captainannoyed!

15 nights are going to be awesome!!!! Enjoy!!!

@TheInnocentAge I did find that there’s not so many ‘secret’ perks. I did ask about being able to be on the bridge for sail away. But only the standard bridge tour was offered. As others have stated, there’s no dining at the captain’s table anymore. However, the experience was absolutely wonderful! You will be personally escorted onboard to the suite by the Concierge, and the Royal Suite will be ready for you to go to directly without a wait. I do think they sent us a few extra nice things. Chocolate covered strawberries and I think an extra bottle of wine. You will be extremely happy with the RS, as the Jewel was the ship I was on also. The AC was awesome! We tried to turn it down. But it took us a bit to find the FOUR thermostats (yes there are four ‘zones)! The showers are the VERY BEST I ever experienced on a cruise (I’ve been in a number of GS and an OS before - no comparison)! Room service was very noticeably faster, and the food hotter on arrival than I ever had on a cruise before. We ordered from the main dining room and had dinner on the balcony when the wind or humidity were not an issue. The rest of the nights we had dinner at the dining table in the suite. It was awesome! You could live in this suite! There was a feeling that we were being looked after with more than normal attention, yet never with any kind of intrusion. You just know there is elevated attention. Overall, and I wanted this suite for about 25 years since I first cruised and found out about it, the Royal Suite was absolutely everything I hoped it would be! I’ll definitely sail in it again when budget permits! Enjoy your cruise! You are going to have a great time! If you remember, please reach out here and let me know what you thought after your cruise!

Okay, thanks for clearing that up.

After the cruise I just returned from I have made D+. I was looking over the D+ benefits, and saw one I hadn’t noticed before. Specifically. Under ‘Drinks and Dining’ Onboard Benefits, there is a discount on any glass of wine, beer, or soda, listed at 25%. Now, this is separate from the 50% discount on same at 2x per sailing. If I understand this as it is written, does this mean I now have the 25% discount on all wine, beer, and soda (apparently mixed drinks, shots not included)? I’ve always bought the drink package since it was offered by Royal. But if I understand this benefit, between the 5 D+ drinks and this discount I’m thinking I could skip the package. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Interesting.

Nope. Open bar, won’t even ask your stateroom number.

I am also a big fan of the Radiance class. Yes, Seaview Cafe was one of the ‘hidden jems’ of the original deck plans. I still miss that, especially because Izumi doesn’t appeal to me. Perfect size ship for me, everything I want and none of the things I don’t.

Rita’s wasn’t originally on Radiance class ships. I’m not sure when they were added. It was (is still on Brilliance) just outside the Windjammer on the port side. Location of Rita’s is / was problematic, because access is more difficult when the Windjammer is closed. Actually, I’m not certain you even can get there when the Windjammer is closed. I believe there is access adjacent to the sports court and water slide to Izumi. Then, one could use the stairs next to Izumi to go back to deck 10 to the outside aft Windjammer seating and thus access to Rita’s. You'd have to really want to get there. As others have said, the loss isn’t important. I’m not sure if Royal really even thought out what they wanted Rita’s to be. It always felt like a half thought out concept, and just tacked on like a Lego block. If it was meant to be a Mexican themed bar, shouldn’t it have had chips and salsa? Who knows, maybe it did? I’d never know because I never saw a Rita’s open! Ultimately, the space is better used for seating - though a bar in this spot is a good idea.

Okay, this must have happened recently. Because this was the first time I saw Rita’s actually removed. Perhaps I was catching sailings just before the changes.

I am just off the Jewel, and noticed that Rita’s has been completely removed and replaced with Windjammer seating. I’m thinking this is recent, because I just did a search here and didn’t see any posts about this. IMHO, this is probably better. Rita’s seemed like a half finished concept. I’ve been on all of the Radiance Class (except the Radiance itself) over the last two years. Rita’s was rarely open, and just sat dark. I think the idea could have been interesting had it been fully executed. Anyway, figured I’d post in case anyone is interested.

I can easily believe that. It seems like they’ve got 100% occupancy pretty aced. But if you have flexibility and live in FL I do feel like that’s the basis of opportunity.

While I subscribe to early booking being most advantageous form pricing and the ability to take advantage of (increasingly unusual) price drops before final payment, I will agree that booking last minute / post final payment date can offer deals. However, I would argue that the savings come with other costs. First, the cruise you want may sell out - and this happens a lot. Second, if cabin location / choice matters to you this is unlikely to give you the vacation you desire. Think about it. What cabins are likely to remain unsold? The ones everyone else doesn’t want. Cabin location matters a lot to me, and I’d never book a GTY because of that, and playing kamikazi with last minute cabin availability isn’t for everybody. True, a great cabin might show up via a last minute cancellation. But if I want to gamble, I’d rather do it in the casino than my cabin. Third, airfare. Last minute airfare tends to be higher than further out. If you have to fly to your cruise, the savings on a last minute cabin fare could be more than eclipsed by the cost of the flight. Fourth, everything I just wrote goes out the window if you live in Florida. If you can drive to multiple major cruise ports, have an openness to destinations, and don’t have a preference in regards to cabin, you can game the system. As far as I see, cheap last minute cruise opportunities would rank as the number one reason to move to Florida. I have to believe that I the few days before the cruise, aside from the requirements to have a set passenger list 48 (?) hours before sailing, there’s got to be a last minute spot to be had at big savings.

I agree with the other responses regarding booking early. From everything I’ve seen in the last few years the best rates are at the opening of booking. I haven’t seen a pice drop on any cruise I have booked in the last few years, but many price increases. So, there’s every reason to book early with a minimum deposit. In the event a price drop does happen it can only help you.

I have no interest in the mega ships. Radiance class is my favorite, though I will sail Freedom class. But RCCL lost me Oasis and larger. I’d rather just go to an all inclusive resort than have to walk those halls.