cruisellama

These are sucky times for everyone ?

I love that San Diego port, it’s so convenient to the airport. If I had a choice for Royal to return to California I’d take San Diego over LA all day everyday. 

UV kills the bad stuff in moments, so anything in the direct sunlight will be sun sanitized.

We're on Edge over Thanksgiving break.  I'm not  confident we'll be sailing by then.  We won't cancel, will make final payment and hope for the best. Seems they've been working hard to make things right with the FCC.

After canceling our July 4th cruise, we also booked the Nov. 21st Apex cruise. Now, I'm wondering if that cruise will happen. We've decided that we will not cancel this cruise, it will have to actually be canceled by Celebrity.

No, I'm not talking about the background images used or some weird decision to use a blue-and-evergreen tartan plaid. I'm talking about the ways that Celebrity's site really bends over backward to screw you up while trying to do any kind of action that brings you in a direction they don't want you to go. Like what?
How about if you're doing a mock booking and just want to exit out? Here a couple of images showing the popup you get when you decide to exit the booking flow.
        
I went back in to the same booking after exiting, pretending I changed my mind and I wanted to book anyway and then decided to exit after all. The "Exit Booking" button that was on the bottom is now on the top, while the bottom white button has become "Continue Booking" -- which was a link at the bottom on the first screen! They are banking on you remembering "I clicked the white button last time, that's how I exit" and just clicking that without reading it. Which causes you to end up stuck and trying to leave over and over until you finally take the time to read it. Especially because if you keep going back, you find that the buttons don't always change positions in the same way. Sometimes you go there and the first exit screen you see is the second one I pasted, and then when you go back a few days later it's back to the first one. Or they swap the buttons around again so that "Continue Booking" becomes the blue button on top.
This is an example of what's come to be called a dark pattern, a way to get people visiting a web site to become stuck and feeling forced through a purchase flow; or making it impossible for them to do things like find how to get in touch with customer service, or unsubscribe from some product you don't want delivered every month any more. Amazon is infamous for this, as are a number of retailer sites these days. But Celebrity's site is turning out to be a horrible textbook example of this, too.
The one that really gets my goat? This:

This is a recent change, and one that it took me almost a week to catch on to. See, for the longest time the left panel has been the option for NRD, while the right panel is the Refundable Deposit option. This even looks like it should still be that, what with that "+$200 USD* for Refundable Deposit" under the button, right?
Nope! You are still selecting NRD booking if you click that big blue button. First giveaway, which I should have caught on to do but didn't because, hey, I'm just doing a mock booking and I'm in a rush, and not really looking at anything besides the Starting From number in big bold text and the word Refundable (hmm, is that really different from someone just looking to book and move to the next thing in their list?)... is the fact that those two dollar amounts are not actually $200 apart. They're $280 apart.
Second thing I should have been wary of is... Take a close look at that "+$200 USD" line of text. Notice anything odd about it?
 
 
 
 
Like the fact it's underlined? Oh, you didn't see it because it kind of blends in with the water and is really thin? Yeah, me neither.
 
 
That's right. That's not just informational text. It's a link.
If you want a refundable deposit, you have to go and click that, not the big obvious button above it. Just to get the offer of 2 perks, but without the "Save $200" part. And who is going to think to do that when they see what they think is a good deal on that bump-out balcony, and the thing that everyone knows you click to go on to the next step in any web shopping experience is a button, and what's right there but a big blue button?
This is a dark pattern to keep you on the NRD booking track. And I missed it, multiple times. I read about this crap all the time because I'm in web development and, well, I need to know what competitors to my employer are doing and what are the latest trends in web design, and ohmygodisthisstuffdisgustingIfeeldirtyjustreadingabout it!! And I still missed it.
Only reason I finally figured it out is because I took a screen shot of the final booking review screen before making payment, and sent it to my TA... who promptly emailed back to point out that my screen shot had a line referencing an NRD perk discount. That I saw but that never registered. Because the primitive lizard part of my brain was just seeing "GOOD NUMBER!! SAVE MONEY!! GET PERKS NOW, MEATBAG!! BIG BUTTON RIGHT THERE CLICK CLICK CLICK!!!"
 
Royal's site does stuff like this, too, but it's not as bluntly deceptive, at least not in all the same spots. I've seen the same BS when trying to exit a booking, where the buttons change position every few times. But at least when you want a refundable booking, they just make you go all the way to the last step before you see the checkbox to get the refundable price. (unless they changed that, too?)
Watch out for stuff like this. Otherwise you're going to call your TA a bunch of times thinking you've found a good chance to save some money, and instead walk away really annoyed and disappointed.

I would Lift & Shift and hold off on buying airfare.

For what it's worth, I found this petition on a group I follow...it was started earlier this evening and has a long way to go. If you are inclined, please sign and share.
 
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/cdc-going-destroy-cruise-industry?fbclid=IwAR2TguDcOHEQNgbnWmRPs_fW4TdDaLF1kaV4rp_3BdoAIKjgJm_5oOzc48w
 

Also just out of curiosity, I calculated that route too. Here's how that would work:

21.49kts there and 23.19kts back. (pretty much the absolute max they can run at.)
...now I probably should get back to work, but I'll consider this as part of my work ?

Excellent - once bitten you'll have that bug forever .  The only cure is to go to the next level.

Maybe a small bowling alley?
 

That's right friends, it's time to (pretend to) cruise again and you're all invited!
I can't believe my (non-existent) cruise is finally here, and I am headed back on my favorite ship of all time, Harmony of the Seas!
First, I'd like to point out that I did not start my live blog many months in advance, as @Lovetocruise2002 always  does.
Second, here are the details for this sailing.
Because I didn't pay anything to go onboard, I'm going big time!

We have the Royal Loft Suite booked for this sailing. After all, nothing is too good for my family (especially if it's all pretend).
Having stayed once before on Deck 16 in the suite area, I am looking forward to the suite enclave onboard and enjoying more time in the Suite Lounge.  Who knows, I might just go to Coastal Kitchen!
Our cruise is a 7-night itinerary, with visits to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Cozumel, Costa Maya and then back to CocoCay again! It will be 4 ports of non-stop sun, surf, and eating.

I managed to pull some strings with the government, and got some friends onboard with me for this sailing.  I'm cruising with @Big Dawg Ron, @JLMoran, @AnnetteJackson, @Lovetocruise2002's husband & @Galveston Steve!
Who knows, more may fly during the cruise...because why the heck not! 
My plan is to take the stretch limo over to Port Canaveral on Saturday, and be in the terminal (and subsequently onboard) as soon as I can!

Oh man, if this is the case, I’m barely squeaking in my October 17 Symphony 

Sorry wanted to link it -
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/15125-js-no-longer-have-access-to-ck/
 

This seems like a much more civilized solution (and impressed that you remember the number).

Edge - Nov 2020 (Fingers crossed)
Reflection  - Mar 2021 
Infinity B2B - June 2021
Oasis - Nov 2021
Allure - Mar 2022
 

Edge is smooth.  Will definitely sail again, and hoping Apex in the future.

Going to be more contraction.  Would expect a shedding of the ships with higher operating/maintenance costs.   Even when we start up again, its not going to be a full fleet.  The loyalists will return, but those who've never sailed are going to stay away a couple of years.

Icon would be great.  If alternate fuel, Port of Galveston would be prime location.

Icon would be great.  If alternate fuel, Port of Galveston would be prime location.

Icon would be great.  If alternate fuel, Port of Galveston would be prime location.

The best Galveston run down I've seen so far.
 

The best Galveston run down I've seen so far.
 

Hello all - I'm new around here but I've read a lot of great advice so far for our first RC experience! We've been inching up in luxury as our cruises continue to get canceled. We started with a great deal on a grand suite on Anthem for March 2020, obviously a no go. Then we went to a 1-bedroom aquatheatre suite on Oasis for August 2020. Bye to that one, too. We decided to rebook as far out as our FCCs will allow- late March 2022, and we're back on Anthem in a Grand Loft Suite! So, of course planning right now is ridiculous but I'm excited and bored, lol. Here's my question: I really, really want to do an overwater cabana at cococay, and since I have 22 months to pay it off, it's actually a possibility (same reasoning for us bumping up to Star Class). However, I have two kids who will definitely want to check out the water park. I hate water parks, and I don't want to do a cabana there and get zero beach time on an island! SO, all of this build-up is to ask how insane it would be to get the beach club overwater cabana for the day, and also get admission for my kids and husband to spend an hour or two at the water park? Can you do the water park justice in the opening couple of hours? Is it hard to get between the water park and the beach club? I know we're talking about a lot of money (the cabana is $1049 right now for my cruise), and I can talk myself in or out of it based on price alone, but I'm wondering just how feasible it would be as an experience to try to have the best of both worlds on our day. Thank you in advance for your advice!

Coastal Kitchen gives you more intimate service.   Feels more "old school" cruising.  Food is also a little nicer as they're serving a smaller number of people.   Jr. Suite will get you in for dinner.  Higher suites get breakfast/lunch.  We made reservations at the  door (for the week) on embarkation day.