Chadster

Well, the fact that it's TMZ for one and a TMZ article without a byline or any actual named sources sets my "not the full picture" sonar getting lots of pings... ? Plus the editorializing at the end (I'm a huge fan of nurses, but c'mon, TMZ...way to bury the "no blame" thing...), well... But yeah, guessing it was a charter company. But, you know -- TMZ readers aren't exactly known for being fans of journalistic accuracy or ethics.

Just thought I'd give MyVegas/MyKonami/PopSlots players a heads-up: I was able to get a points refund on a reward I redeemed for a cruise I cancelled under "Cruise With Confidence". Now, I did book the cruise within the last 30 days, so I dunno if that had an impact, but I contacted PlayStudios support, they asked me for the redemption code for the award and a screenshot confirming the cruise was cancelled (I sent them a screenshot of it being cancelled in the "Cruise With Confidence" form), and they refunded the points to my account. I dunno if any of y'all have rewards redeemed for cruises that have been cancelled by RCCL or that you've cancelled under "Cruise With Confidence", but if you do, I'd check with the support staff to see if they'll refund the points and cancel the award so you can redeem one later. The worst they'll tell you is no...which, of course, is not what we wanna hear, but...

I agree. I think Zacks just did some poor editing/fact-checking, that Yahoo! Finance just passed on verbatim without checking things. As a sometimes copy editor, this makes me bristle, and I'm just glad it wasn't me who made this mistake. ?

I've got a Christmas cruise planned. If that one's cancelled, we're in much bigger trouble than we all think. ?

So ready to press ahead with my June sailing to New England and Ca...er...Bermuda on June 4!

Just as a frame of reference, I called Celebrity this morning regarding the refund of my deposit for the Alaska cruise I cancelled for next year. I cancelled through my TA 2 weeks ago; the Celebrity rep told me to expect the refund at the 4-6 week mark. So, I'm just kinda holding on and checking my bank and credit card balances every day. No rush here, but I just like to keep myself updated.

Day 3,462 of working from home -- March 148th (Don't buy into the notion it's actually APRIL! ?) 9 a.m., and since I'm not on a cruise ship, it's not booze time. So, to further prove that soft drinks exist on cruises -- even the dry-docked kind... Keen observers may notice a Carnival "ship on a stick" that I won on Fantasy for being awesome at trivia. I had 2, but on my way back to my cabin one night after my second victory, a fellow passenger asked me where I got the ship on a stick, and she told me how jealous she was...so I gave her one of my two. Also, please ignore the hint of the bag of Peanut M&Ms on my desk. You do "stay at home" your way, I'll do mine!

My 8-day cruise that leaves the week before Christmas from Baltimore (Grandeur) is visiting Charleston, Port Canaveral, Nassau, and CoCo Cay. I honestly mainly chose that cruise because it gave me an excuse to go to Kennedy Space Center and soak up some history in Charleston. Plus, I won't just sit at home on Christmas, missing my family who's half a continent away. Also, the Amtrak train service between here and Jersey isn't too bad, so that might be an alternative to flying if you don't mind smaller ships like Grandeur or Enchantment.

I have to admit, when they first announced the change, I was frustrated, thinking "This isn't even CLOSE to what I paid for!". But then, I thought about it, and it makes for a nice mixture of experiences. I'm actually really looking forward to it!

I don't blame you for this one at all -- especially right now, I say book the itinerary and/or ship you really want!

Ugh...that's unfortunate! I'm lucky in that I live in Maryland, so Grandeur (and its replacement next year, Enchantment) do this Canada itinerary regularly. Whether I do June or July this year, I'll get to experience Adventure, which was the bigger push for me behind booking out of Cape Liberty this time and actually flying to the port. And with the OBC deal Royal is offering me to keep my June sailing is just too good to pass up, so that's an added motivation for June.

Yep..this one's a decent deal, too. I had a cabin booked on this one just in case, but I'm gonna go ahead and have my travel agent cancel it. I'll do Canada later when things calm down a bit.

Yep. Just for reference, here's the itinerary pulled from an email that Royal sent my travel agent that she then forwarded to me. They haven't notified me directly; the change came about yesterday.

Same! With the incentive that RCCL gave when they changed our itinerary, I'll mostly just be paying for gratuities on a deluxe beverage package (which, if I figured it correctly will come out to $90, so $10/day!)

Now that I've done the JS upgrade via the paid route, I realized I have a question that I know I could ask my TA, but I hate to bombard her with little things. When I first booked my cruise, I opted for pre-paid gratuities. Since I did a paid upgrade to a junior suite, will my gratuities be adjusted upwards automatically, since I'm assuming junior suites pay the higher gratuity rate? I haven't gotten my updated invoice yet, so I was just curious, because I've got too much time on my hands and can't sleep. ?

Okay...so assuming my June 4 cruise goes ahead, we'll be making a previously unexpected trip to Bermuda. Normally, I'm not one for warm-weather beaches and the like -- though I'm sure I'll get some swimming in. But that's not my question. So, I'm a history nerd, including colonial history of North America and the Caribbean. Are there any history tours for Bermuda you'd particularly recommend since I'll be there for a day and a half and I figure I'll wander off the boat at some point? Also, is there anything in particular you'd recommend to someone who's not a big beach-goer?

Much love to ALL our neighbors to the north -- it just happens my favorite humorous moments seem to center around this particular aspect. ?

That's rather gauche don't you think?

Seriously, though, does this answer your question? I'm honestly a bit perplexed trying to figure it out.

My revised cruises, a list that supersedes all others: June 4, 2020: 9-Day New England/Bermuda on Adventure to/from Cape Liberty December 18, 2020: 8-Day Bahamas and CoCoCay to/from Baltimore on Grandeur -- Christmas Day on a cruise ship!

I, thankfully, don't have some of the same concerns that those who don't work from home all the time or those who have kids are facing, and I'm sorry you're having to think about these things! I've really been wrestling in recent days with the idea of cruising. When there was talk of a bailout for cruise lines, the vitriol against the cruise companies, cruisers, and cruises was scathing. I'm honestly keeping a very small circle of people informed that I'm planning on cruising in June if my cruise goes ahead. I sadly think a lot of people who haven't taken a cruise look at it as some big luxury, and yet they don't bat an eye at folks who take any other sort of travel and book hotels or travels or ski vacations or anything like that Bluntly, it flat-out sucks that cruisers are being seen as some privileged class who are just being careless in deciding to take their trips on what people are basically calling giant petri dishes. ? I wish I had answers about how people will react post-cruise, but I think everybody's gonna be viewed with suspicion for a while -- though yeah, I worry cruisers are going to see additional scrutiny. ? I wish you the best in whatever y'all decide!

I just got notice of the expected itinerary change since I'm supposed to go to Canada. We're doing the New England ports, and then we'll head south for an overnight in Bermuda. They're offering the 125% FCC or 100% refund if you wanna cancel, and if you press on with your sailing, $250 for interior, oceanview, or balcony rooms...or $450 for suites -- and the OBC is refundable. I guess I upgraded at just the right time! ?