markeb

I seriously think she’s just the executor of policy. And she’s NOT a CEO. I think that change in terminology was intentional…

I’m pretty sure anyone who could photoshop the Ion pic above could photoshop that $2 cookie sign. If they’re really going to do it, sell them for enough that it actually looks like a premium product! $2 is just insulting. Like 2 Buck Chuck!

We’ve only sailed in Sky Suites twice, but both times the signs in the cabin specifically stated the minibar was NOT included in any drink package. The first time there was no suggestion that the minibar could be used as a suite perk, and we didn’t. The most recent sailing our butler said don’t worry and constantly restocked water and Diet Coke. I’m pretty sure the official policy NEVER included the minibar. I guess I view this as a return to official policy, not elimination of a perk (that never officially existed).

I recall the poster saying there were no cookies. I don’t recall them confirming there were cookies for a fee.

This would be one of the most boneheaded ideas in the history of boneheaded ideas, but… The original post is a repost from an unnamed (and probably unnameable) other site. Does anyone on this thread have independent confirmation? Are we sure we’re not spinning out of control on a bad piece of photoshop? If it’s there, I missed it. If they’ve suddenly decided to sell cookies, $2 is just a meaningless annoyance. It’s not even worth programming a sell key!

I think I’ve done it twice. Last time on Equinox about a year ago. It’s somewhat hit or miss. As stated, it’s the travel edition no age statement whisky. On Equinox I believe it was someone from Craft Social doing the tasting. Not horribly knowledgeable and reading a lot. They also oversold the tasting. I have a lot of OBC in November, so I’ll never say never. If there are some serious whisky drinkers in your group, it can be fun. But everything they’re tasting can only be bought at duty free.

You're not cargo, so it wouldn't be the Jones Act. That's your first clue that something's wrong with what they're telling you. It would be the PVSA. Where do you start and where do you end? Is it the same ship? If you are going from Seattle to Sydney on the same ship without a break, then it's not a PVSA violation. If you are going from Seattle to Honolulu and BREAKING TRAVEL, to include changing ships, before continuing to Sydney, yes, it's a PVSA violation. What's your actual itinerary in total? Including ship. Where do you start, where do you end, and do you change ships or have a break in travel (overnight or multiple days in Honolulu) along the way?

Touche... One of the challenges on the board. Royal Caribbean Group, which calls itself RCG but used to be Royal Caribbean Cruises, Limited, and trades under the symbol of RCL.

Or sell... Eventually shareholders demand a ROE.

It's RCG, not RCL. Are you sure your 401(k) doesn't invest in RCG? Probably not, as they're not rated high on anyone's buy list, and haven't paid a dividend in several years. But there are probably people on this board who have more than a 100 share for OBC investment in RCG. That's why some care. And yes, according to their 10-Q, RCG is at a $376M net profit through the last quarter versus a $1.529B loss for the same quarter in 2022. They've got a long ways to go to recover their losses for 2020-2022.

And? Look fine to me. Edit: Sorry. Missed the earlier post.

Fascinating examples... Kmart never really did anything well. It was inexpensive and had a decent operational efficiency model. Some guy from Arkansas who liked to dress in overalls created an empire out of low prices and operational efficiency. You want to hear a true horror story, talk to a trucker who missed his dock time by 2 minutes at a Walmart... Kate Jackson clothing line? Really? Kmart was destroyed by Walmart. As was Sears. And they didn't see it coming. Service Merchandise was likewise outflanked by Walmart, Circuit City!, Best Buy, and Bed Bath and Beyond! Circuit City is long gone and Bed Bath and Beyond is in liquidation last I looked. Haven't looked at their financials lately, but Best Buy is hardly secure. Some guy from Seattle largely outflanked all of them, again with an operational efficiency model. Sell everything. Let the buyer purchase online. Deliver it overnight. Rinse and repeat. I have serious concerns with X at this point, but it's from a strategic point. Beyond paying shareholders, what is RCG's strategy? How do they differentiate Royal from Celebrity from Seaborne? They brought in a president, who is NOT a CEO with a specific history that she's executing (again, not a CEO; I have to believe she's being directed and is good at what she's been directed to do) that people on this board don't like. But if it makes money, the shareholders will, and that's the obligation of the Board and CEO. And speaking of beer, what beer? One of the seeming 10,000 brands now part of AB-InBev? Let's really talk about consolidation!

Straight from the RCG 10-Q: "Net cash provided by operating activities was $2.7 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to cash used of $0.1 billion for the same period in 2022. The increase of $2.8 billion was primarily attributable to higher bookings, and occupancy in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022." (Emphasis added.) That's RCG as Celebrity is not a reporting entity to the SEC. Doesn't directly answer the question as those are likely bookings before the recent changes, but if the next 10-Q looks the same, I'd suggest the gnashing of teeth on Cruise Critic isn't actually representative of the corporate health of RCG. And since Celebrity is essentially a subsidiary, there's no way to answer the question.

Was it free in the MDR that night? First or second chic night? it’s not a good look either way, but it’s a very bad look if they charged you for a free MDR entree! I don’t do lobster, but I think I would have told the head waiter where he could put his lobster. And I don’t do that…

I'm just trying to make sure I've got this right. They charged you for the lobster that was an extra charge item on the MDR menu? The shrimp cocktail would have been a no extra charge MDR item? I have mixed feelings about that. I kind of get it, and kind of don't. They may literally not have a way to order the MDR "Premium Selections" without charging them to a customer (or no simple way). On the other hand, I've never known them to charge in Luminae. But they didn't charge you for an on-menu item from Luminae, which is how I originally read your post.

Yeah. The thread is already off the rails, so I don't think I can hijack it... I rarely order steak on a cruise. I don't eat it that much anyway at this point in my life, and I'd rather have either a grilled/smoked steak (probably ribeye these days) medium rare to medium, and thin slice it to share with my wife, OR filet au poivre vert with green pepper corns. But I can make both of those, as good or sometimes better (maybe not the filet au poivre; that's a lot of work). I don't really do lamb, so that's my cruise "go to". That "ribeye" is honestly bizarre. Oh, well...

As someone who generally doesn't order lobster, other than an occasional lobster roll, which is better? Because the top looks a lot better to me. There appears to be no need to bury it in a heavy cream sauce. But again, lobster isn't my thing...

We actually started cruising on HAL, but in our 40's. Loved the service, food was great, and they had an amazing wine program. But our last HAL cruise was 2006, and I'm reading with interest what others are saying now. The HAL crowd at the time was, politely, not young (OK, we probably dropped the median age by 15 years). From what I'm reading lately, I'd probably seriously look at the "new" HAL, but honestly we're just not sure how much cruising we're going to do going forward. There's a lot of the world that's not near a coast. I'd rather spend a week (or more) in Tuscany and Veneto than cruising around Italy for the same amount of time. We rarely do production shows. I have the Kennedy Center 30 miles away and can be on Broadway on a 3-hour train. We do like interesting live music (something Celebrity struggles with a bit). Way back in the day, a number of HAL venues felt like small music clubs, and on one cruise we spent a few nights talking to the musicians on their breaks. That's not something you really do on Celebrity. Can't really answer the OPs question, but those are my thoughts tonight!

You have to look at the different venues in the app. My upcoming Equinox cruise has no bottles in the MDR, but they’re listed in the specialties and Luminae. I assume Blu as well. What are you looking for? The list in the app isn’t always by variety, and there’s some clear insanity on the list and pricing, especially for Chardonnay (and probably Cabernet Sauvignon).

Assuming it’s the same as Equinox… It was closed almost the entire cruise. It’s where they held the Johnny Walker tasting on one of the last evenings. Which is unfortunate as Johnny Walker is a whiskey without the “e”… I believe I’ve seen Jack Daniels events there in the past. Great potential space badly underused!

That's how hotel pricing works. I'm assuming the higher priced night is the night before the cruise? It's a little odd in a tourist area for Sunday to be more expensive than Saturday (assuming we're all reading this right); that's typical of business hotels. But I'm not surprised. I'm guessing cruises are leaving Saturday, and you have a slightly unusual Monday departure. Demand is higher on Sunday and projected to be higher. Prices are higher. We're going to Munich in September (yes, for Oktoberfest). The hotel rates are over €400 a night, except for the last night, the last weekend night of Oktoberfest, when they drop to €200. Yes, that's 50% less. Dynamic pricing, business analytics, and awareness (algorithm driven and probably moving to AI driven). Just like airfare, rental cars, and cruises...

We've done a couple of behind the scenes tours on both Royal and Celebrity and I remember the discussion of production shows. They install new shows during major renovations/dry docks apparently. So about 5 years is the norm. Probably all cruise lines. Others like it, but we’ve never successfully made it through Topper…

Actually, you did. Hence the question. If that wasn’t your intent, no worries. I guess you were referring to a different pool.

What about the pool on a Celebrity cruise? That was your point. What restaurants? I must not go to the same ones…

Has this actually happened to you? I’ve never seen it. I’ve seen people turn on videos or apparently FaceTime on their device speakers. But that’s almost never been a “kid”. And never on an external speaker. Much more likely to hear half of a conversation from someone using their earbuds.