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I'm not trying to be rude, but many people go on cruises alone. This is why cruise lines have started adding studio cabins when they didn't previously. In any case, I'm not trying to find a relationship. It was just nice to hang out with people who were also alone after finding them in a group knowing they were alone.

Getting emotional... The first shots of the vaccine have been administered. THIS IS IT!!! The tide has turned in the war against this Coronavirus! Hoping this will fast track our return to cruising. Praying against issues and complications.

What is Frosty's favorite type of hat? A snow-cap.

What do you call Frosty the Snowman in May? Puddles

Just got approved here in Canada..168,000 doses by end of December...drop in the bucket as that's a 2 step vaccine....but its a start...gives us about 250,000 doses from Pfizer and Moderna(enough for 125,000 people) Positive news....but now we need this rolled out in large numbers!

How do you tickle an octopus? You give him ten tickles. Of course e all know that an octopus has eight tentacles, so the first two tickles are test tickles. ?

What does a gingerbread man use for a bed cover? A baking sheet.

I figured as much @WAAAYTOOObut a boy can dream LMAO. I think I have visions of genies granting my wishes, dancing in my head!!!

I'm even crossing my eyes, which makes it tough to type

I've cruised solo a few times and any event I tried to go to was poorly attended. The last one was a trivia where there were a bunch of couples which in my opinion is the exact opposite of what was expected. Most definitely not looking for a relationship while cruising but I do love meeting people.

From the description on that tour: If you decide to fly into Anchorage a day early, I would assume you just meet up at the Anchorage Marriott on the official first day. It appears that this tour also has the built-in travel day to get in the night before the tour officially begins (day two). Anchorage really isn't all that big. The airport is probably 5 miles or so from downtown where the tour hotel is.

Saw on a Princess sales channel video they've specifically inquired with the CDC about B2B and they haven't heard back. I'm sure Royal has inquired as well. It's in the hands of the CDC at the moment. Everyone is waiting for them to respond.

Moderna is next to get the approval , https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/health/covid-moderna-vaccine.html#click=https://t.co/C2rHRZieHZ "The review by the F.D.A. confirms Moderna’s earlier assessment that its vaccine had an efficacy rate of 94.1 percent in a trial of 30,000 people. Side effects, including fever, headache and fatigue, were unpleasant but not dangerous, the agency found."

I sometimes have cruise-related dreams and thought maybe I was the only one! I have these recurring ones where I'm on a cruise, and it's the last day and as I'm packing, I try to remember back each day of activities, what I did, where we were, etc. only I can't remember all of the days, and I realize I missed them somehow, they never happened, and that I didn't get the full cruise, yet they're making me pack and leave. I end up packing still folded clothes, clean clothes, and stuff I never used. I panic because now it will be another year before I can go again and I missed everything. It's very nerve-wracking!

Thanks so much everyone for your replies. That was so helpful. We decided to cancel our cruise and rebooked using the FCC for Xmas 2021. It was just too much of a gamble.

No one may be publicly talking about it, but it 100% should be the goal. Whether that goal is short- or medium-term, it needs to be an end goal. We eradicated Smallpox, we can eradicate Covid-19. My $0.02 Totally agree with this, and it's absolutely going to be something to celebrate when we hit that mark.

Just to be clear, no one that I am aware of from any of the pharmaceutical companies that will have vaccines in circulation by January or from reputable virologists are talking about "eradicating" the SARS-CoV-2 virus. What vaccine producers and public health officials are hoping for is a reduction in the disease burden of the virus secondary to the introduction of vaccines. I can see a scenario where new case numbers continue to increase at a lower rate but hospitalizations and deaths decline. These two data points - hospitalizations and deaths - are key markers for disease burden. If they decline, the vaccine is doing what experts thought it would. Yet the media will be rife with reports that case numbers aren't declining as anticipated and the "dire consequences" of vaccine failure. State and local governments will continue to renew or implement new, more useless and unnecessary mitigation measures with little public health benefit derived from them. Cruising won't restart because the CDC is unlikely to end it's warnings for Americans to avoid cruising until such time as the US prevalence rate is well below 5% and probably below 3%. I hate to be a buzz killer but people need to understand that the introduction of a vaccine, even at scale, is not a guarantee that the virus will be "eradicated." What we need to be tuned into and cheer is that fewer people are getting hospitalized and a whole lot less people are dying from COVID-19 complications. I think we are going to see measurable declines in both of these data points in 45-60 days. Get ready to obtain your COVID vaccination or antibodies present passport to board a cruise ship. The requirement is probably legal. CLIA, the CDC and possibly DHS (which would require it through regulatory authority) will recommend it. It's coming.

I have gotten food to go from specialty restaurants before. As long as you have the dining plan or are willing to pay the cover charge, they should allow it. You still should make the reservation so they know to expect you. Izumi sushi is ala carte and definitely allows take out -- they even have the plastic contains for it. The other restaurants will serve the food on a real plate with a cover like you would get with room service, so that can be cumbersome to take out of the restaurant.

@Drewtastic86, if you enjoy wine, ask your Genie to set up a private wine tasting at Vintages. Some in our group did it and there was a charge of $75pp for it but my SIL stated that one of the bottles they sampled was over $500 and she learned so much about different wines. On the last night, our Genie surprised them and comped the wine tasting charges (didn't expect it but we were super appreciative that she did).

Thanks again for the info. We're taking 11B and starting in Anchorage. If nothing else, I'm sure we can just take an Uber to the hotel if we go early.

You missed my point....you asked can RC expect things the answer is no they can only hope! They like the taxi drivers or bus companies, the small cafe you get lunch, hotels, airlines, bars and restaurants,basically every business going cannot expect people to use them they can only hope! Its not these companies setting the rules or guidelines its the CDC or local governments who are saying this or that must be done. The cost is irrelevant if people dont sail cruiselines close their doors which is the same for local cafes or taxi companies if people dont use their services, so no RC cannot expect they can only hope. If these companies say we are not operating until this virus is gone then they will go bust, companies must keep going best they can just to keep their doors open, and in doing this they need to follow guidelines whether we like it or not. If we dont like it we don't do it....simple

Requirements for cruising in the near future will be very interesting! Proof of negative Covid test? Proof of vaccine (2 shots)? Proof of no contact with Covid-positive individuals? Proof of insurance? Proof of evacuation costs? Waivers? Others? With all this in mind, ready to start cruising again!!

Masks will be required until the pandemic is declared "over" by the WHO and CDC. The vaccine is 95% effective in preventing illness due to COVID 19. Whether or not a vaccinated person could still be a carrier and therefore spread COVID has not been studied. Cruising without a mask will occur in the 2nd half of 2021.

We will eventually be back to maskless cruising. It's just a matter of how long it will take. .................. Isnt that what i said in 1st paragraph? FOR A GOOD WHILE YET! I never said forever

95% effectiveness is based on trial numbers of becoming "sick" or symptomatic. This means you could still become infected and spread it. That is why masks will still be required in the early releases of the vaccine. Once the population has been vaccinated or we see a huge drop in COVID hospitalization, is when masks may not be mandatory. So in theory, if the majority of the population gets vaccinated, it will eventually work towards herd immunity.

Why? If the vaccine is 95% effective then why would anyone have to be forced to wear a mask? It does not make any sense. If I get the "shots" then why would I wear a mask. There is no logic to this.

Wonderland is definitely worth trying. We did not care for it but many love it. It is very unique. If you are into really unusual food presentation, it will be a very good experience. If you are more of a traditional eater (we both are) then it will seem very bizarre. If you're going to be SC now is the time to try it - when it doesn't cost you anything extra !! We do enjoy "The World" dessert, so we will sometimes have dinner somewhere else and just pop by Wonderland for dessert. You can do that if you are SC or even if you just have the UDP.

Very interesting...as it seems like for the past 9 months, its all been about how we can cruise safely with protocols in place during the pandemic..now, that seems to be a moot point....ultimately it was probably always going to come down to wide-spread vaccine roll outs. Seems like alot of money and time and resources went into plan A, which really never came to fruition. Will there be somethings they learned and implement from it?...probably..but at the end of the day, that will have had no bearing on cruising resuming...imho.

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/abc-news-coronavirus-poll The majority of Americans indicate they intend to get the coronavirus vaccine… eventually. Two in five (40%) say they will get the vaccine as soon as it is available, particularly those over 65 years in age (57%). Almost half (44%) say they will wait a bit, particularly minority respondents (52%). Fewer than one in five (15%) say the will never get the vaccine, particularly Republicans (26%). Only about a third (39%) of Americans think states should make the vaccine mandatory for residents.

Latest news from Richard Fain. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/12/14/royal-caribbean-chairman-ceo-says-vaccines-not-new-protocols-will-be-what-gets-cruises "vaccines, not new protocols, will be what gets cruises going again" The question is at what point will we have vaccinated enough to start opening up society again.

The brightest moment since March but the experts have warned we still have some dark months ahead. Keep the faith, we'll soon turn the corner on this thing.

Wish they would roll this out quicker and faster across Canada.. 2% positive rate...i'll take that any day to travel

Not very well attended.

Looking forward to starting a collection of RC Facemasks ?

Next pandemic.

Trust me I am active as well, I am a first responder as well as I work part time in the local ER, in essence I am at work well over 300 hours per month. That means that I wear a mask FAR more than the average person on this thread, and to be honest and WAY OVER THEM. But I realize it is a necessary evil at the moment, I am not someone that sits around and just watches TV it has taken me 5 years to do it but I have dropped 120 pounds. That being said going on a cruise and being catered to is one of the draws for me. I would be happy not having to work, come home and get ready to head to the part time job, come home and fix dinner, help the kids with their homework, make sure they clean up after dinner, and keep twin teenage girls from killing each other. ? Being on a cruise for me means complete relaxation. I will be active and end up in the gym, and also forgoing the elevators and taking the stairs. All this being said this whole thing is personal and depends on your personal preference. For me, since I have to wear a half face respirator and eye protection at work just wearing a mask is a definite downgrade!

Hello all, first time post. My future cruises: November 28, 2021 Oasis A1 January 22, 2022 Symphony VS June 5, 2022 Allure A2

I have a B2B scheduled in March...March 4th for 4 nights and March 8th for 5 nights out of Fort Lauderdale. Two days ago I received an email reminder letting me know I was near the final payment date. I made the final payment online and it was accepted. This reminder email was probably automatically generated based upon payment due date so I don’t believe this is the final word. I’ll just wait and see. As far as making payments are concerned...even if it’s probable that the cruise will be cancelled, I will still make the payment. For me it’s a no-brainer...if and when the cruise is cancelled, my payment comes back as a future cruise credit worth 125%. Because of the number of cruises I’m lucky enough to be able to take, that’s a nice investment!

I would rather wear a mask and get to go on vacation than stay at home! If wearing a mask helps keep others safe, then it's a small price to pay - and it won't change the view of the sunset at sea!

I have zero issues wearing a mask in all public areas. Hubby works in healthcare. He wears a mask daily. Kids wear a mask at school. If wearing a mask in public areas means that we can get sailing again and keep others safe, then we have zero issues with it. My biggest issue (as I have said from the start) is our closed borders and 14 day quarantine.

Yes. Like many topics, people who disagree tend to be more vocal online than those that agree, which is why I think you see some strong opinions on the matter.

More relevant - will people schedule cruises while a mask is required of them. My wife - yes. Me - not a chance.

Why? Planning to sue me?

The longer it goes, the more it seems that way. I was (and still am) hoping they are operating as an honest broker in all of this.

I disagree @twangster. I believe you're inferring what the CDC believes, and until they specify an issue with B2B, there is no reason to believe they look at consecutive cruises as anything more than two cruises in a row. The CSO goes into great detail about what cruises line can and cannot do. They would certainly specify if there was an issue with B2B. All that being said, CDC has no idea a B2B is a thing in cruising. They constantly refer to cruises in terms of days instead of nights. Not saying they may not amend things as they go on, but they're not going to leave something as important as not permitting passengers on multiple cruises and putting permission to cruise in jeopardy(as you suggest) without actually stating that.

The difference is on a B2B you have to disembark the cruise then re-board for the new cruise. They are purchased as 2 different trips with 2 different booking numbers. It is not one cruise. The CDC says the cruise lines can not offer / sell any cruise longer then 7 days. They have not. It does not say someone can not do 2 cruises whether separated by 1 day or 12 hours.

Not to argue with you but the cruise lines consider B2B cruises as 2 seperate cruises. Totally independent of each other. That being the case there is nothing to stop me from doing a B2B. The cruise line is only offering 2 separate 7 day cruises. There is no violation of any stupid CDC policy.

Seasons Greetings everyone, Use this thread to post all of your holiday pictures, if you have ever been on a cruise during the Christmas period. My photo was taken onboard Independence Of The Seas 2018. Chris Wong www.youtube.com/ChristopherWongVLOGS

We boarded Voyager on January 2, 2011, and the tree was still up on that sailing. It's a terrible picture, but here it is.

Our experience at Playmakers on Symphony last February was totally opposite. The first time we stopped by it was very busy, but I caught the eye of one of the servers and smiled and he found our waiter immediately. After that, we were generally recognized and always had someone at our table within a few minutes, and meals and beverages came out at a very reasonable rate with very good, friendly, service. Maybe they just have it together on Symphony. I really enjoyed Playmakers. Can I just go now?