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We have a sailing in October to NE/Canada and one next June to Alaska. The October sailing offerings are on "sale" (and I use the term loosely). I stated on another board that we are newbies to RCL. Their sales are a game of "Three Card Monty". 1/2 off 1 if you buy 2. "Up to 40% off" again depending on the number you buy or the time of the event - never seems to get to the magic 40% off number. 30% off but gratuities are added in after the fact. And my favorite catch-all - "Pre-Cruise Deal or Pre-Cruise Sale".

We are doing the Quantum this very same week but in 2023 (actually June 12-19, 2023). So glad to hear the weather was cooperative - warm and sunny. We are going with our 3 grown kids and their spouses. My daughter and her husband are the only ones without a passport and or TSA-Pre. I am pestering them to get the Passport and Global Entry (just $25 more than TSA-Pre). Can't wait and fingers crossed for BIG sales of add-ons like DBP, The Key and other services. Thanks for posting the pics and trip updates.

We are sailing out of Boston in October (NE/Canada) on the VOTS. The only glitch is to my wallet as prices for add-ons are too dang high. We are RCL newbies and it seems that everyone talks about getting DBP drink packages for $50ish. We have 2 sailings booked, the NE/Canada, and a trip next June to Alaska on Quantum. DBP prices have not dropped below $70 for either since we have put down our deposits. I hope to get some sort of "Black Friday" deal on the Alaska trip.

I too have a question about The Key. Is there a limited number sold or is the number sold capped for each sailing? I want to get The Key for us, but the price point is not there. Waiting on a sale that will bring it down to a more affordable option. Don't want to wait so long that they are sold out (if the number for sale is in fact capped).

I've got 2 sailings and the pricing just seems to Yo-Yo up a few bucks, then back down to my original price. The pricing on both (Oct 2022 and June 2023) has never dropped below my original booking price. I figured that with fuel prices, the costs are only going up from here - either that or they will drop in a fuel surcharge sometime in the future.

I've got 2 Amex cards, but they are both travel point cards - Hilton Honors and Marriot Bonvoy. Neither one is showing that benefit. Rats.

^^^This^^^ I could never figure out the draw or advantage of a reduced deposit (or delayed payments in the auto or mortgage loan business). You've all heard the ads "Zero down and no monthly payment for 6 months" - LOL. You're going to pay the entire amount. Maybe if it is a non-refundable deposit. Otherwise, you are just pushing a large payment down the road. It's a pay me now or pay me later thing. But if the cruise is $3,500 you are going to pay $3,500 if you put down $1,000 or $0 on the front end.

I've been on the waitlist for Home Starlink for about a year now. I can't wait. This would be a huge pick-up for any cruise line. Also, Cats in the winter are learning about the "anti-snow" heater on the Starlink Dish

I'm new to RCL cruising and to me The Key is a strange beast. I just bought it for a 7 night trip because it reached a price point where I felt the few added perks along with the V S+S were worth it (after a big price drop). For me, I cancelled the V S+S and then grabbed The Key.

Those numbers seem really steep since the nights of the cruise is 16. We are going on a 7 day to Canada and NE and Voom Surf+Stream was at $19.99. The Key was at $25.99/pp/day and that included 1 device Voom Surf+Stream. You would think that the longer the cruise, the lower the price points would be - something in the $12 to $15 a day range for the V S+S for a cruise longer than 14 days.

The pricing is like playing a game of 3 card monty. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle - find the queen. There never seems to be a direct, this is the retail cost, this is the discount %. If the service is listed for $100 and I am offered a 30% discount. I expect to pay $70. There is the "online cost", the "on the ship cost", the "multiple discount cost", the "you're left handed cost" (okay maybe that one does not exist) but you get the idea. It's confusing at best and it should not be so.

Major props to Bird for taking the time and effort to post so much information. We sail a year next June on the Quantum (I wish it was this June). This is one of the most extensive overviews that I have seen. I can't say thank you enough.

We booked the Quantum to Alaska for June 2023 sailing some weeks back for a group of 8 (4 balcony rooms). I set a price tracker (with notifications) on and have seen prices go up 10%-14% and then drop back down to what we paid. The prices have not dropped below what we have paid. Only the Yo-Yo up and then back down to our original rate. Did we get a good price for booking early? At this point yes. I am now watching for price breaks on the add-ons. DBP, The Key and such. The prices started out outrageously high for add-ons and now have dropped to only extremely high - LOL.

Mrs Fan and I still wear our masks everywhere. Both have shots and single boost. Going to get the second booster in the next 2 weeks. Anyway, we were thinking about going on the Voyager out of Boston in October. The stories that I am reading here give me pause. People are so excited to get the masks off. I just can't figure out why you would want to potentially ruin a cruise for yourself by getting sick. Also going on the Quantum to Alaska in June 2023 with my grown kids and their spouses. Can't wait. My hope is for BIG black Friday sales on drink packages and such.

Port Valet is free. You still have to pay for the airline baggage fees (where applicable). I am going to be all over this when we do our cruise from Seattle. https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free