hallux

4 minutes ago, ChrisCJSU said:

I believe the engines are from a German company. 

Oops, read the wrong line...

3 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Yeah, but you pulled pollard, I was at a loss....good call...I’m assuming that’s correct..

If only there was a way to find out - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollard

I think mine did, but since I was only in my room to shower, change or sleep it didn't really matter much.

I'm curious what kind of damage this does to the ship, if any.  That bollard platform seemed to collapse fairly easily, maybe it's designed to do that to limit damage to ships?  It has you wondering though - how can it collapse so easily yet withstand being an anchor to tie up a large ship?

Seemed like the ship came in "hot", maybe a little fast for docking.

It appears @PTC DAWG and I had the same thoughts at the same time..

2 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Haven't had the virtually balcony before so that will be interesting

It's more gimmicky than anything.  How often are you in your cabin during the day?  I don't recall if it was turned off by my cabin steward at night or if she just closed the curtain in front of it.  If it's left on, you just see the virtual railing as there isn't much to see outside at night.

Keep an eye on SpaceX launch schedule.  There's a launch scheduled for "mid Feb".  If they pick Feb. 18 (though they might know by now if that's the date) expect a long wait to get to KSC.

Just now, KimPossible1 said:

People who are upset about dress code need to realize the world doesn't revolve around them and what they think and want people to do, say or dress

The same could be said for those that choose to wear shorts and flip-flops to the main dining room.  Would that attire be allowed in any decent restaurant on land?  I'm talking places that are a step up from chains.

The Joy's "Concierge Level" is where the Bliss has the Studio/solo cabins and Studio lounge (all inside cabins).  The Joy appears to still have a Haven section as well.

Definitely need a taxi or vehicle transportation of some kind.

The sense of self-respect (or lack of) people have these days is appalling!  Shoot - I feel awkward wearing a baseball cap when grabbing a lunch at a rest area on the highway, I would NEVER consider wearing one in a dining venue on a cruise ship (well, MAYBE the Windjammer, because I think I have)

A similar sense of disgust can be applied to what some people wear when getting on a plane.  Even when traveling for personal reasons, I don't feel right in anything less than jeans and a polo.

Maybe I'm old-school?

Could also be that a family emergency necessitated it...

Charging extra for the water park on their private island that can only be accessed while on a cruise?  OUCH.  I guess it's a way to limit overcrowding in that part of the island..

1 hour ago, kerryincork said:

Also because you are staying in an inside, I feel this encourages you to participate more in the cruise.

SPOT ON!  I've only been on 2 cruises but by having the inside cabin you're encouraged to roam the ship and participate in the fun activities the CD has planned.  Some ships have places besides the pool deck that folks can go to relax, read, and enjoy scenery.

On my last cruise I said that next time I'd want a balcony.  Well, that hasn't happened.  By the way - if folks think the regular inside cabins are tight, they should see what the "studio" cabins are like.  I'm by no means claustrophobic, but they are definitely small.  However I only spent sleep/rest/clean-up/clothes changing time in there so it wasn't horrible.  The new ships (and the old ones that have been through a dry dock recently) have SOOO much to do.

@matj2000 even worse is that a quick Google search gives you the answer.  "Royal Caribbean carry-on drink policy" with the top result being the FAQ on RCI's website - https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/food-drink-onboard-policy

I guess it's easier to ask and have the answer provided..

6 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

What is a long drive?  Long to one person can be reasonable to another

I'm inclined to agree with this.  I love driving on road trips, so the 3-3.5 hour trip from home to the port when we cruised out of Bayonne was no problem for me, and I was hardly tired from it as the person you quoted thought people might be.

My next cruise departs from a port on the other side of the country so I'll be flying in the day before.

Here's the page with info on it - http://www.royalcaribbean.com/royaliq  $7.95 per device covers the whole cruise.

Seems it's only on Anthem, Ovation and Quantum.  However - there was discussion previously about things being revamped so the replacement may be on other ships already.

1 minute ago, BonnieSte said:

1) I haven't been on RCCL in a couple of years. Last year when I was on Carnival they had an app to download on your phone and you could text with someone in your party when you got      separated. Has RCCL come up with anything similar?

Some ships have this, at an extra cost.  You sign up once on board, need to have the Royal IQ app (this is what it was on Anthem last April, it may be changing) on each device, then when you open the app you can sign up for the messaging feature.  Each device has to pay the fee.

For what it's worth - we used Google Hangouts.  At the time there was a "hole" in the firewall that allowed that and (apparently) Apple's Messages apps to work without paying for internet.  Don't rely on that, the hole could be closed at any time.

Will they be required to remove them for the slide?  That might be the answer to the question.

Tip - Royal has several ships that can be abbreviated AOS, might help for other topics to identify by the actual name...

And apparently the picture needs to include your shoulders in the bottom of the frame.  I uploaded one last year and they had to re-take it during check-in because it needed shoulders in it for some reason.  At least that's what I recall as being the issue.  For what it's worth, all 3 of us that arrived at the port in my vehicle had the same issue or at least needed our pictures re-taken..

Except you start running into spring break for primary/grade school districts.  In my region they're usually one side or the other of Easter (April 21 this year so likely April 15-19 or 22-26) so cruises in that time frame could have families with kids on them.  I agree with others - an 8 day cruise isn't as attractive to folks on that kind of schedule so it might not be AS bad...

10 minutes ago, Sky111 said:

Because, I called NCL and they said they never heard of it and the State Department said DO NOT LEAVE IT ON SHIP, so I would like to see someone confirm or substantiate it, if this bothers you perhaps you can un-follow this thread. 
 Sheesh!!!

To be fair - you spoke to someone in a call center when you called NCL.  The best person to answer that kind of question is the security officer on the ship on which you sail.  The State Department is going to give you the answer to the worst-case scenario so that they are covered in case something does happen where you need your passport but they told you to leave it on the ship.

My opinion might not mean much, having only been to 2 foreign ports on cruises so far, I believe I took my passport when I got off the ship, but in neither port was I planning on going to the beach so I didn't have that consideration.  It's really a situation of gambling either way - if you take it with you there's always the risk of losing it in some way, if you leave it on the ship there's the possibility you return late to the port and your passport was NOT retrieved and handed to the port agent (I won't comment on this happening or not, or if there's a policy to do this or not, I simply don't know as I haven't seen it happening).

In the banner at the top of the page is a "research" section, then you can pick to research Alaska cruises and view ratings of ships sailing in Alaska.  Here's the link I ended up at, to help you out - https://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=1&section=ships

That's at least a start.

On 2/5/2019 at 1:44 PM, TanaQ said:

Or do I just buy the tix from the Space center and Uber it? Thank you!

Depending on when you're there (or if you pre-purchase the tickets) - not a great idea.  I was on Anthem last April, it was during a school break week and there was a SpaceX launch that day.  We spent 3 hours on the bus between the port and KSC.  Halfway there they found out that anyone that didn't already have tickets was being turned away (we did, through the excursion, of course).  They ended up requesting to detour us on roads only open to KSC vehicles, and getting approval for it.

Now, we may have run into unusual circumstances - 2 or 3 ships in port (there was a Disney ship there and maybe another RCI ship at another terminal), spring break week, SpaceX launch - but it was one of those situations that reinforces suggestions to just go through the cruise line since the tour went out of their way to get us there (and in time for the launch).  I was glad we had only done the transportation and entry, we hardly had time to do much while there.

6 hours ago, SRF said:

My TA just runs my credit card through to the cruise line for payment.

Mine did the same, on a Sunday even.  She sent me an email early in the morning, then called me at a reasonable hour to confirm the final payment and any changes I wanted to make so she could make the adjustments while on the phone with them.

I believe when you sign up for the app package you are assigned a "phone number" in the app so others can communicate with you through the app.  If you don't sign up for the $9.99 app communication package, that wouldn't be assigned so you couldn't communicate with others through the app.