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Are they now offering an Unlimited Drug Package? ?

Cocaine can’t be used by a Royal crew member due to the mask policy.

Don’t think anyone is saying he is WRONG to be upset, I think we’d all be upset. But in the grand scheme of the last 15 months, a cruise is a cruise is a cruise is a cruise. No doubt in the “normal” world this would be an outrageous itinerary change but we still aren’t back to whatever normal is. Perspective is everything.

In a tangentially related court case in Texas where employees sued a hospital over their policy to require all employees to be vaccinated was dismissed by the judge hearing this case. What the ruling reaffirms is that employers in "at will" states like both Texas and FL are (employed at the discretion of the employer and according to the employers rules) have the right to terminate employees who don't follow established rules. That the ruling reaffirms a businesses right to mandate vaccines in the pursuit of their moral and ethical responsibility to provide a safe environment is critical. The reaffirmation of a businesses right to mandate vaccines set by this ruling in a Federal Court in TX is going to weaken the ability of Desantis to continue insisting that cruise lines can't mandate vaccinations to board. No one with a brain thought this Desantis law would stand up to a legal challenge and a challenge in another state gives weight to the assertion it won't In the reaffirmation of an employers right to mandate vaccines for employees by extension, and in pursuit of creating a safe environment for both employees and customers, it would seem to me to extend to cruise ship passengers (customers in name). IMO, this plays no role in how Merryday will rule on the FL Law Suit but it's chipping away at barriers to safely restart cruising from US ports in FL and Texas when a line wants everyone that sails to be vaccinated. Note Carnival has announced that it will be sailing ships from FL ports with only vaccinated guests. Seems like they knew this was coming.

We've been planning our family cruise since 2019 and with COVID it has had many changes. The first thing i told the other families involved was that "ports are not guaranteed" and can be changed at any time, even on the ship. I'm sure that the cruise lines are doing the best they can with the ever changing environment and they are in a non win situation. If they cancel it, people are mad, if they change it, people are mad. We even had a November 2021 cruise where both the ship and the ports changed. Sure it was disappointing, but until everything is back to normal, there was no need to fret over it. I'm sure we will still have a great trip.

Pretty typical of Royal in my opinion. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. These changes get made and it's like they don't fully think out all of the different places they need to make the changes, or the timing is taking too long for the changes to be updated across all the different areas. You for sure won't be able to get an answer from the front line customer service reps. They really can't see more than we can on the consumer website and I don't think they get these updates pushed out to them. A lot of the times you will know of a change before they are even aware of it.

New terminal construction continues with demolition work over the next 4 weeks... this was posted today on the Port of Galveston's Facebook page: Harborside Drive traffic notice from the Galveston Wharves Cruise terminal construction at Pier 10 is expected to generate additional truck traffic on Harborside Drive west of 14th Street beginning the week of June 14. The Galveston Wharves said that truck traffic, associated with demolition work at the construction site, is expected during daytime hours Monday - Saturday for about 4 weeks. Royal Caribbean International is building the $110 million cruise terminal, which is scheduled to open in late 2022. The project will generate an estimated 400 construction jobs and 400 operations jobs.

I have mine booked for August 29, 2022 on Quantum. Originally it was booked for August 30, 2021 but that cruise on Quantum was cancelled. I did a lift and shift to the 2022 cruise. My wife knows that this cruise is for our anniversary so it won't be a surprise. What she doesn't know is that I used a sizable FCC from another cancelled cruise and splurged on our first ever Grand Suite. We did an Alaskan cruise several years ago. Alaska was great but that cruise happened in May so it was somewhat cold and was snowing in places. I'm hoping it won't be so cold in August. If it is, I'm thinking any Quantum class ship will be ideal. We have never been to Sitka, or Icy Strait Point but our future cruise will do Sitka this time. I think you will enjoy either cruise.

Testing an animated image file to see how it works in this older thread.

OK, all in favor of "gang", please clap your hands! ?

https://youtu.be/D9G5uWsoGa4

Wish I was there with you! I'm jealous! Question: What is the Diamond Lounge like? Do you have to use vouchers? Or are vouchers just for more expensive drinks not on the Damond drink list?

You're close to Federal Hill, lots of good bars/restaurants there. Baltimore Aquarium is really good, though really expensive if you can't find a discount code. There's the B&O Railroad Museum and Geppi's Entertainment Museum both nearby if you're into those kind of things. Oh and "Maryland style" crabcakes are very overrated. Mustard does not belong in a crabcake

Pigs follow mask protocol and social distancing.

When law enforcement went to test the drugs, DeSantis threw a fit and tried to fine them 5 grand for each kilo tested.

In terms of Risk mitigation too, I was really surprised to see them eliminate Labadee. I was surprised to not see Cococay. We are booked on this and really wish I could just get a refund. This was a rebook from our April 2020 that was cancelled.

@AshleyDillo and @Baked Alaska now you have me excited about icy straight! Ashley do you remember what whale tour you did? There will be 5 of us.

+1000000 for a Radiance South or Northbound. Icy Strait Point is really a beautiful spot. Plenty to do in the cruise planner or just walk around the beach, enjoy the shops and food. The jelly fish in the area are pretty neat. Headed back in 2022 for another South Bound.

Mine has been able to do an extended hold like this too..it's how I snagged a Villa Suite before they were gone!

I've never been to Sitka, but Icy Strait was one of my favorite ports. We visited before they even had the dock built, so even less than is there now. We did a private whale watching excursion and that pretty much made the entire port visit worthwhile for us. It was just 5 of us on a small boat so we were able to go out and see a lot of whales and even spotted some whales on the shore.

What they really need to do is give every vaccinated guest a free cocktail each day of the cruise...now THAT would be some positive reinforcement. ???

Our very first (and second) rooms on the Oasis class were in a Boardwalk balcony. We loved those rooms. Some are concerned about privacy since you can see straight across to your Boardwalk neighbors but that never concerned us. We were always looking either down or out the aft (something just doesn't sound right about that last part...LOL). The balconies on those rooms are very small but they're adequate for people watching and getting some fresh air. We always tried to stay as far aft as we could so that we had the best chance of having some ocean views. Unfortunately, since you are on Oasis, you will have the great purple monstrosity to deal with which obstructs your view to the ocean....but being further aft will help with that. It's a long walk all the way to the back but that's the trade-off for having the better view (IMO). Of course, there's nothing like an oceanview balcony....but there's nothing particularly unique about it like there is with the BW or CP balcony. If you do decide to go with the OV balcony, I recommend staying closer to midship as you don't have to deal with the walk. You really can't go wrong either way ! That's the good part.

UPDATED 13 February 2024 (Added Allure's return in 2026. Removed Liquor Taxation Section - Have not seen them in the terminals since 2022.) Galveston is home to Royal Caribbean's newest Cruise Terminal, a state of the art zero energy facility, and was home port for the 2023 President's Cruise on Allure of the Seas. Celebrity Cruises has advised that we should not be surprised to see one of their ships in Galveston at some point. Galveston is the fourth busiest cruise port in the USA and the 9th busiest in the world. Cruise ships calling Galveston their home port include: Harmony of the Seas - 225,282 GT - 5,484 Guests - 7 night sailings (Repositions to Barcelona 16 Mar 2026) Allure of the Seas - 225,282 GT - 5,496 Guests - 7 night sailings (Arrives 17 Mar 2026 from Fort Lauderdale) Voyager of the Seas - 137,276 GT - 3,602 Guests - 4-6 night sailings (Repositions to Barcelona 1 May 2024) Mariner of the Seas - 139,863 GT - 3,344 Guests - 4-5 night sailings (Arrives 6 May 2024 from Port Canaveral) Jewel of the Seas - 90,090 GT - 2,191 Guests - 8-11 night sailings (Arrives 8 Nov 2024) Norwegian Prima - 142,500 GT - 3,215 Passengers (Winter Home Port now through Mar 2025) Norwegian Escape - (Dec 2024 Sailings) Norwegian Viva - (Winter Home Port starting Dec 2025) Carnival Jubilee - 182,800 GT - 5,374 Passengers - LNG Powered Carnival Dream - 130,000 GT - 3,646 Passengers Carnival Breeze - 130,000 GT - 3,690 Passengers Carnival Miracle - 88,500 GT - 2,124 Passengers (Arrives 16 Oct 2024 from San Francisco for 9-12 night cruises) Carnival Legend - 88,500 GT - 2,124 Passengers (Arrives 22 Oct 2025 from San Francisco for 4-14 night cruises) Regal Princess - (Winter Home Port Sep-Mar) Disney Magic - (Winter Home Port each year) MSC - has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Port of Galveston to build a fourth cruise terminal! Cruise Terminal 10 Information Cruise Terminal 10 is owned and operated by a 50/50 partnership of Royal Caribbean and Ceres Terminals Inc. on land leased from the Port of Galveston. Ceres helped fund the project and will provide stevedoring and terminal operations. As the world's first zero-energy cruise terminal you can expect to find innovative design throughout this facility in things you see and also things you don't see. Below is a map of the new terminal area and parking lots operated by the Port of Galveston. In addition to surface parking lots, the Port offers covered and indoor parking. All parking lots have covered shuttle bus stops with buses circulating continuously to the cruise terminal, and there are plenty of covered walkways for a comfortable stroll from the walkable parking areas to the terminal. Electric Vehicle chargers will soon be available to the west of the South Lot. My favorite parking option: North Premium Covered Lot - it's only a few feet from the cruise terminal and it's covered. It's also the highest price option. Go to the Port's parking information page for more information and sign up for their loyalty program. You'll get an immediate $5 discount on your first reservation, the loyalty program equals a 10% discount on future parking, and they will send periodic discount codes that can all be combined for savings. Disabled veterans also get a discount. Tip: you will find less expensive options by using off-site parking operators which I have listed below in the Parking section of this post, which also has information on other things to consider regarding parking. Luggage can be dropped off at the terminal on Royal Caribbean Circle (see map above). Upon entering the terminal building, General check in is located up the escalators on the left (west) end of the terminal, while Suites and Pinnacles check in is located up the escalators on the right (east) end of the terminal. The door at the right (east) end of the terminal on Royal Caribbean Circle is also the entrance for Suites, Pinnacles, and Star Class guests. Star Class drop-off is at area 6 (purple columns on Royal Caribbean Circle). When disembarking at Cruise Terminal 10 there is facial recognition for quick passage through Customs and Border Protection. Then you claim your luggage and make your way out of the terminal to the pick up area on Royal Caribbean Way. As you can see on the above map, the embarking passenger ground transportation area (on Royal Caribbean Circle) is distinctly separated from the disembarking passenger ground transportation area on Royal Caribbean Way for better traffic flow. Planning & Tourist Info You can't beat this website for information on everything that is happening in Galveston: www.galveston.com Transportation Fly into HOU (Houston Hobby Airport) if you can. It's much closer to Galveston than IAH (Bush Intercontinental Airport) and you won't have the Houston traffic to deal with. Tip: my favorite airline option is JSX, a "semi-private" airline that uses private jet terminals at several airports across the country. You can essentially fly "private" and avoid crowded airport terminals, for about the price of a first class ticket. JSX flies to Houston Hobby Airport and disembarks in one of the private terminals. Here are some options for getting to Galveston from the airport: Galveston Saltwater Moms - my first choice for transportation to Galveston... a highly rated "personal driver" service. You book by sending them a personal message on Facebook. They are a licensed Transportation Provider with the Port of Galveston, which means they can legally operate at the cruise terminals. They have a $500,000 bond and commercial liability insurance. Give them a try as an alternative to the big guys. I've used them and had a great experience! Galveston Limo - provides very affordable shared rides from the two Houston airports with either their scheduled service or you can arrange a private car. Owned by a local family of good folks. Galveston Express Lyft and Uber - Lyft and Uber are the approved major rideshare companies operating at the Port of Galveston. The agreement with Uber was approved on 24 Mar 2023. Blacklane - a premium option for upper end vehicles like Black Sedan or Black SUV. You can reserve days or weeks in advance and cancel up to 1 hour prior to pickup time. Rates include gratuities, professional drivers, no "peak" surcharges or port surcharges. Drivers show up when scheduled. A bit more expensive but worth the price to reduce the stress you have with Uber/Lyft drivers canceling or having peak rates when departing the ship. I've used Blacklane in Galveston and Los Angeles with good results. If you use black sedans or SUV's with Uber/Lyft, I find Blacklane to be similarly priced, and sometimes lower priced during peak pickup times. Enterprise Rent A Car - Enterprise is the only rental car company on the island. You should be able to rent from Enterprise at the airport and drop it off on the Island. The Island location is open on Saturday (before Covid it was also open on Sunday). Check with Enterprise directly for updated hours and shuttle arrangements. Here are a couple of transportation options for your departure after your cruise: The pickup zone for Lyft and Uber is at the far northeast side of the terminal on Royal Caribbean Way. When you exit the terminal, turn left, and walk to the Uber/Lyft sign in Zone 1. If you prefer to take a taxi to the airport, turn right as you exit the terminal, cross the street toward the east side of the covered parking area and there will be several taxis ready and waiting. Here's a photo of the fixed fare rates as of 30 July 2023: Arriving By Car I-45 is undergoing several phases of construction that will continue into 2024 and beyond. TxDOT is widening I-45 all the way to Galveston Island so expect some delays and congestion. I-45 south ends on Galveston Island. When arriving on the island, if you turn off at the "Cruise Terminal" exit (Harborside Drive) you will hit a traffic back-up as you approach the cruise terminals. To avoid this traffic jam, as you drive down I-45 and arrive on the Island, continue straight on Broadway as the interstate ends and follow these directions: If you've reserved parking through the official Port of Galveston website, continue straight on Broadway as the interstate ends. Continue to 14th street and turn left. Follow 14th and it will take you straight into the entrance to the Cruise Terminal 10 area. This route will avoid the lengthy backup on Harborside Drive. As you enter the Cruise Terminal area, follow the signs to your pre-arranged parking lot or to the drop off or pick up areas. Parking If you search "Galveston cruise parking" you will see plenty of parking options. I highly recommend making a reservation on line with one of the parking companies, especially if you want an indoor space as these will sell out (especially now, with so many ships sailing from Galveston). Prepaying usually gets you a 5-10% discount and a guaranteed parking space. Things to consider in addition to price: Elevation - heavy rains can quickly flood the streets of Galveston, and not just during a hurricane. Leaving your car in an elevated spot will provide peace of mind against flooding if an unexpected storm comes in. Inside Building, or Outdoor Lot? - outdoor surface lots are cheaper, but your car is exposed to the south Texas sun and weather. A building provides better protection and security. Discounts & Loyalty - there are extra savings if you sign up for loyalty programs online and apply for any applicable discount. Reserve your parking after your account is set up and tagged with the applicable discount. You can combine loyalty and one discount but you can't have multiple discounts. The loyalty programs often mail discount codes to members. Security - parking lots are fenced and gated. Buildings are enclosed and locked. Some facilities have security cameras. The Port of Galveston claims that the Port Police patrol their lots 24/7 which you won't find at the private parking lots. Electric Vehicle Charging - more and more lots are offering EV chargers. If you drive an EV like I do, you will appreciate having your car fully charged when you disembark. This perk is currently free at all parking facilities where it is offered. The Port of Galveston will offer EV charging for an additional fee by scanning a QR code and paying online after parking at the charger. Remember that even a 110 volt plug will fully charge your car over the course of several days, so bring you charge cord as some lots offer 110V outlet access. Here is my comparison of some of the parking options. I have used Port Parking, EZ Cruise, and the Port of Galveston parking all without any issues. Hotels Galveston hotel prices are quite variable depending on day of week (weekends obviously much higher), whether there are major events happening, and the season (summer is the busy season here). Booking hotels during Mardi Gras (February), Lone Star Biker Rally (early November), Art Walk (every 6 weeks) and other major events will be much more expensive. Some hotels have a 2 night minimum on weekends. Ever since travel resumed following Covid, hotel prices on Galveston Island have gone way up. I love staying on the island before a cruise, but if the price is too high I stay along I-45 in Webster, League City, or Texas City where you'll find much lower hotel rates. Note that I-45 exits south of Webster can be very congested, especially during morning and afternoon rush hours. There are a couple of hotels near the port and the historic Strand District in Galveston, but no hotels are near the Royal Caribbean Cruise Terminal 10. It's a great idea to arrive a day or two early and enjoy the island ambiance. The Harbor House overlooks the port area and Cruise Terminals 25 and 28, and is very convenient to many nice restaurants, museums, and shopping. The Tremont House is also very walkable to the Strand, nice restaurants, museums, and shopping. This is my preferred pre-cruise hotel and is now a Marriott Tribute property. The Tremont House is located in a beautiful historic building. The Tremont's rooftop bar has wonderful views of the island and port area and has been under renovation with a planned re-opening in the fall of 2023. The lobby bar has live jazz on most Thursday nights. There are plenty of other hotels on the Island, many along the Seawall facing the Gulf of Mexico. Hotels providing transportation to the port or offer park & cruise options can be found here. Call the hotel that you are interested in to confirm that they provide cruise parking. Galveston Dining (And A Few Drinking Establishments) Please avoid the tourist traps and chain restaurants that will leave you disappointed. Eat at these locally owned restaurants that use locally sourced, fresh food, including fresh Gulf seafood right from the docks in Galveston. All restaurants are casual dress unless noted, and all are family friendly (even most of the bars). Many serve craft beer on tap from Galveston Island Brewing. My only connection to these places is that I have personally eaten at them multiple times and I love them all! Rudy and Paco - 2028 Post Office St (21st and Post Office) - Arguably the best restaurant on the island. Wonderful food with a South and Central American flair. Best service on the island. A little expensive but worth it. We like going for lunch because it's very affordable (lunch served weekdays only). No shorts allowed at dinner. Reservations suggested and are a must on weekends or when The 1890 Grand Theater has an event. Riondo's Ristorante - 2328 Strand (24th and Strand) - Our favorite Italian restaurant on the island, and they also serve great seafood and steak. Beautiful historic building built in 1895 in the Strand Historic District. "Farm to Fork" sourcing and they make their own pasta. Tell them you "want a table in the vault." Katie's Seafood House - 2000 Wharf Road (On the water, adjacent to the Port of Galveston) - This is the only restaurant in Galveston that catches their own seafood! Enjoy great food, good service, and a wonderful view of the Port of Galveston from their covered outdoor deck. They offer free parking in the lot in front of the restaurant at 20th & Harborside (call the restaurant at (409) 765-5688 and select to option to hear the parking code). Blum & Co. at the Tremont House - 2300 Ships Mechanic Row (Mechanic Street) - Beautiful historic hotel built in 1879 near the Strand Historic District. An urban bistro, wine bar, and market offering a carefully curated menu that is indigenous of the region. There is a beautiful bar at the opposite end of the lobby with several Galveston Brewing options on tap. Before or after dinner, take the elevator to the top floor, turn left, and walk to the end of the hall to the rooftop bar to cap off the experience. The rooftop bar is being renovated and will re-open in the fall of 2023. Brews Brothers Brew Pub - 2404 Strand - Huge craft beer selection, creative American bar food. Very casual. You wouldn't expect it for a bar, but the food here is excellent. Burgers (try the "Mission From God"), fresh made chips (try them with Buffalo Sauce & Bleu Cheese), local fish tacos, salads, etc. Order at the bar, grab a table, and enjoy a beer while waiting on your food to be delivered to your table. Texas Tail Distillery - 2416 Post Office - On-site distillery for whiskey and vodka. Try the honey whiskey and other infusions. Friendly staff, fun place to try crafted drinks with local liquor, or try them all with a flight of shots! New: several food trucks are often located adjacent to their new location! Blvd. Seafood - 28th and Seawall - One of the best seafood restaurants on the island. There isn't a lot of curb appeal outside but the inside is very nice. The food and service are both quite good and the seafood is all local. The red snapper is amazing and always comes fresh from Katie's Seafood Market. Shucks Tavern - 414 21st Street - Newer hot spot downtown for oysters, seafood, and drinks. Fresh oysters from the most famous oyster beds in America! Mama Teresa's Flying Pizza and Italian - 416 21st Street - Next door to Shucks Tavern, this is the place for pizza. These guys hand toss the pizzas so high they almost touch the very high ceilings in this historic building! They also have nice Italian dishes. Convenient to the Post Office Street Arts District for a nice after-dinner stroll. Grotto Italian - 5222 Seawall (In the San Luis Resort) - Classic Italian restaurant featuring delicious veal, chicken, seafood, pizza, and house made pastas. This one breaks my rule of avoiding the Landrys restaurant chain, but we are convinced it's a great option. The Cove Poolside Bar - 5222 Seawall (In the San Luis Resort) - Beautiful outdoor poolside bar with a swim-up bar too, all overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The pool is heated so expect swimmers even in cool weather. Great place to people watch and enjoy a drink with one of the most picturesque views of the Gulf of Mexico on the island. Koops BBQ Kitchen - 4501 Broadway - the only barbecue restaurant on the island that I would recommend. Very clean, very casual, very good meat and homemade sides. Only open for lunch from 11 am to 3 pm or until they run out of barbecue. Leland House - 2711 Market Street - a nice neighborhood bistro serving breakfast/brunch, lunch, and dinner. Grab a menu, relax at a table, and order at the bar when you're ready. Closed Monday/Tuesday. Maceo's Spice & Import Company - 2706 Market Street - Excellent muffaletta's, sandwiches. Simple menu to eat in or carry out in this little spice shop. Freckleberry Teahouse - 2724 Market Street - this has become a hot spot for a relaxing hot or iced tea or coffee and a light snack. Comfortable seating is plentiful inside or in their large outdoor area. Red Light Coffee Roasters - 2728 Market Street - popular spot serving locally roasted and sustainably sourced coffee and drinks along with light snacks. Like many places on this list, they are located in a beautiful historic building. Hey Mikey's Ice Cream - 2120 Post Office Street - Ice cream is made in the store. Unique treats like Ice Cream Nachos (share with a friend) and traditional favorites. You gotta' go here! Note: this place is owned by a nice island family. It is sometimes closed over the winter holidays. Mod Coffeehouse - 2126 Post Office Street - comfortable with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Live music many weekend evenings. Coffee, tea, espresso, latte, home baked goods. Waterman's Restaurant & Marina - 14302 Stewart Road - great sunset and water views overlooking Lake Como and West Bay. Steak and seafood. The restaurant was built of long leaf pine salvaged from the 100 year old cotton warehouses that were part of Galveston's glory days. Relatively expensive and a bit of a drive from the hotel areas but this is a unique restaurant with a great ambiance, great service, and great water views. Jimmy's On The Pier - 9001 Seawall - On the 2nd story above the fishing pier (enter the souvenir shop, exit to the left, and up the stairs). Very casual with great views of the seawall and Gulf. Owner has their own farm and livestock for a true "farm to table" concept; other items locally sourced. Fish tacos, burgers, seafood, local beer, full bar, etc. Galveston Webcams Galveston has some great webcams if you want to see what the cruise port looks like, or if your friends and family want to watch you sail away on Royal Caribbean via several live full-motion HD video cameras.

My younger daughter, who many of you know as “the artist”, just submitted a short manga (Japanese comic book) to an art competition, and she has shared the link to view it. She’s been working on this for months, and I just had to share it here. When you click the link, you need to enter passcode “chessisfun” to open the book reader. Also, be aware that as a manga it’s read from right to left, top to bottom. https://share.clip-studio.com/en-us/contents/view?code=bbe0e579-8849-4e99-a96c-8c464fc89713&at=1617498438 If you look up the user “Bubblegumkin” on Instagram, you can see a higher resolution version of the full chessboard. She meant for that to be a 2-page center spread, but wasn’t able to make it span the pages; you definitely want to get a closer look at it, the detail she put into it is incredible!

Here we go again! We can keep on jinxing this all the way to November 15th, right @Cruising With JT

Odyssey just got canceled through July 25 due to 8 covid cases on board.

http://crew-center.com/cruise-ship-security-discovers-69-pounds-cocaine-during-vessel-inspection Apparently it was found by Royal Caribbean security while the ship was at Port Everglades, any idea which ship it was??

The entire Inner Harbor area is excellent for strolling and people watching. You might want to see who's playing at the Pier 6 Concert Pavilion.... last time we were downtown, we saw Boston.

You'd get off at the Camden Yards stop, then walk a couple minute to the east

Oops, I did it again. Booked another one, making 4 between now and Nov 2022.

On mine that "chip" is selectable, so when I'm looking at Oasis I can easily switch and look at sailings on a different ship. Pretty handy.

Could additional change and turmoil be influenced by changing PCR testing for certain countries? For example, St. Maarten alone had reduced the time period between test and arrival. If a country required a negative test for example 72 hrs prior to arrival, now changes to 24 hrs prior, thing how that changes the chain of stops of that port is now #3 instead of of #1 on a stop. (Unless the line supports an on-board test event for each of the upcoming ports with that requirement). A whole itinerary could get flushed because of one change in 1 country due to a change in testing requirement set-backs.. This certainly doesn't justify the line not informing guest, but under todays' ever changing requirements, I can see how it happens. i think the only way to stabilize is group ports with identical health requirements. Not sure how many are identical at this point in time. Greatly limits how you can sail over a 7-day period. Just a hypothesis.

Think it might had been Icy Straight Whale Adventures.

I will have to check with my mom, unless @CGTLH happens to know. This was in 2014, so who knows if they're even still around or in business.

Your travel agent can do it, but it's easier to call them yourself. You can also do it through the website, but I've found better flights and prices by calling

This is the part that I’m sure is what frustrated and annoyed him and many others the most. He booked ON THE PHONE, the RCL website still listed the original itinerary, the agent on the phone apparently was never told by RCL the itinerary changed, and then he received a Notice of Itinerary Change BEFORE he even received the receipt for the cruise he’d just booked on the phone which comes within minutes of booking. So RCL obviously knew they changed the itinerary BEFORE he booked, but yet they never told him on the phone when he was making his reservation, obviously they never even told their own phone reservation agents, RCL also kept advertising the original itinerary on their website for days after he booked and after he immediately upon booking received an email saying the itinerary had changed. For anybody to tell him he is wrong to be upset about the way this was handled, you are the ones being ridiculous. How long even before he booked had RCL been taking reservations on an itinerary they already knew wasn’t happening and then IMMEDIATELY sending an email saying the itinerary had changed once the people were booked? That’s just ridiculous!

This is what we are getting on Adventure. I haven't seen Evian at all.

Thanks for the replies guys, appreciate. It'll be fun to try both and compare both. Central Park is really our first choice. Also we always get an Ocean View Balcony on cruises but these rooms are so unique we really wanted to try both.

Still sailing from and returning 2 Miami. That's the same. Small consolation.

When you book a cruise, you agree that ports may change. And as long as this CSO fire is held to the feet of the cruise lines, ports are going to change.

Just the 2 for now... Oasis (10/3/21) & Odyssey (2/12/22)... Always looking of course, but want to make sure our upcoming Oasis cruise sails out of Cape Liberty!

2 cruises right now. April 2022 on the Harmony and July 2022 on the Mariner.

Throwing 2 pennies in the bucket; Since there are plenty of ships with ocean view balconies, I'd opt for the boardwalk balcony this time. The two main complaints can be noise ( I do think the sliders seal pretty well though) and distance from other venues. Has never been a problem for me and I have enjoyed the 3 or 4 times I have cruised in a boardwalk balcony.

Covid had this peculiar effect of "viral interference" which shut down the flu and pretty much all common cold viruses except rhinovirus. My son was in school full time all year, and kids 10 and under didn't have to wear masks. There were barely any cold bugs going around, and zero flu. It was amazing (other than the shadow of covid) Now the cold virus is coming back and it's freaking people out because they forget what it's like to have the common cold.

I would not cancel a March 2022 cruise based on what's going on now. If current reporting is to be believed most Caribbean Islands are ramping up their vaccine roll outs. The islands with the highest vaccination rate at 60% of the population in the Caribbean are the Cayman Islands but they have banned cruise ship until 2022. The next three islands are Anguilla at 40% then Turks and Caicos at 31%, and finally British Virgin Islands at 26%. All other islands including the Bahamas and Jamaica are below 24%. While over in Mexico and Central America, Mexico leads with just 15% of their population being vaccinated. However all of these cruise destinations with-in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America are ramping up their roll out as more vaccine becomes available so we should see much higher vaccination rate come of March 2022. I wouldn't cancel the cruise right now, instead I would suggest you wait until final payment is due and if it looks like cruise lines are still performing COVID testing during the voyage as that date nears then you make your decision. Don't make a decision based on what you are seeing right now because things will get better as time goes on.

Mmmm. Bacon Sliders!

@OgilthorpeI read that as sliders between bacon and Grand Marnier the drink

Wow, seriously awesome pics and footage, thank you for sharing! I am booked on her old inaugural now on Nov 15th, looking forward to hearing about the cruise for those going on her new inaugural July 3rd. The prices are wild!

Maybe she could do something for the bow of one of Royals newest ships??