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Still on the fence but the packing has begun. You all know that on top of being a “suite snob” I am also a “tea snob” right? And it’s good to be prepared in case of quarantine. ?

We will be boarding the Oasis shortly, and have noticed on the app that Jamaica has been replaced on our itinerary with Costa Maya. I assume we will be officially notified once onboard. Flexibility is key currently! Just as long as they keep the casino and bars open....??

My wife sent me a link to an NBC Nightly News video posted on Instagram, appears to be a recording of a Facebook Live session or maybe Instagram TV. The video was a discussion between Jose Diaz Ballart and Dr. John Torres, who they regularly have on broadcasts for health topics. He was asked a number of questions from viewers / people who posted via Instagram / FB. A couple of points I found particularly relevant: The "vast majority" of those who have died were smokers. Not indicated how long they had been smoking, but I would assume for long enough to have impaired lung function. They openly said that if you are a smoker you would be well-off to start the effort to quit. People who have asthma or chronic respiratory illnesses are not more likely to contract the virus, but are more likely to get a more severe illness / suffer complications if they do contract it. As has been stated by some of those here who work in the healthcare industry, getting a mask if you are not sick is really not going to help you; it's more to help prevent spread if you have contracted it. Household cleaners that have previously been labeled as effective against SARS and MERS are also confirmed effective against Coronavirus. But, you must allow the cleaner to air-dry after spraying, and not immediately wipe it up with paper towels; these cleaners need some time to properly kill any virus on the sprayed surface. You can watch the whole video if you go onto Instagram, look up NBC Nightly News, click the bio link and from there click/tap the picture showing Mr. Ballart and Dr. Torres in front of a background with a big "Coronavirus CRISIS" banner.

Been trying to think of a lot of nifty things to say the night before the cruise (Christmas when you hope you are getting that new bike or New Atari game), so I’ll just step away from that as I look out the 19th Floor of the Hilton Downtown Miami and just say WE ARE READY! Look forward to waking up in the morning and in the distance seeing Symphony! We has a great time in Little Havana, then Bayside Market throughout the day and now the time is nigh. Our bags, are packed, our wine in our carryon, many shows and movies loaded from Netflix and Disney+ and just can’t wait for tomorrow. Look to get to the ship around 11am (remember ignore that boarding time thing). We know things will be different with the temperature scan but after taking a Bay Cruise around Miami and seeing the beautiful Terminal A in person for the first time just made things even more excited. Shout out to anyone joining on this cruise especially those from Texas and look to have the best time ever. As “The Rock” would say “Can you smell what Royal Caribbean is cooking”. Pun Intended “HAK1906” out!???

I have noticed just what you are mentioning. A coworker just left on a cruise yesterday. Another coworker was whispering that going on a cruise is a big mistake. Every ship outbreak is splashed all over the media. Seriously, if I hear "floating petri dish" one more time. . . I am a first grade teacher. I have much less personal space in a given day than I ever do on a ship. My sweeties cough and sneeze on me all year long. We are packed in the classroom, the cafeteria for lunch. At any given time, fifty percent of the school could be in the hall coming and going to PE/music/art, lunch, or recess. We are clearly not transporting viruses from one part of the world or country to another within the day. But we have 1200+ people in one small building. What about theme parks? I loooove Disneyworld. However, the famous, "fill in all available space" phrase they use just makes me crazy. The lines, the rope drop crowds, the crowded restaurants - personal space is very limited. When I think about hotel rooms, I get a little worried. Just rinsing the glasses and coffee makers and so forth and so on. Surely, viruses are spread in hotels and without a huge spotlight shining on them. Sorry about the rant. With two trips planned and prepaid, I am on edge.

I totally agree. Haven’t heard of any airline flights quarantining passengers when they disembark, and there are many more people entering the country daily on an airplane than from a cruise ship. With the airlines, the flight crews just turn around, board another flight and life goes on. And what about the thousands of people that are visiting the various theme parks each day around the country? I would be much more concerned about being exposed at Disney World than on a cruise. Ironically I was at Disney about 5 weeks ago and even then there were a few people wearing marks in the park. The next few weeks will be interesting for sure. We are supposed to board Symphony in four weeks and this whole mess has definitely put a damper on our excitement. At this time we are still planning on sailing as long as the ship sails.

Very windy day today started off at Solarium Bistro for breakfast with two made to order eggs. I drink almond milk and just had to request it and they provided for my coffee. Will see how El Loco fresh is for lunch. in between lunch on deck 15 aft having a cigar with Buffalo Trace living a great life. YOLO.

The media doesn't report facts. They report what will generate ratings and support ad revenue. They don't report news, they create it or sensationalize it because in part that is what people want. Bad news travel faster than good news because of human nature. No one but ourselves and fellow members of society to blame for that.

End of the first day. Checked out everything basically. Went to the 2nd floor and cross crossed. 20,000 steps in today ?. Main Dining Room Was pretty good. Wifey loved the Creme Bulee. Starbucks was great. I asked the manager if they run out of the pastries as the week goes and she said they do not. Checked out the sail away party, went to the Solarium during sail away and watched sail away from the area that has the glass floor. Extremely windy today. Went to HIRO and the whole family thoroughiy enjoyed wifey had a hot dog from the hot dog spot and the kids enjoyed Sugar and bought some candy and had ice cream additionally went to Playmakers for a beer and 24 wings with friends I am a huge Wing Stop fan and they are not that, however, for the price and being on a cruise ship the wings were very good with good heat and flavor definitely worth it playmakers will get a lot of visits from me this week walked through Central Park and set up my Wine Tasting for night 6. No music out there tonight but love the sounds of the crickets and they were handing out free champagne at the Cartier store. There were a lot of people around the Trelis Bar After HIRO hung around the Promenade, people watched, kids had Sorrentos and had another Starbucks. Glad I loaded my card before the trip. Baleros had a lot of energy this evening and the welcome party is currently happening. A key takeaway is with 6,000 on board it never feels crowded. Before we sailed and prior to the muester drill it felt packed but afterwards not at all and able to get an elevator. We will be at sea tomorrow and will hit up JOHNNY Rockets for Breakfast. A key dynamic is I use the app onboard ALL THE TIme! To schedule events, set reminders, set up shows, etc. HIRO had a good crowd but not overly packed and people were able to just walk in. I am including pics of the Starbucks menu since I haven’t seen the menu with prices often.

Boarded Liberty today. 400 empty cabins due to cancellations this week. However, the ship doesn’t feel less empty. There’s enough hand sanitizer everywhere that you could bath it in. People must have packed their entire house (present company included, but I always over pack.) in anticipation of a quarantine because luggage delivery is delayed. I’m not worried... my HR director is on the ship, so I’m covered. Saw her as we boarded. DW jokes about how I see people no matter where we are from school/that I taught. Well, this time it may come in handy as long as I don’t partake in too much Kraken. ?

Michelle is awesome at MEI. Very patient and responds very quickly. I’m so glad I listened to others recommendations to use her.

Sweety because I love sweets (red velvet cake)

Mine is an evolution from my DH Aussies love nicknames so.when we first met 'Petal' which turned into 'Petulia' then shortened to 'Tule' which graduated to 'Big Tule' when I was HUGE when pregnant with my second child my first child DD picked up the catchy name and it has stuck ever since I used to cringe but now I accept it has a loving history and own it .

Hmmmm.....says anonymous source! I’m crying foul! It is an election year and there are unfortunately people who want to hurt the economy to hurt the President. #JMHO

The temperature check was done as soon as you walk into the cruise terminal and go up the first escalators. They don’t touch you or your kids foreheads. There were at least 10+people checking at 11am. Very quick. Before getting on board there were at three if not more times it was requested to apply hand sanitizer (For those not going Diamond+). Check in easy. About 20-30 minutes from when we arrived at 11 with 9 people and three families. it’s 1pm so you know what that means. Go check into your room. FYI, wifey and I split up and she went to get WOW bands while I went to set up speciality dining (14 people) and MTD (9 people). Kids went with other family to grab an area in Windjammer until rooms were ready. Highly advise setting up dining times ASAP. There were at three separate lines to do so. We have the three night package and chose Chops, Wonderland and Park 150. Kids will only do Chops and Wonderland. Don’t think they are interested in Park 150. They are 11 and 13. in Windjammer they had a person Requesting you wash your hands as soon as you go in

Consider the source.

They also have that amazing one on Indy.. I spoke to someone in charge of those Bars.. The Freedom class ships will all have the largest playmakers in the fleet!

@Rowefam5, welcome to the RCBlog forums! It sounds like you're specifically looking at the Refreshment Package. Don't forget this also covers bottled water, which is handed out as you leave the ship in every port as well as being available at any bar on board; that runs a couple bucks per bottle without a package. Specialty coffees generally range between $4.50 and $7.50, depending on size, extras you add like syrups, hot vs cold / frozen beverage, etc. If you click on "Menus" at the top of the screen, there should be some photos posted by people showing the coffee menus on board. The Live Blogs by @twangster, @Lovetocruise2002, and others often include photos of the coffee menu and other drink menus on board. Fresh squeezed juice is $3 or $4 if I'm remembering right. Know that you have to specifically request it -- the glasses of orange juice sitting out ready for pick-up in the Windjammer are not fresh-squeezed; there is one specific area in the WJ where they have the juicer, and crew there will point it out to you if you ask. When having breakfast in the MDR, you need to tell your waiter you want fresh-squeezed; if you just say "orange juice", you will get the from-concentrate stuff. I can tell you that on my last sailing on Anthem (5-night Bermuda trip), I went with the Refreshment package after getting a good sale price, and bought all alcoholic drinks a la carte along with bringing 2 bottles of wine on board for with dinner. I was totally happy with this route, and still ordered alcoholic drinks as I wanted them without worrying about the price. Came out well ahead vs buying the Deluxe package, and no drink fatigue! I was having 2 cappuccinos, a fresh-squeezed juice, and at least 2 bottles of water every day. Easily broke even with the price I paid (around $18/night).

Given the current state of affairs, I think all logic is out the window. Typically, it's always better to book in advance, not only for price, but for better choice of cabins.

Who wouldn't want to have a better cabin for the same price? It's like a RoyalUp without a bid or additional cost! Sign me up!

If you are cruising in the next month or so, I would watch for price dips so that you can possibly adjust to an upgrade for what you are already paying or pay a smaller amount to upgrade. Seeing lots of people in March where they paid for interior and for the same price they are moving up to Balcony or even Spacious Balcony. Cant get the refund on the cost, but at least get a better room.

We can't say enough about Sharla Manglass [email protected]. Takes great care to make sure our sailings are priced at the best rates. Waking up to an email saying you just saved $840.00 plus you now have $300.00 OBC, yes We love Sharla!!

Chalk mine up to not feeling very creative at the moment I created my account. It's one of the many nicknames my friends and family use for me. Usually on message boards/forums, I try to come up with a name that somehow ties in to the theme of the board -- so I really should've come up with something involving cruising. But, you know, other times, I like pulling out my all-time favorite...and now I wish I had. "Landshark". That sounds like a creature longing for the sea, no? Well, when it's not delivering candygrams.

I agree it's a little unfair to focus on the cruise industry more than any other industry, form of transport, etc. As @FManke just alluded to, I would be much more nervous about flying in a small, pressurized metal tube with 200 or more strangers potentially hacking and sneezing all around you for hours at a time. You would think that people that are concerned would focus on the airline industry a little more. IMHO, we just all need to remain educated on the ongoing situation, exercise caution and use common sense right now. Hopefully, with the warmer weather approaching, the virus will run its course and no longer be as major of a concern.

I'm not sure that the cruise industry is a target, but they definitely have a certain focus on them. Some of this is from the simple fact that cruises pack a lot of people, although to us the ships are huge, into a relatively small space. Some large theatres on the other hand, can hold as many people as small cruise ships and nobody is saying anything to them? Airlines hold more people per square foot than any cruise ship. Are people suggesting that airlines stop or curtail their operations? A cruise ship can as easily transmit a virus to other parts of the world, just like an airline can or as a the local transportation in any city can. As far as your spouse is concerned, I would ask what did you do when the H1N1, Swine Flu or SARS outbreaks happened? All concerns at the time, that faded over time.

They have to remove all that stuff. It's a maritime law.

Sounds like a GREAT change to me !! Enjoy it, wherever you go !!!

At this point, I have prepared my family for the possibility that we may end up with a different itinerary. We booked our cruise FOR the itinerary. ? Eh....it's life. Outta my control. I second that as long as the bars are open....I'm good. Enjoy Costa Maya, and the rest of your cruise!

Only around 100,000 have the virus population is 7.5 billion! We got long way to go before we panic! Everyone just wash your hands and cover your mouth! ?

It has been our experience that if you redeem online you get the credit applied a few weeks before you sail. We have found that if you call them they will apply onboard credit within a few days of when you call. They explained to me once they wait because if you cancel your cruise it is hard to refund your onboard credit back. The onboard credit awarded by the card is the same as cash, so if you do not use it all it will be refunded to you in cash as the end of the cruise.

I watched the entire meeting just now with Pence and the Cruise CEO's. No talk whatsoever of any kind of shutdown.

This morning! Symphony all the down at a terminal A at the far end.

Single digit dance update: 9 days out and this is the most unsettling single digit dance we have ever done. Today we find ourselves very uncertain of what next week will hold. Never fear though when you are a Type A planner like me. ? In the past hour, I have put 5 cruises on hold as a Plan B, C, D, E, and F. Thank goodness for fantastic travel agents who work tirelessly at all hours. So hopefully this blog continues on, or it may be on hold for a while....stay tuned.

Because toilet paper is the cure for Covid-19. No, wait, it prevents coughing. No, wait.....

All I know is if they quarantine Anthem for 03/15/2020 cruise, their Unlimited Drink Package is gonna take a beating! ??

I'm not sure that booking 8 months ahead is really going to get you as much of the booking early advantage. Generally that is over a year and sometimes 2 years in advance.

I love what @Matt says. At Final payment he doesn't look anymore. He knows I will take care of him as his TA but at final he is ok paying what he paid. Many cruises have last minute inventory sales - even before the virus. There are always people that didn't need to plan to take a cruise and can wait to find the last minutes deals.

I think the reason that people jump all over cruise industry is it is perceived as luxury/non-necessity. People must fly and stay in hotels for work. Cruising also has a snobby rep that as @CrznTxn explains is unearned. I admit that I don't really proselytize about the virtues of cruising because most people just don't get it unless they have cruised.

Looking at my Windy app and reading what the Harmony Captains tweet had to say... Weather gonna be ugly on their former itineraries .

Agreed. Today's CV madness is causing erratic pricing and is not typical. Trust me....aside from this market mayhem, booking early is always the best thing to do. Is Royal Caribbean allowing European bookings to take advantage of the "Cruise with Confidence" cancellation policy ? If so, cancel your old booking and buy at the lower price !

My wife just talked to her sister and the ship is just debarking now. Carnival allowed the passengers to stay in their rooms overnight rather than sending them off near midnight.

The cruise industry is an easy target for the media at the moment. They are successful and enjoy a large following that is gaining popularity. Unlike the resort industry which is fixed in place and is rising in price to the level of only top tier clientele, the cruising industry has pricing for all tier levels and offers amenities for all tastes. Also cruising allows exploration to many different countries and cultures whereas a resort is usually exclusive and enclosed isolating the client from the outside to make sure you use only their services. As far as the attacks, the folks looking in only see the supposed large number of folks in a small area and assume a giant source of germ transfer. They do not see the large number of support staff cleaning, preparing meals, supervising, entertaining and basically pampering the guests. If you pull up a ship's statistics you see an inordinately large number of staff per guest. That said we have always enjoyed ourselves on cruises far more than the resorts we have visited and individual vacation trips and feel the cruise is best for us.

We are currently using Danette with MEI. Only good things to say about her. I think you cannot go wrong with any of the agents who have received positive reviews here on the blog. Or you can reach out to @AnnetteJackson with a private message if you need some guidance. Happy cruising!

Following... headed out on Oasis in late May. Can't wait to hear about the upgrades (Port Side!!)

There is no booking of shows and entertainment on Adventure. You only need to do that on the bigger ships.

The only suites that come with any beverage packages included is Star Class. On Harmony, full suites will have access to the Suites Lounge, where you can get many beverages from 11-11.

Just make sure you CALL the redemption center, don't do the redemption online. If you don't like what you hear, say "thank you", hang up and call back. But, you definitely have to call the redemption center number.

I just read on line 14,000 people died in the US from the flu this season. Is this being overblown?

So glad you are feeling better (well hope you are) and I know its disappointing to cancel but they would have most likely denied boarding and that to me would be worse, lol. Glad we got you all set up and thanks for the kind works And to @matt for all the up to date information on cruises

I agree. Cruises aren't the problem. I don't think the Washington and New York experiences were cruise-related. Cruises, however, are an example of a group meeting that can spread any disease. In that sense, there is an increased level of risk. But what about transit systems in a major city? We do need to think about our lifestyle, but knocking out cruises, in my opinion, won't inhibit the spread of the disease because there will always be random cases in high-density places exacerbated by a long incubation period. I vote for living life as you see fit, but being smart about it. Easy for me to say, as I am getting older...I wish everyone safe and healthy travels.