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Fascinating video, thanks for sharing here or I might have missed it! 

Can't help but notice the deck plans show World Fresh Marketplace, yet this video refers to it as "The Eatery". Seems a little vague, but then again how else do you name a buffet I guess!

Crooners looks amazing! And I cant wait to see or hear more about Spellbound. This video only shows tight shots of a few drinks, I think they're keeping the ambiance and venue as close to chest as they can for the mystique. Curious if its running for the inaugural, and if guests can take photos/videos during their evening events.

19 hours ago, drowelf said:

Are these really routers or just access points. I can't see the reason to put a router in each room, that not how wireless networks work. You would want either Access Points or Extenders in various locations, but unless each room is its own network (sub-net), you would not need routers. 

18 hours ago, Papa Yoda said:

Right, not routers or repeaters.  Cisco Aironet Access Points are in some cabins (suites especially - behind the TV) and on the ceilings of passageways.  As noted they are white boxes some with a blue light on (hopefully).  They home back to ethernet switches in the electrical closets.

 

There are none on cabin balconies.

 

 

 

 

Yes, you are exactly right! My mistake, didn't mean to say router. Access point is correct!

Those are either emergency lights to flood the ship in the event of a situation, or heat sensors monitoring for fire. I don't know the timing as to when those were added, but they are not wifi related, medallion related, or a camera.  

The boost in wifi coverage out to the balconies is due to the in-room wifi router. When each ship was updated with Medallion technology, the new tvs that went in place are hiding a small wifi router behind them. This is the major boost of connectivity we've noticed since 2018/2019. Prior to that, the routers were only in the hallways and would struggle getting a signal through the heavy metal/fire proof cabin door. 

In addition to the in-room routers, there are medallion sensors overhead in the bathroom, cabins, and balcony. But the one on the balcony is a lot smaller than this emergency light dome, and fully enclosed in opaque plastic (and all medallion wiring is purple too if you haven't noticed). 

Again, not sure if its for additional emergency lighting or for fire monitoring (since the Star Princess incident in 2006), but I can confirm its not a camera, medallion sensor, or wireless access point. 

Wow! I'm loving your trip details and photos - looks like you're having a great trip! My wife and I are gearing up for our own Valiant Lady sailing at the end of January, so thank you for getting us excited and sharing your voyage with us!!

Yes, the Event Listing page will be loaded with shows and parties at the same time dining reservations open. Just last week I hit my 45 day mark and went through the process myself. While the app was taking forever to load the dining reservations, it was easy to jump over to the event list and see what time the shows were each night, along with the late night parties too. Im sure the rest of the onboard activities will appear as we get closer to sailing, or once we get onboard. 

Enjoy your cruise!

Following along! Going on Valiant Lady late January, thanks for sharing your experience - its getting us very excited for our trip!!

Hope you have the best week! 

Might be a great time for an Espresso Martini if you're looking to stay up late tonight! 

Thanks. Are you working on a large ship presently?

 

We have had such great staff on our ACL cruises and I still maintain contact with a few.

 

Mike:)

Andrew

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Oh right! Ive been following that and just saw you posted a photo. Thanks so much and hope you're enjoying your trip!

Anyone have an update as to the different ships this has been rolled out too? Sailing on Enchantment of the Seas next week so if anyone has seen it specifically on that ship please let me know! Thanks

Having been to AK many times we are looking for new experiences so I booked the brand new Constellation for July 28, 8 day Southeast AK which includes Juneau, Petersburg, Kake, Haines, Skagway along with both Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. This should be an awesome trip. Thanks for your input.

 

Mike:)

Andrew

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Girlfriend and I are heading to EotS on March 5th, looking forward to hearing how great your trip is!

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I worked on the ACL Spirit in Alaska and I cannot even begin to tell you how incredible it was. Being on a small ship allows you to get so very close and personal with all the wildlife, nature, and glaciers. We saw whales twice a week and always very close to the ship, once a week we passed by an island covered in hundreds of sea lions, and a handful of times we we're lucky to watch bears feeding along the water. You'll also visit some incredible towns like Petersburg (no large ships head there) and Skagway while spending hours floating in front of glaciers and waterfalls in-between ports! I highly suggest adding this cruise to your future cruise list!!

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Like Mike said, majority of your excursions are included. There may be a few specialty ones that are offered at a premium but never too costly. I worked on a ship in Alaska for them, so can you give you examples of those excursions such as a tour of a dog sled facility, bald eagle rehabilitation center, Yukon train ride to Canada and back, bus tour of Skagway, etc. They will either offer one or two tours during the day and always get you back to the boat for all three meals! If there is an extra long tour where you might miss lunch, they will provide boxed lunches! Have fun on your cruise

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Has anyone ever upgraded their stateroom with points they have earned from using their RCL credit card? I'm curious as to how the process works, do we get to choose our room or are we given one? I'm hoping not to be given an obstructed view or anything annoying to deal with since I always pick my rooms very meticulously.

Thanks!

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Anyone have an update as to whether mobile passport has been added to the Port of Miami? Would love to breeze through customs! Thanks

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yes, yes you are - if both passengers have the PBP

Is that Princess Beverage Package I assume? Never sailed princess, just a big proponent of Ocean and can't wait to see what it does to the cruise Industry

But why is he taking both medallions out to begin with? That's what I'm struggling to understand if each person is supposed to be wearing one, then just keep it on. If he wants to buy two specialty coffees, one for you and one for him then just take his own and charge it to his account. Y'all would most likely share an onboard charge account so there really is no point for taking two just to order them separately. Am I missing something?

 

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So, will the cabin lights go out when the husband takes both medallions out of the cabin?

But why is he taking both medallions out to begin with? That's what I'm struggling to understand if each person is supposed to be wearing one, then just keep it on. If he wants to buy two specialty coffees, one for you and one for him then just take his own and charge it to his account. Y'all would most likely share an onboard charge account so there really is no point for taking two just to order them separately. Am I missing something?

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Hey guys,

Here with some of the info that you are looking for! I will be on Enchantment with my girlfriend for our final college Spring Break on the March 5th sailing. Looking forward to sailing on this ship again as its one of my favorites and my gf has never cruised before! I was on her a few years back but I can probably answer any questions for ya.

Here is a link to the menus, the order of nights will be: Mojo, Saffron, Shiitake, and Pimiento MENUS

Here are the most recent Cruise Compasses I could get my hands on. The current Cruise Director will still be working when you and I board so I assume these will be extremely close if not exactly the same to what we will get on board.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Enjoy!!

Hi there, I worked on a small cruise ship in Alaska this past summer from end of May to September. It was the most incrdible experience of my life! Everyone is spot on saying it will be cold in May, definitely going to be in the mid to low 50s and Im sure youll have a day or two in the rain but thats Alaska for ya. Every Saturday in Juneau except one had rained for us, not terribly but enough that no one wanted to do much outside. My absolute favorite place was Skagway, there is so much to do and see! Its such a small town but it always seemed busy and filled with new experiences every Sunday and Monday we were there. Being part of the crew, we didnt do any excursions or touristy stuff often, it was mainly drinking at the local bars and making friends with the locals or grocery shopping (which is insanely expensive there so make sure you dont forget anything when packing!). If you need any tips on where to grab a drink just let me know!! Every now and then we would check out the shops or museums and take photos with the trains or hit up the gift shop. I would suggest taking the train tour as my passengers would tell me stories and show photos of it and it looked incredible! It took up the majority of their morning, but it picks you up right on the dock, takes you on an incredible scenic trip, then returns you back in time for lunch before you can head out to the town to shop and stroll along main street! Hope you have a good time, jealous you get to see Alaska's beauty from one of the greatests ships out there!

i dont understand at all how the new system will track you better than the old one. what 'activity' could you do without a card in the past that the new system will track better? when i used my own CC in the gift shop they wanted my sail card anyway. i'm assuming if i paid cash they wouldnt though.

 

whether soda. booze etc, you gotta use a card or the new system. i dont see this as any new data mining at all but i await enlightenment because i must be missing something.

The old system was like a credit card. No one around you has access to that info until you hand it to them and they swipe it. Now, the Medallion can give access to certain information about you to specific crew members based on your past experience and location. Its easier to understand when placed in a certain situation so heres a few for you: Lets say you only drink rum and cokes, so with the medallion on, as you approach a bar and sit down the bar tender can glance at their Ipad as you arrive and see your name and last 5 drinks ordered. They will greet you with a "Good afternoon Mr. (or Mrs.) Smith, can I make you your usual rum and coke?" Already its as if you are a regular at this bar and friends with the bartender! You dont have to take out a card or anything, the server gives you the drink, confirms your photo on the ipad is actually you with a quick glance, and hits one button to charge your stateroom.

That level of service is unprecedented so far! Like I said before, with the old system they wouldnt know who you are or your prefrences until after you have ordered and given them your card.

Imagine ordering coffee without having to tell them you are lactose intolerant and prefer soy milk, they will already know that and take care of it for you.

Or if youre sitting at the bar all alone waiting for your spouse to get dressed for dinner, the server could strike up a conversation based off the information they see on their iPad: "I saw you went on a kayak tour around the island while we were in port yesterday, how was that?"

Last one: Youre celebrating a Birthday in the family and want to order champagne for a toast while you wait in the theater for the show. In the past you would flag down a server, order and give them your card, then wait for them to come back, they'll make you sign a reciept and then hand you your drinks. Now you can either order it immidietly on your phone (under the Here and Now section of the app) and it will arrive right to your seats in a matter of minutes. Or if you plan ahead (under the Then and There section) you can specify earlier in the day you'll need 4 glasses of champagne when you head to the theater for the show. The time comes when you are walking into the theater, you find your seats, and without even thinking about it a server finds you and says, "Good evening Smith Family, I have your champagne for you. I hope you have a great Birthday Celebration and enjoy the show". So simple and so amazing.

You dont have to have a phone either, you can still flag down a waiter and verbally order, just without having to hand over a card or anything. You can also use the Here and Now or Then and There on your stateroom TV or the Large Screens in the Hallways/elevator banks, so yes, everyone should have access to it and can utilize it as much or as little as they would like.

This system simply provides unique nuggets of info at just the right time to allow for a heightened experience of personalization. Hope that explained it some.

This is how I think they are going to split up the ship builds:

Build a whole new line for China and have 4 ships all from Meyer Werft go there (2 or 3 family ships with 2 or 1 luxury versions possibly to cover all types of cruisers)

2 Ships out of the 5 from Fincantieri will go to Costa

The other 3 ships from Fincntieri will be new Carnival ships.

Yeah I would love to see them too! Thank you:)

Here's a photo of the free lobster on the Freedom this week as posted by ckrobyn on her live thread. Served without shrimp.

 

 

Im sorry I thought you said it was served without shrimp, but there's one in the middle of the plate. But where is the lobster?:p

More recent photo of area beyond Michael's Genuine Pub.

 

Why is everything white? I know they have to paint but that cant all be painted. Where is the wooden accents or ceiling designs or something? I really hope they dont try to make it super modern and try to "bring the place to life" with colored lights projected onto the walls.