ChessE4

By acquire I meant build or purchase. I wouldn't sell leadership short. They will do whatever makes business sense.

We are doing a Magens Bay combo excursion which is given good reviews by vloggers.

I expect older ships to last and itinerary changes to optimize the fleet as ships are replaced. If Royal continues to grow, I believe they will acquire the vessels they need, even if pre-owned.

On the Serenade it was still $14 for wine.

I am more impressed that my TA knows more than I, even if she doesn't know everything. Example: Agent advised paying more for direct flight to London a day early, but I insisted on a cheaper arrangement to save $1000. Wouldn't you know, the flight was delayed, the train we were booked, broke down, and we barely made our connection (only because of connecting flight delay). I regret not following our TA's advice. This was a TA we met in person and with whom we had a good relationship. She wasn't perfect, but she was very good.

We had one on Vision JS 3 years ago, sister ship. As far as I can remember, every ship has had a cooler.

We had 11am checkin but arrived 1030 after walking 5 blocks from hotel. Others arrived by cab, etc. Everyone at Pan Pacific Hotel/Canada Place was told to walk their bags down the pier to a large hall where went down an escalator. We dropped of bags with porters and then queued for security. Multiple ships were in port so lines were split by carrier. We got to muster station 1115 and then headed to Windjammer which actually opened 10 minutes early.

It was 10 pm on day 6 on Serenade late May.

Now we go nonrefundable unless our TA gets a group rate that is refundable. The group rate beats Royal's cheapest rate for same cabin type.

Noise levels for music indoors? That's been my issue in the past.

Yes, I know it is Voyager class. Thanks for confirming it is unaffected by pier issues.

We are sailing Adventure in February and haven't been told of itinerary change, so I think you're right.

We get frequent upselling emails, weekly or every two weeks then usually something about port arrival just before we sail. Our TA sends invoices or payoff reminders. As stated, the App gives us schedule details.

They can be a bit tedious to scroll through for information.

I, for one, can't say enough about the great crew on Serenade during our Memorial Day weekend cruise from Vancouver. If only they'd replace the missing chess pieces on deck 6 aft tables!

We save 450 per 7 night cruise on Royal with drink vouchers and internet. So Carnival would need to be that much cheaper on desired itinerary to be competitive. If Royal reduced benefits, I'd be disappointed, but it would depend on the total price of the cruise.

It depends whether you are flying and on a budget. Recently I've had wheel problems on otherwise durable suitcases. They can be used if we are driving to a port where little schlepping around is required. On a budget I'd by a new set and figure they all won't go bad. Most suitcases seem to carry at least five year warranty. Bright colors are useful. If budget not an issue, others have pet brands with special features.

Your frustration with the software that asks for unnecessary tips is understandable. Simply decline. I've had cashiers at take-out places reach over and decline for me. No worries. We aren't stupid all the time! Cruise crew are generally not overtipped, from what I have read.

In the gated port area there are authentic handmade items, but expect to bargain. Don't wander outside the gate.

I saw a sign, I think before luggage drop but maybe later. With multiple ships, they first separated passengers by cruise lines. Otherwise, bags would get lost. I don't remember more than one line to enter the building itself. You need to wheel your bags a bit before entering the large hall.

We just completed a cruise out of Vancouver, and I wanted to point out that no one at Canada Place looked at checkin times. We arrived at 1035 with a 1100 checkin time I obtained at 3 am Eastern time. So even though I put in the extra effort, it didn't matter Memorial Day weekend. Canada Place moved everyone through quickly, at least until we hit security.

If your TA is giving you a voucher, as we received in cruise docs, you likely need to explain that on the ship. We found that crew needed a minute to deal with it as we made reservations day 1.

We tipped porters in Barcelona, as well as cab driver. We tipped guides in Italy, which typically had long excursions. Not sure what the book answer is.

Use ATM at a bank in Europe to get needed Euros. To tip meals, we round up a little.

This blog has other posts that list web clearinghouse, Matt's videos, travel agent recommendations, etc. But decide what you need first. Age and benefit levels drive premiums.