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If only there was a way for Royal Caribbean to know how many guests were going to be aboard in advance....let's say... a month out. <shakes head disapprovingly>

I'm not real good with subtile but even I heard this loud and clear....jus' say'n. If you are really worried about the potential weather, what a great birthday surprise a B2B in Alaska, or Los Angeles, or Europe, or Singapore is going to be!!! Ya' know....for safety.

I bet different embarkation ports have different passenger loading capabilities.

Absolutely what happened! Also worth mentioning is that Whale Tail design. Having the exhaust bend is only going to collect unburnt fuel and those crispy balls found aft balconies every morning. Smokeybandits comment about being Sharmin clean are absolutely spot on, this fire was caused by improper maintenance.

Going hard to reverse course with the azipods happened after the impact. :0( There is a new Nova episode Why Ships Crash released last week that offers some insight to how accidents like this can occur. It is largely about the Suez Canal incident and nothing about cruising but it may interest folks here:

If Royal truly was eco minded they would have done away with the coolers in every stateroom long ago.

I do not understand why passengers go though a very strict and orderly process to get onboard and yet once a passenger gets their Seapass zapped that very first time; then they are allowed to scatter. If there was only one more step where passengers were required (if not escorted) to their muster station after those first footsteps onboard, then 100% compliance would be guaranteed. After all, the gangway you embark the ship on is very, very, very likely to be the same deck as your muster station. No drink packages, no bathroom breaks, no Sorrentos—until AFTER you’ve reported to your muster station.

On Anthem last January I was astounded by the amount of take out orders Izumi did nightly. And the take out orders were in Izumi branded shopping bags and had their own black food containers. ‘The take out orders did not have reservations, had their food delivered to them, and might never have changed out of their bathing suits.

A good rule of thumb is: If it has a cord, security is not going to like it. When you look at the tables of shame after your cruise, you'll notice that nearly every item on those two folding tables has a cord.

I like the low cost approach myself. Because ports like LA, New York, Boston, and Seattle offer a whole bunch of things that are iconic, important, or are things I have seen a million times on TV but now I can see them with my own two eyes while crossing off another item off the bucket list. Things that are basically free and don’t require a time commitment. For example: the Hollywood sign, as another poster said Venice Beach, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Mann’s Chinese Theater, a long walk down Melrose, a drive down Rodeo drive and observing a quintessential Barbie driving with the the top down, the Capitol Records building, who ever may be playing at the Whiskey that night, find out what they mean by The Valley or The Five, and even a ride through South Central so you realize it’s not all Malibu Barbie and the Beach Boys. Driving in LA will be very familiar if you have played Grand Theft Auto just a few times. And, I would not say you have visited LA until after eating at an In n’ Out Burger. That’s obligatory.

At the very least I would hope that all 12 year old girls onboard learn that they don't need to ask the ice cream man for an extra big cone but rather all they need to do is smile. And if they wouldn't press every damn button in the elevator, that would be great too.

All the above is true about children receiving their parents C & A status upon reaching the age of majority. But just to foreshadow, achieving additional status or benefits will become really murky in their future because they may not be a "natural" platinum, diamond, or whatever... For example, a couple may have done some cruising before having children, later taken their kids on cruises several times, and also taken a few weekend get aways without the kids in suites no less. In essence the kids have some cruise points they have actually achieved and a whole bunch more they have inherited. The kids turn 18 and yes they do get their parents status and presumably whatever benefits at that level. But here's the murky part......these kids now do some cruising on their own and want a crystal block, or they want to become Diamond +, or they want to receive two bottles of wine in their stateroom...... ahhhh.....be on the lookout for some disappointment when Royal says not so fast, despite what is printed on your sea pass you have only X amount of sailing nights with us; so kiddo you have some catching up to do before we allow you into the luncheon, a seat at the captains table, or give you those luggage tags. The actual nights of sailing is not lost on Royal. You may think that many years have past and it is all a little blurry and some things will get shoved underneath the rug but Royal has a long memory. Despite their computers will still be running DOS at that point in the future, they will know how many nights have been actually sailed and not want to give up the goods. An interesting related note. I believe it is Royal's policy that you must be 21 in order to a sail on your own. Meaning, a person who is 18, 19, or 20 can not book a cabin on their own and must have a parent or guardian on the same or an associated reservation. Being 2022 this all may seem completely normal but to an old timer like me this is absolutely bizarre. When I was 19 I was already well on my way to becoming a Club Med regular. Booking, paying for, flying to foreign countries, and staying at their resorts--completely on my own. Man o' man, I wish it was 1985 again!!!!

Hey folks let's admit it, Royal Caribbean needs more ports! There are more and more new ships coming online and the existing fleet needs places to berth. Add in the increasing number of dedicated cruisers is going to grow tired of the familiar options of St Marteen, Cozumel, Nassau etc. We should be all be very supportive for new destinations.

Good news! No actual dolphins were harmed in this accident. Bad news! What was the impact on our vessel, Radiance???

1) Being 2022, the price tag of something is not a determining factor for many, many (if not most) people. 2) The group of people who have embraced cruising the longest and who are the ones who really really know how to cruise are NOT Floridians, it is the British. Barbados is formerly of the British Crown and those ties take centuries to go away. Ask any Canadian about pictures of British monarchy still in Canadian currency even after 100 years of indepencence.

Tabulated results of your completed cruise survey at some point get forwarded to the hotel directors office of the ship you were on. I’m certain the aggregate of those results are a big influence on the captain and hotel directors bonus at the end of their respective contracts. If you have identified a crew member on your survey in a positive way; here is what I’ve discovered happens. A copy of your remarks goes into their employee file. I’m sure their immediate supervisor also receives a copy and some sort of pat on the back is given. But also, and probably most importantly in the minds on the crew member; is that they are called down to HR onboard. Certainly another Atta’ Boy is given but there is also a wheel of fortune type device. They get to spin that wheel and win things such as extra shore leave, a cash award, a pair of Air Pods, an Amazon gift card, or similar gifts. IMO this is where the rubber meets the road for recognition on your post cruise survey. (Incidentally, from time to time each ship will have internal incentive competitions between housekeeping sections, dining room teams, or sections of the gallys which the winners get called down to HR to take their chance at spinning the wheel) During the comeback I gave Royal the benefit of the doubt. On my surveys I told them what they wanted to hear and gave them 10’s on everything. I also used my signature Identify An Outstanding Crew Member That Not One Single Passenger Would Ever Think Of Selecting on every sailing. Often telling the hotel director personally what I was up to so they would keep an eye out for it. I felt good about supporting a company I feel strongly about. Last week after my 4 nighter on Independence, the gloves came off and I let them have it. No longer caring about the impact of COVID or if someone with stripes gets their bonus. I’ll be this way going forward if warranted.

One of the very first things I do on embarkation day is to lock that stupid hair dryer in the safe; never to be seen again. This is a great space saver for inside and ocean view cabins.

Just book cruises that don't have sea days.

What the new policy actually does is allow a FCC holder to sell their certificate to an interested third party at a market price. For example, your sister sells to me her FCC for the same amount to me as her original fare (essentially receiving a full refund) and in turn I get the FCC certificate which is valued at 25% more than I paid. I then book a new cruise using the certificate. It’s kinda a win, win, win.

It is literally harder to get inside a Costco than it is to get in Mexico from a cruise ship.

On April 20th Bonaire lifted It’s COViD entry requirements. Everyone can now travel to Bonaire without a negative test result, vaccination, or recovery certificate. There is still some type of signed health declaration required before departure but how that applies to cruise passengers is unclear to me. It may be just for those who vacation for several days???

For many years I have wondered why Royal Caribbean has not approached Accuweather, weather.com. and the Apple weather app folks and kindly asked to have CoCo Cay and as a reported location-- even if it is just a relabeled Berry islands forecast. I think many, many people would like to be reminded of that information even though they are not on a cruise. Or, on the other hand; they could just use the following permanent Coco Cay forecast: In the morning, breezy with scattered clouds. Winds building in the afternoon and chance of scattered afternoon showers 50%. Days high of 80. Winds turn to blustery as the tide rolls out in the late afternoon but with abundant sunshine.

Cautionary note: once you apply a casino discount to any reservation you usually are prevented from receiving any other discounts. And, you may not be able to reduce the cruise fare if there is a future fare reduction. The casino is a snakepit.

If they keep the current embarkation system; keeping the pax volume low and moving fluidly through the process; then there won't be a future need for extravagantly decorated and expensive cruise terminals like Miami. If it's 15 minutes from car to bar, then a big tent like Long Beach will be just fine.

Posts like the one above or posts that ask really elementary questions are made by one person inside Royal to make sure this Blog is providing the information Royal wants its' guests to hear.