twangster

This is why many of us are voicing our thoughts in this thread. We all have compassion and feel terrible about the loss of life. If the family hadn't attacked the cruise line with such tenacity refusing to accept any blame or admit it was simply a terrible accident many of us would have remained silent and grieved with them.

Actually it's the PVSA, Passenger Vessel Services Act. The PVSA introduces the concept of near foreign port versus distant foreign port and closed loop versus open jaw routes. A closed loop sailing has to visit at least one foreign port. Closed loop means it starts and ends in the same US port. A closed loop itinerary could include a near or distant foreign port so long as there is a foreign port on the itinerary. When Oasis begins operating from Bayonne she will perform closed loop itineraries. For open loop sailings such as repositioning cruise between US ports the itinerary must visit a distant foreign port. Panama is designated as distant which is how Panama Canal cruises are legal. The ABC islands are designated as distant ports. For a cruise such as Boston to Florida to be legal it includes all or some of the ABC islands. Sometimes you'll catch a Radiance or Voyager class ship doing these types of repo cruises. San Juan has a waiver in place so repo's can occur. It's the only US port at the moment with a waiver allowing open loop (repositioning) cruises. Alaska North/South cruises start or stop in Canada so they are legal. Same with Hawaii cruises. Same with Quebec City to/from Bayonne or Florida. All are legal because they start or stop in Canada therefore they are not cruises starting and stopping in different US ports. For Oasis to carry passengers between Florida and New Jersey she would have to visit the ABC islands. So far an Oasis class ship has never ventured that far South for whatever reason. Perhaps those ports can't accomodate Oasis class. The result is she has to sail absent of guests to and from Bayonne when she repositions. Sailing empty for a few days is costing them millions in lost revenue since the ship only makes money when guests are sailing on her. They must figure it's worth it to place Oasis in Bayonne. Incidentally, certain positions on the ship are not considered essential to ship operations and they may be subject to the PVSA as well. This includes NextCruise which is a sales function, not essential to ship operations and sometimes entertainers. For this reason they can't offer free cruises to guests on this repo since guests are never essential to ship operations.

I'll be on Oasis soon after her AMP later this year. I suspect the new changes are going to make her the Queen of the Seas again. Oasis in TX would be pretty epic.

Not surprised if it works out that way. Moving a show is a big deal. New contracts with the show owners and a lot of work to adapt and breakdown set pieces. Entertainment staff have joked it's easier to move a ship to a new home port than it is to move a show.

Every time someone clicks on one for a price it locks out of the inventory for a period of time, like15 minutes. That way two people can't buy the same cabin. I've done this to myself. Find a cabin, click on it. Call my travel agent and it's out of the inventory. We hang around and chat for a few minutes and it pops back in.

Oasis? If so, there could be a bot sighting on that cruise.

Gratuity is frequently discussed topic. They have made it more confusing than it needs to be. The bottom line you don't have to tip any more above paying the daily service charge. Any bar bills include 18% service charge even if you bought a drink package. You are welcome to tip above that if so inclined but you don't need to. If any crew did anything special that really made your vacation over the top you might decide to give that person something more.

Why? They added so much stuff that wasn't there before. South Beach is simply the next phase they couldn't do before without impacting the old beach area. Now that there is so much going on, losing South Beach for a few months is not a big deal.

Hello? It's an internet forum! Did you expect professional banter about the case absent of any speculation?

What if Allure gets CATS!, Oasis Mama Mia! Hey, it's a new show for each ship...

No idea if Spectrum is the same as her sisters but often all ships within a class are the same simply because it's an approved SOLAS plan that's easier to copy rather then re-invent from scratch for every ship. Here are Anthem's muster stations: Here are Ovation's muster stations:

Front page has a water icon that doesn't require a coded cup. Any container will work.

Thanks for the detailed information. If I'm not mistaken, Winkleman was engaged the day of the accident. I suspect if that is the case a local criminal attorney was also. They've moved very quickly. Afternoon accident, understandably terribly distraught and sedated yet have researched and engaged counsel back on the mainland within hours. My head would be spinning, I wouldn't be thinking about engaging an attorney at that moment in time. Why is Winkleman making such an effort to be so public about this? A presser within 24 hours of the incident for example.

There was briefly an unpublished suite area near the cabanas before Perfect Day arrived. There is no current suite area. That's never been an issue at Labadee. Royal is very focused on suite guests so much so they began getting rid of Concierge Lounges and adding Suite Lounges then denied Diamond Plus members who had Concierge Lounge access in the past so that suite guests wouldn't get squeezed out. They did so without a care in the world how Diamond Plus members would react. An island is much bigger than a ship, plenty of space to create suite only areas without alienating non-suite guests, they simply chose not to. I'm surprised they didn't add an official suite area when they launched Perfect Day. Adding one now would be more antagonistic to non-suite guests compared to launching from the start with one. Perhaps the South Beach area will gain one.

Thanks for the feedback. This site sees little participation from that region so first hand information is great!

A lot depends on the track and speed of motion as this develops. Hopefully it doesn't slow down. Coastal areas and lots of rainfall never amount to any good.

Relegated to becoming a balcony bot. Sigh. Better than Ron-in-a-tub I suppose. Or does that suite have a tub on the balcony? I'm not sharing the balcony with Ron.

WHAT? I'm not going if class isn't available.

Interesting side discussion about the McD case. Likely the kind of confusion the attorney in this case is trying to create. Attorney: Dangerous play areas, dangerous hidden windows on cruise ships, media blitz with numerous pictures of a toddler, cruise ship FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt). Meanwhile my colleague is on the phone with Royal Caribbean right now as I stand in front of the press holding a press conference stating all these terrible, dangerous things about cruise ships. Of course this could all stop... for a price.

Are you going to offer "Meal with a Bot" to the Royal Caribbean Blog insiders group?

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/07/09/majesty-of-the-seas-sail-new-orleans-2020

Good question. On Vision in January out of NOLA a lot of locals were happy to have a ship back but I'm not sure how strong sales were. A number of guests had driven down from neighboring states as well. While the transit down the Mississippi is enjoyable, it does consume a fair amount of time. That plays a role in the destinations it can reach. I may have to pickup another cruise if I can fit it into winter/spring calendar.

So far James Van Fleet is optimistic

Indeed, pretty good rates too. Under $400 pp for 7 nights. I love sailing down the Mississippi and watching all the barges and other shipping. It's quite a river of commerce. Coming across another cruise or large cargo ship going the other way in such close proximity is amazing.

I may not enjoy the design of Royal's current website nor the features it provides yet I manage to cruise often using it. As offered earlier in the thread Royal's policy is a maximum of four cabins can be booked on the website. This is not an IT issue. When you reach 4 cabins the " + " is greyed out and you can't add any more. Not an IT issue.