steverk

Sounds like Royal Caribbean math has struck again. I'd book the 4 slot with 2 real friends that aren't going and have them be no shows.

Idk thart the tik toks are bad for the industry. There's an old saying that there's no such thing as bad publicity

The point is that it has been identified and fixed.

The complaints I've seen on line are minor gripes meant to create drama. I mean really, is it surprising that an excursion got canceled? Is it really a crisis to all of humanity? I've had some hot tub discussions with new sailors on my current cruise though. They really don't understand how anyone would think a world cruise would or could work. They were shocked when I pointed out that world cruising may be new to Royal, but it has been a thing since the 1970s. People who go on these things are very experienced cruisers and they know what they are getting into. I seriously doubt any of the regular customers are surprised or unhappy.

I'm thinking about a river cruise in 2025 and I've seen a few favorable reviews of TUI River. They're 50% owned by Royal Caribbean Group, which is comforting. They're also 1/3 the price of Viking. On the other hand, my US based travel agent can't sell them as they are UK focused. Unsurprisingly, my TA doesn't recommend them! I'm hoping someone can give me some guidance about them. Are they good? Should I book directly with them or should I do this some other way? Thanks!

Update on this topic: I'm on Explorer and they did a similar lifeboat drill. The 2nd officer was watching, so I asked about the Navigator incident. He was familiar with it as the incident and corrective actions were shared with every cruise line worldwide. If I understand correctly, the mechanics for the davits on Navigator went behind a "ceiling." I think this would better be described as a decorative panel, but he called it a ceiling. This made inspection of that portion of the mechanism impossible to inspect. Over time it corroded and failed catastrophically. They have removed the ceilings and now inspect monthly for problems.

This all consistent with everything I've heard. It's pure speculation on my part, but I'm betting on an announcement in September or October.

I agree. Please let us know the source. Everything I've seen says the bartender doesn't get an automatic gratuity on diamond vouchers. If that's incorrect, I'd like to know

I just used uber. Worked just fine and cost less. I uber to hotel and then to cruise port. Total was about $40 including tips. I was at a different hotel though. Best western premiere on Flagler Street.

Last night I used a diamond voucher for a Johnny Rockets milkshake. yummy

When I sailed Radiance to Alaska, they opened the solarium to families for a couple hours each day. I expect they will do the same on Vision.

Yes there is, but there's extensive road construction on the freeway out front. It's reasonably accessible southbound, but don't try it northbound.

It sounds doable to me. I'm guessing you'll meet the shuttle in baggage claim at one of the terminals. Make sure you clarify this point. There are several terminals and many have their own baggage claim.

I just checked Hampton Inn Webster. Since I don't know your schedule, I selected 1 room, 2 people January 27 for 1 night. Price on the hotel website started at $80.

Let's not forget. MSC has signed a letter of intent to build another cruise terminal in Galveston.

The area near IAH is know as "Greenspoint" but the locals know it as "Gunspoint." Need I say more about that? If you really want to stay near IAH, stay northeast of it in Humble. The area around HOU is another fairly rough area. Lots of older apartments. Near refineries. Just not as nice or safe as it looks. My best advice is stay in Webster, League City or Kemah. You'll be much happier.

I was told the issue with seeing the engine room is excessive noise.

Texting through the app is now free for everyone except children. I don't know why they aren't allowed this, but they aren't. I'm not sure what the minimum age is to use this.

Oh, that's just the start of it. There was a story about NCL on the home page. I put in a comment outlining even more shiny objects with NCL that don't really shine in the end.

I took the train from Seward to Anchorage last time I was there. Wonderful! Take gold class. Worth every penny

I completely agree. My feeling is it will fit through the Panama Canal and be suitable for cold weather cruises. I was on the Presidents cruise and heard the original question. I didn't leave feeling like he had committed to building something for Tampa or Baltimore though. Therefore, I doubt that's in the cards. I'm not real familiar with either port. Is it possible to build a terminal on the seaward side of the bridge? That sounds like a more effective solution if it can be done

Has anyone else noticed what a great itinerary and B2B2B combo is available with the June 2025 group cruise? @Matt really chose a good cruise for this! The combo begins with the group cruise "Northern Cities Escapes Cruise". The itinerary starts in Southampton and hits Oslo Norway, Copenhagen Denmark, Hamburg Germany, Rotterdam Netherlands and ends in Southampton. 8 nights The next cruise begins in Southampton "Norwegian Fjords Cruise" and goes to Alesund Norway, Nolde Norway, Olden Norway, Haugesund Norway and ends in Southampton. 7 nights. The third cruise begins in Southampton "Spain & Portugal Cruise" and goes to Vigo Spain, Lisbon Portugal, La Coruna Spain, Bilboa Spain and ends in Southampton. 7 nights. Now, if I can just figure out how to add a river cruise to the combo I'll have my bucket list combo!

On my bucket list, the RCB group cruise in Europe 2025. Followed by a b2b2b. Then a river cruise. The first 3 are booked. Still working on the river cruise. Has anyone tried Tui River Cruises? They're about 1/3 the cost of Viking.

I've used it for gratuities many times. Just don't prepay them an it will be handled automatically. Easy peasy. On a side note, NCL doesn't allow this for obc. They also don't allow you to use it in their version of the cruise planner.

U usually choose my own cabin, but I have done gty several times. I've never been disappointed by the gty cabins. I wish I could say the same about ones that I chose