alfaeric

We'll be on the same cruise, and the one previous, too. 270 is a really cool venue, especially since it's a really nice relaxation place during the day. Spectra's is the big show there, but there have been virtual concerts there during the evening, too. As well as tech demos of what it can do. And once in a while, there are real concerts there- the orchestra did a show there once- although most music events are held in Music Hall (which is also a great venue). It's been many years since we did Wonderland, and it's a real experience- we plan on eating there Saturday before the turn around. Kinda sucks that Ifly and North Star have a fee now, we managed to do them both when they were free, and loved it. The 60 seconds you get in iFly is a really long 60 seconds. Maybe you can find times when they are free. Haven't done bumper cars yet- maybe this time. If you like Queen, you will like We Will Rock You- the actual story is not all that strong (and one that is repeated many times in Pop Culture) but the music is really great. The Gift is the other show- we think it's ok- at least see it if you have time. See you on the ship!

As much as you don't think so, they do have control over other traffic. If the city cut the number of hotel rooms available in half, it would also cut the road traffic. Let alone there are controls of the number of cars based on the road widths and traffic control. Controlling number of hotel rooms is close enough to controlling the number of passenger ships in port to me. And I really don't see a constant summer of people flooding the town the same as the handful of items that are in Daytona each year. IIRC, there have been some attempts to reign in spring breakers. But if you don't have an issue with that, awesome. Don't get angry at people who DO, though. BTW, which Amendment gives you the right to free travel? Must have missed that one in civics class.

Must bother you even more that there are national parks out there that require reservations just to get into the park. But why can't a municipality do that? I'm sure if they could limit the number of car passengers, they would but since the municipality controls the port, they have all the right to control what ships come and go from the port. They can control shipping- it's their port. They didn't build a shipping port there for a reason- and I'm sure they accept the high cost of some goods because it takes more effort to get there. It's their home, they should be able to have *some* control over it. They have rights, too- this isn't a one way street.

It’s not that they can’t, as they have been for a very long time. it’s that they don’t want to. Given they have land based tourists, they also don’t need the ships.

It's kind of amusing that people get the impression that this is some kind of rash decision to make their own lives more miserable. Others have put some numbers into context, but a pretty glaring one to me is that the *total* number of votes was about the passenger size of a Voyager class ship. Just one of them. We've been there when 3 ships were tendered, so the cruise population was probably north of 5000 passengers. Given it's a really small town, that's a lot of people for just 8 hours. And the people who benefit are the restaurants and ice cream shops, and it could be just a mess of people that makes it really hard to do well. I understand that they just want land tourists, and respect that. And the companies will certainly adjust- that's what businesses do.

Back in '19, we did our own excursion ot KSC- took a Lyft there and back. You can get tickets on line to include any specific thing you want to see. Had a great time, but were almost late getting back to the ship- there was a capsule being delivered down the road- so we were not even close to the last ones back.

You don't have to. Just accept people see them as vacation. Just like there's no point is questioning you having a plane- since it also has it's compromises. And just like a majority of people in the US have no idea why people get on a cruise ship. To me, questioning the differences in people is rather pointless.

And then some. We are pinnacle, too. And in the same time we've been cruising we've: Spent two weeks in Spain Spend two weeks in Italy, twice Spent a week and a half in Belgium/France Camped for over 100 nights (that happened in the last 3 years). Traveled home every year for Christmas Let alone the times we planned a cruise during other vacations OR added additional vacation onto a cruise. I can go on, but the assumption that Pinnacles only cruise is absurd. We take all of the vacation we can possibly take every year- when I was able to buy two weeks of vacation, I did, as I valued it that much. It's pretty funny how people are so convinced that they will never make Pinnacle, too- it's possible you get there before you know it. Especially when you retire and learn that it's more affordable to take B2B cruises than one during holidays. Stop focusing on getting the status, and just have fun. The status changes will come on their own.

Not sure of people's math, but two people sailing 350 nights in a suite with an average of 300/night is only $210,000. And in my experience, $300/night for a JS is quite high- we look for $200/nt. If you are in a balcony for $150/night for 700 nights for two is also $210,000. How that becomes $700k seems tough. Let alone $1M. $700k is the same as $1000/night for 700 nights(up to balcony), or $2000/night for 350 nights (Suite). Or for a couple, $500/n-pp for 700 nights and $1000/n-pp for 350 nights. Someone is doing odd math or sailing as expensive as it gets.

OP and others of like mind- please, please, please boycott the ship. So that the prices come down faster for the rest of us. Thanks.

IIRC, the exact same things were said when the Oasis came out. Which is fine. But I will point one thing out- if your "large group" was as significant as you think it is, then Oasis ships would not have ever gotten to the 3rd ship, let alone where we are now. And any decent market analyst for all of the cruise lines would make sure that nobody is making ships that hold more than 4000 passengers, and even lean toward the 2000 passenger size. I'm not trying to bash you, btw, just point out the flaws in some of the argument. As a car enthusiast, I see the exact same thing from sports car people- who think they should drive the auto market a lot more than they do, when the real fact is sports cars are a very tiny part of the automotive market. Profitable, for sure, but when they put so much hate on VERY profitable lines, well, you learn to not fully listen to their complaints. There is one other thing that IS within your point, though- the larger ships are significantly more efficient to operate. I'm betting that Icon will be more efficient than Oasis, but Oasis used a similar amount of fuel as Freedom does for the same itinerary (we were told it was slightly less, actually). So for roughly the same fuel cost, you get 50% more paying passengers- all things being equal. And that last part has almost never been true- there's still an Oasis class premium- especially for some of the suites.

There was one when we sailed on her in Sept. We didn't partake, though. Oh, and it appears that a parade will be added.

100%. This turn happened a decade ago- how can people be so surprised by this? Works for us, and we don't have kids.

I think so, no, and yes. 🙂 There's no solarium, but there's a pretty big adults only area. With multiple bars. We are looking forward to trying it- it looks like a total blast- as I see it, it addressed every major complaint (not including too many people), fixed them, and then took what worked for both Oasis and Quantum, and amped them up (to use their term). There looks to be huge areas to see the sea- from the Royal Promenade to all of the swimming areas. Fixed the lack of sea views on Oasis. There are a TON of water areas, including the largest pool at sea- fixing the lack of pools complaint. Took the low used aqua theater and 1) turned the original space to an expanded boardwalk- family area with some cool pool areas then 2) moved the actual theater indoors so that it is not subject to the weather for the shows plus 3) combined it with 270 so that it can be used all day all the time- unlike the aqua theater. I'm not a huge slide person- but holy cow. Good for the people who adore them (which there seems to be a lot- and I loved them as a kid). The zip line is even more adventurous going over the side of the ship. The ice rink appears to be more theatrical- which should be fun. The suite area- geez. Good way to get the high revenue things going, that's for sure. If it means I can get a reasonable price on a JS, go ahead and sell as many $20k cabins as you can. And that's just the major details. Very much looking forward to it. Just not right away. May wait until Icon II comes out so that the price is reasonable.

Unless you are walking by it and want something from there....

That's funny- just a couple of weeks ago, we saw people get Holy Donuts on the ship, and we brought some food from the bakery just across the road from the ship on board. Yummy breakfast in our cabin for a few days. And a few days later, we brought cookies on board that we bought at a "craft fair" that was held by local veterans in Sidney - this isn't the one in the port, BTW. Not once have we had problems bringing food on the ship.

Our departure a week ago was at 8:50, and we were outside by 9am. Customs took place on board, which REALLY sped things up. We also sped up our process by carrying our luggage off the ship.

Virtually all of the "sales" take place before the auction gets underway. So the auction happens to just look like an auction instead of an art sale. And value is very relative- would I rather spend $500 and get a poster in my room or $500 in the casino and just see it go away. I see people suggest that they had fun at the casino, and I just see it as a racket to take you money- the big casinos dwarf the big art places. And looking at the costs of the spa, yea- if I need a massage, I can get one at home a lot cheaper than on board. BTW, just look at many recent art documentaries- the value is mostly to make rich people feel more rich.

We were on the cruise, too. And got some info about the expanded lounges. When there are more than 50 Pins, they are moved from the suite lounge to the VCL/ High Note for the happy hour. Same for D and D+, as they expanded their lounged into half of Star Lounge. The LA didn't tell us the number where they did that- but there were quite a few more D and D+ than Ps on the sailing. Either way, the D/D+ expansion was considerably bigger than for the Ps. And if it helps, the P event was well attended at times we were there. we had a great time on the cruise, too.

The less bad news is that rain instead of wind is causing the damage. So as long as the power systems are not near low points or rivers, the power should be restored quickly. The other big problem with Ponce is water- the systems have overwhelmed the fresh water system- so the water is off. But the family I have there is at least prepared for that. And I made a battery back up that ran the fridge for a few days. San Juan will get back fast, and cruises should restart immediately.

It’s kind of amusing people find them so loud- compared to other powered espresso machines they are fine. Our issue with them is that they leak a lot of water- not in a messy way, but into the capsule bin. None of the Nespresso machines we use leak anywhere near that amount. So cleaning them up is a lot easier. But the coffee is light years better than the old drip machines.

If you can find the Lavazza capsules, they will work. Kureg and Nespresso will not.

Proprietary capsules. You can get them on line, but we took a chance on the room steward, which worked out fine.

I’ll wear my special ring for you to kiss.

Just turned on our last cruise, and I wasn’t going to wear our pins…. But thanks to the vitriol against pinnacles, I will certainly wear it. This reminds me of the lanyard discussions, where people were Soooo upset that people would not use their pockets. All I can say is if you are going to let someone else’s appearance ruin your vacation, you have some serious problems. As for the crew, when anyone noticed we were d+, they would not stress out at all. It’s how they are treated that stresses them out, so be nice. We had a long talk about being a pinnacle to a bartender we were friends with- and pointed out that the crew is a significant reason we have cruised so many times to reach pinnacle- he got that, and appreciated that.