Ret MP

How widespread is Starlink, now? I seem to remember reading an article not long ago, within a year, that said that is still only available to certain locations and it had a color-coded map of the U.S. and surrounding seas/countries. My impression is that it's not yet available on Transatlantic/pacific cruises, at least not for the entire cruise, only when within XX miles of certain countries. If that is correct, is there a secondary system to cover the, not yet available areas? The article also said that Starlink was working aggressively to make its services more and more available to the merchant marine, military, and other sea-faring entities.

And that's why I'll never cruise on that cruise line. I already don't cruise on their parent company.

Sargassum has been declared an essential fish habitat and shelter for sea life. So, there is a touchy balance that has to be made as far as eradicating it. It is very beneficial to aquatic life. Sargassum does not provide a serious health problem to humans UNLESS IT IS LEFT TO DECAY ON BEACHES. And that doesn't usually begin until after it's been on the beach for at least 2 days. My comment is related to "tourist venues" which should be willing and able to remove any amount of Sargassum from their beach. I'm not talking about you or me hand-raking it. As a former avid Dolphin (the Mahi Mahi type) fisher, we loved finding the seaweed lines as that's where the Dolphins were. Sargassum is cyclical, like the climate. Scarce for some periods and abundant for other times. There will be records broken both good and bad. I literally grew up on the Dania beach and seaweed wasn't something we concerned ourselves with. And the cities didn't have the heavy equipment to remove it, back then. It was just left to decay or be pulled back into the ocean and sank as food for the sea life. BTW, Sargassum is a source for covering sea turtle eggs and offered some sort of protection. I'm not saying Sargassum is good, I'm not saying it's bad. I'm only saying that it isn't and should not be of concern, at least not to the level of canceling a vacation/cruise. Let's let the tourist establishments worry about it and not go where they don't/can't or where no civilization exists.

Parking at the Miami Terminals (POM) is so convenient. If you dig deep into your pocket and pay for the convenience, you'll be glad you did. And like stated, after paying the price for a hotel that also gives long-term parking and then possibly transportation from the hotel to the port, you're better off with the POM parking option. JMHO

I honestly don't get the big deal being made of Seaweed. The resorts and big tourist venues/locations will remove the seaweed, as needed. I grew up in Dania, FL and seaweed was a fact of life. Just go and enjoy your vacation, it's no big deal. If the resort or destination doesn't remove the seaweed, I wouldn't go back. My older brother and I treated seaweed like we did pillow fights. We just made sure that there wasn't any Man-O-War in the seaweed.

This is a live webcam from Miami, the seaweed is there and usually is: https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/plan-your-trip/miami-webcams

Will Royal be only building large ships for now on? I sure hope so. However, I'm not unsympathetic to those that like the older and smaller ships. I also agree with many of the other comments, the trend with the big 3 or 4 operators is to go big. Having said all that, I believe that there is a niche market that likes to go places that many don't and some cruise lines will bend over backward to satisfy them and build ships that satisfies that little niche with the smaller ships. There are also current itineraries that can't support the larger ships but are profitable with the traditional/smaller ships.

While I'm one of the "older crown" (71), I'm right there with you. I may bring a pair of jeans. But, I do wear a POLO SS shirt. Otherwise, it's a nice pair of shorts and a POLO SS shirt. The taste of my food doesn't change because of what I wear or what someone else wears. Complete transparency: I'm not a big fan of the MDR. So, I may go there once during a 7 or 8-day cruise, for the evening meal.

Oh so true. Usually, things are not enforced because of many factors. Lazy employees, untrained employees, and/or weak leadership. Possibly other factors, too. However, if I have a 75% chance of skirting around a rule/regulation/policy/whatever, I don't want to be within the 25% of people that do get caught, get embarrassed, and/or inconvenienced. AND, I'd like to think that I have more integrity than that. It's just toooooooo easy to follow the rules. No, I'm not claiming a moral superiority over anybody else, it's just my upbringing and my convictions.

I find and have said that a person's attitude going into something has a lot to do with how you perceive things and how others (like the crew) perceive/treat you. I'm sure there are some valid complaints. But, if someone has built a reputation of being a complainer, the people that are supposed to provide great service will shy away and things will be overlooked. JFFT

Very true. But, we all use our own devices but we are courteous with each other and we never leave a device logged into the internet. Log out and turn the device off, every time, on a cruise and at home. I even turn off all sensors, camera, and mic., on my phone unless I need them on a case-by-case basis.

IC's are not told how to do their jobs, just what the minimum standard is. For example, an IC doctor on a ship isn't told by the Captain or anyone on the ship how to do their doctoring. Same for a cabin Steward, if an IC. They are told to clean the cabin, not how to do it. And both are on short-term contracts. The U.S. Government doesn't have "Treaties" with businesses, only with other countries, about 200 of them a year. The U.S. Government has rules, laws, and regulations, for those businesses that do business in the U.S.

When I cruise with my youngest daughter and her family (husband and two kids, kids are older teens) we buy the package for one device. Fortunately, none of her family, my wife, and I are Internet-dependent, we're all very little usage, folks, at least on a cruise. So, if I for example need to upload a few pictures and/or a short video or two, I let everybody else know when I'm done and logged off. They may want to use it or not. But, for us, it's never an issue.

Bangers and Mash are always a hit for me. Don't think I've ever seen it on a cruise, though. Also, Spotted Dick. Some may say that all I/we need to do is get whatever sausage is available on the buffet and Peas and mashed potatoes. But, I don't think it is the same, though.

Did you happen to notice if the "contract" says anywhere on it that, "it's subject to change at any time with or without notice" or words to that effect? I don't know if it does or doesn't, just a suggestion.

My answer here is nothing to do with two-dollar bills: I never said I wouldn't continue reading the thread. And, it was honestly a mistake. At 70+ years old, many lines get blurred.

Oops, I wasn't going to comment on this thread anymore. I honestly thought it was another thread.

Thanks, but no thanks. My Experience: More of the crew seem to enjoy getting them than not. And like I said, "it is a convenience factor for ME! Yes, I said, "for ME"! That doesn't necessarily mean that it is an inconvenience for others. BTW, there are 1.4 billion two-dollar bills in circulation. Yes, I said, "Billion". The least denomination but in circulation, for sure. But, not extinct and not useless.

I answered that but it looks like page 22 has been deleted. LOL

Ultimately, it is up to the individual, if he/she is a U.S. Citizen and/or a U.S. resident to report and pay taxes if owed, no matter where they work (U.S. Citizens have to report and pay no matter where they work/live). I would not be a bit surprised if the U.S. doesn't have an agreement with cruise lines that if they port in any way at U.S. Ports, they agree to follow all pertinent rules, regulations, and laws of the U.S., including the IRS', or it's just baked in the cake. Therefore, if I'm right, the cruise line is obligated to withhold from employees' taxes if they are W-2 employees or provide an IC with a 1099 and withhold taxes if they want to. But, it is the individual's responsibility to pay self-employment taxes, report them quarterly (or whatever the current requirement(s) are), and on and on. Also, it doesn't matter where or how (with few exceptions) an individual receives compensatory wages, they have to report it to the IRS and pay the legally assessed taxes if any. BTW, if the cruise line fails/refuses/is ignorant of the IRS laws, the individual (U.S. Citizens and/or U.S. Residents) is still legally responsible to report and pay. There are two certains in the U.S., taxes, and death.

When I put in a bid, it isn't when I already have a suite purchased, only when I have the everyday run-of-the-mill balcony cabin. NOTE: I'm not trying to speak for anyone else.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=3018 Got this in an email today. On RCCL I don't have a problem with any of them except 1 and 6. 1. I don't eat bait 6. I don't like anybody touching my plate or food, nobody, not even family. At the end of the article, there is a link for how to eat healthily on a ship. Man O man, I guess they don't get the point of a cruise. LOL

I put in bids but at the very minimum amount. I figure, why not, have nothing to lose and if I win, I get a bigger cabin with some benefits for just a few hundred dollars more. No, I've never won a bid. Imagine that! LOL

Okay, this subject has jumped the shark, and the dead horse has been beaten ad nauseam. For the final time, I've said what I've said and I don't reverse anything I've said, I stand by it. So, I am out for sure. If someone posts something that I've got verifiably wrong, I'll admit to it and apologize for any misdirection that it may have caused.