twangster

It's not a hack or even an exploit. Royal published these webpages on the internet for everyone in the world to view. No cracking, hacking, passwords or exploiting required. You just have to know to look for them. This is more commonly referred to as an easter egg. Website developers and sometime software developers hide something in plain sight, just like an easter egg. If you go looking for them, they are right there for you to find. Keep in mind the dates may be subject to change. Only when Royal officially announces the Utopia schedule will we know for sure.

Unknown. Air draft is not a precise number and not yet published for Icon. However both Oasis and Allure were built in Turku, Finland and had to pass under the Great Belt bridge and so will Icon, also built in Turku, Finland. A large ship can't get to the open ocean from Turku without passing under the Great Belt bridge. In the video below Oasis is stated to have an air draft of 72m versus the Great Belt bridge clearance at 65m. So how did Oasis make it under the bridge? Watch the video. Allure: The Verrazano Narrows bridge in the New York area is said to have around 69m of clearance. Ultimately only Royal and the shipyard in Turku knows the answer to this question. But if Oasis and Allure can clear a 65m bridge...

Some ships call it "Dress to Impress". Across the fleet there is no rigid dress code. If you are seeking a cruise line with a rigid formal dress code that is enforced Royal is not your cruise line. If you are trying to avoid a cruise line that imposes and enforces a formal dress code then Royal is for you.

Would you consider Quantum to be a bigger downgrade? It wasn't that long ago that Singapore had Quantum. At least Anthem has outdoor Windjammer seating. I've always loved that about the pre-Ultra Q class. Spectrum is the only Q class I haven't sailed. For me they are all very close except for the open MDR on the ultra Q. Anthem has been "anchored" to Bayonne for a very long time. Singapore has benefited from a variety of different ships. All home ports around the world sometimes get a ship that is older than the one it is replacing. Port Canaveral is getting "old" Allure. Port Canaveral got "old" Jewel and "old" Mariner. Soon Miami gets "old" Allure. Port Everglades got "old" Liberty after having "new" Odyssey. Such is life.

Signage isn't something that requires a dry dock. They converted Ovation's Kung Fu Panda to a Fish n Ships during a revenue cruise as an example. They closed off the area during an Alaska cruise and by the time that voyage was over it was reopened as Fish n Ships. Changing most signs, if that was a requirement, for the most part isn't a terribly demanding task. However I don't think they would go through the expense to change signage unless she was heading to China eventually and I don't expect that outcome for Anthem. It's more likely something OA size will eventually go to China if the 2024 China Spectrum relaunch is as successful as I expect it to be. There are dry docks in Singapore that can service Q class ships so that may be part of the strategy behind moving Anthem there. Anthem can get her 2025 dry dock done at the shipyard were Ovation and Quantum have been serviced. With 2025 cruises not open yet they can put that on the calendar and not disrupt bookings. If Anthem is home ported in Singapore in 2025 there would be no major crossing required to reach the shipyard for a dry dock so the loss of revenue is minimized compared to sailing empty transatlantics like a number of Royal ships have done in the Atlantic recently. The short Singapore market looks to have been successful addition with an occasional 12 night to Japan as icing on the revenue cake. With Spectrum returning to China they didn't want to lose the momentum they've built in Singapore so Anthem is the solution.

Starlink is changing every week, More satellites go up, new FCC applications are approved, stuff changes. There can be regional or isolated challenges with a particular gateway city. These are addressed and improvements made. If a residential Starlink subscriber is bound to that problem spot they live it daily but they will also see if change overnight when it's fixed. A moving ship touches dozens of gateway cities along the itinerary. A bad day for a cruise ship guest can be localized to a specific location but that can change week to week. It doesn't mean the next cruise on the same itinerary will have the same bad spot a week later. Starlink is very different compared to O3b/SES and vastly different from legacy geostationary satellite service. You can't apply satellite knowledge or issues from these older services to Starlink. Over time Starlink gets better and better and that can be measured in small steps week to week. A moment in time review from a particular ship and a particular user is great feedback but immediately dated the moment it's posted.

In the US you can add flights any time, even after final payment due date. Unsure about UK specific rules.

As far as Utopia goes, remember Liberty has stated the new revenue modeling holds back some inventory and releases it down the road. The new process doesn't make everything available all at once. This allows the hype to drive up rates, especially for suites, so expect reduced inventory, especially suites, on opening day and then at some point later they will make more inventory available at higher rates.

A few weeks after our transit and they are doing some much needed maintenance on one of the Pedro Miguel lock chambers. https://news.yahoo.com/panama-canal-maintenance-aims-extend-015009778.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall A rare look into a mostly dry lock chamber. 📷: AFP

Thank you. The excursions for Penang don't seem to be very exciting at the moment. Hopefully more will be coming or I'll just self-explore.

They said the same in 2019 on Ovation's first ever Alaska cruise but then we went out the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Technically it is the Inside Passage, just not the Inside Passage people expect.

Yes but you can't just go to one port over and over. With Phuket unavailable for OA class, what other port could supplement a 4 night itinerary? I'm curious why they mostly do 3/4 for Q class from Singapore. Is that the quintessential getaway for a Singaporean? Are longer itineraries not as popular in the region? The 5 night are not as common and then it jumps to 12 nights. Is it not possible to create a 7 night itinerary from Singapore? Do other cruise lines offer anything different? I'm booked on Spectrum in 2024 and I'm looking to go again. It's hard to make the dates work for me. 12 nights is too long but 3/4 is too short. It's a long way for me to go for 3/4.

One of Singapore's primary ports of call is by tender. Phuket. If you take Phuket away what does that do for Singapore potential OA class itineraries?

I think Anthem dry docked in 2020 just as the pandemic began. I was supposed to be on the Anthem transatlantic to Europe right after sailing on Allure's TA to Spain but that was Spring 2020 right when the world went mad. Maybe they added shore power to Anthem in 2020. I was surprised to see Radiance accept shore power in California a few weeks ago. Who knew little old Radiance had shore power capability?

The power lines can't be raised but they are in the part of the BC Inside Passage North of Vancouver. Most cruisers associate the BC Inside Passage as being the route North of Vancouver on the way to or from Alaska. Large ships can't go this way so it's a good reason to book smaller ships like Radiance class from Vancouver. If you consider the lower part of the Strait Of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca where Victoria is located to be part of the Inside Passage you can argue that to get from Vancouver to Seattle you use the Inside Passage. Anything between the mainland and Vancouver Island I guess is technically part of the Inside Passage. C-MAP.com:

Not sure if Anthem has shore power capability required for California CARB regulations. The problem with 3 Q class in Alaska is that they have to use Seattle as the home port which limits itineraries and potential embarkation day of the week. Seattle is a busy home port in the summer for multiple cruise lines with limited berths. Radiance class uses Vancouver and the BC Inside Passage, another waterway off limits to Q class due to power line height restrictions.

We don't know yet. My best guess is no but I have nothing to support that guess. Time will tell.

Perhaps they meant Nicaragua? Or it was outdated information. No testing was required for this cruise. Passports are required and IIRC they must have six months validity. Other than that there were no unusual requirements.

Exactly. That's the problem.

I think if you get can over your stereotype you'll find many Pinnacle have sailed other lines. Folks who have the ability to spend the amount of a house on one cruise line have probably sailed other lines.

Nothing is official until it's announced, but if I were a gambling man, I wouldn't put my money anywhere other than PCN.

The subject of this thread was cabin attendants, particularly in light of dropping service to once a day. As you note there are other positions that benefit from the DSC. I think people who remove the DSC do them a great injustice as there is no way to manually provide a cash tip to everyone who benefits from the DSC. I agree the DSC schema is misleading and it isn't very transparent to guests but it is what it is. That is one of the reasons why I don't remove the DSC. Despite not liking it or fully understanding all of it, I believe the safest course of action without hurting crew is let it be.

That's not entirely accurate. They are paid the minimum rates as required for all seafarers. That is all that is guaranteed as it is required. The maximum potential total compensation is not guaranteed or made up by the company when they fall short of that for any reason, i.e. performance or DSC being removed by guests. Minimum wage in any state, province or country is irrelevant.

Took a friend up to Seaside a few days ago. The drop off and parking at T6 (Seaside) and T10 (Getaway) was a mess. In 30 minutes we went 100' at best. Ended up dropping him at the empty T5 drop off and he walked over from there. The days of driving to the port are over for me. Rideshare all the time now. MCO isn't any better. All parking is routinely full. I don't know what it is or where everyone is going but everyone is going somewhere.

I've heard people state they want Royal to do that, but I've yet to see Royal say it.