twangster

Boeing desperately wanted the MAX to share the type rating with some previous 737 types so that pilots wouldn't need to be specifically trained and type rated for the MAX. The idea was that pilots who flew other 737 could walk into the cockpit of a MAX and fly it with minimal if any training required. This would help sell the MAX to airlines that already had 737s in their fleets. In hindsight it's clear that should not have been allowed. Boeing should have been required to create a new type rating for the MAX. That would have led to more pilot training including on MCAS.

g.delta.com is a legitimate domain for Delta. I’ve seen it dozens of times with flight updates. Million miler on DL.

This goes to show do not fly in the day of the cruise and now maybe the day before is not the positive approach it used to be. While Boeing is the subject in the spotlight right now, six months from now another manufacturer could be.

Nearly two weeks later and with hundreds of thousands of passengers impacted, including me with an unexpected stay in a hub city recently. Better than dead I guess.

I thought they expanded inspections to include the 900ER that uses the same door plug as the MAX9. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna134986 The Boeing 737-900ER is used by Alaska, Delta and a number of overseas airlines. It is older than the 737 Max 9 involved in the Alaska Airlines flight, but it uses the same door plug design, the FAA said. There are 380 of the 737-900ER planes in service worldwide, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News. Boeing said in a statement on the inspections: "We fully support the FAA and our customers in this action."

18% gratuity is added to drinks that are pay as you go. You will see it on the paper receipt that includes a line to add more if so inclined.

That was likely the VuVuzelas associated with football and Messi.

This has long been a hack that works sometimes. The store doesn't always know you are a consecutive cruiser especially on the last night close to when the store is closing for the last night.

If you booked through select Royal websites such as North America then re-pricing may be an option. Other countries not so much. Be aware that your exact category may or may not change relative to a similar cabin type in a different category. The call is free so it never hurts to ask.

Here is the live trip report from my April canal trip last year: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2931177-live-from-radiance-apr-21-2023-the-panama-canal-canal-au-niveau-de-la-mer/#comment-65212305 Vision class has some appeal since you can walk around the aft of the ship while in the locks, on Radiance class they close the aft due to the cables in this area. Radiance has some appeal because the helipad is public and open to everyone. It was a very popular area. Vision class are showing their age so that may be a factor if one option included a Vision class ship. Radiance class are also showing their age but are newer than Vision class.

I've done the canal transit in October and April. I can't say one was better or worse, I was lucky with weather on both. Rain statistics are great but you can't predict the weather based on prior statistics, rain is always possible in Panama. It is a very wet destination which it needs to be since that is where the water that drives the canal comes from. With the crazy weather patterns around the globe right now I'm not sure any conventional wisdom applies anywhere. If one or the other was less expensive, offered better cabins or better travel on each end I'd go with the one that is better for those reasons.

We are all waiting to find out what's next for Ovation.

When Ovation first visited Alaska in 2019 the repositioning cruise from Vancouver to Seattle went to Hubbard Glacier. That's the only Hubbard visit by a Q class ship ever. Since then the Vancouver to Seattle repo cruises are no different compared to the Seattle round trip. The Northbound Hawaii cruise has to end in Vancouver to stay legal with respect to the PVSA federal law otherwise they would end it in Seattle. I'm fairly certain the OP was looking to see more of Alaska which you do on the Seward-Vancouver or Vancouver-Seward itineraries since you are not backtracking for half of the voyage. The Seattle Q class Alaska itineraries are still very enjoyable but you don't see as much of Alaska compared to the Vancouver-Seward/Seward-Vancouver itineraries.

Once your wife gets there, you will too. Keep sending her on cruises! Just make sure CAS has you in a "relationship" so you earn her status as she levels up. PS - Putting here in a suite solo gets her (and you) there faster.

On the front page of Royal Caribbean Blog you will find a search box. Entering "Alaska" yields many blog posts and podcasts for this wonderful destination. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/search/node?keys=alaska

Quantum class are round trip from Seattle. The one way ships are Radiance class (typically) from Seward & Vancouver.

"Best" is subjective. Some people try to find the TA that offers the most OBC or other perks. Some people value service and being able to interact with a TA on an on going basis over time. In my experience booking nearly 100 cruises with one TA or another is that chasing the best perks works okay until there is an issue and you need a TA to invest time to address the issue. It seems the TAs that give the most perks don't have a lot of money for them in these bookings. They often don't have time to invest in servicing bookings, their focus is achieving mass numbers of bookings. As a result you suffer when things don't go perfectly. Finding the best TA for me took some time. I've had some less knowledgeable TAs to work through before finding one that worked well for my needs. The best one for me resulted in a long term relationship where that TA came to know me and the types of cruising I was interested in. With several cruises behind us she learned me and started to offer cruises she thought I might be interested in.

And then everyone complains on social media about the mess. it's been happening for decades.

I suggest focusing on itinerary, not a cruise line. Try other cruise lines. You are not me, I am not you. I have sailed other lines. My likes and dislikes are unique to me. My opinions are biased by my likes and dislikes. Had I never tried another cruise line I wouldn't have found Royal. Carnival, Norwegian, Royal and MSC are all similar lines competing in the mass cruise market. Try them all and then think about what works best for you.

Sure, give it a shot, but if you are told to join a queue for your actual time slot don't get upset.

Looks like a Celebrity booking.

For fastest service call CAS at (800) 526-9723.

Once ships are 20 years old they have to dry dock every 2.5 years. It is an absolute requirement to maintain their certificate to operate. Mostly these are technical dry docks performing the maintenance required so the ship remains certified to sail. They may replace a cracked window in the Windjammer or a broken tile on a floor somewhere. They might paint the pool or do some other service in guest areas while the ship is down but mostly these dry docks are done because they have to perform scheduled maintenance to the hull, engines, propulsion, etc. as required.

Thanks to the double points promo I reached my second free cruise pretty quickly. My next milestone free cruise is going to take a lot longer to reach. With the current state of affairs I am sailing other lines more and can't justify the rates that Royal charges. There is a reason to continue earning points but as it has always been, it doesn't make sense to make points earning a priority or the reason to cruise. Cruise for the love of cruising on whatever cruise line or itinerary looks best in that moment. I'm boarding a Royal ship today. I booked a studio cabin as it was the only semi-reasonable rate I could find. The rate for a non-studio cabin was ridiculous. I'm not cruising for points but then again I never did specifically cruise just for the points. Who knows, maybe in 2026 or 2027 I'll have reached the next milestone for another free cruise. Time will tell.

CV is everywhere around us. In schools, at church, on public transit, on airplanes, ubers, everywhere because people are infected with it and people are spreading it everywhere. Fortunately the current strains don't seem to be very impactful. Are public schools and universities notifying any one? Are churches? Nope. Why should cruise lines be held to a different standard? I flew recently unrelated to cruising. People on the other side two rows back were coughing and hacking the whole flight. Should they have stayed home? Can't say, I don't know why they were traveling and don't really care. Turns out I didn't catch whatever they had. On my uber ride home how would I know if the last ride had a common cold, flu or any other virus? Perhaps their germs were all over the door handle and seat belt. That's life. I took a cruise over Christmas. It was 18 days long with no major cities to debark anyone. A common cold of some sort went around the ship. Some people isolated themselves for a few days, some went on business as normal, coughing in the theater, in the MDR, etc. What it was, a cold, virus, something else, didn't originate on the ship. It was on land, maybe caught in an airplane or at church or at school or at work. It probably went through the church, work, airplane, hotel, etc. too. Should someone's work should have done something about it? Maybe if they did the bug would have never made it on the ship to begin with. Putting the onus on schools, work places, churches, etc. to regulate health concerns isn't how our society works. It shouldn't work that way on cruise ships either.