twangster

You can book the train direct with the Alaskan railroad or through Royal. Direct offers Goldstar service with a dome car or regular service. In the past the charter train through Royal didn't have goldstar services. When booked direct the train uses the general downtown train station in Anchorage and a general purpose station in Seward. When booked as a charter train through Royal it leaves from the airport station in Anchorage and terminates at the cruise ship pier. The train direct leaves early in the day, the charter train later in the day. Either way once you hand your luggage to the train in Anchorage it is delivered outside your cabin door on the ship. In Seward they offer complimentary motorcoach service from direct train station for the ~ 1 mile distance to the pier. I've walked it both times I booked direct. Took about 15 minutes.

£2400? I think that's the gratuity charge on icon. 🙂

The expected handover and build cycle of new builds may shed some light on deployment plans. If a new build Royal mega ship handover will occur at the end of the EU summer season or in the winter it's unlikely they would deploy that ship into the Med. and more likely to send it to America where it can more likely sell out quickly over the winter Caribbean season. How open are UK and EU residents to paying the exorbitant new ship premiums that Royal enjoys? I haven't tracked other lines new builds in Europe like MSC or AIDA. Do they charge outrageous new ship premiums for their new builds as well?

Royal is part owner of the Freeport shipyard. Carnival is another major partner. Strange bedfellows but that's what it is.

So weird you quoted words I never posted.

I missed that they stopped offering gluten free. Bummer.

Promised? Like a pinky promise? Man I feel left out. I just click to agree to a contract that has no promises about small things like half & half.

Disappointed but there isn't a lot that can be done about it.

FYI Dear Esteemed Guest, We are thrilled to welcome you soon to the wondrous unspoiled beauty of the Galápagos and your ultra-luxury voyage aboard the aptly designed Silver Origin. Today, we have important information to share with you regarding your pre-cruise arrangements. Recently, we were notified of extensive preventative maintenance operations scheduled for the Quito Airport, affecting flight operations this Fall. As such, you will fly directly to Guayaquil, Ecuador avoiding Quito, and all pre-cruise arrangements, including the Machu Pichu and Cloud Forest land programs, will be conducted now from Guayaquil. All guests on a standard Galápagos voyage will now stay at the Oro Verde Hotel, Guayaquil, before their cruise for the same number of overnights previously planned. Silversea has likely already communicated this information via phone. Still, to clarify today, we will also reschedule all transfer arrangements from the airport to the hotel and hotel to the airport for the flight to San Cristóbal to embark on the ship. For guests with air travel arranged through Silversea, we will secure new flight arrangements for your arrival in Guayaquil and communicate the updated flight itinerary once the change is made. For guests with independent travel arrangements, please contact your travel professional and/or airline as soon as possible to secure a new flight into Guayaquil. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this unexpected situation may bring and thank you for your understanding. If you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to contact your travel advisor or cruise consultant. We all look forward to sharing the authentic beauty of this unforgettable region with you. Best personal regards, Barbara MuckermannPresident and CEO

Liberian corporations these days... jeez.

Challenge Bayley to blind milk taste test.

Royal wants more bodies on the ship because a sizable amount of revenue comes from onboard spend. The cruise fare is just one component. A second guest also pays the daily service charge that goes towards compensation for some positions. Because of this there are often some fares that are cheaper for two to book and these are sometimes unavailable for a solo to book. GTY fares sometimes are unavailable for solo to book. Royal would rather motivate you to find a friend or family to go in their place so that person can spend money on board. They don't want to promote the idea of booking a fake guest to take advantage of lower fares that are there to put people on the ship. A ship full of solo cruisers would lose a lot of money.

I have sailed Explorer, Ovation and Quantum into Endicott Arm. When I sailed Explorer to Alaska in 2018 the ship stopped and turned in the same spot in Endicott Arm. The only difference was the ship did two full turns before heading back out the channel. Typically Quantum class doesn't do full turns at the "turning spot" where many ships turn around. Absent of ice flows Quantum and Ovation go just as far as Explorer did back then.

I book cruises after final as a solo at prevailing rates. It all depends on how that cruise is selling. Royal has shifted DP340 to become available mid-August now which is loosely the time frame OP is talking (next month). Royal did that since the summer peak is winding down in August. People upgrade cabins since no price drops are allowed after final so changes can be made after final at prevailing rates. People do it all the time when better cabins are more affordable. All OP has to do is call and ask "what if?" to get the answer. "Don't make any changes but what if one guest can't sail?"

IIRC the internet on Spectrum was pretty bad for her repo to Asia. Maybe now with Starlink on Anthem the repo can have decent internet for any "Live from" trip reports.

The way I read the post if she officially cancels then daughter becomes a proper solo who would get an extra point but with the risk that the cruise is repriced at prevailing rates for solo.

I've gone to JVD twice but only one time from Tortola. I booked the excursion offered by the ship.

Genuinely curious how many would sail for 50 nights. I'm sure some would, but how many?

I could tell you, but then...

Until it's offered for sale it is subject to change.

There has been some questions or uncertainty regarding Quantum after she finishes her Oct.1 to Oct. 14 Vancouver to Hawaii cruise in 2024 given this deployment summary (updated July 11. 2023): It appears Quantum will have a non-revenue 13 nights from Hawaii to Singapore Oct. 14 to 28, drydock for 22 nights Oct. 28 to Nov. 19 then the known repo to Brisbane.

Anthem Oct. 14 - 23, 2024 9 Nights Southampton to Rome Oct. 23 - Nov. 7, 2024 15 Night Suez Canal Nov. 7 to Nov. 21, 2024 14 Night Spice Route Nov. 21 to Nov. 25, 2024 4 Night Penang and Phuket

Approx. 2 days before a cruise begins the cruise is effectively transferred and under the control of the ship. However that doesn't mean they will offer cabin changes once they have the cruise. You can ask at guest services, it never hurts to ask, but I'm guessing they will ask you come back once the ship has sailed on the next cruise so you'll have to move cabins and then try. They do sometimes keep a cabin or two available for unplanned incidents and someone may be a no-show so it's possible, but it's impossible to predict your chances.

Perhaps that is why they wait. Opening new bookings too early may lead to price differences later on. Waiting allows them to set opening rates based on current market factors.

Celebrity has offered that 77% of short term cruises are booked < 6 months from sail date. Singapore is mostly a short cruise market. While not all Singapore cruises are 3/4/5 nights, the majority are. Short cruise markets typically book on shorter notice compared to the traditional cruise market. Consequently there is no hurry to release them this far in advance.