DunkelBierJay

22 minutes ago, steverk said:

I agree about the cruise docks currently in use, but surely they must have a freight dock somewhere.  According to Wikipedia, there are 100,000 residents on the island.  Food, building materials, automobiles, clothing, trinkets, etc. have to get on the island somehow.  

Back in 1999, Houston had the Barbers Cut container port double as a cruise embarkation port. Perhaps Cozumel is planning something similar.

With that population and the hotels, they would have to have a viable food and supply distribution system on the island rather than relying on shipping...just a guess.

2 hours ago, twangster said:

While the CDC isn't a very well run organization they are quick to protect their silo of power. 

Another reason why I think the Cost Guard should do the enforcement and the CDC should only be advisory...I say this not having any idea what dominos this would push over or what cans of worms get opened. I have had the impression for a long time that the CDC does nothing to correct the petri dish narrative.

1 hour ago, TXcruzer said:

Without thinking too hard, here are a couple obstacles I think would pose a problem.

The new CDC requirement for a negative Covid test prior to returning by air to the USA-how many will be willing to deal with finding a test in Cozumel and waiting for it before you fly home?

 

I've been hearing some all inclusives are doing testing in Quintana Roo...another obstacle that may exist from Coz is...I don't think I have ever seen any bunkering going on at any of the piers in Coz except for a Mexican navy ship at the downtown pier where MSC and Disney dock.

Intriguing idea posed by Tony, the La Lido Loca guy...apparently, the mayor of Cozumel made a proposal to MSC to make the island an embarkation port. If Royal were to find a way to agree to participate, I would be into it just to get out from under the clutches of the cdc. The questions are how would ships be provisioned from there and what hoops will exist to get back to the US. I would do a couple nights before and after a cruise is Coz if this option materializes. Thoughts?

17 hours ago, twangster said:

Even our governments aren't getting it right. 

I am so glad I had put my coffee down when I read this sentence.

If the answer to any of the first three questions is yes, then the answer to the 4th for me is yes.

I like one way car rental.

My MEI TA quoted a January Barbados sailing, and I am seriously considering it. Apparently they have access.

Empress of the Seas because she is gone and I can't sail on her any more.

With Royal it's always 70% off of a price that constantly changes. So, the question is what is the basis for the discount. The hedge against it is to watch the pricing fastidiously on an almost daily basis so you know in your mind what the discounts really mean. I see it with drink packages every time I log on. I know what discounted price will get me thinking about buying it. Actually buying it is rare because I multiply the price by the number of cruise nights, and I pretty much decide that I wouldn't do it on land, why do I do it on vacation. So, I opt for a la carte almost all the time...that way, I don't have that perpetual hangover from all the drinking a package gets you. That's just one example.

Always caveat emptor

1 hour ago, UKFamily said:

If they had just been friendly we would have carried on and booked with our original plan for balcony for about £400 less than the suite guarantee. Instead they call you a liar because of their website issues and say you have to pay more.

Watching with interest. I wonder if Royal uses a third party call center for these bookings. Are there travel agents in the UK who could take it and run with it for you in exchange for the booking? In the US, it doesn't cost extra...I am not sure about the UK. Regardless, I would want to take it to a supervisory level with the company directly so they know there has been a failure.

I won't eat at Wonderland again. It was fun, but...the food was...

I would ask my TA to keep an eye on that sailing in case there are cancellations. When our kids were not of age, we booked cabins directly across the hallway with an adult in each cabin and getting extra keys so we could access everyone's room. It's not ideal for privacy sake, but if they are booking inside cabins, that may be an option. Also, who knows if the mitigation procedures will be as stringent a couple months from now that so many are taking the needle soon.

Empress was one of my favorites. A ship like that can't be replaced. Sad day.

6 hours ago, FLGooner said:

Wear a mask, luckily I'm a Brit so don't have to worry about my "rights" being infringed.

wasn't there a revolution a few years ago that dealt with that?

Anyway...there will be masks mandated, v a ( ( inez mandated...the whole nine yards so the lawyers can be held at bay at every mention of a positive case, and to soften the blow of sensationalistic headlines. It's not about health or avoiding infection.

10 hours ago, PaulRC said:

Plus if masks are so effective why is the covid number still rising. 

When I am bored, I obsess over the numbers. I observed a couple of things where I live. Mask mandates were announced in mid-September for October 1. The documented cases had been rising a little leading up to that. About three weeks after the mandate, documented cases had increased four fold. I looked a little further, and with a goal of 4,000 tests a week, they documented 40,000 (that's forty-thousand) with a positivity rate of 10%. I am cynical enough to believe strongly something else is going on, and questioning it with multiple letters and emails to elected leaders (executive and legislative) have been ignored. In terms of the rise in covid numbers...IMO, the testing in my area leads to it along with some data I saw from the CDC that among positive cases, mask wearers were the highest category. If you're bored and want to look at the table on that site that shows it, let me know, and I will send a link. I also believe we are all sick until proven healthy (uninfected, not healthy), and healthy has a short time limit, then we do it all over again. So. Tired. Of. This. Sorry for the  rant...I don't see masks ever going away.

I am prepared to cancel or kick the can down the road if masks are going to be required on my next sailing. I have two medical issues that make it difficult to function with one on, so I just isolate myself like anyone who has been deemed persona non grata.

Typical day at sea

• Coffee x 2
• Bloody Mary
• Beer
• Water
• Beer or Lava Flow Type thing
• Nap
• Beer
• Gin and Tonic or Scotch before dinner
• Wine or beer with dinner
• Whatever I feel like with the show I go to

It doesn't work from Firefox or Edge using a bookmark and linking from a google search gets the same result. Oh well.

Doing my daily check...ran into this:

The Shiplife YT channel is speculating Navigator and Mariner

To me, it's good news as long as those who prefer not to take a vaccine can assume the risk in not doing so when booking.

A test cruise sounds about as appealing to me as a root canal.

All of this emphasizes that the cruising public will run into a cluster in the opening months. I don't care about my own exposure to a disease with a flat death rate, but all of this complexity and friction isn't worth it until the perception of overkill kicks in. Cruising will suck for a long while.