Starry Eyes

Remember to put your two bottles of wine per stateroom in carryon bags. No wine allowance for checked bags.

Oh, I bet there would be lots of (smudged) fingerprints on a DL coffee machine. We’d have trouble fingering you that way.😀

Did you break another machine😉

People spend their time differently. Which do you value more a bigger balcony or a bigger cabin? The concierge does not seem valuable to you. Are the free happy hour drinks and snacks in the lounge valuable to you? They are to some, while not to others. Also, you do not get to pick your suite location, so you could get a noisier location; if you are noise sensitive, that’s a reason to pass. I’m not sure it matters what others would do, but I’ll share. We don’t spend a lot of time on the balcony but do enjoy a luxurious suite now and then. I’d probably bid.

Yeah, that way after noisily announcing their departure they could not quietly return for a cappuccino in the DL when they miss C&A benefits.

Well, I guess I lost this round of “Pinnacle Clue”😀

That’s very sweet and all, but let’s not lose sight of the most important question of the thread: Was Laura the Pinnacle saving seats in the Lounge with Knitting Needles?😉😂

Please remember when you do reach D, the vouchers are for beverages of all kinds… they need not contain alcohol. Some big fans if the new vouchers do not drink alcohol, as now they can use their vouchers, for example, for a fancy coffee (hot or iced) at cafe promenade, a fresh squeezed OJ at breakfast, and a virgin pina colada by the pool in the afternoon…none of which were covered previously.

Royal bigwig recently said the menus would change but they wouldn’t be the menus tested on Symphony…those were test menus not the final fleetwide menus. One would guess the Symphony test menus reflect the company’s general thought process, but will be refined based on user feedback. DH and I like the French Onion soup, though we don’t need that much cheese. We just leave the extra.

I hope not. Those large, crowded main dining rooms are already noisy. Aesthetics preferences aside, the table cloths dampen some of that noise. Back to aesthetics: the current decor of the dining rooms calls for tables cloths. Maybe a decorator could design a dining room that large that looked good without tablecloths; that’s a project for a revamp or for a new ship.

It’s kinda sweet that you are willing to label Royal IT screw ups are a “ strange phenomenon” edit: I guess I’d give them a partial credit if the listed options really were different. For example: inside gty and promenade view gty under inside cabins; neighborhood balcony gty or obstructed balcony gty and OV balcony gty under balconies. The booking website is still awkward, so I cannot be very kind.

My objection: cans cannot be recapped. I’m comfortable with the quality of the tap water in the ship. DH and like to have several screw top bottles to refill/reuse during the cruise. We refill bottles at our own sink, not at a public venue. We carry (refilled) bottles with us as needed. We’ll have a couple in the frig/chiller (sometimes we shake in a package of water enhancer- that’s not so convenient with a can of water) for a cool drink on a warm day. The nightstands are much smaller than home, so a capped water bottle is a better choice than a glass (or can) of water on the small nightstand (with the phone). No spills with a capped bottle. We try to pack light; we really don’t want to pack multiple water bottles. Still, if we do start bringing our own bottled water because Royal is providing cans, Royal will have to dispose of the cans they provide as well as the bottles we bring on board. We got a lot of use out of the 4 bottles that were previously in our cabin; we get minimal use from 4 cans.

That’s a mouthful. Plus, some of us hope they name that 340-350 level someday. They could call it “over 80 club” That might reduce the crowd, too🤣🤣🤣🤣

That must have been an unfortunate and memorable experience. Launched in 2006, Jade is 16 years old. That’s not particularly old for a cruiseship. That’s not particularly old for a cruise ship. Fourteen of Royal Caribbean’s ship’s are 16 or older. Just as mechanical problems can occur in cars old and new, they can also happen to any ship. I have not been on NCL since the restart. There have been food complaints on every cruiseline before and after the restart. Some people have said NCL’s food is now better than Royal Caribbean’s. It’s personal taste colored by personal biases, so there will never be a consensus. I remember an X cruise with hubby and his sister. Raised in same home, eating the same food, and close in age, the two of them are still thick as thieves. He loved the food. She politely picked at it.

There was already a footnote about capacity and Royal was using it. There is no pleasure in looking forward to having your choice of two lounges for coffee, breakfast, snacks and seating only to learn shortly after boarding that due to capacity restrictions you cannot access the CL after all. If you really liked that lounge, it’s a bummer the first time it happens….worse than knowing way in advance, in my opinion.

Are you planning pre or post cruise time in (or near) the port city? If so, would you rather spend that time in (or near) Rome or Athens? That might help me decide. When I were take a port intensive cruise where I will be doing lots of excursions, I personally worry less about ship amenities, as I’m so busy/tired from ports I am happy with a comfy, floating hotel. So either ship would certainly work for me on a port intensive cruise. Other people would, of course, feel differently.

See highlights above. Many others have said they like the 5 drinks (or 4 or 6 depending on level) a day. Royal would have been smarter to eliminate the CL access at the same time they instituted the 5 drinks a day, but due to capacity limits it functionally it worked that way for me. We have also come to like the 2 free days of internet per D+ member (changed from minutes years ago). It has worked well for us.

We were not allowed access to the CL on recent Jewel sailing and did not anticipate CL access on our upcoming Jewel sailing. You’d probably have had a note in your cabin anyway.

Cruise loyalty programs change. They make changes you like; they also make changes you do not like. They do not promise the same perks forever. Enjoy them while they are in place. I also like the 5 drinks a day very much. As capacity limits had precluded me from accessing the CL on recent cruises, this new rule functionally changes nothing for me.

Did the quoted price match the prices you saw online for an Infinity Family Balcony for four for that sailing? I look at prices online before I call to book a cruise. Were the agent to come up with a price substantially better than my research, I’d suspect a miscommunication or other issue… I’d definitely get an emailed invoice and review it with the agent before hanging up.

That’s the first time I’ve heard Radiance Class called Brilliance class instead.

It was a “Diamond Event” that served wine, soda, and peanuts….they were only held on the ships without Diamond Lounges after D’s lost access to CL. As DL’s (with all the DL features) were added to the ships, Diamond Events gradually disappeared.

Well, I think they should name the 340 (or 350) point level. They are already giving added benefits at that level. I don’t think they should change the threshold for D+ from 175 to 350 as trburks suggested. Doing so would either (a) send a lot current D+’s back to D (creating resentment) or (b) grandfather those current D+, so soon a bunch of D’s would have more points than many of the grandfathered D+’s they meet (creating resentment).