JLMoran

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

https://www.schiffe-und-kreuzfahrten.de/news/royal-caribbean-arbeitet-am-project-discovery-neue-auftraege-fuer-die-meyer-werft-aus-papenburg/290350/?fbclid=IwAR2npaBBwHtZABZ529iS5OnwYZcHtxXTpcXGoqwIk7FvbsgI8Fg91lQ3l0Y_aem_AW-4BT96wP7yvPh-ZW1QbxYPyrLbkxjeW9fxZP0H6J73KQq8iYfJhXpH0Qmk1DckdYo#google_vignette
 
Translation: 
Around Royal Caribbean International, there are ongoing rumors about smaller new buildings under the project title Discovery. Royal Caribbean International has now indirectly confirmed that work is being done on new buildings. In the introduction text of staff captain Markus Alander, who has been working in the new building department of Royal Caribbean for several years, states that he is also working on Project Discovery. In recent years, he has accompanied the introduction of numerous new ships for the Royal Caribbean Group.
Project Discovery is supposed to be planning for medium-sized cruise ships. Since with the four ships from the Vision Class and the four ships from the Radiance Class, several Royal Caribbean cruise ships will soon exceed an age of 20, 25 or even 30 years, these cruise ships must be replaced. However, you cannot simply replace these cruise ships with ships of a significantly larger ship class such as the Oasis, Quantum or Icon Class, as these cruise ships are far from being able to sail all routes.
Royal Caribbean International has not yet placed any orders for Project Discovery. Since the ship class is currently in the planning phase, the delivery of the first ships from Project Discovery is not expected until the end of the 2020 years, provided that this ship class is ordered. Presumably, the ship class is medium-sized cruise ships for 3000 to 3500 cruise passengers. This would only mean that these ships would be about half the size of the Oasis or Icon Class ships from Royal Caribbean International.
Allegedly, Royal Caribbean International is also talking to Meyer Werft from Papenburg about Project Discovery. The shipyard from Emsland could well use orders for new cruise ships. Since the current order book for cruise ships from Papenburg only lasts until 2025, the shipyard could build a new ship class for Royal Caribbean International from 2026. In 2026, the oldest Royal Caribbean cruise ship Grandeur of the Seas reaches the age of 30 years, a year later the Rhapsody of the Seas and the Enchantment of the Seas also exceed this age limit. Royal Caribbean International will have to replace these cruise ships towards the end of the 2020s.
The fact that the Meyer Werft on Papenburg will be involved in Project Discovery is well possible but by no means guaranteed. In addition to the shipyard from Papenburg, the competition of Chantiers de l'Atlantique from France has also built several cruise ships for the Royal Caribbean Group in recent years.

I think this is the first time we’ve actually seen RCI talk about Project Discovery in writing.  I’m on Quantum of the Seas at the moment, and watching Entertainment Today this morning John our CD mentioned that the Senior Officers info sheet that used to be at Guest Services can now be found on the wayfinders that are near the elevators. So being curious, I went to read through it and found this under our Staff Captain.

But it’s not a true match. I get 5 drinks a day. Anytime, Anywhere. Celebrity limits you to happy hour. That’s not equal. I don’t want to drink 5 drinks in 2-3 hours 

I don't think Project Discovery is going to be another mega class ship like Icon and Oasis, but at the same time is isn't going to be the size of a Vision Class vessel either.  I think as others have pointed out it will probably fall somewhere in size between Radiance and Voyager Class but probably closer in size to Voyager Class than Radiance.  With a ship that size there are still a lot of ports around the world Royal can visit.  And I'd imagine depending on how successful/profitable Royal's upcoming around the world is they could even do another around the world cruise on their new Discovery Class ship at some point. 
When I read your post and saw "there is no loyalty benefits to crossing brands" my mind immediately went to airlines and their loyalty programs, where I can fly Lufthansa but have the miles added into my United Airlines MileagePlus account, that isn't going to happen in the cruise industry.  You can't cruise with Celebrity and have those points added to your Royal Caribbean account.  However just because Royal doesn't allow that does not mean there is no value in crossing brands or no loyalty. What Royal does allow is this Celebrity will match your Royal status on the cruise meaning you will get the benefits on Celebrity of the status that you've earned on Royal.  As far as the points go the points will go into your Celebrity account which they will open for you automatically.  
If your goal is to reach Pinnacle status with Royal I would suggest stay with Royal because as we all know the difference between Diamond Plus and Pinnacle is huge.  However if you are Diamond or even Diamond Plus with Royal and don't care about reaching Pinnacle then by all means book a few cruises with Celebrity especially if they are visiting ports of call that you are interested in exploring.   

I understand that Royal is all in on the 10,000 passenger destination amusement park family ships and there is no doubt they dominate that market.  We are sailing Icon and I respect Royal’s dominance in this market.  The demand and profitability is through the roof so good for Royal.  As we have aged and entered the retired empty nesters group we constantly look for longer and more interesting destination cruises.  With Royal that means Vision and Radiance class ships and B2B sailings.  That means old ships and a lot of polished brass with limited ship features.
As the population ages huge numbers of Diamond + and Pinnacle people will be aging into this demographic.  The most flippant response seems to be “just cruise Celebrity or Siversea”.  There is no loyalty benefit to crossing to those brands.  Even though I have status on RCL and and cruise Royal 80% of the time I don’t find Celebrity compelling and are not interested in the Silversea / Regent price points.  I think eventually Royal will have to expand into the other adult segments or lose lifelong customer to other cruise lines.

Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but I've always hoped that the name "Discovery" is a clue to a RC marketing scheme intended to sell us on going to smaller ports and rarer destinations, thus needing a smaller-than-mega-sized ship.  Maybe 10 or 20 years from now every port in the Caribbean will be able to handle an Oasis class sized ship, but right now the huge ships have a smaller list of ports which can handle them.

I've been waiting for RCL to decide they won't cede adult travel to the luxury lines or NCL Prima / Viva.  The "floating theme park" has served them well but with the aging of the population I'd love them to do an upscale smaller ship targeted at adults!

It's not the bridge that is the only limiting factor in using the canal.  Royal has a tendency to place their lifeboats so they hang outside the hull in part.  Some ships have walkways that go around the hump hanging like a shelf off the side of the ship.  These protrusions from the side profile of the ship don't allow them to use the canal even if the Bridge of the Americas was replaced.  
If you look at all the ships from all lines that use the canal you will find smooth sides to the ship far enough from the waterline that they can slide down the concrete wall of a lock chamber and not do any damage to the ship or lock.  By placing the lifeboats far out or by having walkways hanging off the ship Royal gains inside space to make the ships have larger internal volume (gross tonnage) giving them more space for venues inside the ship but the trade off is having parts of the ship or the lifeboats hanging out of the side profile.   This also limits their ability to the use Panama Canal.  

There has long been talk of building a new terminal outside the bridge near Tampa.  If that happens or not is up to local officials.  
If area officials decide not to open a more ship friendly location It's equally difficult to imagine Royal would intentionally build a small ship just to service Tampa when there is another cruise port within a two hour drive.  Norfolk is a logical alternative to Baltimore albeit a bit longer drive for some people while possibly closer for others.
Locals complaining they have to drive several hours instead of 30 minutes is hardly a strong factor in the equation.  Royal tends to place their ships where they most the most revenue and it's not uncommon for Tampa to be without a Royal ship some months.
No mass market cruise line is building ships small enough to be able to use Tampa or Baltimore.  Not Carnival.  Not Princess.  Not MSC.  Not NCL.  Not Celebrity.  Not even boutique lines are building small ships.  Not Virgin.  Not Disney.  One could argue that Disney would be better suited to leverage Tampa yet they made the decision to use the East coast sometime ago and they haven't looked back.   Why did Disney expand to South Florida and not Tampa?
There are other cruise ports such as Jacksonville and Charleston that have never seen a Royal ship while other cruise lines use them as home ports with their smaller ships.  Eventually that is what will happen with Baltimore and Tampa.  

I wouldn't presume to know what Royal Caribbean is planning to do about ports like Tampa and Baltimore.  If you zoom out from Royal Caribbean International to Royal Caribbean group, there are just too many possibilities.  Here are some that I can think of off the top of my head.
Build a new class of RCI ship that can service these ports.    Stop servicing these smaller ports entirely. Give these ports over to one of RCGs other lines like Celebrity or maybe introduce Marella to the United States at these ports. The real question is how many small ports does RCG want to support? There's more than just Tampa and Baltimore.  For example, what about New Orleans? Or Northern Europe? Panama Canal?
Once that question is answered, the next one is "how does RCG choose to do it?"  As you can see, there's more than one way to skin that cat.
What I've heard about Discovery project is that it will be neo-panamax.  That means about the size of an RCI Voyager class or a Celebrity Edge class. I'm no expert on ports, but I believe that would be too large for Baltimore, Tampa and dicey for New Orleans.  It would definitely work for Panama, Northern Europe. and Alaska.

At the CAS meeting this week while on the Radiance in Alaska, our Captain Merrek, said a new ship and class similar in size to the Radiance is being planned in the next 3 or 4 years.  The name of the ship is to be the Discovery of the Seas.
Does nybody have any further information  or confirmation?

A captain on Ovation in Australia was talking about Discovery class .
A ship somewhere between Radiance and Voyager class in size.

I hope you were able to move Forward from your Stern Warning and enjoy your cruise.

On a recent sailing I was leaning over the rear of the ship admiring the wake. I was approached by the Captain and given a Stern warning.

I have been on Odyssey twice. When she first came out, you just had to be within close proximity to have the buttons light up. I was on the same sailing as @jeffmw,
It seemed that the sensitivity had been adjusted from 2 years ago to reduce the number of false button pushes. When the elevator gets packed, there seemed to be a lot of people that accidentally leaned against the buttons. I don't know which was a brighter red -the buttons or the faces of those who realized what they had done😳
BTW Odyssey is one of our favorite ships for what we look for in a cruise.

have been on Odyssey multiple times, there are no problems with the elevator.  The touchless buttons are a little sensitive but nothing that had any impact on any cruise of mine.

I have been told by employees at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity that the Quantum Class ships were originally designed for Celebrity. That is why there is similarity between the Quantum Class and Edge Class.
As many have also said on here, personally the Quantum Class is my favorite Royal Class of ship. I especially love 270 for both breakfast in the morning, relaxing in the afternoon and enjoying the view, and entertainment in the evening. Also, I want to rave about the Junior suites on the Quantum Class and their split bathrooms. I also love that Royal has a newer, beautiful class of ship that has fine touches.
It's also smart of Royal to have different ships for different needs. Cold vs warm weather, young children focused vs more adult focused. Even if Royal is a family brand it doesn't mean that's all they have to do. It is important for people to research or to have a travel agent to research the right ship for them. If you have children in your traveling party, then definitely book a ship with all the slides, skating rink, etc. Twangster did an amazing job breaking down the size differential between Quantum and Oasis Class and the restrictions in venues/neighborhoods that imposes.
Just because it is spring break in the Caribbean, doesn't mean that every ship has to be for families that want all the bells and whistles. I was on Odyssey with my 10 year old nephew over Christmas and he loved it. We did the research, saw the activities in Playmakers, and other activities in the ship, and knew it would work for us. If my nephew needed slides and everything else, we would have booked another ship. 
I will agree though that the elevators on Odyssey were horrible. Even the captain joked they are a horrible design choices. 

I respect everyone's opinions here. Most things in life are subjective.
I will say, however, the predominant nature of the responses 1) cite the fact that Quantum ships were developed for cold weather, and/or 2) appear to be written by people without young kids who are on cruises to have a mostly 'adult' experience. All of that is fine. It makes total sense for there to be cruise ships with more indoor options if they're going to be deployed outside of warmer climates. It also makes total sense for there to be cruises with more adult-driven experiences (although I'd argue the lack of Central Park and the Aqua Theater with no replacement is a bit underwhelming in that respect.)
However, for most of Odyssey's short history -- including this cruise I just went on -- it has been deployed in the Caribbean packed with families with young kids -- which is increasingly Royal's target demographic.
If I were taking a Celebrity Cruise in Alaska, Odyssey would be an amazing ship. But for a cruise full of kids needing things to do during two sea days, it underwhelmed. The SeaPlex continually kicking kids off the sport court to have adult sports competitions, giving the hundreds of kids no where to go on a ship built for cold weather, was particularly unideal. It was a Spring Break Caribbean cruise with no waterslides, no mini-golf, no sports court, no Boardwalk, no carousel, no Abyss, no ice rink, and no designated karaoke venue. It does, however, have a lot of specialty restaurants and a giant crane that you could pay to stand in and take pictures. To me, that wasn't an even trade.  
I also didn't mention the massive footprints of the Music Hall and Boleros. There are huge back areas of these venues far from the entrance, which serve no purpose other than to provide huge spaces for people to drink. Again -- great for a Celebrity or Virgin ship catering to adult experiences. Not ideal for one catering to families. 

I know I was so surprised when on it. I have seen so many good reviews. It really had to do with the crowds. If you were not in the solarium at 6:15 am you were not getting a chair on sea days. people actually slept in there to reserve chairs. I was just on Allure and you could get a chair at noon, no problem. The line at Sorentos was 50 deep anytime you went. The entertainment was also terrible, worst I've seen. We had 2 families and the consensus was 1 and done with Mariner. 

Funny you mention Mariner as another you don't like- I see nothing but people LOVING that ship.  

I enjoy Quantum class because they are different.  I've sailed four of them and mostly to bucket list destinations like Alaska, Hawaii and New Zealand.  
Oasis class, until Icon came about, have always been in a league of their own and can't be compared to any other ship class.  Oasis and now Icon are very wide ships, much wider than all other classes of ship.  It's the extra width that allows things like Central Park and Boardwalk.  On any other platform without the extra width it's not practical to install these areas without removing all guest cabins in those areas.  Removing guest cabins to add more venues and features isn't practical for any cruise line.
Oasis class are much larger ships at 225,000+ GT while Quantum class are around 168,000 GT.  That extra 30% of space allows them to put more venues and areas on Oasis class.  
Why doesn't Radiance class have ice skating rinks and zip lines and central park and boardwalk and aqua theaters and so on?  Because Radiance class is one third the size of Oasis class and obviously you can't put the same features and venues on a ship that doesn't have the space for them.   
The Windjammer on Quantum class is my favorite across the fleet.  I really dislike the Windjammer on Oasis class.  The food stations are all over the place with some on the side and some around the corner on the back.  It's really hard to find seating on Oasis class Windjammers at peak times.  Oasis class Windjammers are truly jammers slammed with people.  Some Quantum class Windjammers have outdoor seating which I love.
The lack of waterslides is known before booking.  It appears odd to me to complain they are missing.  That's like buying a sedan then complaining it's not a 4x4 pick up truck.  Given where most Quantum class are deployed waterslides are impractical.  
It's okay not to like something but that doesn't justify calling it a dud.  
Royal's next class of ship, Discovery class, is not going to be a mini Oasis class ship.  They too will be much smaller ships that won't have the space for all Oasis class features.  Like Quantum class the smaller footprint will allow them to sail into ports that Oasis class can't fit into.  That's kind of the point.  They will be different too.  Different doesn't make them duds.  
Oasis and Icon class ships are the destination and the ports you visit are less important.  If the itinerary is boring it doesn't matter because the ship is as much the destination as the itinerary may be.
Other classes of ships can visit more unique ports of call where mega ships can't sail.  When visiting these areas the ship isn't the destination as much as the ports of call are the destination.  
Anthem out of Bayonne was a perfect pairing with two sea days down the coast and two sea days on the way back home in the cold Atlantic ocean where few would be using waterslides most of the time.  The indoor family pool means kids are not trying to sneak into the adult only solarium pools on those colder sea days in winter months.
What I love best of all my 14 Quantum class cruises are the memories of the destinations.  Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand for example.  Greek islands and Europe for Odyssey is a great summer pairing.  
I like that Royal's fleet is diverse and not just ships that are variations of the same thing.  With research I can choose a ship that fits my needs based on the region I'll be sailing.  I suggest doing more research next time and avoid booking a ship that doesn't have features that are important to you.  

My guess is that he didn't leave it.  It was probably an Albatross around his neck.  
I wonder if a 3D printer could...

Ok, I looked it up. So someone has a lot of disposable income. To me the big deal isn't that someone is rich/stupid enough to buy it. The big deal is that he is leaving a $100k cup sitting on a table at a beach.

That would have been helpful for me to mention wouldn’t it 😝
He is going to auction it off and you can buy tickets world wide to win it and the monies goes to charity.