Bloodgem Posted December 6, 2018 #226 Share Posted December 6, 2018 5 hours ago, Host Clarea said: Unlimited specialty coffee. Unlimited drinks at any bar during the 3.5 hour evening cocktail period. Keep the drinks limit the same, during the evening HH, but add a lunch HH. 2-3 drinks between 12 pm and 2 pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 6, 2018 #227 Share Posted December 6, 2018 4 hours ago, davekathy said: Sorry to hear of your loss. I feel I knew Pauline's mam as you loving mentioned her in a lot of your posts. Thank you. I knew Ruth for 40 years and saw her every day when we were not on holiday. She is a big miss. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 6, 2018 #228 Share Posted December 6, 2018 4 hours ago, John&LaLa said: Sorry about Pauline's mom, I knew she was up there in age. I'll put a pic of Bella in the Diamond thread for her. Thank you, The pictures of Bella always cheer up Pauline and i. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 6, 2018 #229 Share Posted December 6, 2018 8 hours ago, Hoopster95 said: You're welcome. At least it gives you an excursion option you didn't know about if you're a movie buff. IIRC it was not offered by RCL, you had to book online privately https://www.robertshawaii.com/kauai/tours/hawaii-movie-tours/ Thank you for this very helpful information,we really appreciate your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 6, 2018 #230 Share Posted December 6, 2018 8 hours ago, mugtech said: Or you could make an appointment as real estate investors, ask to see the property. Great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 6, 2018 #231 Share Posted December 6, 2018 On 12/4/2018 at 6:17 PM, auntiedodo said: Our D+ friends can’t get into the lounge or the overflow lounge because there are hundreds and hundreds of Diamond and Diamond plus on board, so many there are officers stationed outside to turn people away. It seems to me it’s time to have Diamonds get their drinks on their cards and have the lounge for D+. Royal doesn’t seem to have a clue how to resolve the problem! In Europe sailings the lounges are rarely full. On a 5 night cruise on Independence in May from Southampton they opened up Olive and Twist lounge as a private overflow which was lovely and was a perfect solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heatherb1958 Posted December 6, 2018 #232 Share Posted December 6, 2018 I’ll put in my two cents. What did all you guys do when you first started cruising before you attained any perks? Sit in your cabin all day moaning that you weren’t getting anything for ‘ free’ and stamped your feet ? No, I bet you were enjoying that exciting experience of being on a cruise and exploring all the facilities and yes that would have been the bars all around the ship. We just did the Westbound Panama Canal Cruise , 16 nights, we went to the SL twice and the SEAL( Some Enchanted Evening lounge) 5 times , all times were after dinner and to be honest we only went to say hi to others and see the Concierge. Before dinner we would go to the Rbar , listen to the great bands and dance ! We were not limited to 3 drinks and we had fun with others making new friends . We had a blast and did not hear any moaning because everyone there was there to have fun , free drinks or not. I am sure CC’rs from the other boards regard RCI cruisers as a bunch of raging alcoholics as that is what most of you are obsessed about. One of the reasons we now love MSC is because for us it feels like cruising used to do when we first started.No one is obsessing about when and where they can get their free drinks , constantly moaning . We enjoy the ships, find a bar with a great band and have a drink , chat with others and if I am lucky have a dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare little britain Posted December 6, 2018 #233 Share Posted December 6, 2018 3 hours ago, grapau27 said: In Europe sailings the lounges are rarely full. On a 5 night cruise on Independence in May from Southampton they opened up Olive and Twist lounge as a private overflow which was lovely and was a perfect solution. On Rhapsody now ( repo Venice to Barcelona).. so many members that the CL is Suites and Pinnacles only, and the whole of the Shall We Dance lounge is for D and D+ in the evenings , therefore excluding all other guests from that sizeable area for 3 1/2 hrs every evening. As I’m travelling with 3 first timers therefore have not been in SWD once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted December 6, 2018 #234 Share Posted December 6, 2018 ^ a preview for the TA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted December 6, 2018 #235 Share Posted December 6, 2018 9 hours ago, John&LaLa said: Reminds me of turpentine. What does turpentine taste like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 6, 2018 #236 Share Posted December 6, 2018 18 minutes ago, little britain said: On Rhapsody now ( repo Venice to Barcelona).. so many members that the CL is Suites and Pinnacles only, and the whole of the Shall We Dance lounge is for D and D+ in the evenings , therefore excluding all other guests from that sizeable area for 3 1/2 hrs every evening. As I’m travelling with 3 first timers therefore have not been in SWD once. When we got back on Independence in October we used our 3 free drinks each.in boleros and the champagne Lounge. The downside of these lounges is you are expected to go to the bar yourself to get your drinks. After the first drink we got waiter service as I was tipping them per drink. In the Diamond Lounge you are served to your table which is what we prefer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted December 6, 2018 #237 Share Posted December 6, 2018 22 minutes ago, Biker19 said: What does turpentine taste like? Tequila 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted December 6, 2018 #238 Share Posted December 6, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, heatherb1958 said: I’ll put in my two cents. What did all you guys do when you first started cruising before you attained any perks? Sit in your cabin all day moaning that you weren’t getting anything for ‘ free’ and stamped your feet ? No, I bet you were enjoying that exciting experience of being on a cruise and exploring all the facilities and yes that would have been the bars all around the ship. We just did the Westbound Panama Canal Cruise , 16 nights, we went to the SL twice and the SEAL( Some Enchanted Evening lounge) 5 times , all times were after dinner and to be honest we only went to say hi to others and see the Concierge. Before dinner we would go to the Rbar , listen to the great bands and dance ! We were not limited to 3 drinks and we had fun with others making new friends . We had a blast and did not hear any moaning because everyone there was there to have fun , free drinks or not. I am sure CC’rs from the other boards regard RCI cruisers as a bunch of raging alcoholics as that is what most of you are obsessed about. One of the reasons we now love MSC is because for us it feels like cruising used to do when we first started.No one is obsessing about when and where they can get their free drinks , constantly moaning . We enjoy the ships, find a bar with a great band and have a drink , chat with others and if I am lucky have a dance. You are my hero - That is generally how we spend our pre dinner time on RCCL. I've never used all three vouchers at ship bars, so the 3 limit is never an issue. In the unlikely event that I use all three, I can simply use my sea pass card and BUY a drink. M Edited December 6, 2018 by cruisegirl1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 6, 2018 #239 Share Posted December 6, 2018 2 hours ago, heatherb1958 said: I’ll put in my two cents. What did all you guys do when you first started cruising before you attained any perks? Sit in your cabin all day moaning that you weren’t getting anything for ‘ free’ and stamped your feet ? No, I bet you were enjoying that exciting experience of being on a cruise and exploring all the facilities and yes that would have been the bars all around the ship. We just did the Westbound Panama Canal Cruise , 16 nights, we went to the SL twice and the SEAL( Some Enchanted Evening lounge) 5 times , all times were after dinner and to be honest we only went to say hi to others and see the Concierge. Before dinner we would go to the Rbar , listen to the great bands and dance ! We were not limited to 3 drinks and we had fun with others making new friends . We had a blast and did not hear any moaning because everyone there was there to have fun , free drinks or not. I am sure CC’rs from the other boards regard RCI cruisers as a bunch of raging alcoholics as that is what most of you are obsessed about. One of the reasons we now love MSC is because for us it feels like cruising used to do when we first started.No one is obsessing about when and where they can get their free drinks , constantly moaning . We enjoy the ships, find a bar with a great band and have a drink , chat with others and if I am lucky have a dance. I believe you are a Pinnacle member so there are plenty of benefits for you so I am a little surprised you prefer MSC. for most of us who like a drink the diamond Lounge suits our purposes perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted December 6, 2018 #240 Share Posted December 6, 2018 21 hours ago, davekathy said: ...or extend the required points out further in order to make diamond starting January 2019. 😛 I hope if point changes come, that there is some advance notice. Many are just a few points shy of the next level. After our upcoming cruise this month, we are just 3 points from Pinnacle. We have a cruise booked in early January to reach that level. I would hate to learn in late December that on that on Jan 1, I'll need more points for Pinnacle. I don't live in Florida or near a port, and can't hop on a 3 night cruise that easily. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted December 6, 2018 #241 Share Posted December 6, 2018 21 hours ago, Bloodgem said: I feel your pain. We get this reaction every time we enter the DL. It's either the jeans and trainers I always wear or it's my sons wheelchair. That is weird, as jeans are a perfectly acceptable clothing option and seeing someone ( or several passengers) in a wheelchair is a common occurrence on just about every cruise. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molly361 Posted December 6, 2018 #242 Share Posted December 6, 2018 (edited) On 12/4/2018 at 2:20 PM, bouhunter said: Yep. How many posts will this one hit - 200, 300, 500.................? First goal met!!👼🍺 And well on the way to goal #2 Edited December 6, 2018 by molly361 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heatherb1958 Posted December 6, 2018 #243 Share Posted December 6, 2018 17 minutes ago, grapau27 said: I believe you are a Pinnacle member so there are plenty of benefits for you so I am a little surprised you prefer MSC. for most of us who like a drink the diamond Lounge suits our purposes perfectly. You are correct, we are Pinnacle , sometimes I wish we weren’t, the only perk I miss when sailing MSC is some free WiFi , we just look for some when in port which means finding a nice cafe or bar and spending in the local community. We currently have 3 MSC cruises booked and zero RCI . I think that says a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted December 6, 2018 #244 Share Posted December 6, 2018 25 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said: That is weird, as jeans are a perfectly acceptable clothing option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 6, 2018 #245 Share Posted December 6, 2018 11 minutes ago, heatherb1958 said: You are correct, we are Pinnacle , sometimes I wish we weren’t, the only perk I miss when sailing MSC is some free WiFi , we just look for some when in port which means finding a nice cafe or bar and spending in the local community. We currently have 3 MSC cruises booked and zero RCI . I think that says a lot. We are D+ but have 1 Princess 15 night,1 P&O 7 night and 1 RC 3 night cruises booked for next year so I do empathise to a degree with you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Researcher Posted December 6, 2018 #246 Share Posted December 6, 2018 22 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said: I hope if point changes come, that there is some advance notice. Many are just a few points shy of the next level. After our upcoming cruise this month, we are just 3 points from Pinnacle. We have a cruise booked in early January to reach that level. I would hate to learn in late December that on that on Jan 1, I'll need more points for Pinnacle. I don't live in Florida or near a port, and can't hop on a 3 night cruise that easily. M I don't think there is anything wrong with the points required to reach the current levels, RCI just needs to adjust the lounges to resolve issues caused by having so many Diamond (and above) passengers on each sailing. If they raise points required to reach Diamond I think this will be a disincentive to new cruisers. "I have to sail how many nights before I reach XYZ level! Forget it!" Are there other issues on the ship due to the large numbers of D and above? The 3 evening drink coupons certainly don't cause issues as there are so many bars and lounges available throughout the ship. The topic of this thread seems to be the biggest issue with the current situation... too many passengers trying to access the same limited lounge(s). Either eliminate them completely or make the points higher to access. My suggestion is to change the lounge to a point level, not a C&A level. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted December 6, 2018 #247 Share Posted December 6, 2018 8 minutes ago, Biker19 said: Ha Ha - they probably cost hundreds I imagine if the poster walked in with those jeans that there would be some stares. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapau27 Posted December 6, 2018 #248 Share Posted December 6, 2018 1 minute ago, The Fun Researcher said: I don't think there is anything wrong with the points required to reach the current levels, RCI just needs to adjust the lounges to resolve issues caused by having so many Diamond (and above) passengers on each sailing. If they raise points required to reach Diamond I think this will be a disincentive to new cruisers. "I have to sail how many nights before I reach XYZ level! Forget it!" Are there other issues on the ship due to the large numbers of D and above? The 3 evening drink coupons certainly don't cause issues as there are so many bars and lounges available throughout the ship. The topic of this thread seems to be the biggest issue with the current situation... too many passengers trying to access the same limited lounge(s). Either eliminate them completely or make the points higher to access. My suggestion is to change the lounge to a point level, not a C&A level. Dan I met opposition on another thread when I suggested making DL a loyalty lounge for D+ and P during cocktail hours only and giving D members extra drinks vouchers but still allow them access to the lounge after cocktail hours for coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted December 6, 2018 #249 Share Posted December 6, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Biker19 said: What does turpentine taste like? Please, we dont need another Zef.🙄 Plus, I didn't say it tasted like turpentine. 😉 Edited December 6, 2018 by John&LaLa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBE4 Posted December 6, 2018 #250 Share Posted December 6, 2018 3 hours ago, heatherb1958 said: I am sure CC’rs from the other boards regard RCI cruisers as a bunch of raging alcoholics as that is what most of you are obsessed about. One of the reasons we now love MSC is because for us it feels like cruising used to do when we first started.No one is obsessing about when and where they can get their free drinks , constantly moaning . I think you may have missed the point. It's not about getting drunk. As you know, you have 3 drinks loaded to your card and can drink just about anywhere on the ship. The point is not being able to access a lounge that you are entitled to. It's not a party lounge, but a quiet space (I think) where frequent cruisers can meet other frequent cruises while noshing on appetizers and sipping a pre-dinner cocktail. I'm not even a Diamond and I understand that. As for moaning, I'm sure that if you have ever earned a reward / perk / bonus / benefit and were unable to use it, you'd might want to voice your disappointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts