USCG Teacher

Another option that doesn't rely on any airlines - drive it. Austin to New Orleans is only about 8 driving hours each way. By the time you drive to the airport, go through security, wait for your flight, sit in those tiny seats for a while, wait at baggage claim, and travel to your hotel the time saving is probably only an hour or two.

I have done it both on arrival and departure..but hate it and stressed out and wont ever do it again. I would always err on the side of caution. Much more relaxing and fun that way too....I always can find something to do the night before in a different city before the cruise.
 
And with less flights and options in alot of cases, I could see the potential for further issues if something goes wrong with a flight or a delay could turn into a longer delay now.

Agree here.  To me, St. Martin is a little tired.  I wouldn't avoid it, but again choosing between it and Grenada is easy for me.

My thought is yes.  I routinely fly a lot on business and know only too well how often flights are cancelled, delayed or diverted. Personally if I were flying for a cruise with a departure deadline, I would rather hibernate in a hotel overnight than risk not making it onboard
 

I tried to get those stupid heart-eyes-creepers off my last post but they won’t delete.  Makes them even creepier.

I was recently watching a Celebrity webinar on the Galapagos which opened my eyes to this exciting destination and other options within the Royal Caribbean Group family.  I quickly discovered a brand new ship that SilverSea built specifically for the Galapagos, the Silver Origin.  
The Silver Origin is a clever name since the Galapagos are known for Charles Darwin's famous book, The Origins of Species.  
The Galapagos is a unique bucket list destination.  Access to the Galapagos archipelago is strictly controlled and the few lines that operate there must confirm to controlled and approved itineraries.  These ships are unique in that they never dock, not even to embark or debark passengers, the Galapagos are that strictly controlled.  
SilverSea is known for luxury and you don't have to spend much time looking at the marketing material to see that Silver Origin fits the SilverSea brand very well.  It's an all suite ship with capacity for 100 passengers and a crew of 90.   The ship is so new that she hasn't carried passengers yet.  The pandemic spoiled the Silver Origin inaugural sailings but there is hope they can start soon.  Until then these marketing video from near the end of her construction are all we have:
https://discover.silversea.com/on-board/silversea-welcomes-silver-origin-to-the-fleet/
Deck 3: The Marina and Basecamp
Deck 4: The Restaurant and Explorer’s Lounge
Decks 5 and 6: Spa, Fitness Center and Suites   
Deck 7: Upper Deck, The Grill and Observation Lounge
Silver Origin provides a truly all-inclusive experience.  Short of spa services there is little on board that isn't included.  
It's amazing to me that the Royal Caribbean Group has such a broad spectrum of cruise products in the portfolio.  The Galapagos is not an inexpensive destination but there are a lot of reasons behind the scenes why it isn't mainstream mass market cruising.  As I began thinking about this incredible destination I was pleased to discover that SilverSea was within my budget for this extraordinary bucket list experience.  
In the coming months I hope to experience the Silver Origin myself and to bring this beautiful baby ship to you right here on RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com.  

Whenever I am near an open window or railing on a public deck I have a death grip on my cell phone.  I couldn't imagine putting a child on a railing to sit or stand while trying to hold them.  
If visiting a friend's high rise apartment would you hold a child up and hang them over the railing of a high rise balcony?  NO! 
Every year we hear of a child who falls into an animal enclosure at a zoo somewhere.   My reaction is always the same.  "How on earth did a child fall into that enclosure?  Where were the parents?  What?  The parents sat the child on the railing so they could look into the enclosure?"
I've tried to not think the worst about this family.  People do stupid things like what happens to children that end up in a bear or tiger enclosure at a zoo.
Here is what I presume to be a perfectly normal couple taking a picture on the Oasis sports deck near a Flowrider.  I was in the WJ eating breakfast.  She sat on the railing to have her picture taken.  The drop is only 12 to 16 feet.  A fall might only end in death, a broken neck, permanent paralysis, a broken arm or a bruised ego.  If she had fallen backwards from her perch I am confident we would discussing the multi million dollar lawsuit "so that this tragedy doesn't happen to anyone else".  

 
Otherwise normal people do stupid things.  I will give the family in question that much benefit of doubt.

Actually, I would be more inclined to do the Celebrity Edge or Infinity 11-night sailings. Remember, I'm still an "itinerary BAE" guy. 😉 

I just did a quick check of the July and August 2021 sailings that include (or at least mention) the Greek Isles. Found these, going from longest to shortest:
8-night Greek Isles Cruise (Rhapsody of the Seas - Ravenna; Kotor, Montenegro; Corfu, Greece; Santorini; Mykonos; Olympia; Koper, Slovenia; Ravenna) 7-night Greece and Croatia (Rhapsody of the Seas - Ravenna; Kotor; Mykonos; Santorini; Split, Croatia; Venice) 7-night Greek Isles (Rhapsody of the Seas - Ravenna; Kotor; Corfu; Athens; Mykonos; Argostoli, Greece; Ravenna) 7-night Greece and Italy with Late Stays in Santorini and Mykonos (Odyssey of the Seas - Rome; Santorini; Mykonos; Athens; Naples (Capri), Italy; Rome) 6-night Greece and Croatia (Rhapsody of the Seas - Ravenna; Split, Croatia; Athens; Olympia; Ravenna) As you can see, with one exception you have to do a Vision class ship (in 2021, at least; who knows how things will be in 2022), but that one exception is a a pretty good one to have available. But let's take a look at Celebrity in that same window, where as Diamond on Royal you're already at Elite level:
11-night Italy, Turkey, and Greek Islands (Celebrity Edge - Rome; Messina, Italy; Santorini; Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; Istanbul (not Constantinople); Mykonos; Athens; Naples, Italy; Rome) 11-night Italy, Malta, and Greek Islands (Celebrity Infinity - Venice; Rijeka, Croatia; Split, Croatia; Santorini; Mykonos;Athens; Catania, Sicily; Valletta, Malta; Barcelona, Spain) 10-night Venice, Turkey, and Greek Islands (Celebrity Constellation - Venice; Olympia; Santorini; Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; Mykonos; Athens; Chania, Crete, Greece; Zakynthos, Greece; Venice Much better options for seeing the Greek Isles with Celebrity, and you get to enjoy all the recently refurbished / newly built ships. Norway has the same kind of differences in itineraries between Royal and X, and I'd seriously give X the longer look if this is a trip about the itinerary. It's what I'm doing for my 2022 plans. And if you really need that suite, the lowest-end Sky Suites on X are way better for amenities than a Jr Suite on Royal while still not breaking the bank.

Nice sleuthing on the Greek isles itins, Joe.  If Odyssey has a similar itin in the summer of 2022, you have a winner, IMO !

Clearly you should do both Greece and Norway.  

Yeah something tells me the discussion around the typical Singapore dinner table isn't "You mean we have to wear a mask on the cruise?".

sorry, promise not to turn 65 again.

Are you suggesting its would be a "cheese food" snack 🙃

So....
Bringing this thread up again because just shy of a year after sailing, I just got a chance to recap this cruise with @Matt for this week's podcast episode. Not just my first time contributing to the podcast, it's actually the first time Matt and I have had a chance to talk to each other voice-to-voice! 😄
If you want to hear about this sailing in a much more brief format, keep an eye on your podcast client. Episode #375 will be coming out soon.

Well, I have to say that this is the answer I was expecting.  It is disappointing, but I will keep watching prices. There is definitely time for that. 

Great, now I've got this visual in my head of a ship up on cinder blocks, sitting in someone's front lawn with the grass all grown up around it.

This whole thread has made us rethink our future departure ports.  For some reason we never even considered NJ or MD as ports.  They are 5-6 and 7-8 hours from us respectively if we drive. 
 
Flying from Maine is an all day affair...non-stop flights are like unicorns unless you leave out of Boston, and that adds to the logistical difficulties for us. 
 
We’re not worried about flying (COVID or any other reasons), but Portland to MIA or FLL is exhausting.  It seems like all flights in our budget tend to go through the hell that is La Guardia.  We’ve left Portland at 530  am and never got to our hotel room in Florida until 1 am.  
 
We’ve decided that when we book our 2022 cruises, we’re going to try some that leave from Cape Liberty. 
 
 

We live in PA and can easily drive to Baltimore or NJ.  With a family of 5 airfare gets expensive so this year we booked all our cruises from those two ports only to have them canceled so far.  We will always consider ports we can drive to instead of flying for cost alone.

Pretty sure most people right now wouldnt care what anyone wore in MDR if it meant they were cruising again,but of course there will still be those who just complain for the sake of it. 
 as this year has shown life is far to short to worry about what someone else is doing or wearing! 
And you never know the person you are berating for wearing shorts may be the same one you were clapping for a few months ago! Or who pulls on a uniform everday to put their life on the line to protect you and your country 

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