steverk

I just ran a test for Allianz All Trips Premier,  which seems Good to me. Cost for a family of 4 living in Texas was $435 for the year.

True, but one way from Vancouver to Seattle is essentially a round trip itinerary.  The 2 cities are about 100 miles apart. You don't see more of alaska on one of these cruises than you would see on round trip Seattle. 
I'm in agreement with @OCSC Mike. Go with Radiance one wat between Seward and Vancouver.  its not as nice a ship but the itinerary more than makes up for it.

I'd start it the date you leave your house. 

You absolutely need travel insurance with med evac coverage! For example,  I had a coworker that was mugged in Tianimin Square in China. He couldn't get medical attention without repaying. Then a medical evac to the US was $180,000 USD. 
I use Allianz. An annual policy is reasonable, but I've never had to make a claim so I can't really comment on how good they are in that department. 

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.

You absolutely need travel insurance with med evac coverage! For example,  I had a coworker that was mugged in Tianimin Square in China. He couldn't get medical attention without repaying. Then a medical evac to the US was $180,000 USD. 
I use Allianz. An annual policy is reasonable, but I've never had to make a claim so I can't really comment on how good they are in that department. 

You absolutely need travel insurance with med evac coverage! For example,  I had a coworker that was mugged in Tianimin Square in China. He couldn't get medical attention without repaying. Then a medical evac to the US was $180,000 USD. 
I use Allianz. An annual policy is reasonable, but I've never had to make a claim so I can't really comment on how good they are in that department. 

I understand and agree. 
But look at it this way. If everyone that disses cruising suddenly liked it, there wouldn't be enough ships to handle the demand and prices would skyrocket 

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.

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 haven't used any rive cruise lines but we are seriously considering it. And so far our vote would to go A-Rosa https://www.arosa-cruises.com/river-cruises.html
 

I haven't myself but I recently saw this review by a popular British cruise vlogger. I think you can actually book through her.
Hope it helps. 🙂
https://emmacruises.com/tui-river-cruise-review/

I'm sure that's exactly what the drama queens/kings are hoping for. Then they can claim that they're being harrassed/penalized for "revealing the truth".  Royal's best tactic is to ignore them entirely.

We are on the Ultimate World Cruise right now. Just heading back to Ushuaia (after visiting a Penguin Rookery). I will post something more substantial and detailed later, but the short course is:
1).  No drama … the experienced cruisers already figured this out. Actually, the cruise so far has been extremely relaxing.  Although we have been a little bit too busy. 
 
2). Thé entertainment overall has been better than “normal” cruises (some of it excellent … rare for a Radiance class ship). The food has been hit and miss (as usual) … however, we did have the best MDR dish in over 30 cruises a few nights ago. 
 
3).  The staff is in over perform mode. They are doing a phenomenal job. 
 
4).  1,600 on this segment is well below capacity. 700+ Diamond and above C&A members.  1,600 only should bring up some questions. 
 
5).  Tons of dancing opportunities … only once did we have to elbow our way around the dance floor 😉
 
I will start a start a separate thread when we get back on board.
 
Curt from Canada
Partial Ultimate World Cruiser 😂

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. 

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. 

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. 

The life of a social media influencer.
 
Do something many can't do so you can say "see, look what I did" then complain about it since complaints get more traffic than compliments.

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. 

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

There are often pricing quirks that don’t make sense. I have a cruise booked right now where a junior suite is $500 cheaper than a balcony. 

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.

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

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