Rackham

Voyager, Radiance, and Voyager-class vessels will be hitting the big 3-0 within a decade. Freedom-class not too long after. I would expect if Royal will be introducing a smaller ship compared to Icon, we'll hear about it within this decade. It'd give them something big to market after their final Oasis-class ship. With that said, off the top of my head, the three Icon-class ships combined have approximately the passenger capacity of Vision and Radiance-class together, if not more. If Royal decided to get out of the small ship business, they could send off their smallest vessels without taking a capacity hit from a before and after Icon-class perspective. I suspect, however, that Royal will decide to introduce a new ship class with around 4,000 capacity to take over the role Radiance and Voyager-classes currently fill. It's highly unlikely with their current business strategy that we'll ever see a new ~2,500-passenger Royal Caribbean ship.

And back again with another ticket for the ChatGPT cruise planning express. This journey is back to what got my interest going with the possibilities of using AI for cruise planning. Specifically using ChatGPT to compare cruise itineraries. There are often several itineraries that look almost identical, but differences can be hard to spot when browsing. The prompts this time will make it easy to compare similar itineraries. These prompts also work well for completely different itineraries. However, to reduce the likelihood you'll encounter issues with ChatGPT when comparing itineraries with no port overlap, consider comparing only two itineraries at a time. Step One: Getting the Itinerary into a ChatGPT Friendly Format Please download the attached Excel workbook. It's been updated with a new spreadsheet specifically for comparing cruise itineraries (and a new prompt with the cruise travel guide for GPT-4 users...) After opening the workbook, and changing to the "Itinerary Comparison" sheet if not already selected when opening, (just like last time) we're copying and pasting itineraries from Royal's website that we want ChatGPT to compare. See the previous post in this thread for how to copy if you're just joining us. However, unlike last time we've got to do it twice or three times per comparison (once for each itinerary) we're making. Please note that even with using GPT-4 inside ChatGPT, their computers can start having issues with more than three itineraries. Two is best, three is acceptable. Step Two: Copying the cyan cells to ChatGPT Copy both cyan background cells to ChatGPT (C1 and C2) and send. If the comparison is cut off before it's finished, send the reddish background prompt to have it finish writing the response. Comparison Overview Prompt using two AK itineraries. For each cruise itinerary listed below, start with a header for the itinerary including the itinerary title, ship, and day of embarkation; then for the body, write detailed descriptive paragraphs about the ship and ports of call visited (with at least one sentence describing each port of call), how the itinerary compares to the other itineraries provided, and describe who this itinerary would best be suited for. End the response with a comparison summary in one paragraph. Responses should be in paragraph form only. Respond in the style of Rick Steves crossed with Guy Fieri. Itinerary 1: Itinerary Title: 7 Night Alaska Glacier Cruise; Ship: Radiance of the Seas; Day of Embarkation: 09/22/2023; Itinerary: Day: Vancouver, British Columbia; Port: ONBOARD; Radiance of the Seas; Day: DAY; Port: 1; Vancouver, British Columbia; Day: Departs at 4:00 PM; Port: 2; Cruising; Day: Day at sea; Port: 3; Sitka, Alaska; Day: From 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM; Port: 4; Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier, Alaska; Day: Sightseeing from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM; Port: 5; Juneau, Alaska; Day: From 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM; Port: 6; Ketchikan, Alaska; Day: From 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Port: 7; Inside Passage, Canada; Day: Sightseeing; Port: 8; Vancouver, British Columbia; Day: Arrives at 7:00 AM; Port: ; ; Itinerary 2: Itinerary Title: 7 Night Alaska Adventure; Ship: Radiance of the Seas; Day of Embarkation: 04/26/2024; Itinerary: Day: 1; Port: Vancouver, British Columbia; Departs at 4:00 PM; Day: 2; Port: Inside Passage, Canada; Sightseeing; Day: 3; Port: Juneau, Alaska; From 2:00 PM - 10:00 PM; Day: 4; Port: Hubbard Glacier, Alaska; Sightseeing from 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM; Day: 5; Port: Icy Strait Point, Alaska; From 6:30 AM - 3:00 PM; Day: 6; Port: Ketchikan, Alaska; From 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM; Day: 7; Port: Inside Passage, Canada; Sightseeing; Day: 8; Port: Vancouver, British Columbia; Arrives at 7:00 AM; Finish writing the response prompt. Only if ChatGPT ended while writing the response to the above. Please complete response. ChatGPT has now written a brief comparison of multiple itineraries specifically for you! If you'd like more information on the compared itineraries, continue on to step three. Step Three: Times in Port and Sights to See On the right-hand side of the spreadsheet, there are several prompts to generate more information relevant to deciding on an itinerary. Unfortunately, even with the latest AI model (as of this post), it can't really keep ships straight within a class. So GPT knows Oasis-class versus Vision-class, but getting specific on that's aboard Allure versus Oasis yields hallucinations. Top experiences, as decided by ChatGPT, per port of call in the categories of Cultural/Historical, Natural, Chill, and Thrill. Create a table with the following columns: Cultural/Historical Experiences, Natural Experiences, Chill Experiences, Thrill Experiences. Rows of the table are ports of call. For each cell in the table body, determine the best three experiences or shore excursions based on the port of call and column titles. If the port of call is marked "Sightseeing" only include what is possible to see and do from the "Ship" listed in a related itinerary; do not write "from ship" as part of the response. Each cell with experiences should have three unless there are none for that column and all three experiences should be placed in the same cell separated by commas. If ChatGPT didn't have enough experiences or shore excursions in each cell, you can have it regenerate its response, paying closer attention to experience count, using this prompt. Change up the number to match what you asked for with the earlier prompt. Please regenerate with three experiences in each cell if there are not three there. [Only works with GPT-4] Have ChatGPT create a table with all itineraries' ports-of-call listed and length of time spent in port. If the table doesn't look like a modern, word processor type table (see the attached pics or PDF for an example), then click "Regenerate". If port times are off, click "Regenerate". You should only need to "Regenerate" once, if any. Please create a table listing the ports of call as columns and the cruise itinerary titles as rows. Calculate the length of time spent at each port of call per itinerary and enter it in the appropriate cell. If "Day at sea" appears in the itinerary, sum the total for the itinerary in one column and do not include "Cruising". If no time is spent at a specific port on an itinerary, insert a - in the corresponding cell. If a port of call is 24 hours or longer, record on the table time in days instead of hours. If a port of call occurs multiple times on an itinerary, enter into the cell the total number of hours or days spent at the port of call on that itinerary. Include the cruise itinerary date as a column after the itinerary title. Include units of time with time in port. Do not list on the table the times the ship is in port. Attached to this post, besides the updated Excel workbook (still no security risk macros) and walkthrough picture, there's the output using model GPT-4 for three Alaska itineraries in PDF format, the time in port and experience tables from a stress test consisting of three different Iceland & Ireland itineraries ranging from 12 nights (2x) to 15 nights (1x). Bonus Prompt for the Travel Guide Prompts! For GPT-4 users only. GPT-3 will hallucinate or refuse to work. Run the initial "prime the pump" prompt before this one. This is another prompt where if the result looks wacky, regenerate the response. ChatGPT can have issues, but from what I've seen, the issues are usually obvious. Based on calendar date and port-of-call, generate a table listing any annual local holidays or celebrations happening on the listed calendar day for that port-of-call. "That's cruising, Steves and Fieri style!" - ChatGPT Alaska Cruise Options.pdf ChatGPT Travel Guide.xlsx

Misses the part about complaining on online message boards. That's a stage, right?

Unless something has changed, the complementary sessions on Ripcord and Northstar aren't bookable until connected to ship's WiFi. Also, people do cancel sessions before the cruise so it's worth checking often to see if anything opens up.

"About Royal Caribbean Blog is an unofficial fan blog written for other fans of Royal Caribbean International. The Royal Caribbean Blog is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International" From: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/

Couldn't be ChatGPT. It's actually articulate. Edit: Le ChatGPT Rant. Not providing the prompt, though it's rather simple. From GPT-3.5 (the free-to-use model). Hey fellow cruisers, I need to vent about the absolutely infuriating experience I recently had with Royal Caribbean. Brace yourselves because this is one rant you won't want to miss! So, here's the deal: I had been eagerly anticipating a dream vacation to the Greek Isles on a Royal Caribbean cruise. I meticulously planned, saved up, and counted down the days, only to have my dreams crushed when the company decided to cancel our cruise to charter the ship to a private group. Can you believe the audacity?! Let me start by saying that I understand chartering happens occasionally. However, it's how Royal Caribbean handled the situation that has left me fuming. They couldn't have cared less about their loyal customers who had booked and paid for this cruise months in advance. It's like they waved a dismissive hand, saying, "Sorry, but we've got bigger fish to fry." First and foremost, communication was abysmal. I received a generic email, buried in my inbox, informing me of the cancellation. No personalized apology, no explanation, nothing! I was expected to accept their decision and move on as if my vacation plans were insignificant. Well, let me tell you, they were anything but insignificant to me! What really irks me is that Royal Caribbean clearly prioritized profit over customer satisfaction. Instead of valuing us, the ones who have been loyal to them, they sold out to this private group. I understand that money talks, but what about the people who have supported the company all these years? Do we not matter anymore? It's not just the cancellation that angered me; it's the lack of compensation or alternatives. Sure, they offered a refund, but that doesn't make up for the countless hours I spent planning and researching this trip. And what about the emotional toll this has taken? The disappointment and frustration of having your long-awaited vacation yanked away without any meaningful explanation? It's simply unacceptable! To add salt to the wound, Royal Caribbean had the audacity to suggest that we book another cruise at a discounted rate. Are they serious? They expect me to trust them again after this colossal letdown? They think a few dollars off will miraculously heal the wounds they inflicted? No, thank you! I'll take my business elsewhere. I used to be a staunch advocate for Royal Caribbean, always recommending them to friends and family. But after this experience, they have lost a customer for life. There are plenty of other cruise lines out there that value their patrons and wouldn't dare pull such a stunt. So, fellow cruisers, beware of Royal Caribbean's lack of respect for their customers. They may seem enticing with their glossy brochures and tempting itineraries, but when push comes to shove, they'll ditch you in a heartbeat for a private group. Let's use our voices and make it clear that we deserve better treatment and transparency from the companies we choose to support. Thanks for listening to my rant. Together, let's hold Royal Caribbean accountable and ensure they learn from this disgraceful act.

It seems like this question comes up about once a month. As others have already said, Royal doesn't sell points. You've gotta sail to earn. Unlike airline programs (or hotels for that matter) status with Royal is kept for life under the current rules. Thus, if Royal was selling C&A points, I'd expect the per-point cost to be based on their most expensive sailing of the year, for a balcony, and the expected onboard spend for that cabin. Points would probably be at least $2,000 each to purchase based on a very quick price check on their website. Royal wouldn't be basing the per-point cost on a transatlantic, aboard a Vision-class, which seems to be the general expectation for people asking this question.

Izumi is only allowed due to how they're currently handling it. If Royal is now not allowing the switchover on the Chef's Table, it's probably a mater of time before Izumi is treated the same.

Continuing on our journey of using GPT for cruise planning. This time? Custom cruise travel guides using ChatGPT. Yeah, we're going to do it. And I'm going to make this easy. Before we begin, this doesn't replace something like Lonely Planet or quality Internet searches. There are still hallucinations (sometimes hilarious) that could derail, or at least disappoint, the cruiser who follows these blindly. With that said, it's an easy peasy way of rapidly getting a custom overview of a cruise without the marketing speak. This is a beginning point, not an ending point. This could also be a decent way of getting other people in your travel party excited about the cruise if they're like, "Book it, and we'll come along with whatever you decide," sort of personalities. Step One: Getting the Itinerary into a ChatGPT Friendly Format Download the "ChatGPT Travel Guide.xlsx" and "Cruise Itinerary Copy for ChatGPT.png" files attached to this post. There's no macros in the workbook; it's 100% built-in Excel functions. The workbook also contains step-by-step directions too. We're starting on Royal's website and searching for the cruise we plan to create a guidebook for. After finding the cruise, click "View X dates" then click "Explore this itinerary". The "Cruise Itinerary Copy for ChatGPT.png" shows the process of copying the itinerary from Royal's website and successfully pasting it into the spreadsheet. Here's the steps: Open "ChatGPT Travel Guide.xlsx". Select the itinerary, including the debarkation day's time, right click, choose "Copy". I found it easier starting at the bottom with the selection, and selecting up to the itinerary name instead of selecting from the top down. (This is assuming Excel on Windows. If you're not running Excel, you want to do a plain text paste.) Click into cell A3 of the spreadsheet. Click the little down arrow under "Paste", then "Paste Special". Click on "Text" in the selection box that appears, then click "OK". If you successfully pasted correctly for this sheet, your itinerary should appear in C3 in a ChatGPT friendly format. Update the date of embarkation for the cruise in cell F1. Save the workbook if it's not autosaving. Potential issue: If the pasted itinerary is shorter than the one already in the spreadsheet then days from the previous itinerary will appear in the ChatGPT prompt area. Double-check the pasted itinerary to make sure there's no extra ports or times and such lurking below. Step Two: Generating the Itinerary Table in ChatGPT Navigate to https://chat.openai.com/ if you're not already there. Change your model to GPT-4 if you have a paid account. It's not even funny how much better GPT-4 is over 3.5 for this, but work with what you've got if you aren't willing to pay. Just be aware that the output with 3.5 is more prone to errors and may lack details found in GPT-4. This has been tested with both. Copy cells C2 and C3 together and paste into a new chat on ChatGPT, then send the message and watch the magic happen. Example: After copy/pasting the itinerary for the Panama Canal group cruise (that I won't be on) into the spreadsheet, I'm copying over to ChatGPT this: For Cruise Information, please create a document with the header as the Itinerary Name, list the ship underneath, then create a table for the Itinerary with Column 1 being the day(s), Column 2 listing the calendar date starting with the date of embarkation, Column 3 being the port-of-call or "Day at Sea", Column 4 being the departure or arrival time or the times in port. Cruise Information: Itinerary Title: 7 Night Costa Rica & Panama Canal; Ship: Rhapsody of the Seas; Day of Embarkation: 03/16/2024; Itinerary: Day: 1; Port: Colón, Panama; Departs at 4:00 PM; Day: 2; Port: Cartagena, Colombia; From 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Day: 3; Port: Panama Canal, Panama; Sightseeing from 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM; Day: 4; Port: Cruising; Day at sea; Day: 5; Port: Puntarenas, Costa Rica; From 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Day: 6; Port: Quepos, Costa Rica; Tendered from 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Day: 7; Port: Cruising; Day at sea; Day: 8; Port: Panama City (Fuerte Amador), Panama; Arrives at 7:00 AM; All prompts which are being copied to ChatGPT are red in this post. Step Three: Generating the Itinerary Description in ChatGPT The hard part is done. Now we just need a few prompts to complete things. Here's one for it to write a brief overview of the sailing. Please write a description of this cruise itinerary in the style of a travelogue using no more than one paragraph per two ports of call. Step Four: Generating the Ports-of-Call, Sea Days, and Sightseeing Overview Descriptions in ChatGPT The following prompt will need to be updated a few times if your itinerary is over 3 nights. Due to how ChatGPT works, it starts having issues asking for more than 3 nights at a time. For this itinerary, I would update it after the first send to say "For Days 4 to 6" and then "For Days 7 to 8". Sending the message before updating the days being asked for. For Days 1 to 3, in descriptive travelogue form, please list the cruise day, the calendar date, port of call, times in port, a description of what makes the destination interesting in one paragraph, and a paragraph containing three popular things to see and do and three local things to eat or drink. If the day is marked "Cruising", instead of the previous portion of the prompt, please provide the cruise day, the calendar date, a fun fact about the ship, and three ideas of things to enjoy aboard the ship listed in the original prompt. If the day is marked "Sightseeing", instead of the previous portion of the prompt, please provide the cruise day, the calendar date, and provide one to two paragraphs on what to look for from the ship for what is listed on that day in the "Port-of-Call or "Day at Sea" column. Do not include shore excursion suggestions or must try food and drink when the day is marked "Sightseeing". Do not create numbered or bullet point lists. Do include the cruise day, the calendar date, port of call, and time in port as a header before the descriptive paragraphs for a particular day. Potential issue: Please keep the following in mind going forward. We're generating a lot of text, and ChatGPT may be having memory issues at this point depending on length of sailing. If the quality takes a dive, or it starts hallucinating (like the completely wrong port, seen it happen while testing), start a new chat, resend the itinerary table prompt in step two, then continue where it left off. If ChatGPT suddenly stops in the middle of a sentence, you can ask it to finish writing the previous response and it will. Step Five: Generating More In-depth Ports-of-Call, Sea Days, and Sightseeing Descriptions in ChatGPT If you haven't started a new chat and resent the itinerary table prompt sent in step two, now's the time to do so. In fact, based on testing, you'll need to do this process (new chat, resend itinerary prompt) every three to four cruise days in the itinerary during this step. Otherwise, major hallucinations creep in and/or quality nosedives at least from recent testing. While there's one prompt to rule them all for this step in GPT-4, I've found ChatGPT works better and faster if you choose the correct prompt based on whether it's a Port Day, Sightseeing Day, or Sea Day. Change the "Day 1" to match the itinerary day you're generating this for. So for day 5, it would be updated to "Day 5". You shouldn't need to specifically mention the port name. The one exception to this is for itineraries that have multiple ports in one day or a combination of sightseeing and a port visit. Then, try changing the "Day 1" to "Day 4 - Juneau", for example, if on day 4 the ship is sightseeing in the morning, then visiting Juneau in the afternoon to generate only a description for Juneau. I have found more often than not GPT-4 will choose the correct thing when it's a mixed day. But if it doesn't, now you know how to fix it. Port Day: For Day 1, in descriptive travelogue form, please list as the header: the day with the calendar date, list the port of call underneath, and times in port; the body of the text: two to four paragraphs detailing a description of the port of call including what makes the destination unique or special in this itinerary without using stating special or unique in the response, and short, bullet point lists, with brief descriptions of each list item: must-try food or drink, shore excursion ideas, and popular souvenirs from this port of call. Sightseeing Day: For Day 1, in descriptive travelogue form, please provide as the header: the cruise day with the calendar date, list the port of call underneath, and the sightseeing times; then narrate concerning the flora, fauna, historical, natural, and human accomplishments to look for from the ship for what is listed on that day in the "Port-of-Call or "Day at Sea" column in the style of Sir David Attenborough. Do not include shore excursion suggestions, must try food and drink, or popular souvenirs and do not mention the style you are writing in. Sea Day: For Day 1, in descriptive travelogue form, please list as the header: provide the cruise day, the calendar date, and list "Cruising" underneath the date; the body of the text: one to three fun facts about the ship written as one to two paragraphs without using the word fun, and three suggestions for things to enjoy aboard the ship listed in the original prompt. Do not include shore excursion suggestions, must try food and drink, or popular souvenirs. If you're running in GPT-4, this prompt doesn't work well in GPT-3.5, there's one prompt for this (which I don't recommend at this point due to system overload, you'll probably need to start a new chat more often using this): For Day 1, if COLUMN 4 of the itinerary table contains “Sightseeing” then respond using the directions for SIGHTSEEING, ignoring PORTDAY and SEADAY; if COLUMN 4 of the itinerary table contains “Day at sea” then respond using the directions for SEADAY, ignoring PORTDAY and SIGHTSEEING; otherwise please respond using the directions for PORTDAY, ignoring directions for SIGHTSEEING AND SEADAY. PORTDAY: In descriptive travelogue form, please list as the header: the day with the calendar date, list the port of call underneath, and times in port; the body of the text: two to four paragraphs detailing a description of the port of call including what makes the destination unique or special in this itinerary without using stating special or unique in the response, and short, bullet point lists, with brief descriptions of each list item: must-try food or drink, shore excursion ideas, and popular souvenirs from this port of call. SIGHTSEEING: In descriptive travelogue form, please provide as the header: the cruise day with the calendar date, list the port of call underneath, and the sightseeing times; then narrate concerning the flora, fauna, historical, natural, and human accomplishments to look for from the ship for what is listed on that day in the "Port-of-Call or "Day at Sea" column in the style of Sir David Attenborough. Do not include shore excursion suggestions, must try food and drink, or popular souvenirs and do not mention the style you are writing in. SEADAY: In descriptive travelogue form, please list as the header: provide the cruise day, the calendar date, and list "Cruising" underneath the date; the body of the text: one to three fun facts about the ship written as one to two paragraphs without using the word fun, and three ideas of things to enjoy aboard the ship listed in the original prompt. Do not include shore excursion suggestions, must try food and drink, or popular souvenirs. Step Six: Copying and Typesetting and All that Jazz Congratulations if you've made it this far. You've now got ChatGPT to quickly generate for you a mini-travel guide's worth of content for a specific cruise itinerary. Let's combine it into one document for future reference. At this point, it's a simple copy-and-paste job (you'll want to do a plain text paste) into a Word document or your favorite word processor. Then spending a few moments massaging the text so it looks nice. An example is attached to this post, "AI - 7 Night Costa Rica Report.docx" which is a completed mini-guide, using the above prompts, for the Panama Canal group cruise in March 2024. ChatGPT Travel Guide.xlsx AI - 7 Night Costa Rica Report.docx

Back with more GPT-powered cruise planning stuff after experimenting with ChatGPT. I thought I'd condense things into one, new thread since this is going beyond itinerary comparisons. Before we begin, I'm using GPT-4 for testing and its output for examples. This model has far fewer hallucinations (when it's wrong, but it thinks it's right) and far more capabilities versus 3.5 (the free tier). Terminology: Prompt: What the AI is being asked. Response: What the AI writes based on the prompt. Model: Which AI system is used to generate a response. ChatGPT is the human-friendly interface to the GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models. General Tips: Be as specific as you can about what it is that you want. The more limits you can put on the result, the closer the result will be to what it is you're imagining. ChatGPT knows what tables are and can generate them. It can also format its output in a particular style if you tell it what the output should look like. ChatGPT also has limited processing and thinking power due to how it works. Try not to overload the system with your prompts. You can always ask it to expand part of its answer in a later prompt. If it stops responding in the middle of a response, you can also ask it to finish the previous response and it will. So, for example, here's a prompt that will have ChatGPT create a table from a list of cruise ports with five popular shore excursion destinations for each. "Generate a table for the Cruise Ports list and their popular to visit cities and major attractions from the port during a shore excursion from a ship. Use the format for the table: Column 1: Cruise Port, Column 2: Destination 1 (travel time), Column 3: Destination 2 (travel time), Column 4: Destination 3 (travel time), Column 5: Destination 4 (travel time), Column 6: Destination 5 (travel time) Cruise Ports list: [PORTS GO HERE]" Naming "Column 1:" may or may not be necessary, though I found it was somewhat inconsistent with correctly setting up the table when I did not. Also, I used ChatGPT to break down my list of cruise ports by region into lists of 7, City, Country combinations separated by semicolons, which were then used with the above prompt. They looked like this: St. John's, Antigua; Oranjestad, Aruba; Bimini, Bahamas; Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas; Bridgetown, Barbados After spending a little time formatting the output into a spreadsheet workbook, the end product is attached to this post in Excel format. A list of the top five, as GPT-4 sees it, shore destinations for ports-of-call in the Americas and Europe. Cruise Ports to Attractions Travel Times.xlsx

The cans were 12 floz on Anthem in February.

It's my understanding that it will be complimentary. Basically, think of a ship's Solarium, but it's a beach and seriously supersized.

As long as the snacks are prepackaged and unopened. Blue Lagoon might have something against outside food or drink, but I don't remember being checked for either last summer.

They can be serious, and don't call me Shirley.

You're welcome! For Thursday and Friday nights, booked at Radisson Hotel Panama Canal. Saturday at Crowne Plaza Panama Airport and sprung for their dinner, bed, and breakfast rate. Figured on the outgoing leg if Royal is offering an excursion from Colón that ends at the airport, I can catch the free shuttle to the hotel (if needed). If not, I can still take advantage the next morning to get to the airport. Either way, last night in Panama I'm confident I will look to chill and not thrill after the preceding week. Also, Uber apparently is plentiful and cheap in Panama City. However, their drivers love the scam where they don't end the ride after you've been dropped off at your destination, so it's worthwhile keeping an eye on the app and then canceling the ride after you've gotten out if the driver doesn't.

I'm on the late February sailing (can't make the group cruise due to my work schedule). After looking at Panama City's attractions, I'm flying in Thursday for a full day of touring on Friday before embarkation. There's enough there that I'd like to see, but not so much that heading back in the future would be a good use of my time and money. I'm leaving on Sunday due to Saturday flight schedules. Where I'm heading back to and departure times makeable from Colón requiring an overnight somewhere; I might as well spend another night in Panama City. Currently, I'm hoping Royal will get an excursion with the Panama Canal Railway on disembarkation day running back to Panama City as it appears the train isn't running a regular schedule.

Norway is just expensive period. Check out the third-party excursions from your favorite site to see what I mean. With that said, I'm on the 13-night Arctic Circle in 2024, and the only shore excursion I'm definitely booking with Royal is the Aurland, Laerdal & Borgund Stave Church at Flåm. And I'm considering the Bird Safari by Boat at Honningsvag, Norway if it's offered through Royal on this sailing The majority of the ports it's Hop On/Hop Off direct booking or using public transport. For Olden, I'm probably booking the Briksdal Glacier Shuttle Bus direct.

There's also less connecting rooms aboard the ship. Thus as they're booked, prices will increase faster due to lower inventory versus non-connecting rooms.

Don't know where to drop this, so doing it here. I'm finding that ChatGPT makes it rather easy to do a quick comparison of cruise itineraries with just a little copy/paste and formatting from Royal's website. Here's its response using both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 to three different 9-night sailings to the Caribbean from Cape Liberty. Prompt: Compare the following cruise itineraries with suggestions on which one to pick. Itinerary one: Cape Liberty (New York), New Jersey;Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida;Nassau, Bahamas;Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas;Labadee, Haiti;Cape Liberty (New York), New Jersey. Itinerary two: Cape Liberty (New York), New Jersey;Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda;Labadee, Haiti;La Romana, Dominican Republic;Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic;Cape Liberty (New York), New Jersey. Itinerary three: Cape Liberty (New York), New Jersey;Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda;Philipsburg, St. Maarten;San Juan, Puerto Rico;Labadee, Haiti;Cape Liberty (New York), New Jersey. GPT-3.5 All three itineraries offer unique and exciting destinations to explore. Here's a brief comparison of each itinerary to help you make a decision based on your preferences: Itinerary one is ideal for those looking for a combination of beach destinations and theme parks. The itinerary includes two of the most popular theme park destinations in Florida, Orlando, and Perfect Day at CocoCay. Nassau, Bahamas, is a perfect spot for beach lovers, and Labadee, Haiti, offers plenty of water sports and beach activities. If you enjoy a mix of theme parks and beach destinations, this itinerary could be the best option for you. Itinerary two is perfect for those looking for a relaxing and immersive cultural experience. The itinerary includes two destinations in the Dominican Republic, which are ideal for exploring the local culture and traditions. Bermuda is a beautiful island with breathtaking beaches, and Labadee offers plenty of adventure activities. If you prefer to experience the local culture and immerse yourself in a laid-back atmosphere, this itinerary is the best option for you. Itinerary three is perfect for those looking for a mix of adventure, sightseeing, and beach destinations. The itinerary includes two popular beach destinations, St. Maarten and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Labadee, Haiti, offers plenty of adventure activities. Bermuda is also an ideal spot for sightseeing and exploring the local culture. If you're looking for a mix of beach destinations, adventure, and sightseeing, this itinerary is the best option for you. Overall, the choice of itinerary depends on your preferences and what you want to experience during your cruise. If you enjoy a mix of theme parks and beach destinations, Itinerary one could be the best option. If you prefer to immerse yourself in the local culture and traditions, Itinerary two is the best option. If you're looking for a mix of adventure, sightseeing, and beach destinations, Itinerary three is the best option. GPT-4 Itinerary One: Cape Liberty, NJ; Orlando, FL; Nassau, Bahamas; Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas; Labadee, Haiti; Cape Liberty, NJ. Pros: Great for families with a mix of theme parks (Orlando), beaches (Bahamas), and private island experiences (CocoCay and Labadee). Cons: Shorter stays in the Bahamas and Haiti, which may feel rushed. Itinerary Two: Cape Liberty, NJ; Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda; Labadee, Haiti; La Romana, Dominican Republic; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Cape Liberty, NJ. Pros: Offers more Caribbean cultural experiences (Dominican Republic) and relaxation on beautiful beaches (Bermuda, Haiti). Cons: Lacks the variety of theme park attractions or private island experiences offered in other itineraries. Itinerary Three: Cape Liberty, NJ; Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Labadee, Haiti; Cape Liberty, NJ. Pros: Rich in culture and history with stops in Puerto Rico and St. Maarten, also offering beautiful beaches and relaxation (Bermuda, Haiti). Cons: No theme park attractions, might not be as family-oriented as other options. Recommendations: If traveling with family, especially with children or teenagers, Itinerary One provides a good mix of theme parks, beaches, and private island experiences, making it an excellent choice. If you prefer a more Caribbean cultural experience, Itinerary Two offers a focus on the Dominican Republic's unique culture and stunning beaches in Bermuda and Haiti. If you are interested in history, culture, and scenic beaches, Itinerary Three takes you through Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, and Bermuda, offering a well-rounded experience. Ultimately, the choice depends on your preferences and interests. Consider the group you are traveling with and what experiences would be most enjoyable for everyone.

I'm wondering if a lazy river concept couldn't be developed slip and slide style. Slippery bottom with a thin moving layer of water on top to move the floats. Out of these options, bowling. Specifically duckpin bowling since the lanes are smaller, the balls are smaller and don't require a range of weights and fingerhole sizes, and thus more lanes can be fitted into the venue.

Since people keep bringing up Platinum and up should get separate lines and special activity times, I'm somewhat curious what percentage of cruisers you think would be eligible for these perks on any given sailing? 10%? 17%? 22%? The answer is, based on personal calculations from information here and on Cruise Critic from top tier events, approximately 33% of cruisers on any given sailing would be eligible. To put this into passenger counts, that means Oasis at 100% capacity would have 1,782 passengers eligible for private time on the Flowrider, priority boarding, or whatever else you're thinking of, basically making the perk meaningless. Which is probably why Royal isn't offering such a thing. (And if you're curious about Vision of the Seas, there would be approximately 804 passengers eligible.)

Sounds to me like Royal's doing the dinner theater version of Universal's Hogwarts Express, but the train doesn't move anywhere and you'll probably board through a door into the traincar without seeing the train (aka it's a themed room(s) with windows that have high quality displays behind them to show what you're "passing" by.) Interesting specially dinning concept since it shouldn't require too much of a footprint and Royal might have been able to squeeze it in somewhere where other options wouldn't really work. The old-school train aspect keeps things nicely compact.

No major difference to Carnival's (https://www.carnival.com/vifp) or NCL's (https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program#tier_benefits) loyalty programs at those levels. What this tells me is the mass market lines know they don't need to offer much with their programs to keep people coming back early on. It's keeping people happy who frequently cruise, filling cabins that might otherwise go unsold, happy. People like retirees and those who cruise during the school year happy to keep ships' occupancy high (or at least as high as possible) during the off-season.

Are we placing bets that the price will be higher or lower than the cost of the Beach Club on CocoCay for any particular sailing?

Somewhat disappointed that no one said she's in "Ship shape," up to now.