twangster

There is a cell tower on GSC 2 miles away. It works fine until enough people on both islands find it. I've used it since 2017. Labadee is similar. There is a cell tower in the hills facing the ship.

Thank you for your kind words. Here is my Galapagos post:

Need more complaints on social media.

You should be aware I didn't have great success on Mariner recently. I'm hesitant to make a recommendation because I don't know if one will work well on any given ship.

With the incoming emission restrictions for some Norwegian fjords it's introduced a change to the Northern Europe deployments. We are still waiting for a few ships to have their deployments announced despite the posted timeline. It's unclear if there will be ship there.

I've not had great luck with Royal when cruises are cancelled and they offer alternatives. For example a Star class Aquatheater suite is equivalent to a Freedom class grand suite in their minds, protected to the same rate. No Star perks allowed though. Same right? If you don't think so then take the full refund and be happy with that. In truth every situation is unique and what is offered can be as well.

It's always buried in my emails but worst case call A2S and ask for it.

Quantum class can only enter and exit below the Lions Gate bridge in Vancouver at slack tide. This hinders their ability to depart like they can at most other ports. One time they revised our departure to stay in the Vancouver harbor until 2am. We boarded normally and sailed away in the middle of the night. Pretty common for Q class in Vancouver.

Often when I've been offered a solo GTY without calling it's a ship that I know has studio cabins. I assume that I'll get a studio cabin assigned and single points. If a non-GTY is close in price on these ships I pay the difference to know I'll get double points.

Typically a ship will charter a train unique to the cruise. This train uses different stations on both ends compared to what the Alaskan Railroad offers direct. Despite that, I tend to book direct, when the circumstances are right. A charter train will use a station near the airport in Anchorage and end very close to the ship in Seward. The public train anyone can book use a downtown station in Anchorage and Seward which is a 15 minute walk to the ship. I recommend GoldStar service. I’ve done the trip twice. Great way to start or end a cruise.

I’ve often used Royal’s Air2Sea when sailing Royal. Love-hate relationship when using them. In the past maybe they had some clout with the airlines. Post pandemic most airlines are scoundrels. I think A2S is still trying to figure that out.

Sorry for your loss.

I didn’t use the 1.4 teleconverter very often. Most of the time a longer focal length was appreciated or desired. On bright days the light loss of the 2x teleconverter wasn’t an issue. With long summer days it was often daylight shooting conditions. Silversea does not recognize Royal Caribbean CAS. With Silversea being somewhat all inclusive in nature there is less focus on a loyalty program in comparison to Royal or Celebrity. The Silversea loyalty program is different in nature. It would be hard to map between the two but honestly I’ve never felt I needed loyalty perks on Silversea like you appreciate them on Royal. Basic WiFi is included. The equivalent of Celebrity’s premium drink package is included. I find the food in the included Silversea venues far superior to Royal’s included venues. A tenderloin in Silversea’s main restaurant can be pretty close to a Chop’s specialty dining steak on Royal. I don’t find myself thinking about the need to spend money on dining while on Silversea like I do on Royal but food is personal. With a couple of Silversea classic ships booked in my future that may change for a very special dining experience however I’m sure I’d be fine if I was to use only the included venues. I moved a 2024 Norway fjord cruise from Royal to Silversea because I just enjoy so much about Silversea compared to an increasingly mediocre experience on Royal. It’s going to cost me a little more but for my preferences it’s worth it. The itinerary on Jewel was appealing but the ship was not. In moving to Silversea I can stop telling myself I’ll endure the ship because of the itinerary. Now I’ll enjoy both. If you read through the main Silversea forum you’ll find comparisons to other premium or luxury lines. Some are not as inclusive as Silversea is.

If so I never got the email 🤣

Just received! Woohoo! Oh wait... I'm still not booked on Icon New ship. Same IT.

No Icon cruises booked right now. I've been busy on another RCG brand. Just had a phenomenal cruise to Antarctica on them and have booked a few more on that line. Turns out I'm more of small ship cruiser although I am sitting on Mariner right now and have two upcoming weekend getaways on Allure. Beyond that I find myself looking at other lines for the price of admission on Icon. I've said it before... if I'm paying luxury rates I'm going to sail a luxury line. Putting my wallet behind that statement.

They are kidnapping nuns. Stay inside the compound. You don’t need to give any more money to Royal to enjoy a beach day. It’s a beautiful area.

The days of specific CAS letters for each tier are gone. Now the letter in the cabins covers all levels and mirrors the online link above.

Typically 6 -7 days but if it isn't updated before you sail just visit the loyalty ambassador once on board. They will research and will usually upgrade your level for the next sailing. EDIT: Congrats on making Diamond. It's one of the most meaningful accomplishments that most will accomplish.

Dear Debra, (with Icon reservation starting with 3 and ending with a 5.) I'm not Debra and I'm not sailing on Icon on Jan. 27. Royal just sent me an email that was meant for you. Good to see some things never change, I guess.

With coming changes for some Norwegian Fjords in 2025 and beyond that might play into your decision as well. Spain and France will likely be available for many years to come but the emission regulations coming into effect over the next few years will make some Norwegian fjords unavailable for cruise ships looking into 2025 and beyond.

One aspect of on board pricing is the prorated pricing based on number of days remaining. Also consider many cell phone carriers include some or all foreign ports of call. If yours does then maybe you don't need internet access at sea between ports. If you can wait until there are only a few days left such as a sea day on the way home and you've been able to check up on things while in port then maybe waiting to buy a Voom plan on board makes sense. If you need or want internet for the whole cruise you will probably do better buying it in advance.

The Wonder inaugural had the same flair.

On a Radiance cruise a few months ago the HD was talking at top tier. He mentioned some of the challenges with getting things fixed in dry docks. He specifically mentioned the broken or water filled windows in the Solarium. They had requested funding to have them fixed during a dry dock but he seemed to suggest that corporate was denying some of these types of requests around the ship. I don't think it's safe to assume even basic guest area maintenance is a sure thing any more.

I recently had an opportunity to sail with another line in the RCG family on a ship that first sailed in 1995. With Grandeur being a year newer than the Silver Wind it's an interesting comparison. The Silver Wind has been refreshed over the years much like Grandeur has been refreshed. The contrast between the two ships is stunning. The Silversea ship has multiple electrical outlets in multiple places through the cabin including bedside. There are USB-A and USB-C charging ports in four different locations in the cabin including both sides of the bed. There is a wifi access point in each cabin and it's a new modern access point. Around the ship in bars, lounges and restaurants it doesn't feel dated. The decor is modern. You can still sense that it is an older ship but you might never guess just how old it is. Having sailed many more Royal cruises and often on the older ships I've long thought it must be impractical to do a meaningful update on an old ship. Yet RCG has accomplished exactly that on more than one ship in the Silversea fleet. Granted Silversea is a luxury line yet it goes to show it is possible to properly update an old ship. One could argue that luxury is different than mass cruising but then there should be more support for replacing old ships for proper luxury, yet they didn't take that approach. I've come to realize the state of Royal's older ships is a choice that Royal has made. The state of the older ships appears to be good enough for Royal's executive team. Clearly it is possible to better keep these ships but they have made the choice not to. People keep booking the old ships so why spend money to maintain them better? Grandeur was supposed to be gone by now but we all know why that didn't happen. It appears Royal wants to get rid of them but can't right now. It seems they must have decided to run them into the ground to the point they can sail them on to a beach in some far off country to scrap them. Until then they will squeak out a few more dollars while they pay off the loans that were secured using these ships as collateral. It's a shame really.