Rackham

I won't speculate on the benefits, but I'm willing to bet Celebrity's point system will triumph since it rewards booking more expensive cabins. In this scenario, existing C&A points would be converted so that no one would lose status; similar to the last time Royal changed how points are earned.

I'm going to assume Crown's Edge won't be in operation while in port for two reasons. First, Royal can't really control the airspace around their ship. For example, if somebody flies a drone in then suddenly there's a potential safety hazard outside the company's control. Two, if there's any accidents on the line then there's less witnesses (and recordings) in the middle of the ocean. An accident in port means there's a chance somebody just made an excellent recording from a good vantage point (and uploaded to the Internet a short while later).

Pina Coladas Peach Coladas Strawberry Daiquiris Mango Daiquiris Lime margaritas (also ask for it frozen) Mojitos (also ask for it frozen) Papaya Passion Mango Tango (1/2 Pina Colada, 1/2 mango daq) Love Connection (1/3 Pina, 1/3 Mango daq, 1/3 straw daq) Lava Flow / Miami Vice (1/2 pina colada-1/2 strawberry daq) Pineapple Blast (pineapple soda with red bull) Mudslide Flavored Lemonades (also ask for it frozen) Rosewater Lemonade Arnold Palmer (1/2 iced tea, 1/2 lemonade)-may be avail frozen... Bloody Mary Mexican Limeade in TWO70 Roy Rodgers (Coke + Grenadine) Bitter Tonic (Bitters + Tonic water) Atomic cat (Orange Juice + Tonic water) Singapore sling (squeeze of lime, add mango, pineapple and pomegranate juice in a 1:1:2 ratio(fill 50%), add equal tonic water or fizzy water, garnish with lime and mint) Arizona Sunset (grenadine, 50/50 sprite + OJ) Millionaire sour (Sour + Ginger Ale + Grenadine) Dirty Dr P Burabura Brew (Pineapple juice, Ginger Ale, Grenadine) Cranberry Freeze (Sweet and sour, Cranberry juice, Soda water) Sunrise (Orange juice, Pineapple juice, Sweet and sour, Grenadine) Fresh Lemon Freeze (Sweet and sour, Soda water)

Doh! You're right and I'm completely forgetting the release calendar. Edit: Week of February 12, 2024 Short Caribbean, Los Angeles & Northeast Edit Edit: Though I guess the referenced post is still technically correct.

As of now, there's no sailings on sale for Baltimore, Cape Liberty, New Orleans, or LA for summer 2025. Attached is also a ship list for the fleet. Bolded ships are currently on sale.

I've scheduled my flight back to the US for that afternoon on the off chance anything delays the ship docking or allowing us ashore. Then there's potential issues between the cruise terminal and airport. With how full flights are, which means limited rebooking options if a flight is missed, I'm not taking the chance with a morning flight.

Yes. It'll be Royal's holiday menu most likely. This is from 2019, but apparently it's still the same menu: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/12/25/look-the-christmas-dinner-menu-royal-caribbean Also, here's the Cruise Compass from 2021 which happens to have the exact same days as holidays as ours: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/anthem-of-the-seas/fri-12242021-0000

Rebooked the refreshment package for Xmas aboard Anthem and saved ~$42. Reserved multiple non-Italian lunches at 40% off on Anthem and Jewel. IZUMI sushi might be worth it at that price depending on the ship and your tastes. On my sailings, the Italian resturants were only $1 cheaper than on International Pasta Day thus didn't bother rebooking.

Might be indicative of how cheap it costs to provide Internet via Starlink. Royal might be able to turn a tidy profit at $10/day. But why charge $10/day when people are willingly paying $20-$30/day for access?

Since Brilliance is now in the Mediterranean (totally wrong call on my part early in this thread), it's possibly Jewel again out of Amsterdam. We're still midweek so there might be another round of itineraries released for Northern Europe? Edit: The current sale ends tonight so Royal might be holding off this release until the next one begins tomorrow. Wouldn't be surprised if the next sale is less off versus the current.

Goodwill.

Until the sailings are actually released, I wouldn't put too much stock in rumors. Once cruises are available for booking, then there's something actually to chew on (or not).

It crashed thanks to too many people trying to give Royal their money. From what I recall, many prices trended upward during the crash and Royal, of course, didn't honor the prices which were available before the crash occurred.

Couldn't help myself. Chair Letter.pdf

I'm going to go out on a limb here and anticipate Royal not releasing all prime time dining slots for dining package purchasers (all dining slots could be available for off-peak dining). Maybe 30% for dining package holders to 70% for individual bookings to start, then shift the percentages as the sail date draws near depending on number of tables still available (along with holding a percentage back for people paying the full rate aboard the ship). I would also not be surprised if Royal does something about people booking a dining package and a separate reservation for hibachi, only to request a refund once aboard for hibachi while keeping the reservation. Maybe lock out purchases of individual reservations once a dining plan has been purchased? As far as people pre-booking all available times, Royal might make the change to the UDP so that only one lunch and one dinner per day can be reserved in advance. They could also redefine "Unlimited" to mean 1 dinner per night of the cruise and 1 lunch when the specialty dining restaurants are open. Edit: Concerning no shows. Assuming they don't limit people to one reservation per night, they could always implement what they're already doing with select activities. In other words, charge a fee for people who don't appear and don't cancel their reservation early enough for it to be resold. As an example, "Due to the popularity of Ripcord by iFLY, appointments not cancelled 12 hours in advance will be subject to a $25 no show fee."

Comparing the pricing on a similar 7-night AK itinerary (in the same interior cabin category) to the one I did summer 2023, rates increased by only 14%. Gut feeling is so many people preach, or require, a balcony or suite that Royal is increasing balconies and up by what they predict the market will bear. With how crazy current booking rates are, I wouldn't bet against this strategy.

Reservations for Spectra's Cabaret are now open. I'd recommend booking it for later in the week as typically nights one (Christmas Eve) and two (Christmas Day) have the majority of holiday events happening during this sailing, but we won't know until we're nearly aboard due to when the final schedule is released.

Totally unnecessary. Like anyone using this sign is getting out for #1.

Is that sea day or port day pricing?

How long before chair clocks become mandatory? 2 for $25 in the gift shop*. * No, not really.

It's my understanding Juneau is better.

I wonder if reservations were scrapped after switching from the kitchen service, for the entrees, to having them on the buffet?

And the person with the sign might actually be in the pool or whirlpool. Unless I saw them post the sign and then leave, I'd assume they've had issues in the past (I know I have as a solo cruiser) and decided to literally leave a sign that the chair is in use by someone using the pool deck.

That's really up to the individual. I found that 3 full days, and evenings throughout the sailing, was plenty of time to experience everything Oasis has to offer. Do book show reservations in advanced (will be available about 30-40 days before sailing) so you can see the shows when you'd like to see them.