gmerick

Anthem, Jan 22 - Checked bag was delivered to my room. Made 5 shore excursions over the following 11 days carrying the bag. Not even a question. 4 1/2" blade, 9 1/2" overall length. Either I don't fit the criminal image, or SCUBA divers can get away with anything.....

I wouldn't put so much stock in those "child locks". My last trip on Anthem I had a nice oversized balcony. The "child lock" did nothing. Whether it was pushed in or pulled out made no difference, I rotated the handle and it immediately snapped unlocked. If I left the handle anything over half opened, the door would slide back and forth with the motion of the ocean. I had two angled corners on my balcony, and a gap between the glass in the center. I could easily put my leg through at least one gap. Also the two footstools were very light, and easily pushed up against the railing. If a toddler has learned any gymnastic ability from coping with crib rails, the balcony rail would only be one more set of monkey bars. The balcony is no place for an unaccompanied toddler.

Unless your experience with other likes has already given you a preference for other dining options than the MDR or Buffet options, I'd stick with the options without additional cost for your first RCL voyage. It took me 7 trips before I opted for Izumi for dinner instead of the MDR Lobster night (I'm just not impressed with rock lobster, nor the feeding frenzy atmosphere on that particular night). With that one exception, I've been quite happy with the variety and atmosphere of the MDR.

Don't stop -- switch to sidemount. Instead of wearing one big heavy tank on your back, carry two small tanks under your arms. It's also much easier to clip or unclip the tanks once floating comfortably in the water.

Avid SCUBA diver. I've had many casual encounters with sharks. One of the most exciting, a group of 5 sharks joined up with our SCUBA excursion (Yes, a sponsored RCL excursion) about 5 minutes after we entered the water. They stayed with us for almost 20 minutes. They went in and out through our group, rubbed up against divers, posed for pictures, and made a totally enjoyable experience. They reminded me of big playful puppy dogs, albeit with very sharp teeth and a voracious appetite.

Looks like this:

The test should be for compassion, understanding, patience, kindness, tenderheartedness, .... basically love for mankind. Yes there are a whole world of folks that I wouldn't share a night sky with, but why let them intrude on my evening. I absolutely refuse to lose my peace over what my neighbor is doing. I have a hard enough time with wishing I were a better person.

After 60+ years of happy bachelorhood, "Don't do it!". But if your (heart or something else) is absolutely set on it, ask her what she would like before hand. Yeah, I know that would spoil the surprise, but it would let you both make it that absolutely special occasion that would last until you are eligible for mention on Paul Harvey's "Tournament of Roses". You can do the proposal just how the two of you want it. Make it special and memorable together. The wedding will be a pitched battle between inlaws, and hopefully it will be something for stories and laughter. If you plan the proposal together you can make the entire cruise the event, and add just a bit more at each port call. With that bit of planning, the porters, attendants, waiters, actors, entertainers, and maybe even the Captain herself can get into the act.

Oh! You caught that! There were 21000 sq ft of solar panels on the Oasis = about 2000 (somewhat less than) 500 watt (2 sq m) panels. So a max of maybe 1% of ships power when the sun is shining.

The solar panels were more for "Green Washing" or "Virtue Signalling". The most efficient solar panels produce somewhat less than 250 wats per square meter, so cover the entire footprint of the Oasis with solar panels (360M overall length X 60m max beam) yeilds 5.4 Mw of electricity (when the sun is shining). The Oasis power plant provides 3x13.86Mw + 3x18.48Mw = 97Mw 24x7. So cover the entire exposed surface of the Oasis with the best solar panels in existance, and at best you can capture 6% of the ships production, but only while the sun is shining. Better yet, the incidence of skin cancer for all the guests goes way down, because no will be sitting in the sun anymore.

Having relatives that survived multiple cancers, I'll pass on what they did. They discussed trips with their oncologist, (or rather discussed with their medical advocate who communicated with the oncologist) and a couple months out from each upcoming trip whatever needed biopsies were taken, and treatments scheduled around travel. The medical team even scheduled occasional treatments at cancer centers on the trip itinerary. YMMV, but what could beat a CL for convalescence!

My tipping dogma -- Don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. If I want to, I do --- silently, discretely, and unacknowledged. No one else ever need know that someone got a tip.

Camping describes it to a tee. Not even Super-8 has 140 square foot rooms, my camper is even bigger. Most of the free dining options on board would be called "Mom and Pop Joint"s in any midwest town. The MDR is exactly what I find at user group conventions or charity banquets. The Windjammer could just as well put up a "Golden Corral" sign. As far as transportation to 5 different "towns" on an 11 night trip, I'd put it on par with Greyhound. How should I tote up the $150 per night that's my usual discounted balcony rate? Splitting it evenly between room, board, and transportation leaves nothing for free beverages at night clubs/bars/shows. If I want to elevate my experience above camping, there's a whole lot of extras I could pay for, after all it's just money.

Last two cruises (post lockdown) I've been offered free room service breakfast. Totally worth it. I get a whole pot of coffee in a thermal jug. I can sit all morning enjoying the sun on the balcony sipping coffee and picking away at breakfast. Two port calls were early 7AM departures, so no worries about Windjammer crowds or MDR opening times. I hope this is something RCL continues.

OP, Methinks thou doth protest overmuch. I had fantasy expectations, and excess anticipation for my first cruise after lockdown. I found basically the same cruise as I had in Feb 2020. My 2nd cruise after lockdown, I got to spend 11 days on board, relaxing, tanning, and enjoying the islands. It's still the same cruise line. I simply had to ditch my fantasies, and adjust to pre-pandemic expectations. Yes, I looked forward to a new and exciting cruise experience, but if I'm repeating the same-old, same-old, I should expect a repeat experience. I came to the conclusion if I want brighter, better, more luxurious I'd better be willing to pay for it. I'm quite content to go "camping on the ocean", visit a few islands, and spend my two weeks decompressing. Royal Caribbean meets that expectation at a price point that lets me get away twice a year.

Take the Anthem OTS to London, and fly from Gatwick to Newark.

1. French toast. 2. Lox, capers, tomato, onion, schmear, pumpernickel bagel 3. Kippers, poached egg, mash

B. Definitions: •"Overall Length" is the distance between the forward and after extremities of the vessel. •"Extreme Breadth" is the maximum breadth to the outside of the shell plating of the vessel. •"Depth" is the vertical distance at amidships from the top of the keel plate to the uppermost continuous deck, fore and aft, and which extends to the sides of the vessel. The continuity of the deck shall not be considered to be affected by the existence of tonnage openings, engine spaces, or a step in the deck. •All measurements shall be in feet and inches (U.S.). •The State Pilotage Commission shall be the sole arbiter with respect to a question concerning these definitions. The decision by the Commission shall be final. •The measurements of overall length, extreme breadth, and depth as previously defined, shall be made available to the pilot by the master or his agent for the computation of pilotage fees. Failure to provide the measurements so required shall subject the vessel to the maximum pilotage charge. •“Upper most continuous deck” is the upper most continuous deck of a vessel where cargo may be stored or where one or more passenger cabins is located.

A lot of us need friends like yours. Enjoy! Bon Voyage!

Yes, I keep the tray. I also keep the coffee pot. The coffee stays hot till 10AM, then I rinse it out and fill it with ice water (my steward very faithfully fills my ice bucket, and in the evening even replenishes the ice water so it's cold after dinner). I also keep cutlery and a clean plate, so things are ready for the fruit I carry back to the room.

A very small bit of pure baby shampoo (absolutely no conditioner) will help. But no more than squish a drop between two fingers, and then rub the lens with a fingertip. The biggest cause of mask fogging is exhaled air condensing on the lens. So, a quick rinse in sea water just before putting the mask on, make sure the skirt of the mask seals well on your face. No hair under the skirt. Now DO NOT exhale through your nose. The sea water is cooler than your breath, and that warm breath will instantly form fog on the mask. A very small puff of air while holding the top of the mask against your forehead to purge the occasional puddle that collects on the bottom of the mask, but that's it.

Filter or App depends on what you're using for a camera. On my GoPro7 I used Magenta, Rose, or Pink snap on filters. They gave good results on close-up (under 3 feet), but threw the color off on any distance, or if I used a dive light. I could do good color correction with ffmpeg on the close ups, but the rest of it was a total mess. I've since switched to a GoPro10, and added two 8000CP dive video lights. I use no filters, and color correction with ffmpeg is a breeze.

Can't figure out why you would want to. RCL is already collecting interest on your deposit, do you really have so much green that you want to give them more interest rather than have it working for you?

Approved: IB Grants SpaceX and Kepler Earth Station In Motion Authorizations

Done Deal: IB Grants SpaceX and Kepler Earth Station In Motion Authorizations