RFerrington

14 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Heck, the D+’s with aspirations of making P might be more inclined to stay only with Royal to reach P/Z, then branch out.

I was thinking the same thing !

5 minutes ago, Treacher1 said:

We have suites booked on cruises on both ships.  I just realized that one needs reservations for Coastal Kitchen on both of these ships.  I called to reserve and was told reservations can be made ONLY once on board.  I was told go to the entrance of Coastal Kitchen when we board - just curious we usually dine around 6 - is it difficult to get the time you want if everyone can only reserve once on board?? Please advise - thanks for sharing your experience - wish we could just book online prior to the cruise like entertainment.  

No, you will have no problem getting the reservations that you want.  Just go straight away to the CK when you board.  Since you’re in a suite you will be among the first to board.  No need to worry.  

2 hours ago, wallyj said:

You would not get invitation to Chops breakfast as it is a benefit for Pinnacles and guests in suites.

Not sure why a Z-to-P would not be eligible for the Suites/Pinn breakfast.  That perk is a function of status and not specifically a function of points.  Has it been publicized that Z-to-P  members will not be eligible for the specialty breakfast ?

I do recall - once - a LONG time ago - the room attendant telling us that it was not "laundry day" the day that I wanted our W&F to go out.  I really don't remember anything more about it but it did happen - once.  Hasn't happened since, and frankly, I don't recall ever hearing about a "laundry day" ever again.

Who was your Genie ?

Recently (probably the last year or so) we have been ordering the lobster tail as an appetizer since it isn't really a meal-sized tail.  At the same time, we order the chicken marsala as our main course.  We have done this on multiple ships and never had any pushback.  I think the "one main course at the time" was a short-lived mandate that most now ignore.  I suppose it's possible that some of the hotel managers are still pushing it but I think they are few.

7 minutes ago, molly361 said:

 I have yet to receive an advance email regarding access for any of my recent Wonder or Allure sailings  

The one and only time we have been excluded from the SL was on EX last month (and who cares about the SL on EX anyway !) and we did receive an email from the Suites Concierge a day or 2 prior to that sailing telling us about the limitation.  So far we have not been excluded from any O class ships but like you said, we have to be prepared !  So it seems like “no news is good news” in the case of P’s in the Suites Lounges !

I am going to be in a similar situation to the OP for some of my upcoming Oasis class sailings.  We always book some kind of boarding day lunch b/c I hate the boarding day lunch mania.  Since we are now Pinnacle but cannot be guaranteed access to the CK for lunch (unless we’re in a full suite, of course), I have purchased a variety of boarding day specialty lunches to ensure we have somewhere quiet to go. However, if we DO get CK access, I would choose to eat boarding day lunch in the CK rather than paying for a specialty lunch…but of course, we will most likely not know whether we will have access until the last minute.  Kinda like chasing your tail…

I’m hoping (but not holding my breath) that I will be able to cancel those specialty lunch reservations and get a refund (even if it’s OBC) if we are given access to the CK.  It won’t be the end of the world if we have to end up eating boarding day lunch in Chops, etc but I’d rather not pay if I don’t have to.  

I know I'm in the minority on this one but I prefer the "Cheers" setup.  I always felt sorry for the junior officer who drew the short straw and had to sit with a bunch of strangers and engage in small talk.  You could tell that they would rather be ANYwhere else.  Now they just come in, say a few words, and they're off to do their real work and leave us in peace to have whatever has been given to us to eat !  Recently I have found the menu to be fine....not great, but good enough.

While I have never done this myself, I have no reason to believe that splitting up the boys and the girls wouldn’t work.  Just be sure that when you check in, that everyone uses their own credit card so that the onboard charges don’t get commingled.  

12 minutes ago, EbayCruiser said:

We have the UDP for our upcoming cruise on Utopia, I think there is an upcharge for Izumi?

 

We both love stir fry dishes and fried rice so this sounds great!

Yes, there is an upcharge to the UDP for the hibachi/teppanyaki option.  No upcharge for the sushi option.

52 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

 an exacerbation of an already crowded experience

Do the Z's have the same overcrowding problems that the P's do ?  I have no idea.  I had the impression that there were very few Z's compared to the number of P's.

I certainly understand that if a brazilian P's coming pouring over to Celebrity that then, they WILL have a problem.  Just wasn't aware of whether it's currently a problem or not.  I truly do not know.

7 hours ago, Miickra said:

That would be me ☺️ I noticed a spike in traffic so came looking to see where it was mentioned. Appreciate the sharing 😁

Absolutely awesome.  Thank you !

49 minutes ago, dragontrainer said:

This site has a table for all the ships with what is included and what is specialty (along with lots of other info).  

 

Royal Caribbean Information Collection (rc.cruises)

 

(I did not make it, but really appreciate the person/people that did!)

Wow !  Nice table.  Thanks to whoever created this !

Just boarded ID today.  The [long-running] musical is Grease and the ice show is Freeze Frame.  We’ve seen both many times but we enjoy them both and I think they’re worth taking the time to see them.  I would definitely not expect either of these show to change any time soon.

As for “other” entertainment, it will change from sailing-to-sailing so no real help to cite what we will have on this sailing.

@twangster, was that guacamole with your fish ‘n chips ?

1 hour ago, karena1 said:

I disagree.  We are Pinnacle and now Zenith on Celebrity.  The biggest benefit is the Premium Beverage Pkg is Complimentary!  On Royal, I get 6 free drinks so still pay for a beverage pkg.  Going to save a lot when we sail Celebrity since I don't have to pay for the Package.  

 

I concur.  I have since changed my mind since that original posting.  P to Z does seem to be a better deal.  There are some P amenities that I would miss - breakfast in CK or specialty restaurant and also BOGO specialty. But overall I think the P to Z move is an improvement.

I think the drink package is a great perk but honestly, I don't even use the 6 Pinn vouchers that I get now.  I think overall the drink package will go pretty much unused....but unlimited laundry is a nice perk !

2 hours ago, orville99 said:

From the comments on the X board, they are not really happy with the new program as it is

I'm getting the same vibe.  I guess I can't blame them.  There are a lot more of us coming their way than there are of them, coming our way.

7 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

For sure but was a lot easier with a plastic bag.  I ripped my paper bag on cruise #1 🙂 

There is definitely an acquired skill with the paper laundry bag.  The trick is to gently shove (I realize that’s an oxymoron) some smaller items (think, socks) into the corners of the bag before you gently shove the bigger stuff in.  Rolling the clothes is helpful.  Don’t worry about trying to “close” the bag.  Just leave it open at the top.  The room attendants throw the paper bag inside of a larger plastic bag (my experience, anyway) so it gets secured in the end.  
 

Trust me, I have hopelessly ripped plenty of them over the years.  I now filch extra bags from off the attendants’ carts (a huge no-no….I am aware) whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I am a master of the paper laundry bag…😂😜. 21 items is my current record.

4 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Odyssey (14-night) TA:

 

YAY !

3 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

The RC website Q&A (answer below) on dining packages claims a 5 night package is available for longer cruises like the 12 night one we are taking.  But when I go to my cruise I am not given options other than 3-night or UDP.  Maybe when I board?

 

Royal Caribbean offers 4 different types of dining packages:

• Chops +1 (Not offered on 10+ night sailings)
• 3-Night Package (Not offered on 3 to 5-night sailings)
• 5-Night Package (Only offered on 10+ night sailings)
• 10-Night Package (Only offered on 15+ night sailings)
• Unlimited Dining Package

Well, maybe it still exists but it’s just elusive.  Our 10 night EX cruise isn’t until next Feb so maybe it just hasn’t been put into the CP yet.  I’ll just have to wait I guess…

11 minutes ago, orville99 said:

We book their "door-to-port" and "port-to-door" Uber upgrade. Uber picks up at our front door, takes us to the Train Station in Orlando, and then another Uber picks up at the train station in FLL and takes us to the port. We also look out for BL sales (they have them all the time - the current sale is 50% off adult Smart fares).

Never even knew this was an option !  Thanks.

The Panoramic Ocean View Suite is a full suite, with all of the suite amenities that are offered on that particular ship class (realizing that, as the OP mentioned, those amenities do NOT include WiFi on the smaller classes).  We've had the Panoramic Ocean View Suite a couple of times on the Voyager class ships and we really enjoy that suite category.  It's only disadvantage (IMO) is its location all the way forward.  It's not located near anything that we frequent so it's a bit of a walk to get anywhere and there is also a bit more motion way up front.  But the room itself is stunning !

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

We can use our BOGO for D+ on nights 1-2 and maybe get a 3 night dining package.  Still thinking about what to do.  

I wish they would bring back the 5 night dining package for the longer itineraries.  I absolutely understand the concern with having so few specialty options on these older ships....but I would still prefer repeating a restaurant a time or 2 to having to suffer through the MDR more nights.

We always do the 3 night pkg + BOGO for the shorter cruises but for the longer ones, a 5 night package would be great.  I don't know if they even offer it anymore.

1 hour ago, Arzeena said:

We calculated from Orlando to FLL and it is not cheap. It came out $398 for Smart and $478 for Premium, that not including luggage and rides to and from the station for the first one. There seemed to have been no "savings". We would love to try BL. Am I doing something wrong in calculating this?

Yikes !  I have no idea what the cost will be....I  just love the idea of the train !  ☺️

To be completely honest, I am not completely "sold" on the whole idea of using the train as I think the logistics of getting to/from the train station/home and then to/from train station/port to be somewhat daunting.  The expense is certainly an issue but it's more a matter of convenience.  I hate the thought of schlepping bags hither and yon plus having to wait around at a train station.  There's something to be said for packing up the car and being done with it until you hit the port.

On the other hand, the idea of not driving PLUS the savings of not parking, are attractive.  I guess we'll just have to try it once it is feasible (the Stuart stop is functional).