TravelerThom

There is often a small number of late August / September Northern transAtlantics from Baltic to NY/NE for leaf season cruises. 

Voyager and Explorer used to be considered mega ships.  They were the largest cruise ships in the world when built, almost twice the size of Grandeur 138k GRT vs 74 GRT. That said she is a fine ship. There is a whole thread you should read:

22 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

We will be right back.....

For a minute I thought someone had left their black cat 🐈 as a chair holder on the first chair. 

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

You will definitely not feel out of place.  I haven't even brought a sports coat in years

I usually bring a sport coat for exactly the reason mentioned by the OP - I find many places on the ship to be too cool for me to be comfortable sitting. And a secondary benefit: it makes me a little dressier. I used to bring a tux, but no longer even bring a tie. 

I’m confused how Pacífico named for the Pacific Ocean, brewed in Mazatlán on the shores of the Pacific and now owned by a Belgian-Brazilian company got to be a Caribbean beer. Mexican okay, but just because you can get it in Cozumel and Cancun doesn’t make it Caribbean. 

7 hours ago, denatravels said:

https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/wingsairways/items/256875/calendar/2021/04/?full-items=yes
A simple google search found the same tour direct with the supplier. Most tours can be booked without the cruise line

I have run into a number of tours (such as the St. Kitts Sugar Train) that can be booked directly EXCEPT on days when ships are in port. On in-port days the ship has bought out the tour and the tour has to be booked through the ship. 

Okay, the majority of responders so far agree with the the person who disagreed that “the cruise industry won’t return to pre-pandemic levels until 2030”. In other words presumably you think that the cruise industry will return to peak profitability   (the term used in the actual article) before 2030. 
So when do each of you think peak profitability will return and why? It is sure not going to be this year or next. Providing a meaningful response to that question requires considerable more thought than just blindly disagreeing with the article. 

11 minutes ago, vistapat said:

All of this begs the question "at what point, even if Canada opened up, is it no longer financially feasible for Royal to send the ships to Alaska?"  I can't see them sending three ships, or even one or two, if the season will be only a few weeks long.

I really don’t have an accurate take on where RCI ships are currently, but I think they are all thousands of miles from Alaska. Probably closest are in the Caribbean on the other side of the Panama Canal. Chances of organizing a last minute multiweek repositioning cruise are slim to none. I’d think chances of ANY Alaska large ship Cruises in 2021 are unlikely and fading with every passing week. 

30 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

My opinion is that, and I know people will argue with me, cruising will resume by April or May of 2021. I also believe that proof of a vaccine for Covid will be required to board the ship. This will all depend on how available the vaccine becomes to the general public.

An Alaska cruise on Quantum requires concurrence from Royal Caribbean, CDC AND CANADA. The chances of that happening by May 10 are essentially ZERO. 

25 minutes ago, ATC cruiser said:

Since that chart only includes covid patients under 50, I'd say you're comparing apples to oranges.

It is beyond comparing apples to oranges. Posting a chart of “Chances of Death in the US” in which one, and only one, category is marked (in smaller print) as relating to persons under 50 is a fine example of disingenuous information, precisely what the individual who posted the chart has been complaining about. Talk about hypocrisy. 
 

I’d hope the MSM would not post that chart, not because it would not fit the narrative, but because the chart is misleading and disingenuous. 

3 hours ago, strathcona said:

Haiti has no tourist attraction or tours.

Yet in less than one minute on the internet I can indeed find offers of tours to the Citadelle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

https://www.viator.com/Haiti-attractions/Citadelle-Laferriere/d4324-a29161?sortType=featured

These tours are NOT available from the RCI compound however. 

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I said I don't get the logistics of how the will do it on the ship. After reading your post I still don't.

Is there any reason why standard land based pooling techniques would not work on a ship?

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/pooling-procedures.html

https://bmcmedresmethodol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12874-020-01081-0

13 minutes ago, TheMastodon said:

 

Can't keep Rona off a ship.  Impossible.  It will simply be shear luck that it doesn't show up on a ship.  

It IS POSSIBLE to keep coronavirus off a ship. The International Space Station has remained coronavirus free by multiple weeks of total isolation of new crew and material. The issue is that paying cruise passengers are not willing to give up those weeks of their lives in isolation. 

13 hours ago, ShmuelCharlie said:

...require guests to do shore excursions that will not permit pax to deviate from the shore excursion "bubble" whose purpose is to protect a port's residents...

NO cruise line has or will require passengers to do ship excursions. If you want to get off the ship they may require a ship tour, but they are not going to make you get off the ship if you don’t want to. This applies to all lines, even line such as Viking where ship excursions are already included in your fare. 
 

While Ship shore excursion bubbles do help protect port residents, a primary purpose is to try to prevent introduction of Covid to the ship, which would lead to re-shutting down of Cruises. 

On 11/21/2020 at 6:44 AM, ipeeinthepool said:

 

At the very beginning of this video, there was something that appeared to be a "pay elevator".  I've never seen or heard anything about "pay elevators".  Is that what I saw and are those common in Europe?

Yep, I’ve seen pay elevators in a number of Med countries. These were not in buildings but allowed you to bypass hiking up a steep hill. Sometimes you have to pay going up, but it’s free going down. 

A parent understands that they are responsible for taking care of their children. 
Sheep dogs understand they are responsible for their flock. 
Yet there are people on this thread that can’t understand the concept of being responsible for anything but themselves. 
No wonder I like dogs better than I like a lot of people. 

56 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

How are YOU responsible for OTHERS?

When you wear a mask you are greatly reducing the chance that you will be passing virus to other people. That is being responsible for others. 

3 hours ago, yogimax said:

and maybe they would have made a difference!

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Source?

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2772459?guestAccessKey=e2fb8e04-ca1f-442d-9e53-ae8076f14cd2&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=102620

18 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I think I pretty much explained. Try reading my post again. In entirety. 

I did read your post. In entirety. Both before I wrote my previous post, and again before I wrote this post. I’m glad you seem to in an area where the majority are working to minimize the spread. Saying “we avoid those who do not wear them” is little help if you are in an area overrun with non-social distancing non-mask wearers, unless your advice is stay home and let the Covidiots take over. Is that your advice?

51 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

That’s different and I wouldn’t either. Every business here (Florida) is free to require masks. Many restaurants require them until you are seated. Most everyone I see is wearing a mask while shopping here. There are exceptions and we avoid those that do not wear them.  If they are not going to wear them in NYC, certainly they wouldn’t wear them in Florida. 
 

You can’t lockdown everything for a few. Be responsible for yourself. 
 

M8

31 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Sorry but I don't want some stanger breathing directly on me while they are standing up my A$$ in a check out line because they don't wear a mask or social distance. 

10 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

....

You can’t lockdown everything for a few. Be responsible for yourself. 

While a mask does provide some protection to the wearer, its primary purpose is to minimize the wearer’s exhaled virus being inflicted on others. So how do you propose being responsible for yourself in the all too frequent scenario described by Iamcruzin? Businesses frown on me walking out without paying🙄, so what other suggestions do you have?

8 hours ago, cured said:

I am booked for Coco Cay in August.  I have already purchased tickets to the waterpark.  In fact, they went on sale today.

 

So, if they are selling them for August, I highly doubt they will then shut it down for November.

Remember: Royal Caribbean is staying temporarily solvent through

Interest Free Loans  

They have sold lots of things (Cruises, excursions, drink packages, etc) which most rational people doubted were going to happen. Just because you were able to purchase something from them doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to happen. 

5 hours ago, Domino D said:

Not sure I know what you mean by "tap"?

I thought most places in Georgia had indoor plumbing🙄
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_water
“A simple indoor water tap”

4 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We have absolutely no interest in All Inclusive.

I wonder if the AI DP has a price ceiling and people have to pay extra for certain drinks?.

The only way that everything is included is if they get rid of the expensive half their wines, their top line single malts, their extra aged brandies etc (and that isn’t going to happen). 
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no free lunch. As someone who no longer has a desire to drink myself under the table or spend my cruise absorbed in the internet I have no interest in paying for this in an All Inclusive price, and I suspect the prices may become non-competitive with my other choices. And I do have other choices...

I have done a number of TransAtlantics (TAs) including both to and from Southampton. In addition to Crossing on Cunard, I have done TA Cruises on RCI ships similar to Adventure. 
 

Point 1) An October 2021 TransAtlantic is not a given; it may happen, it may not depending on how well Covid is under control. 
 

2) Passengers on TAs are definitely mostly retirees with the majority of RCI TA passengers being more 60s versus 80s in age. UK - US repositionings will have a number of “snowbirds” who will be going to their Florida condo for the winter (and sailing back on a Spring repositioning); even an inside cabin is more comfortable than 1st Class on an airplane, your own private bathroom, no baggage charges, and downright inexpensive. 
 

3) I have never been on a TA with no children aboard, but never with more than a few children. Kids will get much more individualized attention in the clubs, etc (disclaimer: I have not done a TA with kids of my own). No packs of roaming kids. After a few days for better or worse most passengers will know who those kids belong to; the better part is kids will be viewed as individuals rather than just part of “those damn kids”. IMO kids and adults interact much better as individuals than they do as part of large groups. 
 

4) RCI is definitely a family oriented cruise line. The ship will provide quite a number of activities. I’ve never been bored. 
 

Hope that helps

Thom

7 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

It’s like all of the cruise lines private islands. They lease or maybe own a section and the natives to that island live and work there. Labadee is Haiti. Eleuthera is Princess Cay.

Not all “private islands” are alike. Princess Cay is a private area on the island of Eleuthera, just as Labadee is a private area in Haiti on the island of Hispaniola. Neither of these are private islands in the technical sense, as neither covers an entire island. RCI’s Coco Cay controls the entire island, so is a private island. I’m pretty sure there are no permanent residents on Coco Cay, although there are RCI owned accommodations for workers who stay overnight.