ultimate_ed

On Jewel MTD doesn't start until 6:45pm.  Prior to that they use the same dining room for early first seating traditional dining so there is no getting in to MTD before 6:45pm.

Those poor hamsters running hard in their wheels trying to power the RCCL servers...
 
Seeing lots of reports on the Facebook groups also and my experience is the same.  Can't cancel anything, nor purchase anything.  Prices changing from splash screen to purchase screen.

Those poor hamsters running hard in their wheels trying to power the RCCL servers...
 
Seeing lots of reports on the Facebook groups also and my experience is the same.  Can't cancel anything, nor purchase anything.  Prices changing from splash screen to purchase screen.

Those poor hamsters running hard in their wheels trying to power the RCCL servers...
 
Seeing lots of reports on the Facebook groups also and my experience is the same.  Can't cancel anything, nor purchase anything.  Prices changing from splash screen to purchase screen.

I see Deluxe beverage Package for two of my cruises at $62.99, however when i click on it it either changes to $72.99 or prices out at $72.99 base cost. ole bait and switch....

The website is glitching for me when I try to actually purchase and/or cancel older purchases. Anyone else having that problem?
I'm seeing amazing internet deals on all of my cruises.

Before there was NRD fares people would book cruises they weren't sure about.  Then the week of final payment due date they would change or cancel the booking.  This resulted in a flood of cabins becoming available at the 90 day mark.  The problem is that it's harder to sell cabins on 3 months notice.  Most people book a year of two in advance.  So the open policy was being abused by people who had no intention of cruising or were less than committed to actually going on a cruise. 
Many people booked at NextCruise to get OBC then kept pushing and changing the cruise, sometimes four or five times eventually sailing 6 years later.  To get to that 6 year mark they may have used 3 or 4 "placeholder" cruises they had zero intention of sailing.  They just parked their booking on them to make it another year or two into the future.  This was producing an abundance of cabins on short notice that were hard to fill.  
So they offered a discount to book NRD and commit.  With NRD you have skin in the game.  The trade off to a lower fare is being locked in.  Hotels do it.  Airlines do it.  It's pretty common in the travel industry.  
The problem is people have short memories and forget about the commitment part, they just want the discount.  Then they get upset when they realize they agreed to an NRD fare.  

New video of the cruise terminal!
 

the Port Authority has been working towards LNG Bunkering for a couple of years. Stabilis is under contract to provide bunkering and Pilot is looking to build an LNG bunkering port on Pelican Island. 

https://www.portofgalveston.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=209

https://www.houston.org/news/cruise-terminal-upgrades-additions-galveston-will-draw-tourism-money-region
I don't know that this article says anything that we don't already know, except I didn't know that the Carnival Jubilee will be the port's first "LNG-fuled cruise ship" after terminal upgrades.
It's great to see the Galveston port folks have the foresight to keep investing in the facilities and hopefully making Galveston a future home for an Icon class.

Next?  275,000 GT Beluga class.  >10k guest.  Fuel source: hot air amd rumors.  

I'm working on a trip for a group of friends and I who are looking to sail Alaska in 2024.  I was curious when the dates for 2023 were opened so I can have a sense when 2024 might open for booking.  I'm suggesting we do a Radiance northbound sailing and then do some touring into Alaska afterward.  I did this with my family and my parents back in 2015 and it was a fantastic trip.

Though it may be too little too late for this cruise season
 
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-arrivecan-to-become-optional-other-covid-travel-measures-could-be-gone-in-weeks

Icon Class will be Oasis class after freshman year of college. A bit bigger but more fun. 

"Sale" price for The Key is showing as $30.99 for me....oof!
I think I'll be sticking with my 4 device surf/stream plan - averages out to $11.74 pp/day

For those that want to stay connected to the world this is huge news. Statlink Internet to all ships in the coming months. It's gotta be better than Voom. Oasis this past cruise was extremely bad Internet, Adventure was honestly useless. Here is the article. 
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/

The amusing thing about needing testing on a 10+ night cruise is you could test negative before your cruise and test negative on the last day of the cruise....and could have tested positive somewhere in the middle.

We're all the winner now!

We're all the winner now!

Hopefully the crew will now have the option, maybe some will want to continue to wear mask, others not so much.
This means people can now afford the drink package without worrying if they will break even

We're all the winner now!

I heard that Royal hired some rebellious youth who paint freeway overpasses at night in between cars.
They got Wonder painted in 15 minutes. 

We're all the winner now!

Starting with September 5th, for U.S. cruises that don’t visit Canada or Bermuda:
Vaccinated guests won’t have to take a pre-cruise test on cruises that are shorter than 10 nights. Unvaccinated guests age 5 and up will need to test within 3 days before boarding, regardless of cruise length. Royal Caribbean will begin accepting results from self-administered home tests.