DunkelBierJay

I just have one word... Both!

It brings up what eats at me, which is...the reason behind the double standard affecting the cruise industry so disproportionately...is it pandering? Is it sensitivity to louder critics, the press, their Washington overlords? Combine it with the CDC director's reported admission that there is a financial incentive for hospitals to report cases...the unreasonable repatriation measures from the U.S., IMO. I could go on and on...

One of the YouTube channels I watch (that gets it wrong a lot), so I won't mention the name spent 8 minutes on it, most of which was speculation click bait. I REALLY hope Empress is spared. Love that ship.

I have been to Chops on these ships with rankings next to each: Enchantment -- #2 Brilliance -- #3 Allure --#5 Symphony -- #4 Empress -- #1 The common thread I see is that smaller ships seem to have been better in my experience. This isn't to say that it wasn't worth it on the Oasis class ships, it definitely was, but I had dining packages on those sailings. One way to get a really good value is to book lunch. The cost is about half.

Kind of sickening...I love watching the beaching videos on YouTube, but not this...they are usually rust buckets, not beautifully maintained ships with personality whose end was premature.

Wow bands or Seapass card? Eastern or Western Caribbean itineraries? How do you avoid the vendors just outside the port trying to get your business? Most efficient embarkation port? How many eggs are purchased for a typical 7 night sailing on an Oasis class ship? How many different specialty dining concepts does Royal Caribbean operate on all of its ships? When was the first adult water slide installed on a Royal Caribbean ship? Do you know the words to the Wash Your Hands song?

At those numbers, if Empress calls and is at capacity, even she is too big to go there.

Seems like if cruising ever resumes (I am beginning to wonder)...that the ports that welcome cruise ships will have a boom and the ones who don't will soon be jealous and then reverse their decisions. There is no way I would drive all the way to Key West for Sloppy Joes and a tour of Hemingway's house to see the six toed cats.

The public is so bad at looking at the media's reporting critically...that is as damaging as the response and the virus itself. Why isn't mortality being reported with the spiking cases. I saw one social media comment from someone who says they are a doctor that the with the current numbers right now (I haven't seen it elsewhere yet for more credibility), this wouldn't even be listed as an epidemic in a normal situation much less a pandemic. This whole thing has just eroded more of my personal trust in media and government bureaucracies which were low to begin with. No, not low....I will say non-existent.

Here's a list of questions: Have you seen the reports that actual infections are 20x the official numbers? Have you seen the death to reported infection ratio trend line? Isn't the death count a more useful statistic than infections? Have you had a cold or the flu? Are masks now required to prevent any illness from being transmitted? Is that realistic? How long before people claim to have a basic human right not to get sick? What if you have antibodies and carry a card exempting you from mask wearing? Is it anyone's business? Are humans social creatures? Are we divided on this issue? What will unify us? Do you have control over how anyone does anything? Does anyone? Should anyone? Other than basic hygiene, is it reasonable to expect masks to be the permanent expectation even though the human race has made it for thousands of years without such measures? Have you seen conflicting reports from the same main stream media outlets within a short period of time about therapeutic treatments? Have you seen Bill Gates 2010 TED Talk? What is the cost of a therapeutic treatment vs projections on the cost of a vaccine? Do you trust media on any level? Do you trust the government? Do the media and government change their story on a regular basis? Are the media and government apparently unfair to the cruise industry? Will we all reach any agreement on anything related to this or other illness? Is there a conflict between statistical virology and real world medical experience? Were the early infection and death models taking mitigation into account wrong?

The only constants in this thing is that with every person, there is a differing opinion with everyone else. With every trusted (I don't trust any of them) news source saying one thing, there is another saying something different. The government is more interested in covering it's back side while it tries look like it's acting in the public interest. With every person who wants a vaccine, there is another who doesn't. To me, it boils down to "authorities" who keep changing the story trying to micromanage the outcome instead of letting the miracle of human biology take care of the issue. Living a healthy lifestyle is excoriated amidst a preference for pharmaceuticals and fast food. So, to me, again, it comes to this...if there is someone who takes assurance in the vaccine they have taken, why would they be worried about someone who hasn't? From the beginning, I have been more worried about the response than the virus itself. I recall the scare videos from China late last Fall, and images of people in Wuhan who were yelling from their locked down apartments that it was all fake (at least that was what was translated in the videos I saw), and the images of people in hazmat suits fogging the streets with some virus killing fog. So, my conclusion mirrors what Keanu Reeves said about the movie, The Matrix. He said it was a documentary.

If they are limiting inventory, you can count on the low margin product to be limited. You can also count on bookings being cancelled on cruises that sail. You can count on prices going up. I don't see a way for them to recover lost revenue. I do see that they will seek not to lose money and sustain the company for the time when people and governments stop freaking out.

Emma Cruises reported that the ships were leased by Pullmantur, and was not clear as to the ownership. I wonder if Royal was the lessor and all they need to do is convert them to a Royal model. I hope they come to North America, because I would love to sail on them.

Articles like this tend to get buried....it is dated in late May It seems like no one with influence calls out CDC, Fauci and others...it all seems like it's either a game to them or they are saving face...the information consolidates snippets that have been out there since the beginning, and now with infections going up and death rates going down, my family may have to watch me bang my head against the wall. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/28/863944333/antibody-tests-point-to-lower-death-rate-for-the-coronavirus-than-first-thought?utm_campaign=npr&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR2pflAGc1mR2fl3-US8mWa85JdQfjx1Z2g3-b1WimYTuOXs-njO-sva1rc

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

Wellllll, THAT subject was clickbaitey

Great post...^ Here's my opinion laced rant.... Everyone freaks out when the news reports infections, but never talk about the net effect in the same articles. The numbers I pulled this morning show the percentage of cases and deaths to population...I gather that there is more testing in the US than anywhere else....based on reports I've read (buried deep in main stream media, and easier to find with independent media)....numbers of cases are reported as being inflated for financial reasons such as if someone dies of a heart attack or accident and is infected, the death is attributed to COVID (who knows how accurate that it -- no one is trusting the experts anymore because of goal post moving, changing the story, and what appears to be outright guessing...everyone has seen the reports about nursing homes in certain states that are putting restrictions on people from Florida. They are focusing on cases and not mortality. Big difference. The second shows the European CDCs trend line for deaths. I wish it showed per capita...but, I suspect far, far more people have been infected and were never tested. There was the viral video of the two California doctors who postulated that 70-80 million people could have had it based on what they were seeing in their clinic as opposed to the medical statisticians who always get quoted with scare numbers and ended up being wrong with their mitigation numbers by several times. I think they were talking about 500,000 deaths in the beginning...and the numbers that are getting reported are a fraction of it. not to minimize anyone's direct negative experiences with this, but the numbers don't justify the response, in my opinion. How many people remember the beginning when people were saying they feared the response more than the disease? I certainly did. That seems to be bearing fruit. Call me whatever you like, but something is going on with how power in the US is exerted on the people and on companies such as Royal. Something needs to happen. Sorry, like everyone else, I am fed up with this...we have done our part, and no one is listening except the choir.

Same with Traveling with Bruce, but I watch anyway....Shiplife has been doing a really good job though

I'm thinking public private partnership (mostly private with public cooperation) by the industries that would benefit. There is already a signatificant amount being set aside for downtown development by the port. https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/global-ports-holding-to-transform-nassau-cruise-port https://www.cruisehive.com/more-renderings-of-the-future-nassau-cruise-port/30999 I haven't seen any articles showing that the plan has dried up, but who knows right now.

@Ampurp85 I wasn't saying such a thing would be without investment and serious development. There are three high volume broadline food distributors on New Providence existing today including a large Sysco house with room for expansion. There is also good size container port on the island that is not far from the cruise port. The beginning of the infrastructure is there. Downtown Nassau would need significant terminal development along with a way to get semis on the docks. Something like this could help a country like that move away from third world country status while giving the middle finger to the CDC, which is my interest as well. One can dream.

With all of the hotels on New Providence Island, there has to be high volume food and supply distributorships there that could expand their operations. I don't know about airport infrastructure, and I certainly get that it would be a heavy lift. For those of us who fly to FL anyway, I don't see it as an obstacle, personally. If there is a market for it, the CDC could be avoided entirely.

I know that TUI, Meinschiff and Costa have Caribbean itineraries in Caribbean islands that do not originate in a US port, and I do not know if the European style of cruising applies in which a passenger can embark from any port of call. If anyone knows the answer to that, I would love to know. I also wondered about Nassau and all the development money that is proposed for the port area there and whether consideration for re-directing is is just a nutty idea or would gain traction if the US squanders its position as the home of cruising. No other country comes close in terms of itineraries sailed from the three large east coast ports. At some point, something has to break on this, and good news has to prevail. Side question...if the press didn't report it and the government didn't impose measures, how many of us would think there is a pandemic?

My take is that the shutdown is indefinite, and we can't expect to cruise again for many months. The entire industry may die. The only hope is the possibility of cruising in Europe and Asia (dependent on China -- I will not go into how I think Royal shouldn't be in that market except for three letters that bring about my disdain -- CCP)

I had no issues getting stuck on the Abyss aboard Symphony...very fun slide and it seemed longer than I anticipated.

You are so welcoming, so good at what you do that I am very sad about this. While I only cruised with you once, I have great memories of you and your good cheer. Bus 3!