Starry Eyes

DH and I are d+ so we each get 2 free days. We share that access and space out those 4 24 hour periods over the course of a typical cruise. We have access over half the time and that’s all we need. How much time do you want your 14 year old to be on line during the vacation? You might buy her a package. You might buy “yourself” a single device package so you can “stay in contact with work” and “share” an agreed upon number of hours with her, so she could check in with friends daily but not be online the entire vacation. You might not buy any.

FYI ,in case it impacts your choices, the 340+ lunches are only on 7+ day cruises. Don’t expect one on the 6 day segment if you book that 6+8 b2b ”Cheers with an Officer available only on cruise vacations of 7 nights or longer. Members with 340+ points are entitled to one (1) Cheers with an Officer event per voyage which includes a complimentary lunch — house red, white and sparkling wine will be served.”

Someone who would forget which cubby could also forget which lounge chair. Couldn’t a self entitled bore take a towel off the wrong chair just as they could out of the wrong cubby? Either way, your towel is gone while you are still in the pool. They could mount obvious (and also less obvious) security cameras directed the cubbies to discourage any self entitled bores and any young mischief makers

Another point to consider: generally the shorter the cruise, the more of a party crowd it tends to draw. So, if you are totally party people, that’s a plus in the the b2b short cruise’s column. If you are less party people, the plus goes in the other column. For me, I’d go with the 7 day, I do not like turnaround days that well.

The oversell situation may have been specifically for balconies with 3 or 4 guest capacity. Your friend’s doubles may not have been oversold. Just a guess. I know you won the RoyalUp to the CL…congrats.

LOL, quote said the average bum crack. Having spent a career in healthcare, I may have seen the average bum crack

100 ml on average? Did that make sense to you? Think about it…that’s enough to fill a TSA travel bottle. I think that “expert” has poo between his ears. I don’t use the hot tubs, but that’s an exaggeration.

No, the new MTD scheme started Before the shutdown on some ships. It was not created after covid or due to covid. That may be when You first experienced it, but enough of us experienced the revised MTD scheme Before the shutdown that you must accept that fact.

RCI has created a cycle. They changed MTD (for the worse), so cruisers who would chose MTD react by asking for traditional dining, and RCI uses that “increasing demand for traditional dining” to justify their cuts to MTD, expanding the change to more ships.

I did not take it that way. I am not anti Pinnacle either. I probably will make Pinnacle eventually, though I am not taking any special steps to do so. The points just accumulate as we enjoy our cruises.

People are only “stuck” if they want to be stuck. If they like the perks so much that they do not even look at other options, they are stuck. I suspect in addition to regular monthly retirement income many Pinnacles have a substantial amount of money in investment accounts that they can draw upon at will. Some retirees accumulated that money by spending carefully throughout their lives. They may be able to afford any cruiseline, but that does not mean they are inclined toward the ultra luxury brands.

Perhaps people whose families have struggled through serious health issues or a rough financial patch will have a different opinion. It has not happen to me, knock on wood, but I know there are circumstances could keep me on land for three years.

I have never had a “disgusting” cabin on check in (85 cruises on various lines), so perhaps don’t worry too much😉 That said, how would you want to be treated in there were an issue at your job? If a client notes a problem in your work area, would you want them to assume you don’t care enough to do things right and immediately go over your head? Or perhaps would you want them to approach you with an open mind and give you chance first?

What category cabin did you book and how many guests? Are your friends in same category with same capacity? Just as you would be inclined to accept option 3 (if not for your friends), others on the ship will also be tempted by the offer. I suspect Royal will get sufficient volunteers.

Not many people would pick option #1, but maybe for personal reasons someone would rather cruise in June. Option 2 does not work for everyone as many schools are back in session.

At crowded times, we slip away one at a time, be it to the restroom, to the bar or for a snack. If we will both be gone longer we give up our chairs.

And remember that casual cruiser ex boyfriend not only gives his new GF D status, it also passes to his GF’s minor children.

I rather wish they would remove the matching status if/when the spousal or significant other relationship ends. The previous spouse/SO loses their linked status before a new new one can be attached to the account. I see no reason a person with a series of temporary live-in GF’s or BF’s should pass permanent C&A status to each of those ex’s, for example.

I understand the desire for flexibility, but since you mentioned reservations, I thought I’d throw it out there. Solarium Bistro is still a buffet, yet a bit nicer atmosphere and waitstaff bring drinks. It may or may not suit your family. If you book then and decide to cancel on board, someone else will likely snap it right up.

OK, how many were full suite to full suite? when I think of a suite upgrade, I am thinking if a full suite, not a (yawn) JS.

Of those four suite upgrades since full capacity, how many were from one suite category to another suite category? And how many from a regular stateroom up to a suite?

I often have the impression that MTD lines are longer near the opening time…though *hopefully* those lines clear fairly quickly as so many tables become available (the early diners all sat at the same time, so they file out steadily). So the line might be gone by 7:30, as the above poster reported. Or maybe lines were never bad on that cruise🤷‍♀️. Different people on different cruises will report different experiences. I just want people, especially ones with little kids, to know about the odd MTD start times on Royal so they are prepared. Another free dining option in the evening you might consider is Solarium Bistro. Take a look at that menu and see if it would appeal to your family. If so, make a reservation if still available. You can cancel if you change your mind but if you wait too long all the reservations will likely be gone.

Actually you have two choices: If you want reservations, you could go to the MTD desk early on boarding day and ask for reservations. There is a chance you will get one at a time you like…or not. Worst you will hear is no. You can also go without reservations. Outside the MTD dining room, there will be two lines. One for people with reservations and one for people without reservations. Join the latter whenever you wish. You will be seated; I don’t know how long the line might be or how long you might wait. BTW, some people do report showing up before the MTD start time and being seated. After all, every night there are some early traditional diners who do not come to the MDR). The MTD host may be able to go ahead and fill those seats if it won’t interfere with the work flow of early traditional dining waiters. You can stop by the MTD desk early and ask very politely.

we are in the same situation for our upcoming b2b. We submitted bids for full suites though full suites are sold out. So first someone in a suite must cancel; that’s not a frequent event but it does happen now and then. Then Royal either puts the suite for sale on the web or puts it into RoyalUp. If it goes to RoyalUp, our bid must be selected. I bid what the suite is worth to me. As our bids are not super high, good chance somebody will have out bid us. Overall, my odds are low, but as the bidding is easy I still take the shot. We won a RoyalUp on our January cruise from OV to balcony. Balconies and suites had been sold out (the whole cruise was sold out for a bit) for weeks. There must have been cancellations and we moved up. There are far more balconies on a ship than suites. So more balconies become available due to cancellations than do suites.

Pretty sure the deadline is shorter than that. We booked the day prior to sailing a few years ago.