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For us, we’re going to lay low starting 2 weeks before our cruise in October. No going out unnecessarily. We’re lucky that we are home based, so no offices we have to go to. We were going to drive to Miami with our friends, but now (if cases remain high) considering taking separate cars. Especially since one of the friends will have just flown home from NYC a few days before we leave. I’m not risking it! Lol We’ve waited so long to finally get back onboard that to test positive would be just awful.

I really think we are at a point that everyone just does: you do you and I’ll do me what makes me feel comfortable and safe might not be the same for you and that’s ok no judgement here

Douse your nostrils with rubbing alcohol before the test?

No need to panic ......... From this morning’s Washington Post, they are reporting that an internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention slide presentation has a lot of people freaked out. It says “........there are 35,000 symptomatic infections per week among 162 million vaccinated Americans.” That comes out to 1 out of every 4,628.57 people. I like those odds! If you are vaccinated you are highly unlikely to suffer from COVID. If you are unvaccinated, you are in COVID's cross-hairs. I’m sure someone would say “yes, but that’s per week, meaning you face the same risk the next week!” Okay, so every week, I face a new metaphorical lottery of being that one person out of 4,628 or so who has a symptomatic breakthrough infection. I can live with that, and you can, too. Yes, it will stink to feel sick for a couple of days, but symptomatic breakthrough infections almost never results in hospitalization or death (something like 95%/99%. People accept that much higher level of risk all the time. The chances of dying in a car crash are roughly one in 107, and the average person is involved in three motor vehicle accidents in their lifetime. If someone told you they refused to ever get into a motor vehicle because the odds of dying in an accident were too high, you would urge them to get counseling for runaway anxiety. People are suffering from what is called "recency bias." What this means is that based on what you hear on day one, hour one or hour7, and so forth, influences your perception of future events. Is there any doubt, based on the "dire consequences" media narrative that people are scared? I absolutely do not want to be dismissive of those who are close to acquaintances, friends or loved ones who have suffered from COVID or health care workers in hiospital who see the surge and suffering first hand. I am continually struggling with how this group perceives the threat of COVID compared to those of us, including myself that have been fortunate enough to not be burdened by it. Still, in the big picture .........PERSPECTIVE PLEASE.

We were the last ones off the ship. Had a limo van when we expected an ambulance. Driven right to the plane. I'll write something up when i get home summarizing the experience

Covid must hang around in a cloud for unsuspecting victims who unwittingly walk through it and become infected. This was all predicted by Star Trek.

Since I’m working up until we drive to the airport, I guess I’m rolling the dice. I work for a big regional supermarket chain, so I’m hoping for big bucks and no whammies.

Good thinking! I’m also thinking of staying in a semi-quarantine for the two weeks prior. Going to limit my contact and really try social distancing…which shouldn’t be too hard for me as I was pretty much always social distancing before it became a thing! I agree that it’s been sooooo long that I definitely don’t want to do something that interferes with me enjoying a wonderful sail away and a fantastic cruise again!

Sofa bed comfort factor has been scientifically studied and determined to be directly proportional to adult beverage consumption.

Nearly 16,000 new cases in Florida announced today. Six cases on a ship. We know the virus has not been eradicated. We know unvaccinated are the primary transmission vector and we know that even some vaccinated will get the virus because the vaccines are not 100% just like other vaccines do not guarantee 100% protection. It is strongly possible that the infected guest "zero" could have become infected before leaving for the cruise. If those infected individuals did not cruise they would likely have never known and continued to spread it back home. Another example of spread being stopped because they went on a cruise. Now they know and can take appropriate measures at home while they recover. Protocols worked and cruising helped to limit the effect these individuals would have on their community. Sounds like a win, except for the innocent bystanders caught up in it on the cruise.

I'm paying pretty close attention to this stuff and I've not seen it. First time I've heard about it. If you haven't done this already/exhausted all options on board, I'd fight it up to asking for a sit down with the Guest Services Department Head AND the Chief of Staff (usually a Captain in waiting). Ask them to show proof that this restriction was published and that you were notified. It may not get you anywhere right now but showing a track record of how you handled this on board could be important post cruise. Post cruise, I'd go right up the chain of command and ask for compensation in some form. This, to me, is no small matter. TBC, I rarely complain about anything. I'd be furious about this.

We are cruising out of Miami 2 weeks from today. We are masking up and not hanging out with other indoors as much as possible. I do have two days at an in-person conference this week, which makes me very nervous, if I'm being honest. We are flying to Miami the day before the cruise, and I have N95 masks and face shields for all of us. I'm completely over caring if I look silly at this point. We have been planning this cruise since 2019, and I just want it to happen!

Ha ha! The 21 year old’s graduation present is a cruise to Alaska. We have a JS and she gets the sofa bed. She’s Diamond too and a lightweight so her 4 drinks will make that sofa bed mighty comfy!

I have always felt that cruises are cleaner environments compared to hotels. As a former frequent business traveler it was not unusual to pick up something on a business trip. Having had that occur on a number of trips I started wiping down everything in my hotel room from the TV remote to the telephone which I avoided at all costs, and I was wiping down my seat area on the airplane. That was before any notion of a pandemic. Even with that sometimes I'd get something from a common cold to some kind of crud in my chest. However I never did get any of that on a cruise. There has always been plenty of hand sanitizer on a ship but rarely in a hotel until now. Fifty plus cruises later and I'm still of the opinion that cruises are safer, healthier environments compared to hotels. Now even more so. Cruise lines took a pretty clean environment and made it safer with the protocols we know about. Hotels aren't doing most of that. Hotel employees are cutting back service so they don't come in your room as much but employees may or may not be vaccinated. Hotels are now putting sanitizer out in some places but still not as prevalent as on a ship. There will be cases occurring on cruise ships but there are also cases occurring in resorts and hotels. The difference is that they are detected on cruise ships because of the protocols. Make no mistake - cases are occuring at resorts and hotels but there is no reporting requirement, few protocols and zero awareness that cases are occurring. Out of sight, out of mind and out of the news but that doesn't mean it isn't occurring at land resorts.

Well I'm on my last full day onboard of Anthem OTS and about to go and get tested onboard for our back2back sailing next week...and guest services rang...their land based team informed them that unvaccinated kids cannot do back2back sailings!!! The land based team told crew that they had already communicated this policy to us. They hadn't and all onboard with kids doing a back2back were informed this morning that they are being kicked off tomorrow! I booked the back2back directly with RCL ... appealing behaviour! But apparently I can take the kids back home, where the covid rate has sky rocketed, let the kids run a higher risk of picking up the virus, and then return a week later, do a PCR test on all passengers and if negative, reboard the ship with the same unvaccinated kids. But I'm not allowed to get off tomorrow, pop down to the testing centre near the port, take a same day pcr test, and reboard the ship later on in the day as a new passenger. But turning up next week and doing the same is fine. BONKERS !!! We thought we had 2 weeks onboard so had spread out all the activities and were due to do certain activities/shows next week. If we had known beforehand then we would have at least been able to pack everything into one week. As it is I'm only being offered refund on next week's cruise and no compensation for this week's cruise! Very poor behaviour so far ... all I get onboard is "we're so sorry" ...

He has a title which is ancient, before devolution of the home countries. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/boris-johnson-coronavirus-lockdown-uk-scotland-sturgeon-wales-northern-ireland-a9507946.html His title may say UK but as i have mentioned previously scottish rules are different to English, just as are Welsh and Northern Irish. Boris has NO say in these countries

I agree 100%. I would try and get John Heald's assistance team involved, as they seem to be able to resolve some issues by email. The certainly should have specifically notified you long before boarding, their IT team may not have the best reputation, but this would have been a very simple task. And if they were not aware of it onboard, how could they expect the passenger to know. I think this is by far the worst situation of this type I have heard of. I won't change it to try and deny how stupid my memory can be, but that name should be Michael Bayley,

Two weeks to empty activities bucket. Sent home after a week with bucket still half full. I would be frustrated too.

Is this the “pass around the spit cup” method?

Here're a few thoughts regarding this new test mandate 3 days prior to embarkation: 1. Vaccinated folks like the missus and me still have to sweat out test results that could screw up our entire vacation plans at the midnight hour...false positives are a thing. 2. The data seems to show that 99% of new cases are occurring in the group that choose to not get vaccinated. 3. Vaccinated folks who do test positive rarely risk hospitalization and/or death...the therapeutics administered to the already-vaxed seem to reduce fatality risk to almost zero. 4. RCG is in a tough spot. They're playing a balancing act between satisfying the CDC rules, assuaging national political shenanigans, managing guest perceptions and overcoming the financial risks of getting back to creating amazing vacation experiences while avoiding the gargantuan risk of cruising lockdowns. Happy sailing to all! ?

Welcome to Royal Caribbean's brand new Odyssey Of The Seas. I can finally reveal to you this brand new Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship. Today, passengers will be stepping onboard for the first time! After 16 months since the global cruise suspension, I can finally say "WE ARE BACK"

Don't blame you. I think limiting your exposure to hi transmission risk venues for at least 10d prior to your cruise is a good idea right now. Things could be much improved in October for sure. I think risky venues have become obvious - don't go to bars packed with kids under 30. Use caution in restaurants - eat outside. Don't go to indoor weddings, theaters or indoor sporting events. You can think of others I'm sure - don't go overboard. Evaluate your own risk tolerance based on viral prevalence in your community and the dynamics of the environment you're considering going into. I just posted a link for upon arrival testing options in Fort Lauderdale in the Celebrity Thread. Have a look if you're sailing from PEV.

I think we all share the same feeling...just have to remind ourselves how awesome it'll be when we do the embarkation walk onto the ship. ???

Really sorry this happened to you. They pulled this when we had a B2B with unvaccinated kids in June, but we got an exemption since it was a brand new policy and they introduced it at the last minute. I wonder if the B2B restriction for unvaccinated kids is posted anywhere.

Am I the only one that feels challenged/stressed by the timing of taking the covid test, getting results, departing early (minimum day before), and boarding? Throw in the mad work schedule to cover projects and requirements because of taking vacation. Sigh..

Because of Delta, we have started ordering grocery pick up for now, we aren’t eating inside restaurants (pickup or outdoor seating only), no unnecessary appointments, etc. Sorta like last year, just without masks. ? We would wear them if we felt uncomfortable going into a situation. We aren’t doing this to be able to cruise, but to try to avoid Delta. My family at home has been seriously affected by Delta. Went thru my sister’s family like a brush fire. Very contagious, and the original case was a vaccinated sibling. All the rest are unvaccinated 20-50 year olds. ? Don’t know about their children, none are symptomatic for now. All quarantining. We will do the same things for a couple weeks before our cruise, if we don’t cancel.

Exactly, none of this changes anything for us. We’ve continued to mask up, socially distance, and practice our good hygiene. We’ve been fully vaccinated since February since both of us are in the health care fields. we have started to travel some, but still take all the precautions we can. We’ve always carried hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes when we travel, so we were wiping down plane seats before it was cool ? stay safe.

I want to thank @smokeybanditfor keeping us in the loop and updated for this experience. Sad it had to be your family affected but nice to hear first hand about being a part of a possible contact etc.

I'd drive 9.5 hours in a heartbeat over flying right now. I wish this was an option for us (it's a 23-hour drive to our next cruise's port - which ends up being at least 2 days tacked on to both the beginning and end of the cruise). 9.5 hours is a walk in the park.

I just checked on a map...I'm right at 402 miles from the epicenter! That's a pretty significant quake! It was definitely long and rolling, and wondering when it was going to stop... Fortunately, no damage in my area and all is well!

Makes perfect sense - more adult beverage ? = more comfortable bed ?️

Wake view aft cabins are generally in high demand but they are not as private as a side facing balcony on this class. If privacy is important do some research, otherwise give it a try and you might find it's something you'll want to do again.

There are people who TRY to get this kind of room so I would definitely give it a try. Your balcony will be very large...nice catch !

I was invited to the Indy simulation cruise next week but I'd have to fly and stay in a hotel the night before. The ship will be fully vaccinated for guests and crew. The ship will operate with full and proven effective protocols. The airport, airplane and hotel will be... who knows? Could be mostly vaccinated, could be mostly unvaccinated. Could be an airport worker doesn't want to lose their job and has bills to pay so they go to work with mild symptoms. No one is going to check or know any better. Protocols will consist of a $0.35 mask. The risks involved with this trip were heavily slanted to the parts of the trip that weren't on the ship. The ship would be the safe part. I declined the Indy invitation but if I get an invite to another Florida based simulation cruise I'm going.

Maybe Matt can point to this information for us. Sounds like a good blog subject also

I am vaccinated along with my entire family. I am not worried that I would be seriously sick if I got it so I generally behave as I did pre covid. I would (and have) changed my behavior pre vacation so that I don't travel to my cruise and get turned away from a vacation that I have been anxiously awaiting.

Ok you try it first and let me know ?

You are not alone. We may cancel our next before final payment for these reasons. Going on vacation shouldn’t cause worry or stress. Some of us live in places where testing is expensive due to insurance not covering for travel, and results can be delayed. Not worth the cost or fretting over it…even for a cruise. ? We have a month to think about it ourselves. I suggest not rushing to a decision, but make the best one for you. ? Hope we all can cruise again soon.

My families cruise isn’t until after thanksgiving. As a young and healthy family we are considering finding someone who has Delta variant and hanging out with them in an effort to get it, then hang low to keep from giving it to others. In doing this we will have less worry about accidentally getting it before pre cruise test and being denied boarding.

@Bob_KY I right there with you! Since I wanted to see some of Seattle before we cruise we are there two days earlier with plans to explore. We won’t talk about preparing to leave work for 13 days. I'm trying not to stress about it but holy cow. I understand why RC is doing this but it doesn’t take the stress of it away.

My wife and I continue to wear masks while shopping, picking up pizza, etc. That in addition to what has been said about social distancing, etc.

I posted about this in the thread talking about RCL imposing a requirement for a negative antigen or PCR test taken within 72h of boarding to board a ship sailing from a US port. Celebrity followed about 18h later. I sail tomorrow. Between Friday at noon and 8pm, I received 4 emails from Celebrity on this each of them requiring me to acknowledge receipt. They are not fooling around. You won't get aboard without the test and for now, they are not offering in cruise terminal testing. That might change. Since I live in S. FL, a state with many testing sites due to Governor Desantis setting this up months ago though a public/private undertaking involving the state's Public Health Department, Walgreens, CVS and Publix grocery stores, it was easy for me to secure an appointment at Walgreens, about 10 minutes from my house, and get an antigen test. It took about 45 minutes from walking in the front door of Walgreens to getting in my car with a form documenting the details of my negative antigen test. If you are traveling to FL for a Celebrity cruise on Edge or Equinox out of PEV and you are unable to secure a test locally where you are traveling from and in the right time frame (within 72h before boarding), you can get a test in Fort Lauderdale or surrounds several ways. The first is assured and close at hand after you arrive at FLL but you'll pay $99 for it. They don't take insurance and some insurances won't pay for repeat travel related COVID testing anyway. The testing facility is in the Fort Lauderdale airport. Here's the link: https://fasttestnow.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6ZOIBhDdARIsAMf8YyETd6-amgXeBAj1ulPANx2FEMFoi9ySGvP8F8zFkYvpK0_3ykMNaR0aAsKkEALw_wcB This facility is not in the terminal but it's close: https://www.covidfll.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6ZOIBhDdARIsAMf8YyEN4e3QoIFYo2frrvuRRSJqXrtZHJH9mUgZxKqcQ83utkgISoJ5ZuoaAgSdEALw_wcB Finally, you can google CVS or Walgreens to get a test. I recommend Walgreens because some of their clinics are run by U of Miami Heath Care System and they have a central scheduling number where a human actually picks up when you dial. These Walgreens with their clinics staffed by U Miami Health take most insurance including Medicare. Here's the link for the closest one near the airport (not that close but close enough). https://umiamihealth.org/locations/uhealth-clinic-at-walgreens-commercial-blvd

Ask this guy. Matt spotted him earlier this week.

Another negative test overnight. Rc is flying us home due to strict Bahamas quarantine rules for close contacts. Just waiting on those details

I’m thankful my next 2 cruises are out of Miami (5 hours drive) and PC (2 hours). We don’t have to fly to a port until May 2022 and October 2022. Sure hope “it’s” a distant memory by then.

From the RC site... For Cruises Departing from Florida For guests on cruises departing from Florida homeports from August 1 through December 31, 2021, the following requirements apply. PRE-CRUISE TESTING REQUIREMENT PRE-CRUISE TEST FOR ALL GUESTS ON SAILINGS 5 NIGHTS OR LONGER All guests age 2 and older — regardless of vaccination status — will need to take a COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) with an accredited test provider, such as a drugstore chain or diagnostic lab, no more than 3 days before arriving at the terminal for embarkation. Guests will need to show their negative test result upon arriving at the terminal. The results can be printed out, or can be presented on your phone, such as the email result from your test provider. Costs associated with this test are the guests' responsibility. PRE-CRUISE TEST FOR ALL GUESTS ON SAILINGS 4 NIGHTS OR LESS All guests age 2 and older will need to take the pre-cruise test as outlined above. However, on these shorter sailings, guests who are fully vaccinated may choose to provide proof of vaccination in order to be exempt from this test.

Agree with all the foregoing posts. Quintana Roo, the state within which most of the beach resorts are located, is awash with new COVID cases having risen from a viral prevalence as measured by percent positives of all tests and before April of under 5% to around 15%. Vax rates are around 30% which partly explains the rise in new cases. The other factor is the mass of tourists that flooded the resorts in April and May as Mexico already opened to international tourism opened further. I start a Western Caribbean cruise on Sunday with port calls in Coz and Costa Maya. As of right now, guests can't get off the ship and explore on thier own. That should tell you which venue, a cruise ship or a Mexican Riviera beach resort, is a safer place to visit re COVID risk.

I haven’t done either cruising or staying in a resort since the pandemic started but I’ve done extensive research deciding on which direction to go for our next vacation. I think the scales are slightly tipped to the cruise ship side as far as the safer route. For resorts, I saw mostly procedural improvements (e.g. intense cleaning and encouraging social distancing). For cruise ships (specifically RCCL), I noticed procedural AND facilities improvement with revamping medical facilities and hvac air circulation. I would feel a lot safer on a cruise ship than in a grocery store, retail store, or even my own workplace. Ultimately, cruise ships and resorts have the same 2 primary goals: *to make money *to keep everyone safe (which is basically synonymous with avoiding bad publicity) and they’re going to do whatever it takes to accomplish this.

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.