bruzin_for_a_cruizin

I have booked a two-tank dive directly with RCL during our stop in Cozumel at the end of August. Does anyone know the operator they use? Is it a cattle boat, or something a bit more intimate? Do they do the more southern sites like Santa Rosa and Palancar Gardens? I do like that it's a 12:30 start, so I don't have to be part of the scramble to rush off the ship first thing upon docking, but I really don't like diving on the same boat with people doing Discover Scuba excursions. I did just hear from one of my preferred operators on the island that they have a spot available on their 10:00 a.m. Express Boat. I'm thinking that might be a better choice, since I've dived with them before and have a pretty good idea of what to expect (small boat, 4-6 divers max, more northern dive sites).

Oasis-class ships always have individual bags for grab-and-go in the Park Cafe. It does suit the "theme" of the venue, but if they can do it there, it's certainly not impossible at sea.

Oasis-class ships serve the sandwich in the Park Cafe. It's a staple there.

First time on NCL, and we will be on Prima in April 2023 (to Bermuda from NYC). Our last cruise was in Celebrity's Retreat, and we really enjoyed the quieter, more-exclusive sun deck. I'm assuming this is similar to that, and at less than CAD$600 for two, it seems like a good add-on to our Balcony stateroom. I was able to book it through the website just now.

Cozumel and Bonaire are my two favorite islands for diving (in my still-limited experience). Cozumel has beautiful reefs with some great drifts. Bonaire is all shore diving with tons of sealife over the reefs. Good luck finding a buddy for the 29th!

Dive Paradise is great. I've used them on my last two cruises to Cozumel. I would join you on this one, but you're in port a day earlier than I am! I've had luck posting to the Roll-Call threads in the past (in fact, I've met a dive buddy whom I will be diving with on a cruise again next year!), so you should be able to find someone. There's also a Cruising forum on Scubaboard, if you're a member there. You could post something there too... you might even catch a board member who just happens to be in Cozumel that week who will join you for the day.

I'm a regular cruiser with Royal/Celebrity, and we are booked for our first cruise with NCL on the Prima in April 2023. This trip is all a bunch of "new" stuff for us, aside from a new cruiseline: cruising out of NYC, staying overnight in port for multiple days, using the cruiseline's air program... We are coming from Toronto, so I figured it would be hard to screw up a route with something like 20 direct flights available every day and 1.5 hours gate-to-gate. But then I've been reading how so many people have been routed on crazy connecting flights and have missed connections or lost luggage. It's an insanely cheap add-on -- with the promo, it was only CAD$225 for two people return -- so I'm reluctant to cancel that feature and book direct. I'd be looking at flights around CAD$1000 booked separately. How does NCL offer this service and seemingly execute so poorly? Should I cancel and rebook? Am I just being neurotic and giving too much credence to the horror stories on CruiseCritic? Airports will have to be better by April, won't they?

How sad that's a calculation we all have to make now when planning travel. I don't anticipate much improvement in the status quo until at least this season next year, if ever at all. In the pursuit of profits, human decency and customer service are brutal casualties.

Can you elucidate for us investing n00bs who really only a few shares for the OBC? What I take from this is that all three major cruise lines took on a ton of debt in the past year to... stay afloat (sorry for the pun!). I presume that is anathema to future profits? Even though the 2023 number appears to be much smaller and more manageable?

IIRC -- and it's been a few years since we paid for the inflatables -- it's a timed event. So, you show up early to get your lifejacket and the safety briefing, then they walk everyone out on the dock and you go in on the hour. After your hour, they pull everyone out and let in the next group. An hour was plenty time. Those inflatables are huge, and just climbing onto one was enough exertion for me!

I don't think we'll see acquisitions within the industry. The ships and the USPs are too divergent between cruise lines. We may see a venture/vulture capital firm swoop in and buy a company. With the stock prices at near-all-time lows, that is indeed a possibility. But, I don't see that happening either. Cruising isn't a business you can acquire, make a bunch of cuts to improve profitability, and turnaround for resale quickly. I just think we're going to see low stock prices for a little while longer. I anticipate it'll take until the end of 2023 for things (labour shortages/wages/supply chain/FCC/etc) to settle down. I'm holding on to my shares in RCL at $79. I might buy some more if it dips below $30 to DCA my position. Of course, nobody should listen to me. I'm terrible with money and make poor choices all the time. I'm just chiming in with my opinion on something I really know nothing about. Ain't Cruise Critic great??!!

Are you me? LOL! I love the Black Friday sale. It's usually the best of the year, and last year (given the circumstances) the deals were particularly strong. I picked up the $50 water park passes, the $58 DVP, and a couple excursions at strong discounts. Of course, this doesn't help anyone who is traveling before then, but it does give some hope for those traveling in December or beyond.

We did this "excursion" back in November. It is quite hokey, but once you get through all the explanation stuff, the massages were quite nice, if short. I especially enjoyed the hammock massage. That said, I wouldn't do it again, nor would I give it a "must-do" recommendation.

I'm long on 200 shares at an avg. cost of $79. I'm tempted to transfer some more cash to my trading account to buy up more and DCA down, but I just know if I do that, the stock will drop even lower!