alfaeric

If they expanded the port to accept large ships, there's a 100% chance the parking price will go up. There's barely enough parking for the ships right now.

So the discussion is about getting a bigger ship into Baltimore, right? That would eliminate Charleston and Bimini. Basically, if the bridges are lifted to even fit the Voyager ships, the itineraries would shift to be the same as out of NJ. And the ultra low cost east coast cruises would go away. No real advantage, really, to NJ. The only think that makes Baltimore unique is the small ships.

I don't disagree, but I also know that the top appeal to the small ships is actually the price. At least to us. Less often the top appeal is the itinerary- which it was for an Eastern Med cruise and recently a cruise to Columbia and Panama. And when we finally do a Panama Canal- it will certainly be a small ship. But none of the ports out of Baltimore are unique. Some of them even suck- I really hate being in Port Canaveral when another RCI ship is in the port because you have no choice but to use transportation to even go for a short walk. And now that we've been to Freeport- don't need to do that again. Even going north, you can do the same from NJ or Boston.

They can adjust the number of 11/12 nighters out of NJ. The time it takes to sail to destinations south is almost exactly the same, anyway. Really, the only thing special about Baltimore is the small, old, ships which generally means lower priced itineraries. We would have chosen the Anthem had the prices been anywhere near the Vision for the B2Bs we just took.

Seems that one other thing they can do is keep the shipping channel width the same, but make the bridge span longer. That would add a ship grounding area before the bridge structure to add some safety to any other boundary hardware.

That part I understand. But the switch to that subject is intertwined into this main story. And to accomplish what you want, 2 more bridges need to be lifted. Which is well outside the timeline of this accident. So when you come in randomly to see if the current news is updated, and you see discussions about the replacement being in a bad place- it's natural to think this is about the FSK bridge, since it HAS to be replaced right now. That's the confusing part- a bridge that has no choice but to be replaced vs. the other two and where they are, when they will be replaced, etc. Again, IMHO, the cruise aspect of this area is minor compared to the rest of the shipping. So I don't see the other two bridges changed anytime soon- especially since this bridge gets replaced now.

Which suggests that the Vision will just have two cruises out of Norfolk. Pretty amazing.

Most people claim that Baltimore is a drive to port, and that a majority of them are within a few hours- meaning that hotels are maybe a few thousand single nights a week for all of the cruises. Parking is something, sure. Call it 3000 cars a week? I would wager a bet that the parking for all of the brand new cars coming to the port is considerably larger. Not saying that cruise passengers are not important. But I don't see them as being so important that Baltimore is going to go out of their way to fit a 4000 passenger ship in the port.

Sorry, but it’s still confusing. The discussion moved from a bridge that has no choice but to be replaced to one of additional volume in a different place that eventually will need replacement. And since cruise ships represent a very small part of the shipping traffic, I don’t see a real need to add height on all bridges as a high priority.

I’m not going to read the article, as it’s not going to change anything for me. BUT, if it results in lowering the demand for cruising, we all win.

So a thread about the FSK bridge collapse and replacement isn’t about the FSK bridge. Confusing.

So add a totally new highway and roads? Cheaper to make the existing roads wider if that's really the core problem. And when I look at a map, there's no other location where the land comes out a little into the river that makes any sense to span for access. Where would it make more sense to put a bridge over the Patapasco River? Unless you are talking the Potomac, which is a totally different discussion.

So why would it be dumb to put a new span next to the old one? I would rather have the old bridge open and usable while the new one was being built.

And factor in the cost of going from the port in Miami to FLL. And the cost difference in hotels, if that's also part. (but make sure you keep in mind the time to get there when booking the return flight. A 10am flight out of MIA may be ok, but not so much for FLL.

When you say "since" is that after the span went down or before? If it was before, it makes more sense than not, since the connection remains open while the bridge is being built. Now that the bridge is gone, I'm betting that they will revisit that, as it saves money to not move the road. The Gordie Howe bridge vs Ambassador Bridge isn't at all about replacement, it was adding massive amounts of lanes and taking the control of the flow (read maintenance) away from certain people. Canada really wants to expand the trade between Ontario and Michigan, so they have been pushing this the entire time- including paying for almost all of it (including the massive numbers of lawsuits the owners of the Ambassador Bridge filed to block the new bridge). Given the access of the two bridges, I'm betting that the new span will take the gross majority of traffic once it's done. I'm sure we will use it instead, as it's a far more direct access between I-75 in the US and 401 in Canada- should reduce delays when going deep into Michigan or into Ontario. The FSK bridge isn't nearly that, so a new one isn't an addition, but a replacement. And keeping the passage open used to be super important when building a new one.

You can do it, as I've started once or twice, but the web page planner route is a lot easier since seeing your entire calendar then is easier.

Sure you can. Have done it multiple times. Some of the shows may not really be open until you get on the ship and connect to the ships internet.

Last month, too. (Feb 2024)

NY should be the best option if they can’t clean it up quickly- Port Liberty supports two ships in the summer with an Oasis class ship being added. So the vision should not be a problem briefly. It’s a 4 hour bus ride, which we have done to get to port Liberty from DC. I wager it will be cleaned up quickly given the total marine traffic that uses that passage.

IF they are doing them: Backstage- in the theater, meet some of the cast and stage crew, and take a tour of the backstage area. Galley- take a tour of the kitchen. Bridge- take a tour of the bridge while at sea. We have enjoyed them when they were happening in the past- but some got cut post pandemic. On our recent cruise, the backstage returned to being that instead of a panel talk with the cast and crew. And we also participated in the bridge tour. Not sure if the galley tour is back or not. Nice to have some back, at least.

Reviving this thread, so we can add our recent data. Submitted the forms to the Post Office on 3/10, they were issued 3/18, and we got them today 3/21. We did pay the extra for expedited service, as there is upcoming travel. But it was considerably faster than we anticipated.

+another one for a call and chat. We've done it countless times over the years. Very worth it.

We were told on our recent cruise (Feb) that not much in terms of appearance will be updated on the ship. She is in pretty darned nice shape, though.

We've done a TON of cruises out of San Juan- English first, Spanish second. Just like many cruises out of Miami. Some of the guest performers may do some Spanish in their show, but they would do both. But, for sure, they will certainly play the crowd from Puerto Rico, just like all of the cruises out of Galveston play to the Texas crowd.

They are not on all ships. Just the newest ones. And we have used the business card of our room steward to leave in there. Waste of $2 to buy something for it. As for the rest of the "stuff" listed, shop in your own home before getting something you already have. We have plenty of lanyard ID pockets to use for luggage tags, plenty of lanyards, a card.... The only thing we don't is the magnetic hooks, which we've never needed so much to get some. Heck, someone left 2 in our cabin on our last cruise, and we never used them. None of this is essential. Could be nice to have, but IMHO, people should cruise once before deciding they need some of the stuff.