JRT

Sorry CC, but, they aren't snails. They are escargot which is a French delicacy and especially prepared on RC ships. If you like a buttery sauce with over tones of garlic, these will rock your boat (sorry for the pun). The escargot have a very mild-almost not there flavor and the tenderness of sautéed scallop. The combination of the sauce, or what's left of it after the escargot have been consumed, a nice white white (I prefer a Pint Grigio) and that bread soaking (sopping) up the sauce is a taste bonanza that will not soon be forgotten. If you think you will still be afraid to try them, I recommend copius amounts of dry martinis before you enter the dining room. ?

Only in Canada eh?
The government's guidance to keeping a safe distance is measured as:
✔ 2 arm lengths
✔ 0.5 Canoe
✔ 1 Fishing rod
✔ 1.5 Wakeboards
 
That's right folks, make sure you stay 1/2 a canoe away from others.
Is that a metric canoe or an imperial canoe?  So confused.
 

 
 
 

Voyager of the Sea back in Jan. 2002

Voyager of the Sea back in Jan. 2002

It's true: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/07/14/royal-caribbeans-customer-loyalty-program-changes-whats-temporary-and-whats-here-stay

I'm pretty sure somewhere in the past I posted a desire for Royal to make the drink "coupons" work for any drink, any time.   That was long before the notion of a pandemic entered the picture.  
Not only did Royal do just that but they granted more drink coupons for those that have climbed higher.  Then they made them work at the private destinations.

I'm very happy with this change.  
Losing some lounge access is a bummer but there was writing on the wall that was a possibility.  Some people can smell it's going to rain.  This is a change I could smell coming.
Everyone places different value on different components or benefits of any loyalty program.  For me Crown and Anchor is still the best in the industry and a reason to keep coming back.
Thank you Royal.
 

In theory the double points offer is simply offsetting the 15 months during which zero points were earned by anyone. So it's not like the total points distributed from March 2020 through December 2022 would be much different between what it would have been had sailing never paused and what it will be if sailing continues opening up as planned going forward.
In fact, considering the removal of a few ships from service, it's likely the maximum number of points that could be earned with the current fleet under double points is less than could have been earned pre-COVID-pause.
Certainly, some people are taking full advantage of this double points offer. But there really are just a limited number of cabins to be sold.

I expect the new Diamond Drink offers will become permanent. It takes a significant load off staffing for the Happy Hour period in the Diamond Lounge and overflow areas, spreading the demand out ship-wide throughout the entire day. It likely makes for a happier diamond and above passenger, overall. A handful of people might have gotten more alcoholic beverages the old way, but it's unlikely to really be a large number of people who will be upset with the change. And I suspect many more people will like the change overall.

There is no amount of kick-back/rebate/OBC - whatever you want to call it that would make me give up the incredible, dedicated and thoughtful service that I get from @michelleat MEI.  What a tough 16 months for travel agents !  Only people who truly love their jobs and their clients would still be around making calls every single day for those of us looking to salvage an otherwise disappointing past year.  I know some people go with the big names for a few pennies of OBC but not me.  I wouldn't give up my wonderful MEI agent for ANYthing.  @ZsOverseasI truly do hope you find what you're looking for but not sure that big OBC is going to happen right now.  

I went through a phase where I shopped for "low bid".  Prior to the pandemic I learned a lesson about these types of agencies when the cruise line cancelled a sailing on me.  While most people received the full FCC the cruise line offered I didn't because of how that travel agency was operating.  I can only imagine the world of hurt I would have been in during the pandemic if I had stuck with them.
Shopping by price alone is very tempting.  If you choose that path don't be one of those that complain about travel agencies and poor service.  You made that choice and you got what you wanted - low price (and poor service).    

This is a practice known as "rebating". Rebating is when an agency cuts their agent's commission and passes the savings on to the customer.
I believe you'll find that while you may get money back or OBC, you will not get a high level of service. 

After this past year I wouldn't switch from our TA (also with MEI) for any percentage OBC

Whew! Good point to not automatically freak out! Just read this in a Facebook group: 
 
Thought of the day, DO NOT PANIC!  We are beginning to wind down our amazing cruise on Adventure of the Seas with Royal Caribbean.  We departed from Nassau Bahamas on Saturday and have enjoyed a very relaxing time.  One requirement of re-entry to the United States is a negative Covid test.  Royal Caribbean International is currently offering this service to all passengers departing from the Bahamas.
We took our tests this morning and went on about our day at sea heading to Freeport as our last port of call.  The testing process was very simple by signing up via an email.  We were in and out in under 8 minutes.  Woohoo. Cocktail time with our favorite bartender in Schooner Lounge with some 90’s Trivia. 
A few minutes into trivia, some ship’s officers showed up and spoke to Tim for a moment and he said he was going to the cabin.  I was a bit puzzled until another officer approached me.  He said Tim’s Covid test was positive and he needed to go back to our quarters.  I was simply blown the $&@) away!  I dashed right up to the cabin.  Tim confirmed what they said and we both were in shock.  Here we are on a full day at sea, hundreds of miles from home, and totally freaking.  15 minutes later a guy from medical shows up to perform a PCR test, the one that takes a sample of your brain according to Tim. 
The phone rang while we were waiting.  I answered and the voice on the other end said he was chief of security.  I put Tim on and he walked him through some things on his phone to set up contract tracing.  I’m still freaking that we are going to be confined to our cabin, or confined to medical.  F$&@!!! OMG we are going to be on the news! 
I finally checked my email and my results were negative.  Woohoo!  I can make a mad dash to the bar for a cocktail before they can catch me.  I wasn’t even told to stay in the room.  I get to the bar and order drinks.  A few minutes later Tim shows up.  Omg, he broke out of jail.  I just knew they would find him and make him walk the plank.  Luckily the results of his PCR test came back NEGATIVE!  What a sigh of relief. 
Moral of the story, stay calm and DO NOT PANIC!  We can’t thank Royal Caribbean International for taking amazing care of us during an extremely emotional time.  Loyal to Royal!

I've cruised both DCL and RC and I can tell you that on DCL, you are paying for the Disney name.
Unlike the difference between Disney theme parks and other theme parks, there is not much of a difference between the overall Disney cruise experience and other lines.  The pricing is absolutely ridiculous on DCL for a non-premium cruise line.
There are many former DCL'ers here who will tell you without question you are overpaying for a very similar experience on Royal Caribbean!

There’s always going to be envy at every level of life.  I’m probably too old to say this, but Haters are gonna hate. 
 
Hell, I have two trucks (they’re a want, not a need) and hear sarcastic things like “It must nice” all the time.   We hear it about our remote cabin and land too…..and it is nice.   We work hard and have made sometimes difficult  choices throughout our lives to get to the point we’re at financially.  
 
One thing we really like about cruising Royal Caribbean is that even though we usually cruise in inside cabins and get no other add-ons besides internet, we’ve never felt like we were 2nd class.  
 
I say more power to those who choose to cruise Star Class.  I’m glad you are able to cruise the way you want. 

Symphony is currently testing and hopefully confirming the theory of buoyancy.  

I remember when the lobsters looked like lobsters. Now they look like crawfish

Last week I received an email from revenue management letting me know that my March bookings involved a pricing error but they would honor the bookings.
I had two suite cabins booked, one for me and another for a family member.  To give you an idea of the error involved my suite would normally go for 234% more while the other suite would normally be 255% more each on a solo basis given our unique qualifiers (CAS status, age, state, etc).  Both suites have the capacity for 6 guests.  I had booked both suites with a single guest in each cabin.
I offered to let the bookings go.  An email exchange followed that turned into a game of phone tag as we both worked around busy schedules but we eventually talked on the phone.   
Revenue management was very clear I could keep the bookings and they would honor the pricing.  They requested the phone call to make sure I understood they would honor them.  I told her to cancel them.
I didn't feel right taking advantage of what was clearly a pricing error.  I knew it was a error when I booked it and give Royal a lot of credit for offering to honor the bookings despite the thousands of dollars they would lose by doing so.  
A family of four booked in one of these suites would have gone for 500% more than I was booked for.  Between the two suites it amounted to an error that would cost Royal over $10k in revenue if both suites were booked at capacity not to mention losses in gratuity and onboard spending.
Simply stated it didn't sit right with me to take advantage of the company especially during these dark times with so much lost due to the pandemic.
Call me a fool but I slept better knowing I did the right thing.
BTW - nice people in revenue management.  

Watching the lines cast off and seeing the first bit of movement away from the pier.  
Seen it a million times but I still love being on deck to watch like it's the first time.

PM: “Guys, shape the fire pit into a circle!”
Stone crew: “What’s a circle?”
PM: (annoyed) “Looks like a big zero. The same big zero I’m gonna pay you if you don’t $@1#ing get it right TODAY!!”

Waiting to see what Adventure's protocols may be before jumping on board for later in the Bahama cruise season.
I can take useless protocols for a couple of days and will comply for a short cruise but a full week of unnecessary protocols may exceed my tolerance for absurdity so better not to book until I see how they will operate Adventure.

? Here is our toast to Michelle for all her hard and continual work!!!! We would have been lost without her this past year. THANK YOU MICHELLE CUMMINGHAM!

? Here is our toast to Michelle for all her hard and continual work!!!! We would have been lost without her this past year. THANK YOU MICHELLE CUMMINGHAM!

Hip Hip Hurray for great Travel Agents!  I would have never come through the fire of this past year with a positive attitude about future cruising without Michelle Cunningham at MEI?
She was focused, Informed and dedicated to handling your cancellations, rebooks, FCC’s, Lift & Shifts and refunds.  I can’t tell you what that meant when you have multiple bookings and lots of $$ on the table. 
Thanks for all you do, and how easy you make travel planning. 
 

Nice.   
 
We really appreciate everything  @michelle  has done for us, ESPECIALLY over the past year+. 
 
Thank you. 

Raise your glass or shot of Tequila in honor of your favorite travel agent, it's National Travel Advisor Day! 
Not sure how any of you have survived throughout this but thanks for everything you do!