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Jeff I appreciate your take on things as it pertains to the court rulings. But I have to say that I disagree with your take on the states ban of passports. All of us have a constitutional right to privacy and to deny that right is in and of itself unconstitutional. I do not want to show my passport, or give up my right to privacy, to shop at "name your store of choice". Now that said DW and myself are fully vaccinated and do not mind showing this to RC but some may not and that is their prerogative. If the state were to lose a challenge then we all have lost another freedom and what will be next. As an aside Carnival will be sailing with "fully vaccinated" ships with some "exceptions". So apparently they are making it so people that cannot get a vaccine or kids not of age can still cruise. Again thank you for your analysis of this and please keep up the fantastic work in keeping us informed.

600 on board (I'm surprised it's that high) and one very unpopular CDC rep https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/trial-cruise-royal-caribbean-covid-19-safety-protocols/index.html?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_newsbreak Someone snapped a pic of the CDC rep http://aintitbalenews.com/aibn-content/uploads/2012/03/586911-wfrr5.jpg

I would add a 3rd ship to the poll ... completely free from vaccine consideration ... I would be onboard without reservation. To quote Billy Joel: "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints, the sinners are much more fun" ??

Hi @adwo41, welcome to the forums! I haven't used the dispensers myself, but I know that the Bionic Bar on Anthem charges the gratuity as it covers the staff regularly cleaning and restocking everything. I would imagine that the wine dispensers will be the same, since those also have to be cleaned regularly as well as restocked.

My brother & nephew are in a JS. We are in an Owners Suite so, yes, I do have access to the concierge.

The Grand Turk port is nice for a cruise stop and seems to be more and more where things are going with private/semi private ports. In 10 years or so I think this will be the norm for many cruise ports, where you start to lose some of the uniqueness and charm of seeing the actual country destination and getting a controlled beach/pool/bar/shopping experience. Good in some ways, disappointing in others. I've sailed a couple of times on newer Carnival ships (Breeze, Horizon) and had a great time - these ships don't compare favorably with Oasis/Quantum class, but match up decently with amped Voyager class ships IMO. Carnival really beats Royal on complimentary food options- we were able to have lunch at the Asian, Italian, BBQ, Mexican, and Guy's Burger for no charge which were all excellent and better than the equivalent Royal offerings. Royal specialty dining has a significant leg up on Carnival. Main dining rooms seem to be a wash for us. Overall I think Carnival provides the better food value and caters more to American tastes where Royal has a more international approach. We also really liked the party vibe on Carnival - it seems like on Royal (non-Oasis class) things are shutting down after 9:30/10 (most food venues close, pool deck empty, etc) whereas Carnival will have more late night deck parties/comedy club and late night buffets (24-hour ice cream!). I'm not talking about drunk/smashed out of your mind type partying (you can see that on different cruises), but just good fun with lots of people active and engaged by the cruise staff. The Alchemy Bar on Carnival ships is also a great experience. Overall, Royal will try to entertain you with the ship features, while Carnival relies more on staff and activities to generate this. Both can result in great cruises. Some people have said in this thread that it's a Walmart (Carnival), vs. Target (Royal) experience. I can see where that's coming from, but I think they are starting to become more similar than not, especially with the new Mardi Gras class ships. Same goes for Norwegian with their Breakaway+ class and the new MSC ships - the quality of ships has really changed significantly in the past 10 years for all mass market lines. I had only sailed Royal (8 voyages) up until 3 years ago and looked down at Carnival and wondered if I would "fit in with THOSE types of people". Well...after sailing, my thoughts are "I am one of THOSE people"! I had a great time...if I had been on an older garish ship like the Glory then maybe my thoughts would be different. I ultimately see more convergence here in the next few years rather than differences as the new shipbuilding wars intensify and the older ships get forced out of the fleets faster (Sovereign class, Vision Class, Carnival Fantasy class). Carnival introducing a roller coaster and Norwegian a go-kart track on new megaships (plus their exclusive premium cabin areas) are a signal they are not content to sit behind Royal's lead in innovation.

Yuummmm... can't wait! Last time we had lobster tails was on our last cruise on Allure back in May 2019. I normally don't order lobster at home (and I know, Maine lobster is better, but these tails were delicious).

We ate at Jamies on our Harmony cruise May 2019, last cruise since Covid ?. We had an excellent experience, our server was beyond excellent. She asked us if she could pick what to serve us, why not? She then asked us some questions about our preferences. Holy Cow, it was our best meal. She just brought out things and we ate family style. The food was great but a think what tipped it over to excellent was the server.

NEW VLOG! Day 3 of quarantine.

There was a little more progress yesterday. The pool company's lighting truck showed up, and they installed the lights on the steps. I guess the thought was why wait for the stone crew when they can get it done now. I'll take it! They pried off a couple small pavers on the step and drilled through the concrete to fish the wires through. They did the same to get the wires through to the deck level. The stone guys will just have to cut a track for the wires on the underside of the replacement stone that came off and the two little ones that were removed. The original plan was for there to be one light at the center, underside of each step overhang. The deck wound up being a couple inches shorter than originally planned, so the light under the bottom edge would almost be at ground level once the sod is laid. The fix was to space the lights on the same level. In hindsight, the lights aren't necessary. We thought it would be really dark in that area of the yard with the kitchen blocking the light from the patio, but since there is a can light directly above the kitchen, it's not dark at all. We really don't need the step lights from a functional standpoint, but I still think it will be a nice finishing touch and am glad we added them to the project.

Laughed as I read it, because my very first cruise on Freedom in 2018 had our waiter come to the table the night before lobster night, purely to ask each of us how many lobster tails we expected to eat. I told him four, and just like your picture above I was given a full plate and a plate of just tails. And then 20 minutes later, when he saw both of my plates were empty, he brought another three tails and set them in front of me. Not in the middle of the table for sharing. In front of ME. Of course I ate them. It would be rude not to. But in the back of my head, I was seeing that scene from Bill & Ted where the server is standing behind Napoleon and chanting, "Who's a piggy? Who's a piggy?!?" ?

I am happy to announce that I will be joining the brand new Odyssey Of The Seas this week. I look forward for the opportunity to go back to work, and once again help create vacation memories for Royal Caribbean passengers (you guys)! Watch out for my upcoming videos on YouTube. Chris Wong

Anyone else find it encouraging that the first ship to test sail out of the US is the "Freedom" otS? Also, I think the CDC required the test sails just to get free cruises for their staff... LOL.

What motivation would Florida have to agree to any alteration of the CSO? Unless the CDC agrees to ditch the shore agreements and the test cruises, but leave the rest in place (because it is so similar to the HSP)

One thing to note, you will still come out cheaper if you buy either the UDP or the 3 night package and make your reservations for nightly dining once you board the ship. Prices for Specialty Restaurants onboard are $$$. Yes, while it's true you can't make the reservations in advance since you aren't Star or Sky Class, you will still be able to get decent reservations as long as you reserve first day on ship.

Thats been my hope/expectation since about December .... gradually getting there ...

I have enjoyed this discussion. I don't see this as a privacy issue. To me it is about the foundation that the United States was built upon and about discrimination. Are we going to have different rights for the vaccinated and the non vaccinated? I don't know about the created equal part but the last part should be valued and protected. The second paragraph of the United States Declaration of Independence starts as follows: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

The test cruises mean nothing. They're a meaningless step the CDC is making cruise lines do. There's nothing that has to occur during a test cruise that will present any challenge or concern. I guess my point is don't expect any protocols to change due to the outcomes of test cruises.

Sailing on Freedom in November they better be stocked up on lobster lol

Guys Burger Joint on CCL is an absolute winner! The 8 day Southern Caribbean sailings on the newer ships to Aruba are perfection.

Yes, I also would not be concerned. Especially with ships sailing at reduced capacity. They have to do something to keep from booking all, or most, of the cabins.

I streamed youtube videos most of the cruise (Been watching 8 of out 10 cats does countdown lately...). There was one time on the first sea day (when I tried) where it wasn't working at all. But that lasted about an hour or so.

then you should have no problem, I could see the concierge making those arrangement for you as long as your a little flexible. /enjoy - I will say I'm al little jealous that you having access to cold water lobster on the regular, but not enough to move there. Again enjoy your cruise, that we have in common

Not sure the Suite concierge will be able to make any reservations for you since your only in a JS and do not have suite perks like the concierge. but I will defer to those that may know more than me

Carnival has better food. The newer ships with 7+ day sailing durations attract the same crowd as RC. The Carnival casino program is more organized then RCs players club. RC has a far superior suite program and the loft suite option just puts them in a separate league. Personally I wouldn’t hesitate to sail on a newer carnival ship and the experience is as good or in some cases better then any RC option. As others have said, the older ships on shorter sailings are filled with the drunk/party crowd and you cannot use this as a basis for comparison.

RC excursions will have full mask use. We found that people in Bahamas and Mexico were wearing masks in most situations. Expect to be wearing masks when you leave the ship.

I wouldn’t th8nk anything of it until sailing is “really back”. Some vendors didn’t make it through the shutdown and I’m sure that new contracts need to be worked out for some locations.

I actually spoke to Royal after they posted this and they confirmed that’s suite guests can still go to the SL. the restrictions are just for C&A members.

I definitely agree with this as it pertains to this situation with Covid and cruise ships. However the longer-lasting impact will be 124 pages of judicial precedent that says this type of government control and overreach is unlawful and harmful.

Wow. Glancing through this 124 page order, the judge seems to slap the CDC down throughout his order. A few examples: "the expansive breadth of authority asserted by the conditional sailing order to microscopically regulate a multi-billion- dollar industry is breathtaking." "the conditional sailing order imposes an indiscriminate and burdensome conditioning of free pratique that amounts to an unprecedented detention of an entire fleet of recreational cruising vessels." "CDC’s authority to issue the conditional sailing order remains suspect." "In short, none of the regulations invoked by CDC justifies the conditional sailing order." "CDC cites no historical precedent in which the federal government detained a fleet of vessels for more than a year and imposed comprehensive and impossibly detailed “technical guidelines” before again permitting a vessel to sail." "Thus, although CDC enjoys the authority to temporarily detain a vessel and to condition pratique, that authority is not boundless." "In sum, defining “transmission” as a single human-to-human infection, CDC claims authority to impose nationwide any measure, ... to reduce to “zero” the risk of transmission of a disease — all based only on the director’s discretionary finding of “necessity." That is a breathtaking, unprecedented, and acutely and singularly authoritarian claim." And on and on it goes with the judge slapping the CDC for its unlawful overreach.

One thing we can be sure about , it's not the final protocols. No need to worry, it will change so many times more.

Welp, I just read all 124 pages of the ruling. My key takeaway has nothing to do with a return to cruising for us. I'll get to that: In rendering his ruling, Merryday focused right in on the CDC's authority to issue both the NSO and the CSO. There is probably 80 pages on this subject alone yet it is only one of the five claims addressed. Why? The central issue for Merryday in this case is ruling on whether an executive agency (the CDC) has the constitutional authority to impose what Merryday characterizes as an unlawful exercise of law making granted to Congress. He goes on to say, the CSO is, for all intent and purpose a law. It looks like a law, is filed like a law in the Federal Registry and is enforceable with penalties under the law ...... ITS A LAW - the CDC has no authority to make laws under any of sections or subsections of US Code that the CDC asserts is the basis for the CSO. In fact, he absolutely blows out of the water the arguments advanced by CDC lawyers, quoting them and showing exactly why they are wrong interpretations of previous and pertinent rulings that address the authority of the executive to make laws. His ruling therefore has significant implications on limiting the administrative powers of the executive branch. He bemoans the undeniable drift towards an administrative state over the last 150 years that has become inappropriately ruled by administrators who are accountable to no one. HIs words in this regard in his ruling are compelling, powerful and far reaching. Merryday is putting his stamp on stopping this drift where Congress is unempowered and the executive is empowered. He rightfully states that this is not what a constitutional republic is about. OK, having got that out of the way lets address some of the other more mundane but nonetheless important issues: If I'm reading the ruling correctly, it is so sound, so based on documented legal precedents going back 100s of years wrt to the limited powers of health authorities to act in the public health's interest (and there is a ton of case law on this), that I don't see what the basis of an appeal might be. Federal judges don't like their rulings over-turned by the USC. They'll go to great lengths to make that so. See my paragraphs above. It is foundational to Merryday's ruling and makes it very hard to appeal. The government might try but the next step is the Supremes. They'll get laughed out of court. While Merryday enjoined the CSO it remains in force for FL sailings through July 18th. IMO, that means there won't be any immediate changes. Let's see how this percolates over the weekend. I'm speculating but I think the lines may politely but very firmly work with the CDC to come up with something that looks way more like the Healthy Sail Panel's recommended scheme. Stuff like port agreements, test sailings v. 90/95, passenger limits at least at the extremes they are currently set may disappear as requirements and remain as recommendations. If that happens, it would be to advance the speed by which the lines can ready their ships and start sailing. Vaccinations? Merryday goes a long way in his ruling touting them as a basis upon which the cruise lines should be able to get safely rolling again. If anything, In FL, I see a continuation of the requirement to be vaccinated to cruise because that approach is working elsewhere to contain outbreaks and make them manageable if they occur - Singapore sailings policy not withstanding but there are other reasons vaccination requirements are eased there. The Desantis ruling continues to run afoul of the blitheringly obvious benefits to vaccinating travelers on cruise ships but, if anything, the Merryday ruling bolsters FL's claim that state authority trumps federal authority unlawfully enacted. There is no federal mandate for vaccination. Its recommended. Therefore, the applicable law get down to EEOC regulations that permit businesses to establish their own policies for regulating work place halth and safety as long as it isn't discriminatory. So far, that's been upheld in the TX case. My view that the Desantis bad won't stand up to a court challenge. Hard to say how this will pan out. It's an open question. As of now, it appears RCL isn't going to confront Desantis. That could change. Only cruise line sailings from FL ports are affected by the current Merryday ruling. The CSO remains in effect everywhere else .... but I suspect not for long. State's AGs will move to have the CSO enjoined where the states have maritime regulatory jurisdiction; the Merryday ruling goes a long way in establishing that federal agencies need to tread lightly on federalism and state's rights. Merryday did not rule on Alaska's and Texas' request to join the suit on the basis that the grounds for inclusion "were unclear." Not for long but both state's AGs will move in a different direction as above. I could see a rapid but very controlled expansion of sailing from all the other non-Canadian ports we've been talking about. Expansion will be logistically limited but I'll bet the corporate wheels are already turning. I may have more to post on this but right now my brain is tired.

Did y'all notice I did a MAJOR update to the "Parking" section of my original post? It's like an "All Things Parking" section inside "All Things Galveston". ?

Matt posted them in the Royal Caribbean Dining group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/royalcaribbeandining/permalink/2892278091035732/ I nabbed the non-alcoholic page for you.

Cruiseitude (n): a grumpy mood from lack of cruising

Segregation happens all the time. There's a difference though between segregation for an immutable charactaristic (race/gender/sexuality/etc) which is what the word implies for most people and segregation based on choice or events. To keep this about cruising On a ship I'm not allowed into the suite lounge, sundeck, costal kitchen, or suite area on Labadee because I choose not to book a suite. I'm not allowed in the kids or teen area because I'm not a kid or a teen. I'm not allowed in crew areas because I'm not crew. I can't go to key only times on the flowrider because I didn't buy the key, and I'm not a huge fan of falling down non stop. The list goes on both on cruises and on land. Other cruise lines aren't taking this approach because other cruise lines just aren't letting unvaccinated people on to begin with, Royal is at least giving people the option of what they want to do. People (and companies) are free to make the choices they want, those choices have consequences though, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

I have never cruised on RCL but have three RCL cruises booked in the next 13 months and am curious to see the differences. It was never brand loyalty, just that we live near the Los Angeles and San Diego ports and RCL hasn't had much of a presence in Southern California for a while. As my wife and I have moved into new age and tax brackets we get a little pickier, we have more vacation time so we can afford the time and the money of flying to a port but that wasn't always the case. We are native Californians, tattoos and surgically enhanced body parts on display seem normal to us, so the carnival crowd didn't bother us in fact we probably are them. What bothered us was the lack of specialty dining, limited suites, wine offerings and a few other things the older or smaller ships can lack. I was reluctant to switch because it means forfeiting loyalty and casino perks (sometimes free rooms) since I spend way too much time and money playing cards. I do like the suite offerings on Royal, were trying all three, JS, GS and OS on three different ships. Royal seems to have more rabid fans so I'm optimistic. One little thing I really like, probably not important to most, is the wine list and the beverage package rules as it pertains to wines above the price limit. On some lines, if they have a price limit of $13 and you order a $15 glass, you pay the whole $15. From what I've read with Royal's DBX, you just pay the difference. Plus the 40% off on bottles with the DBX serves as a backstop in case we don't like the offerings by the glass and from the wine lists posted, the prices are reasonable and selection suits us. Were not wine snobs, I prefer hobbyists but I've had land based tropical vacations at high end resorts impacted when I see the cabernet on ice when I approach the bar for the first time. I can improvise on land, I can always find a store nearby, on a cruise I am stuck. Maybe we are wine snobs.

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

Please add the following cruises: Mariner of the seas december 1st, 2022, Independence of the seas February 25th, 2022, Allure of the seas May 1st, 2022, Brilliance of the seas March 23rd, 2023 & Carnival Mardi Gras May 21st, 2023.

Please remove my October 27, 2022 sailing on Explorer and replaced it with August 28, 2022 on Explorer. Thanks, Mark

29th January 2022 - Back to Back Honeymoon cruise onboard Symphony of the Seas (Eastern and Western Carribean) with 2 halts at Perfect Day at CocoCay! #superexcited

Change: Sept 3 - 8 2021 Explorer of the Seas TO Sept 3 - 6 Mariner of the Seas October 8 - 11 2021 Navigator of the Seas TO October 8 - 11 Freedom of the Seas Add: October 1 - 9 2022 Explorer of the Seas Thanks!

Freedom of the Seas Sep 27 — Oct 1, 2021

Independence of the Seas Jan 31 — Feb 4, 2022

Symphony Feb 5 2022 for our honeymoon

I'm doing a back do back on Allure -- November 8 and 14, 2021 (birthday cruise!) Anyone else going on either of those sailings?

Dec 12 2021 we are sailing on the Oasis 7 night sailing due to lift and shift, had to cancel the Allure sailing May 6 2022 Independence of the seas for 3 nights Nov 19 2022 NCL Escape for Thanksgiving and daughter's birthday 7 night sailing

Added a 3-night on Freedom for Nov 5, 2021 so we could spend the whole week onboard.