VillainsGin

A couple points...
I also could be happy cruising with no port stops.  The ship is central to me also, as the centerpiece of the cruise.  But we know the ship has to make an international stop, somewhere.  Other than that required stop, I'd be happy spinning cookies out in the sunny ocean.
I've cruised from Seattle, via Royal, twice.  Once North, and once South.  Seattle is also not a cruise-friendly town.  But as with LA, the ship has to depart from somewhere. The Southern cruise, with Astoria and San Francisco as ports of call, remains one of my favorite cruises.  A similar Northern cruise could be launched from LA. , but folks would have to understand, this may not be a sunny cruise, even in the summer.  So that could limit the customer base, and further, would likely be seasonal.
Bottom line... Yes, I would support an expansion of cruise ports in California,  Even from San Francisco.  If we had the port facilities for larger ships, I'll bet the ports of call would quickly be arranged.  Western South and Central America could also use tourist dollars.😎 

I usually use Travel Insured for my travel insurance.  When you put in a claim you can get forms online and then I (or my travel agent) mails them.   You need to include receipts for items you paid and show that they are not refundable.  Hotels, train tickets, museum entrance fees, etc.   

I book my cruises as soon as they are available, usually 2 years in advance. That is when you get the best price. 

The cruise that was cancelled 3 days before a cruise was not anything RC could do anything about.  A crane fell on Oasis in port and damaged ship.  Not the fault of the cruise line at all.  The ship could not be sailed.  But I mentioned it because I showed you what RC did with refunds, etc.  
I use private travel insurance to cover other expenses other than the monies that were paid to RC.  There are several companies to use.  I always book thru a travel agent too, and they can handle the insurance for you.  Plus putting in a claim if you need to.  I have personally had to cancel a couple cruises at last minute due to medical issues.  And was so glad I had travel insurance as they covered everything.

I was afraid of the looming facts that supports Los Angeles from being interested at all for expanding the ports. You bring up a good point of the itinerary and ports of visit being limited, even for 7 night sailing I can only imagine us either going up north more or down south more along the coast.
I think we represent the minority with the opportunity to sail the same itinerary more than once.
This could also be a great option to leverage reduced revenue from logistics/container shipping when it under performs by filling it in with cruising.
Regardless of the limited ports of call Los Angeles accommodating for larger ports definitely will bring in more traffic from neighboring states as well.
I personally prioritize the amenities and features of a cruise ship over the ports of call, the bigger the ship the more entertainment. Helps when they dock in the various ports of Mexico the new guest gets off the explore and I can take advantage of the empty hot tubs/pools 😈
Click bait articles got me all riled up and was hoping for some truth in there.

So I'm just extremely excited to go on my FIRST ever cruise. We're going to Cozumel and Costa Maya on Radiance of the Seas. I continuously find myself watching videos on cruises and constantly checking this message board. Anyone have any tips?!

I have been on 2 cancelled cruises.  One was cancelled about 5 years ago, about 3 days prior to cruise. RC gave us our money back for things we already paid,  The hotels and other expenses we used our trip insurance to cover.   The other cancellation was more like 20 years ago and RC booked the ship out to a private function, and was given maybe 2 months notice. That was 1 week of a back-to-back cruise so I was bummed.  I did go on just the 1 week cruise though, and was given back any monies I paid to RC.

As a West Coaster, I've learned to appreciate the convenience and economy of cruising from the West Coast.  Coming up soon will be our 4th and 5th cruises from LA within one year, every one of them to the same three Mexican ports.  I've also learned, LA doesn't have the interest or take as seriously, the cruise industry. 
Not as an argument, but to entertain discussion, where would more or bigger ships cruise to?  We don't have the many and easy 7-day destinations that Florida cruises have to choose from. 
I know, the West Coasts of Central and South America must have vacation destinations, but we, or I, just don't hear of them, as we do those of the Caribbean ports. 
 

I did the same, I wish I had bought 1000 shares.

We bought during the pandemic at almost rock bottom stock price. $31. So far we’ve gotten a total of $700 in OBC. 

Adventure is Voyager class…not Freedom class, so is smaller.  No Sorrento pizza…gotta get pizza from Cafe Promenade.  There is less of everything IMO.  Lots of “crappy” smells walking down some of the corridors last August when I was on Adventure.  
There are some great itineraries out there which I would love to explore BUT I need to have a decent ship before I pick the itinerary so guess I lose out.  Freedom class is the smallest class I will choose at this point in my cruising life.
 I started cruising late in life due to my husband always afraid of motion sickness (he gets sick in a car if he isn’t driving or at least front seat).  He can’t do amusement rides…nothing.  We took our kids on tons of vacations but never a cruise!  But when I won my 2018 Brilliance cruise I insisted he come…he wore the Scopolamine patch and was fine.  From that point on…cruising is what I want to do.  Still a struggle to get him to agree but you know what?…at 67 I’m planning whatever I can for the next few years!  Never know what life has in store…..      Sorry I digressed a bit…sometimes I just have to vent!

RIGHT!? I still remembered paying $15/day like it was yesterday! Makes a huge difference when your cruise is 4+ days 😭

Yep, it was $20/day when I sailed last October, I had been convinced it was only $18! 

We are from Montreal and we drove to new York to the Oasis Aug 13 sailing. Saved us tons of money on flight and car rental and hotel vs going to Florida. However they are expensive for next year. And honestly believe it or not for next year from Bayonne is more pricey than from Florida. And if you had flight and everything from Florida comes out almost the same. That's insane. 

I ENVY YOU SO MUCH, i'm over here in Los Angeles so I would have to fly over to MIA to get to enjoy coco cay which can sometimes be excruciating.
Although as of recent, navigator of the seas is calling LA its home port which I immediately booked twice lol.
Drives me nuts we can't build a larger port here in california for larger ships, we can only accommodate the smaller ones!
😡🤬😤
 

This is a pro tip, thanks. We asked for an actual cooler/ice chest with ice in July. It was waiting for us when we arrived, attendant changed ice daily. It was much better than the fridge cooler. I’m not sure if it was a fluke that we got it but we’ll ask if there are any unused med fridges in the future. Thanks for your post. 

Maybe I can shed some light on this, I was chit chatting with our cabin attendant about this too!
Not just Navigator OTS but many other smaller ships are slowly transitioning out of compact/mini refrigerators to coolers (no refrigeration) in their efforts to optimize operating cost on smaller ships. (Since the pandemic)
If you take a look at the sticker attached to the front panel door you can request for an actual mini-fridge if you require one for medical purposes BUTTTT you can also ask them for one even if you have no medical conditions.
Ive requested a mini-fridge and notify them I did not have any medical needs for one, they checked to make sure they had spares, sent a attendant to install it while we were out of the cabin. The attendant stated there was a storage room stacked to the ceiling with mini-fridges and there is more than enough for anyone who requested during the sailing.
All the oasis and quantum class ships I've been on have mini-fridges so far but several of the small ships similar to navigator has replaced them with traditional coolers.
Those coolers purpose is to extend the coolness of food and beverage for maybe a few hours but definitely not recommended for longer periods of time to avoid bacteria and spoilage.
They have mini-fridges prioritized for medical needs guest first but they have a lot of spares, don't be afraid to ask and let them know you have no medical purposes but would like one if available!

Funny story relating to finding long lost connections!
Me and my S/O met another couple we got along with so well we started doing activities on the ship together on rhapsody OTS year 2000.
Myspace was popular back then so we kept in touch there until facebook came out and we lost connection, fast forward from 2000 to 2022 i was on oasis OTS with my S/O and finally bumped into him in the funniest way.
I'm a big time "enthusiast" and enjoy frequenting the casinos to wind down after a long day of excursions/activities. I play mostly tables and I ALWAYS carry two lucky charms placed on the tables i'm playing on. (picture below)
He was walking past my table and noticed the charm and approached me saying "he used to know a scumbag with that exact charm that ghosted him 20 years ago". At first it didn't click with me and thought he was drunk then after he dropped a few more hints my face lit up with nostaglia! He was able to recognize me only by my lucky charm because there was no way for me to recognize him. 20 years sure has changed us both, unfortunately he was no longer with his partner but we grabbed drinks at the bar and reminiscence/caught up in life.
NOW thanks to social media and technology we have kept in touched via multiple platforms (instagram/twitch/discord/twitter/etc) no way to lose him this time.
Attached below is one of my two lucky charms (my second one is a lickitung)i always gamble with.
 

That’s where you can find me, too !

Funny story relating to finding long lost connections!
Me and my S/O met another couple we got along with so well we started doing activities on the ship together on rhapsody OTS year 2000.
Myspace was popular back then so we kept in touch there until facebook came out and we lost connection, fast forward from 2000 to 2022 i was on oasis OTS with my S/O and finally bumped into him in the funniest way.
I'm a big time "enthusiast" and enjoy frequenting the casinos to wind down after a long day of excursions/activities. I play mostly tables and I ALWAYS carry two lucky charms placed on the tables i'm playing on. (picture below)
He was walking past my table and noticed the charm and approached me saying "he used to know a scumbag with that exact charm that ghosted him 20 years ago". At first it didn't click with me and thought he was drunk then after he dropped a few more hints my face lit up with nostaglia! He was able to recognize me only by my lucky charm because there was no way for me to recognize him. 20 years sure has changed us both, unfortunately he was no longer with his partner but we grabbed drinks at the bar and reminiscence/caught up in life.
NOW thanks to social media and technology we have kept in touched via multiple platforms (instagram/twitch/discord/twitter/etc) no way to lose him this time.
Attached below is one of my two lucky charms (my second one is a lickitung)i always gamble with.
 

My cost basis over 3 purchases was in the $38 range if I remember correctly.  The jump following their earnings report to $109 was too much to resist, especially since it had been more than a year since the last purchase.  I had planned all along to sell once it recovered.

Note that on shorter cruises (5 nights or less) the OBC offer is $50, not $100.
Just sold 100 shares at $109 last month.  Made 180% profit in addition to the OBC perk on a few cruises.  I won't be getting back in unless there is another significant drop.  Buying in 2020 was an absolute no brainer (and again in summer 2022 when it dropped into the 30s again).

Correct*
*at least in all my experiences

I can verify this.  Any fully comp'd casino cruises are denied, but "dollar off" casino rates are still eligible just as normal pay ones are.

So, a mini fridge would have adjustable temps that can get lower than a cooler designated temp of roughly 40 degrees. Coolers can keep something consistently cool if they have the proper ambient temperature, hence why putting ice works. But they aren't designed to get cold or have proper freezing properties. A mini fridge would have these properties, it has to have compressor-based system to be considered a fridge. Coolers can keep things, and are designed to, cool for days. The problem is the definition of cool, milk and certain things have to be kept under the standard temp not normally reached by coolers. It is easier to say mini fridge, than cooler as Royal and many cruise lines don't expect for you to need to keep anything too cold.