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You've thought about it, you've dreamt about it, you've researched it - Are you going to do something about it? Lets have a look and see what I did. Many Many Many years ago, my parents took the whole family on cruises around the south pacific. I still have a hand carved fisherman's sail boat model from Fiji with 1977 carved into the side. (Hmmm 43 years ago) Back then you could throw coins over the side of the ship when in port and the local would swim down and pick them up, how times have changed. We are addict's, all it took for me then was a taste 43 years ago and even to this day I love cruising !!!! I had wanted to cruise for a VERY long time and based on my professional responsibilities it just wasn't possible. My best friend and I had talked about taking a cruise for a very long time. And it took a long time for both of our schedules to be in line with each other so that we could take time off work to go on a cruise together. In August of 2019 on the celebrity reflection, my best friend and I (Including Families) took a 12 NIGHT SCANDINAVIA & RUSSIA CRUISE. Well like a junkie that has been clean for decades, my cruise addiction got what it needed and like a fresh blood transfusion "CRUISING" was back in my blood. Within a month of returning from Russia, I had booked a cruise for my family. The problem I had, was that it was going to be a surprise, a VERY BIG surprise and I could not tell them. Every chance I got, I was watching Royal Caribbean Blog, The Klaykowski's (AKA The ship show), Cruise tips TV, Tips for Travelers and on and on. "I LOVED IT". Some of it as silly as it sounds was over my head and not until now do I understand what and why they were saying things. If it was mentioned, I bought it. Magnetic Hooks, Highlighters, collapsible laundry hampers, first aid kits, dental kits, sunglasses, sunhats and the list goes on. If you recommended it I got it. My mother had died in January and I thought that it would be a great surprise for my father to go on a cruise with us. In short my father has become a home body and getting him to the cruise terminal in Sydney, let alone out of the house was a bigger task than I thought it was going to be. After three subtle attempts to see if I could get him to Sydney (Australia) to go to sea world, I accepted that he was simply content at home and that was OK. So how do you purchase all of these cruise must haves and not have anyone catch on to the fact that that's exactly what you are planning. EASY - You invent a cruise !!!! What I mean is, you let them know that you are planning a cruise sometime in the distant future but not when they expect it. At the time, we were in Hong Kong and I had told them that I have arranged a vacation at Sea World on the Gold Coast (Queensland, Australia). Everyone was happy we were going on a vacation. Problem was that the cruise I had planned was departing out of Sydney and Sea World is in another state, Queensland. Kind of like saying we were going to Orlando but needed to go via New York. When going to Australia we always flew into Sydney, so telling them that we would fly into Sydney spending a couple of days there and then flying to Brisbane did not draw any undue attention. The reason I used Sea World, was because they had already been there before and they knew what to expect. Because it is a resort it was easy to explain why they needed swimming paraphernalia, hats, sunglasses and so on. So how do you explain why they need cocktail dresses, evening wear, high heeled shoes and so on? I know - tell them that I have prepared a professional photo shoot. We need everyone looking their best so the family can have some lovely photo's to look back on. I had planned everything down to the most minuscule detail. I went to a photo store to laminate their boarding passes, I had their bag tags printed in color, I had personal lanyards made. I even bought them Samsung tablets (Not iPads) as a ruse to give them gifts that included their boarding passes in a bag. Being the genius that I am, I forgot where I hid the damn things before we left. Using some Sherlock Homes logic I worked out - now where would you hide those things if I were you. I FOUND THEM. Afterwards thinking what kind of an idiot would hide them there. Just think about planning a cruise months in advance and 1.) You cannot tell anyone and 2.) Getting them to pack for it. It's crazy !!! My wife though I was nut's, because I was watching her pack. I've never done this before, but she is a genius at packing. (Yes I got the CUBES) This was to ensure that she didn't forget anything (She did - no magnetic hooks or collapsible clothes hamper.) Who needs that stuff at sea world right. A small side note. We had a mini brake in Japan earlier in the year. We were staying at Universal Studios (Osaka) Japan and on one of our day trips went to Osaka Aquarium for the day. To get there you take a short ferry trip from universal to the aquarium. After the day at the aquarium, on the way back to our hotel. While we were on the return trip on the ferry, guess what ? We passed Spectrum of the Seas. I just wanted to explode, I just wanted to shout out and say "LOOK THATS WHAT YOU WILL BE ON AT XMAS" It took so much strength to keep my mouth shut, but I did and the surprise was still safe - so the story continues. We arrived in Sydney two days before the cruise, so we were in no rush. Qantas for the most part are very reliable, so I was not expecting any flight delays. I was able to upgrade of flight tickets so the surprise was just getting better and better. They didn't know about the business class seats either. When I mentioned that I had planned this down to the most minuscule detail I was not kidding. I had booked a hotel in Sydney that would require us to take a ferry into Circular Quay. Circular Quay is where the cruise ships dock in-between the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor bridge. This would have us pass the Ovation of the Seas before reaching the wharf. I had made sure that I had the current time table for the ferry, so that we would pass the ship just at the right time and subsequently we could board the ship at our predetermined boarding time. I don't know what time we went to bed the night before the BIG SURPRISE cruise, I was so paranoid about sleeping in and missing the ferry. Remember my wife and two daughters thought that we were going to Sydney airport from the hotel to fly to Brisbane. I'm so close at pulling this off. so so close. We had stayed at this hotel before and my wife new that we could get a reliable airport shuttle service. From the hotel to the wharf, where the ferry was to depart was about a 5 minute work downhill (A very steep downward hill) We had five large suitcases, backpacks, camera bags and nick knacks hanging off us. We looked like Sherpas taking guests belongings to the top of Everest. I'm so close, we were all struggling going down the hill with all of this luggage. My wife looks at me like you cheap bastard you could not even cough up enough money to get the airport shuttle. We are half an hour away from the greatest surprise ever and do I have to take this #$%@ from her. YES YOU DO! She doesn't know and I probably would have thought the same thing. We get to the wharf everything is on track, we are early for the ferry and we are almost there. One thing I have not mentioned is that this ferry is designed for commuters carrying either a hand bag or a brief case, not a family of four going away for two weeks on a cruise. In Australia everyone is quite nice and patient so like a worker bee I grab one bag put it on the ferry and run back and get another till we have everything onboard the ferry. Now I have to get the timing just right, as I had envisaged such a long time ago I was going to get this on film. How do I get them outside while I get their xmas gift bags ready? We will be passing the Sydney Opera house which is on the left hand side of the ferry and the Ovation of the Seas will be on the right hand side as we pull into the wharf. I ask my wife to take the girls out and get some shots with the Sydney opera house in the background, OK - no problem out they go. Every second counts now I have to get it just right. I get everything organized, all of the bags are in order and ready to be given out. I go out the back and ask them to stand on the opposite side of the ferry and this is what happened. When booking the cruise I figured this will be a one off and if I am going to do it I should go all out and give them a cruise that they will never forget. Hence the cost of the surprise, you only live once and life is here to be enjoyed and experienced to the fullest. Also when I booked it I planned for my father to be in our room as well so we needed a large room. We got a suite and every extra possible, the only thing I regret now is that I didn't know about STAR class. (SKY class sucks, it's like being a brides maid.) To follow up their surprise about finding out about the cruise, the next surprise was going to be seeing their room. The next video is of the family seeing their room for the first time. If you cannot smile while ,during or after this room (I cannot really call it a room tour) surprise you need to go take some happy pills. I hope that you have enjoyed this little adventure and trust that you can have as much fun in the future cruising as we had in the past. Just so that I could link these videos to this BLOG, I had to create a YouTube channel about half an hour ago. Nothing sexy to see, just life in the raw. Maybe I will be as creative as Matt and learn how to edit one day. Best Regards Rick I was also wrong about this cruise. I thought that it was going to be a one off - NO - I have four more cruises booked with more surprises to come.

I get my Covid 19 Vaccine on Wednesday. I feel cautiously optimistic about cruising starting up in the 2nd quarter of next year. At least a few ships at least. It looks like by April anybody in the general public should be able to receive the vaccine. Lets just keep our fingers crossed!

Got the Pfizer vaccine today. So far so good.

I am going to try a positive spin on this (with some less than positive "bits of data"): 1). The Vaccines (and there will be many of them) are proving to be safe and extremely effective. No amount of distancing and masking will shut down COVID 19. These temporary measures (probably for longer than we would like) are to protect: Us from a runaway pandemic ... giving the scientists time to develop the vaccines. Our health care systems ... Italy's almost collapsed early on. And, with great importance, our health care workers ... each and everyone of us should be thanking them daily. I can't imagine how I would react in their situation. 2). Some jurisdictions have done an amazing job of minimizing transmission. So much so that they are already starting up cruises. Not the exact way we would want to cruise, but the "canary in the cave" is doing very well. Below is some encouraging and disappointing "bits of data": Singapore .............Total Deaths/100,000: 5 [They are sailing now] New Brunswick ... Total Deaths/100,000: 10 [if St. John were a home port we could be sailing around the Maritimes now] ? Ontario ..................Total Deaths/100,000: 303 [Not good enough ... should be closer to NB results] Canada ................. Total Deaths/100,000: 402 [Skewed higher by some terrible results in Quebec] USA ...................... Total Deaths/100,000: 1,021 [The main reason the cruising industry is shutdown ... 75% of worldwide cruises originate in the USA. Once Vaccines are available, and allowed to do their job, we will be cruising again] My soulmate and I have cruises booked in NOV 2021, APR 2022 and MAY 2022. Looking at Winter 2022 as well (we are open to influence) ? There is light at the end of the tunnel (and it is not an oncoming train). Safe Safe, Stay Apart, Stay Connected, Curt from Canada

I am a Firefighter/EMT and I was notified by my county Health department by email. I had to register and fill out a health questionnaire. Once you complete that process they let me choose the time and date that I would like to get the Vaccine. The time frame only went out a few days because of the Holiday's so I choose my next day off which is tomorrow to get the Vaccine. I know plenty of others that have received it and so far no issues.

I'll get mine whenever our state gets to Phase 1B. I have zero trepidation with getting it. As much as I really, really, really want to cruise again, I want even more to start putting this pandemic behind us.

Well the best intention was there. I am not surprised that that didn't happen to me. I found out what extreme paranoia was, that was for certain. I was convinced a few times that she new when she made totally innocent comments. As you can see from the video, I made it all the way to the end. More surprises are already in the pipeline, all we need is the ships to start sailing.

Why is the cruise industry being vilified, while airlines do no testing and people who maybe infected go to the crowded airport without having to show any test results? Why do restaurants (even with social distancing) not even take your temperature? Why can you go to the grocery store or a big box store and there is no temperature check? Why do some demand that schools reopen without providing PPEs for teachers. But it is the cruise industry that is the villian.

All of these responses have been so helpful! We have stayed at the Hilton Inn at Staten Island and a hotel (forget the name) at the Newark airport. They were both OK. Yes it’s just one night but to us a trip like a cruise is an experience and the entire experience should be as positive as possible. With that said, while the previous hotels had the complimentary parking, we would like try another option that has better accommodations. I think I’ll check out the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City. @Lovetocruise2002 and @Jax I would love to stay in NYC but my husband would think I’m crazy to drive and park the car in Manhattan. He doesn’t like driving in the city (He also doesn’t like when I drive ?). The free parking perk at the hotel as opposed to the cruise terminal is really nice. So for those of you following look for a hotel with a cruise package for parking and/or transportation! @WAAAYTOOO I’m getting a “Zone 6 Star Class” tattoo on my wrist so I don’t forget LOL.

As a Canadian and Healthcare professional I would say I do know more than the Government of Canada (most 7 year olds do). The reason they are telling you being vaccinated does not guarantee you cannot spread the virus and therefore should still wear a mask is the fact that was not part of the clinical trials and not studied.

Wow. You're good ! I could never keep that big of a secret for so long ! I cried when I watched the first video. You are such a good daddy and husband - not to mention, organizer !

Nope. Same discount. To save more money I use a day 2 strategy. The following is only for D+ members. If you can use your cell phone on day one since the ship is in port until 5pm to 6pm typically and you buy the internet on the morning of day 2 it is "free" on a 3 night cruise or ~$20 for a 4 night cruise (for D+ members). Buying a full voyage Voom plan on day one costs more since it's prorated and gets cheaper as the cruise progresses. I built a spreadsheet that compares cruise planner purchases versus on board. Here is a comparison if the cruise planner price for Surf and Stream is $11.99 per day and the onboard daily rate for Surf and Stream is $21.99, a typical rate prior to the shutdown. If you can wait until day 2 to buy Voom, then for a D+ it's cheapest to buy on board using the D+ discount for cruises 6 nights or shorter. If you must have Voom on day 1 then for a 3 or 4 night cruise it's cheapest to buy it on board. For cruises longer than 6 nights it's always cheapest to buy it ahead of time. That is all assuming a cruise planner advance price of $11.99 per day. Since the photo quality will probably make that hard to read here is the important part blown up larger: The cruise planner doesn't always have it for $11.99 so the math changes as the cruise planner planner prices goes up. For example, when it's $14.99 in the cruise planner: At $14.99 in the cruise planner it's best to buy it on board on day 2 for anything 9 nights or shorter but if you must have Voom on day 1 then it's cheapest to buy it on board for anything 6 nights or shorter. Once you reach 10 nights it's always cheapest to buy it in advance in the cruise planner. But again this is assuming the cruise planner price is $14.99 per day. In some cases it's only a few dollars but a few dollars is always better in my pocket.

I got my first vaccine about 10 days ago. Not one reaction, didn't really even feel the injection itself. 2nd one next week.

Mitch will be headed to Quantum beginning with January 28th sailing

because the government is not happy with them. They all register there ships outside the USA or Europe, to avoid taxes. The CDC is targeting them for this.

While I can't speak to Hyatt House specifically, I can say that Jersey City is a nice option for those visiting the area. It's very close to Manhattan if you want to hop over to see NYC, it is much cheaper than staying in NYC itself (and the rooms are generally considerably larger), it offers amazing views and has tons of really good dining options. Jersey City is an extremely walkable area, and when it's time to head over to the terminal, being on the Jersey side makes Ubers/Lyft cheaper and the ride easier. Just my 2 cents as a born and bred Jersey boy.

I just thought of something else just now, for a one night pre-cruise stay, there is another hotel that has caught my attention in the past. I was supposed to try it out back in August but never had the chance to. It’s Hyatt House in Jersey City. Right along the water front and lots of restaurants within walking distance. It looks more modern compared to Hyatt Regency and it has what looks to be a fabulous rooftop bar area. Another option for you.

Any super powers yet? 3rd eye?

If you by measures and restriction you mean masks (we wear them so often now we don't even notice it), less crowds, more open areas and more staff per patron I'm all in. Let the "I'm not going until I can wave my freak flag when ever and where ever" stay home and I and my spouse will enjoy ourselves. We have four cruises booked throughout 2021 and I'm in-line for the vaccine as soon as it is available which will be soon here for my group in Texas. Will have our card and passports stamped "COVID-19 Inoculated" so we can enjoy life, the beach and other ports of call. Watch out 2021, here I come! ??️?️

After listening to @Matt recent podcast about wishes for 2021, I thought of a couple of my own. How about you? 1. Ok I'll put this one in since I'm starting the topic and I'm pretty certain everyone on here wants the same thing..... CRUISES TO START BACK UP 2. RCG to rework their website: Fix some of the weird glitches & ALLOW MORE OPTIONS WHEN BOOKING(or mock booking) like allowing you to put in the max guests that rooms allow. 3. More west coast cruises including more short cruises out of Seattle(this is probably more like an unrealistic dream)

I think that cruising in 2021 is optimistic. The administration had no plan to roll out the vaccine in the US. They will not achieve targets by end of the 1st quarter. The holiday surge will set the country even farther behind. before they can roll out the vaccines, they need the equipment needed to dose the vaccine , PPEs and a way to transport it to remote areas where there are no CVS and Walgreens. Federal government had no plan. Not being political, just stating the fact that we will not be safe until 2022 at the earliest.

Well, they should not be saying you can still spread it because that hasn't been established yet. Normally, longer vaccine trials would have reported this information but the emergency approval process meant that so far the vaccines have only been shown to be safe enough and effective enough for the recipient. Until there is evidence one way or the other, we have to assume we can still spread the virus and behave accordingly. That's what should be reported right now.

Yeah, the rooftop bar is nice in that hotel. Especially when it's nice enough to sit outside. The company I work for had an after work event there once, and I also went there for drinks after work a couple of times (pre-pandemic). There is a W hotel in Hoboken that also is a good option for a pre-cruise stay. Close to the PATH train, and ferry terminals to get to NYC, plus lots of great local restaurants to walk to.

Thanks sk8erguy1978. Will definitely show this to our kids as an option and see if it interests them.

I thought same thing!

I've been doing some reading on the 1918 Pandemic. Four waves and close to three years with around a third of the world's population infected. The Spanish Flu pandemic came to an end though, and so will the Covid-19 pandemic. When you feel things are hopeless, remember this...it will end. To plagiarize Winston Churchill.....perhaps the vaccine is the end of the beginning. We all will cruise again.

I don't know about you but I kinda feel the feeling from the cruise lines they don't expect to sail till 2022. I'm not a conspiracy guy but they raised enough money to last till summer 2022. Would they raised that much money if they didn't need it? It's almost like they know or pretty much know they won't be sailing anytime soon. Our August Oasis cruise may even be in jeopardy, who knows.

I think that is what caught my attention about that area. While I do really like Embassy Suites in Elizabeth, NJ, that area is not very walkable at all. And for us, when we do pre-cruise stays, areas that have lots within walking distance is very appealing to us.

I understand that. But the media is only focused on the emotions and not scientific facts. When a passenger knowingly went to the airport and got on a flight even though they showed COVID-19 symptoms, the story was berried. But a passenger on Quantum of the Seas had a false positive test and the ship implemented their protocol, front page. Cruise lines should put their medical advisors n front of the science/medical reporters and not just the travel reporters.

You can get excellent specialty coffees in Cafe 270 (where the barista knew my husband's name by the end of Day 1 on Ovation).

Awesome, that's interesting and exactly the info I was looking for. I'm an essential employee myself, not as important as an EMT though of course but my job is essential. They mentioned something about getting us vaccinated but that was a few weeks ago and haven't heard a thing since. I'll wait my turn as it much more important for others to receive their vaccination first. My timeline that I'm hoping for is 2nd shot by June, first in May and second June. I'm reading it might be earlier now. Good luck to you. Please tell us how your experience good, any side effects. Thank you again for the info.

I LOVED the Dragon's Tail Coaster. While 100% different and more safe, it brought back memories of the mid to late 90s and riding the Alpine Slide at Action Park in Vernon NJ. Also, great views.

Oh, that's easy. He had to direct traffic -- Our street is a 35 mph 2-lane county road that's used as a shortcut between two other main roads, and the construction vehicles were jutting out into the road. Only one passable lane, so he had to do the fun job of holding up traffic in one direction for a bit, then the other.

@JLMoran Wow! I wonder why the police car was there? Inheritance properties can be a nightmare. My sister and I inherited some old rental properties that my mother inherited from her parents - she grew up in one of the houses. They were falling apart and hours away from us. We were able to sell them, but the proceeds barely covered the realtor's fees. We still have a lake-ish property that we can't seem to get rid of (a couple streets over from a marina, not on the lake). I don't even know if there's a house on the lot. I can't get a realtor to call me back about it, and the survey I have (that my grandparents had done in 1962) is only of the land . Taxes say there's an improvement, but it's only valued at $250. ? If anyone is looking for what I'm sure is a lovely piece of land in east Texas...

We like Manhattan because there is honestly nothing to do near the port of Cape Liberty. Even in the surrounding areas of Newark, Elizabeth, Jersey City, etc. there is nothing too exciting. If you are just looking for one night pre-cruise then those areas are perfectly fine. But with so much so see and do in NYC, we would much rather make a trip out of it and stay in the heart of NYC instead of trying to make the commute back and forth by train or some other form of transportation. It’s so convenient to step out of your hotel and be within walking distance to everything. The only real downside to staying in Manhattan is the drive to Cape Liberty but we usually leave early to the port anyway so that does not bother us. The way I see it, you would waste more time trying to get back and forth from NJ to NYC to sightsee compared to one trip to Cape Liberty in the morning.

We have really enjoyed 2 cruises during Christmas on Royal Caribbean ships! Before our first Christmas cruise, we had trepidations about whether we might miss out on the spirit of Christmas. (We are Christian). But with the plethora of beautiful Christmas decorations, the Christmas music and carols, and even Santa and elves on board, we felt filled with the holiday spirit. Note: But the Santa that surfed on Freedom of the Seas looked a little too thin. Ha

Another vote for Embassy Suites, it suits families well. They do have parking and shuttle service, but we park at the port. It is fabulous to just walk to the car, and go home. It's a long enough drive that I do not want that journey to be longer.

Here's hoping!

Awesome, thank you!

Hi everyone this is my first post on this blog. I've been sailing with Royal Caribbean since 2008, I have sailed on other cruise lines as well but Royal Caribbean is the best in my opinion. I do agree with he is saying, I moved both of my 2020 cruises to late October (Symphony of the Seas) and November (Odyssey of the Seas) 2021 and we moved a European cruise to late May (Odyssey of the Seas) 2022. I 100% believe the cruise industry has been unfairly targeted by the CDC and health organizations around the world while airlines and hotels have been allowed to make up the rules as they go along, having said that I do think people on booked on earlier cruises in 2021 will be in for a few surprises. I work in the travel industry and the thing that is coming up now for 2021 is vaccination requirements in order to travel especially internationally. In most countries from what I'm hearing the vaccine should be widely available by mid-summer 2021 any one thinking of international travel before then not a good idea. To reopen and jumpstart tourism and salvage some part of the 2021 busy season I'm hear a lot of place will require visitors to show proof they've been vaccinated. Call me crazy but I think in time this may migrate over to the cruise industry, I think once the vaccine is widely available cruise lines may require all guest to show proof of vaccination before they are allowed to set foot on any cruise ship. Testing is good and testing is a great way to restart the industry but I don't think it will end with just testing I think requiring all passengers be vaccinated is coming by fall 2021.

Not Miami but Bayonne several times, I agree, it's this little corner behind a wall blocking you off from the main open seating area. I believe you're correct about the ramp being for suites only. Besides the porter we've had staff inside the terminal shuffle us along in the wrong direction. Let each staff member assisting you know you're in a suite & keep an eye for suite signage.

Following as well. Star class on Anthem out of Bayonne March 2022 - counting the (hundreds) of days... we will just drive to the port that day (we live about 90 minutes away), but I love all of these tidbits about how to do star class right!

Yes, they took 2 panels of our fence down to get in. That side of the house has a retaining wall that runs the length of our yard with the fence posts set into the wall. They cut the post between the two panels and will weld it back together when they put the panels back up in a couple months. The fence will stay down for most of the project. The excavation includes haul away for every company we spoke with, so there are a couple dump trucks taking turns getting filled and taking the dirt away. Excavation, closely followed by gunite, was the biggest part of the total bill. We didn't get a cover as we don't really winterize pools here. No sales guy has even mentioned one to us. We'll be able to swim without a heater from the beginning of May through the end of September, and we'll add a couple months to both sides of that with the heater. We had a cover for the pool I had growing up, and we hardly ever used it. We'll just skim the leaves and the the Polaris work its magic in December and January every year. Here's a better picture of where they took down the fence. It's starting to take shape.

Gunite. We went with a medium blue. The plaster in pool we had growing up was really white. I'm not sure if that's what my parents picked or if it just faded, but it was too bright. Then they had major problems with the pump and it was a bit so lovely shade of dark green for a while. I wanted something in between. Pebble Sheen Blue Surf. I'm sure I'll have a cousin Eddie crawl out of the woodwork come summer. That will probably be my brother in law. ?. We considered both, and we decided on chlorine. We have company this morning!

Vaccine news - AstraZeneca wrapping the retest (after the data issue they had few weeks ago) and it should be published soon. it seems that it will have at least 90% success rate preventing getting infected and 100% against severe COVID disease (or in other words 100% against the need to be hospitalized). The data currently being reviewed by the UK equivalent FSA committee and may be approved in a week or so. Vaccine safety - By mistake one of the people that got the Pfizer vaccine had injected with 5* time of the required dose (apparently he got the dose before it was diluted) , although he was kept for observation for few hours he got released and feeling very well. Vaccine testing (will it work or not) - Looks like that the first place with good indication if the vaccine is a game changer or not going to be in Israel (due to: population size, number of available vaccines and speed of given the vaccine) . Currently , 400000 people got the first shoot and the rate is around 100 K per day which going to be increased to around 150 -200 K per day , therefore in about 6 -7 weeks all the population with higher risk (health care, people, older than 60 and people with chronic conidiations) should be vaccinated (mostly with Pfizer). It will be interesting to see the impact on the number of new cases and the number of people who require hospital services. Here a link to track number of vaccine per 100 people https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita?tab=chart&stackMode=absolute&time=2020-12-10..latest&region=World Total number of people that got the vaccine : https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/cumulative-covid-vaccinations?tab=chart&stackMode=absolute&time=2020-12-26..latest&region=World the charts from our world of data site:

We stayed in Manhattan pre and post cruise... pre cruise we stayed at the Conrad Downtown and post cruise Trump International Central Park. Both properties were close to desired amenities. More about these properties can be found in my live blog. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/16651-first-time-star-class-8-night-holiday-bahamas-cruise-anthem-122019/ I had considered staying at Hyatt Regency Jersey City pre cruise but ultimately we decided to stay in Manhattan. It was a challenge to find hotels to accommodate 3 without 2 double beds. We flew into JFK and we used NY City Limo 134 + tip each way for a full size SUV with a driver meet and greet included at airport. Had we not had so much luggage, the cost would have been considerably cheaper. Very reliable. Would definitely use again. From Conrad to Liberty cruise port we used Dial 7 $119 + tip + toll each way. Full size SUV. Very reliable. Would definitely use again. We sailed on Friday Dec 20th and had a hotel pickup at 9:30am. Traffic was light and we arrived within 35-40 minutes. Be sure to follow @WAAAYTOOO advice as the pier staff attempted to redirect us a couple times. I told our driver to keep going to star class banners. All was good! Hope this helps!

If I have a note from my Mother will that count?

I object to the use of the term "force". "Require" is a much better term. Since cruising is a voluntary activity, nobody's ever "forced" to do anything.

Depends on price and value to you. My wife loves to buy the onboard photos and has a difficult time limiting to just a few (even if some are similar). Normally (even with whatever the discount is with C&A status) we spend $80-$100 on about 5 or so photographs. For our September cruise I'm eyeing the packages because the price is in line with what we spend anyway but will get more; about $100 for 10 photos about $120 for 20 and about $135 for 100. My only decision is, spend same for a little more or a few bucks more for basically unlimited. I'll probably go for the latter and spend the extra $35 and stop for every pirate photo. Hope my ramble helped with the first part of the question. Welcome to the forums! (Oh, got my wife a 75 minute swedish massage, cannot yay or nay since it'll be her first time but it was $152.22 after gratuity, although I imagine tipping more after massage, which seemed like a good price to us).

@Galveston Stevethank you for maintaining this thread. I've cruised on the Mariner, Rhapsody, and the Liberty out of Galveston and I'm looking forward to a "big-boy" ship coming to the new terminal.