Atlantix2000

You mean this thread NOT written by Ogilthorpe? and which doesn't appear to have anything political in it?

Most restaurants have a cover charge which is covered by the cost of the UDP. The $20/$35 is for those restaurants that charge by the item. For each visit to such a restaurant you can use up to that amount (you can always pay for more). With either style of restaurant, you can go as often as you like (provided they have a seat for you). I see @WAAAYTOOO has beaten me with a more complete answer, so I'll just stop there!

For departures from US ports, Royal does not enforce a boarding time policy. I've been asked when I plan to arrive but I've never been obligated to actually arrive then. (They might ask so they have an idea of when the busy times will be but I don't really think they do anything with the information.) I haven't seen any announcement that this will change once cruising restarts but you never know. The check in process will have to include social distancing in line and if they can discourage too many people from showing up at the same time, that would probably help.

You could always post your question on Royal's Facebook (so you don't have to wait on hold just for a question). Then show her the reply.

How would you handle all of your customers trying to change and/or cancel all of their orders simultaneously? And you're dealing with some of the same customers over and over because they have multiple cruises booked or they don't/won't reschedule for far enough out. You really think you can do all that without wait times going to hell?

Full disclosure. I've never actually used a TA for a cruise. That said, even I know that Expedia is a TA in only the most basic definition of the word. Mass market websites give real TAs a very bad name. I'm sorry you've had to learn this the hard way. If everything goes smoothly, you might find a good PRICE through Expedia. When things don't go smoothly, that price savings isn't going to make up for the difference in service. Of course, the current environment has exposed all the worst possibilities and stressed every system. Even the good TAs are going to have issues communicating with Royal right now. Try to keep some perspective.

Years ago, when the government introduced dollar coins, they had a promotion where you could order the coins and receive them with free shipping. The government thought this would encourage people to get the coins into circulation. Instead, people ordered large quantities of the coins on their credit cards, received them for free, and immediately deposited them in their bank account. Note that this was back in the days when you got decent interest rates in a savings account. Then, you just pay your credit card bill on time....FREE MONEY!!!

I think Carnival's statement that they aren't starting until after the "no sail" order expires around the end of July tells us all we need to know. Royal is just canceling in waves to keep their cash flow a bit better. They are making trips to Asia to drop off crew. They wouldn't do that if they just have to pick them back up two weeks later.

Not to downplay their situation, but the language about "ability to continue as a going concern" shows up very frequently in financial filings. I think it is a required statement triggered by certain debt conditions. It's not good to have to include it but I'm also often surprised to hear about it from companies I'd never expect to be worried about.

When I hear that mantra, I respond by asking about things much closer to home. When's the last time you cleaned your car's steering wheel or the bottom of its cup holder? How about the computer mouse you use 8 hours a day at work or home? Or other equally filthy things in almost everyone's lives that are never thought about even in the cleanest of houses? That cruise ship gets cleaned daily and that was before this pandemic!

Disney hasn't said that; an analyst on some financial TV show said that. (There's a thread on here about it too). Disney is currently working on opening their Shanghai park with social distancing measures in place. Depending on how that goes, they may make announcements regarding their other parks.

When I go to the bathroom, I wash my hands IN the bathroom. Should I be required to wash again after taking 10 steps to the WJ entrance?

I haven't seen an update on the Cadiz port specifically, but I did find an article that Spain's parliament extended their lockdown until April 12th. Considering Spain reported that the last two days also had the two highest number of deaths, I don't really expect Cadiz to reopen anytime soon.

So does that bring it to 20 years to implement this supposedly vital piece of national security legislation? I think this law was cursed!

Don't forget that's going to be a short term capital gain which could have tax implications for you next April.