twangster

The health questions are not a big deal. Theyll ask me them at check in. It will add 30 seconds to check in. Here is what the health button provides:

CDC required verbiage about how dangerous the virus is and what to do if feel sick, etc.

I'm hoping for at least one good night to try some star pics. I wasn't very good at first and learn a little with each attempt. Some attempts leave a lot to be desired even to this day. 🤣

Muster videos complete. Is it time yet?

I must be getting old. Since yesterday I've been getting notifications to answer the health questions but the check in button has been replaced by a boarding button. All that does is bring up my Set Sail. I can't find a way to reach the health questions.

Uber and Lyft rates this morning:

Like the Florida leftovers in 2009 once Oasis class had arrived in Florida? When Voyager class was introduced it was said they would never leave the Caribbean. Freedom class is simply Voyager class with another section added in the middle. Not much innovation there, but that's okay as Oasis class was being introduced in that era. That was some innovation! But all for Florida at the time. With Allure's arrival there was even more capacity in Florida so some of those ships that would never leave the Caribbean did just that. It seems the problem for the the rest of the world is that Florida is solidly the single largest cruise market by a long shot. RCI is not going to ignore that fact. As always with Royal it isn't that they don't make money in other regions, it's all about where they can make the most money and it always has been that way.

Looks like our ship has come in. Radiance is almost at the pier! marinetraffic.com:

I had been eyeing a line of thunderstorms above Houston hoping they wouldn't impact my flight. They didn't. Overnight those thunderstorms rolled over the area making for a noisy night. Fortunately they are nearly through and should be by the time I head to the terminal. They did wake me up a few times though.

Made it to Galveston. Staying at the Candlewood Suites. Found it online for $83 so I wasn't expecting much but it's fine. Comes with a kitchen, recently renovated, ice cold A/C, free wifi. With a late arrival it's perfect for my needs. Plus there is a Target next door for any forgotten items.

Lyft is costing me $90

Uber rates to Galveston

Almost there...

It's been sold out and off the website for a bit now, but I'm surprised too in case of no shows. Unless bidding low is a factor. Maybe they are holding onto some high bids just in case.

Looks like my minimum bids weren't successful

Another reason to put Utopia on the short FL is to maximize PDCC. Freedom class was great in terms of numbers carried to PDCC, but to maximize PDCC they need to put Oasis and Icon class there as much as possible. The greater numbers brought to PDCC by Oasis class have meant higher prices. With only two berths how do you maximize the number of guests going to PDCC? Put mega ships at the pier as much as possible. A 3/4 rotation for Utopia can garner higher rates for the new ship fever while generating higher revenue for PDCC by increasing the number of visitors. From that perspective it makes sense to pull Voyager class and even Freedom class out of PDCC whenever possible. That's not say they'll never go to PDCC but I suspect PDCC will see more mega ships going forward.

Made it to the airport. A local Pinnacle who I call my land genie took me to the airport. I paid him in BlockCoin. I had an extra Wonder block so I used it as currency to pay for my ride. 🤣 Speaking of blocks, I'm trading another extra block for a Radiance block that I arranged in the roll call. That means I'm flying both ways with a crystal block. There has been reports of some people having extra screening as a result of the blocks. Apparently some x-ray machines can't identify what it is. I left mine easy to access in my carry-on should the need arise but I went through TSA Pre without any issues. I had forgotten about it actually.

On the other hand Bayley has made statements before that never come to fruition. He loves to play this game. I'll believe it when the deployment team announces her itineraries.

TGIF - Thank Goodness It's Fly Day One day to go... Later evening flight, still have to finish packing.

Royal by policy has eliminated "downlining" but it would be great to learn how this works out for you. It never hurts to ask.

One could argue there is more for teens on Odyssey but it really depends on the person. If the numerous videos that go into deep detail and cover everything can't answer your questions I'm not sure if anything I can offer would do any better.

Splendor is coming to Florida! Well sort of. Marella Discovery will be home ported from Port Canaveral soon for TUI. It doesn't look like we (US citizens) can book her, she's being offered with packages from the UK that bundle airfare to MLB airport near the port. Nonetheless Splendor a.k.a Marella Discovery will be back in the US and operating from PCN the day after we disembark from Radiance in LA.

My understanding is that the port and Uber have agreed on terms and conditions so that Uber can now service the port. I'll be shopping both on Friday morning from my hotel. I'll let you know 🙂

What category of cabin? Keep in mind "balcony" is not a category. 1D, 2D, 3D... etc. are example of balcony categories. Are you comparing the exact same category or the same type of cabin?

Enrichment talks onboard: