Oliver

We are going to Europe on Allure of the Seas on July 26. My travel agency gave us one night of specialty dining but the promotion says we have to book once we board on the ship. I emailed them and asked if there was any way we could book it now ahead of time because I’m worried that the Hibachi might sell out and they said that the coupon can only be used on the ship but we can pay for it now and then Royal can credit us once we get on the ship. Questions for people Is it true that Hibachi sells out before the cruise starts? I’m from Galveston and have never done an Oasis class ship before. I can’t imagine that Royal would credit us once we get on the ship for the specialty dining even if we have a coupon. Why would they do this? Has anybody heard of this? I don’t believe the travel agency at all. Thanks much

At this point Celebrity has not announced anything. My travel agent spoke to a Celebrity rep and was told they have no plans to have a ship in Galveston at this time. But who knows if he/she really knows for sure.

Yeah talk about preventable.

I guess the cruise lines have to do what they feel is best based on health recommendations and of course public relations. I find it interesting that even though this virus gets so much attention, you are much more likely to die of the flu and many people don’t even get the flu vaccine every year.

Me too. I think 3 and 4 nights is a little short for me. But maybe they have to test the waters and see if it’s profitable first.

Scientists have done studies. They know. Here are some sources for you. Drop a ketchup bottle on the floor, and you'll be thankful for polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, the nearly indestructible plastic used to make most containers and bottles. Drop the same bottle into a landfill, however, and you might have second thoughts. Why? Because petroleum-based plastics like PET don't decompose the same way organic material does. Wood, grass and food scraps undergo a process known as biodegradation when they're buried, which is a fancy way of saying they're transformed by bacteria in the soil into other useful compounds. But bacteria turn up their noses at plastic. Load their dinner plates with some plastic bags and bottles, and the one-celled gluttons will skip the meal entirely. Based on this logic, it's safe to argue that plastic will never biodegrade. Of course, that's not the end of the story. Daniel Burd, a student at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, recently demonstrated that certain types of bacteria can break down plastic. His research earned the top prize at the Canada-wide Science Fair, earning him $10,000 cash and a $20,000 scholarship [source: Kawawada].Until other researchers can replicate Burd's experiment and waste treatment plants can implement any new processes, the only real way to break down plastic is through photodegradation. This kind of decomposition requires sunlight, not bacteria. When UV rays strike plastic, they break the bonds holding the long molecular chain together. Over time, this can turn a big piece of plastic into lots of little pieces. Of course, plastic buried in a landfill rarely sees the light of day. But in the ocean, which is where a lot of discarded grocery bags, soft drink bottles and six-pack rings end up, plastic is bathed in as much light as water. In 2009, researchers from Nihon University in Chiba, Japan, found that plastic in warm ocean water can degrade in as little as a year. This doesn't sound so bad until you realize those small bits of plastic are toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer. These end up in the guts of animals or wash up on shorelines, where humans are most likely to come into direct contact with the toxins. One solution to this environmental disaster is biodegradable plastic. There are two types currently on the market -- plant-based hydro-biodegradable plastic and petroleum-based oxo-biodegradable plastic. In the former category, polylactic acid (PLA), a plastic made from corn, tops the list as the most talked-about alternative. PLA decomposes into water and carbon dioxide in 47 to 90 days -- four times faster than a PET-based bag floating in the ocean. But conditions have to be just right to achieve these kinds of results. PLA breaks down most efficiently in commercial composting facilities at high temperatures. When buried in a landfill, a plastic bag made from corn may remain intact just as long as a plastic bag made from oil or natural gas. Keep reading for more links you might like on plastics. Related Articles What is corn plastic? How Plastics Work Will alternative fuels deplete global corn supplies? How Composting Works Is your vinyl siding killing you? Sources Gerngross, Tillman U. and Steven C. Slater. "How Green Are Green Plastics?" Scientific American. August 2000. Kawawada, Karen. "WCI student isolates microbe that lunches on plastic bags." The Record. May 22, 2008. (Nov. 22, 2010)http://news.therecord.com/article/354044 Ransford, Matt. "Why Trashing the Oceans is More Dangerous Than We Imagined." Popular Science. April 1, 2008.(Nov.22,2010)http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2008-04/why-trashing-oceans-more-dangerous-we-imagined Royte, Elizabeth. "Corn Plastic to the Rescue." Smithsonian Magazine. August 2006.http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/plastic.html Shukman, David. "Warning on plastic's toxic threat." BBC News. March 27, 2008. (Nov. 22, 2010)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7316441.stm Sohn, Emily. "Plastic decomposes quickly at sea, study finds." MSNBC. Aug. 20, 2009. (Nov. 22, 2010)http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32493098/ns/us_news-environment/ The Tiny Fennec Fox Is All Ears 1ST There's a Pooping Man in the Catalan Nativity Scene

Some plastic bottles can decompose within 450 years. But yes Kathy, most plastic including plastic bags take around 1,000 years to decompose. And if you melt them down the chemicals hurts our air quality and possibly the ozone layer. Scary isn’t it?

Unfortunately plastics really don’t get recycled like they should. Would take too long to explain here. Some political. Some economic. Some technical, But the invention of plastic may be the greatest and worst thing ever created by mankind. They fill our oceans and our landfills and will take forever to go away.

I was on the Liberty of the Seas over thanksgiving and did the Q&A with the Captain and Officers on the last day. I forgot what it’s called. You go and ask them questions about the ships and operations. Someone there asked about single use plastics and the Captain said RCCL is extremely committed to the environment and are having discussions about this issue at corporate. Mentioned the straws being eliminated, and said it only a matter of time before single use plastics are eliminated as well.

Completely agree

You had a friend was denied entry on a restaurant on Anthem for not having a jacket? You’re kidding!

I don’t think it’s just cruises. Our society has moved this way entirely. As a child I always dressed up to go out to dinner unless it was McDonald's. We always dressed up to go to the theater as well, and to go to Temple. Now nobody dresses up anywhere. People even show up to our local Synagogue in jeans and t-shirts. I hate it but it’s just the way it is. And I’m not even that old. I’m 49.

DCL is indeed very expensive but I very strongly feel that it is something you should experience once especially if you have kids. It’s a fabulous experience. But only once because for the price, I can cruise many more times on RCCL.

As excited as I was for an Oasis class to come to Galveston, my wife is less than excited with the itinerary. I think we are going to hold off and chose to go out of Florida next year or the year after. I don’t care as much. But I have to keep her happy. She’s all about the ports. I’m all about the ship and the Ultimate Dining Package.

Yeah and the pier at Grand Cayman is supposed to go for a vote sometime soon. To build a new pier I heard they have to eliminate 10 acres of coral reef and the locals aren’t happy about that. I can’t blame them. But tourism is so important also. I’m not sure how I would vote if I lived there. Major problem.