steverk

36 minutes ago, emmef said:

If you're down there, don't miss Space Center Houston (not really in Houston, actually closer to Galveston)

And if you're at the Space Center, continue east on NASA 1 to S.H. 146.  Turn right.  Cross the bridge and turn left in to the Kemah Boardwalk. It's always an interesting place. (BTW: if your hotel is in Galveston, you can continue south on 146 and it will drop you off at the Galveston causeway.)

30 minutes ago, DunkelBierJay said:

With that population and the hotels, they would have to have a viable food and supply distribution system on the island rather than relying on shipping...just a guess.

I agree we're both guessing as I haven't spent any time on the island investigating such things. 

However, I do know they don't have enough land, or farms, to be self sufficient on the island.  Therefore, just like other islands, such as Hawaii, many things have to come in by ship or barge.  That requires a freight dock somewhere. Is it big enough for this purpose? IDK.  It's just a thought of how they might be planning to make all this work.

That said, a combo freight dock/embarkation port is OK for a while, but not an ideal arrangement.  If this is going to be a permanent thing, a new terminal will be required.

37 minutes ago, twangster said:

I have to imagine the pier would be difficult for forklifts to load luggage and stock the ship in Cozumel.  It's not really setup for cargo functions, more of a pedestrian walkway.  

I agree about the cruise docks currently in use, but surely they must have a freight dock somewhere.  According to Wikipedia, there are 100,000 residents on the island.  Food, building materials, automobiles, clothing, trinkets, etc. have to get on the island somehow.  

Back in 1999, Houston had the Barbers Cut container port double as a cruise embarkation port. Perhaps Cozumel is planning something similar.

49 minutes ago, twangster said:

Is CZM new for Southwest?  When I missed my Galveston cruise Southwest couldn't get me to CZM because they didn't fly there.  That was the only saving grace that caused my insurance to eventually pay out.  

I looked on the website and they showed a direct flight between HOU and CZM.  I only checked on Saturday, so I don't know how frequent it is, but it was there.

10 hours ago, Matt said:

Love the idea but apart from port logistics, there next to no direct flights to Cozumel. Yes, Cancun and then the vomit vomit ferry over. But it’s a noticeable hurdle. 
 

I love Cozumel, and I’d much rather go there to start a cruise than Barbados. 

I guess I'm lucky in that Southwest offers daily non-stop service from Houston to both Cancun and Cozumel from Houston.  I certainly understand the issue for most people though!

21 minutes ago, twangster said:

While the CDC isn't a very well run organization they are quick to protect their silo of power.  Any attempt to circumvent their intention will not go unnoticed.  They'll find a way to curtail any significant effort aimed to to bypass them for US citizens.  The current testing requirement for international air travel is nearly enough to accomplish that but if they really wanted to they could make it even more difficult or unappealing for most Americans to visit Mexico.  In fact if they determine that Mexico represents a risk to the US for current travelers they could take a number of steps tomorrow to make such trips unappealing.

Plus the extra cost of flights and hotels alone will force many to decline.  Barbados will face the same hurdle.  The cost of flights for my December sailing is looking to exceed the cost of the cruise.  If that doesn't change I'll be quick to exercise my refundable deposit.  I'd rather take two cruises from Florida once it reopens over one cruise and an expensive flight.   Will a family of four be willing to add several thousand to the cruise cost for airfare?

CDC protecting their power is one of my biggest concerns.  In fact, I question if they will allow any loosening of COVID restrictions until forced to do so.  I can hear the argument now: "We haven't had a COVID case in X months, but we don't dare open up or We will be back in the mess again! Follow the science!"

On Barbados, I completely agree.  I called Air2Sea to get a price. $1800 per person.  In comparison, my cruise fare was $559! Ouch!

I get this every cruise and always found the internet surprisingly fast. 

I'm pretty sure it is surf and stream

22 minutes ago, RBRSKI said:

We all have been beaten down with cancellation after cancellation of our beloved vacation on the high seas!  I am even starting to see and read right here on this blog people finally voicing their frustrations as well. 

I can assure you we are all frustrated!  Everybody has their own way of dealing with it. 

In my case, I booked a whole bunch of cruises in the hope that at least some of them will go.

It has to work out eventually, but it is very difficult to avoid being discouraged!

26 minutes ago, Matt said:

It seems extremely short sighted to assume vaccines will not have any effect between now and the summer or even fall.

According to Richard Fain's graph in this story Royal Caribbean Group CEO: "we are approaching the point where we can run out the clock on this terrible disease." | Royal Caribbean Blog, COVID will have run its course by summer regardless of the vaccine.

10 hours ago, Linda R said:

The Pride of America was the absolutely worse ship I have even been on!  I only went on her only to meet a friend who was going.  A mistake

I have been cruising  since the 80's and probably been on 50 cruises, and many lines.  In past 20 years I have only cruised with RC and very happy with them.

The only reason to sail Pride of America is the itinerary.  It is absolutely incredible.  The ship...not so much.  If you go with the attitude that this is a ferry boat to go to places you can't readily sail otherwise, then you'll be OK with it.  If you go expecting great service, amenities, entertainment, etc. you'll be disappointed.  As a ship, she is below average in every department.

One piece of interesting trivia about Pride of America: She actually sank during construction!

Carnival Triumph. Poorly maintained and I actually got bored while on board. In fact, I'm done with Carnival entirely!

I recommend a 7+ day one way cruise rather than a 7 day round trip.  You'll see more ports and also have the opportunity to extend the vacation in Anchorage.  You could even make it a cruise tour if you so desire.

Ketchikan and Skagway are both great ports to visit.  I don't know which one I prefer.  Perhaps you can hit both in a single trip?

I travelled with my Dad when he was alternating between a walker and a wheelchair. 

I'd strongly suggest that you make arrangements ahead of time.  An accessible room is a must.  The standard room (on Explorer of the Seas) had doors too small for his walker or wheelchair and the room was too small of him to navigate.  The accessible room worked much better.

On that cruise, I asked Royal about wheelchair availability and they said they did not supply them. Not for loan. Not for rent.

We made arrangements ahead of time to rent one locally.  Turns out there were some available for rental at the pier. (This was sailing out of Seattle and your mileage may vary!)

Another option would be to buy a used one from Goodwill or Salvation Army and bring it with you. Most airlines will accommodate wheelchairs either in the cabin or as checked baggage, so that might be a good option.

I sincerely hope that the CDC is acting in good faith and all of the requirements will be forthcoming soon.  Unfortunately, I'm not confident.

As many have pointed out, the new administration throws in an additional variable that could gum up the whole works.

Still trying to remain optimistic, but it is getting tougher by the day! 

I've never been in an aft balcony, although I really want to try! Looking at YouTube, I've been able to find many aft balcony tours, and they all look great!  Most of the balconies are larger and have more furniture than the standard.  I'd suggest searching YouTube for your cabin (or the ones nearby) for VOS and also for her sister ships.  I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for.

Enjoy your cruise!

Hooray! We are booked for Christmas!  Never been on a Christmas cruise before.

Kinda off the subject, but curious what everyone thinks.  Could this be Royal's way of hedging its bet on the CDC not allowing cruises in the future?

1 hour ago, teddy said:

Guess we’d better think about booking the week we want in 2022.   
 

Seems like there could be a lot of lifting and shifting from ‘21 to ‘22 happening shortly. 

I'm planning on my June Celebrity Solstice cruise to be canceled,  but I'll hang in there just in case.

Gotta stay optimistic! Sooner or later it'll work out 

41 minutes ago, princevaliantus said:

This morning on CBC, Joseph Jean-Pierre Marc Garneau, the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Transportation Secretary, said in an interview that he will extend the ban on cruise ships (500+ passengers) at all Canadian ports through at least August 1. The existing ban runs through February 28.

Due to the need for cruise ships to stop in Canada on their way to/from Alaska, this effectively kills most of the 2021 Alaska Cruise Season, leaving only August and September only if it's not extended again.

If he does what he says,  then the only way to save the season is for the US to suspend the PVSA. I suppose it is possible, but highly unlikely.

Just a guess,, but perhaps they already have by reducing the number of cabins for sale.

Nobody really knows if the offer will be extended or not, so anything you hear is just an uninformed guess. We'll just have to wait and see.

I can attest that cruise planner prices swing regularly.  Sometimes wildly!

For example, I had a Perfect Day cruise scheduled on Majesty. The price for Thrill waterpark was $75 when I first looked.  By following closely I was able to find it for $35. What a deal!

Now if only Majesty hadn't been sold! 

BTW: it is worth checking during an announced sale, but most of the time I don't find any real savings.

This will be my last post on this topic.  It's no surprise that feelings run deep, and I'd rather focus on things that bring us together.

I think we can all be happy about the following:

1. The death rates have been far, far lower than the original forecasts

2. The vaccines mean the end is probably in sight

3. We will all be sailing again in the future!

21 minutes ago, bretts173 said:

But even with these controls in place we are seeing days of over 3000 deaths from covid. Those numbers make it the number 1 killer in the USA.  Not only this heart disease is a build up of many years of things and doesnt kill you in a week. 

 

BTW, doesn't this support the point that the controls (i.e. masking, social distancing, lockdowns, etc.) are as ineffective as a medicine man doing a dance?

4 minutes ago, bretts173 said:

But even with these controls in place we are seeing days of over 3000 deaths from covid. Those numbers make it the number 1 killer in the USA.  Not only this heart disease is a build up of many years of things and doesnt kill you in a week. 

 

600,000+ have died from heart disease in 2020.  Approximately 300,000 have died of COVID.  I suppose it is possible that an additional 300,000 will die in the next 32 hours, but I doubt it.

1 hour ago, Floski said:

Oh man, if RC left from Charleston, I'd be a pauper.

I live close to Galveston.  If only RC could sail again, I'd happily become a pauper! 

1 hour ago, PG Cruiser said:

 

 

 

Are we trying to say here that because people die from taking Aspirin, heart attacks and falling down stairs that we will just let people get COVID-19 and die?

I am not a hater of cruising and the cruise industry.  Cruising has been my recreation of choice and I miss it terribly.  In fact, I'm booked for the Odyssey in November 2021.  But until I gain enough confidence that I will not be a carrier of this coronavirus, I will do my part and abide by the guidelines for mitigating its spread, however insufficient and controversial they may be.  They're all we've got at the moment.  I will wear a mask when needed, keep distance from people outside of my social bubble, and put my cruise activities on hold.

What I'm saying is that we've over reacted.  People dying is never a laughing matter, but it also needs to be kept in perspective.  We don't go in to a panic over the leading cause of death in the USA (heart disease) even though it is largely preventable.  People just don't worry enough about it enough to take proper care of themselves.

However, people will go in to a total panic, lockdown, financial ruin, depression, etc. out of fear for the pandemic, even though statistically there is much less risk that other problems.

I think the reason is 2 fold:

1. People are very bad at weighing relative risks.  This is especially true when the nightly news is set up to scare everyone to death. They overestimate their chances of succumbing to COVID and underestimate their chances of succumbing to more mundane issues.

2. People have been led to believe that science can fix anything.  Therefore, if we just let science solve this, life will be good.  The truth is we've never been able to beat a virus in such a short time. It is simply astounding how quickly the drug companies have developed the vaccine. However, the advice to lock down, mask up, etc. is beginning to look less like science and more like the dance of an ancient medicine man.