most chairs sit unused with simple towels on them all day.

Stewards and Waiters: They come in all shapes and sizes. I have had the best and unfortunately, the worst at one time or another. I am happy you got a good set. All waiters on this ship sure did try hard but they just seemed to be overwhelmed at times and I wonder if they have not added more work for them nowadays. The cabin steward we had on the Allure was perfect.

I agree with the rest of your review as being spot on. I do find the food in the MDR is not as good as it was 20 years ago but like you said, seek and you shall find, there is always something very palatable to be had on the menu.

Thanks for the great input and I am happy to hear you liked your cruise.

So we are booked on Allure for March 25th. Got a balcony for 3k and pretty happy about that deal for the four of us as it is Spring Break for most people.

I found the price through endless checking and rechecking of prices and finally hit a day where there were actually some discounts.

It is much like planes and I get it from the RCCL point of view. They have a business to run and it is supply and demand. It does seem to me though that the demand is waning and many, like me, were looking elsewhere for vacations. This caused a drop in prices and value oriented shoppers will probably start coming back.

I am excited for the cruise and will type a review. We did Oasis three years ago or so now and loved it.

I used to be a Loyal Royal, but times change. My last cruise with them was on the Serenade because I booked in May2014 at the beginning of their first BOGOHO sale, which really was a sale for 2 weeks. Since then, Royal's prices have gone crazy and I have found better deals on other lines.If they ever get back to reality, then they might see me again. By the way, they also have to change their stale itineraries.

They are never going to change. RCCL has put you in Jamaica where there is very little to do but visit the RCCL owned stores just off the ship. This is no coincidence.

Very interesting how things have changed.

I am complaining, I get it. If you want to be the person on the Allure who has paid $4000.00 for a cabin and I have paid $2000.00 then fine with me. I simply do not want to be that person. It makes me sick to be that person.

It is my feeling RCCL should treat their Diamond C and A customers with a little respect, that means figuring out the lowest price and offering it to them without all the B.S. If you do not feel that way, cool, keep getting screwed. RCCL has enough profits, I prefer to keep my money.

The link for the AI we did is in this thread in one of my posts. Again, it is not the same vacation but was reasonable enough. The "entertainment" was really lacking but the food ( we did the higher tier restaurant options) and the service were spot on. The beach was amazing. Most cruises we go the beaches anyways, so it was little different in that regard.

So, the travel agent was of little help. I would occasionally call her but she was not really checking prices. I have seen many on here quote websites that will keep you up to date on pricing and I would find that really interesting. Could someone please share one?

So, I get the latest email, 30% off and KSF. Hmmm, I check out pricing and we can now do this Oct 2, Allure , for about 2K balcony ocean with free gratuities and OBC on one of the cruise sites. Wow, really? The funniest part is I am not sure we can go as we are going to be in Europe for a wedding the previous week and it will be a lot of flying travel in a row. This our Fall Break so it allows us to take the kids when they are out of school, when most kids still have school. In that it is the "shoulder" season too, we usually get great rates like this. All that said, I am floored by this pricing and feel it is way beyond value. I looked at the Crown Suite and it is only $5500, when many are paying $4000 for a simple balcony, again, that is just crazy good price!

So, do all the people who pay $4000, now have the option of the lower price, or since it is only 60 days away, are they screwed? I guess if you have to go, you have to go, but for me, I will wait and see if it is really worth going.

One final thought, in that it is so close, we will have to pay a little more for airfare if we decide to go.

Does Royal still do the stock thing?

Crash-

Did get a massage on the beach everyday from a local gal for $40 that was an amazing hour, not associated with the resort but just a short walk away.