Cru1s1ng2009

57 minutes ago, toad455 said:

Two people have just been recovered from the waters alive.

OMG it is a miracle considering how long they have been in the water. 

3 minutes ago, Jenna1983 said:

People are calling Royal already? Sheesh. The only people who should even be concerned in this moment or near future are really the people on a Baltimore sailing now. I’m with you- I don’t believe I’ll be sailing end of September and really…I’ll survive. 
 

My brother lives in Baltimore. I have been across this bridge numerous times on my way to Annapolis. I was excited to sail under this bridge end of summer. I am more concerned about the loss of life, the economic ramifications from loss of jobs at the Port, not being able to move hazardous waste, import/export of cars, etc. I’d say cruising is at the bottom of the importance at the moment. 

exactly...

i would hate to see cruising never coming back to maryland but for the foreseeable future, it isnt looking good. 

5 minutes ago, BND said:

People are calling Royal.  I knew this would happen.  Just be patient.  We all want to know how it affects our cruises, but give them a chance, geez.  

so frustrating. 

I am fairly certain the next 3 i have planned for vision are likely not going to happen. 

26 minutes ago, BillB48 said:

His name is Sal Mercagliano (may misspelled last name).  He is a former licensed merchant mariner now a college prof.  He has a YT channel What's Going on with Shipping.

thank you

Here is another TY vid. 

6 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

 

I don't know who this blogger is, or what his maritime experience is, but it has some errors in his analysis.

 

The most glaring error is when he says that the black smoke coming from the ship indicates an "engine problem".  This is not correct.  The type of diesel engines used on ships like this, are connected directly to the propeller, and are required to stop whenever the propeller is needed to be stopped, or reversed.  Therefore, the engine needs to stop and restart when going from ahead to astern, and this always results in a cloud of black smoke when the engine starts.  Also, if the engine is immediately placed to a "full astern" bell, the black smoke will continue until the turbocharger catches up with the air needed by the engine at that high load.  And, the engine that drives the propeller is not the engine that provides electricity to the ship, so when the generator engine failed, causing the black out, the "main engine" that drives the propeller stops as well, so when power comes back on, it restarts, causing the black smoke again.

 

He also claims that by backing down (going stern to stop the ship), the ship will veer to one side or another (and this is correct), but that if they continued to allow the ship to glide forward without propulsion, that they would have had "some control".  This is also not correct.  A traditional rudder loses effectiveness when the speed of the ship through the water is less than 5 knots (that's why ships use thrusters to swing ships at the dock, and tugs to push the ship when operating at low speed along the dock).  So, there would have been almost no benefit from the rudder when coasting forward.

 

Steering would also not be lost when the power went out.  One of the two electro-hydraulic steering systems is powered by the emergency generator (which comes on automatically when the ship loses power), and when in confined waters (under a pilot's orders), this is the steering system that would have been in use, just because this could have happened.

 

I can't remember other things he said, but it may come to me later.

Thank you! We all trust your knowledge and skills. 

4 minutes ago, Kellie in Texas said:

@Cru1s1ng2009 do you know who this person is describing the video? It's very informative and sad to see that bridge fall. 

4 minutes ago, Kellie in Texas said:

@Cru1s1ng2009 do you know who this person is describing the video? It's very informative and sad to see that bridge fall. 

I dont, sorry. will see if i can get info. 

1 minute ago, toad455 said:

The mayor of Baltimore was just on the news stating what a traffic nightmare this will be until a new bridge is completed. Might this force Royal and Carnival to move their ships elsewhere?

no other option. it will be a long clean up. and that doesnt take into consideration the local traffic. it will be year/s before another bridge can be built. 

different angle and commentary

My DD and i took a night fishing excursion on a head boat several years ago and royal no longer offers it. I was hoping someone local will know of an outfitter who offers it. We cannot afford to charter. 

tyvm

yes, lets move it to someone else's balcony who doesnt have a GTY or obstructed....

3 days!

1 minute ago, time4u2go said:

I'm pretty sure nobody here has suggested they can't afford to cruise.

then why not tip if it is customary? if it is a societal norm from where you are sailing from, why not tip? 

17 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

+100% .. remove tipping and roll it into the fare... getting old watching grats being raised every year or so to make up for the non tippers. 

its so frustrating. i wont sail with people who don tip anymore. it drives me crazy and gives me second-hand embarassment which makes me tip even more on top of the extra i already tip. 

i cant wait till the day that they refuse to remove tips and make it part of the cruise fare like they do for taxes and fees. 

I hate this and people who do this. 

and all caps to make my point:

IF YOU CANT AFFORD TO CRUISE, DONT CRUISE!

On 12/17/2023 at 9:31 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

You are screwing over crew members who depend on tips, but who work behind the scenes and never interact with passengers. However, under the current system you aren’t doing anything wrong, unless it bothers you that you are taking advantage of hard working crew members. 

sadly people like this dont care. they truly think they are making wise business decisions by stiffing people. so stupid.  

On 11/1/2023 at 7:15 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

This is an oversimplification…loyalty programs are designed to reward people who have remained loyal to a company. Your grandchildren have no loyalty to RCI. It is a major flaw in their loyalty program and ends up hurting people who earned their status when cuts are made to benefits because there are too many Ds and too many D+s. Probably sooner than later free drinks for Ds will be eliminated due to the quickly rising number of Ds. It doesn’t help when a lot of these Ds are like your grandchildren and never earned their status by cruising on RCI over and over again. 

i am confused. My dd has cruised since she was 5. I paid for it but she earned it one point at a time. what is the issue with them keeping their point status when they are grown? or am i not reading this correctly?

leaving Baltimore tomorrow. Instead of bermuda, we are going to Coco Cay and Nassau. YAY!!!

On 8/11/2023 at 10:09 AM, Charles4515 said:

There are minibuses that charge $7 per person per ride to Horseshoe. The minibuses shuttle back and forth between the Dockyard and Horseshoe. There are also plenty of taxis. That would be about $32 each way.  Certainly either is a  better option than you were planning with the sold out transfers uness you had OBC. There are public buses. Bermuda has an extensive public bus and ferry system. The public bus service is definitly on the government website. It ia a major government service. The private minibuses that shuttle to Horseshoe or a taxi are a better way to go to Horseshoe than the public bus  if you are only going to Horseshoe.  Minibuses and taxis can drop off and pick up at the beach while public bus stop requires a walk down and up a steep hill. 

thank you so much! I remember that hill very well! 

1 hour ago, Kiki and The Noush said:

Oh, here we go again. Yes - I use a fresh towel every. single. time.  Yes, I use a fresh towel every single time at home.  This will really chap your cheeks - I use another one on my hair!  And don't start again with me about being wasteful - I do my own laundry and pay my own bills.  Remember to ride your bicycle to the port before you jump on my "wastefulness". 

i am with you. although i might reuse a towel once or twice at home, i am also able to completely dry it with the space i dont have in a tiny room. using a wet towel is gross. 

i too miss the twice a day service AND i use one for my hair also🤪

We will be in port at 1 on a monday. the ship transfer to HS is sold out. will there be taxi or minibus service there? It doesnt look like there is official bus service on the gov website. 

i know this has been asked a million times but search isnt my friend. I have been here about 5 times but i never leave the dockyard area except once to HS about ten years ago. I want my friend to see how beautiful it is. 

did you find out if there is another ship in port with you? If so, some are held for it as well. 

i applied for mine in early February and it still isnt here. And that was after calling in April for expedited. I was on a closed loop so i had to purchase a BC since they still have mine. 

inside prom of indy. Not noisy except for Disco night and you should be out of your room on disco night🙃

3 hours ago, sgmn said:

In the UK it is illegal to pay less than the minimum wage irrespective of the job. 

It is the norm to tip full service restaurants, taxis, hairdressers,

usually 10 to 15%.

It is not the norm to tip in pubs or cafés unless you're having a full meal.  If you're a regular or have a large order you might tell the bar person to keep the change. 

really?!?!?! Holy cow. If i visited, i would assume soley according to here, that no one gets tips at all. Ever or you will be called a 'dumb american'. that is what i have learned from cc. 

9 hours ago, UNCFanatik said:

 

I worked in the restaurant industry for 10 years in back of the house roles. I understand the service industry. And in my time with restaurants, I have seen sexual harassment and discrimination against the servers on my team because of the tipping culture. I have also seen the attitude of servers that didnt work as hard because they relied that they were going to be tipped regardless of the level of the service they provided. I have seen servers ignore tables where customers didnt spend as much to focus on tables where people bought drinks and more expensive menu items. This is human nature but if I go to a restaurant and get the least expensive menu options, I should receive the same level of service as people who spend more. 

 

On a cruise, I shouldnt be forced to pay an 18% mandatory gratuity if I buy a drink. Tipping should be optional. If I pay near $8 a beer, I shouldnt have to bay 18% extra for an already overpriced item for a mandatory tip. 

 

Which brings us full circle, if service is cut, the daily auto-gratuity should be decreased as well. Any argument to the contrary is just based on emotion and not logic. 

please explain sexual harassment along with tipping culture. I think i know where you are going with this but cant figure out why considering normal life. 

I get that $8 beers is a lot but i have also accepted this is normal and if I cant afford it, i either pregame or stay home. I refuse to go anywhere knowing the cost of something if i also cant tip when it is expected.