steverk

4 hours ago, barjpoe said:

Is there a way to print them?

Yes. When you click on a badge, there's an up arrow in the upper right corner. Then you can click on the three dots and print it

4 hours ago, Carlos A. said:

Of course, I meant that the area where they are going to build is not the current port.

Whatever is or is not going to be developed will become clear soon enough. To be open by 2027, they'll have to start building relatively soon.

2 hours ago, Doug_Texas said:

PVSA is ridiculous and any motivation to repeal it altogether is a good thing.  The “punch you ticket” stop in Victoria is nonsense and the limit to cruising the Hawaiian islands to Norwegian “Pride of America” is even worse.  Let the open market of commerce be the determining factor in crusing.

I agree that the PVSA as it applies to passenger ships is pointless and should be repealed. However, we need to remember that it also protects airlines from foreign competitors.

The benefits of this are debatable, but we can be assured that the airlines will fight tooth and nail to prevent a total repeal.

Nobody knows. We'll just have to wait and see 

I don't think this is good news, but some good may come from it. Perhaps this will finally trigger the end of the PVSA. Can anyone say "Hawaii cruises?"

1 hour ago, Chili said:

I didn’t realise ships had to be built in the U.S to have the flag.

 

Yep. That's why it took so long to finally Dispose of the SS United States. There were several cruise lines interested in recommissioning her as the last of the US built ocean liners afloat. I guess none of them really worked out.

On 3/8/2025 at 3:28 PM, Johnson said:

Is Visa require for cruisers to enter Mexico

It has never been required for me, but you should look it up on the official Mexico website. I'm sure it depends on the country you are from and is subject to change at any time.

17 minutes ago, Southern Dan said:

Maybe they will make it up to Baltimore by using it as a homeport for the first Discovery Class ship…

Interesting thought.

I've been asking about discovery at captains corner for a while and noticed they are much more reluctant to answer my questions. I'm beginning to think it has been canceled or moved to Celebrity. 

Has anyone else noticed this? What are your thoughts?

46 minutes ago, KWofPerth said:

Cruising out of Singapore is pretty cool. I'd love to give Navigator a go.

Navigator is a great ship. In fact, I think it's the best of the Voyager class. I'm sad to see her leaving the USA. Take good care of her for us!

34 minutes ago, Lucky said:

I had the waterpark in Costa Maya booked for my Allure sailing this December and just got an email today saying my excursion has been canceled.

I wonder if Royal is going to be completely redeveloping this area.

As I understand it, the plan is to completely bulldoze the entire port and water park and start new. 

Given that Royal continues to sell cruises that stop at Costa Maya, it raises the question about what do they expect passengers to do there during construction. 

On 2/25/2025 at 8:54 PM, lissie said:

I looked at booking a Celebrity cruise from Sydney to NZ, one way, for Feb/March 2026. My friend who would've travel with a child, could choose from all the options. But because I was going solo, the only option they gave me was for The Retreat, which was an eye watering $48,074(AUD)! I was so annoyed and there was no reason not to give the other options, even though I knew I would be looking at $5000+ for the Interior. I wont go on a Celebrity Cruise now.

It's up to you but you could book for two people and just have a no show.

I once viewed a youtube.com video from Emma Cruises where she successfully recovered about $200 for a missed port. Therefore, it's worth asking. 

I have Allianz, and tried to claim for a missed port. Alaska, my policy didn't have that provision, but some of their policies do.

As far as how well they pay claims, my son had one and they paid quickly and without any fuss.

I doubt they ever do this, but New Orleans would be a fun port of call for an overnight on a longer sailing. 

Here's something I hadn't heard about. If you look at this video at about 3:40, you'll hear that Royal has expressed interest in adding a second pier to the Galveston terminal.

Has anyone else heard anything about this and can corroborate this?

42 minutes ago, JimnKathy said:

I think we may start seeing a few shorter sailings once they get that new Perfect Day at Costa Maya completed in a few years.

I wish that was true. However a 4 night sailing has less than 90 hours away from the home port. Costa Maya is about 40 hours sailing time from Galveston. Therefore,  4 nights is the absolute minimum for a cruise out of Galveston to Costa Maya. 

People used to bring power blocks with them to increase the number if available outlets. Anything with more than 1 power outlet on it, including "cruise line approved " usb blocks with 2 or more ac outlets are now banned.

As an alternate,  I'd suggest a usb charging block and as many usb appliances (clocks,  electric toothbrush, razor, etc.) As you can find. 

If the choice is between those 4 ships,  I'd suggest Explorer or Adventure. The 2 are very similar, but I prefer Explorer because Izumi isn't on the Royal Promenade, but that's just a personal preference. 

Enchantment and Radiance are fine ships,  but much less going on and they have the shower curtains that just love me a little too much.

Now that this has been in force for a few months, how is everyone adjusting? Did you make any changes or purchases that might help the rest of us?

Note: If you're sneaking power strips or blocks on, please don't tell us!

51 minutes ago, mke0918 said:

Hi. I'm paying for my parents to join a cruise at the end of Feb. I'm wondering if I can set my credit card to link to their on-board credit? Thanks!

In my experience, if you and your parents go to guest services they can transfer the OBC wherever you want it.

36 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Which part was negative? It seems like people are merging the transport experience to the port terminal with the actual boarding and disembark experience. 

Traffic in and out was dreadful. Very slow.

We got off the ship when my number was called, but luggage wasn't in the bag claim area for more than 30 minutes. 

Getting through customs took over an hour

Nobody could direct us to the correct bus for our airport transfer. Even the driver didn't know where he was going when asked. Struggled for well over an hour before we were finally on a bus going to the airport. 

But hey, it was a pretty port once we were on board.

If this had been a single experience I wouldn't mention it, but it has been this way every time I went through there.

Last I saw, the release calendar is 2 more batches, week of February 24 and March 3. Hopefully we'll find something good then.

On a side note, I was on the Celebrity President's cruise. During the Q&A, the president was repeatedly asked the same silly question. "When will Celebrity sailings out of [fill in favorite embarkation port]?" Her answer was always "We'd love to do that, if only we had more ships."

Galveston was different. First, she brought it up rather than being asked. Second,  she emphasized it was a fast growing market with an excellent port and terminal they could use.

Does this mean Celebrity will sail out of Galveston? Maybe, but it won't be prior to 2027. It does indicate Celebrity is thinking about it. 

I've sailed out of Miami 5 times and have yet to have a positive experience. I'd rather sail out of Matt's least favorite ports of Los Angeles.  That said, I pick my cruises based on overall itinerary rather than the embarkation port, so I'll probably suffer through it again sometime 

I'd like a round trip Auckland New Zealand that focuses on New Zealand.  Maybe an overnight in Tauranga. 

2 hours ago, JasonOasis said:

 

It is a shame that LA will loose Navigator, I got the feeling that people who cruised from LA really loved that ship.  

I know I love Navigator!

I booked the Celebrity Silhouette iceland solar eclipse cruise for August 2026. Cost for inside cabin was $3300. I checked it today and it is almost $9000 for an inside. 

Booking early works on Celebrity too!