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Rather than Coke vs Pepsi, I would say it's more like Target vs Walmart. They both have very similar products but attract noticeably different customers.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise?dPort=miami

Keep it to cruising only and we won't have to lock it down. ?

Glad to see this line: Passengers who don’t want to pay for the additional testing or follow the newly announced protocols for the ship can cancel the trip for a full refund, Royal Caribbean said.

Freedom OTS was recently "amplified" (refreshed). That happened just before the big CDC industry shutdown. She looks to be in great shape. When I first cruised Royal after sailing a bunch of Carnival I kept comparing small things like the buffet. "That's not how Carnival does it" kept on entering my thoughts. Then I let go and acted like I had never been on a cruise. With an open mind I started to prefer some things the way they are done on Royal. When ever trying something new or different that's probably the best advice. Pretend you've never cruised before and go with the flow. Remember the magic of walking on a cruise ship for the very first time? Enjoy your Freedom cruise like that. Once the cruise is over and you are stuck back on land only then sit back and compare the two to see which checks more of the boxes on your preferences checklist.

Coke vs. store brand cola

Carnival is often better on pricing. Royal is often better on everything else.

In this environment cruising is risky ..... travel is risky. Our goal should be to mitigate those risks so that whatever risk one is taking is acceptable. That starts with anticipating and identifying them and then determining if you're willing to lose a pile of money because of a bad outcome on the risk you took. Buying insurance with a rider that allows cancel for any reason is something cruisers should be anticipating the need for and getting it even though it's expensive. I think @JSB_Z51 is correct that no one was thinking this thing was going to last for 16 months and nearly scuttle the cruise industry. Vaccines were wishful thinking even by late summer 2020...... but they were on the horizon. It just tuned out we got them sooner than expected and, wow, they work waaaay better than expected in controlling SARS2 transmission. We know this but it bears repeating in this context: People that are vaxed have a probability of death from COVID that is ZERO, serious illness < 1% and catching it at all around 2-3%. The risk of unvaccinated asymptomatic spreaders increases those probabilities in a hybrid pax manifest, albeit it is still low but apparently not low enough for most the cruise lines that have, for the most part, gone with a requirement to get vaccinated to sail. At this point, folks wanting to cruise have a choice. Get vaccinated or don't. If one choses to not get vaccinated and a cruise line allows you to board but with restrictions, you have a choice. Put up with them or don't. Not a single cruise line is forcing anyone to get vaccinated. Choice is the byword in all aspects of vaccination policy. What the lines are doing with current vaccine policy (subject to change) is pursing their self defined moral and ethical responsibility to create a safe onboard environment for crew and passengers. Their definition of what constitutes "safe" is debatable. That they can do that lawfully is not. IMO, if one is eligible and able, choosing not to get vaccinated to board a line that requires it is a choice to not cruise. Choosing to not get vaccinated and not to put up with mitigation restrictions imposed on un-vaxxed is a choice .... to cancel actually. I do agree with @JSB that RCL has an obligation to do what is right, not withstanding @Ampurp85 quip on right and wrong being "moral constructs that have no business in business." I don't think asking for a refund is inappropriate given the past and present circumstances. You did not say, but if RCL is offering a FCC - and I believe this can be an option in your situation under RCL's Cruise With Confidence program - and you turn this down, you're turning down an accommodation that makes barriers to you receiving a full refund difficult to over-come. Not saying the right TA or CSR won't go to bat for you and make it happen. If that's what you want you should try for it. Hearty clap for good TAs.

Royal is being more than generous here. This should be enough to satisfy everyone.

Where’s the popcorn eating emoji, this is about to get interesting. ?

My first royal cruise was 2019 on symphony , I am now ruined. I am am Oasis class homer now. Going on odyssey in December and then symphony again March 2022. my original intro to cruising was in mid aughts and was carnival Glory which was great. It was fine as a younger man, but now I like the extravagant laid back nature of royal if that makes any sense. Man I miss cruising !!!

I blame this on a failure of our federal government to act appropriately on the recommendations of the CDC. We should have had a Federal mandate to mask, not let each state develop a hodge podge of regulations. We should have made testing mandatory to fly domestically early on, we should now have a negative test result or proof of vaccination required to fly domestically today. The federal government should have followed the science, much like your right to smoke does not eclipse my right to clean air, that is why all federal buildings have a ban on smoking and it is restricted to not within 50 ft of any and all entrances on federal property. JMHO and you have a right to disagree

From the Galveston Daily News... ROYAL CARIBBEAN BREAKS GROUND ON NEW GALVESTON TERMINAL After more than a year of delay, construction crews this week broke ground at the site of the Port of Galveston and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s new $110 million terminal at Pier 10. It will be months still until the new terminal begins looking like a building. There’s a lot of ground to be broken. Before upward construction of the terminal can begin, crews need to rip up acre upon acre of concrete at the pier, officials said. Work removing the old concrete marks a milestone for the terminal that once seemed likely to become a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s finally started,” said Albert Shannon, the chairman of the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees. “After all the preparation, all the negotiation and the pandemic and everything else, they’ve finally started.” Officials warned the next four weeks of work would mean more traffic on Harborside Drive west of 14th Street as trucks haul away demolition debris. Eventually, trucks will haul in tons of dirt to lay the groundwork for the terminal. The two-story terminal building will be about 150,000 square feet, and the facility will cover about 10 acres. To make room for the terminal, the port has moved many of the operations conducted by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, which imports BMW automobiles and roll-on, roll-off cargo such as farm equipment, to the west end of the port. Officials have presented multiple concept drawings of the new terminal. The latest designs feature a building with a large rotunda, painted blue, with a covered passenger drop-off area spread out in front of it. The port intends to build a new paid parking area near the terminal, Shannon said. Royal Caribbean didn’t respond to questions Wednesday about whether it had finalized designs for the building. Royal Caribbean and the Port of Galveston announced plans to build a third terminal in 2018. In December 2019, they announced the company was on the verge of signing a long-term lease with the port. But the signing was delayed for a year after the U.S. cruise industry was shut down over the coronavirus pandemic. Royal Caribbean received a year-long extension on its due diligence period for the new terminal. During that time, the company — which lost $56.8 billion in 2020 — could have walked away from the deal. In April, the port and Royal Caribbean ended the due diligence period and finalized their agreements, allowing construction to begin. Port officials said from their perspective the deal was never in jeopardy and noted Royal Caribbean continued engineering and analysis work at the terminal site throughout the past year. Port officials estimate the new terminal will create at least 400 construction jobs. The terminal is expected to be open by late 2022, although the company has until 2023 to finish the job. When it opens, Galveston also will welcome larger Oasis-class ships, which can hold as many as 5,400 paying passengers on a single trip.

NEW VLOG! Day 2 of cruise ship quarantine.

Reading all the screw-ups made by the stone subcontractor over this project makes me seriously think this PM or his GC needs needs to find a new stone team. Very glad your husband wasn't hurt by that one piece coming loose, and I wager the PM is even happier since he narrowly avoided being put under a liability lawsuit. Between that and the money I'm sure he's losing due to rework required from all of the other mistakes these guys have made, sounds like it's time for them to go. After all, if it's happening to your project I'm sure it's happening to every other project they're involved with. Very glad to hear that the final bits are getting into place and that you have something approaching normal access to your yard again. I'm assuming the weather will still be great for pool use for at least a few months after they're done, and fire pit / outdoor kitchen use all year 'round, so hopefully you'll still have half the year to fully enjoy this big home improvement!

You’ll like Freedom. She’s a good size ship. Personally I love oasis class but Freedom is a great way to be introduced to Royal.

I hope this is done before then! We're not back on a ship until February! With the exception of sod and sprinkler repair which happens after water is in the pool, I think the project will be finished in another month (hopefully). We're two months behind our quoted 3-4 month schedule. It will be 6 months in about 10 days. We've heard that people getting quotes now are being told anywhere from 7 months to a year.?

Unfortunately, there hasn't been much progress to report. Three things have happened in the last 3 weeks. First, the stone guys came back out the next day as promised and replaced the stones they stole from the patio area to finish the steps. After they left we noticed they didn't install the lights on the steps that the electrician had previously wired and left for them. We waited a couple days to use the steps to make sure the concrete had a chance to dry, and one of the stones on the edge of the deck slipped out from under my husband's foot, flipped, and broke when it landed on the step below (he's fine). The PM came out and said just by looking at it he could tell they didn't get the concrete wet enough when the stones were set. They are going to have to pull all the edge pavers up anyway to run the wires for the lights they forgot to set in the steps...just add it to the list. He checked the rest of the edge stones, and they are are secure for now. Second the fence posts that were taken down to get into our yard were put back up. The one in the big, 2 panel gap was welded back into place. On the side of the house, next to the pool equipment, the missing post was attached to the house instead of just cemented into the ground. It was still a little wet over there from the 3 weeks of rain, and the trench from the equipment pad into the backyard was still there, so there wasn't really any ground to set it into anyway. This week, the landscape subcontractor came out to do the final grade. They filled in the remaining trenches, added dirt to level out the area around the pool, and ran the drains from the gutters, firepit, and pool overflow away from the house. The PM had told us before where he wanted the drains to end, and that wasn't lining up with where the landscape company was running the pipes. DH texted the PM who was at another project around the corner. He was here within a few minutes to explain to the crew where the drain pipes needed to terminate. The crew did not look happy, but they started digging in the right direction. Then they stopped about 6 feet short of where they were supposed to. ? The PM wanted the drains in a specific location so the sidewalk wouldn't be flooded when we got a lot of rain. I am personally ok with where they are. The drainage on the sidewalk is good (water runs toward the street like it should). Besides, if it's raining, the sidewalk is going to be wet anyway, right? ? Our fence builder has scheduled us for this coming Monday, and the new fence will take a few days since we are replacing the entire perimeter. I'm glad the grading has been done so they don't have to work around a giant gap on the side of the house. Also, with that last trench filled in, we were able to get the weed eater into the back yard to get the grass under control, and we'll be able to get a mower back there this weekend. Mowing season starts in late March/early April around here, and with all the rain and uncontrolled growth, the grass (and weeds) was a couple feet high back there. The next big thing is plaster. The PM told us a couple months ago that the plaster crews always run behind by a couple weeks. With the rain, even more so now. He said he put us in the queue before grading, so maybe week after next? As for the little things, well, there are a lot of them. The punch list we have going has over a dozen little things that still need to be completed or repaired. 90% of that list is all for the stone subcontractor. With the exception of the firepit and grill door alignment, they're all pretty minor, and the whole thing could be knocked out in a couple days. I will say, the final grade makes it feel like we have our yard back. We can safely walk anywhere on our property now, and the yard feels bigger now that the gaps in the ground are all closed. Having the fence back up will make another huge difference. We really took for granted how easy it was to just open the door to let the dogs out, especially first thing in the morning.

I am sailing on Freedom of the sees. From the videos I have watched it is almost night and day vs the Carnival ships I have been on.

I'm two or three cruises short of platinum on Carnival which is comparable to RCI Diamond in terms of points level and level of effort to achieve. Royal's loyalty program is significantly better at the Diamond level and above. Below this level both loyalty programs don't do a whole lot. I stopped cruising Carnival a few years ago not because I ever had a bad cruise with them but because I was left wanting something a little more. Before Carnival Breeze all ships had that hideous coral color cabin. If you could be transported between ships you would have no idea you were on a different ship because the cabins all have that coral color and all cabins are nearly identical across the older fleet. The spa cabins on the Breeze finally started introducing some better cabin decor. Since the Breeze I feel like Carnival is cramming more and more people on their ships without making the ships equally larger. Mardi Gras looks very interesting but the passenger count concerns me and when I researched it they have reduced cabin width for most cabins to get more people on the ship. Crowding has been an increased concern on Carnival's more recent ships and I'll be watching closely when Mardi Gras first sails with guests to see just how bad it's become. As far as dining that is very personal so it's hard to declare a winner. Each of us has our own tastes. Mass market cruise food isn't going to win prizes on any cruise line. On Royal's newer ships I find the entertainment is better than Carnival. On older Royal ships entertainment is not a whole lot different compared to Carnival. Beer choices are better on Carnival. Guy's hamburgers are much better than the included hamburger options on Royal but I do feel like I am knocking on death's door with each bite of a Guy's burger. Internet is far superior on Royal over Carnival but Princess has Royal beat in the internet department. Royal claims the fastest internet at sea but that claim comes from the era before Princess upgraded their fleet. Royal doesn't upgrade ship internet, only the newer ships get better internet. As Princess has upgraded their fleet over the past few years they crept past Royal for the fastest internet at sea despite Royal still using the "fastest" marketing claim from 5 years ago. Carnival tries to blur the marketing by using the Princess fleet internet and applying it as "Carnival" internet being the best when in reality the Whale Tail fleet has poor internet period. So both lines have some shady internet marketing in play but focusing on the Whale Tail Carnival brand versus Royal, Royal wins the internet performance battle while CCL's social media internet option is cheaper. At the end of the day what my opinions are don't matter. Each of us has preferences and likes vs. dislikes. All you can do it try it and see for yourself. However as others have noted research the ships so you are comparing apples to apples or as close as you can to that analogy. A new CCL ship is going to yield a better experience over the oldest RCI ship and vice versa. When I tried Royal I found it satisfied more of what I was seeking but at a slightly higher cost. I feel like that cost gap has narrowed over time with CCL charging more for their newer ships now. Mardi Gras pricing isn't very different than Odyssey pricing (both new ships) but you can always find one week on one or the other that's cheaper on either depending on cabin type and how many are in your party.

They will certainly throw in the phrase, "...to enhance your experience..."

Carnival vs Royal vs NCL for me is much more about ship vs ship than it is line vs line. Compare Carnival Paradise to Oasis of the Seas and there is a clear winner in every category except fitting under the Sunshine Skyway ... Compare Carnival Vista to Majesty of the Seas and the story is about the same but largely flipped the other way ... Generally for me, Royal has a newer/better maintained fleet with more of a focus on family and shows vs adults and comedy, depends on what your looking for. Carnival's older/smaller boats were pretty much crappy drunkfests, the newer boats compare very closely to the newer Royal/NCL ships for me.

I second this, with one caveat; it depends on how long your cruise is. if your cruise is 7nights or less, for your first time I don’t recommend getting an unlimited package. If you are on a quantum or oasis ship you’ve already got a few dinner options including (at minimum) the main dining room, buffet, and solarium bistro*. Try each of them twice and you’ve got heaps of variety and perhaps choose one of the specialty that appeals to you for the the spare night. *this is not to mention the large variety of other casual eateries such as the dog house, cafe 270, park cafe, el loco fresh etc. I say this as a person that did buy a dining package on my first cruise. However, it was a 9 night cruise on voyager of the seas which literally had a grand total of 3 included places to eat for all meals: main dining room, buffet, and cafe promenade. my next cruise is on a quantum class ship for 12 nights and I’ve bought a 5 night package. With 7 nights and all breakfast/lunches still to spend at the included venues I’m worried I’ll miss out on all the tasty included food! Go with a package if you really want to, but don’t get the unlimited one. There is good food on the ship at the included venues which is well worth trying.

I think it is a coin toss....as a half black woman, separate but equal does rub me the wrong way. However as said woman who has been working in restaurant business during Covid, I kind of agree. When people get to drinking and enjoying themselves, protocols go out the window. I have had Covid and been vaccinate and understand my risk is minimized but at the same time I don't want to be sick at all. Therefore to minimize the risk I can understand having designated areas for the vaccinated and non-vaccinated. Whatever makes my cruise safe and fun, is what I am all about.

Part of what I used was ship tonnage divided by max number of guests. That will give an idea of how many passengers per square foot-ish of space (not a specific metric, but a general guide). Any time I compared RCL to Carnival, RCL always had a higher (by a good amount sometimes) tonnage to max guests ratio (inferring more space per passenger). This kind of topic has been around for a long time. The best overall value, RCL seems to always come out on top.

I started cruising in the 80's. I did my first few cruises on Carnival because it was the cheapest. It was great at first but I had nothing to compare it to. So started doing lots of cruise lines including Holland, NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean. I decided I liked RC more than the other cruise lines and have only cruised RC and Celebrity for about last 25 years. I really like Celebrity also. But as mentioned in other posts, cruises are more about each ship and the staff. I am not very fond of older ships anymore. I am probably spoiled with the clean, newer, larger ships. I absolutely love cruising and at this point I just want the cruises to be able to cruise!

I agree mostly with @CruiseGus I personally think RCG from a business standpoint has been pretty generous in policy. I think in actuality to a fault because you had people booking cruises they hope or know wont sail in order to get higher FCC. I see a lot of buyer's remorse. Since I want to say Nov 2020, it has long been speculated that cruising would not commence until a vaccine was in place. Whether you believed it or not, it was always an option for cruising to return. I remember the polls of people who wouldn't sail if those conditions were going to have to be met. I don't think in the current climate you should just expect a refund because of restrictions like masks and vaccine requirements....or even port changes. That is just my opinion. @JeffB touched on the motion of if RCG or any business started offering refunds because people didn't want to comply for whatever reason, then where does it end?? If you didn't book a refundable deposit, you understood the risk. I understand we all want exceptions to be made when it comes to us as individuals but a bunch of individuals will eventually make a group. I can't wait to get back to cruising...... when the complaints will be not enough lounge chairs or weird kids licking the sneeze guard in the Windjammer.

I may have the dissenting opinion here, but unless I am mistaken @JSB_Z51 had the option when his April 2020 cruise was canceled to receive a full refund, but for whatever reason (price protection from increases, thinking it would all blow over) he elected to L&S ultimately kicking the can down the road, not knowing what would happen in the future. I understand as I kicked the can down the road also, the difference is I had not already made final payment. I did have flights arranged to the tune of 6K and never would have been able to use the credit voucher issued in each individuals name before it ran out, but with some luck the airline moved the departure of one leg more than the old requirement which are now ~4 hours (time of my ticket purchase) by more than an hour and I was able to get a full refund. I also flew into IAH the Friday before my Sunday departure that was canceled on the following day Saturday by Royal one day before sailing. Things happen and as much as I think insurance is mostly a rip off, its purpose is to offset costs you do not want to risk incurring or can't afford to incur. I think Royal has been more than fair with the way they have handled the changes required by the Covid pandemic. It would be each individuals decision I would say are in question

This thread topic caught my eye only because my wife uses it with good effect for osteoarthritis in her hands. If I hadn't seen this, I never would have thought about whether or not one can travel with it. Domestically, the simple answer is yes. Internationally, you have to check in-country laws for CBD products. Keep in mind, CBD products are not the same thing as a bag of MJ or a few joints you try to stick in your luggage. That's a no-no. I only looked at the laws in one place - Greece. Googling it was easy and I got the information I needed and in general, yes, you can legally have it in your possession in Greece. I have my doubts that an RCL CSR will know about CBD products in countries they visit. I suspect they might know if there is a cruise line policy that prohibits carrying it. My research indicates it's not a prohibited product by domestic TSA or onboard ship. However, I'd pack it in clear sight with other toiletries in your luggage where you usually put such things, don't try to hide it and then don't ask if it's OK. You'll find out if it's not on inspection. I also read that dogs trained to smell cannabis products don't alert on specific types of CBD products available OTC in a store. In my google searching, this article popped up. Its a good read on the subject: https://www.smartertravel.com/traveling-with-cbd-oil/

My 1st cruise ever which was 11 yrs ago now was on Freedom of the Seas. We loved it soooo much. It’s been revamped since then but it got us hooked on only sailing with RC.

If I don't like the kid that I pulled in on my line, or I specifically want 2 boys and 1 girl, can I do catch and release?

I hope they stick with the vouchers being able to be used anywhere/anytime. That’s way better than getting drinks in the lounge And only having happy hours to redeem your other drinks.

Everything is ok until it isn't. Cruising is international travel. Not all countries have the same view on the subject. What is now okay domestically may not be in another country. Bermuda for example has been known for boarding cruise ships and searching guest cabins. That's legal there. You have no rights as an American while in another country. Are cruise lines training their cabin attendants to search for CBD products? I don't think so, so it's not likely going to be a problem until something happens that brings it to light and that point the cruise line can't just let it slide and pretend they didn't see it. It's your life and you are free to make choices but understand that some choices have consequences. When you factor in international law make those choices wisely.

@JasonOasismakes a strong case for fairness on RCL's part given shifting rules and restrictions not present at the time of booking. Like any business, cruise lines are sensitive to public perceptions of their character and honesty. We see them embracing all sorts of popular movements, e.g., Save the Seas, among many others, to advance the companies public image. That's the easy part. The hard part is actually delivering, it is especially hard when it comes to the impact on profitability of any particular customer friendly or image polishing policy they might adopt. I'd be wildly guessing what the cost of offering full refunds would be to RCL if a whole lot of customers meet specific requirements to obtain one. @JSB_Z51's argument, based on his particular circumstances seems to fall within reasonable circumstances for him to be offered a full refund. I have no doubt, however, that RCL's existing cruise contract is water tight with respect to their obligation to accept special circumstances as a reason to refund a cancelled cruise fare. What's going on now is, indeed, new territory and I would agree that customers who have stuck it out with Royal over the last 16 months should be recognized and rewarded. But I can see the blue suits with calculators telling their bosses a widely applicable refund policy, even for limited and very specific COVID related reasons, would be too costly. My bet is that RCL calculates a wave of dissatisfied passengers will ebb and hard core Royal customers who chose to bail will be replaced by others. Not saying this is right or ethical. Just saying capitalism can be ugly. Workers and customers are routinely disempowered and often treated unfairly..... at least that was Carl Marx and Vlad Lenin's claim.

I absolutely agree with you in this Royal is playing checkers when they should be playing chess. If Royal wishes to keep customers loyal to Royal then they should for a limited time (perhaps 3 weeks) make a one time offer only offer to customers for a full refunds regardless if they booked a fully refundable or nonrefundable cruise fare. I think you bring up a valid point by pointed out Royals policy which now states unvaccinated customers who are able to get vaccinated will incur additional cost. Although I'm fully vaccinated and have every intention on going on my cruise at the end of October I would be lying if I said I wasn't reading the blog everyday trying to get a glimpse of what life is like onboard Adventure of the Seas or Celebrity Millennium. Even though I've booked a fully refundable cruise I still haven't paid the balance because I want to read about other customers onboard experiences once cruse resumes from US ports. This way my husband an I can make an informed decision as to if we really want to do this or will we give it a few more months and wait until our January cruise. The closer we get to cruising resuming out of US ports the more confusing the regulations have gotten from one state to the next and come October 29th 2021 it will have been 2 years since my husband and I last boarded a cruise ship. We had several cruise schedule in 2020 starting in April, June, October and November they were all of course canceled, so it's been 2 long years. While we are excited and still love cruising I'm also adjusting my expectations of life onboard and I want to wait and read about other peoples experience about life onboard the ship. We were both sitting down talking about this issue the other night and we were both like if we get the feeling that the changes onboard are too drastic we should just wait and cancel and book another all inclusive resort in Cabo, or Jamaica. That is what we did last year it isn't a cruise but it still was a great vacation. One of the benefits of booking suites are you get to diamond+ status very quickly however being over 400 points away from pinnacle it will take years even booking suites even with their double cruise points offer. I'll admit when it was first announced I was excited but now I'm like it meaningless for customers who are diamond+ and still have several hundred points between them pinnacle. I think once Royal really get its US operations back up and running they should give all customers a chance to digest all of the changes. I think people should be reading blogs like the one found on this site and educate themselves about life onboard to better manage their expectations. I think Royal needs to be completely upfront with unvaccinated individuals who decide to cruise and let them know all the additional cost they will incur and potential cost they could incur should they or any member of their traveling party test positive during the voyage. Finally Royal should make a one time, limited time offer of full refunds for passengers like yourself and tell customers although the changes are temporary, they are also necessary at this time to protect everyone onboard. That being said we look forward to welcoming you on a future Royal Caribbean cruise just as soon as things get back to normal. The value of loyal customers some companies appreciate it others take it for granted that you will alway be there. Although customers did make a choice to book nonrefundable fares they did so under different circumstances. These are not normal times or normal circumstances and I'm a firm believer in fair is fair. Royal should make a one time, limited time exception and those who miss the cut off, they can accept an FCC or if doesn't work then Royal wins and keeps all their money.

Agree on this statement. New ship vs old ship can make or break. Carnival's old fleet was always wild in decor and clearly obvious the exact ship you're on. Royal on the flip side has very subtle differences between ships of the same category (except for Royal Amplified features). Pre Amplified someone could barely tell the difference between Oasis and Allure. Jump to the Carnival side and it could be clearly obvious between Carnival Liberty and Carnival Freedom based on decor. Thinking starting with the Carnival Splendor or Dream the decor started being toned down greatly. Will also add Dream's inaugural season was the last time I sailed Carnival. Keep eyeing Mardi Gras however.

The showers in the cruise cabins are so small, I just soap the walls and spin around a few times!

I’d like a clean sheet design too. I do hope she has a Central Park kind of thing though. That’s just spectacular and I miss it on every non oasis class I go on.

I’m curious what they’re going to do with all the people who will now be Diamond after this promo. That lounge is going to get very crowded. It’s a great promo though! We’ll end up with 66 points and just shy of Diamond +. Our Alaska cruise is in a JS and we added the 3 night land tour so 40 points on that one.

Coke vs Pepsi... literally...

I do not see anything different to all the previous "sales" they have been running over the last year. Basically they have just consistently yo-yo'd between prices during sale/not sale and absolutely nothing is tempting me to get my credit card out. I can't help thinking this is a missed opportunity for revenue because some of the onboard stuff that doesn't cost them anything, such as the ship tour, cup cake classes, etc., could be discounted more to tempt people to book.

I would say my biggest issue with Carnival is the garish design, so RCG has better decor imho. ? I think the entertainment value on RCG is better because they have original productions, some off Broadway shows and better musicians. I find the comedy shoes on Carnival to be a bit better though. Food is a very subjective topic but I found RCG to be better in terms of temp quality. Also RCG is much cleaner, well it seems that way because on my first RCG Jan 2019 on Mariner...all I saw were crew members wiping things down and being friendly.

I am not sure the original message was clear enough. My apologies. I am a retired Fortune 20 trained manager. As such, I was trained all of us have things we would do for free (Volunteer) and things we would not do despite the pay. We are early into the flood of flux and dynamics in the cruising restart. We understand the great job all have done to get things started again. However, when there is flux, Royal is currently using the Pre-Covid NSO/CSO standard boilerplate forms and letters. While those were good and sufficient for those times, they do not fit today's flux and dynamic changes on the fly that have happened, are happening and are coming. I could put it this way. With growth comes change. How many of us can wear the same coat we wore to kindergarten and have it fit as well? As our children grow, we purchase, make, or acquire new clothes to fit them. We passengers have grown through these untypical times. Royal has grown through these untypical times. We are both still growing and will continue to grow into and through things returning to normal. With that change, the old ways need to adapt and change. By small changes to the old Pre-Covid NSO/CSO boilerplate form letters Royal would be sending a signal to passengers that would better fit today's changes with better explanations. The passengers would be reassured with the newer, larger coat of letter and communications that Royal hears their concerns. An assured passenger, like many of the more experienced passengers above, will be willing to suspend even more expectations. Can Royal get by with the old explanations? Sure. But there will be a cost with some passengers. Why not let the other lines do that and pay the price? When those passengers drop their current lines, pick up those free cruise loving passengers and keep more of the old Royal passengers, with but a tiny effort into reassuring and recognition? Nothing that hits the bottom line other than the time to change a few forms, and perhaps a couple of news releases, which are free advertising? A small change that would do wonders for Public Relations with passengers. It will go much further than telling us, "Expect the Unexpected." It would say, "We appreciate your suspending expectations and are working hard to return things to normal. Your input and patience is appreciated." It reassures passengers their untypical suspensions of expectations are fully in Royal's thoughts. It reassures Royal recognizes the passengers may not be pleased However, it is a partnership where the passengers understand and are doing their part by being untypically tolerant with Royal. It recognizes and puts the focus on the passenger's growth, not the flux Royal is experiencing and fighting. It makes the passengers just as important and heroic in their own way as the hardworking crews. That higher (growth) recognition, something the old boilerplate do not recognize, actually creates a new level of loyalty. Royal would keep some passengers they would otherwise lose, and gain more passengers other lines lost. Why? Because that recognition by Royal incorporates the passengers as part of the solution. I am not dismissing anything Royal and Royal staff did, is doing, or will do. I am explaining a small tweak that will help recognize the times and grow passengers loyalty. A small short term, almost free change of attitude and perspective, that will create a stronger bond between Royal and passengers. It's a PR thing.

I would personally take Jamie’s over the MDR or Windjammer any day of the week. At least it’s a civilized dining experience where you can enjoy a meal w/o the chaos of the MDR or the buffet. The price is reasonable compared to dining on land so even 1/2 rate Italian food from Jamie’s is worth the extra cost IMHO.

@JSB_Z51 I know my opinions and beliefs don't always align with others so we will agree to disagree. My post was not in any way a slight to you, its just from reading the opt-eds and comments from the blogs.....whew!!! I knew quite a few people who thought cruising would never commence again. I was always changing my stance on when cruises would start based on lots of factors. I was convinced at least 6mth after shut down but things weren't heading in a good direction so I assumed late summer 2021. So that "no one" should be most or plenty. When I was in corporate I was told that might makes right and that right and wrong are moral constructs that have no business in business.

Here's my only issue with these untypical times. I agree untypical times call for understanding and cooperation from both sides. However, as requirements to cruise change, if I am unwillingly to comply with the new requirements/restrictions, I should not have to fight to get a refund nor only option be FCC that I may not be able to use given the current timelines. Policies need to be fair to all involved. I am pretty sure my Suite would be resold quickly and likely for more than I paid. We have all effectively given them interest free loans. I held on. I was understanding. I will not be vaccinated and just want a refund at this point. I don't want to incur additional cost to take tests nor wear a mask on board. I am not forcing them to accommodate me but don't force me to accommodate their policy on a costly trip I no longer want to take. I am nearly $8K into this trip, no one wants to walk away from their hard earned dollars. Hopefully Royal does the right thing, it will certainly dictate whether we will remain loyal to royal if and when things return to some sense of normalcy.

Here is my Day 1 of cruise ship quarantine vlogs. I'll be posting more vlogs once I arrive back in Fort Lauderdale, so I can use my phone data to upload. The internet onboard is not strong enough for me to upload on YouTube.

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