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I'll start. I am now fully in LOVE with InstaCart (and similar services) !!! I realize that they had been around for a while prior to this madness, but since the plague, I have realized what a WONDERFUL service this is. I no longer have to go to the grocery story and I LOVE IT ! Today I was able to get 3 cases of beer, 2 bags of potting soil and nifty new slicer/shredder (oh....plus some food) delivered. Only in America !!! I intend to keep using this service even after the plague has subsided. What an awesome example of good old fashioned Yankee capitalism ! We WILL get through this, stronger than ever.

I got 2 months closer to retirement for free! 150 working days left!!

I still believe that this was much ado about nothing. All of the consequences, including the extended loss of cruising, are the result of the overreaction and the senseless political battle that this all has become.

It finally posted today to my CP. I’m able to take advantage of the great sale prices which left me with $400 left over! I decided to get The Key for $20. I originally got the DBP with VOOM but since VOOM is included with The Key, I rebooked just the DBP. Also did Ultimate Dining and CocoCay Beach Club. I still have $225 left and still have $100 to add for stock holder OBC. I may splurge on a spa thing or buy really good champagne! This one (October Symphony) better sail! Lol ????

I've lost 10 lbs since my last cruise ?

So here’s the update. I called at 9:59 am literally, and 10:01 one got through to a agent, but it took an hour for her to get someone at RC, but all set. Saved $457.

Ok I've gained the "Covid-19"!!!!

Time to call a travel agent and let them take care of it for you!

Well, absolute worst case scenario is the company goes out of business and your money is probably lost. Is that likely to happen? Probably not. Bankruptcy doesnt necessarily mean out of business. The airlines have made declaring bankruptcy into an art form at this point.

I save two hours a day on commuting

Saved about 250 miles worth of gas per week between our two cars. Not as much benefit as it would be for some because one is a hybrid getting 50+ mpg.

More time with family. My wife and I are essential workers but our college and high school kids have been home since end of March! We also took up kayaking, does that count?

Crossed off several home and farm projects. Well mostly hubby did! Lol Also my youngest came home for Spring Break for a few days and it’s turned into 3 months!

I can focus on my passion projects and hobbies. I am actively writing again. I really wanted to be a writer when I was younger but life got in the way. I have been lucky enough to write a short story every now and again over the last decade. But to write when inspiration strikes has been amazing. Since I am working from home until 2021, I might even be able to finish my children book and collection of short stories. I guess also that the color scheme I chose for my living space is on point......you would think slate grey and grape candy colored walls would be detracting but its quite soothing.

Yikes ! Grandeur looks awful. I hope they clean her up before they ship her off.

The grande canal water in Venice is now crystal clear w/o taxi boat traffic & people mucking it up. That’s a nice byproduct of COVID19. I too share WAAAYTOOO admiration for Instacart and also UberEats.

I get to wear funny t-shirts 7 days a week instead of 2. Also, I think my job will be more open to flexibility with telework - they already were pretty flexible, but i think if I asked to work part time from home in the future, they wouldn't blink. We got 2 puppies right at the beginning of this, and I'd like to be able to keep up with their potty training by being here more.

@sk8erguy1978 I just realized we have gone through more paper plates these past 8 weeks than probably the last half of my adult life. But yeah I have saved quite a bit from not eating out, also learned what I could DO without.

Since testing is not widely available the death toll is the most viable measure of how the virus is progressing. It's not a contest to determine a Guiness record of lives lost or a means to trivialize it compared to cancer, car crashes or suicide. It's pointless to compare death counts to other causes. The flu kills 40k per year, COVID-19 did that in a month and only slowed because of actions taken. Lives lost in WWII make everything seem inconsequential and that was a man made event. Deaths from car crashes, or gunshots or being impaled by a pitch fork while sitting backwards on a tractor on a Tuesday are all irrelevant as a point of comparison. Every life lost has the potential for us to learn something even if we choose to prioritize the economy. This won't be the last pandemic the world faces, at least next time we will better understand and have better modeling to guide future decisions. Stay at home and close restaurants, 4 in 1,000 die. Do nothing and let the virus go, X in 1,000 die - we'll have a better idea in a couple months time what X equals. By this time next year we'll have the clarity of hindsight which is always 20-20.

I'm learning to be more patient, especially with companies that might not deserve it (United for example). I've also realized how wasteful my wife and I are ... Paper plates, napkins, toilet paper, etc. We have learned to conserve. Of course saving money without eating out, me not commuting (wife still does) and all that.

I booked 2 more cruises.

Some incredibly funny memes ..... yeah, there's something good to come out of this.

No one knew months ago how this would play out or where we would be right now. Even now we still don't know how this will play out going forward. When does the first wave officially end? Will there be a second wave? If so when? Fain is simply stating the obvious - he doesn't know when cruising will resume, period. Sort of qualifies for a "thank you captain obvious" reaction. The cruise lines own crystal balls are working no better than yours or mine. Cruising will resume when it can. Bars will be back to normal when they can. School will be back to normal when it can. Fain must be getting tired of the question "when will cruising start again?". He doesn't know.

^^ this ^^

I decided to add 600 sq/ft to my garage. And since a tree fell on it damaging one of the eaves I was able to get it done during lock down because it was covered under essential construction because the crew had to come out and repair that damage.....and since they could come out....they knocked out the addition....and loved me for it because otherwise they weren't working.

I'm really enjoying all of the inexpensive restaurant family meal deals. I really don't like cooking ?

Projects in the house are caught up, yard looks great. Already retired so nothing gained there. Lol Actually somewhat enjoying the peace and quiet.

Can you pay gratuities with it? More spa treatments? It just irks me to no end to see a $110 bottle of champagne on board that I can buy on land for $35. LOL

Just got the email from Danette, will put the deposit down and be all set. thanks all for talking me off the ledge!!!

Of course now I am flipping out waiting for an answer! And now the site seems to be working but it would be wrong to book myself after contacting Danette. Hope she contacts me soon. Can you tell I have no patience?!?!?!

I believe we have about 7 thousands deaths...we have about 1/10th the population of the US...rough math would put our deaths at about 70,000 if population was equal...not that far off...just remove NY and we would be probably ahead. Keep in mind also...that we have been way more restricted for longer and more severe than the US....been over 2 mths of lock down for us now...and no end in sight for probably 2 more months...its insane....and never mind the case #'s....think about the severe economic, menta, l and domestic relationship damage this has done and will do for years to come..... But yeah, safe to assume NO cruises in or out of Canada in 2020......

That 100,000 American dead in just 3 months (WITH a self quarantine in place) is still being thought of as an over reaction is astonishing.

It's already been said that 'closed for good' is unlikely, and I agree. Do you have a CC that provides protection from these situations? If not, you could purchase travel insurance. Although, I personally purchase a policy after final payment. Not paying a few hundred USD to protect a few hundred USD. I buy travel insurance for more than protection of cruise fare. Another thing a good travel agent can be is that friend who knows the correct answer. If he/she doesn't know 100% they will get you the correct answer. A lot of the customer service agents don't provide correct information, which in these times can be dangerous.

I emailed Danette this morning!

I personally don't see how any changes on board is going to make much of a different for a virus that is past via respiratory droplets. You can clean all the surfaces you want, but people in an elevator, walking down the corridor/boardwalk, in the theater, or around a bar/pool etc and game over if 1 person is asymptomatic. Masks are proving to be the significant factor in reducing the spread of the virus and yet a huge number of people refuse to wear one when inside public buildings. Our deal breakers are: 1. The 14 day home quarantine my wife will have to take using PTO and then unpaid leave. She already had to use 2 weeks when we got back from England in March. 2. That there appears to be no answers (yet) on what happens if there is an active or suspected covid case on board a ship. Will ports be open for that ship? will it be refused entry? Will the US home port refuse the ship returning as planned? Will the passengers will allowed to get out as normal or will the whole ship be quarantined? Will airlines allow you to fly if they know you just got on a cruise ship where there were covid cases? I continue to read a lot about changes on board ship. So far I have seen nothing on the logistics of the an active case on board a ship.

You have it pretty much covered. The breakfast is an exclusive, full service meal. For lunch, it is sometimes an option to take your windjammer food into one of the empty restaurants to eat, but since the specialty restaurants are now usually operating on sea days, that is no longer an option on sea days. Lunch is not full service, just a place to go and sit. Yes, room service (including from the MDR) is complimentary. Some ships will offer behind the scenes tours to suite guests. On Freedom class ships, you have access to the Suites lounge at all times, but the space is only manned during certain hours. You can usually find a functioning, self service coffee machine there. Priority access to tendering only works one way. Getting back to the ship, you are on your own.

There's not much difference in booking. Where they really come in handy is the service you get if you need to change anything or when there are problems. Would you rather sit on hold for 3 hours with Royal or have your TA do it? I don't find it at all easier to contact Royal directly. I don't have that kind of free time. I'd rather have her fight my battles for me.

After FIRST dinner or after SECOND dinner?

I’ve disproven my theory that I don’t sleep well in hotels, normally I’m in them three to four days a week, now i just don’t sleep well at home those same days.

@Matt BTW, Matt's blog post is interesting. There were some Cruisers who felt like this person: "Will only even consider a cruise if masks are mandatory. Not a chance I am getting on a ship with thousands of high risk strangers from all over for a week without them." If that is the case would they then want gloves to be required too? So how would they be able to enjoy: Pools, Dining, Drinking, Snacking (popcorn in the theater, ice cream on decks), Smoking (not me)? And I am sure you can think of more. Would all these things have to be done in your cabin in that case?

I had ultimate dining plan, so it was usually dinner around 6 and playmakers around 10

I agree that, at least for now, some aspects of this situation are safer: Very few are driving, skiing, sky diving, going down the Ultimate Abyss, etc. At the same time, many "standard" causes (pneumonia, cancer, heart issues) seem under reported or miscounted. Of course, long term, is staying sequestered and avoiding risky undertakings a predictor of a safer society or, are we inviting other afflictions? (Sorry ... I had no intention to sound like a philosophy professor ??)

That is why early dinner is nice....Eat a multi-course dinner in the MDR and then hit up the buffet around 8:30PM acting like a Hobbit asking for second dinner.....

Added: Brilliance of the Seas, 8 May 2021.

You'll be fine, she will get back to you and everything will work out in your favor. Getting a TA is the first step in having a headache free experience. Some are bad though, MEI is not. I can tell you first hand how great MEI is.

They were pretty standard as a CAS benefit and very frequent. Even though all access tours may still be in the cruise planner I expect they'll be cancelled as part of the new norm. The changes that are forthcoming are still in flux. Until (or if ever) we are fully past this virus these are exactly the kinds of things that will be reviewed and probably suspended. Announcing the discontinuation of all access paid tours would require refunds to be issued. They'll more likely announce it on board and issue a refundable OBC hoping people spend it on other things on board. CAS and Suite tours will mostly likely simply not be offered and when a guest inquires the concierge will then let it be known that they aren't being offered because of the risks. I doubt they'll make a point of making an public announcement about it, that's just fuel for an anti-cruise blogger/lawyer to seize upon.

Exactly, just let a TA handle it. Let them take on the headaches. MEI is a great choice, have saved me thousands of headaches. With everything going on now I wouldn't dare book myself.

Cruising is the only place I know of where you dine and don't have to worry about tipping, which made me feel strange and uncomfortable. Our waiter was excellent and so at the end or the cruise we gave him a couple hundred dollars. TIPS has always been the acronym "To In sure Prompt Service" at least that's what was taught in hospitality courses way back when.

Hi @bossdog421..I just booked suite 14528 today for August 30,2020. I am so excited!...this is my first sailing with RC and in a suite....