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I think TA’s should have the option of sailing on these “test” cruises so they can let all their customers know how the protocols work and what to expect. I mean they are the ones helping to sell these cabins! @Sharlaaren’t you ready for a free cruise?

I'm hesitant to start a new thread but I've not seen this posted on this web site so, here it is....... CLIA ocean cruise line members worldwide have agreed to conduct 100% testing of passengers and crew on all ships with a capacity to carry 250 or more persons – with a negative test required for any embarkation," Bari Golin-Blaugrund, vice president of strategic communications for Cruise Lines International Association, said today." It was actually yesterday at a virtual CLIA sponsored cruise industry wide conference held about this time every year. There's a ton of misinformation about "testing" out there. I hope to clear the fog with this post: First there are several general categories of testing. I'm only going to talk about two of them: Diagnostic testing and Surveillance testing. These are the ones you will come across when we start cruising again. Within those categories, there are different types of tests and different manufacturers of them. The ones currently in use in the US are FDA approved, most of them under what is called EUD or Emergency Use Authorization. That process makes it easier to get FDA approval not by lowering the quality bar for them but rather reducing the red tape. You've probably heard that the FDA is being prevented from doing this or that. Not true. They continue to do a great job protecting the public. Diagnostic tests are molecular tests abbreviated as RT/PCR tests. These tests look for a set of specific markers that differentiate the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) from its more common corona or common cold viruses. They are both more sensitive and specific than surveillance tests and this is by design not by fault. You will have had one of these if you had a swab placed in you nasophayrngeal cavity to obtain a sample. Right now, if everything goes smoothly, the sample gets packaged at the testing site and sent to a lab. There it takes 2-3d to process these and get a result. They are the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19. These test costs cost anywhere from $35 to $50; processing costs may add more. Surveillance tests also look for specific markers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus but they are not as specific and may or may not be as sensitive as an RT/PCR test. They are that way by design to make them what is called RAPID point of care (POC) tests where a sample is collected at the POC and results are available in minutes, not hours or days. The testing devices that you'll encounter (there are other types) are in what is called a cassette about the size of a credit card. If you've had a test for influenza A/B, you've seen one of these. RAPID POC tests cost under $5 and there are no processing costs. What about Antibody tests? These are the tests that supposedly can tell you if you HAVE HAD the virus. They look for human immune system response to the virus in the form of antibodies or good guys. Antigen tests look for markers of the virus itself while you are having an ongoing infection. Antibody tests are not terribly accurate. You may have a reason for getting this kind of test. Going on a cruise and complying with pre-cruise testing requirements is not one of them. Cruise lines may require you to obtain a COVID Antigen test within a certain time period before boarding, test you again in the terminal and again at various points in the cruise. Before cruise testing at a commercial health care facility: You may be able to obtain a COVID test from your primary care provider but chances are good he's going to write an order for one and send you to a commercial lab to get it done. Ask about whether or not they are doing RAPID POC testing, if they send you to a lab or if they collect a sample at their clinic and send it out. Be aware that your average medical assistant who is answering your phone call may have no clue. Talk to the office manager or message/talk to your own PCP. Alternatively, you can obtain COVID tests at a local pharmacy licensed to administer them (CVS, Walgreen's and Target that I know of - there may be more). I've been to the CVS web site to see how that works. It's pretty straight forward. Depending on your state's public health guidelines, getting a COVID test may require you to meet certain criteria. At the CVS web site there was a questionnaire. When I ticked I was over 65 and nothing else among the list, bingo, a schedule opened up for me to pick a store near me and a time. Availability of RAPID v. Lab based tests varies by store. In my case, no rapid tests were available. Processing time for a lab based test was described as taking 1-3 days. If you can find a pharmacy offering RAPID POC tests and you are pretty sure you don't have it, pick that over a lab processed test. If you test positive on a pharmacy administered RAPID POC test, you'll need an RT/PCR test to rule in or rule out a COVID diagnosis. Choose the type of test carefully COVID Testing in the cruise terminal and aboard. Going through the boarding process, you will potentially be required to obtain two tests, the second only if you test positive on the first. The first test is likely to be a RAPID POC, Cassette based test. I'm reading that, at first, the RAPID POC cassette type test may not be available. In that case you'll be administered a rapid saliva test (the real difference between a RAPID POC and a rapid saliva test like the NBA and MLB are using is in collecting and handling). If you test positive on one of these tests, you'll be administered a second confirmatory test that is going to a lab, possibly aboard ship and you would be quarantined until results are available. Best case is hours, worst case is a day or two depending on what kind of confirmatory testing device they are using. Sounds harsh but the cruise lines want a bubble to the extent possible and they are going to get it. During the cruise, among other layered mitigation measures, you are going to get a RAPID POC or rapid saliva test periodically for the purpose of surveillance. It's not entirely clear at this point how that will be done. It could involve pool testing - a perfect type of surveillance testing for cruises but that would require some pretty sophisticated lab equipment on board. Crew and ship's company also get surveilled. IMO, life aboard ship would be safer than anywhere on the planet when it comes to COVID infections under these circumstances. Certainly, protocols have to be followed precisely to guarantee that but even then, it's going to be super safe. With strict controls on tours, possibly only porting at first at private islands, it's pretty obvious to me cruising can be done safely. CDC? What's the hold-up?

I have been stalking the Brilliance out of Tampa summer sailings & knew something was up when they added a bunch. Lone behold I sent Royal a message on Twitter & they were kind enough to let me know my 11/23/20 sailing had been cancelled. ( Lot's of FCC still to use) I contacted @Sharla and literally in minutes she secured for me the ONLY 2 bedroom grand cabin 1054 on the Brilliance for the date I was interested in. 19 June 2021 woot woot ? One day I will sail that VP on Mariner BUT heck lemons into lemonade I wanted to visit Belize forever and of course the 2 bathrooms, just WOW! I think "ATTENTION RCCL" when you sail the non revenue generating cruises they should be offered to our tirelessly working TA family who have yet to give up on them, or us! Free sailings for your loyal travel partners like @Sharla I still have some leftover FCC and with these additional cancellations I do wish for RCCL ( Attention Mr. Bailey, Mr. Fain) they should extend the dates to utilize into at least the summer of 2022 OR how about letting us combine at least 2 for one sailing? LET US SAIL SAFELY WE MISS YOU!

In a reduced capacity setting, I suspect Diamond and Suite guests may have special access. I could just as well see, under the circumstances, an egalitarian approach where everyone gets treated without regard to status. Great time though for the lines to support their loyalists with special access perks. Yes, I am in the medical field. I practiced as a Physician Assistant for 22 years in Emergency and Internal Medicine. I've been retired from practice for a bit over three years. I also write on a whole range of COVID related topics on several blogs ..... my passion is to counter, when it is appropriate to do so, the media's, politicized and generally negative narrative. That narrative is often filled with misinformation, flawed interpretation of data points and, many times that flawed interpretation is taken on knowingly to advance a false narrative.

Agreed ! Would love to meet you and Mrs. Floski. It’s BARELY hurricane season and they’re blowing the hurricane wad this year. Next year will be a kitten in comparison.

November is confirmed. I'm waiting on some additional info to make a post, but sleep easier tonight @melmar02 that Alaska 2022 should be out in November.

Here’s another installment from a passenger on TUI regarding the buffet: Hi again!?? One question about our recent cruise onboard TUI Cruises - Mein Schiff 6 came up quite often: Is the buffet restaurant open and how is it handled? Therefore I made a video to show you the Health and Safety Measures: Before entering the buffet restaurant, which is called Anckelmannsplatz onboard TUI Cruises, you have to wash your hands. Afterwards you need to sanitize your hands. You have to wear a proper mouth and nose mask. Staff is overwatching it. After you‘re finished with washing and sanitizing your hands, a crew member will show you to a table (you can request a special table - for example by the window). You will be seated at a table with silverware, which is sealed in an envelope. The crew member will ask for your stateroom number and type it in his tablet-PC. So the cruiseline knows, where you were seated and who could be a contact person in case of an outbreak of COVID-19 onboard. Tables without placed silverware on top are „closed“ - they have a sign on it. At the buffet counters you will find markings on the floor, which show you, how near you are allowed to stand in front of the counters. If there are other people waiting, you’ll have to wait with a social distance next to them. At the buffet counters crew members will serve your food. You just tell them what kind of dish and how much you would like to have. At each counter you‘ll receive a new plate- crew won’t put the food on the plate you‘ve already had in your hands. So you‘ll end up with many plates, if you want different kinds of food. Drinks are served by the crew at the fountain station. You just let them know what kind of drink you‘d like and they will place the glass on a table. If you want a refill, you‘ll receive a new glass! As soon as you will sit down at your table you can take off your mask. I personally hope that this measures will stay post COVID-19. I always avoided the Windjammer, due to many people not washing their hands and touching things. Also it will help to decrease food wasting! I am aware that there are a few more questions, which I will happily answer tomorrow. video here:

Thanks Jeff. That sounds doable, but the enforcement may be a problem. What will they do to someone who has an afternoon arrival and shows up at 10:00 am? And what about the diamond plus and pinnacle guests in star class cabins, will they get special treatment? By the way, you are very knowledgeable on this subject. Are you in the medical field?

knowing this is a rc blog, our celebrity thanksgiving cruise cancelled, got the word 5:30pm last night. called celebrity only to get a recording callback, we are diamond plus so we called the captains club number and got to a rep,,,,,yea,,,,we lifted and shift 3 stateroom to next thanksgiving on same ship,,,apex,,,same rooms. good to go.

Please let's keep politics and non-related cruise discussions out of this. This tends to open doors to different opinions and that's how disagreements start.

In the meantime, reach out and give your TAs a virtual hug. With round #? (I lost count) of cancellations, redeployment of ships, and all other craziness, their jobs could not be any harder right now.

Please remove Freedom of the Seas (Dec 13 2020) and add: Oasis of the Seas - Dec 12 2021 (B2B!!) Thanks!

Nonsense! Plenty of room for you! ?

Hahaha "cabin people" maybe that's a thing? That describes our little family also, now I know what to call it!! I agree, and at least it has where the balcony door can be open as opposed to just the panoramic windows. Okay, just placed my deposit with @Sharla I will take pics and do a decent unemotional review to share! Thanks again (well maybe pics,) hopefully @twangster will be on my sailing, this way I WILL find him and invite him to take his amazing shots!

Anything close to the centrum will enjoy the sounds of the centrum when there are events. The centrum on this class does host a fair amount of activities beyond just musical acts. They do know how noisy the centrum is so they tend to stop loud activities in the late evening but during the day I'd expect to hear the faint sounds of the centrum in the cabin.

rjac .... I'm reading staggered and enforced terminal arrivals. Trained ships medical staff to administer tests with CDC guidelines for conducting, processing and reporting testing data. We live in Fort Lauderdale and cruise frequently out of both Fort Lauderdale and Miami terminals. Both are big enough to allow spacing and crowd control. I'd say a flow of around 100 guests with 20 time slots each about 20m apart. That's around a 7h boarding process - a little longer than now but there is nothing sacred about 4 or 5pm sail times.

I'm in let's go! I have been able to sail on some partner cruises- like when a new ship comes out or when a ship is refurbished. I would love to be able to test protocols if they have non-revenue cruises. We'll see ?

It seemed like there was a parmesan and olive oil crust. Or at least I wanted to believe that. The good news was that they were served in the Diamond lounge during the alcohol buffet, so people could just as easily blame the sickness on the olives as on the drinks. The first night in the lounge I wore a Barong Tagalog (Filipino formalware shirt) and was served by a Filipino bartender. I ordered a Jack and Coke. My legs didn't work well after the drink. The next night I saw him pour me a triple without telling me. I would have probably eaten the whole tray of olives that first night. On the bright side I was able to hand hold 1/20 second still shots with a telephoto lens at the stage show later that night.

Still have my fingers crossed that April 2021 sailings will happen!! ?

Coming from Vancouver to FLL is long enough when we fly (usually a 15 hour day with a connection either in Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, or Houston) - driving would be 50 hours if we didn't stop. It'll be a while before we get to board a ship. Hoping Dec 2021 isn't too optimistic (fingers crossed!)

As I stated previously I pounced hard on the 2 bedroom grand or family suite on the Brilliance of the Seas, a summer sailing out of Tampa. I am at a loss to find a good photo of the little balcony but read on another site it is a poor excuse for a balcony, no privacy or room. Upon closer inspection it seems to be right next to the elevators also. I looked at the amazing cabin @Lovetocruise2002 has but I really like having the 2 bathrooms. The grand (1600) has a much nicer balcony though. So I made peace with the balcony/bathroom trade off. It's a 7 day sailing so the noise above and from the hall is concerning, there are a few 2 bedrooms at the aft of the ship but not sure about the noise/vibrations from that location on the smaller vessel. I have this cabin on hold right now, I am reaching out to all you professionals for thoughts and maybe some pics? @twangsterPlease say you stayed in this cabin!! Thanks everyone?

@JeffB, thanks for the speculation. You covered a good number of cases, but I'm thinking along a slightly different line. My speculation is this: Passenger has tested negative in his pre-embark 3-5 days out test Arrives at terminal, is asymptomatic, but now tests positive on the RAPID POC test Has the interview with the medical team and goes through the process of having the third test sample taken; Royal's policy at this point is that out of an abundance of caution, these "low risk" passengers are denied boarding in case their 3-5 day test simply missed the window, and because the destination ports have informed the line that they will not accept infected passengers for disembark and quarantine The passenger is told to find a hotel while they await results of their test and to quarantine for that time What happens if this passenger comes back negative on the final test? My hope would be that at this point, Royal compensates the passenger for their hotel room and flies them out to meet the ship at the first port stop. But do you think this would be a likely policy that they'd put in place? It could end up invoked much more often than the case of passengers who missed the ship while on a ship-hosted excursion, but boy would it garner a lot of good will and trust among people who decide to take part in these earlier sailings and probably for some time to come yet. Maybe not practical if it's a 4-night or even 5-night sailing. But on a 7-night sailing, it means still having 5 nights of your vacation on the ship and being able to enjoy the bulk of your vacation. I'm going to assume that by the time 8+ night sailings are a thing again, that these kinds of policies will likely be gone or the thresholds for denied boarding relaxed.

@Floski you can join @WAAAYTOOO, myself, and a whole bunch of other people on SY 08/21/2021. ?

The "King of the World" feature is on Harmony and Symphony only.

@Lovetocruise2002 to begin with I was thinkiing when I booked it, I hope this is the one Sabrina is on! We have a Symphony in May (@Jill ) is on that one and then an Allure August 1 so June 19 was good recovery time lol! We have fun on the blogs so I can only imagine how much fun it is to actually be on the ship with our fellow RCCL blog community! Anyway, it makes sense with just the 2 of you to have transitioned from 1600 but it was because of your recommendation I considered 1600. I experienced the coveted 8188 on DCL on the larger Fantasy and sometimes the excessive soot and the exhaust smell (not so much the vibrations, but they were apparent) were a tiny bit uncomfortable, so on the smaller brilliance I was hesitant to do the OS 2 bedroom aft. We did not enjoy that huge aft balcony like we imagined we would. But you do point out the price, I do feel the price of 1054 was really fair, over 1,000.00 savings from the 2 bed OS aft, so I really need to factor that into the equation. With no CK I most likely will purchase the DDP and the itinerary, just WOW! Well hopefully when our booking parameters widen we will be able to enjoy a Matt sponsored blog sailing, I constantly think bar 1 or 2 this is the greatest group of people around. So nice to have in these crazy times. Thanks so much, enjoy your newest cabin selection, take good care!

Good luck @peacefrogdog! Keep us posted!

Damn good post, Jeff. Going to be interesting to see how the cruise lines conduct the covid test. A cruise ship with over 2,000 passengers will take quite a long time. Time will tell. ?

We are all assuming the schedule to announce 2022 will remain on time.

I've pretty much given up on my March cruise. If things aren't good by our final payment (Dec), we will most likely just cancel it. But I am hopeful for our summer 2021 cruise. Then again, I was hopeful for Dec 2020 when we booked it at the start of the pandemic. This is all upsetting as we know how much we all love cruising. The only thing is the virus is still here and we don't want cruises to start up if not ready to handle if anyone gets sick. The last thing we need is for an outbreak and then cruising is done forever. And the more parties that align, the better it will be.

Long read, but here is what I received yesterday for my cancelled Nov cruise: We hope that this email finds you healthy and safe and that with each passing day, we're closer to getting back to a more regular day-to-day. While this is like nothing any of us have ever experienced, we continue to evaluate how it impacts our upcoming sailings. As you know, this pandemic has been, and still is, quite fluid. Our most recent plan was to resume operation on October 31st, 2020. However, to ensure we have ample time to focus on our healthy return to service initiatives, our global suspension has been extended through November 30th, 2020, with a plan to resume operation on December 1st, 2020. As a result, your sailing will unfortunately be cancelled. We're terribly sorry for the impact to your vacation. Despite the current circumstances, our primary goal continues to be a seamless healthy return to service. We're so focused on welcoming our guests back, we've teamed up with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., and assembled the "Healthy Sail Panel" - a multifaceted team of globally recognized experts. The panel will work alongside our new Public Health & Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Calvin Johnson, and with their help our vision is to pioneer innovative ways to guide the cruise industry's way forward in response to the pandemic. It goes without saying, we're all in this together. While we all wish we were cruising, we do have some options for you, including an option that has been very well received by our guests, as it provides a little something extra to use once we all start cruising again! Here are your options: 125% Future Cruise Credit: We're providing you with a 125% Future Cruise Credit to book a new cruise by December 31, 2021 for sailings on or before April 30th, 2022. This amount is based on your total cruise fare paid. And, we're giving you a little extra, knowing that this is such a unique circumstance. We'll automatically send your Future Cruise Credit via email by November 4th, 2020. So, there's nothing for you to do! Taxes & fees and any RoyalUp upgrades will be automatically refunded. Current refund processing is around 45 days. We are working as quickly as possible, and we appreciate your patience. Please note: If you opted into the Cruise with Confidence 100% Future Cruise Credit, this offer does not apply. And, if you previously used a Future Cruise Credit (including previous Global Suspension FCCs), you'll receive a new Future Cruise Credit. This will be for 125% of any new monies paid on this sailing, plus the value of your original credit at 100% of its value, with an expiration date of December 31, 2021 and a sail by date of April 30, 2022. If you were already impacted by a sailing that was previously cancelled due to a global suspension and paid additional monies on a new booking within this extended suspension period, you are still able to opt in to refund one or both cancelled bookings via the process below. Lift and Shift: If you prefer to move your existing booking to a sailing next year - we're happy to move you! We will price protect the original pricing and/or promotion on the same itinerary, length, product, and stateroom category as your original sailing within 4 weeks (before or after) of the original sail date the following year. For example, if you are moving from a November 30, 2020 sailing, you can move to a sailing that is the same itinerary, length, product, and stateroom category, and the sail date between October 30, 2021 - December 30, 2021. Please know, price protection covers your cruise fare/promotion on an applicable sailing only and excludes taxes and fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items, as these may change. You must decide to move to a new sailing by October 16th, 2020. If not, we will automatically issue you a Future Cruise Credit. Complimentary Casino offers are not eligible for Lift & Shift. 100% Refund: Or, if you prefer a full refund, which is a lower value than the future cruise credit offer above, we're happy to process this for you. Given how fluid this situation is, and the opportunity to use the extra credit being offered, you have until December 31, 2020 to request a refund and deactivate your certificate. Please contact us to start the refund process, forfeiting the higher value of your 125% Future Cruise Credit. To avoid waiting on the phone to cancel, click here and we will get the refund process started for you. Note: Please know, once we receive your refund request, we unfortunately won't be able to accept an FCC request if you change your mind. We'll then deactivate your Future Cruise Credit and process your refund to your original form(s) of payment, which will include any non-refundable deposits. You can expect to receive your refund 45 days after you submit your refund request. Please note: If you used a Cruise with Confidence certificate on this sailing, and you request a refund instead, we'll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount, and we'll reinstate your original Cruise with Confidence certificate. And, a special option for those that also purchased Cruise Planner Items... You can opt-in to receive an Onboard Credit in the value of 125% of the total Cruise Planner purchases on your reservation. Click here by October 16th, 2020 to request your higher value credit and we'll email you your credit by November 4th, 2020. If we don't hear from you on or before October 16th, 2020, your Cruise Planner purchases will be automatically refunded. You'll receive your refund within 45 days of your booking's cancellation. We are working as quickly as possible and appreciate your patience during these unprecedented times. Also, if you opt for a cruise fare refund or for Lift and Shift, you are not be eligible for this Cruise Planner Onboard Credit offer. Questions about how the Cruise Planner credit works? Click here for more details. Guests with air or hotel booked... Refundable air or hotel accommodations purchased through Royal Caribbean will be automatically refunded to you within 45 days after we process the cancellation. If you booked non-refundable air through Royal Caribbean or booked on your own, please contact the service provider directly for your options with them. If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately or contact us at: 1 800 754 500 in Australia 0344 493 4005 in the U.K. 1 866 562 7625 in the U.S. or Canada All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number. We appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued loyalty. We will all come out of this stronger than ever. Stay healthy and safe. We miss our guests and we'll be ready to welcome you back soon. Sincerely, Michael Bayley President & CEO Royal Caribbean International

Awwwwwwwww, lol

Mine says “FCC can be applied to any sailing that is on or before 4/30/22 and must be used before the expiration date which is 12/31/2021”.

This post mentions an email. but states it is for the 125% FCCs only. http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/General_Info/Cancelled_Sailings_FAQs_0324.pdf Celebrity has this, but I can't found anything royal like this: http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/ITK/GSS_CWC_OverviewGrid_Sept29.pdf

WHAAATTTT??? My Inaugural Odyssey sailing is canceled???

Same here except we have been doing Thanksgiving since 2008 on a ship. It’s going to be very weird celebrating the holiday at home & not on a ship.

Just as most of the country has traditions staying home, we have some special things as a family we have done on the ships over the last seven years. ?

Hello Folks, I have not been very active due to many crazy things going on in my life (all good stuff) and our country (not so much). I really had some slight hope that our cruises that were to start on 11/19 were gonna happen. This will be our 1st year not on a RCCL ship for thanksgiving in Seven years!!! ?I Now it's onto December! I hope that our B2B on Oasis that leaves 12/20 happens. I don't know how these cruise companies are gonna survive!!

First Eddie Van Halen died today - now cruises cancelled again until 11/30/20. Time for a nap! Hang in there guys - I do think they may try short cruises in Dec, hoping, hoping, hoping (3-4 nights is my guess) Me from the Oasis sailing next to Celebrity Ship - see ya

Personally I believe November sailings were a “no go” in September based on logistics alone. 2020 goes up in smoke. Hopefully by Summer 2021 we will be sailing again.

I'm getting my second shot as part of the Pfizer trial tomorrow! Trying to talk myself out of going in for an antibody test the week after to see if I actually got it or not... But the curiosity is killing me. All of the anecdotal stories I've read say that people report worse side effects after the second shot. Maybe then it will be more definitive (I feel all of my "symptoms" after the first shot could easily have been psychosomatic). One bad part about being a trial participant: I'm supposed to delay my flu shot by a few weeks after the last trial shot. Normally I'd have my flu vaccine by now (always early in Oct). Masks should help me dodge the bullet a little better I til I can get the flu shot. Thanks for posting such sound and reasonable advice here.

@JeffB, as "Chief Science Officer", I just want to say thank you for that clear and straightforward explanation. Much more concise than I could have managed. ?

To be clear, COVID-19 is the disease that presents through infection with SARS-CoV-2. While SARS-CoV-2 is related to the common cold in that it belongs to the family of coronaviruses, it is markedly different, hence the term novel coronavirus to identify it. The main difference is how the virus attaches to human cells, predominantly in the respiratory tract but also others. So far, studies of the novel virus indicate it isn't mutating. This and the novelty of the virus and particularly the spike protein that is the mechanism for attachment to the host cells, makes it a strong candidate for a vaccine that will be highly effective. While studies underway demonstrate that a COVID-19 vaccine will work and that side effects are mild (the typical arm soreness, some mild fatigue). We do not know yet how long an immunized person will be protected. However, it is known that the virus is not mutating, would not require new vaccines to address that, but rather booster shots. There are different types of vaccines in development but not yet FDA approved to prevent COVID-19. All of them target different features of SARS-CoV-2 to prevent it from replicating inside host cells or that prompt an antibody response so that humans have a head start when exposed to SARS-CoV-2. The common cold has no such novelty and attempts to promote immune responses to prevent a cold have not proven to work. Influenza, on the other hand, is susceptible to vaccines even though every season produces new, mutated flu strains. There are two ways influenza vaccines work. The first is by using an inactivated (killed) virus whose presence when introduced to the body by an injection, prompts a robust immune response. The second is by injecting a specific protein analog that prompts a human immune response. These vaccines are not always perfect protection but studies demonstrate that if it does not prevent symptoms, it lessens them often in significant ways. Neither of these types of vaccines give you the flu. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/misconceptions.htm Bottom line: get a flu shot and in the pandemic circumstance this is a doubly important public health preventative measure. Also, when vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 become available, especially if you are at higher risk for serious complications from COVID-19, avail yourself of it. The importance of getting a COVID shot in contributing to herd immunity and allowing a return to social and economic activity is absolutely essential.

It helps in the sense that this cruise company wouldn't bring back a high paying HD position unless they were getting close to restarting. While the American Queen Steamboat Company has nothing to do with Royal, small specialty cruise lines beginning to restart operations is a sign, a good and welcome sign that the smaller lines are making moves to prepare to sail.

We fly out of Maine every chance we can get and thank our lucky stars that we can..and it takes us 5-7 hours drive to get there, plus it adds a night there and back....and its still WAY cheaper than flying out of Canada......I would love to be in your situation! We have done a cpl direct flights out of Portland to Orlando..and then cruised out of Port Canaveral..wasn't bad at all..... Be glad you dont have to do what we do and/or fly out of Canada to cruise!

@twangster and @JeffB I personally really take notice when the two of you post your insights and predictions. I applaud the both of you for communicating with respect for one another and devoid the venom some on this venue spew. A huge thank you allowing me a ton of really educated information. We will continue to be loyal to Royal and look forward to our next cruise, having this back and forth helps me to have a better idea of the goings on outside of my bubble so to speak. Kudos to you both, looking forward to safely sailing soon.

I LOVE road trips, but I am very familiar with the exits between ATL and Orlando, so it's easy for me! Our next cruise is Dec 13th out of Miami. I NEED a vacation....60+ hour weeks for 7 months has been a blessing and a curse. We have jobs and are SO grateful for that. BUT, my husband and I are exhausted. ! We need a vacation and if it can't happen on a ship we are going camping in the woods somewhere so no one can get at us and we can recharge! We would LOVE to do it at sea, but if that isn't possible, we will find a way!

We were supposed to be on Oasis this upcoming January, but we have two littles (6 and 5) and decided with the uncertainty to L&S out to January 2022, but we shifted to Harmony as it has an itinerary sailing 1/23/22 that goes to BOTH Labadee and CocoCay, and the day we're at CocoCay will be our daughter's birthday! As an aside, I would welcome any and all advice for Falmouth, Jamaica, with the two littles. Thanks!