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It's all conjecture at this point. It's way too early for anyone to be making definitive conclusions about it. It's worth noting that South Africa's big surge last fall started pretty much this exact same time. There have already been three post-Delta variants that were a hyped as a big cause for concern but they never amounted to anything.

I get your point, but in my experience Royal goes above and beyond with customer service. For example, my wife had foot surgery shortly before a recent cruise. We needed an accessible cabin, but none were available. Once we boarded, we asked at guest services. They moved us to an accessible cabin within 2 hours. On another occasion, my son slipped and broke his foot on an excursion. Royal put it in a cast for no charge. They even refunded the price of the excursion without anyone even being asked. Does Royal occasionally mess up? Absolutely! Do they work hard to make it right? In my experience, yes!

Hello fellow cruises from down under, we did the first of our check-in today and thought I would share. We have been regualarly checking the app, which you must have, and saw our ship, Grandeur finally get an upgrade which finalised last night. Previously it sat on its lonesome below all the other bookings we have where the ships which already use the app we could access details, but the Grandeur we could not. So check-in was noted on the app as 25 Nov, and being a RCB insider knew that the key to an early check-in time was to get in early, and start 11.30pm, so half an hour prior to the day. First thing to know is do not do what I did and get up at 11.30pm on the 24th and continue to check the cruise planner and app waiting to see the change to "open". Anyway by 2am I gave up. It dawned on me this morning; stop laughing, I am slow; that it would be US time, eastern pacific, so Miami or New York time. This afternoon at 3.15pm Sydney time, 11.15pm, NY time, my app changed to open and off I went. Do you sense I am keen??? Being old school, I used the computer to check-in but you need the app to complete, and the process is similar as peviously, except with a number of protocols and disclaimers which you can print. There are three steps you can do prior, with the fourth step needing to be done the day of the cruise. Step one and two are as before, personal details, passport, credit card, emergency contact, and then you can select the boarding time. On our cruise which is out of Barbados, there are a couple extra local government protocols and we have the addition of not only a test three days prior (which is different to the two days prior on cruises out of the US),but also a complientary test required at the port prior to boarding. Oh our noses are going to be sore, lol. Also the earliest boarding time listed was 1.00-1.30pm which we secured. However the third step must be done via the app, there is nowhere via the computer check-in to access it. Maybe I did something wrong but I have gone back and checked several times, so you need to go to the app and into your booking and add your vaccination details, type and date of last dose. It will also allow you to take a picture of the front and back of your vacination card. In Australia we have the a government issued International Vaccine Passport, which is a single side paper or picture on the Medicare app run by the Australian governement. I could not work out how to upload a digital copy to the app so I opted to take a photo, which is one way offered, of the print out I will be carrying. It is in the pending stage as Royal needs to validate it, and I will update this when I either have approval or required to do something else. I really need to check-in using only the app, similar process but we have nicer phots saved on the computer. Silly I know. So happy, one step closer and only 45 long days to go before our 674 days of waiting to step onboard a cruise ship is over.

Excited to follow along with this one. I’ll be on oasis in February in a star class room. I can’t wait!! I won’t start my blog early…….I won’t start my blog early……

People love RCI because for the most part, they have a wonderful time, and are treated very well. The few complaints we have are balanced by very, very many great experiences. You will find that over and over on these boards. ALL cruise lines have gimmick sales, but those of us who have sailed before know how to maximize our savings. You can find great tips for that here. And damage to bags could have happened on the ship, but more likely in the port as they were offloaded. I’ve had the airlines mangle one of our bags beyond repair. No, I’m not a Pollyanna. I am one of those people that tries to shrug off negative situations when they are minimal compared to the rest of the experience. It doesn’t hurt that we just got our Concierge email about dinner reservations, and within 24 hours, the concierge emailed me back to confirm all dining times. So, yes, we are sailing soon, and know we will have a fantastic time because we always do on RCI. I hope you have a great experience on your cruise. And back to the topic: we wouldn’t sail these days without insurance. We purchased our first (of many, hopefully) annual policy for our next cruise.

Here are my annual plan details. I use Allianz and it's $475 for me yearly (41 years old FL resident).

After so much travel…including so many cruises…I’ve learned that anything can happen. Especially after reading stories on this forum and others. Although these incidents seem to be very few and far between, that doesn’t really matter when it happens to me. The best I can do is make sure I do my research and exercise due diligence regarding where I spend my money. The biggest takeaway from all the stories is the benefit of good travel insurance. That and paying attention to protocols, policies and changes regarding my trip. I don’t want to be surprised and have to struggle to get something done at the last moment. I’ve also found that for me, the investment in good, waterproof luggage is so important. I always do walk-off so I need strong, long lasting wheels. And I’ve seen many times where loaded luggage carts are sitting on the pier in a sudden downpour. But…all that planning doesn’t matter if the worst happens. Ergo…insurance!

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked enough to think about re-reading it! That warmed my heart!

Happy thanksgiving. I’m giving thanks for family and feeling healthy. I agree with @FManke.

oh yes. I love Singapore and well worth pre/post cruise time. Chilly crab, yummy. Also, I should have posted it here as it relates to Aussies but I started a post after checking in for our first cruise in the discussions area Australian's Taking US Cruises and Checking In

Happy Thanksgiving! My hope is that all of us have so much more to be thankful for this year beyond cruising getting back to normal.

Happy Thanksgiving Mon!!!

Happy turkey day all !

Here are my thoughts on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale for the cruise fares themselves- They aren't good. I checked all of my clients' reservations, and only about 10 saved. That's not a great deal of savings. But, it seems like the cruise planner is where the sales really are, so I hope everyone get some good deals there!

Where do dads keep their jokes?In a dad-a-base.

C-6 (Cruise minus 6 days) First, the obligatory background. I was first bitten by the cruise bug in 2013, when my husband and I joined about 1500 bikers on the High Seas Rally – a charity-driven biker cruise (well, we shared Freedom OTS with about 2000 other non-biker guests). The charity (and purpose) of the cruise was to raise money for kidney dialysis – and provide an opportunity for about 15 dialysis patients to experience cruising (and for many, their first vacation) while receiving dialysis on board – and completely free of charge! It was an amazing experience -- and the bite sank deep! Fast forward to April 1, 2019, when we were supposed to embark on our first Transatlantic on Oasis of the Seas – when (no fooling!) a crane fell on Oasis, shattering her aft and our aspirations of being on a megaship. Two years later, I made this new reservation on my first cruise ship – Freedom of the Seas! Cruise data: I first reserved this cruise through my TA in April 2021, because it fit in well with my goal of accomplishing a B2B or S2S this year. It has always been a solo cruise, and I made a concerted effort (with my TA) to search out price reductions through the months after the initial reservation. At his urging, I reserved an Interior cabin on the 8th deck, right around the “corner” from Central Park. In the end, I saved about $300 on my original booking by going to a non-refundable deposit; cost per night is about $82.00. Ship: Freedom of the Seas Cabin Type: Interior (8th Deck Forward) Cruise Length: 4 Nights Cruise Itinerary: Miami – At Sea – Nassau – PDCC – Miami Cruise Planner Purchases: The Key, Casino Lesson, Nassau Snorkeling, PDCC Beach Club Sooo. . . some caveats. I am unabashedly low maintenance. I don’t do makeup or hairstyling, and am most comfortable and relaxed in casual clothes. I drink water from the tap (have even drank water from a garden hose and lived to tell the tale – although I DON’T drink irrigation water (yech!), and always carry my water bottle empty through the TSA checkpoint and fill it up right away at the first water bottle filling station I can find. Therefore, I won’t be grabbing (or griping at the lack of) bottles of water onboard the ship. I also don’t get straws – maybe for slushies/Slurpees/smoothies, but for other drinks – not a chance. I do understand how the feeling of a paper straw decomposing between one’s lips is gross, and so may bring one or two plastic ones – or just drink my slushie/smoothie really fast. Since I don't have the DBP on this sailing, I will be picking and choosing my beverages with care; I am, as my DH is eager to point out, "frugal." Well, he says it a different way, but the point is the same! The reason I titled this blog “Simply Solo Freedom) is because this is what it is and what I am. As part of my milestone birthday this year, I wanted to: a) go on at least one cruise, b) cruise on a ship class I hadn’t been on before, c) stay in a cabin type I haven’t been in before, and d) try a solo cruise (my husband is not as fond of cruising as I am, and was very supportive of my trying it on my own). Since I couldn’t see just going on a 4-Night and calling it good after a 2500 mile flight, I added a fifth goal – try either a side-to-side or back-to-back series of cruises. The result: a solo cruise on Freedom, and following that, a cruise on Oasis – originally solo but my daughter said she’d like to try cruising. So this particular cruise is a simple solo cruise – with a few firsts in terms of things I’m trying (The Key, Casino lesson, Coco Beach Club) and a few goals for myself: maintain a live blog, figure out how to navigate Miami using public transportation, and enjoy the ship! What I will include in the blog: timelines and experiences; answers to the questions I’ve posed on different forums in the past; pictures of my interior cabin and its pros and cons; and experiences with the RoyalUp program, having put in two (minimum or near-minimum) bids for upgrades. Although this is a solo cruise. I hope you’ll enjoy the experience with me!

Man how things have changed.. Just a Couple of months ago I was on Symphony with my wife of 23 years.. Now I'm divorced stressed and needing a cruise! I cant wait to share my experiences with you all from my Pre-cruise Stay at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront to my week on Harmony being a newly single person.. Coming with me is My friend Lisa and Ill be meeting a few people that I've cruised with before.. No.. I don't have the dining package.. Drink Package on the other hand is a must.. I think its time to venture into the world of different cocktails, talk to strangers and hopefully entertain you all.. again its my first live blog.. Ill be shooting and blogging from my iPhone 12 Pro XR.. Hopefully ill figure out how to upload pics from my Phone.. Until Friday.. Peace Love and whatever crap you're into lol!

I saw something disgusting last night, in the elevator. A young gentleman, in his 20s (I am guessing) not only couldn't manage to put his mask over his mouth or nose, but was sucking on his key card! (I mean it was all the way in and out of his mouth, like a lollipop.) I could only watch in horror, thinking about the poor unsuspecting staff member who may touch it next! If that guy doesn't care about his health, that is one thing, but to endanger an innocent person who may touch it and get sick (a cold or anything that can be passed by saliva) is another issue all together! No hand sanitizer will help in this case!

Question for the collective- there is a sale for the specialty dining plan on the web site. Do I have to purchase it for every day of the cruise? Or, is it a flat rate for the entire cruise? For example, on Independence of the seas, May 23-27, they want $210 for two people. Is that PER DAY? The entire cruise was only $300 pp.

That is a flat rate for your entire sailing.

They are the Rapid ID Now tests

It may show up on the invoice, but sometimes the codes aren't clear. But I've checked the one reservation of yours that I already have and I don't see a further discount. I'll check the other one when it's in my hands.

I guess I got lucky. Able to save on both cruise fare and planner items.

I am sure you will have a great cruise. We have had more good experiences than bad, and are loyal to RC for the overall satisfaction we enjoy. We don't know any other institution (in our price range) that offers consistently high on-board service. When I report a misfortune, it is to reinforce the travel tips that Matt and others offer, like carrying some type of travel insurance. We have found that our occasional "travel worries" have been caused by airlines, not Royal Caribbean. But we have survived even delayed flights (and a train that broke down) to make our cruises on time. We always use travel agents, just in case an issue crops up.

The store has skimped on their samples on our visit yesterday. In September, they had about 3-4 sampling stations and I was able to sample about 10 kinds of cheese. Yesterday, there was only one station with three kinds of basic cheeses. No asparagus flavored ones. Maybe I'm the one to blame here... I tried 10 kinds of cheese but I did not buy any ha ha

I have just jumped into the app and checked if an earlier boarding time was there and noticed the third step which requires vaccine information, which was pending to be verified by Royal has gone. I would assume this is a good sign and Royal has accepted our Australian Government proof of vaccine. Also for our sailing 1.00pm is still the earliest on board time, which is fine by us. So far so good, will complete the ESTA (US Visitors Visa) in early December and start enquiring for an approved PCR test medical facility and book a date. I have a couple of websites my travel agent has recommended. It is $150 per person, but this is the cost of travelling today. I won't pay for it yet as things may change. I hear the US may accept our local COVID tests but I do not think Delta Airlines and Barbados Government will, so will have to pay. There is also a Barbados entry application we willl need to complete but only 72 hours from landing. We also reached out the Barbados Covid Labs as we will need to book a test to board the ship. PCR tests are $94 USD per person. This is our biggest concern in trying to time the testing so we can get results in time to board the plane but also work it out to clear customs in Barbados within the 72 hours. We should be fine with travel time, but it is our end locally which is the issue as it will be Sunday 2nd Jan and will the labs be open? Talk about first work problems. Now the first Royal check-in worked, next is due Dec 10, at least I now know I can sleep like normal and not worry about it until 3.30pm Sydney time.

The best way is to have a plan of when and where you would like to eat prior to boarding and when you get on board, go to a specialty restaurant and make all the bookings. This way you have something booked each night and you should be able to change your mind should your tastes change. We normally never booked lunch, but have done on occasions and it never seemed an issue. In the main we would normally get the reservations we wanted, but there have been occasions when I may have had to pick a different day and time, they were rare and I have called them and made changes as well. Another strategy is, if you are celebrating a special occasion or have a large group, you can pay for that specialty resturant via the cruise planner, securing the day and time, and when at the restuarant tell the staff you have an UDP and they will credit you the cost of what you paid separately. Do not leave telling them until the end, do this as you walk in so they can do the backend stuff.

@Pooch I wonder with a few beers under your belt would you be thinking differently???

Wishing everyone here a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday. Especially those of you who are lucky enough to be on a cruise, but please spare us. We really don't want to hear about how great/wonderful/etc it was(). Just kidding, please post some photos if Royal did a turkey special, thanks. Best to all!

Wow this is sad news I was looking forward to at least trying to win one.

I have a VPN service that works over Voom. Not all do. I get around the limitation by activating the VPN. Then I can check in or look for better arrival times..

I called Royal Caribbean after I noticed the change of ports of our upcoming cruise. The agent said it would take 3 -4 days until the itinerary and the shore excursions are all updated. I guess there is a lot of work behind the scenes on this one and with the holidays it may even take longer. Somewhat disappointing as we may not be able to get the discounts for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but maybe we do. I check every day twice. Markus

Will not be a problem. They did not even ask for state ID. Showed them Sea Pass card.

Looks like we’ll be headed to Singapore instead! https://cruisepassenger.com.au/news/exclusive-singapore-welcomes-australians-to-cruise-aboard-its-ships/

I have both an Alaskan and a Canada/New England cruise booked for 2022!

pricing for deluxe bev package with wifi one device for our march cruise on symphony is cheaper per day than my Feb 2020 four day was on navigator (71 per day Symphony vs 86 on Navigator) so that's a pretty good deal. Those Florida four day prices for that package are notoriously high, I'm aware. Easier to guzzle away for four days with really just one true port day than for 7+ but I like the challenge.

This sounds like so much fun! We're doing Allure SC in September of next year so we'll be following your blog to see how things go. Wishing it was the same date as you all seem like you would be fun to cruise with! I'm sure your genie's will love you guys!

I scour both regularly in the hope of coming across a mistake like the $18 drink package and then being allowed to keep it. Not holding my breath, though!

Royal never advertised it. Travel & Leisure prematurely leaked it. Vent towards T&L. We have a very different perspective on Royal. I don't see any smoke and mirrors, except during The Effectors on Odyssey.

Something similar - on the app, while on board only offered a couple of times. I went directly to the restaurant and was able to get the time I wanted.

Happy Thanksgiving to All! And to top it all off, I was able to check in to our first cruise since 2019!! Stayed up until midnight to check in and snagged an 11:30 boarding time.

Gobble, gobble. I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. I got my booster on Tues and this is the first year I am not cooking. I brought a turkey breast dinner for 2 at a local restaurant that I will be heating up and sushi for my brother. I wish I was somewhere on the water with shows, drinks, and more food than I can eat.......sadly, I have another 47 days until that happens.

You are correct, most of my cruise fares have gone up. So, I haven't bother to email my TA. I was able to get deals on drink packages and internet but I am a bit shocked at the cruise fares.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Gratuities are a per person/per day flat fee based on your stateroom type (in your case $14.50 is correct), not a percentage of the cost of your cruise. Suites pay more per person per day than non-suites. Other than that, they are the same whether you have an inside or a balcony, or what price you booked the cruise. You're complicating it. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense

What did the fish say when he swam into the wall? DAMN!!!!

You don’t have to look far to find a RC cruiser/ certified diver who scratching their head and wondering why Royal is not signing contracts with dive providers. I’ve heard Covid is the excuse but what could be safer than individuals with their own contained breathing sources? As a matter of fact, I did the dive at Coco Cay a week ago, so what gives? Royal has been a scuba enabler for sometime now. They know the dive providers that are responsible, skilled operations that have a proven track record of being up to the task. It sure would be nice to spend my OBC on scuba excursions again. Recommendations? In Nassau you only have two choices: Stuart Coves and Sandals Royal Bahamian resort. In San Juan it’s hard to beat Scuba Dogs for location and ease of getting a cab back to port. St Thomas? Can’t go wrong with Admiralty or JJ Divers. I’ve even dove with Coki Divers which is just a shed on the beach but it was a short, convenient walk to Margaritaville, so I like them too.

Day 4 - Skagway This is a port of call on the Alaska Group Cruise. When I was a kid I read books written by Pierre Burton some of which dealt with the Klondike Gold Rush. Based on facts those books told stories of many wild figures in the Gold Rush era. Skagway played an important role in the Gold Rush and it was on a primary route through the Yukon for many who were trying to cash in and become rich. Ships would steam North from places such as San Francisco and Skagway is where they would drop all those seeking to become rich in the gold rush. Most of those poor souls had no idea what they were getting into and many lost all their savings as they geared up to head towards the Klondike VIA the Yukon and the White Pass into the mountains that is now a railway. Unlike Juneau it’s not as touristy but still has some souvenir shops. It is one of my favorite ports due to the history and not being as touristy. I found the prices here for t-shirts, jackets and souvenirs to be more reasonable compared to Juneau. The town is a 10-15 minute walk from the ship but there are shuttle buses with an inexpensive day pass that will take you back and forth. They have old train equipment on display at the edge of town. I get the impression it snows a lot in those mountain passes. That's a snow thrower to clear the tracks! I walked between town and the ship a few times. The walk is quite nice and they invested into the area to make it quite enjoyable. It's nice to have long port times to explore, do an excursion, get some food and shop. My excursion at this port would be the White Pass and Yukon Train ride. The railway owns the pier and they extended the rails right onto it. As excursions go it’s pretty easy access right from the ship. The Explorer of the Seas was tied up behind us today. I have pictures of her I'll add once I'm back home. Apparently I didn't bring them with me on Indy where I am posting this blog from. Passengers from both ships would be taking the train today. There is no wrong side to sit on. On the ride up the pass the seats on the left have better views but at the top the seat backs reverse and you swap sides with your neighbors so the other side then has the better views. For some reason they kept Celebrity guests separated and in the forward cars while the RC guests were towards the rear of the train. We needed to bring passports but RC folks did not but we never used our passports at any time. We wouldn't need the kerosene heaters but there is a restroom in each car. They had a case of bottled water available (complimentary). Heading out of town we passed the train garage and the working steam locomotive 'Number 73' that used to do this route in days gone by. They still bring it out for some special runs each year. Once out of town there are viewing platforms that you can visit at each end of the cars. In the bottom right corner of this photo you can see the snow covered trail that the gold rushers and their pack horses used to climb in mountain pass long before there was a train here. It was a grueling trail and many pack horses died in the process. There is a luxury car with its own food and beverage service for additional cost. You may see this as an option when booking it in advance. The trestle bridge shown here is no longer in service. The train winds through the mountains. At the top of the pass you reach the Canadian border and the Yukon. The shack where Canadian customs officials would inspect the gold rusher’s load remains (or was rebuilt). In the beginning of the rush too many folks ended up in the Klondike unable to support themselves with no provisions so Canadian customs created a list that every person entering Canada from Skagway must possess. It was quite a long list and required many trips up and down into Skagway by pack horse to assemble the provisions required to enter Canada. Here the tracks split into sidings so that locomotives can be moved to the other end and take each train back down into Skagway. There are several trains that follow each other spaced out along the tracks but we all meet up at the top and each goes through the process to reverse. You don’t get off the train and I’m not sure why we were ‘required’ to have our passports with us. I guess just in case Canadian officials decided to inspect us as technically we briefly crossed the border although we never got off the train. Perhaps this is why we were at the front of the train and the RC guests at the rear technically never entered Canada. Part of the area is a US National Park and they offer a caboose that can be booked for hikers and folks staying in the area who wish to camp overnight. I missed this on the way up but having switched sides saw it on the way back down. The train was amazing and deserves the popularity it has accumulated over the years. Highly recommended. It’s available in different versions such as motor coach one way, or ride a bicycle back down into Skagway after taking the train up and so on.