Leaderboard

I've received an update to my programming. We've all grown accustomed to yet another round of bad news, more cancellations, etc. that it's hard to believe the light at the end of tunnel is actually a light and it's getting brighter... and no it's not a train about to slam into us. There will be more cancellations simply because the entire fleet won't start sailing on May 1st so don't confuse my optimism as a suggestion of only good news from now on. There will be small setbacks and cancellations for some cruises coming. If you close your eyes and squint ever so slightly there are signs that we are moving in the right direction. It won't be overnight and it will take time. I have lifted my "don't book any more cruises" policy and I am now booking cruises to hedge my bet. Some are refundable and most are short cruises initially. I am picking ships carefully, buying the dining package and drink package knowing lounges may be unavailable. I'm spacing cruises out to ensure more than two weeks between them but I can already smell the Playmakers Burger that's on its way to my seat at the bar.

Not really much to report. There is some kind of "tape" that was covering the incision site, and that's now started to come off on its own. Underneath, I can see what looks like a nicely healing incision. That's as descriptive as I'll get, to spare those with more sensitive constitutions. ? And we checked our daughter's bank account balance, to see how much see had actually saved up from work for the trip to Japan. She was thrilled to find out that even though she hasn't worked since February of last year, she was so aggressive with her savings during the time she was working that she has almost enough to pay for the whole thing! She had originally been saving up for a used car that she wanted to buy when she turned 18; but between learning about this program, and realizing that if she does move to Japan there would be no way to keep any car she bought, she decided when she applied that it was better to use the money for this. My wife and I will be paying the balance on the tuition along with her airfare, but she's done a great job of learning about saving, budgeting, and putting off some of those "instant gratification" purchases to be able to hit a longer-term goal. Oh, and we found out that 10% of the trip cost is being covered by the program operator through a merit grant thanks to her grades. Kudos, kiddo!

I agree with @twangster in his assessment. There is a lot of positive change coming, and I think we are on the precipice of many promises finally coming our way. The rollout of the vaccine, plummeting cases, very good news about its efficacy, and imminent information from the CDC for cruise lines all point to ships being able to sail again. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I will be on a cruise ship as a paying guest by the end of 2021.

Look! A cute baby!

I Decided Europe is better ?

Some of the cruises in Europe that are operating now require an EU flagged ship. However I think we are on the cusp of things changing here in the US where the CDC is relevant and why ships aren't sailing. I predict a string of good news in the coming weeks and months.

Thanks for the info. Luckily, I was aware of the complimentary gratuities. I had to call in to upgrade and had done a mock booking online to see that the gratuities were added and highlighted this over the phone. At the time, there was a system glitch where they were unable to input the comp grats, so they just omitted the final payment of it. It was a few weeks of seeing “Pay remaining balance” on the cruise planner before I they finally removed the charge That’s awesome! So far all the communications with her have been phenomenal. She’s been able to answer all my questions and even managed to go above and beyond with some of our requests. And we haven’t even started cruising yet! ?

I have been looking at a new lens. How did you know?

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/02/22/royal-caribbean-group-lost-over-58-billion-2020 So following todays announcement to the markets we are none the wiser as when cruises will start again. Seeing as the CDC is dragging it's feet I'm surprised that RC hasn't given some thought into following some of the Carnival brands and starting cruises round the Med or to the Canary Isles here in Europe.

True, but at least it is small enough to sail under the current CDC no sail order!

"Not as great as advertised. No bar service. No Aqua Theater. No Pool. No Central Park. No restaurants. No Flow Rider. Crew was apathetic at best. One ."

That's easier than you may think...

You will always have a place on my balcony. ?

Things that caught my ear on the call: 35,000 guests have sailed on Quantum since she started December cruises This includes more "new to cruise' over expectations. Some 80% of Singapore cruises are being booked by new to Royal. When a buyer for Empress and Majesty was identified the question about Cuba was asked. They believe there are ships in the fleet that could sail into Havana if Cuba becomes available again. A survey of past crew last week indicated a strong desire to return for the overwhelming majority and that 4,000 of around 70,000+ crew have already been vaccinated against COVID-19. When Grandeur was opened for bookings in Barbados they achieved a 25% load factor within the first few weeks. Plus consider Odyssey will soon join the fleet right when cruises in Europe may be allowed to restart for her. That has the potential to be great fantastic timing. Most importantly 35,000 guests have sailed Quantum without a single positive case. The protocols work. Even the CDC has to be impressed by that.

I getting really tired of seeing an adorable husky pup giving us so much pessimism! ? LOL!

Could be something to do with the CDC expected to come out with something soon(any day now) according to Richard Fain......and it sounds like it may ne an actual step by step or concrete plan towards opening up cruising. I would also think that the success of the vaccine roll-out in the US is making things look much much better towards things starting to open up for travel related isues. Shares of Royal are up over 25% in the past week or so as well. All positive things for sure.

I live in Texas and they don't give a hoot about what I think because I don't donate to their campaigns. If this past week's experience isn't example enough of who Texas politicians listen to, I don't what is.

Holding my masked breath that we'll be on Allure on Aug 1. I'm so tired of yelling at animals...I need this as bad as Twangster needs a new camera lens!

Every other post is doom and gloom!!! Everyday is like groundhog day with the same virus talk being said over and over again. Im not wearing a mask onboard! Thats fine but you wont be sailing!! Its not a vacation!If thats how you feel stay at home!!! Cant make me do this or that! Well if you want to cruise they can!! Against my rights etc etc etc I can read and its on tv every hour i dont really want to log on here and its the same! Its boring to be honest! Way i see it we can all try and predict the future but no one really can, if we could would we really predict when cruising will restart or what that weekends lotto numbers will be? right now its all guess work and just waiting to see what happens. Personally i would rather read a made up blog about relocating to florida or whats the best beach or hotel in Bermuda than some of the depressing posts about Covid. Lets get back to the fun without all the covid, government and science posts, at the end of the day what will be will be and the only way we can change things is by following the rules and advice given

Can I have one of the aquatheater cabins if i help with financing your purchase ??

I think I would say virtually every post, and I totally agree with you, I am sick and fed up of it all. I know the Media need to inform the public but I can't understand why they feel the should only inform us about all the bad stuff that's happening to the extent that they totally crush us all with despair. I wish there was a law that obliged all news channels and publications to report on one happy/uplifting story for every doom and despair one. The big bad world isn't all bad; there are lots of good things happening too. I want to hear about some of them for a change!

I have met my local, state, and federal representatives and senators several times. They're all usually very nice to my face. Some even, I believe, care...especially on the local or state level. I have a very good relationship with my local US Rep and feel like she is truly fighting for me as a person. But, sadly, my senators are udder trash and, despite being nice to my face every time I meet them, I know they only care about themselves and nothing I say as an individual matters, no matter how good of a case I make. Should you voice your concerns? Absofreakinglutely, I will always advocate for that. Will it change anything? Sadly, not a damn chance unless you're a big fat donor (and I mean big, and I mean fat).

Igloos have balconies?

And here I thought it was something else...

I love this so much.

You can safely delete Royal IQ. It's not used anymore.

Eli is exceptional! We have done 2 SG cruises recently in SC. We were assigned Eli on our first cruise and requested her again for our second one. She will take great care of you!

Make sure to look and see if they charged gratuities on your account summary. Star Class is supposed to have complimentary gratuities; however, I have booked a couple Star Class SG sailings and each time they incorrectly added gratuities. I had to call to get the charges removed.

I ended up having to reinstall the App. I know it might not happen, but at least I can look forward to it.

I love the idea of taking them 1 at a time...after all, that means more cruises for me ?

If your are able to wear contact lenses then this option 100% On vacation i wear them everyday, only issue i have is if i forget my reading glasses when i have contacts in, makes it impossible to read the cocktail list so i just start at the top and work my way down ?

Everyone should know how to contact their elected officials. Start with your local voter registration office or their website. I have already written to my governor and the representatives in Congress for my specific electoral district regarding the CDC and their cruise industry lockout. No elected officials is required to pay any attention to a citizen outside of their district. A senator in Texas couldn't give a hoot what I think because they don't represent me (and I can't vote for or against them). They are accountable to the citizens that reside in their district and those are the voices they will (or should) pay attention to. Start writing the elected officials that represent you. My representatives in Congress can't do anything alone but with support from other members of Congress they can explore options IF enough in Congress are willing to support them.

Tide tables and notices of dam closures along the Ems River point to Odyssey of the Seas making the trip down the river towards the sea on the 27th of February. Shipbuilder Meyers Werft has been busy making preparations including testing all lifeboats. Odyssey has been outside at the shipyard secured to a pier next to the construction hall where she was assembled. Odyssey was floated out of the construction hall in November. In the video below Odyssey has been moved away the pier so that all lifeboats can be lowered and tested. Meyers Werft has been keeping the conveyance quiet to avoid large crowds gathering along the route given the pandemic. The shipyard is well inland away from the sea requiring the river conveyance once ships are nearing completion in preparation for the handover to the company that ordered the ship. Meyers Werft builds ships of varying sizes at the shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Quantum class and similar ships from other cruise lines push the limits for the size of the ship that can be floated or conveyed down the Ems River. Work remains to be completed before the handover to Royal Caribbean. The conveyance down the Ems River towards the sea is safest during the highest monthly tide cycle. Closing dams in certain places along the river in coordination with tidal swings can further increase safety buffers and the depth of water below the hull. These factors limit the date of the conveyance relative to the handover to the cruise line but the conveyance has historically been a good indication that the handover will occur soon after. Final work, finishing touches and mandatory sea trials in the North Sea need to be completed before the handover to Royal Caribbean. For a preview of what to expect check out these blog posts from the conveyance of Ovation of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas down the Ems River: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/03/11/royal-caribbeans-ovation-of-the-seas-begins-conveyance https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/03/12/all-about-ovation-of-the-seas-conveyance-one-infographic https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/03/14/beautiful-views-ovation-of-the-seas-conveyance https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/03/26/video-spectrum-of-the-seas-conveyance

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 wish RCL blog would stop posting on social media articles that make it seem like cruising is still a possibility. Right now, it doesn’t seem like it ever will be. I think you should start dedicating your voice and forum to educating people how to contact both local and national legislators on how to air grievances against the CDC and cruise ban. It’s time for everyone to start speaker out. Posting articles about “Best excursions in Bermuda” or “Best way to get cheap drinks on board” is a waste of time right now. Start teaching myself and others how to fight back!

The protocols work in Singapore where there is no Covid. Like giving birth control to an island of only women and saying it worked because no one fell pregnant.

You got it! But no OBC!! ????????

As a fellow “control freak”, I would recommend working with a travel agent. I’ve done many vacations on my own (including cruises), but with the nuances involved with cruising, I always find it more helpful to have the travel agent to work things out when I get a crazy idea. I’d think going on a new ship would be a perfect time to use a travel agent since details could be sketchy while being finalized. And that doesn’t take into account anything beyond our control, like a once in a hundred year pandemic. Good luck!

Thank you...I just found the Spectrum plans and most doors are on the port side. I'm debating contacting a travel agent. I've booked multiple cruises for our family without the need of an agent and I'm a bit of a control freak but I might in this instance. Thanks again for your help!

Thanks for sharing this. Hoping it becomes clearer when the conveyance will actually occur.

I'm siding with this trip over the SC one for a few reasons. The time frame lines up pretty well with a time i can typically take off. Plus if my cruise this Halloween still sails the SC cruise next year would make my 3rd time to the same ports. How many times do you really want to go to Nassau? I probably wouldn't even get off the ship Most people love the tropics but i spent 30 years in Florida so it's not all that different. Iceland, Greenland and Norway though? These are places I've always wanted to go but thought I wouldn't ever make it to. We are going to discuss more this weekend and probably make a decision 1 way or another.

This will be our first time on Voyager but we have been on many Voyager class ships. There is almost no difference between the Voyager and Freedom classes. Voyager class is just a hint shorter but most of the same amenities are there. I haven't really found much "Voyager-specific" info except something like below. You have a very hard decision to make ! One that I would not want to have to make myself. Personally, I think the price of this Arctic cruise is unjustifiably high....and when you add in airfare it is now super duper high. The only reason we are going is b/c we've been looking for an itin like this for a long time. We are staying on for the next cruise, which will be the first CAN/NE cruise for Voyager. That cost for cruise is ALSO very high. We are doing a GS for the same reason that you mentioned...b/c of the suite perks. When you're on a long cruise with lots of sea days, I think those perks are even more important than ever. Personally, if it were me, I would probably do the local SC cruise and wait for another northern Europe cruise with hopes that the future ones would be a bit more reasonably priced. Here is some info on the Voyager amp:

Because nobody breathes, coughs, or sneezes, near people when they're outside....

I applaud RC for taking this stance and agree you will need proof of vaccination to travel. It’s highly likely the vaccine prevents you from contracting and transmitting the virus, however this has not been formally studied hence the news reports that they cannot confirm this. It will be studied and proven in time. What is also likely is this will be an annual shot like the flu shot so get ready to roll up your sleeve. I for one feel so much better and safer now that I have both my doses. It’s really liberating.

The point is that it prevents severe disease, hospitalization, intubation, and death. That's reason enough for me.

Anti maskers wandering around sounds like a ball as well.... it was hard enough to get people to wash their damn hands before entering the buffet or MDR, they gotta be strict or just not sail.

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 !

I gave in to my nightlight-induced insomnia about 5 minutes after that post and took a cocktail of Benadryl and CBD oil to knock me out. It worked, but all of a sudden Jane Fonda was our roommate downstairs, and she's critiquing my manicure and wanting to redo it. And I'm trying to tell her I don't do regular manicures; I do dips. And she was looking at me like I had 7 heads and all I wanted to do was come here and complain that Jane Fonda is not the boss of me. So again, I reiterate, if you're sleep sensitive to lights, bring a sleep mask. They are doing a crew drill this morning. So I'm awake, but not up yet... Here are our cute towel animals from last night.