monorailmedic

See, if I explain it here then how do I justify writing a long article about it later? j/k...sorta Crystal has several aircraft. Their 777 and 787s have been refitted for high-end accomodations offering "air cruises". The same concept of a cruise, except on a plane. Additionally, they have a smaller plane, a Bombardier (and possibly another small one) which can be privately chartered, or simply used if you and several of your wealthiest friends want a very luxirious ride to catch your cruise.

I've yet to get a good bagel on a cruise ship. Regardless of the cruise line or itinerary, it seems impossible.

Good point, though I'd also note that just like NCLs included drinks, flights can almost always be de-coupled from luxury sailings - or changed for other perks (pre/post hotel stays, etc). There was a time that some cruise lines even looked into starting their own airlines, or doing permanent charters. Crystal has done this now, but for a very different reason.

Not at all! I communicate primarily in a series of disclaimers :-)

I saw them in use on Navigator in February and haven't read about any restrictions yet. I know Disney parks prohibit them. While I don't own a selfie stick, I can't think of a time they've impeded my ability to have a good and safe time, though the same could be said for shorts in the main dining room ;-) [drops match and walks away]

This is a hot topic that Matt and I discussed on a podcast a few months back. Yes, Celebrity has ships that are small compared to newer RCI builds, and Azamara has R Class ships which are quite small (30k gross tons). Royal Caribbean is a "mass market" or "contemporary" line, but that doesn't make their product inferior. This is just the way the market is sliced up. Azamara is a luxury line, yes, but if you're a family looking for ice skating, flowriders, parades, etc then you're not going to feel Azamara is a superior experience - while others may if they have different goals and desires. That out of the way, I do wonder how RCI will keep cruisers who prefer sailing out of say, Baltimore and Tampa, ports that are a looong way off of supporting larger ships. There are consumers in that market that want RCI's product. Will we see offers for residents of certain states that make it more appealing for them to go to alternative ports? We'll see. I do think it's an intersting stumbling block they'll need to conquer.

This used to be a somewhat common practice on many cruise lines though I haven't seen it done in years. Most cruises I now see a sign at check-in saying that upgrades aren't available. My guess is that even when there is space they start moving people up based on loyalty, professional courtesy, etc. Perhaps others have had lucky though.

Any particular reason? If you're brining sunscreen, or buying it there, why not use something that is better for the reefs and wildlife?

In the event you don't bring your own, I've seen 'reef safe' sunscreen available in Chedraui and other local markets - the prices are more than reasonable. I've not checked, but I'd suspect you may be able to find some in OXXO locations in more touristy areas. OXXO are state run convinient stores - they're clean, take cards, and have great prices on everything they sell.

Generally it's a few months out. There is some variation and I'm not sure why. By sixty days out you should be able to, but it's very likely you'll be able to a month or more before that. I'd book, but keep an eye out, as sales happen. I originally booked our Navigator Group Cruise bev packages at $44/day, but then saw in cruise planner that the price was now $38, so I simply cancelled the package and re-booked it for a big savings ($6/day x 9 nights x 2 people = $108 in savings).

They could make those calls with or without the app. As far as restricting the calls through the app - great question that I don't have the answer for. Keep in mind though that turn off airplane mode and you can make all the $$$$ calls you want if your carrier allows it. For the second threat you could ask your carrier if they're able to block roaming.

These are great points when it comes to Pinnacle members and some longer RCI sailings, though when you look at world cruises outside of RCI the story can change quite a bit.

Schedules aren't posted ahead of time (as so many things can lead to them changing), but if you want to get a good idea of what to expect you can find you can check past Cruises Compasses for similar sailings. Luckily, it looks like you're on the same itinerary we were on with the RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com group cruise just last month, so you can check out the Cruise Compasses at the below link. You can also check the live blog from that sailing by going to www.NavigatorOfTheSeas.live http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/navigator-of-the-seas/fri-2017-02-17-0000

Great question. So for most of us in the US, we think of cruising as rotating 3, 4, or 7 night itineraries. Where entertainment, dining, etc are pretty static. This is however only one "type" of cruising. While entertainment is often not as robust in the way we think of it on short Caribbean sailings, it is frequently changed out. Different lecturers, performers, etc. These acts and experts can be changed out anytime the ship is in port - there is no reason to wait until the end of a world cruise. Further, generally speaking, guests on these sailings are looking for lower activities levels while on board in favor of port-intesive itineraries, visting a wide variety of new places. These sailings are often on faaaar smaller than Voyager class btw. Voyager class ships are 138k gross tons, carrying 3,100+ passengers. Oceania's Insignia, for example, tends to do world cruises for that line, and she is 30k gross tons, carrying 684 passengers (upper berths on these ships are rarely used). In short, it's a very different kind of cruising, appealing to a very different audience. We love longer sailings on smaller ships - but we like 7 night Caribbean sailings on larger ships too - they're just different. So throw away the ways you think about repeating menus, entertainment, itineraries, etc when it comes to not just world cruises, but most cruises that are not home-ported (or temporarily home-ported) on roating through the same itinerary or two.

I'm not sure if that's actually the case (though some lines may do this to simplify things, not sure). My comparisson to embarkation day is that they'll find you if you are still onboard. When all the passengers are off, there are still plenty of crew, vendors, contractors, etc on the ship - many of them who may look like passengers. Another time you see this type of thing is on world cruises. Look at anything billed as a world cruise and you'll see that you can buy passage on just a world cruise 'segment' or the whole thing. That means some may be getting on for 110 nights, while others may get on at day one and off at day 15, and other still may get on at day 37 and off at day 59.

This is common, especially on other lines, and pretty much never in the US. Look up Pullmantur itineraries in Souther America and you'll see continuous examples of this. 1) Yup, cruises don't need to be so closed. Busses nor planes are like this. Your direct flight is just one leg of someone else's trip. 2) This is just like any other disembarkation day. Consecutive cruisers are supposed to get off for a moment, everyone else gets off for good. If someone is left on board you can get they'll start paging them, checking their cabin, etc. Nothing really different here. 3) There are some sales and logistics advantages to this - if the market demands multiple legs of this itineraries. If the demand isn't there it only become more challenging to sell. In the US the archaic laws we have (Jones Act, Passenger Vessel Services Act, etc) make this type of thing extra difficult, and frankly, the demand isn't there, b/c it's very rare to see a sailing out of the US that visits the US. The exceptions are FL cruises with calls to San Juan, NYC/NJ sailings that stop in Port Canaveral, CA sailings going to AK (and sometimes stopping in OR), and Eastern Seaboard cruises that stop in Bar Harbour and such.

I know you weren't picking on them :-) Yeah, CCL is a lightening rod in the industry. Partially b/c of a few notable incidents, partially because they're the big name, so they get the big attention - both good and bad.

Yup, this came about after a fire and several other issues on CCL (and others lines, to be fair).

I'm pretty sure it's $7.95 for the cruise, but I'll let someone who has actually used it confirm.

I've sent you a private message (look for the notification in the upper right of your screen while logged into the site). Respond there and we'll get you squared away as quickly as possible. Thanks, Billy

No, VOOM is not required to text via the Royal IQ app. That in mind, if you're looking at purchasing Voom, know that you can use any number of messaging apps without paying the additional $7.95 for messaging in the Royal IQ app. For ways to stay in touch on your cruise check the below article and let us know if you have any questions. http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/07/27/how-stay-touch-someone-your-royal-caribbean-cruise

Correct, the metal slips are supposed to be earth grounded. There is a 3 conductor European plug, aType E (see link below) that is used in some countries, and it uses a third pin for grounding. The grounding ocurrs on a "male" pin on the jack, where the plug has two male pins for hot and neautral (whereas in the US and UK, the male pins are all on the plug). This actually allows gounded type F plugs to go into type F or type E jacks. (whereas in the US, if you have a 3 conductor grounded plug it must go into a grounded outlet). The above face is something I should have mentioned in my previous comment, as you can plug a grounded or ungrounded (E or F) into the jack that the ships have (F). In other words, if you have something with 2 pins, and it looks like a Euro plug, you're probably good (unless it's a Gost, used in Russia, then it's iffy). Old tyep C plugs (two conductors, but not a round plug) will also work. Now, how much more info is that than you all really wanted on international power plugs and jacks? http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/

I've flown with alot of weird things (especially for work - goiing to trade shows and such) and have never had an issue with power strips or anything like that. I'm confident you'll be in good shape.

Here is a link to a PDF version: http://www.cruising.org/docs/default-source/policies/cruise-industry-passenger-bill-of-rights.pdf?sfvrsn=0

As others have mentioned, shops in these port areas will all take USD. My primary credit card does not charge foreign transaction fees, so most purchases go on there for a few reasons - one of which many don't realize. Right now $1USD is $18.92MXN. Let's say I want a $15 item in a store - there is a value in MXN, marked as such or not. This value, at the noted rate, should be $283.81MXN. That in mind, most shops don't adjust their exchange rates daily. Some leave them fixed for simplicity, others fix them for profit. As such, as the store what *their* exchange rate is (it's often posted by a register). Some stores have rates that benefit you, say $18MXN to $1USD. This is great! Others however (restaurants seem to do this more than shops, and oddly, Cancun's aiport, too) will go the other way. For example, I once ate at a restaurant which changed at only $15MXN to $1USD. This means that when the bill came and they wanted to charge my card, it was in my best interest to ask them to charge me in MXN. Why? At that rate, if the actual cost of the meal was $550MXN, they'd charge me, based on their rate, $36.67USD. Instead, by asking them to charge me in MXN, based on today's rate, I'd pay the equivilent of $29.06 I've never had a business resist charging me in the local currency, it's just a press of a button for them. In short, check the exchange rate when you disembark. Before being charged in USD, ask what rate the shop is using. If it's close, then great, but if it's not favorable to you, then ask to pay in the local currency on your credit card (assuming you don't pay foreign transaction fees).