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I was on a call today and we were told that in reality it is taking them more like 45 business days on the first round to complete the cancellations and while they have put that out for the other two rounds, they hope that they can do those faster. Royal is supposed to be sending an apology to all guests as well. Not posting this for people to attack on it, or comment really... Just wanted to post it somewhere so people would see this and maybe ask for everyone to be understanding of those that are working on all of these cancellations. The person that you call in at the call center is not the person that is working on the cancellations. Your Travel Planner does not have a way to speed the process up. This is a Pandemic that was not planned for and everyone that is left working is working hard to process these cancellations.

learn some of their Royal Caribbean news from RoyalCaribbeanBlog! WTG, @Matt ! "There was not much information to share, but Ms. Freed had this to say, "Other than what I read on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog that we have a patent for it, I don't know anything else about it. " https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/04/29/royal-caribbean-offers-updates-refunds-odyssey-of-the-seas-and-the-presidents-cruise

Can't say enough good things about Michelle. She has done us great with price reductions, upgrades, etc. I never liked Travel Agents until we met her... although I'm sure any from MEI would be good.

I've got an update coming to the blog in the next hour or so about refunds and how long it's taking...

566 days since I got off Carnival Fantasy after my first-ever cruise. 165 days til I'm on Brilliance. I'm sad that it's not sooner, but I'm really kinda excited that my first cruise back will be with the fine folks of this community -- and some of you others, too. ?

I had to use HOWLONGAGO.com to figure out that it has been 5,463 days since my last cruise. A few kids, 4 degrees and a couple of jobs fell in between. ? It was supposed to be 109 days until my next cruise, but it looks like 473 may be more realistic. After 5,400 days, what's another 300 or so?

Erroneous is the key word. Here's the info that matters: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/04/29/royal-caribbean-says-no-doctors-note-will-be-required-cruise-once-sailings-resume

As I currently reside in Alaska, I'm seeing first hand the impact this current 14-day travel quarantine has had on this state. Obviously, cruising has been completely shut down until at least July, and it has had devastating effects on the travel and tourism industries up here. All restaurant dine-in service has been completely stopped, with local take-out the only option allowed. National and state parks have closed, along with stopping all passenger train service. The governor locked down travel in the state in the latter half of March. This even includes travel BETWEEN communities and towns in Alaska! This has been a very literal stay-at-home statewide mandate. As of today (4/28/20) we have only had 351 confirmed cases in the entire state, and have had only 9 deaths. Our "new case" rate is anywhere from zero to three or four a day, and has been trending downward. Just this last weekend, the governor released "phase 1" of opening things back up, and that is the permission to now travel between communities with minimal human-to-human contact (stay in your car), and restaurants can now open at 25% capacity with reservations ONLY and 10' distance between tables. This "phase 1" is suppose to last 10-14 days before the next "phase 2" is considered, depending on how the new COVID-19 cases progress and trend. The restriction of interstate travel is supposed to be considered for lifting in "phase 4" which is about 45-60 days or so out. This would put it at the end of June / first part of July.

217 days since I got off Anthem of the Seas to Bermuda. 115 days until Rhapsody of the Seas 7 day Greek Isles. I really hope we can go. I am going with my sister (who is an ICU nurse in Westchester County NY) and she really needs this cruise. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for a topic that helps us keep our mind off other things! I'm horrible counting backwards! LOL We got off the Oasis March 15th!

Thought it would be fun to "reflect" or commiserate (depending on your point of view) on how long it's been since your last cruise. Bonus points for how many days away from your next one. ANSWER: 59 Days since our Empress of the Seas cruise. (Western Carib). Why does it feel longer than that? BONUS: 178 days until our Oasis of the Seas (Bahamas cruise). Thinking positively that date will work. Stay safe everyone.

151 days since we got off Adventure. And, very curiously, 151 days till board Allure (or don't - it's out of Barcelona to Spain, Italy and France). Time will tell.

87 Days since back to back on Adventure. 194 till a quick 4-nighter on Navigator 487 till a back to back on Liberty

52 days since I got off OASIS on March 8th! Next cruise scheduled: 312 days! March 7th, 2021 on Explorer of the Seas (STAR TREK THE CRUISE V !)

339 days since our Allure cruise... ? 158 days until our re-booked Oasis cruise (fingers tightly crossed)! ? 360 days until our Symphony cruise!

114 since I got off Mariner 121 till I'm back on her again! Boy do I wish the trip in 12 days didn't show up on the planner!? Looking SO forward to getting back to it!!

130 days since I got off the Oosterdam from a cruise to the Mexican Riviera (Love that it leaves 5 minutes from my apartment, don't love the average age on board) BONUS: 189 days till Oasis of the Seas to Labadee! I hope we're all cruising by late summer ?

You can use the extra. The remainder gets issued as a new FCC that you can use towards another cruise booking.

Especially right now... I would not try to do anything with a booking that you have set in place. There are so many moving pieces at Royal right now and so few workers.... things could get messed up on any transfer. Plus your agent at the first agency has worked with you to secure the booking and done some work for you. When you are ready to book again, or if you have a FCC that you need to use - that is the perfect time to reach out and start fresh with a MEI-Travel Agent. You can contact one that i recommended thru here, email me and I will have match you up with one, or there is a link on Matt's page where you can request a quote and one of the team of agents that works with RCCL Blog clients will contact you with a quote.

My Husband and I are scheduled to cruise in June. However I'm still concerned about being in an environment, where large crowds and the thought of someone sneezes or cough. OMG! are they sick have they been sick? And we are stuck on this ship for seven days. Only to find out that someone boarded with this virus. So my question to everyone that is schedule to cruise, in the next few months. Would you feel better if Royal had a way to rapid test ever person before they checked in? Im not talking about asking the questions if you are anyone been sick or taking a temp. Swab your nose and throat.

Another day, another day of distancing.

Made it, of course! ? Since I got the confirmations from Travelex that I'd posted about in another thread, I was comfortable making the final payment. Plus, the Cruise With Confidence option means we can cancel on our own right up until Jul 31 and still get 100% FCC even if Celebrity doesn't cancel it themselves and award 125%. A lot of people on my roll call have already canceled, which has played havoc with some of my custom excursion bookings (Private Journey and third-party). But a good number are sticking with it, too. Mainly the younger ones who don't already have a million dollars in FCC from other canceled trips. I'm expecting to find the prices have plummeted for some of the better cabins, hopefully enough so that I can get us out of our pair of OV cabins and into a pair of mid-ship balconies with perks. I was debating the family verandah cabins on the aft that normally require a minimum of 5 people to book, as those are open right now; but unless they stay open and the price goes way down, I don't think it'll happen. Currently over $3,500 per person for four people.

Last Cruise: 691 Days ago in Explorer to Alaska Next Cruise 122 Days on Symphony

135 days since I walked off Mariner of the Seas and spent a day in pure bliss in Coco Cay. ? 110 days (fingers, toes crossed and prayers being said) till we go on Indy and go back to Coco Cay! ?

91 days since I got off Allure Supposed to be embarking Celebrity Eclipse on Sunday 166 days till Norwegian Bliss

We had the corner aft on the adventure this past Christmas, great stateroom. It wasn't a JS but the Pole room! HA HA

217 days since I got off Anthem of the Seas 5 day to Bermuda (altered due to Jerry). 145 days until I board Oasis of the Seas for a 7 day to CocoCay, 71 days after that cruise ends (222 days from today) I board Harmony of the Seas for Eastern Caribbean & CocoCay again!

Regarding the North Slope workers, the 14-day travel quarantine STILL applies to them, even thought they are considered "Critical Infrastructure". The oil producers have been either using in-state personnel, or just extending the work rotation schedules of those employees already working up there (in other words, NOT rotating them out). They did have one confirmed case of COVID-19 on the North Slope, and quickly isolated them from everyone. The producers have also cut production down quite a bit over the last few weeks, and are certainly scaling back on ALL activity. I'm sure this has significantly reduced the required labor workforce. As an interesting side story with all of this, several of the North Slope oil producers got together and contracted with Alaska's largest local in-state regional commuter airline (Ravn Airlines) to provide air-travel service between the North Slope and Fairbanks & Anchorage, so that the employees didn't have to travel with other "public" air transportation to help keep the employees better isolated and separate. Then literally about 4 days later, Ravn Airlines filed chapter 11 bankruptcy and completely stopped all service in the state leaving the oil producers high and dry! I haven't heard exactly what the producers did to replace the lost commuter airline service, but am assuming they just re-contracted with large commercial carriers such as Alaska Airlines. This regional airline (Ravn) also serviced about 115+ cities, towns, and small villages in the state, and has now stranded many remote communities with no travel ability out of their area. Ravn Airlines was also the ONLY airline that serviced the small city in which I live, so instead of me flying to Anchorage (35 minute commuter flight) to connect with regular commercial flights, I now have to drive 4+ hours to get to Anchorage! At least I am on the road system, and CAN drive!

Have done these twice on Anthem and have 7258 booked down the road too. They are "boxy" but I enjoyed the wider balcony . The cabin is officially listed as 177sf with a 65sf balcony. The lifeboats do obstruct downward view but I haven't seen that as an issue, especially if the price is right. P.S. some listings do list these with standard dimensions but those are not accurate (the 198 and 50 are the conventional category 2 E)

I have not been on Anthem yet but we were considering booking a cruise on her until all this C-19 stuff kicked off. I had asked for some advice over on CC and someone there mentioned the "square" balcony cabins. There are only eight of these and they are located (four each) on decks six and seven, with the deck six ones being officially classed as obstructed. However, when I investigated further, they didn't seem to me to be much obstructed at all. They are different from the "normal" cabins in that they are wider and shorter (if you look on the deck plans you'll see what I mean) and, from the pictures I found online at the time, they appear to have a double window opening to a wide balcony. If and when we do book a cruise on Anthem I will be seriously considering these cabins. The numbers are 6/7654, 6/7658, 6/7254 and 6/7258.

We're booked on Indy for a July 11th cruise. The kids and I are just holding our breath waiting to see if we will be going. I lucked into one of the new junior suites at a great price and at this point I don't care what port they pull in to. I just want the open seas, a beautiful view from our balcony and 6 or 7 days away from the constant miserable news! Getting away from work won't suck either and since the kids have been stuck at home for weeks now I know they would do just about anything to get out of our small, rural area. If I believed in this kind of stuff I would be making offerings to the Goddess Amphitrite to help us out!....... We need this cruise!

Let's hope no news is good news....

I used a brand new self checkout to buy a case of beer over the weekend. As I left I said "That was so easy a high school kid could do it!"

The closest liquor store has a drive thru. Always has. Years ago it was a Rite-Aid pharmacy. I've never used it... drive thru liquor doesn't seem like a good idea but I guess looking back at least someone was preparing.

Here in Western Australia, the government has just lifted the daily limit on alcohol purchases that was imposed a month or two back when there was a run on toilet paper and non-perishable food items (pasta, rice, tinned foods, etc.). We are no longer limited to just one carton of beer (24 cans) and 3 bottles of wine per day. Phew, I was getting desperate for a while there ?

omg, I'd LOVE this! We haven't had fresh produce since March 11.

This must be a wide-spread Jersey thing, because it's much the same down here by Princeton. We even have a drive-thru farm around here, which is great. You order fresh fruits, vegetables and eggs online, print out your order form or just have it on your phone's e-mail. You drive into the barn, show them the print out or e-mail (which they scan through your window), then pop the trunk. They fill you up with farm-fresh produce and you're on your way. I've gone every week since they started!

I had gallbladder surgery late last year and had a tough time bouncing back, and was worried I was going to overdo it, so It started out as "Oh, I'll just do it for January and see how it goes," and then "I'll see how it goes for February". And then... wham. I figured for the $41 price tag on the October cruise, I can stick mostly with my normal inhalation of Coke Zero and coffee, but add a beer or even mix a Jack or two with said Coke Zero and get my money's worth each day. Plus, I think we need more research...

I miss the water the most! Can't wait to be back on the beach

True story - went to Total Wine to replenish my Staying At Home inventory yesterday. Pull into parking lot, park car, put on face mask and promptly try to drink from a water bottle before leaving my car. Didn't work out very well.

I am inclined to think something along @mathbees proposal makes sense. Require viewing of a safety video at checkin or in your cabin, and then a physical visit to your muster station where you get signed in, but then are free to leave. It helps reduce crowds and still requires people to at least physically go to their muster station. Would that have the same effect on automatic response as spending 20 or so minutes there? Who knows? In my experience, generally speaking any safety training passengers/amateurs have received prior to getting underway goes right out the window as soon as sirens start sounding or shoes start getting wet. It's normally the professionalism and training of the crew that makes things work.

NCL actually called me two nights ago. A family friend who swears by them and tried to get us to try them I believe shared the number for our convenience. The young man was sweet, he left a message about this or that great promotion. We were very happy our friends enjoyed NCL and expressed interest not to be rude. We have no desire to "jump ship" and head over to NCL BUT I too was surprised by the call, thinking humm? 28 June 2020 is our next sailing and I am going unless they cancel. We live in the Tampa area and will drive over to Port Canaveral. Until then lying naked in the backyard catching LOTS of sunshine rays, so I am good on the ship. (Very private backyard, no one wants to see that not even me, but I got your attention, no?)

Was supposed to be road-tripping to Florida in 13 days for our Indy cruise, now I'm getting extra sad but also antsy to get back on a ship! I'm sure most of us are in the same boat (cheesy pun intended). Anyone else already rebooked or reminiscing about a past favorite cruise? If so, post it below! Would love to hear everyone's favorite ships, excursions, drinks, memories, or anything else they miss about RCI.

The waiting is the worst part. I mean, I've already lost my June sailing (it was on the 4th), but just like everything else in this whole phased-opening world, it'd be nice to have some concrete answers. Plus, I'm tired of hemming and hawing over snagging a deal on Oasis in June. #YOLOBookingProblems

It would make things quicker, if they would go by those where it was paid for by one credit card or payment method, give that person the FCC then move on to those where it was spit payment method.

Glad to hear that the doctors letter requirement has been rescinded. Looks like the cruise lines realised that it would cost them many loyal customers ...... possibly for ever. My wife and I were seriously considering cancelling the 5 cruises that we had booked for late 2020 and early 2021. We will now wait to see what happens over the next few months.

I can beat that. My brother and sister in law live in central NJ. Their garden center is operating on the HONESTY program and appointment times. There is no person to meet, and they allow no more than 6 people in the garden at a time. You pick out your flowers/planters take a pic send it over the phone. They call you back and take your CC over the phone. I am sure they have cameras everywhere to see if the customer is truly honest, but still that is amazing.

The only thing I want coming out of the other side of this: A free drink package on my December cruise. Hopefully that one doesn't get cancelled too! Haven't taken a day off (other than Christmas) in almost a year. One cruise cancelled, I hope they don't take my other one ?