march 2020 updates

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march 2020 updates

Post: # 2655Post drib »

March comes in like an update lion, but goes out like an update lamb.

Look for an update on Sunday, March 1, or if I don't find much, then Monday, March 2.

I'll do one follow up on Monday, March 9.

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Re: march 2020 updates

Post: # 2690Post drib »

Crystal is pushing March 4 as the end of their current sale - "book by March 4, 2020." (I get two emails every day about the river cruises!) So I guess I have to update on Thursday, March 5, as well.

I'll only send out emails if and when I see a significant number of fare changes. I don't want the Oceania/Regent fans to miss out just because Crystal picked a weird, mid-week date.

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open sesame

Post: # 2691Post drib »

This is a PHPBB message board, and one thing I don't like about it is that it opens links in the same window as the board. So, going forward, I'm going to use BB Code, for some links, that will open the link in a new window. For Roll Call and Fare Compare, for example, the BB Code creates buttons like these:

Trip 6749: *

Regent Splendor: *

I already started replacing many links to my photo (foto**) site, but there are too many Roll Call and Fare Compare links to replace from the past.

=======

* If you don't see a Dodger Blue button that turns green when you hover over it, then try doing a hard refresh to bring in the updated style sheet.

** Why do I use "foto" instead of "photo?" Is it because I'm oh-so cute? No, although I am .... sometimes. I use "foto" because all of the good domain names using "photo" were already taken.

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no soup for you!

Post: # 2695Post drib »

There were many status updates for all lines, but otherwise, all's quiet on the Fare Compare front.

I'll try it again tomorrow, although I don't expect much action until Wednesday, and then, only for Crystal.

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current crystal fares extended?

Post: # 2698Post drib »

I just got this email, in quotes, below, and I'm not sure what it means. Are all fares frozen until March 18, or just some special fares? I guess I won't really know until I run the update on March 4.

no-reply@emails.crystalcruises.com wrote:
EXTENDED TWO MORE WEEKS

BOOK BY MARCH 18, 2020

Take advantage of an exceptional collection of global journeys on Ocean, River, Yacht and Expedition. Enjoy 30th Anniversary Savings, Book Now Savings of up to $9,000 per suite and reduced deposits starting at just $100 per guest on select 2020 itineraries booked through March 18, 2020. Now is the perfect time to book your all-inclusive cruise experience on Crystal – Where Luxury is Personal™.

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patience grasshoppers

Post: # 2724Post drib »

It's running.

After about twenty trips ... bupkis ... and I'm expecting nothing, at least for Crystal, until March 19.

If anything else happens between now and noon, Pacific time, I'll post an update. But, either way, I'm unleashing emails later today.

Now, about March 19 - I don't know if I'll be able to do an update because I'll be away from home, washing my hands often, while singing Happy Birthday repeatedly, and just saying "no" to the Coronavirus.

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new trip added for crystal symphony

Post: # 2745Post drib »

Trip #7601, Dubai round-trip, May 1 to 8:

The above is now the lowest fare of any available Crystal itinerary, $178 per day - $237 per day, fees included - for any ocean view category.

Also note that the next trip, Dubai to Rome, May 8 to May 24, was previously removed from the Crystal web site, and is now back in business.

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Re: new trip added for crystal symphony

Post: # 2746Post drib »

drib wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:48 pmTrip #7601, Dubai round-trip, May 1 to 8:
And gone!

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ch-ch-ch-changes ...

Post: # 2748Post drib »

... for Mariner and Voyager to bypass Italy in the short term. These are all (I think) reflected in Roll Call, with comments, and if there were any associated fare changes, I'll find those on Monday.


David Bowie, Changes

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world cruise for serenity

Post: # 2750Post drib »

Based on a current world cruise traveler's post:

Trip #7603, Miami to Barcelona, 140 days, January 11 to May 31:

I'll add the individual segments when all the Crystal web site pages become available, and also no Fare Compare for any of it until then.

There were four new ports for Roll Call - five for Crystal.

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and splendor joins the shit show

Post: # 2751Post drib »

It's hard to keep track of, so use this link to see which Roll Call itineraries still have ports in Italy.



... through July, but you can just change the "to date" selector, either in the search panel, or in the query string, to suit your needs.

There were 25 available trips found, across all ships I follow, as I write.

======

It appears that Oceania has changed their itineraries too, but not their web site yet. I'm going to wait until I see the new ports on the Oceania web site before I change Roll Call.

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Re: march 2020 updates

Post: # 2754Post fezzik »

Probably too soon to know, but are you aware of any pricing trends, either down in efforts to fill ships, or up, in efforts to lower the value of FCCs?

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Re: march 2020 updates

Post: # 2757Post drib »

Fezzik wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 11:21 amProbably too soon to know, but are you aware of any pricing trends, either down in efforts to fill ships, or up, in efforts to lower the value of FCCs?
I can answer your question in part ... "are you aware" ... who me?

I can't imagine that any of the three cruise lines I follow are devious enough to try to devalue future cruise credits. I think Regent is the most dogged in not lowering fares ... they'll raise most of their itineraries by $100 or $200 every quarter just to make a point. (They're the kind of line that would knee-cap a guy, on the first day in prison, just so that the rest of the prison passengers know Regent's not going to be their bitch.) Crystal is in a fix because they've already lowered a lot of fares, on their older ships, to get fannies in their cabins. In the end, it will just be Keith1010 waving from the balcony and yelling to anyone who will listen, that the ship is amazing, and there's so much open space!

Anyway, I'm running another Fare Compare update tomorrow, for all lines, so watch this space. And I will do the best I can to run an update for Crystal on March 19, but I'll be at sea, so it's a crap shoot.

Say, Fezzik, when you fly, do the airlines make you buy two seats?

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Re: march 2020 updates

Post: # 2758Post drib »

Still in progress, except for Oceania, which is done, and no fare changes there. There are a lot of category status changes from "wait list" to blank, though. FYI, this is what that looks like to me, just a few of them:

Code: Select all

UPDATE `rc_dollars` SET `d_cat_stat`='', `d_chg_stamp`='2020.03.09.07.28.04' WHERE `d_number`=109805  /* trip=6776, cat=OC, catStat=wait list */ ;
UPDATE `rc_dollars` SET `d_cat_stat`='', `d_chg_stamp`='2020.03.09.07.28.51' WHERE `d_number`=123070  /* trip=6767, cat=PH2, catStat=wait list */ ;
...
And it looks like a lot of those on the other lines too.

On Regent, I noticed that this gap in the schedule changed:

https://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY200506/summary

Maybe it's still a charter, but now it starts May 7 Kusadasi, not May 6. Whatever it is, I'm leaving it as a gap.

Crystal is still running, but I can see that it's going to be complicated - some values on the web site showing as zero, where a fare should be. So I may very well just post the category statuses today until they get their act together - hopefully by March 19.

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Re: march 2020 updates

Post: # 2759Post fezzik »

drib wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 2:21 pm
Say, Fezzik, when you fly, do the airlines make you buy two seats?
Me? Fly? Why would anyone ever want to leave Florin?

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Re: march 2020 updates

Post: # 2761Post drib »

Fezzik wrote: Mon Mar 09, 2020 10:14 amMe? Fly? Why would anyone ever want to leave Florin?
Perhaps to visit Greenland ... or some other place ... foreign.

I have a great gift for rhyme ...

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Re: march 2020 updates

Post: # 2762Post fezzik »

drib wrote: Mon Mar 09, 2020 5:59 pm
Fezzik wrote: Mon Mar 09, 2020 10:14 amMe? Fly? Why would anyone ever want to leave Florin?
I have a great gift for rhyme ...
I'm glad that you have the ......time.

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Re: march 2020 updates

Post: # 2764Post drib »

Fezzik, that was your fourth post this ... month.

======

Someone pointed out that the upcoming Splendor cruise, from San D-ay-go, was 100% wait-list for at least a year, and now has a lot of availability. I wanted to see that, so I ran a category status update for regent this morning.

A good way to spot that kind of trend is with seldom used Ship Dollar, as in the following link:

ship dollar

It's called "Ship Dollar" because it's mostly a larger version of the Dollar View ($$ link on Fare Compare) that you can scroll by ship.

Don't forget that in both Roll Call and Ship Dollar you can scroll, previous and next, with your arrow keys. (You have to scroll through to September 24 now to find a fully wait-listed trip on Splendor!)

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Re: march 2020 updates

Post: # 2765Post fezzik »

drib wrote: Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:43 am Fezzik, that was your fourth post this ... month.
We must do something about this immediately......Harrumph!

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pi day splendor cruise

Post: # 2768Post drib »

I did another status update for Regent today. In one day, there were 78 categories that went from wait list to available. So if you use the link, two posts north, to ship dollar, you can see that on the March 14 Splendor sailing, only the Regent Suite and the Master Suite are still wait listed now.

It's quite a dilemma for Regent because the current fares are high, based all categories being wait listed. So no newcomers are are likely to come forward to sail on what is starting to look like a voyage of the damned. And they can't lower the fare because then they'd have a mob of angry existing passengers that are going to want the new fare.

Also note that I will have words with anyone that doesn't appreciate rhyming "month" with "harrumph," one post north. It's brilliant!

======

2020.03.12: Even the Regent Suite is available today!

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