mac_tlc

They were ok. Pleasant, personable, around the ship. We did not have a lot of opportunities to see the CD given what we did and did not do. mac_tlc

You get a Crystal block when you reach 140 points and then every 70 points after that (140, 210, 280, 350, 420, 490 and so on). I you just reached Diamond you are over 80 points, may still have a ways to go to get to 140 for that first block. mac_tlc

Welcome to Bayonne, NJ! We are safely aside at Cape Liberty and they are tying us up. When I woke up at about 5:30 and looked outside, I saw this: Good timing, I guess! We are in Group 24 and our scheduled debarkation time is 7:45. My guess is I’ll be pulling into the driveway at about 10:30ish. Later today, I will cap off our 5th cruise with a final post with some thoughts, comments and observations. Thanks for following along! I enjoy documenting our voyages for others waiting their turn. More later…… mac_tlc

Due to an exciting thunder and lightning storm, the Captains Corner was moved from Aquatheatre to Boleros — not exactly the same size venue. Interesting discussion, nothing earth shattering. Final lunch was here: Our first time at Portside BBQ and everyone thought it was really good and the portions are generous. Two can probably eat for $20. mac_tlc

For @wolfcathorse and @DELTABLUE , currently on Oasis and Captain is Capt. Goran and CD is Katie. mac_tlc

Off topic, but was thinking of you and your family as we see the wildfire devastation. Hope you were unaffected and doing well. mac_tlc

Maybe it’s true so far, but I have been on the delivery side of those calls and an investor call is never the place for bad news. Even during Covid their calls were positive — at least as positive as they could be given the environment. IMHO, the message is more detailed and less “marketing” in the one-on-one meetings with analysts. We shall see and it is really moot. At current prices, I’m not in —- and that’s all that matters to me. mac_tlc

Love those TA’s ! 👏👏

Us too. As you can see in my signature our next 4 are on E class. But their prices are also crazy now. Three of those four were booked over a year ago. mac_tlc

Captains corner at 10 in Aquatheatre, but the weather, it is a changing’.

We are in a similar situation. My guess, with no supporting data, is that the ships are full now but a large percentage of those cabins were booked a while ago when the prices were reasonable. I know we booked this cruise in November 2021, and 4 balcony cabins, double occupancy, was less than $10K total. Can’t get that now . Symphony’s same cruise next year is almost double. For the reason that @cruise wizard mentioned and others, I just can’t help but think that those occupancy numbers will drop once the “new” pricing becomes the norm. For the first time in 21 years, we have no Royal cruises on the books. And we are retired so time is not the issue. mac_tlc

Last sea day today 😞. This was on the bed last night: Block #5 and so far no duplicates. First one of the new design, looks ok. Might be a while before we get to #6, if it happens at all. A few more 7am pix today:

You have identified tomorrows mission! mac_tlc

We docked there yesterday, as far as I know everyone made it back on board 😏😏. mac_tlc

Our son/DIL have found three, our grandkids have found four at last count.

In the spirit of research, I was at the Freestyle machine near El Loco Fresh: I took my daughters mimosa cup, which was empty 😜, and placed it in the machine and hit “water” and the dispense button. This was the message: Seems like you can get a cup for just water. El Loco Fresh was not yet open so I could not complete the assignment 😂😂. Still have a day and a half left! mac_tlc

My foggy crystal ball says we have seen the last of Royal spending money on Broadway shows. In fact they are spending less everywhere. mac_tlc

Too bad it’s not on this week. Theatre entertainment is weak this cruise, haven’t been there once and we typically go often. mac_tlc

I was walking around at 7 this morning and it was wonderful. Not sure about that 4:30 thing though! 😜 A few morning pix:

Tonight’s festivities!

A few pictures of Oasis and Labadee from the Windjammer. Yah, I know I said earlier that I was not going to the Windjammer, but at 12:30 we needed food (😂) and Portside BBQ, Boardwalk Dog House, Johnny Rockets and Playmakers don’t open until 2:00. At least it wasn’t crowded and we found a seat in the back. This is the real reason we stayed on board —- a pool with almost no one in it !!

My wife likes it very cool— cooler than I prefer. Moving air makes it feel cooler so she asked for a fan. At home there is one in the bedroom year round. The room AC can vary from room to room. We have had some really cool and others not so much. For shows, there are three family shows that you can make reservations for. Aqua80 - in Aquatheatre. I strongly suggest you get reservations. For a March cruise, they will open somewhere around Feb 1, give or take. Frozen in Time - ice show. Reservations preferred but less necessary than Aqua80. Cats — lots of opinions here. Least necessary to have reservations. Adult comedy shows need reservations and usually fill quickly. To be honest, if you want to all eat in a specialty restaurant together, that’s a more important reservation to get, unless you are not picky regarding day and time. This is our 15th Oasis class voyage. Don’t stress about it too much. Lots of info on these boards. Ask any questions here or email me at “cc name” at Hotmail dot com. Planning is half the fun 😜😜. mac_tlc

We are here today and about 6000 people just got off. If it’s not safe we will have a rather exclusive sail up to NJ.

I agree and am looking forward to some actual experience from folks who have sailed in a suite before this and with the change. I am not cancelling our future ones yet, but am very wary of booking any others. mac_tlc

Having been involved in the development of similar type documents when I was working, that diatribe looks like a FAQ that would be provided to the call center and other customer facing people. I have three SS bookings affected and did not get any email, or even a response to my email to the Executive Office. mac_tlc