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Look man, it's not an addiction. I can quit whenever I want to.

For me, it just ticks all the boxes for a great vacation trip. And it does it for less than I've seen it cost to go by air with a hotel stay. Visits to cities I can't otherwise see, with chances to experience their scenery / culture / etc It's only a day for each place, but that's enough to give me a sense of whether it's a place I actually liked visiting in the end, not just thinking "Man, I really want to see this place!"; and that's enough time to decide if I want to experience more (repeat cruise? land tour?) I get good to great food each night without paying extra I have a place to sleep each night, at whatever level of basic or luxury I want to go -- be that through cabin class or ship choice; again without paying extra And I have the transportation to each of those places, with as much entertainment and activities as I feel like indulging in for those in-between days; slower than a plane, but when that means a chance to recover from a crazy long day (or set of days), that's a good thing!; and once again it's all part of that total cost and not a penny more

Wishing you the best through this weekend and beginning of next week. Stay safe, stay dry and enjoy that UHDP (unlimited home drink package)!

There’s nothing like driving into any port and you see that first glimpse of the ship. Gets me every time.

Nobody does. It is supposed to be the % off the onboard price....but of course, nobody knows what the onboard price is ! It's an exercise in futility to try and figure out %'s. Best just to go with the bottom line and save yourself the frustration !

I am tortured every time I am on 95 and hit the high bridge going over the new river! I see Port Everglades with no smoke stacks! And it happens a lot because I am only 20 minutes from the Port!

Being out on the open sea....sunshine (usually), lots of dancing, truly being able to relax and not have to do any cooking or cleaning, meeting new friends, trying new foods, going to bed at night and waking up in a new place, never having to unpack, but seeing a new island or city every few days, great shows, feeling very pampered. ect. ect ect...

Ok, I miss cruises so much and it just hit me this morning how much, so I did a virtual drive from my house to Cape Liberty which is where we sail from. Went through every step on Google maps from house to Cape Liberty and then did a little Google maps look around the whole port. Even I did not realize just how much I was missing it. I mean it really hit me and got depressed especially seeing the port. Anybody else get depressed at no cruises that you did a virtual drive to the port?

This is where I took my moniker from, not the fact that they legalized weed (in Alaska). We had Baked Alaska on our SS Norway sailing at the Captain's table. Very memorable.

Best xiaolongbao (soup filled dumplings) - Asian Legend here in Toronto. I know Din Tai Fung has the pedigree, and I've never been able to make it over to the HK location with the Michelin Star, but the one I tried in the Arcadia, CA location wasn't as good. Best street tacos - 100% Taquito in Houston. Being that it's off the Southwest Freeway it's a little out of the way for anyone heading from IAH to Galveston, but the food has some great flavour, to the point where I don't even mind the cilantro (and I HATE cilantro). Best pho - Well, it WAS Lac Viet Bistro in Orlando. But they've closed down and now I gotta figure out a new "best" place. Their pho was really flavourful without tasting too salty. It was a go to for us whenever we went to visit The Mouse. I will give a shout out to Saigon Noodle though. They got some shine on DDD a while back, and it's certainly deserved. Smoked Meat - I keep trying to think of a place I liked better than Schwartz in Montreal, because that's almost a copout statement. And yet, it's really good stuff.

The only responsibility I have for 7 days is to make it back to the room under my own power, make it back to the ship on time and not be a ?head to anyone. I can eat and drink to my hearts content, I can choose to do it all or do nothing at all. It just doesn't get any better than that. I will also add that I am not a very social person on land but I find meeting new people and hanging out quite enjoyable on the ship.

It was a nothing burger in Fort Lauderdale. Passed abeam our city about 10am slowly moving N. We're about 3 miles from the coast and if we had 25 knots I'd be surprised. No power loss for us. Cruise ships in Port of Miami were asked to take to sea - a common approach for large vessels. Sea is safer (they just sail out of it's path) than port in a bad storm. There are two cruise ships docked at Port Everglades. Did not hear anything about them. This was a dress rehearsal for the rest of the Hurricane season in S. FL. It's very early. Chances of this region getting hit are pretty high through early October. From all reports state's emergency management strategy with COVID around looked like they had a plan. 7 shelters were opened in Palm Beach County to the N of us and yesterday, when that area was forecasted to be ground zero, the shelters took in about 500 people. Reportedly orderly, good distancing and compliant folks inside them. FL is good at this.

Yeah, that's what I do. I have a statistics degree and their numbers and calculations never cease to amaze me. I have pointed out obvious errors that would result in me paying more. They just insist the price is what it is.

I have seen numbers like that too. I have never been able to understand how their percentage discounts are calculated because they never seem accurate to me. Same can be said for prices on the cruise planner. I swear they just put any percentage discount because they think nobody will do the math. I usually price a cruise online and then call in to get the actual price. Sometimes it is the same but usually not. Recently I called in to reprice a cruse based on a price I saw online and it was $400 less than the online price showed. I wasn't going to complain. The biggest mystery to me is that sometimes the cruise fare is the same but the taxes/fees are totally different. I really like it when the taxes/fees are $100 less because that price carries forward and always stays the same even if I reprice later on.

At 90 minutes to Cape Liberty that would be a lot of clicking! However, it does make me sad thinking of my last actual drive there. It was a bunch of friends and we rented a shuttle that a friend got for such a great deal. All the girls were singing and drinking white claws lol ... Fun start to the vacation.

We spent 30 days on a Tahiti to Sydney b2b on the Journey earlier this year. We loved the experience! Very relaxed atmosphere, good food, fantastic service. We invested in one of the upgrade packages, with gave us a wider range of included wines & spirits, Internet and onboard credit. We’ll definitely include the brand again in our mix... especially given their “itineraries” focus. Ramdom observations: There’s a relaxed dress code overall, with simply a general conscious effort to “look nice”. Daytime: Capris, skorts, nice jeans (colder days), Bermuda & hiking shorts, skirts, summer dresses for the women + Bermuda & hiking shorts, khakis, a few clean jeans, polo shirts, shirts, some t-shirts for the men. Evening: variable... far more classy than “flashy”... from nice dresses and trousers & blazers, to nice capris & summer dresses and khakis & polos. People tended to not dress up “fancy”, but at least took the effort to look nice... never saw shorts in the evening. The big dress-theme event is called “White Night”, with all the variations of clothes mentioned above, but colour-schemed. Never spotted those awful poly sport shorts that dangle to the knees, muscle shirts, tube tanks, pajama bottoms, etc. seen too frequently on the RCL ships. Pool attire is kept to the pool deck or spa pool. Dining is very good in all venues. The MDR was really excellent + one buffet and two specialty restaurants. We used a chunk of our OBC to book the specialties, but it’s really not necessary to ensure good food and a pleasant dining environment. All three ships are the same class, so there isn’t a variability of cabin types and amenities across the ships. Only one of the three ships still has a sad & lonely casino, and that’s the Journey. Quest and Pursuit have successfully repurposed that space into a much more popular social space called The Den. Journey was supposed to go into dry dock this Fall to get its Den conversion, but it’s docked “cold” right now, so who knows when that’ll get rescheduled for. Guests tend to be a mix predominantly from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Europe, Australia, N.Z. and a handful from elsewhere. Despite its older demographics, the brand tends to attract a narrower guest profile than on larger ships... mostly because the ships are older, smaller with less “play” amenities, and they definitely have some unresolvable accessibility issues due to the ships’ build. Really interesting itineraries: the ships can include ports that the behemoths can’t reach, and they tend to dock much closer to the city centers, have more tendered ports of call, and almost always include a frequent free shuttle service to the heart of the tourist district. The Captain and the Chef can, and do, exercise some leeway to make the most out of local conditions - that’s another plus. There’s always been that approach of bringing just a “little more” to the guest experience with the Azamara brand. It’s a ship-wide culture thing that I hope won’t gets lost in the post-COVID upheavals that will affect every level of the industry.

Just got back from my second Vegas trip... They have now banned smoking at table games.. Not only does everyone have to wear a mask but if you want to smoke you cant do it at a table game.. I hope Royal follows suit once they reopen..

How do you make a sweet 85 year old lady swear? Shout Bingo!

poached salmon ,served with spring vegetables.... served a la carte in a restaurant while staying in Aviemore Scotland ....never tasted better salmon before or after

^This^

For me, as a parent, it is truly the only time that I can get away and 100% relax and not do anything! That is what cruising represents to me. It is not just a vacation. It is more than that. In addition, I truly believe that cruising offers the best value for a vacation compared to other options.

I see cursing resuming much sooner. ?

I don't think the CDC has been unfair. When you take the politics out of the equation the science supports restricting many activities including cruising. The CDC does not have direct oversight over all of them, the CDC can only provide guidance for things controlled at the state level. If states don't follow the CDC guidance that's within the rights for states to choose to do so, right or wrong will be determined in the history books. The CDC does have the ability to influence cruise ships. While I wish this wasn't the case the CDC is right to prevent cruising at this time. Without the ban, cruises would sail, there would be spread and deaths that occur and the media would have a field day all but putting the last nail in the industry coffin. Right now the CDC is saving the cruise lines from themselves and the inevitable outcome if they were to sail today. Other regions have managed to better contain community spread. As a result some cruising is beginning in a very limited fashion. The US isn't there yet. It will be at some point. When it gets there the work that cruise lines and the CDC are doing right now will allow us to be prepared for that moment. It won't be cruising like it was, not for several years. The CDC isn't to blame for the ban, Americans are. The CDC is just the messenger delivering a message we don't like. Don't shoot the messenger. We The People put us where we are with respect to cruising. We The People can get us to a happy place where cruising can begin in a limited fashion. Politicians will never agree and people who have a political agenda will make it political but at the the end of the day it's We The People that will ultimately move us to a better place.

no they are not formal on dress code - some people are "country club attire" but that is the most dressed up I have seen. I have never packed more than a summer dress or two so its much more relaxed than I expected as well. really like it and the crew and staff

Oh Lord yes. When you see that beautiful ship and that little bit of smoke from the exhaust it's the best. Then you see the hustle and bustle of the terminal. It's cruise vacation time!

That'll be sorted out by schools going back. As soon as the first school kid dies and the lawyers get involved we'll get our first glimpse at how this plays out in court. Schools are at greater risk because each local school board is responsible to figure it out. The CDC doesn't review each local school board's plan. The argument will be that the district didn't do enough or their protocols were wrong. The cruise lines will benefit to a degree in that the CDC will be reviewing their protocols. If they aren't up to CDC requirements they'll be rejected. If the CDC blesses the plan and protocols all a cruise line has to do is prove they followed the plan approved by the CDC. Unless they fail to follow the plan they should have reduced legal exposure because it was good enough for the very tough and unfair to the industry CDC.

Our June 12 British Isles cruise was canceled by Royal on May 20. We received an email that day advising us of three options; Future Cruise Credit, Lift and Shift, or a full refund. The email contained a link for choosing a full refund. Since we were expecting the cruise to be cancel we had already decided we wanted a full refund of all payments. I clicked on the refund link and answered a few questions, i.e., ship name, cruise date, reservation number. I was done in less than five minutes. No phone calls needed. I received credit on my charge card for all the payments made in less than ten days. I was glad I had booked direct instead of using a vacation planner of travel agent.

Ooh, I had forgotten about this. An MDR breakfast was the only time I ever had smoked kippers. It was a nice way to change things up a bit!

What I'll to calculate the base price of a sale (let's use my current $61 as an example): 61 / .80 = $76.25. So the price before sale is $76.25. With that number you can calculate the other prices (which are not always what Royal puts up as price). 25% = 76.25 * .25 = 19.0625. 76.25 - 19.0625 = 57.1875 30% = 76.25 * .30 = 22.875. 76.25 - 22.875 = 53.375 Obviously I'm using actual and not "dollar" rounding either. The actual formula is something like .... Original price = sale / (1.00 - percentage off). That's where I get the 61/.80 above.

We are only 30-35 minutes south of of Cape Liberty so a lot less clicks. That drive in is the best because it's cruise day. It's concentration time getting to the port safe, it's talk cruise time in the truck because we are all so excited. Then you get to that long stretch of highway in Bayonne that follows NJ Transit light rail line and then you know you are close. Although the last time we went GPS took us in a very different way. It was almost a weird shortcut like a road had been opened up to skip some of the drive in. Anyway sometimes I bring up Cape Liberty on Google Earth too, Coco Cay also. ? Hopefully next August ? we will be taking the drive to Cape Liberty and visiting Coco Cay for real, not virtual.

The best Chile Relleno I ever ate was at El Sarape West in (get this) Ashwaubenon, WISCONSIN (just outside of Green Bay).

Guinness stew at the actual Guinness Brewery in Ireland....I dream of this stew often Beignets from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans.......also Deanie's seafood because they had the best, freshest shrimp.

One more thing that I thought of: I feel very safe on a cruise ship. Years ago when I was a cute blonde 20-something-year-old, I would go to land-based resorts and be "propositioned" (if you know what I mean) by the local resort staff. Made me feel very uncomfortable and I wouldn't go anywhere on the resort property by myself. Contrarily, the staff on RCL ships have always been extraordinarily courteous and polite and not leering in any regard. Now that my nieces have grown up to be beautiful young teenagers, I am thoroughly comfortable with them walking to/from the cabin by themselves without worrying about them being approached in an inappropriate way.

I had this on my first cruise. I've never hated a dessert more, lol.

For me, all of the above!

The Original Pan Con Minuta (Snapper sandwich) and Empanada de Camaron (Shrimp Empanadas) at La Camanonera Seafood Joint and Fish Market in Little Havana (Miami) - WORTH THE UBER RIDE - we will never not go there when in Miami. Never. Karaage Setsuna - Seattle Washington (Karaage chicken with Setsuna fries) The Jucy Lucy burger (no, that is not a typo) at Matt's - Minneapolis (I believe it's illegal to come to Minnesota and not go there. I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure).

Sticky Buns at Flour Bakery and Café, Boston MA Croissants and Pain au Chocolate at Standard Baking Co in Portland, ME Ice cream at Love Creamery in Duluth, MN Tamales at The Tamale Place in Indianapolis, IN Burgers at Kuma's in Chicago, IL Hot Brown at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY

I'll repeat pretty much what others have said it's a way to totally get away from work and problems, etc it's a way to have complete family time (no internet for us so we really just enjoy our time together) no cooking, cleaning and laundry (well ok...laundry will be waiting when we return but none to be done during the week) so much to do for all of us, adults and kids, between the amenities (swimming, mini golf, rock wall, waterslides, zipline, laser tag, sky pad, etc etc depending on the ship) and the organized activities (e.g. scavenger huts, trivia, dance classes, games such as giant jenga, etc etc) great food selection and love the sit down every night excellent entertainment and variety every single night (broadway shows, musical acts, comedy type shows, etc, then fun things like Love & Marriage, Quest, Battle of the Sexes, etc) yummy fun drinks different music playing in the evenings (schooner bar, other areas along the promenade) crew is generally excellent, smiling, happy excellent ambiance...I love just waking and exploring the ship, looking at the art work on the walls and around the ship, etc relaxing...nothing better than going for a walk and watching the water move by (will often just watch the wake at the back) and seeing different places for a day I really don't think any other vacation even comes close.

I like being pampered as much (or as little) as I am willing to pay for. I also like that my daughter loves Adventure Ocean so it gives me a break, and I can actually have a conversation with my husband without being interrupted 1000 times. I like that my extended family all enjoy cruising, so it's an easy, easy way for a large group to enjoy a vacation together with someone else doing the cooking, cleaning, etc. and not having to worry about where to stay, where to eat, how to get around.

I was introduced to cruising by my father, a Navy veteran who fought in WWII. He loved ships and being on the water, and shared that experience with his family, although in a much more glamorous way! My first cruise was in the Mediterranean when I was a teenager, and I was mesmerized by the calm blue waters, clear sky and exotic destinations. Cruising became a type of vacation experience that was simply a part of all our lives--more than just an addiction. Yes, I do many other kinds of vacations as well--drive, fly, all -inclusive and so forth, but boarding a ship, unpacking once, dressing for dinner, formally meeting the captain, enjoying live shows, seeing all the stars at night, and pulling into a port that beckons with beauty, history and adventure totally enriches the story of my life. I am a lifelong cruiser!!

The CDC did publish requirements. Royal and most other lines ignored them or didn't follow them claiming ignorance. "Oops, we'll do it right next time" was Royal's response when busted. The CDC has been interacting with cruise lines this whole time. Just because it hasn't played out in the media on a daily basis for all of us to follow doesn't mean it hasn't been happening. One cruise line took time to read and follow the CDC requirements. They submitted a response to the CDC and they were approved to sail. That's one ship out of hundreds. Other cruise companies haven't tried to submit plans or respond to the CDC. That's on the cruise lines but that does not equate to the CDC saying nothing for 4 months.

Cursing increased exponentially in mid-March.

That's why it was interesting to get the emails for Oct 2020 sailings. Had not seen the prices that low. If you can't get into the country (without quarantine), how do you sail. Just marketing to pull in more deposits/paid cruises that will get cancelled?

@crisgold52 You have been blessed to have the funds to do such traveling. Many have not been as blessed as those of us who can travel. I haven't done as much as I would like, but I have been to a few places. I see you went to big cities. Have you ever been to the little towns in places like the NC coast or parts of Louisiana? They have a culture and even language all their own. Big cities are all the same. Little towns, like where I live, are, or can be, a completely different experience. They are often dismissed, but are rich with history. I never said people shouldn't travel outside the US or that Americans don't because they dislike the idea. All I'm saying is that there are many things that most Americans are trying to see first. We want to see what is in our own backyard. This country is falling apart (partly, and please let's NOT go into politics. I hate it.) because many don't go out and meet people that live in the same country and have meaningful conversations. "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." ― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad / Roughing It

I've found that their website highlights the ships pretty well as far as finding out what's available on each ship - just go to the website, and at the top (or in the menu bar, depending on if you are mobile or not, the desktop site offers a better experience, imo, even if it's the same information), and next to "find a cruise" click "ships". Find the ship that you're interested in learning about and then scroll down to "Things To Do". The Cruise Planners offer details, but I like to know which bars and restaurants, activities, etc, are on each ship and these offer a bit of detail. Welcome to the forums!

That is why I say that you can love your country but hate your government. LOL We are blessed with a beautiful nation that has a lot to offer. Many people from other countries think that Americans don't travel to other countries because we are arrogant. I think for many of us, we just have so much to see here that we don't get a chance to do worldwide travel. I hope that this virus stuff gets taken care of soon so we can travel freely in our own country again.

Great to read all of those things! When they release 2022 Ireland itineraries you'll be hearing from me (or if you hear of them before I do, let me know! lol)

I love Azamara and have sailed on the ships two times - One California Coastal and to Cuba I love the small and intimate size of the ship the most and that the Capt. has the ability himself to make decisions and change departure times if need which happened to us while in SFO. He delayed the sail out by 3 hours so guests could go the Chinese New Year Parade The Cabins are nice and larger than on some ships. I have stayed in Ocean View and Balcony rooms And have seen the suites which are nice and big. Very relaxed atmosphere and not "stuffy" which I was worried about - I became easy friends with the staff because of this too. you do get to know the staff well> Their Windows Cafe theme nights are great and we end up having dinner in here most nights because of the more relaxed atmosphere. If you are a fan of lots of entertainment then you may not like it - small bands, singers, casino are about all they have for nightly entertainment but remember on many itineraries, esp. in Europe they stay in port longer or overnight even so you can enjoy the city you are in. Most of all I love the all inclusive drinks, gratuities, meals etc. and based on your level lots of internet minutes as well. The Azamazing evening event we did in California was to a private dinner at a Vineyard in Napa, really well done. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

Haven't sailed them, but their ships are the smallest of all RCL's 3 main brands; from what I saw, none carries more than 600 or so passengers. That's going to make for much more intimate sailings and opportunities for the crew to get to know you well (and vice versa), which I would assume translates into higher levels of service and more positive experiences. Celebrity is already noted for having a higher level of service and staff involvement than Royal, and I would only expect Azamara to be higher yet.