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bobroo

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Everything posted by bobroo

  1. If you see the name bobroo.....cash out immediately and take the money for yourself!
  2. Just this morning I booked the Hilton New Orleans Riverside for my upcoming January stint on Brilliance. I admit I am paying a premium for this stay so that I do not walk outside on embarkation day and it is essentially kitty corner from Harrahs. I'm over spending by $50 for the night probably because of the free hour of indoor tennis I will never use. If I were you I would look up The Riverwalk on Google Maps and ANY hotel within a couple blocks will make for the easiest embarkation day you've ever had. Many people talk about the crime but my experience with New Orleans is this. The French Quarter is nothing but fellow tourists looking to eat and party. And the Quarter offers me everything I want in an embarkation port--and it is all walkable. Two days pre-cruise is a correct answer and you'll need more if you want to see it all. New Orleans is the absolute best embarkation port in North America if you fly-in.
  3. My memory of Labadee during Covid is different. I thought some of the local riff raff broke into the compound over a couple nights, arsonized a building or two, stole the jetskis, and a few squatters took residence. A part of me fears that what happened during Covid happens on a larger scale and there is nothing left.
  4. Are folks here optimistic that Labadee reopens and continues business as usual? I'm thinking much darker thoughts that probability of Royal completely losing the property is... Oh! about 50-50 right now. But I will say that Michael Bayley cancelling all port stops puts the company at a potential negotiating advantage in the future. RC deserves a huge high five for making this decision. There are some really tough decisions the company still needs to make regarding Labadee but I think Royal management deserves a great big RCB group hug for doing what they have so far. Good job team!
  5. The US has sent troops into Haiti before and it was of little benefit, they aren't going to do it again.
  6. YES! 100% Chicagoian approved. And there are now a couple Portillo's locations in the Orlando area too.
  7. No doubt about it, there are shortcomings to Guaranteed bookings. Your way around this is to phone your travel agent, select the cabin you'd like from what's available, and pay the extra $.
  8. Notifying CAS and having matching addresses makes it an easy request for them to process.
  9. I've stayed at the Hampton just south of the airport for it's walkable proximity to a In n Out and a Ralphs. It was a "just shack up for the night" stay. In the morning I went back to LAX and took Royal's shuttle to the port. Will I do it again for an anticipated Quantum sailing? Well...LA offers so much pre cruise, the "just shack up for the night" is really selling a great port short, and in turn selling myself short. So...likely not. I shouldn't need to remind you of some really good shore diving in the LA area.
  10. Guilty as charged......I empty the grounds and refill the beans whenever required, just like at home. I also frill the napkins while I am waiting.
  11. Please mention to Hailey that a working North Star would be an excellent tool in locating a man overboard type situation. I do not believe Royal uses any of the North Stars for this purpose--but I sure would.
  12. Pro Tip: Sleeping late enhances Crown Lounge coffee machine performance. Try it 'bout the the crack of 9 or later for best results
  13. Oh Boy! 5 gallons of gasoline was just thrown on the bonfire, this is going to make for great reading this upcoming weekend.
  14. I presume that stage is exclusively for the locals to use during Carnival and the Goombay Festival. Much like the grandstands that are left up year round and--quite strangely--take up some seemingly very valuable real estate on Bay Street. I think it is wonderful that part of the port of Nassau is dedicated for use by the residents of Nassau since it is they who the area was taken away from. OTOH, let me be the first to say, Mother Nature does not want a great big canvas sail to be installed on the island of New Providence. Someday soon she is going to let the port of Nassau know how little she wants a great big tall anything to be in the Bahamas.
  15. Quantum going to LA will make me book more cruises! Los Angeles has lots and lots to offer pre and post cruise.
  16. This is good information that I wish I could find before embarkation. Information I wish there was an online resource that, even if it were self reported by frequent users, I could find out about and make a casino plan. Or... get this....plan my casino bankroll before I get on the boat. Slotplayers: imagine an online resource that told you what slots to expect to see when onboard. You'd never be surprised to not see a particular machine again.
  17. Royal has an unusual tiered odds policy on their craps tables. Like all things craps, it's a confusing mess. Here is the typical craps situation on Royal Caribbean: $10 minimum. $500 Max bet. Bets over $50 are allowed 3/4/5 odds, Pass line and Come bets under $50? Single odds. Don't Pass and Don't Come max odds are capped at $300 (for the obvious reason). If a ship has two craps tables, the rules will be the same at both. The craps table rules are constant, Royal won't have a lower table minimum on an afternoon sea day for example. More often then not these are going to be the rules/policies so this should be your expectation. Are there exceptions? Yes there are. I've seen $15 tables (but not in 10 years). Never have I seen a $5 table. I've seen $1,000 max bets on Quantum class boats. Most notable: often you will be allowed the odds @Peter D described for bets more than $15. So...Expect the above but you gotta ask when you step up to the table. Different ships can have different rules. Sidenote: I am not aware of anywhere online that keeps an up to date database of ship to ship craps rules/policies, but it sure would be nice. Calling Casino Royale ahead of time will not get you the answers you are looking for. And as always....Radiance does not have craps tables.
  18. Saving the two best North American ports till last, huh? New Orleans has oodles and oodles of solid hotel choices but I gotta tell ya' the Hilton New Orleans Riverside is my favorite for a pre cruise hotel. Like the Pan Pacific in Vancouver, staying at this location you don't even walk outside on embarkation morning. NOLA is my pick for the best cruise port in North America. I'm doing a B2B2B in January--because I wanted extra helpings of "nonsense".
  19. The Allure chips are as you can see, stamped with Allure of the Seas on them. They really can only be used or cashed in on Allure of the Seas. However...bring your chip to to the cage of Icon, be polite, explain what happened, and smile a lot.
  20. An item nobody ever brings up: -- a 10 liter dry bag. This is a multi use item that works as a beach bag or carry all. It is also the container to put wet bathing suits in for the flight home. And, it is also the container that those with foresight put bottles of wine in before putting them into your luggage for embarkation. The luckiest of dry bags have been known to have to bottles of authentic Cuban Havana Club rum inside them during the ride home.
  21. I wonder why all the seagulls left Coco Cay? Their departure seemed to coincide with the redevelopment. Come to think of it, the iguanas made an abrupt disappearance too. There was a Coco Cay version of Sting Ray City before Covid but unfortunately not after.
  22. I'm thinking that Icon is such a big deal for the company that they do two this year. Both during prime audience attentiveness. During the 1st/2nd quarter and another just before the halftime show. I'll also wager they go with existing spots they already have and no way do they manufacture something just for the game. Like, Lionel Messi wandering around and showcasing the ship. The existing ads they already have are solid on their own.
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