twangster

Royal has been trying to kill MTD for a few years now.  They made MTD chaotic trying to make MTD unappealing.  This appears to be the final nail.  

Royal's train departs later in the day from a station near the airport in Anchorage and it ends right at the cruise terminal in Seward.  It leaves later so that fly in guests landing in the morning can make the train but this means it arrives in Seward late afternoon or early evening. This is a charter train with only Royal guests on board.
The Alaskan Railroad direct train operates from the downtown Anchorage station and ends at the public train station in Seward.  This is a ten minute walk or a complimentary coach ride to the cruise terminal.  The direct train leaves early in the morning and arrives in Seward mid-day.  Anyone can book the direct train including tourists who are not taking a cruise.
Goldstar isn't always offered on the Royal charter train.  It depends.  I'd call and ask.  If it is the on-board experience will be the same as the direct Goldstar booked train.
In both cases once you handoff your luggage in Anchorage you won't see it again until it is outside your cabin door on the ship.
Personally I like arriving earlier to the ship so I tend to book direct.

Back when Canada required a COVID app be filled out for every entry this type of itinerary required filling out the app twice as each entry to Canada was unique.  
When a ship stops in Victoria before ending in Seattle the immigration process is performed automatically, at least for US citizens.  Like any cruise ship arriving to a port of call, the ship announces that the ship has been cleared.  At that point everyone is free to leave the ship without being processed or seeing CBSA on land.  Citizens beyond WHTI countries may be handled differently.

Royal's train departs later in the day from a station near the airport in Anchorage and it ends right at the cruise terminal in Seward.  It leaves later so that fly in guests landing in the morning can make the train but this means it arrives in Seward late afternoon or early evening. This is a charter train with only Royal guests on board.
The Alaskan Railroad direct train operates from the downtown Anchorage station and ends at the public train station in Seward.  This is a ten minute walk or a complimentary coach ride to the cruise terminal.  The direct train leaves early in the morning and arrives in Seward mid-day.  Anyone can book the direct train including tourists who are not taking a cruise.
Goldstar isn't always offered on the Royal charter train.  It depends.  I'd call and ask.  If it is the on-board experience will be the same as the direct Goldstar booked train.
In both cases once you handoff your luggage in Anchorage you won't see it again until it is outside your cabin door on the ship.
Personally I like arriving earlier to the ship so I tend to book direct.

Royal's train departs later in the day from a station near the airport in Anchorage and it ends right at the cruise terminal in Seward.  It leaves later so that fly in guests landing in the morning can make the train but this means it arrives in Seward late afternoon or early evening. This is a charter train with only Royal guests on board.
The Alaskan Railroad direct train operates from the downtown Anchorage station and ends at the public train station in Seward.  This is a ten minute walk or a complimentary coach ride to the cruise terminal.  The direct train leaves early in the morning and arrives in Seward mid-day.  Anyone can book the direct train including tourists who are not taking a cruise.
Goldstar isn't always offered on the Royal charter train.  It depends.  I'd call and ask.  If it is the on-board experience will be the same as the direct Goldstar booked train.
In both cases once you handoff your luggage in Anchorage you won't see it again until it is outside your cabin door on the ship.
Personally I like arriving earlier to the ship so I tend to book direct.

Sorry, forgot to post Speedtest results.
Day 1 @ 23:15 seven hours after leaving Brisbane.

 

Well, it is finally time for another cruise! Yes, we are sailing from Brisbane on a 7-night cruise to the Pacific Islands with 2 port stops: Noumea and Mystery Island on Quantum of the Seas. On this cruise, we are in a Grand Loft Suite on deck 10. We chose Quantum primarily because it is less expensive than Ovation and is better value for us. We also wanted to cruise again with Hailey, who was our Royal Genie last year on Quantum. We have sailed from Sydney many times, so we are not concerned with the scenery on the sail away; it gets dark quickly anyway.
I think this blog will be a mini-blog, as the itinerary is similar to the one I blogged last year, so there will not be too much new information to impart.
We flew into Brisbane from New Zealand yesterday morning and are staying near the airport at the Novotel. It is a convenient location for getting to the cruise terminal in the morning. The hotel is clean and quiet, despite being near the airport, and there is an outlet mall around 100 metres away that also has a few places to eat. We spent the afternoon wandering around the mall, and made a few purchases— who can resist a bargain?




After a good night’s sleep, we took an Uber to the cruise terminal at around 10:30am, which is about a 15-minute trip and cost around $30 AUD (approx $20 USD). It is important to note that there is no public transport to the port, as it is in an industrial area far away from any amenities. There is parking available at the port if you have a car, though I do not know how much this costs.




Our genie, Hailey, had an unexpected medical issue and is returning home prior to the start of our cruise. We were very lucky to bump into her outside the cruise terminal before she left for the airport. It was great to see her again, and even though we are sad not to be sailing with her, Hailey’s health comes first. We are happy she is returning home and will be able to get the care she needs in Korea.
So now for this cruise, our genie will be Wilfredo (Willie), who was the concierge for our last sailing on Brilliance in November. This is his first time as a genie, but we are not demanding, so he will be able to ease his way into the job.
Getting onto the ship as a Star Class guest is very quick and took no more than 15 minutes. We were escorted every step of the way by a lovely pier genie as she expertly handled a guest who complained to her that, as she had purchased the key with priority boarding, she should be receiving the same level of service.




At the end of the gangway, which is actually quite a long walk, we met up with Willie, who escorted us straight onto the ship. We went right to the assembly station and completed the final step of our muster drill.

The gangway from above
Our cabin was already ready, so Willie took us up to our cabin. It felt similar to the royal loft suite we had last year, just on a smaller scale. Perfect for the two of us, though I will miss the hot tub on the deck.






After settling into the cabin, the food started arriving on a regular basis, but we headed up to the CK for a light lunch. I just had some scallops and bread, which was just enough considering all the food we will be eating on this cruise.
After lunch, we spent some time refamiliarising ourselves with the ship before heading back to the cabin for some R&R.


We left Brisbane just after 4:30pm in glorious sunshine and calm seas, now we have 2 sea days and a clock change before we reach our first stop in Noumea. After watching our departure from our deck we heading up to the suite lounge for some nibbles. The lounge was not overly busy and there were plenty of seats available. While there we caught up with Willie and made a few changes to our daily schedule.


Then it was off to Coastal Kitchen for dinner which was quite busy. We had organised to sit at one of the tables at the very end in the partially walled off area which was a bit quieter than the main restaurant. The food was very nice, I had the chicken leg as a starter, a dish I have not had before, but enjoyed very much.
For the main we both had shrimp crusted pollack with rice which was also fabulous. The meal was rounded off nicely with vairhona chocolate bar dessert.
After a quick wander around the shops and an order of Starbucks coffee it was back to the cabin to relax and retire for the evening.
Some quick observations 
1) Fish and Ships has changed back into a Dim Sum noodle restaurant.

2) Royal has learned the correct way to spell theatre, now if only they could learn we have holidays, not vacations. 😉

3) We received star class wow bands. Wow bands where not in use last year.
See you tomorrow for the next installment.
 

Ensenada is a foreign port but it is not a distant foreign port as defined in the PVSA.  
Ensenada obviously works fine as a foreign port for closed loop San Pedro cruises.  It doesn't meet the requirements for a open jaw or one way cruise between two different US cities. 

They can't sail with passengers between two US cities without having to deal with the PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act - Federal Law).
Seattle to San Pedro would require sailing to an allowed "distant" foreign country such as South America or Asia along the itinerary to satisfy the PVSA.  For the purposes of the PVSA, Canada is not a "distant" foreign port so it can't be used to satisfy the PVSA for open jaw cruises between different US cities.
Consequently they have a choice.  End the last Alaska cruise in Vancouver and sail from Vancouver to San Pedro with passengers or sail without passengers from Seattle to San Pedro.  Ending the last Seattle based cruise to Alaska in Vancouver is massively disruptive to all the folks on board who would now have to deal with flying home from Vancouver in another country.   It appears they chose the second option, an empty "deadhead" repo cruise from Seattle to San Pedro.

He can share his vouchers but since he has the drink package they may initially react as though he is trying to share drink package drinks.  He'll need to be very clear, "I'd like to use one of my Diamond drinks for my wife and a drink for me using the drink package".  Just be very clear he is trying to order you a drink using his Diamond vouchers, not the drink package and you should be fine.

He can share his vouchers but since he has the drink package they may initially react as though he is trying to share drink package drinks.  He'll need to be very clear, "I'd like to use one of my Diamond drinks for my wife and a drink for me using the drink package".  Just be very clear he is trying to order you a drink using his Diamond vouchers, not the drink package and you should be fine.

The move to short FL cruises allows them to charge more per night and it allows them to put more bodies on CocoCay which is a money printing machine right now.

The move to short FL cruises allows them to charge more per night and it allows them to put more bodies on CocoCay which is a money printing machine right now.

Starting and ending in the same US city (closed loop) just requires a stop at any foreign port (like Canada).  Starting and ending in DIFFERENT US cities (open jaw) requires a stop at a DISTANT foreign port (basically not anywhere in North America).

The move to short FL cruises allows them to charge more per night and it allows them to put more bodies on CocoCay which is a money printing machine right now.

The key is the verbiage "* up to" the amounts shown above.
I've done some NC bookings with $0 OBC, or $17.50, or $37 or some other weird amount. 
It will be what they tell you it is at the time of your visit. 

The move to short FL cruises allows them to charge more per night and it allows them to put more bodies on CocoCay which is a money printing machine right now.

I would have a conversation with the deck supervisor.  Ask for them specifically, that is who the cabin attendant reports to.  
Explain how you marked the glasses and they were not replaced despite your request.  Let them manage their crew member and coach them to do better.  
BTW - there is a national noro outbreak going on.  It's in the news but largely being ignored because the media hasn't yet tagged cruise ship to the noro headlines.
https://www.today.com/video/cdc-issues-warning-of-norovirus-outbreak-throughout-us-205002309648
Feb. 27, 2024
A norovirus outbreak is impacting communities nationwide and the CDC says its crucial that everyone take precautions from the highly contagious stomach bug. NBC’s Dr. Tara Narula breaks down the symptoms and ways to stay safe on TODAY.
 
 

The move to short FL cruises allows them to charge more per night and it allows them to put more bodies on CocoCay which is a money printing machine right now.

I would have a conversation with the deck supervisor.  Ask for them specifically, that is who the cabin attendant reports to.  
Explain how you marked the glasses and they were not replaced despite your request.  Let them manage their crew member and coach them to do better.  
BTW - there is a national noro outbreak going on.  It's in the news but largely being ignored because the media hasn't yet tagged cruise ship to the noro headlines.
https://www.today.com/video/cdc-issues-warning-of-norovirus-outbreak-throughout-us-205002309648
Feb. 27, 2024
A norovirus outbreak is impacting communities nationwide and the CDC says its crucial that everyone take precautions from the highly contagious stomach bug. NBC’s Dr. Tara Narula breaks down the symptoms and ways to stay safe on TODAY.
 
 

Call CAS at ‭(800) 526-9723‬ and request your new spouse be added in a relationship with you.

The move to short FL cruises allows them to charge more per night and it allows them to put more bodies on CocoCay which is a money printing machine right now.

See you can get exercise on a cruise. 🤣

I have to mention the Queen Mary as a candidate hotel.  From Long Beach it's a 10-15 minute Uber ride away from the port and I'm a big fan of the QM.  Such amazing history.  

I would have a conversation with the deck supervisor.  Ask for them specifically, that is who the cabin attendant reports to.  
Explain how you marked the glasses and they were not replaced despite your request.  Let them manage their crew member and coach them to do better.  
BTW - there is a national noro outbreak going on.  It's in the news but largely being ignored because the media hasn't yet tagged cruise ship to the noro headlines.
https://www.today.com/video/cdc-issues-warning-of-norovirus-outbreak-throughout-us-205002309648
Feb. 27, 2024
A norovirus outbreak is impacting communities nationwide and the CDC says its crucial that everyone take precautions from the highly contagious stomach bug. NBC’s Dr. Tara Narula breaks down the symptoms and ways to stay safe on TODAY.