Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Royal Caribbean secrets (merged)

dolfandude

By dolfandude,
in Royal Caribbean International

Recommended Posts

Loveynj

Loveynj

Posted
Posted
[quote name='eisco17']How does bingo work? Do you have to play all week long to be in the big drawings? Are the prizes spread out or are the big ones only on the last day? Do you have to buy special cards (that are more expensive) for the bigger prizes?

Thanks[/quote]

No you don't have to play all week long to get into the bigger drawings. Actually that's what most people do, wait til the end. I play like every other day or so. And no, you dont have to buy special cards...unless of course you want better odds. like an additional card or so.
When I won the win a cruise bingo, it was just one game. And I remember it so well, when I bought my card the girl said to me "oh that one is pushed in.... I will give you another" I said "no, this is going to be the lucky one....."
and it was
Link to comment
Share on other sites
cruisecookie

cruisecookie

Posted
Posted
[quote name='KATHYMAC68']Here's my tip for people who have the RCI Visa Credit Cards:

You earn double points for any RCI purchases. That includes the onboard purchases. So we take about $3000 off the card in the casino and just use that cash to pay off the card when we get home. Thats an additional 6000 points on our card for discounts on our next cruise!

Just that alone gets us a $50 onboard credit for the next trip!!!![/quote]

Did you check your next Visa statement to see if you really got those points? The fine print on my RCI Visa card documents states that double points will [B]not[/B] be given on casino cash advances.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sonny

Sonny

Posted
Posted
[quote name='lv2bcruzin']On day of boarding get there early. Tickets say you can board at 2 o'clock or so, but you can usually get on in the area of 10:30. Not a secret, but definitely something to plan for. More time on the ship! :)[/QUOTE]

Don't kid youself, getting there early will just be more time in a long line. There will be Platinum and Diamond members boarding before you when the ship is finally cleared. Sometimes the ship isn't cleared until 1:00 PM; then what? I would say around noon would be a good time. How would I know? Try cruising 40 times on RCCL. ;>)


Sonny
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sue L

Sue L

Posted
Posted
[quote name='Sonny']Don't kid youself, getting there early will just be more time in a long line. There will be Platinum and Diamond members boarding before you when the ship is finally cleared. Sometimes the ship isn't cleared until 1:00 PM; then what? I would say around noon would be a good time. How would I know? Try cruising 40 times on RCCL. ;>)


Sonny[/quote]


Wow, I have been on 3 RCCL cruises and every time I have gotten there at 10:30-11 and were on within a half hour or so. Serenade was the best we arrived at port at exactly 11am and were on the ship with pictures taken and seapass card in hand at 11:15. And every time the Platinum and Diamond members had their own line but they didn't hold up ours for them or interfere with our checking in. Actually for the Explorer the regular line was shorter than the priority check-in.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
bulldogmommy

bulldogmommy

Posted
Posted
Here's my tip for people who have the RCI Visa Credit Cards:

 

You earn double points for any RCI purchases. That includes the onboard purchases. So we take about $3000 off the card in the casino and just use that cash to pay off the card when we get home. Thats an additional 6000 points on our card for discounts on our next cruise!

 

Just that alone gets us a $50 onboard credit for the next trip!!!!

 

This is the best tip...I'm just mad I did not think of it myself! But I will definitely being do on my next trip! Thanks!:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
unfinishedwoman

unfinishedwoman

Posted
Posted
we have done this and it really does work...on Liberty in May we spent a lot of our drinking time at Boleros and tipped the bartenders well...by about the 4th day our tab was quite a bit less than we assumed it would be;)

 

I actually never tipped the bartender I went to regularly (although I was nice) and by the third time I went I was getting most of my drinks free.;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Let'sGo!

Let'sGo!

Posted
Posted

This might be moot, since most of the ships are getting or have gotten new bedding.... but we always asked our cabin steward for an egg-crate matress pad for our bed and of course we would have it by that night.

 

Another nifty little gifty... take part in anything that gives you "ship shape dollars." You can cash them in at the end of the cruise for little trinkets. Great for those "I brought you something from my cruise" gifts for folks back home. (Presuming they still do this! It's been awhile since our last cruise!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cheaptravel

cheaptravel

Posted
Posted

I like to use Splenda in my iced tea. Since so few restaurants offer them, I always have the packets in my purse. While at Chops, our waiter saw the empty wrapper on our table, and asked if I needed more. He said they "have it," but only give it out if asked for. Otherwise, they only put the other sugar substitutes on the table. I assume the dining room would have it as well "if asked for."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sue L

Sue L

Posted
Posted
This might be moot, since most of the ships are getting or have gotten new bedding.... but we always asked our cabin steward for an egg-crate matress pad for our bed and of course we would have it by that night.

 

Another nifty little gifty... take part in anything that gives you "ship shape dollars." You can cash them in at the end of the cruise for little trinkets. Great for those "I brought you something from my cruise" gifts for folks back home. (Presuming they still do this! It's been awhile since our last cruise!)

 

 

All the new beds are in fleet wide, no need for the egg crates anymore!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
KATHYMAC68

KATHYMAC68

Posted
Posted
Did you check your next Visa statement to see if you really got those points? The fine print on my RCI Visa card documents states that double points will not be given on casino cash advances.

 

I always check my statements after I get home. Whatever my total bill was, It doubled in points. I guess they state that to try deter people from doing it. But it does work!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lephysteria

lephysteria

Posted
Posted
I like to use Splenda in my iced tea. Since so few restaurants offer them, I always have the packets in my purse. While at Chops, our waiter saw the empty wrapper on our table, and asked if I needed more. He said they "have it," but only give it out if asked for. Otherwise, they only put the other sugar substitutes on the table. I assume the dining room would have it as well "if asked for."

 

I love Splenda too!

To my surprise, it was already on our dining room table on our Liberty Cruise! ;)

splenda1.jpg.f1f21527033ff327237afc993d7ad8cd.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lephysteria

lephysteria

Posted
Posted
They don't charge you the 3% fee?? I am on Liberty next month.

 

No fee. :)

The great thing about doing this, especially when you link your RCCL Visa card to your seapass account is that the cash advance in the casino appears on your final cruise statement as a purchase, and not a cash advance.

 

Your advance monies, plus drinking and shopping spending are all totalled together, and this is the amount that is billed to your credit card. When you get home and look at your credit card statement you'll see an entry for "Royal Caribbean Cruises" and the amount. You won't be able to tell out of that (lets say for example) $1000 how much of that is drinking, shopping, or casino advances.

 

It basically looks like you went shopping in the casino and bought a slot machine ;)

 

And since you bought something from "Royal Caribbean Cruises", that purchase amount counts as double points. So you'll get your 1000 points for spending the $1000, plus another 1000 bonus points ($1 spend on a rccl cruise, or a service from the cruiseline gets you 2 points... like shore excursions purchased before sailing, or gifts and gear purchased online ....)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
VAHockeymom

VAHockeymom

Posted
Posted
We checked it with our luggage as we did not want to carry 2 bottles of cranberry. 2 bottles of margarita mix 12 bottles of water 1 5th of belvedear. THey scan everything... So we did not consider it sneaking,,,,, we got our luggage unpacked,. set up the bar.....

 

I'm really befuddled by this..there has always been so much on these boards about RCI's policy about NOT bringing your own onboard. The policy even says that you can be denied boarding. I think I'd be scared to even try it just for that one reason alone.

 

By the way, did you pack all this with your clothes or in a separate bag?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...