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DJsMrs

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  1. Haha
    DJsMrs reacted to San Diego Garrett in Hanky Panky on Balcony   
    Yep, happened on the balcony next to ours. Apparently they had just met in the club a few hours before and decided to head to his cabin and make their way onto the balcony. I think the whole port side of the ship could hear her.
  2. Like
    DJsMrs reacted to Censored in Hanky Panky on Balcony   
    I have not witnessed this, but as a gambler I will wager $1,000 that this is real. On every single cruise. 
  3. Haha
    DJsMrs reacted to AndyPandy in Hanky Panky on Balcony   
    🙂 Smile your on CCTV and it can get boring on the bridge at night. 
  4. Love
    DJsMrs got a reaction from CarolfromFL in Cancelling the default tips   
    I wish they'd just add it into the price and get rid of this debate period, and pay the crew a little more.  I appreciate people wanting to tip people directly - but what about the kitchen staff?   Laundry staff?  Support staff without whom your servers and room attendants could not do a good job?  It's impossible to tip them directly, hence the need for a tip pool.
  5. Like
    DJsMrs got a reaction from ChessE4 in Cancelling the default tips   
    I wish they'd just add it into the price and get rid of this debate period, and pay the crew a little more.  I appreciate people wanting to tip people directly - but what about the kitchen staff?   Laundry staff?  Support staff without whom your servers and room attendants could not do a good job?  It's impossible to tip them directly, hence the need for a tip pool.
  6. Like
    DJsMrs reacted to JohnK6404 in We've Come Full Circle - Wonder to Wonder! 1/7/23-1/15/23 (8-Night)   
    Day 2:  Nassau, Bahamas
    We ordered in room service (complimentary/continental) this morning since my wife was motivated by our friends and headed down to the gym around 6:30am. I decided instead to walk round the ship and take shots of the pool deck, etc.
    OK, here is the first photo dump of the upper decks of Wonder…















     








     
    Some pics of El Loco Fresh and Cantina Fresca…














     
    Heading to bed… absolutely exhausted! Will finish Day 2 tomorrow (or is it technically today?  😃
    Today (it’s 12:30am), we visit CocoCay!
    Goodnight everyone!
  7. Like
    DJsMrs reacted to BennyandBo in I cut the cord (Extras)   
    Well, I did it. I cut the cord so to speak. Royal has made menu cuts, housekeeping cuts, and who knows what's next since I booked my Wonder and Icon sailings. So I canceled all my purchases for my May trip. I'm up almost $2k and Royal is SOL. Lol. No drinks, no beach club, no excursions, no specialty restaurants. Zip. I'm going old school in May on Wonder and going to see if what's included is good enough. The amount I'm getting back is amazing and so far I can't really say I have any regrets. Might make for an interesting report come June on Wonder on the cheap. Time will tell.
  8. Like
    DJsMrs reacted to JohnK6404 in We've Come Full Circle - Wonder to Wonder! 1/7/23-1/15/23 (8-Night)   
    Day 1:  Embarkation Day (cont.)
    Good morning! Let me try to finish up with last evening…
    After sail away, we walked around the Royal Promenade for a bit and then headed to Hooked for dinner. This is the first time any of us have been to Hooked since we’ve never sailed Symphony. I’ve heard mixed reviews, so I went in with realistic expectations. Also, like many of us that live off the coast, it’s going to be almost impossible to blow us away (our group lives either in Florida or Long Island). Everyone was still excited to try Hooked and have seafood this evening.
    Some random shots including the menu…



     
    The biscuits were okay… like a spicy Red Lobster cheese biscuit, but a little dry. We tried the Fresh-shucked Oysters, Shrimp Cocktail (huge shrimp!), and Maryland Crab Cake. The consensus was everything was excellent… the crab cake was decent, but not memorable.
    I apologize for the grainy pics… it was sooo dark in there! We were teasing each other and extending our arms out trying to find one another!  😆



     
    For the main course, some had the Whole 2 lb. Maine Lobster and the rest of us ordered the Captain’s Platter. We all enjoyed our food… did not blow us away, but we were happy with the meals. The sides were tasty… coleslaw, corn on the cob, lobster msc & cheese…


     
    For dessert, we had the coconut cream pie and the decadent chocolate brownie… loved by all…


     
    Thankfully, we did not schedule any shows last night! We were there for almost 2.5 hours! Our waiter was so busy… felt bad for him!
    OK, have to wrap it up before Christine yells at me!
    After dinner we all went our separate ways. Christine and I just walked around the ship including the promenade. We went to Cafe Promenade to investigate the Starbuck’s situation! The “house” coffee is still Lavazza (which is fine for us), but since we have the DBP, we wanted to go for the Starbuck’s which is included if purchased in the Cafe Promenade. We both grabbed venti cappuccinos.
    Some final random pics including the Starbuck’s drink menu in the Cafe, as well as, the current onboard drink package offers on this sailing…




     
  9. Like
    DJsMrs got a reaction from CrimsonCruiser in 2 Moms Desperately Seeking Suite Freedom ~ 11/28-12/2/2022   
    I'm a 100% live and let live and I really don't care if people dress casually in the dining room (you're on vacay - be comfy!) - but I also have a strict no furry nipples rule at the dinner table    🤮🤢🤮
     
    wow
  10. Like
    DJsMrs reacted to FSUFAN in Spa Question   
    Mrs Fan will no longer use the spa due to the heavy handed, hard upsell of lotions, creams and other products. She loves a good massage but will no longer use the spa on the ship as she says the steady hassling of the attendant make it more stressful rather than a relaxation experience that it should be.  Sad.
  11. Like
    DJsMrs reacted to KristiZ in A bad experience   
    Actually, Immigration in any country will not tell the cruise line/airline/tour company anything about a person's case 99% of the time. It's both a privacy thing and a way to ensure that the country's policies do not become public knowledge. It's why they often won't tell the person directly what the issue is as well.
  12. Like
    DJsMrs reacted to twangster in Paying off early a bad idea?   
    You can still get price drops before final payment due date when paid in full, it's processed as a refund.
    When there are travel agencies involved it isn't as clean for them.  
    A lower fare means lower commission.  If you booked through a big internet agency or box store they don't want their payout to go down.  Some may have given you a big OBC or gift card that comes out their commission.  If you reduce the price and their commission goes down it can make these types of agencies underwater on your booking so they may flat out refuse or make it very difficult to get a price adjustment done.  
    Some agencies have full time employees as agents who may have less total compensation originating from the commission.   Some agencies use independent contractors.  Different agencies split the commission between the company and the individual agent differently.  There is no single business model.  
    Given all the nuances sometimes dealing with a price drop isn't welcome at all agencies.  
    MEI Travel on the other hand has software that automatically seeks out lower prices. Even if you find a drop that the software didnt you won't find MEI dragging their feet or fighting you on the price drop.  It's part of their culture in hopes of building a long term relationship over a one time score.
    Commission is paid by Royal once you make final payment so there is that.
    The problem with price drops for an agent is that their commission goes down.  When you do a price adjustment before final payment has been made Royal hasn't paid out the commission yet so it's cleaner for everyone.  Once Royal has paid the commission upon a price drop Royal recalls the difference in commision since the agency and agent have now been overpaid.  This can mean the agency has to pay back Royal and the agent has to pay back the agency.  It's a lot of number tracking and fixing of data so tax forms are correct sort of thing.
    Most people pay at or near final payment due date so it's cleaner all around.  That doesn't mean you can't pay in full at any time, or hold back $100 just in case.  Just remember to make that final payment if you hold back some amount.  
  13. Haha
    DJsMrs reacted to ScottD in Kids Sail Free (a tale of sadness and woe)   
    Just came to say nice profile pic! Lol
  14. Sad
    DJsMrs reacted to bcarney in Kids Sail Free (a tale of sadness and woe)   
    I saw the Kids Sail Free promo and was excited!  Went to RoyalCaribbean.com and found the perfect cruise. Started a mock booking, and it asked for number of passengers.
    Then I realized my kids are no longer kids as they aged out into Adult-fare over COVID.
    (sigh, and a little misty-eyed)
  15. Like
    DJsMrs reacted to twangster in Chops Grille Holiday Dinner - worth it?   
    If it will make your cruise special and memorable then maybe it's worth it.  
    Over a number of years I've discovered most land restaurants are to be avoided on NYE.  Dinner on NYE is usually overpriced and the restaurant has pushed everyone who works there too far trying to cram in extra guests to capitalize on the night.  Consequently I stay home, buy some nice steaks, an expensive bottle of wine and I avoid the drunk drivers.  
    You are paying extra primarily because it's in demand.  The premium does include some extras not normally included but the premium also covers the privilege to eat in a venue that is in high demand.  Whenever Royal sees demand increase for anything the price increase doesn't take very long to follow, just like land restaurants do on NYE.  
    To be honest specialty dining for me has lost all its appeal at the new normal prices.  Double that again?  

  16. Like
    DJsMrs got a reaction from foxrunner in Dinner at Wonderland   
    My husband and I avoided wonderland for the longest time, until we couldn't cruise, and then our first sailing back after Covid I said "we're doing everything we can just in case the shut this all down again".   Wonderland was on that list.  
    I should preface this with the fact that we are adventurous eaters, have travelled a fair amount, and we've exposed ourselves to a lot of very different foods and love trying new things.
    Wonderland looked to kitchy for us and too gimmicky.   And I seriously wondered about that weird Mad Hatter - 
    Joke was on us - we really enjoyed it.   I mean, take it for what it is and don't take it too seriously - but the food was interesting, and most of it was delicious... but just doing something different and eating something we typically wouldn't eat on land was the appeal for us.   Textures were different,flavours were unexpected and a bit surprising - but not in a bad way.  We've been back twice since then and always go when we're on a ship that has a Wonderland.
    Give it a try.   Worst thing that happens is you didn't like it.   Best thing is you have a fun night with friends trying something new!  Either way you'll have something to talk about.
     
     
  17. Like
    DJsMrs got a reaction from jbrinkm in Best Price Guarantee form - broken?   
    Take a Screenshot of the reduced price so you have evidence, also document the failure of the broken link.
  18. Like
    DJsMrs got a reaction from Xaa in Dinner at Wonderland   
    My husband and I avoided wonderland for the longest time, until we couldn't cruise, and then our first sailing back after Covid I said "we're doing everything we can just in case the shut this all down again".   Wonderland was on that list.  
    I should preface this with the fact that we are adventurous eaters, have travelled a fair amount, and we've exposed ourselves to a lot of very different foods and love trying new things.
    Wonderland looked to kitchy for us and too gimmicky.   And I seriously wondered about that weird Mad Hatter - 
    Joke was on us - we really enjoyed it.   I mean, take it for what it is and don't take it too seriously - but the food was interesting, and most of it was delicious... but just doing something different and eating something we typically wouldn't eat on land was the appeal for us.   Textures were different,flavours were unexpected and a bit surprising - but not in a bad way.  We've been back twice since then and always go when we're on a ship that has a Wonderland.
    Give it a try.   Worst thing that happens is you didn't like it.   Best thing is you have a fun night with friends trying something new!  Either way you'll have something to talk about.
     
     
  19. Like
    DJsMrs reacted to Cactus527 in Best Price Guarantee form - broken?   
    The form never worked for me, but my TA got on it and got me the lower price. Thanks for your responses!
  20. Like
    DJsMrs got a reaction from Cactus527 in Best Price Guarantee form - broken?   
    Take a Screenshot of the reduced price so you have evidence, also document the failure of the broken link.
  21. Thanks
    DJsMrs reacted to Nick Gulla in Ships with Starlink   
    I am currently on the mariner of the seas and starlink onboard is working well. I was on this ship back in September and the internet was all but useless!
  22. Wow
    DJsMrs reacted to twangster in Ships with Starlink   
    There are a number of temporary factors in play with Starlink. 
    Let's start with some history.  Skip if you are not into a long read.
    A History Of Satellite Services 
    Prior to the introduction of Starlink Royal had two primary satellite connectivity providers.    Speedcast provides legacy geostationary satellite services for the Royal Caribbean Group while SES/O3b use a medium earth orbiting (MEO) constellation to provide services to Royal Caribbean International.   
    Geostationary Satellites
    Geostationary satellite are very high in the sky which leads to higher latency when sending signals into space and bouncing them back down to earth using a geostationary satellite.  These satellites around 35,786 km above the equator but slightly more distant as you move further away from the equator on the surface of the earth.   That distance causes latency (a.k.a delay) in the area of 600 - 700ms. 
    Geostationary satellites as the name suggests are located in a fixed location above the earth.  They are stationary relative to the earth.  As the earth rotates so do geostationary satellites fixed above the equator locked in orbit with the earth's rotation.  From their fixed spot in space they can focus their signal into a footprint much like shining a flashlight onto the surface of a ball (earth).  Since the earth is round a single geostationary satellite in space can't illuminate all of the earth with signal so there are geostationary satellites that cover regions such as North America or Europe or Asia or Australia, etc.    Since governments tend to regulate communications in their own country we usually see satellite service companies that are licensed to operate in specific countries and regions.
    Geostationary satellites are in orbit above the equator.  As you move away from the equator on the surface of the earth towards the North and South pole it can become very distant and very difficult to use geostationary satellites so coverage in remote regions such as Alaska or Northern Europe becomes less reliable. 
    Legacy geostationary satellite services have been around for decades going back to some of the first satellite services in the second half of the last century.  Geostationary satellite TV services became well known when they were leveraged by companies like DirecTv in the 1990s to launch nationwide satellite TV services in the US.  Other satellite TV providers did the same in other regions using different satellites in that region.  Prior to that satellite services were largely used by industry more so than consumers. 
    Suffice it to say this is very proven technology dating back several decades but that is part of its downfall when it comes to modern internet connectivity since the internet didn't exist when the first geostationary satellites were launched.  Many of the geo satellites were launched to service the TV industry so they've had to adapt those concepts to pass internet signals.  The results have led to less than stellar satellite internet services as the internet has matured over more recent times.
    Recognizing the evolution of communication requirements over time satellite providers looked to modernize.  In 2010 O3b began to launch a medium earth orbiting (MEO) constellation as a mean to provide more modern connectivity to more places on earth.   By 2014 they were operational and providing MEO satellite services. 
    Medium Earth Orbiting (MEO) Satellites 
    MEO satellites are moving in an orbit circling the earth.  Several MEO satellites flying in the same or similar orbit are said to be a constellation.  Essentially these satellites are following each other along a similar path in space circling the earth so that there is always one or two overhead a position on earth at any given moment.  Unlike geostationary satellites MEO satellites are moving across the sky relative to a fixed location on earth.  Think of a group of school children playing a game of musical chairs.  As long as the music is playing the children move in a circle following each other circling around the chairs (earth).  As one satellite passes overhead a receiving station on earth establishes connectivity then has to follow that satellite as it moves across the sky.  When a satellite becomes too distant the receiving station on earth finds the next satellite beginning it's pass overhead.  This repeats ad nauseam. 
    MEO satellites are closer to the earth, some 8,062 km above sea level versus the 35,786 km height of geostationary satellites.   The closer distance means it doesn't take as long for a signal to reach a MEO satellite and be bounced back down to earth.  This reduces latency or delay down to the 190 - 230 ms range.
    Each O3b satellite completes five orbits around the earth every day but being closer to earth means their footprint or ability to cover an area on the surface of the earth is smaller than the potential of a geostationary satellite.   O3b's MEO constellation has operation limits and doesn't have coverage above or below ~ 65° latitude North or South.   As a result they don't currently provide coverage in places like Alaska or Northern Europe.
    Eventually O3b was acquired by another company so you will often reference to SES/O3b.  
    What it Means to Us Humans
    To put things in perspective the human brain can perceive delay in a voice conversation when it is above ~ 250ms or 1/4 of a second. A voice call over a geostationary satellite with 600-700 ms of delay has perceptible delay to humans and it can lead to people talking over each other as both parties can begin talking before the brain hears the words from the other party in the conversation and stops talking.  A voice call over MEO satellites with 190-230ms of delay usually falls under the threshold that most humans can perceive delay resulting in a normal conversation.  
    When it comes to browsing the internet more latency or delay means when you try to visit a website it takes more time for the internet to provide the content of that website back to you.  Just like with voice calls the human brain can perceive delay more when it is above a threshold.  To the human brain a delayed internet response can appear to be a slow connection even if the throughput or bandwidth to send and receive information is relatively large.   
    In this sense many people will state that latency is the most important aspect of internet connectivity when it reality if the delay is below a threshold most people and most applications can't discern the differences in delay just as they can't with voice calls.  Timing is very important in stock trades involving large numbers of shares and gaming or gamers can be very sensitive to delay since less delay can provide a competitive advantage when trying to beat other gamers in an online game.    If one gamer reacts after 700ms while another gamer can react in 20ms the first gamer is at a significant disadvantage and will probably lose the game every time.
    Streaming TV services have gained in popularity over more recent years.  Streaming services work better with lower latency but if a streaming application is coded properly streaming service can work with higher latency, they just need to buffer a few seconds more to build up a local copy of the content before displaying it.  A more latent or delayed connection with ample bandwidth or throughput will usually work fine for most streaming services except for live TV.  Watching Netflix over a geostationary satellite connection will usually work fine as long as there is enough bandwidth.  
    Streaming isn't necessarily a problem but voice and video calls or gaming is more of an issue over geostationary satellite. 
    What it Means to Royal Ship Internet
    Speedcast uses the legacy geostationary satellites for some Royal ships while SES/O3b uses the newer MEO satellites for other Royal ships.
    Originally older ships in the RCI fleet were deployed with legacy geostationary equipment since at the time there wasn't anything else (MEO services were not available before ~2014).   
    Geostationary satellite providers are naturally interested in selling their services to where there is substantial populations to purchase their services.  Consequently they focus their signals to cover land masses where people and businesses are.  This means that in the middle of oceans the geostationary satellite signals are often very weak since fewer people live in the middle of the oceans.  As the saying goes you can't sell satellite services to fish. 
    For cruise ships this means that geostationary satellite internet services away from land and in the middle of oceans is very poor.  This also means that when a ship moves between regions it has to connect to a different geostationary satellite that services countries in that region.  A ship sailing in the eastern or western Caribbean will often have to change geostationary satellites as it sails the itinerary.  
    Around the time that Quantum of the Seas was being built O3b began offering MEO satellite services and the satellite company was eager to sign up new clients.  They convinced Royal Caribbean to launch Quantum with this newer technology that was capable of providing much higher throughput internet services with lower latency compared to geostationary satellite services.  Since their MEO satellites were circling the earth ships everywhere could be connected even in the middle of oceans.  It worked quite well and subsequently Royal included O3b on all new ship builds since.  Royal Caribbean International and Quantum of the Seas were an important launch customer for O3b. Quantum was the first cruise ship to use this new technology. 
    Royal did go back and retrofit Oasis and Allure, all Freedom class, Majesty of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas with O3b.  They did not retrofit any other ships so all other Vision, Radiance and Voyager class were left with geostationary satellite equipment.  Newer ships like Harmony, Symphony, Anthem, Ovation, Spectrum, Odyssey and Wonder all launched from the shipyard with SES/O3b.
    SES/O3b continued to seek more clients and they scored a big win when they later signed up Carnival PLC.  The parent company agreed to retrofit all ships in the Princess fleet as a trial and based on the outcome would migrate more ships in other fleets under the Carnival PLC umbrella.   MSC also began building ships with SES/O3b satellite services.
    Voom (and Gloom)
    Despite all of this stuff and the difference between how different ships are connected to different satellite internet providers and different satellites in different regions Royal sold one internet product to guests.  "Voom" was sold as a standard product to guests regardless of the all stuff going on behind the scenes.  Voom is Royal's name.  They could have called it anything, they could have called it "Bob" but they chose the name "Voom" as the name for their internet service plans on board.   
    When a guest purchases Voom the guest doesn't know if it's using geostationary satellites or MEO satellites.  They don't know the name of satellite that services Europe or the name of the satellite used when a ship is in Florida.  The guest isn't aware that a ship sometimes has to switch satellites along the itinerary.  The guest just knows they purchased Voom internet.  In reality guests have been purchasing different technology depending on which ship they were sailing and the region they sailed in.  This resulted in different guest experiences despite every guest purchasing "Voom".   
    A satellite or even a constellation of satellites has limitations.  With more and more ships signing up for SES/O3b they reached their capacity.  No more ships could be added.  Royal dragged their feet and didn't upgrade the older ships to O3b.   Once other cruise lines signed up with SES/O3b Royal couldn't migrate additional ships to O3b since the constellation was at capacity.  SES/O3b was planning to launch a next generation of their satellites in 2020 to add more capacity.  At one point SES/O3b stated they would soon have enough capacity for all the cruise ships in the world.  With the pandemic the launch of the next generation SES/O3b satellites were delayed.  Only recently has SES/O3b started launching the newest versions of nextgen satellites that should go into service "soon".  
    Given all that is involved with launching satellites using expensive rockets the cost to provide satellite services is very high.  Prior to the pandemic Royal was selling Voom plans to cover the high costs associated with the bandwidth they were acquiring from their satellite services companies Speedcast and SES/O3b and making a small profit in the process.  
    Once the pandemic hit and the cruise industry was shutdown cruise lines couldn't just park their ships, turn off the internet and go home.  Ships had to sail with skeleton crews and those skeleton crews needed internet access.  The ships needed some internet but they didn't need the same bandwidth or throughput meant for thousands of guests with only ~100 crew on board.  It is understood that cruise lines reduced their bandwidth commitments to lower their internet costs during the pandemic. 
    Fortunately cruise lines were able to survive the shutdown and as we all know they started sailing with guests again in summer and fall of 2021.  At that time the cruise lines had received no revenue for many months and they couldn't afford to return their internet bandwidth commitments to pre-shutdown levels.  This worked okay during the initial restart as there were limits on guest capacity.  
    Once the capacity limits were removed ship started sailing near capacity.  Cruise lines had mountains of debt and many bills to pay.  Despite ships being full they still were recovering financially from the effects of being shut down.  Despite selling many Voom plans to guests they had to carefully adjust bandwidth commitments with satellite providers while balancing other bills and financial considerations.  Satellite internet is not cheap.  This has led to severely oversubscribing internet throughput as they continue to struggle with the financial impacts of the shutdown.  It has led to the former Voom experience becoming a Gloom experience for guests.  Nothing works well when internet service is severely oversubscribed.  It is a terrible experience for everyone.  Streaming and voice calls that worked great before the shutdown now often led to complaints.  
    Starlink
    Starlink began launching satellites into a new low earth orbit constellation or LEO.   LEO satellites are much closer to earth.  In the case of the first Starlink satellites they are in the area of around 550 km above the earth.  As we saw with the difference between geostationary and MEO satellites, LEO satellites have much lower delay or latency when sending a signal from earth into space and bouncing it back down to earth.   The delay is well below 100ms.  Starlink has plans for more constellations including some as low as 340 km and 1,100 km above the earth.  The future constellations and new capabilities they bring will result in lowering latency down below 25ms or so Starlink estimates.
    As we saw with MEO versus geostationary when a satellite is closer to earth it can't cover as large an area.  Starlink's answer is to deploy thousands of satellites to cover more area on earth.  
    The first important point about Starlink is that it is a relatively new service.   It first became operational in a limited capacity in 2020.  This is very new technology just as O3b was new technology in 2014. 
    Starlink consists of more than one constellation of satellites.  While one constellation circles the earth in one direction other Starlink constellations circle the earth in different directions at different altitude so they don't run into each other.  Starlink is planning more constellations at different altitudes moving in different directions.  Eventually there will be so many satellites in orbit there will be several overhead to choose from at any given moment. 
    Starlink satellites pass overhead much more quickly compared to MEO satellites.  The connection between an earth station and single Starlink satellite can be measured in seconds and low single digit minutes.  The satellites are literally flying by overhead.  A Starlink earth station is constantly switching between overhead satellites depending on which is best at a moment in time.  
    This bring us to the next important point about Starlink.  It is evolving.   It isn't done yet and not even close to being completed into the final vision of what it will be in the future.  It is like building an airplane while it is flying.   Starlink is still under construction.  Starlink is new.  They have started to sell services to earn some revenue that can be used to help pay towards the continued evolution of the service. 
    The ability to service ships at sea is possible because like the MEO constellation the satellites are circling the earth.  The challenge with providing service at sea is getting the signal back down to earth where it can be connected to the internet.  In the long term that is where the other Starlink satellites that will be at higher and lower altitudes come into play so that satellites can relay signals through each other in order to make it back to land and the internet.  
    Starlink has just started to enable some of this type of inter-satellite communication which is how they are providing service closer to the poles including Alaska and the South pole (just recently announced).  As they continue to enable more inter-satellite relay they will be able to cover more of the seas and oceans.  
    Important point number three.  Starlink can't provide 100% coverage of all oceans just yet.  There are dead spots today.  This will evolve and coverage will improve over the coming months but today there are dead zones that will be experienced at sea.   It is not a perfect technology and they flat out state there are dead zones with the maritime service.
    Most importantly for cruise lines is the much lower price point compares to MEO and geostationary satellite services.  
    With the lower cost Royal can once again pass through to it's guests more throughput.  It's not that Starlink is better technology, for cruise ship guests the important effect will be allowing more throughput at lower latency.   The reason why guest will experience higher throughput (lower operating costs) isn't that important, higher throughput and in some cases lower latency will be important to the guest experience.
    Modern Times and the migration to Starlink
    So that brings us to the state of the fleet prior to Starlink.  Older ships have legacy geostationary satellite equipment while newer ships have SES/O3b.  Bandwidth constraints have made Voom into Gloom on all ship regardless of the technology.
    As we saw with MEO satellites voice calls have low enough latency so that most people can't discern any delay with MEO satellite service.  The lower latency offered by Starlink won't be a dramatic improvement for ships that already had SES/O3b equipment.    Royal migrated these ships first (if they were in the US region) so that they could immediately reduce the cost of internet on these ships since SES/O3b has higher charges compared to the Speedcast geostationary service. Starlink maritime as a service isn't fully approved and licensed in all regions so they focused on ships in the US market first where the US FCC has approved it.  
    With that mostly complete they have started migrating Voyager class ships from Speedcast to Starlink.  Radiance class is also migrating.  Other than Enchantment which was migrated since it had SES/O3b, we haven't heard as much about the other Vision class ships.  
    The migration of Speedcast ships to Starlink will be more transformational.  Guests on these ships will experience a notable improvement as latency drops from 600-700ms down under 100ms.   Voyager class and Radiance class have had abysmal internet even before the shutdown.  These ships will greatly benefit from the Starlink migration.  
    Having said that remember that Starlink is still in its infancy and it isn't even close to being completed.  There will be some downfalls to migrating to Starlink and for the guest experience that will primarily involve dead spots in the ocean where they can't provide Starlink coverage just yet.  
    Yes there will be down times with Starlink that are not experienced with the long proven but more expensive Speedcast and SES/O3b services.  This will improve over time so if you have a bad Starlink internet day in 2022 that may be completely solved by the time you sail again at some point in 2023.  
    What's Next
    We don't know what Royal plans to do as ships migrate to Starlink. 
    Will Royal continue to use the name "Voom"? 
    Will Royal offer more than one level of service?  
    Will Royal leverage the lower cost technology to offer basic chat for free?
    We don't know.  Time will tell.  
  23. Like
    DJsMrs got a reaction from jbrinkm in Ship time vs local time   
    They will tell you on the ship.  Announcements will be made.   It will be printed in the Cruise Compass, and as you disembark the ship there is usually a sign or three telling you.   Pro tip - if you look at the app on your phone it will always give ship's time.   Embarkation times are always in ship's time.   
  24. Haha
    DJsMrs got a reaction from Big Tule in 2 Moms Desperately Seeking Suite Freedom ~ 11/28-12/2/2022   
    I'm a 100% live and let live and I really don't care if people dress casually in the dining room (you're on vacay - be comfy!) - but I also have a strict no furry nipples rule at the dinner table    🤮🤢🤮
     
    wow
  25. Haha
    DJsMrs reacted to Big Tule in RC Food Suck   
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