twangster

I'm going to guess UK consumer protection laws play into this. Offering a last minute fare sale may have implications in the UK that don't exist in the US.

Last I checked you can't drive a rental car through the Sounds of New Zealand or through the Panama Canal. Coastal Alaska by car is also a challenge. That's also why I've cruised destinations multiple times. I get to see something different each time and when I find a spot I really like I later fly there. You argument is that I only cruise which isn't accurate. Cruising can let you find the best places on land to focus a land vacation. I've flown to Hawaii a number of times. Cruising there let's you see it from a completely different perspective and you see more of the state compared to staying at a resort on one island. Cruising is not mutually exclusive of land vacations rather cruising it is complementary to land vacations. I scuba dive which is very complimentary with Caribbean cruising. When flying it's nearly impossible to dive at multiple islands day after day since you can't fly for 24 hours after a dive. On a cruise ship I can dive 4 different islands across hundreds of miles in a week. That would cost a small fortunate to build the same dive trip using airplanes. Currently planning the Galapagos. That's another a great cruise destination and the only way to see so much diversity across many different islands. Pinnacle happened not because I was focused on attaining points. Pinnacle was a journey that happened along the way and that journey continues after 700. Pinnacle was not the destination. However it is pretty great to have and enjoy the perks as the journey continues.

Over at the RCL Blog website we can't link to here the cruise compasses from past guests for Odyssey in July shows "Select Whirlpool/Jacuzzis" are open 24 hours. It might not be the one in the solarium every day, it could be one on the open outdoor pool deck that's is open early, but the cruise compass states one is open somewhere all the time.

The new cruise director on Mariner is a rookie and brand new in this role. His name is Mario and he has been trying to coin the handle "Super Mario" for himself. He doesn't stand a chance.

Do the overhangs off the side of the ship for the davit supports preclude Quantum class from using the locks? The only NCL's Breakaway Plus class that have transited are the ships where the lifeboats are stored within the profile of the ship, nothing hangs outside the profile of the ship on Bliss, Encore and Joy. The ships in this class that have the lifeboats stored partially outside the profile of the ship have not used the Panama Canal. The little bumps outs on Quantum class that support the lifeboats render the side profile of the ship irregular and not smooth like NCL's ships that use the PC. That led me to question if it's the side profile of the ship that is preventing them from using the PC as opposed to the height of the Bridge of the Americas.

Oh, you meant the cost to see Alaska, Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, New England, Europe, Greenland, Mexico, Hawaii, New Zealand, Panama Canal and South America? Not bad really considering the places I've seen and memories I've made. But I suppose I could have stayed home and seen all these destination from Youtube videos. If only Youtube was available when I started cruising. Think of the money I could have stayed by staying home and watching the internet. I might have earned YouTube Gold status by now.

In fairness Voom usually works, it just isn't what people expect anymore. If a time traveling cruiser teleported from 2015 to the worst ship in the fleet for internet today, that time traveler would likely think Voom is great while half the people who bought it for the same cruise would be complaining. We changed while Voom did not. I'm sure in a another few years Royal will do something about it.

You mean his bot or team did, right? 😇

Another nice Pin perk is the flexible arrival time one hour plus or minus from the schedule arrival time. As arrival appointments are enforced more now compared to the past it's nice having a one hour grace so I don't have to scramble to try to get the earliest arrival times. Plus being the first board when waiting in the terminal after check in. Get on early, booking things on board, find a place to eat and relax before the masses come on board. It's the small things like this that make a huge difference.

The pandemic and the restart threw a wrench in historical price trends but there are sign it's beginning to fall back in line with old ways. Right after Labor day and early December/January are falling into old ways. Alaska remains low compared to pre pandemic times. It's still a great time to cruise to Alaska in 2023.

Visit the Loyalty Ambassador on your next cruise. They are usually more than happy to provide lapel pins for all levels as they are earned.

Historical Caribbean pricing trends pre-pandemic. While not perfect it does show the the common historical price trends over 12 months. Applies more to cheaper cabins, suites have their price trends.

For members with more than 340 points when booking solo there is a reduced single supplement. The discount to use when booking is DP340 (DiamondPlus340). It won't work if you don't have 340 or more points.

The reduced single supplement for 340+ points is not available in July or August plus holiday cruises like Christmas and US Thanksgiving.

It largely is a duplicate of what you provide to Royal but Royal doesn't and can't submit it to Canada on your behalf. Canada requires you submit it and that you attest your submission is truthful. I don't like it but it's requirement imposed by Canada to go there so it is what it is.

Free Voom is huge for folks like me that always buy Voom. On the road to Pinnieville I spent over $4k on Voom. Now it's always free. The only "problem" with free Voom is not being to able complain when Voom sucks. Before the six free drinks the 40% off the DX on board meant never having to shop the DX in the cruise planner. Cruise planner discounts usually top out at 30%, sometime but rarely above that. Knowing you have 40% off means you can board and decide if you feel like getting the DX for that cruise. Now with six free drinks it means never needing the DX, the math is just impossible to make work. Six free drinks is just about perfect for my needs, it's basically a free drink package. I'm not one to live in the suite lounge every night but it is nice to be able to drop by the SL off peak and enjoy a quiet area. Access to the suite sun deck is great especially on Quantum class (before Odyssey). In places like Alaska, Hawaii and New Zealand the suite sun deck is a great place to take in the sights as it's easy to go from port to starboard to watch for marine wildlife or take pictures in the Sounds of New Zealand. Coastal Kitchen for filet night can be better than Chops and zero cost. I don't do CK every night but when I do the service is better than the MDR even if the food isn't much different so it is nice to have CK as a fallback when the MDR menu isn't that enticing either. MDR service takes more time. CK is very efficient so while the food may not be all that different than the MDR, service in CK always is. Some of the best Pin benefits are not the hard perks but the soft perks like how you interact with the crew. Once crew see you are a nice pin they generally treat you like you are one of them. They open up and treat you like a long lost friend. It's not the "kiss a pin's butt" like some people assume, they know you've been around and you know the routine so they relax and interact more like you are a trusted friend. Generally speaking when crew learn you are Pin it results in a smile and "welcome back". It's a good thing in a positive way. It's an instant ice breaker. The guest service experience is better. Many GS staff make up stuff as excuses or make up policy. When they know you are a pin they cut the crap and know that you know better. It's hard to explain the soft benefits of being Pin. From terminal contractors to crew they all are more appreciative and warm in ways that is hard to explain. As far as wearing the Pin there are times when it does make life easier. Terminal contractors watch for it and instantly let you access the Suites/Pinnacle queue rather than needing to be shown a set sail pass to get access to the queue. It's just easier and I've had terminal contractors suggest I wear the pin next time to make it easier. I wear it for top tier events at the suggesting from many different LA's over time. Sometimes I wear the pin knowing it drives some people crazy. It's just a piece of jewelry the cruise line gave me yet it drives some people absolutely bonkers. PE is very real for some people. Who am I to deny driving them nuts over it? 🙂

That's why I sail other lines in the summer when DP340 is blacked out. I've sailed five lines since the restart although mostly on Royal. It's just hard to swallow the additional cost to sail other lines when DP340 is available. It's not a matter of wearing Royal goggles, it's a matter of wearing "wallet goggles" saving hundreds of dollars on cruise fare while also getting six free drinks and free internet quickly turns that into savings hundreds more. Sometimes that's a matter of spending $2,500 on one line or $1,750 on Royal for a similar cruise. You may see that as Royal Goggles, I see it as for what it is - saving $750.

DP340 is a trap. Once you get the reduced solo supplement it makes it hard to sail other cruise lines solo. You'll be surprised how quickly the second 350 points racks up once you get DP340. Even with the double points promo the road to Pinnacle before the shut down and the double points promo occurred a lot faster compared to the first 350.

Port fees and taxes, typically about $115 for a seven night cruise to the caribbean. Plus the cost of parking at the port.

Often JS cabins will not get the word "suites" on the app boarding pass but will on the printed boarding pass from a computer. Intercruises, the 3rd party who staffs the terminal doesn't know the cabins that are JS or full suites on any ship. They won't see cabin 6640 and know if that is or is not a JS. If your boarding pass doesn't say "Suites" or "Sea" on it, then you must use the regular lane. Perhaps they have fixed up but through early 2022 a JS still was never branded with "Suite" on the app BP while it was if you printed a BP on a computer.

I doubt that room service delivery personnel have card access to the lounge. Furthermore room service doesn't deliver around the ship. You can't order service delivered to the "solarium port side" or "promenade deck 4 port side". Room service delivers to your room. For that you need to sail Princess although in my experience Princess ignores your medallion location and always delivers to your cabin despite their promise to find you by your medallion.

I was last there on July 24. Didn't see or smell anything at CocoCay. A part of the North Atlantic ocean is called the Sargasso Sea for a reason. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sargassosea.html The first accounts of Sargassum in the Atlantic date back to Christopher Columbus in 1492. This is nothing new, it's just being reported lately for some reason. Must be a slow news day. Wikipedia:

Right, so will ESPN Caribbean be allowed access to any Thursday games this year? Amazon Prime exists beyond the US so does this exclusivity apply internationally?

Also approaching the one year anniversary of my Odyssey block to be. I sailed Odyssey a few more times in the fall and earned a second block in November. Also waiting for my Wonder block from March. Six to eight weeks turned into six to eight months which is turning into double that again. I trust it will show up eventually. Crazy times with supply chain right now.

I love aft balconies but there can be vibrations with all that power emanating from under the aft. The aft can experience some sensations of motion from all that power pushing the ship. The same sensation can be found flying the rear most aisles on a plane, there can be a "wagging of the tail" in aft cabins. It's not motion from swell in the ocean but more like what you feel riding on a subway train, a subtle side to side effect. I don't find forward to have the same wagging tail sensations from all that power of the propellers. I actually prefer forward locations when not in a fully aft facing balcony but motion from ocean swell doesn't get to me. For the purpose of motion coming from the ocean, low central cabin locations will reduce some ocean motion primarily a forward/aft pitching or porpoising effect. Some people are sensitive to up and down motion and when there is large low period swell that can raise the entire ship up and down. There is no place immune from this effect on a ship as the entire ship is lifting up a few feet and lowering a few feet with low period swell. The primary factor in how it impacts people will be the angle of the swell reaching the ship versus the heading of the ship. Even the largest ships are impacted by low period swell.