TTraub1250

Recent Compass here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2657067

Thank you for doing this. Just so everyone knows this is for the 5 night Bermuda cruise. There are 9 night cruises to NE & Canada in Oct. which may be different in some things.

Thank you for the information and we hope the best for all of North Carolina. Donating through a big company to increase the total $.

Does anyone have experience with Royal IQ and what are the issues with this ?

We will be on the Anthem on October 4 since this cruise is going to mostly the United States and Canada. Does anyone think it is really necessary to purchase the Internet? I know there will be times you don’t have it but is a five port stop. Also do you have cell coverage, most of the time at sea since you are close to the US

Not going to get the internet package, because of coverage when in port! Verizon also has a daily rate for us when in Canada. Have you used the Royal IQ on this class ship before ? What issues are there with it ? We just started sailing RCL again, as we were Celebrity in the past.

The CDC website has a vaccine location finder. Use this URL: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm

Statement/Question: "Simply because moralizing busybodies declare it is a social obligation". Is it a social obligation to cover your mouth when you cough, sneeze, and put bodily fluids in the air at your dinner table on the cruise ? Is it a social obligation to have the cook & waiter keep his/her fingers out of your food ? Is it a social obligation to pull hair from your food by the waiter, when they see it ? Point is, some dangers we can readily identify / see, and others are much more difficult to understand the dangers. There are short term dangers and long term dangers, just anybody that has done their expat assignment in India and/or China !

These boards are about sharing your knowledge (it is from your perspective) with your fellow cruiser, so that they can develop a better understanding of the situation there is a question about, and when on board, use that knowledge and understanding to have a better cruise ( application of what they learned ).

For those of you who choose to attack people who share their knowledge, may I suggest that you buy the best drink package, because where your cruise is eventually going, it will be very hot and you will get very thirsty ! :D:D:D

Ships are powered by: 1. Coal 2. Fuel Oil number 6, 3. Diesel Fuel 4. Jet engine fuel 5. LNG 6.Nuclear . That being said... cruise ships today are only 2,3,4,5. Dirtiest in order is 1,2,3,4,5,6. That does not mean each of them is without other risks to the environment.

Great suggestions with the fingers ! What happens when the waiter puts his fingers in your soup, after he....... ?

Why do they tell you the worst place to stay is in the hospital? Diseases you can get ! So where are some of the next worst places - plane, airports, ships, bus and any other gathering of many people in a close environment ! That will not stop me from going... just going a little smarter and mitigating the risk !

As a frequent international traveler, I suggest you spend the money and go to "Passport Health". Most general practitioner MDs do not have the knowledge. Yes CDC site will help, but that is the minimum you will need. Not suggesting to get the max but suggesting you know both the min and max to make an informed decision for yourself. Only you can determine how much risk you are willing to take.

As an engineer, it is better to design quality in ( vaccinations ) than have quality by chance. We have parents that would put kids in the front seat of a car without a seat belt. So we have put laws in place to penalize those that do, and to hopefully prevent those people that would take the chance that"nothing ever happens to them", from putting other people at risk. It seems more and more people want to take risks and find excuses not to have a quality of life,that does not put a burden on others. All the decisions you make,will effect someone else, and thus are you contributing to the quality of life or are you detracting from the quality of life of others, just to take the easy road ? If you do not care about others, that is the definition of narcissistic. We are all a little narcissistic, that is part of being human, yet we should all have some balance to that and be cognizant of what our decisions will do to family, friends, and community. When you leave this world all you leave behind is integrity / reputation. As a retired person, and I think you can tell, am reading some great philosophy that I should have read many years ago, but was too busy supporting / making my family's life better. Really starting to know, what I do not know !

I never get a flu shot and haven't gotten the flu in 20 years. We way over vaccinate in this country. Don't even get me started

Never got the Flu.. great, you have an immune system better than most... can you say you never passed the flu to someone ? You know there are many diseases that you can be a "carrier" and never show the symptoms of the disease / suffer from it. Wait till you get a little older and your great immune system weakens.....

There are restrictions with some of the airlines and some of the cruise lines. One that I see on your list is a power strip. Saw a number of them confiscated / sitting in the x-ray scanning area as people tried to carry them on, This was on the June cruise with Celebrity/Royal Caribbean.

I have traveled extensively, and lived for a year at a time in some very remote/developing parts of the world. My company paid for their research, recommendations ( 7-9 page document for each area visited), and shots/meds provided by "Passport Health". I highly recommend them and will pass on their advice to many fellow travelers. My doc's office could not get the Flu vaccine until early Oct, and advised me to get it from one of the drug store clinics, which in our western New York State, they are all issuing the Flu vaccine. So maybe you get the Flu or maybe you don't, from one of the 5000 passengers and crew members, and if the flu does not becoming severe in you, but you pass it to a relative, and they suffer, is that something you are willing to live with, or hunt around to get the shot ? We are a very generous society with our money to help people, we should not be generous with our diseases ! Give the $ to help, and keep the disease to yourself... better yet, get the shot and never get it !

This new Flu shot is suppose to be more effective than last year !

For those over 65 there is a new shingles shot that is 90%+ effective, but it is in very short supply and a waiting list at most places.

Also, all you grandparents that like to hug the little ones, and tell them you love them.... great.... just don't give them some disease please!!!:D

Some cruise lines will send you luggage tags that are plastic and very tough. RCL does not unless you pay. My suggestion is to print the colored luggage tags and as one old timer suggested to me,,,,, buy cheap laminating strips/sheets, laminate the tags and staple them to the luggage. Of course have your regular luggage tags on and put a business card inside the luggage, to identify your luggage if all the tags get ripped off. Oh yes that happens at several major airports.

Unfortunately in Jan & Feb you can have 65 degree weather in the Bahamas, which kills any great plans you may have on sitting on the beach and using the water activities. Watch out this winter, some of the cruise lines are shutting down their private islands for construction work.

Anthem of the Seas for the fall cruises ! Checked my cruise next June and it is still at $56, so it is selective. Suggest you sign in and see if offered for your cruise.

They just lowered the drink package to $39 per day per person. They have put a limit on this offer of 50 hours from about 12:00 noon on 9/7. So if this is a good deal for you... jump on it.

O.K. so to show my age: Each to his own as Mrs. O'Leary kissed the cow !

Is there a better level of service available to shareholders by a special group of the cruise consultants ? The standard people in Miami are just that, standard. The off hours cruise consultants are hit and miss with some being very good at answering questions and others they just don't cut it. Anyone got any info on this ?

Your right about the quality issues on the ships, which includes lowering of past standards. As an investor, one way to look at this is Norwegian has a better ROI/margin with their free style cruising which really lowers the standards we are use to. So what does RCL have to do to improve margins on their Royal lines vs Celebrity vs Azamara vs Silversea ( just purchased) ? With RCL now having these different levels of ships and service you may experience slips in quality on the past level of ships you were on. I have seen it on Celebrity in the last few years, and see more leaning towards free style on Royal ships.

Stick with Bingo ! Play is slower and you know you are going to loose, so more fun drinking and playing with friends.

Thank you for the golden nuggets... from some of the information gathered it seems that after 11:00 & before 12:00 is best...