steverk

Hey @Matt. Where do you find James' videos?

Some years ago a hurricane was threatening Galveston on debark day for Liberty. They sent Liberty to Florida to debark passengers that wanted of the went back to Galveston

The precision of these models is astounding.

Depending on how close you want to be with your kids, there is an ultra spacious family balcony class 1A with room for 6. The downside is only 1 bathroom.

I've really enjoyed the following: Wilde & James El Gaucho What a Night Tribute Band The Long Run I also saw an incredible magician on a Carnival ship, but don't remember his name.

I keep a manilla envelope with all of my documents printed. That way it's all together. I realize I don't need printed copies, but I do it anyway. A paper copy doesn't run out of battery just when I reach the agent

I apologize for sending us down a little rabbit hole, but it raises another question. My wife and I also have different sailing history. So according to your experience, we also have different point totals. I recently qualified for a crystal block. My wife can't be far behind. Does this mean that she will receive a crystal block on our next cruise?

Hubbard glacier doesn't really matter as they spin in place giving everyone a view. Most people prefer starboard on northbound and port on starboard as you have somewhat more of a view of land. Either side works well though as you spend most of your time sailing among islands.

I find it easier, and frequently cheaper, to book a round trip flight rather than 2 one way flights from different airports.

The bid is for the cabin and priced for 2 people. For example, if you bid $200 and it is accepted, you will be billed $400 regardless of how many people are in the room.

Radiance does round trip Vancouver, which is easier to manage than ovations Vancouver to Seattle. Better than either one would be a one way Vancouver to Seward.

I notice a lot of people seem to dislike Radiance. Personally, I enjoy her, but that's neither here nor there. If you take a Radiance class ship, come prepared. These ships were built to fit through the original locks of the Panama Canal. This makes it much smaller than most other Royal ships and they simply don't have room for all of the bells and whistles. Which leads me to another point. If the original Panama Canal is on your bucket list, do it quick. There's no telling how much longer Royal, or its competitors, are going to keep these aging ships! Once they are gone, it will be very difficult to see the original canal.

I did the northbound cruise on Radiance back in June. Great cruise. My advice: 1. Take this cruise because you want to see Alaska. Radiance is a beautiful ship, but doesn't have the floating amusement park activities that larger ships have. 2. Plan your excursions carefully. All of the towns are walkable, but there's lots to see outside of town. 3. Keep you eyes open while on the ship. Whale, dolphin and other wildlife sightings are common from the ship. 4. Don't forget Seward as a place worthy of a day or 2. Kenai Fjords national park is there and offers boat tours, visits to the exit glacier and hiking to the ice fields. The Alaska railroad starts in Seward as well.

Thanks! I hope that's correct! When Royal first started back to service in 2021, they had shows every night. They started thinning out the shows in 2022 as the whole fleet came back on line. Therefore, it may be they just weren't ready for that many shows right away. On the other hand, it could be a cost saving move. Only time will tell.

I think you'll enjoy Radiance class ships. They have fewer toys than most Royal ships. Therefore, they attract an older crowd and feel much more like Celebrity.

As was mentioned earlier, I didn't see any evidence that dress code is enforced on either line. However, my wife always comments that she feels underdressed on Celebrity but not on Royal. We're pretty casual cruisers. I usually wear a button down shirt and nice jeans or Dockers to dinner. If it is formal night, I'll throw on a tie, but no jacket.

Interesting. I've been on 11 cruises since June 2021 and there's no question that things are busier than they were in 2021. However, when I think back to cruises in 1999, I don't see them as significantly different. I've always found the food to be good, but uninspiring on Royal. The menus are very consistent, but the food quality does vary slightly between ships. For example, on Adventure the food was very good. On Radiance, it was fair. For comparison, both ships were better than Pride of America (2019) and Carnival Triumph (2015). I have noticed one big change recently. Pre-pandemic, Royal would have a major show every night in the main theatre. Lately, they have been skipping 1 or 2 nights on a 7 night cruise. I really enjoy the shows and miss them greatly.

The launch window continues to be a moving target. According to reports in the media (https://www.npr.org/2022/09/09/1121917791/nasa-eyes-late-september-for-its-next-attempt-to-launch-the-artemis-moon-mission) the rocket could launch as early as September 23. They did repairs on the pad and are performing tests. There's a major test planned for this weekend, so we probably won't know any more until then

They've released their itineraries through 1Q24 and won't release any more unless there are unexpected changes. An example of unexpected changes include political upheaval, such as a war.

When I was there, I stayed at an airbnb. It worked out pretty well and was affordable.

Personally, I refused to allow COVID to interfere with my life. I was somewhat successful, but there was no avoiding lockdowns, protocols, etc. I did contract COVID twice. Both times it was after a cruise. On the other hand, I'm retired and I spend my life getting ready for a cruise, on a cruise, or just returned for a cruise. I've averaged 1 cruise every month since June 2021. My advice pretty much mirrors everyone else. Whatever your thoughts about COVID in 2020 or 2021, we've reached the point where we all need to move on. If you get sick, then you get sick. At this point, you're really no more likely to die or have serious complications from COVID than you are from the seasonal flu or from a cold. Granted, it's no fun, but neither is a cold or flu.

Once the new terminal opens in November, I expect a very different experience than it is today. I sail from Galveston frequently and find it hit or miss. They do enforce boarding times. I've never sailed in a suite, so I can't comment on the suite check in times. Most times it is pretty quick to get checked in though.

True, but the outside promenade, aka the lifeboat deck, is on deck 4. You will enter on level 4.

As already noted, you'll be on deck 4 of Independence. Keep in mind this varies from ship class to ship class (and on rare occasions by embarkation port).

Yes it was. That guy was Grant. Nothing worked for him until he tried the ginger tablets.