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From the photo, it looks like the captain is Captain Diego Lombardic from Croatia. Corinna

I follow Marc Walker on Facebook who currently is the cruise director on Independence of the Seas. He posted a photo yesterday from a loyalty event and the captain is Captain Diego. Corinna

I know that the start date was previously 11/17/24, which is the date Odyssey arrives at Cape Liberty.

No, definitely not and I just found out that Chris Hopkins is no longer with Royal Caribbean. Corinna

I don’t know if he is still around, but the only other Chris I can think of is Chris Hopkins, who is from the U.K. Corinna

We just got back from a back to back cruise on Radiance and I saw a few photos with them on beds. I would have loved to order one, but with having to pack for a three week cold weather vacation with international flights, it just was not an option. Corinna

We are currently on Radiance and at the beginning of the noon announcement the ship’s whistle was blown as a mark of respect to Captain James MacDonald. Corinna

According to somebody on the current sailing, Clo O’Connor took over on Navigator yesterday. Corinna

We just got on Radiance today and in his welcome on board announcement, Captain Rumen mentioned that he joined the ship today. Corinna

The cruise on Friday is a northbound from Vancouver to Seward. Apart from the email last night that we are good to go, we had two emails with check in/ boarding information. Corinna

Thanks for this. That is what I was hoping for. Corinna

We will cruise Radiance next month. This will be our second of the smaller Royal Caribbean ships. As much as we loved Splendour of the Seas, we found it surprising that the only drink station for included drinks like ice tea, lemonade, etc. was inside the Windjammer. Is this the same on Radiance or are there other drink stations available? Corinna

Ironically prior to the recent dry dock, Rita’s was not listed under the bars on Radiance, but when I was looking for a bar menu on the app today, it was suddenly showing. Corinna

I am not sure if this is still the case as there seem to be so many different timelines about, but it used to be four months for the main cruise director and two months for the cruise director that filled in at vacation time. Corinna

And Quantum for that matter. After the 2025 Alaska season, only Anthem appears to be doing a transpacific to Australia. I wonder if Quantum is heading back to Singapore. Corinna

Serve some decent free coffee. I don’t want a fancy coffee every time I am in need of some caffeine. I very happily drink filter coffee, but the stuff they serve is an assault on the tastebuds. Corinna

I think that baker may have moved to Symphony for the summer and then Navigator for the winter. The desserts were actually edible. I was shocked when to Pistachio Pound Cake on Navigator actually tasted of Pistachio. Now, Ovation on the other hand, as much as I love this ship, the desserts should win a “special award” for how somebody can create something that bad. Corinna

I would much prefer San Pedro. We live in the U.K., but have some very dear friends in Long Beach and Orange County. There also is the pull of Disneyland. However, if San Diego made things easier to bring a Quantum class ship to California, I would make it work somehow. If Ovation is coming to California (or Quantum for that matter), I intend to book for May 2025 on opening day. Corinna

According to the Royal Caribbean website, Odyssey, Wonder and Icon do as well. Corinna

Would San Diego be an option? Corinna

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. Europe 2025 has already been confirmed and does not feature either Quantum or Ovation. The fact that Ovation is doing a Transpacific indicates that she is destined to spend at least the summer on the west coast. We also know Quantum and Anthem are heading for Alaska. Regarding the winter season, I had heard that Quantum was heading to Sydney and Voyager to Brisbane. It now looks it is Anthem that is heading to Sydney. That probably means that Quantum is heading back to Singapore. Both ships had dry docks since they were pulled out of Asia. Ovation had all the Chinese signage removed, Quantum had not. Corinna

It was supposed to be the week of February 12th, but it changed to February 19th a week or so ago. Corinna

Unless it gets changed again, it should be the week commencing February 19th. Corinna

Quantum class ships visit a wide range of tender ports. I have tendered in Phuket on Quantum and in Santorini on Odyssey and it was a surprisingly smooth process. For a big chunk of last year’s Alaska season, Quantum had to tender in Skagway and that port is not really set up for tendering. Corinna

Ever since it was announced that Anthem and Quantum will be sailing out of Seattle during the summer, I had the strong feeling that Ovation is heading for LA. It also looks like that Quantum is replacing Ovation in Sydney with Voyager taking over from Quantum in Brisbane. It would not make sense sending Ovation to Florida with three new ships there. I suppose Ovation could head back to Asia, but that just does not sit right with me. I suppose time will tell. Corinna