colesc15

Onboard had I booked Hideaway, it was listed at $124.99. Crazy since we booked it for $29.99

Yes. That's one of the major selling points of Hideaway is it's heated. If you've been in the Oasis pool in January/February, it's like ice water.

But yes, on the honest side, Royal 100% did a nice job with this area. Just turn the dang water temp down a tad bit lol

.. Until next time 😊 currently sitting pool side and totally worth the money. Plenty of space whether you want to be by the pool or down on the ocean. Music volume isn't bad and we're right by the dj. No kids. The couple different food options, like the coconut shrimp, were delicious. My only "complaint" would be the heated pool could be a few degrees colder than it is, as it's like bath water even at 9am, but the ice cold ocean cools you off real quick. Another fantastic area at Coco Cay!

What point list did you end up landing on for your sailing? Any early idea of the sailing you're going to choose?

Thanks for taking us along! It definitely helped get through the week for it to be my turn on oasis now. Been a few years since being on her and can't wait. How much time we'll be in the casino this week is to be determined. Lol

Is this in the small smoke free room? I didn't think the ones in the main casino were multi denomination.

You got this!

Agreed. About a year or so ago, waiters even flat out said if you hit the $20 they'll just close the tab and open a new one. None of that anymore. Burger and fries feels like the best deal but still silly.. Burger and playmaker fries is $11.99 but if you order just fries, like $8. Can't tell me the burger is only $3. Lol.

You used to be able to get 24 wings and an appetizer and still be under the$20 dining credit.. Now, dining package is nearly double and gets you half the food.

Thankfully those big losses have been extremely rare lol. I enjoy a lot of the other activities on the ship so I generally will look through the instant certificates before the cruise, see what level I want to get to, and then be disciplined enough to leave once I get to the level I want. Generally you can get to the 4,000 or less point lists without massive losses as long as you're strategic with the slots to play.

Never done bistro either. Always been interested but never enough to actually try it.

Yep this exactly. Many times a "free" cruise ends up costing more than had you paid for it at normal rates, but like I said earlier, me specifically, I was gambling in the casinos before they implemented the casino program, so it's nice to get something in return for your money. Some cruises I can walk away ahead or even (I consider even a win), or there's been 7 night sailings where I've lost $10,000. With or without the casino program, I would have gambled anyway, but if you lose $10k and get a $4k cruise in return with free drinks etc, the loss quickly became "less".

I'd be jealous if you were actually going to Montego Bay tomorrow instead of Falmouth 😊 dang royal and their Falmouth vs Montego like carnival!

Every time I see this at 150cp, I think of how bizarre it is that they do this with lamb and not the usual beef. Would be so much better as the traditional beef.

Win big!

That's exactly how I view it as well, prepaying lol. I'd gamble regardless, so it's nice to get something in return compared to land based casinos. Sometimes, if luck is on your side, it's even better. Example, two weeks ago, I did a 4 night cruise. Earned enough for an instant reward certificate that had Icon on it and I booked that. When the 4 night cruise ended, I was actually slightly ahead with money, so I made a little, drank for free and got a cabin on icon for may that's selling for nearly $4,000 a person right now. Love the casino program and love it even more when you occasionally win. Just have to go into it expecting to lose though and if you beat the odds, even better!

The only item when a cost is the lobster. All the fish items, shrimp, and chicken are free. Small portions but can get as many as you wish

I'll have to give this drink another chance. I vaguely remember trying it a few months ago and wasn't crazy about it but I'll give it another go.

I miss when full rolls were included with the dining package.

I see from your signature you've done carnival and recently oasis.. What are your thoughts on the difference in product and ship?

Good point. Forgot it was a different port!

I swear Royal prides themself on stale breads. I can't think of a ship I've been on where the hot dog and hamburger buns in the windjammer aren't stale or hard as a rock lol. I've learned if I want a burger, grab a roll from the bread area and make your own bun.

Hopefully better luck tonight! I still haven't decided what our casino plans are for next week. My wife and I are both already prime for next year, and we just used our instant reward from two weeks ago to book Icon for may, so not sure if I want to go for any reward certificate next week.

Hi! My wife and I are starting to dabble in Carnival because of their casino status match program. We've both only sailed Royal and done about 20 cruises (both in our 30s). Right now, we already have Mardi Gras booked on an 8 nighter in August. I'm needing to pick one more cruise to has under my account, and I think I've narrowed it down but looking for opinions. Just a call out, any of the cruises, I'm only paying the port fees and taxes, the rest is comped. Option 1) Celebration 7 nighter to cozumel, mahogany bay and Costa Maya. Obviously thumbs up to the ship, down to the itinerary as we've been to them a million times. Also experiencing Mardi Gras a month or two before this. Option 2) Carnival legend 8 nighter to Limon, colon, and grand cayman. Limon and colon would be new ports to us. Biggest concern is the age of Legend as we like the newer Royal ships and the interior videos I've seen I'd legend remind me of stuff I'd see 30 years ago. Option 3) Carnival horizon 8 nighter to Aruba, bonaire, la Romana and amber cove. La Romana would be the only new port, but Aruba is one of my favorite ports. Horizon appears to be newer and more modern, just not to the extent of celebration/mardi gras. Option 4)?? Could do Jubilee but not crazy about going out of Galveston Thoughts? There's a ton I can choose from, but the older ships I've kind of ruled out since my best "bang for my buck" on this free cruise is the more expensive ship's.