RetiredandTravel

Someone told me that the new RCL ship is 7k for 7 nights for a veranda Caribbean cruise. There are a lot of things that aren't included. The new ship is the attraction I guess. I find SS and SB to be about the same price (adjusting for air & excursions) for mid level veranda. We prefer the dining options on SS so unless the itinerary is much much better we are going with SS for now. We watched the Nova preview with Barbara M. and have been following Tucson's trip report, it is a beautiful ship very forward thinking. Japan is great.

Thank you. I did not know that. We always buy the basic insurance (usually premium) except once when Covid was prevalent and the hotel had a three week cancelation penalty.

My apologies if this has been discussed but it appears to me that the payment penalty for PTP vs DTD is more than the initial 15% as you get closer to the sailing date. For example within 90 - 61 days the PTP penalty is 75% vs DTD 50%. I've attached SS terms. If we went with PTP we would probably purchase cancel for any reason travel insurance and the extra cost of the insurance negates some off the price benefit. With the credits DTD has made more sense for us so far. https://www.silversea.com/terms-and-conditions.html

RCL stock is still up 99% YTD. I do not know how reliable this data is but this gives me the impression that RCL bonds trade on the German Boerse (Frankfurt). Maybe the International Desk (HPD) knows more. I'm guessing here but the website seems to include coupon & maturity date. The actual RCL bond structures could be much more complicated with call dates etc etc etc. This is not an investment recommendation on my part. https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de/bond/us780153ag79-royal-caribbean-cruises-ltd-7-5-97-27 https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de/bond/usv7780taj26-royal-caribbean-cruises-ltd-11-625-22-27 It appears one can search the exchange by name and that more RCL bonds are listed. https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de/bonds

Yes big (fast) price movements the last two hours of trading.

The Treasury market has already tightened for the fed. Mortgage rates are correlated to the 10 year note so mortgage rates are up 50 bps in the last month, 175 bps for a year. The big question is can inflation continue to decrease without destroying the economy? The current rise in the 2 year note to previous highs at 5.07 suggests there may be more wood to chop. I would like to see the two year hold the recent ~5.10 high (~5.16 in 2006) otherwise the next recent high is ~6.50 in 2000. I would think that would be a negative for the stock market but it sure wasn't in 1/2000. The ten year is also on what I view a key resistance of 4.33, the next high level being 5.31 in 2007. The enormous supply of Treasuries isn't helping (duh). Credit spreads remain very tight which is a big positive for the overall market and cruise line stocks. Credit spreads are also key, decent article in Barron's (attached). I know the Fed is not supposed to be political but I doubt they want the US economy in a deep recession in an election year. If for no other reason than the daily tweets (X?) on what a poor job you are doing have to get annoying. I'm pulling or the stock market to go up but that's by definition my book. September is historically the worst month of the year for the stock market but I noticed a big spike in CBOE put buying, a short term indicator of course but an important one. The week before Labor Day is probably the second biggest vacation week behind Christmas in NYC with employment on Friday. Cheers https://www.barrons.com/articles/bonds-bankrupty-fed-interest-rates-inflation-905cc5c7?refsec=markets&mod=topics_markets

Thank you for the trip report. We would probably prefer to buy our wines off the connoisseur list at LaDame. Is the $160 mandatory or is there a discount if you prefer to buy wines?

When we re-entered Japan from Korea the customs check was on the ship and very very slow. I don't recall any Japanese customs when going from port to port in Japan. If there were it wasn't memorable, maybe just showing the passport. In Japan tourists are required to have passports on them at all times, its the law.

I don't remember interacting with the sommelier much except when I was ordering a wine off the connoisseur list. I did enjoy the "necklace thing" comment thank you for that, I can never remember its name. IMO Labonnevie & Eno-Bob have the best suggestion ask for a copy of the "included" list and then just ask for the specific wine you'd like. They will bring whatever wine you ask for. I sort of doubt you will get enough of the sommelier's time on the included list so just google the wine that's best with the food. This way you also know the types of wine you like. Menus are posted on the TV every day. I'm also not trying to be snarky but it may be the best way to get the right wine and not get aggravated. Hope you are enjoying yourself.

I don't know but what I do know is when we went to the Hiroshima Peace Museum several cruise excursions & school kids all got there the same time say 9:30 - 10:00 and the museum was so crowded you could barely move. We didn't get a full appreciation. If we had it to do again we would have gotten there earlier. The park is big enough that it doesn't matter.

Dress Code can be found here. Have Fun. https://www.rssc.com/frequently-asked-questions/onboard

I don't know the answer to 1 & 1a 2) In Tokyo many taxi drivers do not speak English so I would guess less do in less populated areas. Taxi drivers , in our experience, were very professional & polite. I'd take a written copy of where you want to go, hopefully its in Japanese also, and hand it to them. 3) Most likely in Tokyo again maybe less in Sakata. Many places in Japan only take cash. See attached & quote from the article. Enjoy your trip "What payment methods are used in Japan? Cash is still a favored method, although the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the use of digital and contactless payments. Most major credit cards are accepted for purchases in larger stores and restaurants. However, be aware that shrines and other locations in rural areas might only take cash." https://www.jal.co.jp/hk/en/guide-to-japan/plan-your-trip/tips/what-to-know-about-using-money-in-japan.html

Your frustration is understandable and IMO expectation reasonable. Just a simple color code with a time slot might help. Say RED 9:45-10. Hang in there, you'll be on the ship enjoying a libation before you know it. Hey maybe start now 😃

Yes the efficiency of the process can vary depending on who is in charge, giving the DM a heads up sounds like sage advice.

Thank you. Yes, Oceania has great itineraries. Enjoy your cruise. We're still firmly on the fence on deciding which cruise works best and this is a factor. Your insights are very helpful.

I did not know that thank you. I will spare my bride of the process in the future. Not that its a difficult process just easier as one.

Everyone who has an excursion in that time frame will go into the theatre. They will then call your excursion to go to the front table to get your ticket. You will then exit the theatre on the opposite side and go to the tour bus. I'm not sure if you can get someone else's ticket, I don't think so. Some people think they can stand in the aisle so you may have to go around them.

That's unfortunate. I'm under the impression that Regent also has more "included" excursions vs SS but haven't done a deep analysis. Hopefully SS is just newer to included excursions and will up their game. SS has introduced SALT excursions in conjunction with The SALT restaurant and bar concept which serves local cuisine. The SALT excursions are culinary based with things like cooking classes and food shopping with a top local chefs often with a lunch or dinner. We like the concept but they are IMO pricey at this point. I think SB has an advantage with excursions.

I've looked at multiple itineraries comparing SS, SB & Regent over the last year. My observation has been that Regent is quite consistently the highest and SS & SB are close in price. We make our own airfare accommodations so we take the air credit for SS & Regent. Our preference is to also take excursions at most ports so I add $400-500/ port day for SB. If someone doesn't take the additional excursions or explores on their own SB is definitely cheaper. There are anomalies in some cases where one company will be lowest. Quite often Regent has itineraries that we prefer. SS & Regent appear to have much better lunch options.

We probably prefer the new dress code just because I don't have to wear a jacket every night. We do hope this is the floor for dress acceptability and its strictly enforced. If the dress code slips (either designated or enforced) to jeans and shorts we're out.

I haven't followed SB here very close recently but remembered they weren't open for lunch at the Restaurant after Covid at one point. Just looking for an update because we are comparing a couple itineraries. So thanks for the information. My wife would like a few salad options and it sounds like we can make a special request. I see they have a Caesar salad on the dinner menu so maybe they could make one for lunch. We do prefer to order off a menu. Busy season up there, I think I told you we used to take my Mother in law to the Club Terrace at the spa in the summer. She was a big racing fan, pretty good at it also.

Thanks. So away from room service the only option on port days for a full breakfast is the buffet at Colonnade?

Much appreciated. Sorry to hear about the poor service. The pool grill is fine but we like some other alternatives. The "sample" lunch menu at the Restaurant on the Seabourn website leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully its just that a sample and there are more alternatives like a Caesar salad with chicken. SS & Regent offer more diversity of food to our taste but sometimes it comes down to itinerary. thanks again.

Perfect ty

Are Seabourn Ocean cruises currently serving lunch (sit down) daily in the MDR? The cruise we are currently considering has a good number of sea days and we don't care for buffets or sushi. Thanks.