Oliver

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.

I think Adventure is replacing Enchantment for 4 and 5 night cruises. I have no idea what the plans are for Liberty though.

I’m sure someone will have parking there one way or another. There are lots of people who have bought land close to Pier 1 and 2 for private cruise parking. Same thing will happen with Pier 10 if needed

They have responded to me when I have emailed them.

I thought the same thing when I went on Liberty of the Seas and saw they had a Mexican specialty restaurant (Sabor) and found it much better than I expected. The homemade guacamole was excellent. So I will have an open mind.

You’re right. Good point. Thanks I feel better now. I really want my Oasis class ship here in Texas.

So much for the Allure coming to Texas

RCCL usually has Challah and Wine on Friday night for Shabbat on Fridays for Jewish people. I have attended these myself. They are always self-led. I’m pretty sure the same would be true of any Sunday Mass services as well.

It is interesting to me to see if the new terminal in Galveston will be ready for Allure of the Seas when Liberty leaves in 2021 for it’s amplification. I guess Royal must have talked to the port officials and told them it has to be finished by then. I’m not sure if I’ve heard if they have started construction but maybe I missed it, As far as Mexico goes, I think the only city I would absolutely refuse to not go to right now is Acapulco. It’s beautiful, but still the murder capital of Mexico. Drug cartels continue to fight there daily and a lot a Mexicans don’t even go there. I know Norwegian starting going again recently, I’m not convinced it’s a good idea. I’d probably stay on the boat. The other cities are ok as long as you are careful. Staying in groups is the safest thing. If you are by yourself, don’t carry lots of money, or call a lot of attention to yourself.

I like Royal Caribbean but remember this is all marketing fluff. I’m sure other cruise lines find other websites or magazines that say “Best Cruise Line for “ their brand and go with it. Remember this is just per US News and World Report. Travel and Leisure may have someone else. Budget Traveler someone else, AAA someone else, etc etc

I don’t see a Quantum or Oasis class ship going to the West Coast when Royal hasn’t even had a ship there in a long time. If I were them I’d start with a Voyager class.

I have not been to Glacier Bay myself but most people I have talked to that have done Alaska say it is not to be missed. But unfortunately it is also true that as time has gone by it is not as impressive as it used to be. My own parents did Glacier bay back in the 1990s and then again about three years ago and said there was a huge difference in the size of the Glaciers and that while impressive, it seems to be getting significantly smaller due to global warming. Sad.

I went to Alaska on Ovation last year and had a great time but as much as I love Royal Caribbean when I go to Alaska again I want to see Glacier Bay. I think this is a mistake if Royal thinks passengers just don’t care. I wonder what the reason for this change is.

Agree. And also keep in mind that the Vision class ships do well in some of the Europe itineraries.

I’m assuming we will know more when deployment is announced next month.