twangster

I love the X Pin to Zenith match. I miss the DP340 solo cruiser discount I get with Royal so I'm still not booking many Celebrity cruises though. I looked at a transpacific on Celebrity. An interior on Edge is more than a Junior Suite on Quantum or Voyager. Guess which two I booked? Quantum and Voyager. Full drink package, full internet package, Michael's club access, using suite/zenith queue on boarding day, laundry, etc. No suite restaurant though but I wouldn't be surprised if this eventually goes away on Royal, so it is what it is. It's odd to me, and to the bartenders on board, they wont give us Zenith colored sea pass cards. It's not a big deal, just an odd thing to draw a line in the sand over. I still get all the perks I'm supposed to, it's just a weird line to draw IMO. It's like "this is just to remind you that you are not a real zenith". Oh well.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/international-age-policy Royal Caribbean's minimum age to sail unaccompanied on sailings originating in South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand is eighteen (18).

I've done the full transit twice but was recently on a 9 night round trip from Tampa where the ship didn't go into the canal. We did stop at Colon though so I booked the ship excursion that includes a small boat through some of the locks. Basically this skipped the lake Gatun portion and had us board the boat at the beginning of the Culebra cut and head towards and into the Pacific. It was really nice to see the locks up close, like touch the walls up close. On the ship when going through the canal is great, but I really appreciated see it from a smaller boat in a lock with a big RoRo ship that was squeezed in with us. The excursion is called "Wonders of Engineering: Panama Canal Locks and Culebra Cut Cruise" and I highly recommend it. Not to hijack this thread with my photos, but here are a few from that excursion in March: My excursion had 5 motor coaches that split between two boats. Here is the other boat with ship guests from another coach. Our boat was bigger and a better experience as they tied up to us while we were against the lock walls. We got to touch the walls while they didn't. This excursion often sells out for good reasons. I booked it then it went on sale at some point later so I cancelled and booked it at the lower price.

I have it booked for a 2026 cruise. It was right beside the non-VIP version so maybe it is sold out or not offered? Maybe not every train has the VIP car? Is it available directly? Direct means walking the short walk to the train terminal in town.

The Icon balcony is a Central Park balcony, at least on the date I looked at. Although for $69 you could upgrade to an Ocean View balcony.

More upset neighbors...

I just checked again. While the points for my last cruise posted, I have two expired offers. SMH

I got a rock.

Couldn't resist getting back to French Polynesia and Australia so I booked the Quantum 25 night plus a couple before and after. For any solo cruisers, especiall;y 340+ CAS members, the website isn't reflecting the reduced single supplement for TA/TP cruises but after a phone call they manually applied the 125% single supplement to the 25 night TP. That makes for a pretty dramatic price difference. Make sure to call to get the correct single supplement applied.

What cruise line does the best job job crafting the available ports of call from Australia together into a single sailing?

Cruise prices are up overall. I used to be able to get a 3 night balcony for under $300. Now it's 3 to 4 times that minimum. Yes, Icon cruises are more costly than what Oasis cruises used to be during the same time I was getting those balcony deals on Voyager and Freedom class. But, the prices increases are distinct and separate from the Oasis shift to short. It just so happens that cruising is insanely popular right now and high demand equates to high prices. I like Icon class. The evolution is pretty nice. I'm a loyal cruiser and I am paying significantly more now yet I am still booking. Hotel prices are up. Airfare is higher. I'm still flying. They aren't targeting past cruisers as it seems you may be suggesting, it's just that demand is up, so prices are up. For all of us.

IMO Navigator got the best AMP in this class. I'm hoping they bring it down after the Singapore season since it's so close. Freedom class is probably a better fit size wise but at the moment it isn't so convenient moving ships between the major oceans. I'm pretty sure Voyager and Freedom can't use Panama and now with the Suez route being impaired it's a long way to go and a short time to get there.

I can see that, for sure. It would be cool if they could retrofit an ice rink into Two70 . Skating with the robotic screens dancing with them... Freedom to the South Pacific would be awesome. Totally agree on the restaurants along the Esplanade. My first Wonderland experience was mostly listening to all the wonderful shopping deals in the Esplanade happening now over the PA.

Is Fiji allowing larger ships with 4k+ passengers? Given Oasis and Icon are off the table for the moment due to tendering in the region, what ship classes would be better or more preferred than Quantum class? As you probably know the captain on Quantum eluded to a 2027 date for Lelepa but also conceded it's delayed due to the earthquake. That leaves me thinking 27-28 is more realistic.

What ports of call is everyone hoping for from Australia? What is Royal missing that other lines do better from there?

One time sailing from Vancouver there was a suite/pinnacle waiting area once through CBP while waiting to board. However it just a different area with the same plastic folding chairs. It was a small area so depending on how long it takes to commence boarding it could easily become over capacity. This was Serenade IIRC. For Ovation there was no suite/pinnacle waiting area. It is kind of comical and a lot like the picture @smokeybandit posted but with elevators and escalators involved, going up and back down before going up and back down. Vancouver isn't always the same but sometimes they do the initial check in one floor above CBP. They have large number signs to help guide you. It's as easy as 1 - 2 - 3 - 4. When going down the bus ramp and car entrance you'll reach this critical first step. First you go up the parking elevators just inside this door to the left, follow the #1 luggage sign. Out to the level 3 or 4 parking garage complete with car exhaust for luggage drop. Back down the parking elevators to where you began. Usually from here you go up an escalator one level. You'll come back down the other side of this same escalator after the next step. Follow the signs to step 2. Have your set sail and passport scanned somewhat normally as you would any cruise... Then outside to go back down the escalator one level to where you were at the start of this journey. Looking back at the parking elevator you used to reach the luggage drop. In the other direction is the next step 3, CBP in the distance to the right. CBP usually has a Global Entry queue but it can be backed up more so than the regular queue. The CBP process and area is common to all ship embarking that day. Once through CBP you are split off based on ship and enter the waiting area, step 4 until the ship commences with boarding. It is here where there is sometimes a suite/pinnacle section but not a distinct room with any snacks or drinks like ports that have dedicated suite/pinnacle lounge. On the other side of the barricade you can see passengers from another vessel that have also cleared CBP. Here, like my fellow travelers you can take a moment to reflect on the CF you just went through. After a miserable wait it's time to board! Smile for the cameras! Why does everyone look so miserable in their first boarding day photos? Hmmm....

40% of bookings are from loyalty. That makes 60% new to Royal. Like it or not Royal is a business and publicly traded. They answer first to their shareholders. The hot segment in the industry right now is short cruising. For them to not follow the market and by doing so accept lower revenue to appease return guests would be a violation of their fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders. Liberty would likely lose his job. They will always attempt to maximize revenue. That's what businesses do. At some point the short trend will subside and whatever the hot new trend in the industry is, that is what Royal will pursue at that time. The beauty of cruise ships is that they can be redeployed relatively easily to satisfy the evolving consumer demands in the industry.

Signs that the 26-27 season is being loaded but not quite yet available to book. Doubtful, Dusky and Milford on three Anthem dates so far. Should be fully loaded soon.

Royal has always and will continue to follow the money. The money used to be the quintessential 7 night cruise. Now the money is short 3/4. Royal is simply doing what they have always done, brought great value to their shareholders. In time the industry will evolve into something else. When it does Royal will deploy their assets, their ships, accordingly. It's not personal, its business, as it should be.

I've been to Bermuda three times on Royal. No Bermuda badge. Oh well.

AA is my least favorite airline. Going back two decades I was 2nd from the top elite on them. I was also top on another airline at the time. The contrast was night and day. AA flight attendants have long been disinterested in doing their job. I won't fly them now. I did the Pearl Harbor thing as a teen and later dragged my kids there when they were teens. Diamond Head on both occasions. Life goes full circle. Oahu, having done the prerequisite, is my least favorite island. Kauai and Maui is where it's at for me.

Find a good travel agent, they know how to find the best cabins for each type of traveler. Much of this industry is wrapped around the two occupancy cabin which is the most common type of cabin on board. Cabins that hold more people especially 5 or more, are not common so they fetch a premium. Often larger parties find it better to split parties into 2 or more cabins that has the additional benefit more bathrooms. Consider looking at more than one cabin, possibly connecting cabins.

Voyager TP from Brisbane looks better than most Royal cruises that include Hawaii. Couple Hawaii stops through to Seattle.

Alright already! I'm getting off. The terminal awaits you.