CruisingWalter

Basically you're going to put down a 'placeholder' deposit to go to the front of the line when the Seattle itinerary goes on sale this summer. You can purchase the Placeholder starting on May 8 according to the information released by Virgin Voyages.

We know the first 3 MerMaiden dates. Sept 5-10, 2025 from NYC Oct 17-25, 2025 from Miami April 7-12, 2026 from Los Angeles Seattle is May 2026 TBD.

Did anyone have a full Alaska Season on their bingo card? I certainly didn't. I figured a few trips to Alaska but never a full season. That's going to be wild.

Yep the Broadway Cruise, one of the many Sixthman Charter cruises. That company is owned by NCL hence every sailing is on one of their ships. They have a charter cruise for pretty much every musical taste.

TikTok is an excellent source of information if you follow the right people. And if you follow the Cruise Spotter you'll have FOMO daily. 🙂

For us it's Hairspray. But all great shows. 🙂

Many RCCL ships have one Broadway show and up to 2 more Original Shows that are Broadway style and often Broadway caliber. You can usually find which show is on which ship by simply going to the ship's page on their website. I know Hairspray has been on Symphony, Cats on Oasis, Grease on Harmony.

To my knowledge you cannot do this any longer. When they first started they allowed TAs to do this, but on the slide. It was never allowed, they just looked the other way for a long time. But last year when I purchased a bunch they told me it had to be the Sailor's credit card who was sitting there making the purchases.

That's exactly how it works Port slots are negotiated and purchased up to 5 years in advance, sometimes more. It's big money for the ports. Cruise lines can change the ships listed so long as they are a size that the port can support, but buying those slots is big business. I would never want that job.

I find the VV crowd to be very social. The entire ship is set up for socialization in the sense that there are literally chairs and loungers almost everywhere on the ship. It's a very chill ship during the day where you can hang with folks out by the (very tiny) pool. Or partake in the activities during the day. One Sailor said it was like being in Summer Camp for Adults on our first voyage featured in the video link above from @cantgetin. That's kind of how it feels. Without the constraints of kids running around and 'being careful of conversation' around the little ones, there's a sense of freedom to just be you and have fun. The biggest differences from the other lines are the mega-yacht feel of the ship, many inclusions so you're not having pay for a ton of extras, nobody upselling a drinks/dinner package, no photographers. Because all of the decks are essentially single story, the ship feels a lot smaller than it really is. You don't have that sense of scale with the multi story atrium or promenade or central feature of so many cruise ships that's more akin to a mall or Las Vegas resort. The ladyships are quite intimate and I think that leads to more social interaction. Food is always subjective and since I produced that original video, The Wake is now a brunch only meal for us. We went to dinner there twice since we did that original video and it was underwhelming. Razzle Dazzle and Pink Agave are our two tops picks now and on a good night, Extra Virgin is amazing. We've really enjoyed Dine and Dash special dinner items the last few times we've been on the ships such as the butter chicken. I have met folks from 18 to 80+ on the ships. If you are young at heart, you should really give VV a go.

My wife does multiple times during every VV cruise. Very comfortable.

Did they cite specific articles, specific sources? If not, then it's just rumor. All cruise lines are potentially for sale to the right buyer and the right price. Unless something comes out in the official trades, it'll just be rumor and great clickbait to get views.

Based on previous folks who posted about running cabling in the hallways, that might have been the start of new Internet infrastructure. With miles and miles of cables to run, and repeaters to install, that may be something that's going to be rolled out over the next few months. Especially if they're working around passengers on revenue sailings.

According to the Royal Caribbean FAQ, you can only purchase the drinks package up to 72 hours in advance of your cruise or on the first day of your cruise. Sounds like after Day One, no more offers for the drinks package. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/beverage-package-cancellation-policy

That depends on whether the category is officially Closed by Royal Caribbean or Waitlisted. If the category is closed, there won't be any additional fare reductions. If it is Waitlisted, we've never see the cruise fare reduce. The Waitlist price is usually significantly higher than anyone who has already booked. If you're working with a TA, it's super easy for them to price check your stateroom and if there is a price reduction, they can re-fare you cabin without the need to call Royal Caribbean (or Celebrity).