twangster

I've always defended @Matt when someone claimed he was being a princess.
Now I'm not so sure.
🤣🤣🤣
 

I've always defended @Matt when someone claimed he was being a princess.
Now I'm not so sure.
🤣🤣🤣
 

Finding an alternate port on short notice is like playing a game of musical chairs but coming to the game late after many other cruise lines are already seated.
In a perfect world they would find a berth open somewhere close to Labadee so they wouldn't have to completely redo the entire itinerary.  Cruise ships are slow.  They can't cover great distances quickly.  An available port that is too distant doesn't help them at all.  
Nassau has many berths and it's relatively close to Florida making it the best choice for some itineraries impacted by the situation in Haiti. 
In other cases Jamaica is relatively close to Labadee so if a ship was already passing by this area and Falmouth has space then it's a best choice for this situation. 
Grand Turk was developed with an investment from Carnival so they likely have priority there.  On days when it's available and if it fits due to proximity it is the best choice for some itineraries.   
The DR may work best in some cases.
Once you start looking at more distant alternate ports they would have to completely change the itinerary but given how many ships from all cruise lines are competing for ports completely re-doing an itinerary is a tall order and very disruptive to guests.  In some cases an extra sea day is the only choice. 

I like sailing other lines to try something different. 
Royal feels like home compared to other lines but if I never left home, home would get pretty boring. 
I don't have bad cruises on the other lines, they just don't feel like home.
Maybe it's good to try another line if for no other reason than to remind you what line suits you best.

I've always defended @Matt when someone claimed he was being a princess.
Now I'm not so sure.
🤣🤣🤣
 

I've always defended @Matt when someone claimed he was being a princess.
Now I'm not so sure.
🤣🤣🤣
 

I've always defended @Matt when someone claimed he was being a princess.
Now I'm not so sure.
🤣🤣🤣
 

My guess is that he didn't leave it.  It was probably an Albatross around his neck.  
I wonder if a 3D printer could...

Fricken YouTubers... 🙂 
Don't you have to use it to reap the benefits?

I've always defended @Matt when someone claimed he was being a princess.
Now I'm not so sure.
🤣🤣🤣
 

I've always defended @Matt when someone claimed he was being a princess.
Now I'm not so sure.
🤣🤣🤣
 

I've always defended @Matt when someone claimed he was being a princess.
Now I'm not so sure.
🤣🤣🤣
 

I like sailing other lines to try something different. 
Royal feels like home compared to other lines but if I never left home, home would get pretty boring. 
I don't have bad cruises on the other lines, they just don't feel like home.
Maybe it's good to try another line if for no other reason than to remind you what line suits you best.

I like sailing other lines to try something different. 
Royal feels like home compared to other lines but if I never left home, home would get pretty boring. 
I don't have bad cruises on the other lines, they just don't feel like home.
Maybe it's good to try another line if for no other reason than to remind you what line suits you best.

I like sailing other lines to try something different. 
Royal feels like home compared to other lines but if I never left home, home would get pretty boring. 
I don't have bad cruises on the other lines, they just don't feel like home.
Maybe it's good to try another line if for no other reason than to remind you what line suits you best.

No wedding ring I see.... Smart man keeping his wealth to himself 😎

I think we have a fairly good choice of itineraries here ,sure could be better but our biggest problem is distance.
We have 3 distinct destinations,
Australian coastal,north or south and they are different .Tropical or temperate.
New Zealand with its fiords.
The islands like Noumea with a French influence and Vanuatu.

I was comparing the markets on the basis of route stagnation, not the actual ports of call. 
Unless it's a casino comp I can't see myself booking a Royal ship to the Caribbean.  Yawn.  Same old stuff on every itinerary.  Just about every Royal itinerary in the Caribbean is all about beach, sun, water sports, etc.  No history.  No culture. 
Seriously repetitive.  Different island, same s***.  Is that you feel about Royal in Australia? 
Granted for many, especially those that have to suffer a miserable winter somewhere, beach, sun, water sports, etc. sounds pretty freaking great.
 

It's not the bridge that is the only limiting factor in using the canal.  Royal has a tendency to place their lifeboats so they hang outside the hull in part.  Some ships have walkways that go around the hump hanging like a shelf off the side of the ship.  These protrusions from the side profile of the ship don't allow them to use the canal even if the Bridge of the Americas was replaced.  
If you look at all the ships from all lines that use the canal you will find smooth sides to the ship far enough from the waterline that they can slide down the concrete wall of a lock chamber and not do any damage to the ship or lock.  By placing the lifeboats far out or by having walkways hanging off the ship Royal gains inside space to make the ships have larger internal volume (gross tonnage) giving them more space for venues inside the ship but the trade off is having parts of the ship or the lifeboats hanging out of the side profile.   This also limits their ability to the use Panama Canal.  

There has long been talk of building a new terminal outside the bridge near Tampa.  If that happens or not is up to local officials.  
If area officials decide not to open a more ship friendly location It's equally difficult to imagine Royal would intentionally build a small ship just to service Tampa when there is another cruise port within a two hour drive.  Norfolk is a logical alternative to Baltimore albeit a bit longer drive for some people while possibly closer for others.
Locals complaining they have to drive several hours instead of 30 minutes is hardly a strong factor in the equation.  Royal tends to place their ships where they most the most revenue and it's not uncommon for Tampa to be without a Royal ship some months.
No mass market cruise line is building ships small enough to be able to use Tampa or Baltimore.  Not Carnival.  Not Princess.  Not MSC.  Not NCL.  Not Celebrity.  Not even boutique lines are building small ships.  Not Virgin.  Not Disney.  One could argue that Disney would be better suited to leverage Tampa yet they made the decision to use the East coast sometime ago and they haven't looked back.   Why did Disney expand to South Florida and not Tampa?
There are other cruise ports such as Jacksonville and Charleston that have never seen a Royal ship while other cruise lines use them as home ports with their smaller ships.  Eventually that is what will happen with Baltimore and Tampa.  

I enjoy Quantum class because they are different.  I've sailed four of them and mostly to bucket list destinations like Alaska, Hawaii and New Zealand.  
Oasis class, until Icon came about, have always been in a league of their own and can't be compared to any other ship class.  Oasis and now Icon are very wide ships, much wider than all other classes of ship.  It's the extra width that allows things like Central Park and Boardwalk.  On any other platform without the extra width it's not practical to install these areas without removing all guest cabins in those areas.  Removing guest cabins to add more venues and features isn't practical for any cruise line.
Oasis class are much larger ships at 225,000+ GT while Quantum class are around 168,000 GT.  That extra 30% of space allows them to put more venues and areas on Oasis class.  
Why doesn't Radiance class have ice skating rinks and zip lines and central park and boardwalk and aqua theaters and so on?  Because Radiance class is one third the size of Oasis class and obviously you can't put the same features and venues on a ship that doesn't have the space for them.   
The Windjammer on Quantum class is my favorite across the fleet.  I really dislike the Windjammer on Oasis class.  The food stations are all over the place with some on the side and some around the corner on the back.  It's really hard to find seating on Oasis class Windjammers at peak times.  Oasis class Windjammers are truly jammers slammed with people.  Some Quantum class Windjammers have outdoor seating which I love.
The lack of waterslides is known before booking.  It appears odd to me to complain they are missing.  That's like buying a sedan then complaining it's not a 4x4 pick up truck.  Given where most Quantum class are deployed waterslides are impractical.  
It's okay not to like something but that doesn't justify calling it a dud.  
Royal's next class of ship, Discovery class, is not going to be a mini Oasis class ship.  They too will be much smaller ships that won't have the space for all Oasis class features.  Like Quantum class the smaller footprint will allow them to sail into ports that Oasis class can't fit into.  That's kind of the point.  They will be different too.  Different doesn't make them duds.  
Oasis and Icon class ships are the destination and the ports you visit are less important.  If the itinerary is boring it doesn't matter because the ship is as much the destination as the itinerary may be.
Other classes of ships can visit more unique ports of call where mega ships can't sail.  When visiting these areas the ship isn't the destination as much as the ports of call are the destination.  
Anthem out of Bayonne was a perfect pairing with two sea days down the coast and two sea days on the way back home in the cold Atlantic ocean where few would be using waterslides most of the time.  The indoor family pool means kids are not trying to sneak into the adult only solarium pools on those colder sea days in winter months.
What I love best of all my 14 Quantum class cruises are the memories of the destinations.  Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand for example.  Greek islands and Europe for Odyssey is a great summer pairing.  
I like that Royal's fleet is diverse and not just ships that are variations of the same thing.  With research I can choose a ship that fits my needs based on the region I'll be sailing.  I suggest doing more research next time and avoid booking a ship that doesn't have features that are important to you.  

My guess is that he didn't leave it.  It was probably an Albatross around his neck.  
I wonder if a 3D printer could...

My guess is that he didn't leave it.  It was probably an Albatross around his neck.  
I wonder if a 3D printer could...

My guess is that he didn't leave it.  It was probably an Albatross around his neck.  
I wonder if a 3D printer could...

I was comparing the markets on the basis of route stagnation, not the actual ports of call. 
Unless it's a casino comp I can't see myself booking a Royal ship to the Caribbean.  Yawn.  Same old stuff on every itinerary.  Just about every Royal itinerary in the Caribbean is all about beach, sun, water sports, etc.  No history.  No culture. 
Seriously repetitive.  Different island, same s***.  Is that you feel about Royal in Australia? 
Granted for many, especially those that have to suffer a miserable winter somewhere, beach, sun, water sports, etc. sounds pretty freaking great.