RetiredandTravel

Very interesting thread thanks

News from Friday on the new booster and BQ.1.1. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/18/covid-pfizer-says-omicron-booster-is-better-against-new-subvariants-like-bqpoint1point1.html

Yep at our age we've just seen way too many things go wrong. 😬 IMO a high quality guest speaker is also crucial to the overall experience.

That's fair. On our Japan cruise all the buses were full but otherwise they were probably 1/2 - 2/3 full. There is no doubt private tours are better I just think in many ports they aren't necessary Its cold 🙂

Convertible Bond Arbitrage players will at times buy the convert & short the stock. I think we saw the same stock price reaction to a RCL (I think) convert a while back. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/convertible-bond-arbitrage.asp#:~:text=A convertible bond arbitrage strategy,the stock of the company.

Not sure I'd agree with this 100%. IMO in smaller ports the Regent excursions are fine. They are on buses with probably 50 people. The guides we have been mostly (90%) very pleasant, knowledgeable and engaged. There are ports like Kyoto where the Regent excursions came up short, we saw the highlights but there was a lot left to see. It was also so crowded that the guide was of no use. Hiroshima is another example where the entire ship & others descend on one location (museum & park) at the same time so its so crowded that its hard to fully appreciate. Getting a jump on the crowds with a private tour would be helpful. Private tours are obviously better but I wouldn't spend the extra money at every port, it takes some homework.

I'll be very interested in your comparison. ty

I've compared several itineraries over the next couple years between Oceania, Regent, Silversea & Seabourn. My observation is that the Oceania itineraries are the best, Regent second then Silversea & Seabourn. When considering Oceania I only compare the larger ships (Marina etc) because of the room size. When I do the price comparison apples to apples (backing out airfare (biz class on Regent), adding drinks, tips and excursions (I use $400 a day) when appropriate) Regent is by far the most expensive of the four. Penthouse suites on Oceania are a little cheaper than Veranda on Regent but Oceania is cheaper (in some cases just marginally) vs Silversea & Seabourn Veranda rooms. The prices of course also vary depending on which ship, newer more expensive. We do whoop it up on vacation so we include the premium drink package on Oceania. Thanks everyone for all the information on the comparison its very helpful in our consideration of Oceania.

y Yes. thanks (edit) Several people have talked about bringing your own wine which sounds great but on a 20 day Santiago to Buenos Aries cruise how do I get 20 bottles?

Great information thanks. Is that the best use of the Olife, I've read different opinions. The connoisseur list seems steep on Oceania.

Thanks for the correction. I did know that but we have been looking at the premium package, doesn't really save money (breakeven?) just easier. If we have a penthouse suite on Oceania and get dinner in the room I was wondering if they will give you a bottle of "package" wines.

We have done two Regent cruises (one A+, one C-) and have Oceania on the radar for some cruises over the next 2 years. One thing I would caution people new to Regent is that Concierge Suites & Silver level (20+ nights) get extra time to make excursions & specialty restaurant reservations. So if you are new and not in a Concierge suite or higher it is possible (not highly likely but it happened twice to us on our first cruise) to get shut out of excursions and your specialty reservation, especially if the ship is full, will probably be off hours/days. The Oceania wines in the premium package seem as good as Regent "included" wines except the Champagne. IMO there is a transparency issue with Regent "included" wines, it takes some digging to figure out the better ones. For example if you order a Chardonnay they will probably serve a Chilean one that costs ~$8 but they usually have a much nicer French White Burgundy (~$15) that they don't advertise but will give you if you ask. Again, the regulars in the know have an advantage. Regents connoisseur list is much more reasonable than Oceania usually just 1 1/2 - 2x wine stores. have fun.

If worst comes to worst you may be able to set up you own private (semi-private) excursion. Not sure if you are going to Bonaire but they are renowned for scuba diving. have fun!

I'm guessing here but I would think RCL debt traded at higher yields back in July when the stock was in the low 30's and the US 5 year was at a 3% yield. Treasury yields are certainly relevant to the equation but in this case the corporate spread over treasuries is probably more important. We discussed the 12 - 14% RCL yields mentioned in a Barron's article in early October. In early October the 5 year was ~ 4% so the spread was about 8 -10%, RCL stock 40ish. The stock increase over the last 1- 4 months obviously indicates investors have a more favorable view of RCL's prospects. The elephant in the room is the long term debt which has grown from 8.4 billion in 2019 to 19.4 in a company that had revenue in 2019 of about 11 billion. So to use an overly simplistic methodology if the debt isn't repaid and refinanced , lets say at 9%, the interest cost would over time grow to 1.7 billion/year (every 1% is 194 MM). IMO RCL has made a good move to push out the debt but eventually the LT debt has to be addressed.

and from the American side Ulysses S Grant, George S Patton and Al Capone. John F Kennedy and William J Clinton are better known for other interests but also enjoyed smoking cigars.

Not really true. I worked with a guy that told me he smoked a cigar when he shaved in the AM. Constantly smoked cigars, several Churchills a day. I know many cigar smokers that smoke them all day long. At this point I wouldn't give the guy the satisfaction of getting annoyed or ruining my vacation.

11? That's when I get up to go to the bathroom. 🙄

Right on vacation we'll stay up to 8 maybe even 9.🥳

Correct. IMO someone in management should tell the person to please stop smoking cigars in undesignated areas. If he refuses after a few warnings he should be removed from the ship.

Has RCL discussed a defined plan to pay off the debt? If I recall they have pushed the 2023 debt out but eventually they will have to start to pay the debt down. The stock has performed great since the summer still but still way off its 52 week high. The Fibonacci ~35 call was a good one.

Dress is a very contentious question here at SS. I'd recommend taking a sports coat and wearing it most evenings. I'm a rule guy. There are also quite a few "formal" evenings which you should check the requirements and policies.

I smoked cigars for many year and the smell doesn't bother me. It was important to me to be considerate of the people around me, for example I probably wouldn't smoke in a pool area with a small smoking section especially if I felt it was upsetting other people. There are designated indoor rooms for smoking cigars and if that bothers other guests that's too bad. I haven't followed this thread (thank God) that closely but has this person been asked to not smoke? Has the sewage smell stopped?

Here is a recent list as mentioned unless you are interested in an XO or aged scotch you'll be ok. have fun https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2803885-complimentary-beverage-list/

One improvement would be to mix the hors d'oeuvres up a little. although delicious they do get a little repetitive. Some people are never happy. 🙂

Same here, our post Covid luxury land based vacations have been phenomenal. We are fairly new to the "luxury" cruising scene and these reports are very disconcerting. Thank you for the reports calm down dear. Your experience here just isn't acceptable.