twangster

I feel like the other lines haven't put any effort into looking at the process with fresh eyes.  
Instead they put up signs to wear a mask and have put more hand sanitizing stations in the terminal but that's about it.  Even then that's the port doing that, not the cruise lines.
For muster in one case they made it a longer process with more standing in long lines.  For the other they immediately directed me to go to muster upon boarding with my carry on luggage.  Do not pass Go, do not collect a beverage.  Sit and wait for enough guests so they can perform a safety demonstration and only then are you free to start your vacation.  I feel like their "new" restart procedures were developed by an outside agency that has never cruised before.
Royal put a lot of effort into rethinking boarding day when they created Oasis class.  They had to in order to manage the higher passenger count.  All ships benefited from that reimagining the process.  For the cruising restart I feel like Royal once again took a deep dive into the boarding day process and spent some time to look at it from the moment you step out of a car or off a bus including the muster process. 
On those other lines I feel like they haven't invested very much effort into looking at the boarding day process.  It's like they think of the cruise starting once you are on the ship.  "Boarding sucks and it was will always suck and that's just the way it is.  That doesn't matter because the cruise only begins on the ship and not a minute before.  We have no control over what happens in the terminal before the cruise begins".  

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

If it happens again visit the loyalty ambassador on board.  They sometimes have the CAS letters on display at their desk.  If not look in the cruise compass for when they are open and they'll get you one.  
At all bars including the MDR you have to ask them to use the CAS beer/wine discount.  By default they don't go searching your account to see if you have have used it already.   

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I feel like the other lines haven't put any effort into looking at the process with fresh eyes.  
Instead they put up signs to wear a mask and have put more hand sanitizing stations in the terminal but that's about it.  Even then that's the port doing that, not the cruise lines.
For muster in one case they made it a longer process with more standing in long lines.  For the other they immediately directed me to go to muster upon boarding with my carry on luggage.  Do not pass Go, do not collect a beverage.  Sit and wait for enough guests so they can perform a safety demonstration and only then are you free to start your vacation.  I feel like their "new" restart procedures were developed by an outside agency that has never cruised before.
Royal put a lot of effort into rethinking boarding day when they created Oasis class.  They had to in order to manage the higher passenger count.  All ships benefited from that reimagining the process.  For the cruising restart I feel like Royal once again took a deep dive into the boarding day process and spent some time to look at it from the moment you step out of a car or off a bus including the muster process. 
On those other lines I feel like they haven't invested very much effort into looking at the boarding day process.  It's like they think of the cruise starting once you are on the ship.  "Boarding sucks and it was will always suck and that's just the way it is.  That doesn't matter because the cruise only begins on the ship and not a minute before.  We have no control over what happens in the terminal before the cruise begins".  

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I've had an opportunity to cruise a few cruise lines during this 2021 cruise restart.  All of them have been with reduced capacity.
Having recently encountered two terrible boarding day procedures I've got give credit to Royal Caribbean for implementing the best boarding day process I've experienced.
On those other lines it took hours for me to board the ship.  Neither of them improved the muster drill routine to a notable extent.  For both the other cruise lines their boarding day process cast a dark cloud on the start of my cruise vacation and in both cases it took a few hours after finally getting on board before it felt like I was on vacation.  Even then I felt exhausted and didn't feel like doing very much on the first night.
Contrast that with Royal where I was car to cabin in 20 minutes.  Upon boarding I was free to grab a bite to eat and a beverage then I could visit my muster station at my convenience for a one-on-one safety briefing that took less than 60 seconds.   
Upon boarding Royal I immediately felt like I was on a cruise vacation.  It was like I got an extra cruise day to enjoy.  I was quickly into vacation mode and it was all stress free.  
I will say people arriving before their appointed time is a problem on all cruise lines.   Don't be that person.  If you arrive before your time you are part of the problem and you deserve the long wait times you will encounter.  However once you are allowed inside the terminal there is no excuse for the other cruise lines to make boarding such a stressful and lengthy process.  
Hat's off to Royal for creating the best boarding day process.

I thought the touch less elevator buttons on Odyssey where a notable upgrade.  I'd love to see this across the fleet.

Open bar was never a stated benefit.  The change to vouchers was coming even without the pandemic.  
Personally I love any drink, any bar, any time compared to the cheap stuff they offered in the DL.  Any drink, any bar, any time was a significant upgrade.  Adding more vouchers was icing on the cake.

That confused a lot of people.  Under the old way it was buried in fine print resulting in guests not knowing that it was included.  Going forward they took an approach that clarified gratuity and make it very easy for everyone to see.  
Naturally some people will see this as a money grab which it isn't.  People like it when they are transparent and clear.  Now some people are calling foul because they made it transparent and clear.  They can't win.  

There is a way to know. 
The old cruise planner had gratuity included. 
Regardless how you booked it you know the final price you paid.  
If your cruise now uses the new "My Royal Cruises" interface gratuity is not included.  Add 18% to the price you see.  Is that cheaper than what you paid?  

Makes sense.
If cruising is such a vital part of the state's economy we shouldn't have that dependent on a foreign nation.  
If I'm not mistaken there are lobbying groups in Victoria that would love to see a cruise ship ban enacted or the current ban made permanent.  If they are successful they could cause a lot of harm to Alaska's tourism industry.  It's better to get ahead of that in case it comes to fruition.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/09/16/alaska-senator-introduces-bill-permanently-allow-cruise-ships-sail-alaska-without
 

If it moves forward I think we'll see new opportunities.  New ports, new native corporations taking ownership of existing, etc. 

Makes sense.
If cruising is such a vital part of the state's economy we shouldn't have that dependent on a foreign nation.  
If I'm not mistaken there are lobbying groups in Victoria that would love to see a cruise ship ban enacted or the current ban made permanent.  If they are successful they could cause a lot of harm to Alaska's tourism industry.  It's better to get ahead of that in case it comes to fruition.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/09/16/alaska-senator-introduces-bill-permanently-allow-cruise-ships-sail-alaska-without
 

Alaska Railroad, Coastal Classic, Gold Star service if you can afford it.
https://www.alaskarailroad.com/

Reduced single supplements are dynamic as they are capacity controlled.   They allocate X and once X are sold in a category they are gone.  Sometimes X = 1, sometimes X = 2, sometimes X might equal something else.  It isn't published.  
If you see something don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.  Someone else like me might swoop in and take it from you.  

Yet again no warning from the CDC for other high risk areas on land.  Gotta love their devotion and fixation on one single industry.  

Reduced single supplements are dynamic as they are capacity controlled.   They allocate X and once X are sold in a category they are gone.  Sometimes X = 1, sometimes X = 2, sometimes X might equal something else.  It isn't published.  
If you see something don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.  Someone else like me might swoop in and take it from you.