Jjohnb

...a seventh oasis class. 😍
perhaps we can skip the bionic bar and abyss slides on this one 😂

By the time this ship is built, if Icon is any indication, it will cost $10,000 for an interior guarantee.  No thanks.  
It's said in some quarters that they're still recovering from the Covid shutdown/losses.  That's why the obvious cost cutting measures on board, such as blah, unimaginative dining choices, elimination of the turndown service, and institution of charges for room service, among other things.  But throwing another $1B+ onto the debt load ???  No problem. 

I hope you post a travel report!

The Mountaineer is a 'bucket list' trip for me. I also want to do a few Amtrak long hauls - from NY to Chicago, then onto the Texas Eagle or the Southwest Chief.... then on to the Coast Starlight....  
 

Financial debate aside my humble opinion is I pretty much think I prefer another Oasis class over an Icon class. I just think the Icon class has become an amusement park at sea. I like my vacations to be relaxing. Guess I’m showing my age 😂😂😂

In fairness Royal's executive team has a fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders.  That comes way ahead of building ships that a small subset of return guest desire.  
I agree with your assessment though.  Most of my research now is going into exotic train journeys which come with stops at various places with excursions.  They are like a cruise on rails with very good food, like Michelin rated food.  My first train trip will take place this summer.  There is one in Peru, several across Australia and New Zealand that look really interesting.  Some of them are less than a balcony on Icon.  

Another reason to skip cruises that go to PDCC.

With the amount of money the cruise ships bring they should pay them to dock there

The fact there are only a handful of nuclear powered non-military ships shows how far off such a thing is for commercial use. Especially for a civilian transport vessel.
The Viking ship being built with a hydrogen fuel cell for limited use (environmentally sensitive areas and port stops) is probably what larger ships will aim for.

We just got off Independence and was chatting with the Captain - he said a couple of interesting things.  He said he considered Icon class assignment but the training curriculum was extremely long because of all of the LNG onboard considerations and local port requirements.  He said LNG and biodiesel don't solve RCLs long term propulsion issues.
He said the line will definitely go nuclear as this is the only way to meet environmental requirements without needing port refueling for different size ships (energy density).  Don't know if this was spit balling as opposed to an informed comment but I was stunned.  There is no place less nuclear tolerant than the USA and future of fusion nuclear isn't soon enough for Discovery.  Time will tell.

RC should take the Bahamian gov back to the table and renegotiate the deal. The Bahamas tourism revenue will take a hit and they will be desperate for a deal to keep people visiting that dump. 

Sorry. I should have added quotation marks around “might entice”.  

Currently enjoying a wonderful day at sea on Vision and can confirm the bacon at the Windjammer was crispy and delicious this morning. 😝

RCL opening a private area might entice me to venture off the ship in Nassau. Until then, I’m a “hard no” on visiting Nassau and have been since before the COVID shutdown. There’s not much that will change my mind about enjoying a relaxing day onboard the ship. The new advisory just adds another reason to avoid that as a port of call. Y’all have fun and I see you when you get back. 

Please know that I am not one to be overly concerned about State Department travel warnings.  I am not throwing a sweat grenade here.
I did read this morning that on Jan 24 the SD issued a travel advisory to certain areas of The Bahamas that include Grand Bahama and Nassau.  Apparently there have been 18 murders in The Bahamas since the first of January.  That's nearly 1 per day.
I also realize that some areas of Nassau have been on the sketchy side for years and that prudence and situational awareness are always your friend.
Just posting to say that the sketchiness has been made official.
Anything you can add, @KristiZ ?

If I had to guess they will make them as large as they possibly can and still do the inside passage in Alaska, get across the Panama Canal and service ports like Baltimore/Tampa.  That is Radiance class size, no?  Would a ship sized in between Radiance Class and Voyager Class fit all the above criteria?

Hmmm... if that indeed be the case, I would be royally disappointed. A tonnage around 110,000-120,000 I think would be very sufficient.
 

I Wonder what ship might go there next?
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2024/01/25/royal-caribbean-rumor-wonder-of-the-seas-galveston

Icon class makes no sense for the Chinese market

What would be considered "smaller" size though? (in the context of Royal Caribbean)
Is it smaller than Icon but bigger than Oasis?
Is it smaller than Oasis but bigger than Quantum?
Is it smaller than Quantum but bigger than Freedom?
Is it smaller than Freedom but bigger than Voyager?
Or will it be smaller than Voyager but bigger than Radiance?
I have a feeling it'd probably be somewhere between Radiance and Voyager class - Maybe 120,000 GT?

On the President’s Cruise last summer, many guests expressed a desire to see a new, exciting class of ship that was small enough to port in Tampa or Baltimore. The executives implied (without directly admitting) that this is a project in the works. We are very much looking forward to innovation without mega-size.

All I’m gonna say is if Royal gets rid of the D drinks there will mass outrage! Going to find my torch and pitchfork right now just in case 😂

Bit concerning that it already needs repairs to one of it's Azipods

Do you pay double gratuity as a solo cruiser?
Be careful what you wish for...
 

Oh well I'm glad they charging 2 people 12 grand for an inside cabin in Icon and then also cutting costs on branding. I mean why not just cut every cent out of it makes the CEO more money his stock options are worth more. 

Looks like Ben & Jerry's has been "Liberty'd"

Looks like Ben & Jerry's has been "Liberty'd"