barbeyg

👏 🙌

Glad to hear someone got to! 😁

It is, but Royal has to pass $$ along now, whether they want to or not. Staggering debt, interest rates rising. No more $18 drink package mistakes being honored any time soon. 😉

Got that accountant in charge now. He will nickel and dime everyone to death, if he can. And before an accountant gets all in a tizzy, I'm one too. 😂

Agree. Most news sources are clickbait these days. It has gotten ridiculous. 🙄 It would be nice if one of the stories actually provided some additional info, wouldn’t it?

Yikes! 😳 Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the perspective of summertime on Oasis class. We sailed Oasis in May, and had a wonderful time. I think the fact that it wasn't packed to the extreme made a difference for us. We haven't sailed in the summer yet....and really don't think we ever will. I like the variety of the larger ships (quantum class is as much a favorite as oasis class for us), but don't want to sail when they are too crowded.

We recently walked off at 7:20, were at the airport thru security by 8:15. YMMV

I get that. 🙂 Just voicing my opinion like others. Some people want a party cruise. Others don’t want to commit to a whole week. Etc. RCI will benefit very well financially with this decision. They can get a bigger premium for shorter cruises. They are sailing to the Bahamas, so spending less on fuel. There are other cost savings for them doing things this way. I have no doubt their staggering debt comes into play here. Hope it helps keep them afloat….pun intended. 😂

Even though many of us were expecting the 3 & 4 night itineraries, it was disappointing to see. An extra turnaround day in the week will keep us from sailing her. Hoping for some 7 day itineraries at some point.

I used to book all my own cruises, because of my control-freak tendencies, and poor experiences with apathetic TAs previously. I had no idea how much could be saved by booking group rates up thru balcony cabin categories with the TA we now use! I thought all TA pricing was the same as RCI, but I was definitely wrong. We have a few leftover bookings that were self-booked, but going forward, we will use this particular TA for our cruises. And I've found that all the peripheral planning (flights, hotel stays, land excursions, etc) are enough to satisfy the "TA wannabee" control-freak inside me. 😂 Especially when it saves this accountant money. I personally suggest finding a new TA if you aren't happy with the one you have. Not all TAs are created equally. Look for one that is very responsive to emails. Makes all the difference, at least to me.

We haven't sailed as much as you guys, but only got Covid on one cruise, our Alaska cruise in 2022. I figured it was because we were all inside so much. And like you, even though our bout with Covid wiped us out, the worst 'sick' we've ever been was Noro. I wouldn't wish that on anyone! Hope you both stay healthy.

I agree. We prefer longer cruises, and the vibe of those. We won't sail short cruises, no matter how good the price. We aren't into party cruises, which is what many of the shorter cruises turn out to be.

Happy cruise day! Hope you both have a restful night. 🙂

And the NY calendar (along with suggested 2025). Winter Break shows the dates:

Here are the expected dates for Yeshiva in NJ, from a school district website:

Us too. We have an espresso machine at home, a real one, not fully automatic. I prefer whole milk in my cappuccinos, and can tell that is what is in the DL coffee machine by taste. DH drinks almond milk in his at home. Sacrilege! 😂 That said, half and half was readily available when we sailed Harmony 3 weeks ago.

We paid $88.99 for our visit a couple weeks ago. Wouldn’t pay over $100pp.

The 'celebration' was probably already in the works, then Jason Liberty was promoted. I'm thinking that he (and current mgt) don't see the 'freebies' we receive as something to celebrate. 😂 Especially when they are tightening the belt, so to speak. Bean counters in charge (I'm an accountant, just not in charge of a budget) always come down to "does this make us money?" And if it doesn't, "is there a way to get rid of it without losing money?" Especially when the debt is so high.

This is the way accountants, like Jason L, in charge celebrate. 😂 Word of mouth about the celebration, and one case of hats is enough. Don’t expect any more money to be spent. 🙃

Let's see....5 day dining package up $110 from our purchase. Izumi Hibachi lunch up $10 pp. Chops lunch same. Individual specialty dining up about $15 pp. Sounds about right for Memorial Day at RCI. Waiting for Black Friday now. Can't wait to see that pricing! 🤣

When we drive to Miami, the only stretch I need a drink after is between Ft Lauderdale and Miami. Each time we have done a road trip, there have been more wrecks in that one stretch than anywhere else, and much more aggressive drivers. Ken drives that leg, because I can’t.

My favorite sail-away is Miami. Even though Terminal A can have a ridiculous backup for those being dropped off there, my hope is that the ship is facing Miami so we have to go into the basin to tuen around. Our first sailing back after Covid was on Oasis, and we were eating dinner in CK, it was nightfall (December), and there was some kind of event including fireworks downtown. We sat there, enchanted by the city lights and fireworks as the ship spun around. Will never forget that sail away. 🙂

I search different airlines all the time. In this case, I was able to book Air Canada, returning from Rome to Atlanta, via Toronto. Saver fare point pricing was very favorable over US$ for this flight. There are saver fares released for most flights, but you have to book early to get the lowest points fares. Otherwise, the points cost usually goes up. But great saver fares are out there to be found. I use Award Logic website to search for saver fares, then go to the airline to check the fare is available, transfer points over from AMEX or Chase, and book. I normally get the best value on (ridiculously priced) business class flights. Anywhere from 3.5 to 10 cent value per point. But, most of the time, I can still get 3-4 cent value per point on economy too. Just have to search for it. 🙂

Absolutely! Only way I spend AMEX points. Just transferred some points to airline today to purchase business class tickets. Received a 6 cent value per point transferred, instead of booking thru AMEX or cashing in for only a 1 cent value. Love AMEX offers for RCI and Celebrity. 🙂