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Yes, it was cancelled! I felt the earthquake where I live (Kenai Peninsula). I heard the tsunami warnings going off for a couple of hours before it was cancelled. The earthquake felt a little different that others in that there were no hard jolts, but just a long 2 minutes of moving and swaying. My hanging lights and chandelier just swayed back and forth, and there was enough movement that my grandfather clock stopped! That was rare! People along the coast do take this seriously, and I watched a steady stream of cars evacuating low lying areas. The news reported that some of the coast guard ships based in Kodiak left port and headed out. While out on the water, a tsunami is usually barely detectable, and only materializes once it gets close to shore in shallow water.

I spoke way too soon I guess... ? I saw all my bids expire except for one, and then I saw the email, charge, and upgraded stateroom under royalcarribean.com.

Labor Day is not unlikely. The best advice, though, is to check the prices of the items you've bought or are thinking of buying on at least a weekly basis. Sometimes there are price drops that are unrelated to any "sale."

Received my second invite -- this time for Independence out of Galveston --hoping to get one for Oasis - a port I can drive to as last minute airfare is outrageous.

https://www.ktoo.org/2021/07/28/major-quake-hits-near-alaska-peninsula-triggers-tsunami-warning/ Hopefully, those waves are less than a foot.

Not a stupid question at all. The day you get the test is day 0. So, if you are sailing on Sunday, Thursday would be the earliest day you could be tested.

I slept on the sofa bed in an Anthem SC room and it was surprisingly comfortable.

I'm glad that you are okay!

Hi Everyone, I have been trolling this site for months so decided to finally sign up!. Your posts are really helpful and informative. Thank you! My October sailing on Odyssey just changed its itinerary from Haiti, Falmouth , Nassau to: Coco Cay, Costa Maya, Cozumel. So excited to board new ship and visit Coco Cay. Couldn't be happier to get switched over from Independence of the Seas to Odyssey.

There is no way to get us tested by the 31st to sail on the Odyssey. They said the following though: Understanding that your sailing is around the corner and you may not find the time to get tested, we will offer complimentary testing and shuttles to an adjacent terminal where testing will take place. However, we strongly recommend you come with a negative test result to avoid waiting and delays in boarding.

Very unfortunate. Way too much testing of non-sick people going on and almost exclusively to protect people who won't get vaccinated. RCI should be allowed to sail 100% vaccinated cruises. Florida, much more than the CDC, really messed things up for them.

What does the increasing numbers of new COVID cases in FL mean for cruise ship operations? First, no denying the new case numbers are rising. What that entails with respect to disease burden in FL remains to be seen but, in general, hospitalizations and deaths in FL are not increasing at the same rate as new case numbers are. In checking claims by the press that FL's hospitals and ICU's "are being overwhelmed" by the "surge" in new cases, that is not born out by the numbers. Yes, both basic admissions and ICU beds use for the more seriously ill are up statewide but I could not find a county report on these details that show more than 80% occupancy of either. Moreover, if hospital administrators are asked, they respond that the situation is well in hand. If you are cruising to the W. Caribbean, Grand Cayman remains closed to cruise ships. Both Coz and Costa Maya have been identified by the Mexican government, being within the state of Quntana Roo, as having "very high" transmission risk. What that designation generates is various levels of strict mitigation measures for businesses and gatherings. I am aware that Celebrity Equinox cruising from PEV to these ports on their itineraries will only allow curated tours from the ship. Guests can't debark and walk around town/do tours on their own. Both the port of Miami and PEV are, according to a similar transmission risk mechanism released earlier this week by the CDC, within FL counties with high transmission risk according to the table below: The CDC isn't directing increased masking, businesses or school closures or any of that. They are simply letting both state PH officials and the public know the risks they are facing. Ostensibly the CDC is allowing for those availing themselves of this information on viral prevalence to make their own decisions about their activities. As I have posted here before, this is consistent with my views - give us the data and let us decide what to do to protect ourselves and others around us. This was released on July 27th, just 2d ago, and actually addresses my preference for government PH agencies to give us the data we need to decide for ourselves how we will act and where we will go. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7030e2.htm#T1_down My personal view and in no way meant to tell you what to do given the facts, is that cruise ships, of all the venues impacted by the circumstance of increasing COVID case numbers, is, hands down, the safest leisure activity to take part in of any of them available to us. The proof is in the pudding. I don't think many members would disagree with this position. I also believe both federal (CDC) and state PH officials know how safe cruise ships are and how prepared they are to deal with an outbreak aboard and contain it. For that reason, I don't think there is any danger, at the moment, that any government official at any level would move to restrict cruise ship operations. There's no appetite for such a move. The US continues to move towards accommodative approaches to the management of the pandemic. I feel confident about that .... for now.

Ha. You haven’t been in Florida that long that your blood has thinned have you? ?

Says "no more than 3 day's before arriving..." so I'd say that means Thursday.

Wait, you’d make your mum sleep on the sofa bed?!?!?

I just got an interesting email from the Private Journey CSR. It is for our 1-23-22 OA cruise where we are in Star Class. She is offering different categories of cabanas for our visit to PDCC. Odd that I receive an offer for this sailing as I have 2 SC sailings before this one… Why would I need Private Journeys to secure a cabana at PDCC ? Can’t anyone just book a cabana through the cruise planner ? At these prices I can’t believe they are selling out super quickly. Maybe they are… I am not interested in a cabana in January in the Bahamas. It’s much too cold in Jan. for me to make it enjoyable plus the prices are very high…so no thanks. I actually had a floating cabana at the beach club booked at a MUCH lower price a number of months back but cancelled when I thought about it…too cold for me in Jan.

Depends on what you are upset about and if you truly feel that Royal is responsible. You originally booked in January when no ships were sailing. Royal moved you to a better, newer ship with more amenities because your original ship wasn't going to be part of the first wave of their restart. They gave you the option to refuse the change and get a refund. They currently are only sailing to a handful of ports that they have negotiated agreements with. Grand Cayman isn't even accepting ships currently and the last I read they wouldn't until February 2022 at the earliest. As cruises get closer to their sail dates, they seem to be modifying all itineraries to only the ports that are ready to have Royal ships there. Things are very much in flux right now with respect to cruising, and other than having inept customer service and IT, I am not sure what more Royal can do for you at this time. If you can't deal with the uncertainty, then absolutely take a refund when offered and come back to cruising when things aren't changing from day to day.

I went down a floating cabana slide yesterday. It was over my head (I couldn't touch bottom). I'm guessing seven to ten feet.

The problem with testing is that pricing is all over the board. If Royal is going to require it, they should offer it at the cruise terminal at cost. I don’t care if I have to pay for it, but too many companies are price gouging right now.

In another forum someone posed this question to the executive offices and received a replay stating that as long as the doses are of the same vaccine the time between them does not matter.

Thanks @CGTLH. Your link is to the CDC's "Dear Colleague" letter. This took me to the series of motions by FL and the defendants on the Court Listener page in response to the CDC's letter. #114 is important and I'm quoting the important part and linking the entire ruling on FL's motion below. The media reported that Merryday did not rule on FL's motion. He did and DEFERRED the ruling. He did not refuse to rule whihc is what news reports implied. The language in Merryday's ruling is important: Although the injunction prohibits CDC’s enforcing against the identified ships and ship operators a regulation, policy, or the like that exceeds CDC’s statutory authority, Florida’s motion seems, especially in light of assurances offered by CDC’s counsel at today’s hearing, to anticipate a violation that has not occurred and that might not occur. For a time, the disposition of Florida’s motion is DEFERRED. When and if necessary, Florida may renew and supplement the motion, including with additional documentation and affidavits, if CDC either by means of CDC’s Dear Colleague letter, as clarified, or by means of any other agency action violates the injunction, including a violation effected by any pattern of vexatious, harassing, coercive, discriminatory, bad faith, or retaliatory conduct that amounts in effect to CDC’s undertaking to enforce a matter that CDC is enjoined from enforcing or undertaking to punish, harass, or retaliate against a ship operator for not voluntarily complying with the conditional sailing order, the Dear Colleague Letter, or a later message from CDC directed to a similar end. ORDERED in Tampa, Florida, on July 26, 2021. I find this ruling entirely sensible. CDC, however, is on notice to tread lightly and if they don't you can bet FL's attorneys will be all over them. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flmd.388773/gov.uscourts.flmd.388773.114.0_1.pdf

That is very true. We booked an oasis beach cabana at the price of $1199 and the sale that just went off it was priced at $499. So we cancelled and rebooked it and saved $700!

Also Izumi hibachi for some reason wasn't bookable through the app in my case. In fact at the podiums they had to call down to Izumi to make the booking as if they didn't have access to that particular reservation system either.

I hope so too. (August 16 sailing on Serenade). The tsunami warning has been lifted. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/us/alaska-earthquake-tsunami-warning.html

Another thing that helps with preventing wrinkling of a suit jacket or sport coat is to fold it inside out when packing. The part that gets any wrinkles is the inside of the jacket that nobody will see.

Not exactly apples to apples, since I'm talking Anthem from NJ to Bermuda so semi apples to oranges, but with iFly it was booked tight, lots on standby. I had the suite concierge book it. I'd say add that to day 1 stuff, run over and make a reservation ASAP. The NS wasn't that bad, however, I want to say I booked it ahead of time, but friends of mine booked onboard at their leisure, via the app. I assume paying the extra $50 is a cruise planner thing? If so it sounds amazing, and worth way more than that. Oh, Alaska, gotta go soon. Enjoy!

Thanks! Alaska next month. I'll pay the $50 for over the side while we are in the glacier bay.

The couch section swings around to form the second half of the bed.

I have a cruise OI have lifted and shifted and the cruise would have to go down over 12,000 to even break even for me

My wife accused me of being immature. I told her to get out of my fort.

Unfortunately, there are a large number of Americans who seem to to be fine with government telling them what to do or not do and handing out free stuff without any thought of the government's bank balances.... and to hell with MMT. The argument mitigating toward CDC regulation of the cruise industry is clearly spelled out in 91 at the Court listener, ORDER resolving 25--Florida's motion for preliminary injunction. For those of us that have been following the CDC's circus act in the FL District and US Court of Appeals, and are close to this situation, the CDC's justification for the NSO and CSO are laughable. Judge Merryday presiding over the Middle District Court of FL seems to agree with us. His ruling was a blistering rebuke of the CDC's actions involving the cruise industry.......upheld on appeal by the 11th USCOA. Still, we have a large group of American citizens that think what the CDC is doing, a reflection of what our government is trending toward if not already there, is fine. That's a disturbing thought. Time to push back, not only regarding the CDC's buffoonery, but also the unrestrained drift of governance in America to an unaccountable executive branch.

That’s it! I am officially beyond jealous lol

Just in: I've been chosen to play the role of @Lovetocruise2002 on Allure. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my Star Class accommodations, waiting impatiently for Coastal Kitchen to open.

Go to Humpy's for lunch (nice dive bar, plenty of tourists and locals with kids) https://www.humpysalaska.com/. Head over to the Anchorage Museum and go to this exhibit: https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/living-our-cultures-sharing-our-heritage-the-first-peoples-of-alaska/. If you have time after that, head over to Big Rays: https://www.bigrays.com/ or hit Big Rays before lunch. It's kinda like Bass Pro and the Wisconsin Dells merged into one. Fun shopping through there. Other GREAT shops in the area. Then, for dinner eat at Glacier Brewhouse: http://glacierbrewhouse.com/. Great local beers and killer food. A little bit more pricey than the lower 48, but killer Alaskan food! You didn't mention where you were staying, but we did all of that on foot walking to and from the Anchorage Marriott Downtown. My son was 14 at the time. HTH!

While we're down a port (-Labadee-San Juan+Philipsburg) for the first half of our B2B on Symphony sailing Sep 18th, we'll just have to "suffer" with an extra sea day on an Oasis class ship...something tells me we're gonna survive this unforeseen tragic "hardship". ? ? ?????? With all the COVID-related changes going on weekly (if not daily), I fully anticipate more adjustments will occur over the next several months. The good news is that while all of our itineraries are in flux, we're still sailing on wonderful ships while enjoying great company, imbibing fun cocktails and eating delicious food. ?

We're on Odyssey on July 31, too. We found a place to get rapid tests locally before we fly tomorrow because we don't want to get stuck waiting at the terminal. But this whole procedure (and ridiculous lack of notice) has really increased our stress levels, instead of getting us in proper mood for a cruise.

I just saw on Facebook the odyssey changes. Someone alluded to the dredging going on at the port in Nassau as to why the port was dropped.

Think this document for the ruling: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flmd.388773/gov.uscourts.flmd.388773.114.0.pdf Letter the CDC had sent: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flmd.388773/gov.uscourts.flmd.388773.108.1.pdf

Did you check in on-line? On the APP? After you go through the steps a menu will list check in times (if available), then you pick one. If they've all been taken, you'll be assigned a time. Things are different now, as they need to control the people flow to allow for health checks etc. I would expect that higher loyalty levels and suites might be provided greater weight in any algorithm that's used to assign show up times. But just a hopeful guess.

Thank you! I will start there! I will report back with how things go! I appreciate it!

I can't even tell you when the last time I wore a tie was. I work in the medical field, so I get to wear scrubs, aka pajamas, every day. I will have to dust off a few for the upcoming cruise though. Now where is that video on tying ties?? lol

Dark colored sport jacket (material must be as wrinkle free as possible) folded inside out, one shoulder into the other…packed in plastic dry cleaner bag. Found some good videos showing how to do it. Dark khakis, belt, nice tie and dark dressy-ish comfortable shoes. Sort of ‘casual/formal’ wear. But I try to get out of the jacket and tie as soon as possible after meeting the Captain, or whatever formal event is over. I’m on vacation.?

On cruises greater than 5 nights we always take a garment bag. It is nice for all of our hang-up clothes. On short cruises we don't bother dressing up and skip the 4th bag completely.

Yes

I would keep checking the check in times. I had 1pm for my Edge sailing on Aug 28, I checked today, and 11:30, 12, 12:30 were open, so I snagged an 11:30 slot. Im not elite or anything either, it is my first Celebrity cruise.

Key problem is, as you mentioned, the inability to split the bed. This would create restrictions on how a stateroom could be configured. You'd end up with two sub-categories, foldaway bed and conventional beds that can be split. I could see a benefit of this style bed is a studio stateroom. Next issue I could see is liability. What happens if a guest is injured when trying to pull down or push up the bed? Followed by increasing labor needs to have crew available for setting up the beds on demand. Good example is what do you if you come back from being out all day and you just want to lie back and relax but the bed had been folded up in the morning. Find out after giving the stateroom attendant a call that it might be 30 minutes or more before someone can come and setup the bed. On some ships/staterooms the couch is already a Murphy style bed where the bottom section pulls out and leveled. However, this is setup in the evening and put back in place in the morning. Example for a Grand Loft on Anthem. Sorry, don't have any photos handy showing a non-suite stateroom. Couch during day Couch at night I feel a Murphy bed is fine for a secondary bed but not a primary.

I'll just add we should all assume mask mandate onboard going forward until we hear otherwise.

If this is your concern, then you should probably cancel and take the refund and book for a time later that may or may not have these rules. The rules are the rules even if people don't like the rules. No point in going if you already know you don't like the rules listed. Of course, October is months away, so who knows what the rules will be then. Could be more restrictive, could be less. Stay Safe.

What? I waiting on the edge of my seat…..