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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.

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!

And we aren’t young whipper-snappers like @AshleyDillo. We are 60 and 61, got the Allianz Premier plan, didn’t increase Trip cancellation/interruption protection (could have, but we are covered for Covid disruption thru RCI for next week’s cruise, and our AK cruise next year is ridiculously cheap). In other years, we probably will increase those amts. ours cost $471 per year. I like that you are covered domestically and Covid is covered.

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.

They are the Rapid ID Now tests

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.

Thanks for this, hopefully all runs smoothly. We’ve travelled from Melbourne to Miami/Ft Lauderdale/Orlando to get on ships in the past but I’m super nervous about it this new world. Hoping to learn from your experience!

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.

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.

Ooh I see the urban garden martini high lighted on their menu. I can’t make any promises but we will see. Lol I will put it back in play. Cucumbers are a hard no for the 2 men in my life.

I can confirm that cruising out of Singapore is a terrific experience. Travelling from Perth, it's just as easy for me to get to as Sydney. Be sure to spend a few nights pre or post-cruise in Singapore, there's plenty to check out.

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!

We had a very similar scenario in Galveston. The suitcase was never recovered. Whoever took it got a bunch of dirty clothes and not much else. But I was so annoyed that Royal was only going to give me $300 (the suitcase itself was worth more than that ! I actually did have a receipt for the luggage) I just told them to shove it and cancelled the claim. I also had Allianz but never bothered to make a claim with them. We also never do the luggage-outside-the-door-the-night-before anymore, either.

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.

Gobble gobble my RC friends. God bless you and yours!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I am very thankful to be a part of this group; I have learned so much. We will be driving to Galveston tomorrow from Arkansas to sail out Friday. Hope it doesn't rain too much. I won't have pictures of Thanksgiving Dinner, but maybe I can update others on Christmas Decorations.

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

I was six months in October. Booster appt booked for as soon as I get back into the country.