twangster

Explorer is part of the Voyager class while Liberty is Freedom class. Freedom class is basically a stretched version of Voyager class. It's like they took a Voyager class ship and welded in an extra section in the middle. The extra space in the middle makes room for a dedicated Sorrento's Pizza in the Promenade and an extra pool on the pool deck. On Explorer pizza is available at cafe Promenade. I like Voyager class. They are a perfect size while not being too big. They aren't small (bigger than anything in Carnival's active fleet up to this point) so they are a large ship while keeping the guest count to a reasonable level. Balcony cabins on Explorer are cove like in nature while Liberty has a more open balconies with glass. Explorer was suppose to go in for her "amplification" right when the pandemic started so it was cancelled. They had already been doing some things to her such as the cabins were already touched when I sailed her June 2018. Explorer was set to receive water slides in the amplification so that's a notable omission right now. Other differences - Liberty has a Suite Lounge while Explorer still has the interior Concierge Lounge, one of a handful left in the fleet. Generally speaking if you like Liberty you'll feel right at home on Explorer. The layout except for the extra section in the middle is very similar.

Quantum lacks a Diamond Lounge but there is a "Golden Lounge". It's not clear how they'll use that space outside of the Asia region. The upper Music Hall on Quantum has been made into a VIP Casino. On the pool deck where Ovation has "Fish & Ships" now, Quantum has "Noodle Shop". The layout is identical and if you were teleported back & forth between ships in many areas you'd have a hard time knowing which ship you were on.

I have cruised both from Seward to Vancouver. Millie in 2017 and Radiance in 2019. Millie: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5211-alaska-recap-celebrity-millennium-june-2017/ Radiance: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9160-radiance-of-the-seas-alaska-southbound-83118/ Millie was before her revolutionization. Both are great ships and similar in size as both were built to the original Panamax standard. I cruised Celebrity because on that occasion I was booking a suite. On Celebrity (or X as some refer to it) a suite comes with better perks compared to Radiance suites. All things being close to equal and since I had never sailed X I picked Millie. The only disadvantage was not earning Crown and Anchor points. On Millie suites have a dedicated restaurant and access to a lounge, plus it came with 4 perks, OBC, gratuity, beverage package and internet. Put it all together and Millie represented better value dollar for dollar, suite to suite. I can't think of much to complain about on either ship. In both cases I booked the train from Anchorage direct and the itinerary was identical. Mille was a bit more refined. No need to sign out towels, slightly better food in the buffet, suite restaurant on Millie (Luminae) was excellent, like Coastal Kitchen on the bigger Royal ships but better. Radiance helipad was public where it isn't (or wasn't) on Millie. Unless the CAS points are a big factor for you I suggest checking out Millie since she has been refreshed now and it will give you an opportunity to try X, to see what you like or dislike. I had a great cruise on her and I'd go back for the same reasons anytime all things are close to equal.

Trading stock is legalized gambling. Should you bet on red or black? Even or odd? Will the dealer go bust with the next card? It's probably too early to predict what will happen with Royal. NCL is in more precarious financial shape so they may be a canary in the coal mine for us. If NCL goes into bankruptcy it will have a chilling effect on Royal stock even if Royal doesn't follow them into bankruptcy. Might be a good time to invest more, or it might be a sign that it's time to jump ship.

If they hold true to past years then the fall may see more cruises released.

Majesty is Royal's second oldest and second smallest ship. It left the fleet then came back for Cuba since Cuba can only take small ships. When Cuba tourism was blocked by the US government they placed Majesty in NOLA to do something with her. She is dated in places like carpet and decor in areas and being an older ship she has small cabins with very few balconies. Conquest class is larger but doesn't really have a lot of the newer bells and whistles either granted there are some water slides on them while Majesty doesn't have slides. I find the Conquest class ships to have pretty gaudy decor like someone was paid to go on a wild acid trip and decorate the ship. Majesty isn't like that but her decor distinctly places her in that generation and you'll feel like you stepped back in time to the days of classic cruising when you board her. This class of ship was a game changer when they were built and at one time they were the largest cruise ships in the world. These ships changed the cruise industry in a good way forcing all other lines to step up their game. Two sister ships, Monarch and the class namesake Sovereign were just sold to a scrap yard this month. You'll find everything you need for a good classic cruise experience much like Carnival's Fantasy class. It wouldn't be fair to compare a Fantasy class ship to a Conquest class ship and it isn't fair to bring Majesty into that comparison either. Here is a trip report with photos from Majesty last year: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14968-the-magic-of-majesty-august-2019-and-then-again-in-october/ I'm being a little tough on Majesty to set expectations. Know what you're booking. Having said all that she is a good ship for a good old style classic cruise experience.

A lot is riding on these early cruises. If they can pull off a few without issue it will speak volumes to the world. Inevitably there will be a case so we'll have to see how it plays out in the media. Cruise ships didn't create CV-19 nor are they immune anymore than a land based movie theater, wedding, political convention, etc. yet a single case from an early cruise will garner attention that hundreds of cases from a rally or wedding wouldn't.

Jewel has a couple Southern Caribbean routes from Galveston including Cartagena and Colon. I haven't seen Liberty doing these runs.

Another reason to buy the drink package - Muster 2.0.

Airlines face the same challenge hence the wild and crazy safety briefing videos and the reason for the Royal Caribbean spy version of the safety briefing. Many people stand at muster on their phones or talking amongst themselves despite instructions not to. They aren't paying attention either. Come emergency time you may regret that choice.

Logic would dictate the content be stored on servers on the ship so that there is no reliance on an internet connection at any time in the process. They wouldn't want to be dependent on their satellite internet provider before they could set sail. If that is the case, you'll need to be on the ship connected to the ship wifi or in a stateroom to watch it on the cabin TV.

What does Aida have to do with TUI? Completely different ship and cruise line.

Cabin category for the bulk of the deck 17 loft suites used to be L1 (side facing) or L2 (rear facing). Now they are all L1. I'll use the old category as it's easier to explain. The L2 rear facing were great for people watching as they look over the sports deck areas like mini-golf or the basketball court. You could hold a conversation with someone on the sports deck if so desired. You will need to close the drapes for privacy otherwise everyone has a clear view into your loft. You can see the L2 loft suites in this photo of the mini-golf area. The L1 side facing are more private. Short of someone poking their head around the barrier from the loft suite next door they are private. There are both sheer curtains and full darkening curtains. The sheer give some privacy but still yield a magnificent view to wake up to. The L1/L2 loft suites are Sky Class. There are a handful of deck 17 suites that are Star Class. They tend to be on the corners or ends and include the Star Loft, Royal Loft, Owners Panoramic and Grand Panoramic but the majority of the lofted suites are Sky Class. I never heard the Windjammer below. Furthermore the bed is actually on deck 18 well away from the WJ.

Giovanni's has menu diversity so more tastes can be accommodated. Chops is pretty much is a steakhouse featuring mostly red meat with one or two non-meat seafood options. If everyone is your party loves a juicy steak you're good but if someone isn't a red meat lover then someone is paying a lot for meal they may not like. Typical Chops menu: Oasis class Giovanni's:

If they place the muster content on ship servers then a satellite internet outage won't affect the ability of completing eMuster. The ship has a number of servers already, that's where the portal to sign into Voom is stored. The eMuster content will vary by ship class so it makes sense to store it on board. That's a long way of saying I don't think eMuster will clog the ship wifi or be impacted if satellite coverage is marginal like in Alaska. The content will be available on stateroom TVs which don't rely on Voom. That's how folks with no phone, a broken phone or someone who can't figure out how to turn their phone on will be accommodated. I have elderly family that would fall into the category of not being able to figure out how to connect to Voom and watch eMuster on a phone but can grab a TV remote and use it.

I said I wasn't going to book another cruise and I held firm on that... I booked two.

Fingers and toes crossed

The problem is they are not supposed to sail or leave port until muster is complete. Deactivating a seapass card takes too long for people to notice and do something. I suspect we'll be inundated with instructions during check in. "You MUST do e-Muster before 4pm"... "If you don't do e-Muster by 4pm this horrible thing will happen". Then there will be paging announcements every 20 minutes from 1pm onward "Guests are reminded they must complete e-Muster before the ship will be allowed to sail". There will be notices in the staterooms and cabin attendants will remind guests. It will be hard to miss.

Here in the US it's probably more of a CYA tactic. Harder to claim they are doing nothing when they can counter they are considering all input from all sources. Renewing US VISA is difficult at best with processing times as they are. It might be more of a "do not bother trying" suggestion rather than an explicit "do not".

If you move the cruise before final payment is due then the final payment deadline for the new future cruise also moves.

I have two Europe based cruises booked right now in spring of 2021. I'm on the fence with them meaning I'm undecided. Final payment isn't due until early in 2021 so I have some time to sit and wait to see how the pandemic evolves until then. I am confident that Royal will be around, so much so I am booking new cruises in 2022. I consider the deposits toward these cruises to be low risk.

I think Royal deserves a lot of credit for advancing this and getting maritime regulators on board with the changes. That's no small undertaking. It's interesting they are licensing the program but allowed NCL in through their participation in the safety panel. Carnival has long "not played well with others" in the industry and there has been a strong rivalry or combativeness with their tactics at the corporate or executive level. With the patent and license it forces Carnival's hand. They can't copy without facing potential infringement but the temporary licensing waiver all but forces them to acknowledge and buy into the program which will cost them licensing fees later on. Well played Richard. Prepare for a lot of names being called on the PA prior to sailing. Experienced cruisers will know not to mess with this and to get it done. New to cruise won't appreciate the improvement or the significance of what this accomplishes and they will need to chase a lot of them down before departure. After reviewing safety information individually, guests will complete the drill by visiting their assigned assembly station, where a crew member will verify that all steps have been completed and answer questions. Each of the steps will need to be completed prior to the ship's departure, as required by international maritime law.

That would be awesome! JS stands a decent chance in NZ but the TP may be elite heavy. If that's the case even Pinnacle may be restricted to a few nights in CK.

Friends don't let friends cruise alone (not that you'll be alone), so I booked the first two. Dinner in Coastal Kitchen? Have to see about the next two. HNL to YVR for sure but may delay Alaska to accommodate family.

Rats, can't enter Canada right now...