Cakemeister

Thanks for posting! Mrs. Cake and I are also celebrating 35 this year.

I agree with both @Woody14 and @loki007.  If you have never seen Chichen Itza, it is worth the effort.  It’s a long drive and a long day….but it is one of the 7 Wonders of the World !  Do it once.  …but if you don’t want a super long day, you will probably want to skip it.  We visited cruise ports in Mexico, probably 50 times before we finally made it to Chichen Itza on a cruise that called at Progresso.  I highly recommend this.  It’s still a long drive but you get to skip the ferry ride from COZ to Playa del Carmen, which is a big plus..  

Thanks for posting! Mrs. Cake and I are also celebrating 35 this year.

Everybody wants the newest ships.  Europe expects them.  Singapore expects them.  Australia wants something newer.  It should be no surprise Texas wants one too.  
Royal doesn't deploy based on emotions.
Royal deploys where a ship, from the oldest to the newest, will generate the most revenue. 
A competitor making a dent doesn't matter.  For decades Royal didn't serve the LA market.  They let Carnival brands own that market.  They only returned with a twenty year old ship when they thought they could generate revenue to the point it made sense to do so.  What a competitor was doing wasn't a significant factor.
If a competitor knocks it out of the park in Galveston and bookings decline Royal's response could just as well be to downgrade to a smaller ship if the larger ship could generate more revenue elsewhere.   Placing a new ship there would be risky if a competitor has discovered a secret sauce that would make it even more difficult to book out an even larger ship when they know with certainty that new ship will make bank somewhere else.   They'll take the guaranteed money everytime.  No emotions, just revenue numbers.  
Only Royal knows how well Oasis class in Galveston is generating revenue compared to other Oasis class homeports.  They have the data.  That data is far more important over any other factor including the emotions of what a particular market wants.  The numbers don't lie.  

Thanks for posting! Mrs. Cake and I are also celebrating 35 this year.

They are fun once. After that it's the same thing every time. 

I realize that this topic is about the Game Show but I just can not resist saying:
"When did Love & Marriage become so unpopular?"
For some it was right after they said "I do" 🙂 

@OCSC Mikehas it right.  Retirement is the key.  Of course, our cruising style has taken a bit of a downgrade since retirement, but where the quality went down, the quantity went up !  Nothing truer than the old adage, “When you’re working you have the money but no time and when you’re retired you have the time but no money”.

No kids *is* a Royal Up

"Collection" = "Circular file" 😁

"Collection" = "Circular file" 😁

"Collection" = "Circular file" 😁

"Collection" = "Circular file" 😁

"Collection" = "Circular file" 😁

"Collection" = "Circular file" 😁

18, 15 on Royal. 14 out of the 15 out of Galveston. 😀

18, 15 on Royal. 14 out of the 15 out of Galveston. 😀

We were in the path of totality as well. Cloudy up to maybe 10 minutes before totality when the clouds started to break up. Had a big blue patch of open skies go over our house starting a minute before totality. We got lucky

Hopefully I'll still be alive at age 79 for this one.
My house was in the path of totality for 4/8/24, but it was completely overcast. 😭

Hopefully I'll still be alive at age 79 for this one.
My house was in the path of totality for 4/8/24, but it was completely overcast. 😭

The maximum weight of a Panamax ship is only 52,500 "deadweight" tons. I think Discovery-class will be a Neo-Panamax ship, which can fit into the new locks. To get to the canal, ships must pass under three bridges, which will constrain height. The design should include providing for sailing to and from Tampa, Baltimore, and other ports that have low bridges. They will also take the width of the ship into account. The lifeboats on the Discovery can't obstruct the ship from getting into the lock. 
Discovery should be, therefore, a little smaller than Voyager-class and shaped a little differently. 
Panamax - Wikipedia

Yup….No Name…No Game! 🎰 

I know I've mentioned it before but I play craps to get my points.  Yes the tables are much more variable as far as the points you earn go, but if you can stay on top of the pit boss for average bet and see the casino host to ensure your time at the table is accurate a lot of the volatility is negated.  Personally my overall average was around 3 points / dollar this past casino year, but like slots it was very volatile on individual cruises.  Anywhere from plus money or break even to 1/2 point per dollar on a really bad luck sailing (@Matt was on that one so I blame him...)
If anyone is interested in playing craps for points, I recommend watching Bryan at the Holy Rollr on youtube.  I'll play variations of his Light in the Darkness strategy if I'm just concerned with earning points and not necessarily trying to win big.  https://www.youtube.com/@holyrollr

Royal Caribbean Group Reports Strong 2023 Results and Forecasts Record Earnings for 2024 (yahoo.com)
They need to pay off some more debt first. In the meantime, you can get onboard credit every time you cruise if you own 100 or more shares. That's sort of like a dividend.

Royal Caribbean Group Reports Strong 2023 Results and Forecasts Record Earnings for 2024 (yahoo.com)
They need to pay off some more debt first. In the meantime, you can get onboard credit every time you cruise if you own 100 or more shares. That's sort of like a dividend.