Crystal Blocks

[Mikew0805]

FYI - I just got off Indy this morning. The LA had some brand new boxes with a bunch of blocks in them that were just delivered this cruise. It was nice to actually get one this time. 

 

Maybe they will start rolling out to the other ships soon... and fill our back orders.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Mikew0805

[island lady]

3 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

I turn Pinnacle on June 24, so I guess I should expect the stratum around Oct/Nov?

 

Hopefully.   We are not impressed with new company (BAMCO) that RCI contracted to do the blocks and the new Pinnacle packages when they lost the original company during shut down.  

[Garmy4]

 

26 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

I turn Pinnacle on June 24, so I guess I should expect the stratum around Oct/Nov?

 

 

I have a duplicate Allure. Will be on the Harmony 07/31.

 

Thanks Mikew0805. Close but not a match. I will be on Harmony June 26 and July10.  I am on additional dates for both Harmony and Symphony if you have any other dates.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Garmy4

[sergeant655]

Radiance does not have any more blocks so are waiting on their new shipment aswell they used their last few on the first sailing back. A bit of advice. Hand the form to the LA and not guest services.  Chances are that guest services will forget to hand the form to the LA . The supplier was having issues due to covid was the issue that they are telling people

[Ocean Boy]

17 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Hopefully.   We are not impressed with new company (BAMCO) that RCI contracted to do the blocks and the new Pinnacle packages when they lost the original company during shut down.  

What is it that you feel the new company is not doing well?

[island lady]

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

What is it that you feel the new company is not doing well?

 

Taking too long.  

 

Blocks are not as nice looking as the former company. 

 

Pinnacle package taking months (not weeks) to get to you.

 

Our pins came in all banged up, not being secure in the oversize box (LA insisted on reordering), and now has been months waiting on replacements. 

 

BAMCO sent our Pinnacle package, and another couple's package to our address, which I spent an hour on the phone with RCI CS trying to get them to pick it up and send to that couple.  They finally told us to throw theirs away...what a waste. 

 

Old pins are much nicer looking than the new ones BAMCO does. 

 

Looks like BAMCO was the low bid contract.  

 

[Anton]

BAMKO also sent out pinnacle pins that had incorrect or misspelled  names and in at least one case they sent someone pins that were blank with no names on them.  I reached pinnacle on January 10 and have no expectation to see my pinnacle kit any time soon.  RCI also rejected a recent shipment of blank pins from China as being poor quality so they are apparently directly involved now after so many complaints about the shoddy work.

[swoopy2110]

Was on Odyssey in January and was told we'd be getting our (first) crystal block within 12 weeks by post due to the none in stock. It's now been 16 weeks and no sign.

I have contacted C&A but not heard anything back yet.

[WeMissSeaView]

31 minutes ago, swoopy2110 said:

Was on Odyssey in January and was told we'd be getting our (first) crystal block within 12 weeks by post due to the none in stock. It's now been 16 weeks and no sign.

I have contacted C&A but not heard anything back yet.

I have been waiting for an Odyssey block since August 2021.  Was told in January that they would be shopped by April.  Still waiting.

[notmyrealnameoremail]

On 5/9/2022 at 12:51 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

They know. If they didn't, I'd have about 10 more blocks by now😉

 

John,

 

So you are saying Royal IT can get this consistently correct, but they can't let us chose amenities online? 

 

I'm shocked, shocked, well not that shocked.  😁

 

tom
 

 

 

[cruiseboy89130]

On 5/9/2022 at 6:51 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

They know. If they didn't, I'd have about 10 more blocks by now😉

You just need to unlink - problem solved!

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

You just need to unlink - problem solved!

 

Not so easy anymore. They're not stupid. It affects way more than blocks. Free cruises every 350 points after Pinnacle,  for one.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Not so easy anymore. They're not stupid. It affects way more than blocks. Free cruises every 350 points after Pinnacle,  for one.

I have a feeling that I lucked out with getting unlinked.  Actually it was more of not requesting to be linked after Royal had to create new C&A account numbers for all of us because of our accounts being corrupted when the kids turned 18 and everyone was listed under one e mail address

[Oceansaway17]

well they had the blocks on Quantum as Twangster has his now.

 

For me trying to plan which ship is getting hard.  Lucky me I got triple points for Jr Suite that got doubled as I was solo for a total of 42 points for a 7 day cruise.  Now I jumped up 3 vacations and will get one on very next trip on Allure which is cool since I sailed her in the first year back in 2011.  I aiming for Oasis in the fall but will like getting Allure.

Anyone else try to plan trips so they can get a crystal for a specific trip that ends up not working out when points added to C/A are more or less than what was expected.

[John&LaLa]

6 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

well they had the blocks on Quantum as Twangster has his now.

 

For me trying to plan which ship is getting hard.  Lucky me I got triple points for Jr Suite that got doubled as I was solo for a total of 42 points for a 7 day cruise.  Now I jumped up 3 vacations and will get one on very next trip on Allure which is cool since I sailed her in the first year back in 2011.  I aiming for Oasis in the fall but will like getting Allure.

Anyone else try to plan trips so they can get a crystal for a specific trip that ends up not working out when points added to C/A are more or less than what was expected.

 

We had some bonus points due to Hurricane Mathew in 2017. 

[Oceansaway17]

7 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We had some bonus points due to Hurricane Mathew in 2017. 

well I almost fell off my chair when I checked last night for last week's SOS.

I do remember hearing some promo of triple points, but then they double for solos.

Wow was a big leap.

[Oceansaway17]

14 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We had some bonus points due to Hurricane Mathew in 2017. 

curious why your profile photo says Rare on it?  Twangster's does as well.

Is it because of being Pinnacle?

[Blizzard54]

31 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

well they had the blocks on Quantum as Twangster has his now.

 

For me trying to plan which ship is getting hard.  Lucky me I got triple points for Jr Suite that got doubled as I was solo for a total of 42 points for a 7 day cruise.  Now I jumped up 3 vacations and will get one on very next trip on Allure which is cool since I sailed her in the first year back in 2011.  I aiming for Oasis in the fall but will like getting Allure.

Anyone else try to plan trips so they can get a crystal for a specific trip that ends up not working out when points added to C/A are more or less than what was expected.

I had a number of planned blocks messed up with cancelations.  Even after redoing them there were more changes.  Because of double points I am getting more blocks, but they are the wrong ones.  I am also waiting for an Odyssey block and a stratum, if they ever get shipped.  

[Oceansaway17]

5 minutes ago, Blizzard54 said:

I had a number of planned blocks messed up with cancelations.  Even after redoing them there were more changes.  Because of double points I am getting more blocks, but they are the wrong ones.  I am also waiting for an Odyssey block and a stratum, if they ever get shipped.  

yea I hear ya.

First I ever heard of blocks was reading cc back in early 2020.  Never realized I was due one in 2019 but it did catch up to me.

Sounds like each ship has different supplies.

For instance, no ship magnets on Symphony but the still had those Ship names dark blue hats.

I mean I did not get a hat with the name Ovation or Serenade in 2019 or 2018, but last week in 2022 I got my ship hat.  And for Wonder OTS, they did not have at beginning of cruise but guess what, they got a shipment loaded in Cozumel.  Either that or they did not unpack in FL port and waited until Cozumel.

Glad to have gotten my inaugural hat for Wonder.  

toodles

[John&LaLa]

55 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

curious why your profile photo says Rare on it?  Twangster's does as well.

Is it because of being Pinnacle?

 

Created a 'Live' review

[WeMissSeaView]

1 hour ago, Oceansaway17 said:

well they had the blocks on Quantum as Twangster has his now.

 

For me trying to plan which ship is getting hard.  Lucky me I got triple points for Jr Suite that got doubled as I was solo for a total of 42 points for a 7 day cruise.  Now I jumped up 3 vacations and will get one on very next trip on Allure which is cool since I sailed her in the first year back in 2011.  I aiming for Oasis in the fall but will like getting Allure.

Anyone else try to plan trips so they can get a crystal for a specific trip that ends up not working out when points added to C/A are more or less than what was expected.

I did.  I planned for an Odyssey in AUG 21 and a Wonder in MAR 22., and it worked for me.  Still waiting for both blocks to be shipped to me.

Glad to hear that Quantum has blocks.  I will earn one at the end of this month.

[countess5]

Just off Symphony of the seas after a 7 day Eastern cruise. We were to take this cruise last year for my nephews birthday but moved it to this year ( you know that Covid thing) 

 

Anyway we were in a two bedroom Sky suite and on the 4th night returned to the cabin and was surprised to find a crystal block and certificate on our bed. I say surprised because four years ago when we were in the South Pacific on Explorer I earned my first block. We were on our second leg of a B2B. I have not sailed Royal since the 50th anniversary sailing ( remember that one John?)  following the South Pacific cruise but have sailed Celebrity ( spent 49 days on three ships this past winter) We had 188 points prior to this sailing so no block should of been delivered.  Also, received Diamond Plus pins again but received them on one of the prior sailings. 

 

Glad we received a Symphony Block and will add it to my Explorer Block. 😀 🍸

 

Cheers! 

[Oceansaway17]

6 hours ago, countess5 said:

Just off Symphony of the seas after a 7 day Eastern cruise. We were to take this cruise last year for my nephews birthday but moved it to this year ( you know that Covid thing) 

 

Anyway we were in a two bedroom Sky suite and on the 4th night returned to the cabin and was surprised to find a crystal block and certificate on our bed. I say surprised because four years ago when we were in the South Pacific on Explorer I earned my first block. We were on our second leg of a B2B. I have not sailed Royal since the 50th anniversary sailing ( remember that one John?)  following the South Pacific cruise but have sailed Celebrity ( spent 49 days on three ships this past winter) We had 188 points prior to this sailing so no block should of been delivered.  Also, received Diamond Plus pins again but received them on one of the prior sailings. 

 

Glad we received a Symphony Block and will add it to my Explorer Block. 😀 🍸

 

Cheers! 

I am hoping for the same in 4 weeks on Allure OTS.

I have just passed on to Diamond plus from SOS and at 207 points I hope to get my next crystal the same way for Allure - sitting on my bed.  

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I am hoping for the same in 4 weeks on Allure OTS.

I have just passed on to Diamond plus from SOS and at 207 points I hope to get my next crystal the same way for Allure - sitting on my bed.  

My next sailing gets a block. I'm trying to figure out a way to make it happen on Allure but I don't think I can sail again before the ship leaves Ft. Lauderdale for Galveston.

[croosieloosie]

I have an extra Allure if anyone needs it. Let me know if you have a trade.