twangster

My first proper cruise was on the Radisson Diamond, the first and only SWATH cruise ship in the world. At 18,500 tons and 350 passengers it seemed pretty big to me! We brought our own beer and wine boarding in San Juan. Our cooler tipped over going through the X-Ray machine covering the belt in ice cold water. Security didn't say a word. Lilly Tomlin was the comedian. She is now a gambling ship in China (Hong Kong) now and you can see here on the Apple TV screen saver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCdiGmNlp1I and at night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU2LQmFgSAE Going back farther to the late 80's I was on the Disko, a cargo ship converted to a passenger ship. At 2,100 tons she was small. Passengers bunks were in the former cargo holds at the very front. We cruised down Sonderstom Fjord in Greenland which was breath taking. A lot of my friends drank and drank (I didn't have that much). Once we hit the North Atlantic having left the narrow fjord where it was smooth, the open North Atlantic was rough. Very rough. It was so rough that my head was lifted of my pillow and was thrown back down into the bed as we rode over every wave. I couldn't sleep all night. I was very glad I had limited my consumption. My friends not so much and the combination of alcohol and sea sickness made them all turn very pale. http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=838706 First Royal Caribbean cruise was on the Oasis of the Seas. Prior to Oasis I had sailed Carnival, Disney and NCL. Since Oasis I've been Loyal2Royal.

Great photos. How much post do you do on your photos? Is the noise level of the night shots straight out of the camera or have you tweaked noise levels?

New solo policy. All cabins are now solo. Just kidding ?

Booked 3 more! Or should I say Jacki at MEI Travel will convert three holds into bookings whenever the RCI system is back up from its overnight maintenance. With these three new bookings I've sailed or am scheduled to sail (with a booking) on every ship in the current fleet. I'll deal with Spectrum once her schedule becomes available. Might have to save up for a suite on that ship to experience the rumored suite only areas. All of my bookings involve a travel agent.

Just drink 3 Kraken Lavaflows, then 50° will seem warm!

I'm due to visit on the September 17th Mariner sailing. No communication yet but I have long suspected we'll be tendering.

Interesting they show distinct departure times on day 1, like it will spend the night at sea and dock again in the morning. When I've overnight-ed in other ports, no departure time is listed on the 1st day in port. I guess they don't want guests roaming around in the dark.

Website was supposed to be back up by 9am ET. Maintenance has been extended to 12pm ET. I'm expecting great things Royal Caribbean!

I usually give it 24 hours. Sometimes I can add them right away but many times I just do it the day after.

I noted on Adventure last month, like on Freedom class, there are loungers as Matt illustrated above that are roped of for "Gold Card" (GS Suites and above). I'm assuming Mariner does as well. Not exactly a suite sun deck like on OA/QU class but it's something.

True to their word, Royal has refunded my $450 deposit Things that make you go... hmmmm

With a 300mm zoom lens on my (real) camera, this is the view from my port balcony during a normal sail away

It does. Just be aware that Manhattan and the Statute of Liberty will be in the distance, not up close. Starboard will have no views in that direction based on a normal sail away. If the Port Authority authorizes a harbor tour at sail away, port side will have awesome view of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Is the ship the destination or are the ports the destination? Which is more important? I get the feeling the ship is holding you back from choosing the Greek cruise. As you have noted the smaller ship is required to get into some of those ports. Last year I sailed on Allure in May then my next ship was Grandeur. Mega to small. I loved Grandeur. It's a wonderful ship. It's only considered a small ship by Royal Caribbean standards. By the measure used by all other cruises lines, having ~2,000 guests is not a small ship. The Greek Islands are on my bucket list and I'd have no hesitation sailing Vision class ships so I know what I'd do, but this is your vacation. Follow your gut.

Hello, my is Twangster, and I've booked cruises today.

Yes, like buying a drink at a bar, 18% gratuity is added to a massage. Tipping extra, like at a bar, is at your discretion.

Nice! Great way to celebrate Diamondness!

I work with Jacki York from MEI Travel. In fact I'm about to email her with a dilemma I've created for myself on a different direct booking. Sorry Jacki ?

My evil plan is working!

Oh, and welcome to the message boards!

Go for it, but don't be surprised if they chuckle and politely decline. NextCruise isn't what it used to be, at least in my experience. With so many sales and promos every few weeks Next has become hit or miss. Now if I see what I perceive to be a good price, I book it even if I have a cruise next week. Be aware, Next is only non-refundable deposits now. In January I sat at Next while I had my regular travel agent on the phone held up to my ear. Right there I shopped them, got their best price, asked my agent, took three steps away from Next and booked a refundable fare to NZ cheaper through my agent than Next non-refundable with their OBC factored in. Plus no $450 deposit. Same cabin, same sail date. YMMV.

I've seen this trend on other similar excursions like the dragon coaster at Labadee. One ride $26, all day pass $35. The Labadee zip line has always been on its own so not surprised this one is as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the different between 1/2 day water park and full day water park become bigger. However if there is an hour wait for a water slide and you only have a 1/2 day pass, there will be lots of complaints, bad social media coverage. Royal is famous for watching sales trends and adjusting prices. If too many people gobble up the $44 pass, it will increase in price. Basic supply and demand. Demand goes up, prices go up.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/06/01/royal-caribbean-opens-perfect-day-cooccay-excursion-bookings With pricing, at least for some of it.

Seems to vary by cruise port. Port Everglades cut the forms some time ago. Cape Liberty still used them a couple weeks ago. it's up to US Customs, not the cruise line.

Young grasshopper, a wise man on this site once said "YOLO!, book it!" Discussion with girls - "We can find you a sitter for while we are gone, or you can cruise in an OV cabin. What would you prefer?".