bobroo

Back to the original posters question, why would you buy a DBP if you are D+? Because I have a hard time counting to 5. And as easy as “counting to 5” sounds there have many days both in port and at sea where I’ve screwed that up. Ugh! I’m so worthless….

I'll throw out a couple quick tips:: 1) Move cappucino/cocktail to non dominate hand. 2) Is there another human being on the other side of said door? Always bad form to open a door into someone. 3) Exiting? You'll need to push a magic button first! 4) Slow down!!! You've got more time than you realize. 5) Most DL doors are ornate. Some look like the entry to a janitors closet. But they are all big, wide, and heavy! Be careful.

Why am I the only person to think there was a small fire onboard and the sprinkler system did what it was designed to do???

Ahhhh! The door to the Diamond Lounge: it's the secret handshake of the Diamond Club. Each one is a little different. A special sequence of pushing or pulling. Some kind words. A lot of patience. Each one has it's own special way it likes to be touched. And, maybe exiting is something different??? ...and then there are the new Diamond double points cruisers <snort>. Struggling, confused between Push and Pull, concierge intervention; there are a lot of them that I don't think will ever get it to be honest. How have they managed to live so long? I dunno....

I’ve watched the safety videos for the muster drill for over 10 cruises since November. And my question is really for junior cruisers, but it is way too awkward for me to ask a random 5 year old about their Adventure Ocean experience. I’ll try my luck here. This Lulu and Mika, are they an integral part of Adventure Ocean? Because these characters, I have seen them no other place other than the safety video. And the video? It’s really strange in a lot of ways. Bizarre, no backstory and it’s really long. I spend most of the video just trying to figure out which character is which. Their message gets completely lost on me when they elude to going into outer space and under the ocean. Huh? What’s up with Lulu and Mika???

The sticker was used right after the restart to identify passengers who had not yet gone the muster station. When the crew were presented a seapass with a sticker, that was their signal to remind that customer it was necessary to reported to their station. When passengers eventually went to muster, the stickers were supposed to have been removed. If I was the zookeeper, I would not let passengers scatter when they board. My passengers would not have the choice to anything but go to their muster station and only afterwards could commence their week of overindulging. No stickers, no multiple public address messages, and guaranteed 100% compliance.

I’m not afraid to bring it up…. RMS Lusitania.

Is it true that once you attain Pinnacle there is a secret benefit of free closing costs on your move into The Villages? At first I thought it was crazy and then I started to ask Pinnacles, and I’ll be damed if they all don’t live there. Come Seek……

Royal will in no way be endangering one of their ships any where close to Russia for many years to come. Honestly, I’m sure Royal will never port in Russia ever again.

No

Nothing says “Quick! finish your drink” like a paper straw.

It’s harder to get inside a Costco than it is to get into Cozumel or Costa Maya from a cruise ship. You’ll need your Seapass to get back onboard.

Yes, the watches and the jewelry sold onboard is a scam. Park West and their art auctions are also a scam. The whole premise of Casino Royal is a scam. IMO the most egregious scam of all onboard is Chops. The choices folks make while on vacation are not always the same choices they would make at home.

If I was the zookeeper I would ask the casino dealers for their preference of the casino smoking policy; it is, after all, their workplace and their tip jar.

Boarding Anthem today. Anthem, the Tear Drip Memorial, Manhattan skyline, and a diminutive Lady Liberty. Amount of people at the park? Only me Total cost? $0

Literally right next to Cape Liberty is the Tear Drop Memorial; the most overlooked and under appreciated 9/11 monument. My advice for all sailings out of Bayonne? Drop your bags and take 20 minutes to go view it, it's 100% free.

Buddy Dive is Royal Caribbean’s dive excursion provider in Bonaire. For the past 20 years or more Buddy Dive is always, always, always the perennial favorite to be voted best overall dive provider by the readers of Scuba Diving magazine in their annual poll. In short, Buddy Dive is the best of the best. I am certain they are not “going out of business”. However, right now, today; Bonaire is turning away cruise ships that have ANY cases of COVID aboard. Maybe that is some insight why these excursions have been cancelled? Or, maybe it’s that Royal’s scuba shops onboard have quietly been turned into boutiques that sell snorkeling gear, Boca Clips, and Go Pros? I don’t think Royal Caribbean wants anything to do with scuba diving anymore to be perfectly honest.

I think a blind man can see the writing on the wall folks; there will be another shutdown of cruising. The pleas from hospitals, the obvious impacts on professional sports, the positive cases aboard Explorer and Symphony; it does not take a Phd in virology to see that the virus is going to force another shutdown of our society and that includes cruising. This shutdown should be a whole lot more unsympathetic. This time around the cruise lines management should be the ones responsible for allowing themselves into a mess they had all the tools to prevent. And, I think they should be held accountable. Healthy Sail Panels, health screenings, reduced capacities, eliminated excursions, air filtration upgrades-- a cruise ship is supposed to be this squeaky clean environment; better than walking down the street you live on. Except...clearly, they are not. It's management that has allowed unvaccinated passengers aboard (yeah, even if they were kids). They have permitted individual passengers to tell them when and how masks will be worn. Perhaps most egregious is Richard Fain making a mockery of the absolute #1 best way to reduce disease transmission--washing your hands. I dare anyone of you to take a makeout session one step further in a hallway with someone you have hooked up with in the disco. Step on a railing in the Centrum to get a higher vantage point to take a picture. Be an employee who admits they disagree with their workload or at one point in time-- get this-- audibly mention they worked for another cruise line. We all know what stern punishment happens with those much smaller, seemingly inconsequential things. It was so easy, if only Covid protocols were handled in the same manner as an onboard argument with your spouse. Ships would be sailing, sea days be had, and yes a cruise ship would be safer than walking down the street you live on.

The contact for scuba type inquiries is [email protected] if you have not already used this point of contact.

As loose as Casino Royale has become giving away drinks, free cruises, and cruise discounts....banning smoking will have no effect on the amount of play the casinos receive. There are plenty of compliant players trying to get the free goodies. I predict the rule change becomes permanent and Casino Royale will be better off and far more profitable.

Before Royal ships come back online, they are outfitted with a facial recognition system. Therefore it’s super easy to accurately contact trace once a positive passenger is found. 44 sounds like a very low number to me considering the close confines of a cruise ship. I bet a typical passenger comes in close contact to several hundred other passengers and crew during any given day of a voyage. Also, the reason your uploaded photo from check-in is found to be no good at embarkation and needs to be retaken? Redundancy. Redundancy for the facial recognition system.

You don’t have to look far to find a RC cruiser/ certified diver who scratching their head and wondering why Royal is not signing contracts with dive providers. I’ve heard Covid is the excuse but what could be safer than individuals with their own contained breathing sources? As a matter of fact, I did the dive at Coco Cay a week ago, so what gives? Royal has been a scuba enabler for sometime now. They know the dive providers that are responsible, skilled operations that have a proven track record of being up to the task. It sure would be nice to spend my OBC on scuba excursions again. Recommendations? In Nassau you only have two choices: Stuart Coves and Sandals Royal Bahamian resort. In San Juan it’s hard to beat Scuba Dogs for location and ease of getting a cab back to port. St Thomas? Can’t go wrong with Admiralty or JJ Divers. I’ve even dove with Coki Divers which is just a shed on the beach but it was a short, convenient walk to Margaritaville, so I like them too.

I am certain that Disney will have 0 empty cabins this upcoming season with their vaccine requirement. I am certain Royal Caribbean (or any other cruise line) will also have 0 empty cabins if they were to enact the same vaccine mandate. The hard truth is there is an abundance of fully vax'd customers with an abundance of dollars. There is just no plain reason for a cruise line to not to have a safe, healthy sailings. They are just looking out for their customers and more importantly, their employees. In more disappointing news to some, I think the online, proctored health exam is working quite well for Royal Caribbean. IMO, this type of exam will be required for every voyage and by every guest until the end of time. If not COVID specific, a future test that might check for all those things that we had to say No to on the Health Questionnaire upon check in. .

I too signed up with Neal Watsons for the Jewel sailing on the 28th. It's a shark feeding dive #1 and then a dip on the Sapona. For Cozumel I am diving with Marine World on one of their 8am boats and could be talked into doing an extra shore dive afterwards. Are you doing a B2B by any chance? I have diving scheduled for those ports too.

Operate a boat???? Captain Kate McCue should be promoted to CEO of RCL. Captain Kate would be the breath of fresh air that would change Royal Caribbean and it's subsidiaries for the better and give them a long overdue solid, unified direction moving forward.