twangster

Pictures say a thousands words... Start here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14213-empress-b2b-14-nights-on-the-biggest-little-ship-july-2019/&do=findComment&comment=145134

Every 5 to 10 minutes (or so). As demand and guests vary loads on the trams they introduce some variables for timing but there are several of them continuously doing the circuit around the island. If a bunch of people with mobility issues slow down one tram loading or unloading it might delay it a minute or two.

What we don't know is where else other assets have already been used to secure credit elsewhere. They may have focused on Celebrity to secure this loan because that's all that remained free to be used or it's easy to document for the purpose of collateral. They might be preparing and securing credit then while they could, uncertain what the future holds. Now that we are five months later it's a very different game. Other loans or credit may have stipulations attached. If you acquire a car loan you can't use that money for just anything you want to, it has to be used for a specific vehicle. That's a simplification but this debt and all other debt will have clauses. One may say it can't be used for payroll, executive bonuses or stock buyback, it must be used on physical assets that are secured to the debt. Another may be more board in scope but come with a higher cost. This money might need to be used to keep Celebrity ships floating. Corporate finance and debt is complicated but it is so to protect everyone involved. Time and again throughout history some companies did shady things with loans that ended up in an executive car, house, yacht or vacation then the creditor is screwed so they tend be extremely complicated for all the right reasons.

I think some of it has to do with shipping in general beyond cruise ships. The number of cruises ships entering US ports is minuscule compared to the number of ships overall (cargo, tanker, container, etc). Most of the shipping industry falls under federal jurisdiction so cruise ships neatly get slid into that by association. Couple that with local health departments having so few resources it would be challenging for say the city of Galveston to inspect health related items on ships entering port. Have you seen how many tanker ships use Texas ports? A lot of city or state governments struggle to keep up with local business. If they had to manage cruise ships the inspections would be few and far between and they would struggle adapting to how things must be done on ships versus on land. Cruise ships would have a variety of rules and implementations if local governments at each home port were in control. In Miami they look for X, in Ft Lauderdale the inspectors look for Y and in Canaveral they look for Z. That would be a nightmare for ships. The sign that employees must wash hands is 2" too high in one port and 2" too far to the right in another - Imagine that times 1,000. Historically the cruise industry (or some players in it) didn't really adhere to any code so the industry brought the CDC on themselves (or equivalent agency in other regions). Put it all together along with other stuff we never think of and you've got the current situation.

The state dance in South Carolina is the Shag. It's got a whole different meaning across the pond. Totally agree which is why I quit a major one. It's accelerating our demise and exacerbating our issues.

That is the traditional wisdom but Royal is now (sometimes) allowing some changes that just never happened before. The cost of a phone call is free (if you use the right number in the UK) so it never hurts to ask.

A couple U.S. based airlines have moved past the distancing concept. They are back to normal seating. People at a pool outdoors or a house party indoors for a couple hours are spreading it. It's a lottery right now. Pick the right seat on a plane next to someone who is asymptomatic and you'll probably be infected by the the end of the flight. The airline industry needs to be grounded. They should just stop pretending. At least on a cruise ship the maximum time I spend next to a stranger is at a show or muster drill. I can choose to skip a show or leave 10 minutes in. Stop the shows and that's solved. In the WJ I can be in and out in 20 minutes, if I take it to go 1/3 of that. Walking through a grocery store isn't the primary source of spread. That's kind of what a cruise is like. Walking past people but not sitting beside them for hours and hours. That pretty much is an airplane ride. On a plane I'm stuck next to a stranger with no escaping it. If they start coughing or sneezing all I can do is scream inside. Every time you board a plane it's spin the wheel and see if you get the virus. It's much safer on a ship.

That's what another generation said about that disgusting Rock & Roll music. How can kids listen to that stuff?

It costs a lot of money to move a ship to a new home port and that cost goes up with distance. A new ship may be more efficient but if another ship is in the right place at the right time and can start carrying guests right then, in the bigger picture it might be more cost effective to let that ship sail. Empress carries 1,600 and it never feels crowded. At 50% capacity that 800 guests. Very easy to manage 800 on that ship and that ship is paid for (no loan payment) so the fact that it might burn more fuel per guest mile doesn't mean it makes her less cost effective versus a new ship especially if she is in the right place. Some foreign countries might feel more comfortable with just 800 arriving on a ship versus 3,000. Oasis at half capacity is 3,300. From this perspective it may be small ships have a place as well. At the end of the day it's not just one factor such as fuel efficiency that will drive the return to cruising. There's a lot of factors in play.

They sailed near a hurricane with the solarium roof open? Have you taken employment with a Florida based ambulance chasing attorney?

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9391-recap-mariner-4-night-bahamas-sept-21-2018/

Saves a bunch on sunscreen which is better for the sea as well.

Did someone mention the swing? Ovation doesn't have this swing.

A close second for me is the newly amplified Oasis solarium. I like the outdoor solarium area on this ship more so than her sisters. No deep pool either though.

Quantum class have the best Solarium. The layout, size and design gives it visual appeal with different water features and quad-ish hot tubs with awesome forward views. The pool isn't suitable for laps, it's more of a sitting pool so the only drawback is for folks looking for a deepwater pool to swim in.

CocoCay is the Bahamas, governed by the laws and ruled by the Bahamas even if it's privately owned. Until Florida gets its number down the Bahamas will remain closed to Americans.

I think something along those lines as well. The pandemic gives Royal investors reason to give Fain a pass on scrapping the old ones and Fain gets to move Vision class nearly out of RCI. That leaves Empress and Majesty. Not sure how long Royal will hold out waiting for a Cuba to become available during the pandemic or initial pandemic aftermath.

The remaining question is where can a Bayonne based ship cruise to? Will Bermuda or the Bahamas expose themselves to American cruisers before we get our numbers down?

Indeed. There is speculation that Pullmantur will relaunch in the future after working through bankruptcy. If so Lady G may be her flagship due in no small part to the scrubbers required in many areas.

I think the change to Ravenna was made due to an overall ban of cruise ships in Venice. That applies to both Venice as a port of call and home porting there.

Both private destinations employee hundreds of locals so the risk of infection or spread is not eliminated even if it reduced. A sick American spreading it to a local who lives on a small island near CocoCay will bring it back to that small community where it could quickly rip through the otherwise more isolated small island community. Like we see in America, people with symptoms will hide them so they can work so they make money so they can support their family at any cost. I'd expect no different from a Bahamian or Haitian local desperate for money. Haiti is probably easier to buy off. CocoCay is in the Bahamas so it's subject to Bahamian laws and any cruise ship restrictions. While America and Florida especially has surging numbers it's unlikely the Bahamas wants Americans showing up. There is also no guarantee that the CDC would change its policy to reflect private destination only itineraries. Unfortunately this virus is highly spreadable and much of that spread including the first cases around the world involved people who didn't show symptoms at the time. The CDC won't change it's policy until the risk of spread is significantly lower than it is today. As long as the ships sail from the U.S. or wish to stop in the U.S. the CDC policy is in play. As long as this virus is killing people ships will be restricted by countries around the world. If we reach the point people just get sick and the death potential is low then we have turned a corner.

Since you've been on Enchantment you have an idea what the ship offers for activities. Brilliance does have a kid water slide for younger kids but beyond that it won't have much more than Enchantment for kid activities. Only you know your kids and if they participate in all the other stuff beyond AO or if they shy away from that stuff. Oasis will provide an environment like Harmony. Brilliance will rely on you spending more time keeping your kids entertained. For some families that the reason why they cruise - quality time with kids. For others it's nice to have the kids entertained so adults can get some quality time alone.

Reveals too much leg for my body type.

I'm more of a one piece kind of guy.

Hotels aren't exactly doing great right now either. It would be a tremendous amount of work to convert a ship into a hotel to meet local government requirements and obtain all required permits. Just the number of inspections to meet code would be ungodly and there would be substantial costs to modify the ship to meet modern building codes or seek approvals for variances. The width of cabin doors for example probably wouldn't meet local ADA requirements so most cabin doors would be out of compliance. This would also require a business license in the local city and they'd be subject to all the things local hotels are. This includes fire codes, local health inspections, elevator permits, building occupancy guidelines, and zoning to name just a few. Plus I don't think local hotels would be too pleased with the idea. Terminals aren't setup for the constant coming and going of hotel traffic. The local ports would resume dock and port fees which are pretty significant on a daily basis. Most terminals aren't in areas that would be appealing for hotel stays. Bar and restaurants in many cities are closed so food and beverages would be an issue. Labor would be subject to local laws and ship crew VISAs wouldn't work so they'd have to staff every position with Americans subject to local minimum wages, taxation, withholdings, etc. Casino's would need to be kept closed losing that revenue stream. The list goes on and on.