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Okay, I'm just relieved that this is direction this thread is headed in...

Hip hip hooray it is Harmony day!! The sun is up and the winds have calmed down. It will be be a super duper day.

Day 3 Port day We went to port Costa Maya boooo! I really really really wish that Royal Caribbean would have allowed us to go to our original port of Labadee Haiti. This port was the complete opposite of what I had booked and was sold on. We woke up to breakfast served not on the balcony because the winds were insane. Our balcony was littered with towels and cushions etc etc. I had messaged the genie the night b4 our breakfast orders and he said that I could only order for star class only but he would try to order family style for us. I told him not to worry as my husbands family were getting on my nerves anyways. I told hubby we would go to coastal kitchen and enjoy ourselves and let them figure out breakfast. They needed to be at our room by 11:15 as the genie would be there to escort us off. 8:30 am comes and my daily morning 2 shots of ginger and starbucks order arrive along with breakfast. everyone’s order was there. I quickly called the family to the room. I soon realize we had lox set ups but no bagels. No worries coastal kitchen was right there and they had 12 hot toasted bagels to the room in seconds. How do they do that?!! Everyone ate bagels and lox…. fried eggs …. avacado toast… bacon…. and berries galore. Lots of coffee was had. We got our back packs ready and to the dot the genie was there at the door ready to escort us. We got off the boat and made our way to our avery tour meeting spot. We sprayed sunblock on us. We smelled like a bunch of sticky hot buns lol! We had a good time feeding the birds. I took a couple of pics from the hanging rope bridges. The winds were INSANE 60 knots from the captains announcement. Once the tour was over we tried to find a table. This was just pure insanity. 3 boats were docked. Oasis… Mardi Gras…. and Carnival Dream. We stole a few tables and chairs for some service. Our server was amazing considering he had like 25 tables. The big yellow drink was ordered by everyone but me. I put two and two together. High winds 🌬and a tall skinny cup do not go together. I ordered a beer on draft and enjoyed my burrito while everyone else struggled with their cups. My mother in law’s cup fell over. I grabbed Sasha’s cup and poured her almost empty cup into a dixi cup that I had ran up and grabbed from the bar. My brother in law gave me smack about it. I just gave him a look and then sat and enjoyed my meal while he kept yelling at his daughter to hold onto her drink Once the food was done I grabbed Sasha and got her changed to go swimming in the swimming pool at port. The adults took turns watching the little kids while everyone shopped. I could’t find much. The place was packed. I bought turtle souvenirs for my team and called it a day. We all headed back to the room. The moment we got back I made Sasha undress and shower. She had garbage like literal garbage stuck in her bathing suit. I had to scrub her to get all the stuff that was stuck on her off. I’m telling you that water was nasty. I ran outside and went zip lining real quick! I love the red star class band. I would just walk up to the front and ask in my most sincere desperate I don’t know what I’m doing voice “is there a star class line? immediately I would be ushered to the front as the next person in line. It worked beautiful! I zip lined and didn’t not hold on. I looked down and gave a peace sign to my husband who was recording me. Soo cool!!! I then ran in and washed off and got ready for dinner. We met Nityam at 150 central park for dinner. I was dying of heat stroke at this point lol! He had one look at me and said “Alisha what happened!?” I said I was poached lobster for the night. I was burnt crisp. the sunblock did nothing for me lol. I’m a red head and used to it. I wasn’t burning but it had me hot as hell for the night. To start our experience eas the much anticipated cucumber martini. I could drink a gallon of these yummmm! Very refreshing especially when you are a burnt crisp. my appetizer was the crispy pork belly. I was excited about this but ended up not a fan. It reminded me of my moms burnt pork chops growing up. The fatty part would get crispy. I just felt like it was a thick square of crispy fat with a tiny bit of meat at the bottom. Too fatty for me. Had it been meat with a tinny thin layer of fat I would have probably enjoyed it. Hubby had a caesar salad. yummy! I had ordered my steak medium. I like a little pink. If you zoom in on this steak on the right side you can see the blood or juice whatever it is already oozing out. The food was dropped off and no one waited for me to cut it. I cut the steak and it squirted blood at me aghh lol! My mashed potatoes were red soaking up the juice. I could not eat it. The middle was cold aghhh. My husband knew immediately it was rare. The server tried to tell me to order medium well from now on. That kind of put me off. My husband hails from hotel hospitality and I cook. I know what medium is and the feel of the steak was not medium. I said “well order it whatever you have to do where it’s warm pink in the middle and blood is not gushing out into my mashed potatoes when I cut in please.” Anyways they send me a new one and wait for me to cut it. It’s medium rare. It’s legit a bloody mess. I just looked at David and the server as my potatoes are currently soaking up all the juice. I know there is going to be some myoglobin but not a dang river. He said that it was medium. I said “well then no worries I am sure I will enjoy my “medium” steak. Thank you for you assistance tonight! “ I ate the ends of the steak and left the cold red pieces alone. When the server came to grab our plates he saw I didn’t eat my steak or bloody potato’s. He said “I’m soo sorry I can tell you didn’t like your steak.” I said “I’m just not a fan fan of myoglobin gravy for my potato’s it grosses me out.” When your mashed tots are red it’s a bit much Now hubby like rare steak but not me. I eat steak like once or twice a year other then that it’s fish for me. I’m not a big red meat eater. David had fish that was amazing! For dessert I ordered fried cheesecake which was to die for but the winner was David’s dessert! Oh my goodness the gelato or whatever it was was outstanding. This would have went well with chops lavender martini. I didn’t know yet that the martini existed at this point or else I would have ordered it to go with this divine dessert! Full stomachs we listened as the early aqua show was canceled. Nityam arrived and told us he had booked CATS for us and we would head to Aqua after. CATS you either love it or hate it. I loved it!! The boat was rocking soo much we were swaying left and right. I have no idea how they did their dance moves on such a rocky boat! I enjoyed the show very much so. I am a broadway junky so I figured I would. Sasha loved it as well she was soo into it which was pretty cool to see!! At the end of the show they announced aqua was canceled due to the high winds. We were traveling faster then normal bc we had waited at Costa Maya for a number of people and left 45 minutes late. No worries we went home to relax. I snuck downstairs while everyone was sleeping and listened to the creeky ship. Our room was creeking with all the movement. I loved it. I took a photo before bed. I’m a hot mess. I resembled my post thermal suite pic from the day before lol! Anyways I lathered up in chilled aloe and hit the bed zzzz. Till the next post!

I had to pay for a NZeTA to travel to New Zealand. It was ~ $40 USD. Incredible trip, good use of $40.

We’re thinking about Bermuda for next year. While I agree it’s a tourism tax, I don’t think it will prohibit us from going. We’re numb to being nickel and dimed, it’s par for the course. Tolls on bridges and tunnels, hotel tax, paid WiFi on ships, paid parking, it goes on and on. You wanna play, you gotta pay.

It's acceptable if you have it proctored. Still not acceptable just as an at home test.

@GregD…thanks so much for a wonderful review! I just had the chance to read through everything. I will be taking my first RCCL and first SC cruise in October on Anthem. Thanks to @WAAAYTOOO, I also chose a GLS on deck 10, so I will be interested in you July live blog. All the great comments from those you mentioned ( @Lovetocruise2002, @Jax, and @WAAAYTOOO, plus many others, and you are helping me prepare for that first SC cruise. Thanks again!!

Boarded Odyssey this morning at Port Everglades- all four of my family used the iHealth proctored test. Showed the negative result image file provided by iHealth and had no issues getting on board. They didn’t scan the QR code or anything, just looked at our phone screenshots. Hope this helps everybody considering using this test as we weren’t 100% sure if it would be accepted. Paul

Some people are only happy when they have something to complain about. I think it’s easier than thinking of interesting or valuable to talk about. I was a waiter 30 years ago and had regulars that complained or were at least unimpressed with everything but they came in all the time. I asked one older couple why they come back, when they don’t seem thrilled with the food, or even the service. They were shocked, said coming in for dinner was the highlight of their week. I think the complaining gave them something talk about. Some people are just miserable and want others to be miserable too. Some people like to act like they’re above everything. It seems like sad way to go through life if you ask me.

I don’t remember Windjammer ever being open 24 hours. It was open for breakfast lunch and dinner on Harmony last month but, as it always has, closed for a period of time between each meal. And it’s always closed at 9. Cafe Promenade is the 24 hour snack location not Windjammer.

One potential upside is the adult only areas may not be very crowded!

Start piling up ones and fives. Tipping with cash ensures a fabulous cruise!

Jennie is awesome! We had her on Symphony pre-covid. The entertainment is not able to be booked until you get onboard. That is a post covid change. Even star class, the Genie cannot confirm the entertainment until about 24 hours prior or day of. This was the case in December 2021 and March 2022. A few weeks ago, our Genie told us that since the re-start, they don't release the entertainment schedule until the day before.

You can buy the open booking NextCruise certificate right in the Royal app once you are onboard. This way you don't have to make an appointment or take up valuable cruise time sitting at NextCruise. You have to pick a ship and sail date within 2 months to get any OBC and you have to use it within 12 months or it is lost. Names can be changed until you pick a ship and sail date, after that one original name must remain on a reservation. I think the limit is three of these per cruise (one in the app, the rest require a visit to NextCruise).

Side not if you zoom in on the picture with the “big yellow drinks” The kids got virgin strawberry drinks. If you take the green palm tree tops off they look like they are holding bachelorette party cups

Shoppers Drug Mart ($40), Rexall ($30), Walmart ($20) and Costco ($16) all work for pre cruise testing so there's no shortage of options

I don't believe they would send a brand new ship to our backwaters. I think the most we can hope for is that in a few years the addition of Icon and Utopia pushes some other Oasis class out our way. I guess it also depends on the state of China, and will they send Wonder and Spectrum back there.

Omg I thought the same thing....

I personally find it to be a matter of expectations (and managing them!). If people are chasing D, D+, Pin, etc. because they *expect* better ____ (service, food, experiences, etc.) then they will be disappointed. The benefits should be like add-ons. My wife and I enjoy the cruise experience. The idea that we don't have to cook, clean, etc. just by itself is wonderful, especially for a vacation. Our other vacation go-to is a timeshare where we do have to do those things. Never quite feels like a vacation to me. But I get a lot of relaxation in, anyway. That said, having a waiter remember my name, drink order, etc., makes the cruise exceptional and I can ignore even mediocre food with great service. I don't go hungry on a cruise, even if the MDR quality is subpar. We enjoy the suite lounge when the regular crowds get to be too much, or the extras the genies provide, or the early boarding, etc. But we are not cruising for the perks. We find that if we set our expectations at "we will enjoy this come what may" then the extras just ratchet it up to "we really enjoyed this immensely."

We’ve never even unwrapped our cups (except for my grandson). Can’t imagine carrying one around the ship. What a pain!

I do not believe the Windjammer was ever 24 hours. It's generally closed at like 9 or 9:30. The only place that's really open 24 hours is Cafe Promenade. As for being closed for lunch, it's probably for cleaning protocols. Even though lots of things are lifted, I would imagine they still close for a few hours to do a deep clean in between meal times.

This will be another one of those blogs for the ages. @Lovetocruise2002 will be our neighbor on deck 10, so we will definitely be up to some shenanigans and will probably give the genies plenty to work with..only 89 days to go!! The joint blog will be started shortly before then, so keep an eye out!

First, I fully understand that Royal Caribbean is a "family friendly" cruise line and I don't have a problem with it. However, being empty nesters, fully retired, trying to get the best value for our money, and older than dirt, I/we try our best to find cruise times that have the least amount of kids on board. It's hard to do at times because Royal Caribbean and others are international destinations. People come from all over the world just to cruise out of places like Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Canaveral, Galveston, et al. Schools from around the world have different times that they observe holidays and "summer" breaks. So, large numbers of kids are on cruise ships just about year-around. So, it's kinda hit and and miss as far as trying to avoid the masses of kids.

One advantage is that kids have a curfew and usually go to bed earlier. That might be good to enjoy the shows and amenities late night. The big disadvantage is that the pool deck is not that big and I can’t imagine that many kids at the same time. The lines to do any activities can be really long as well. I think you will have a great time regardless. Just stay at the Solarium if it becomes too crowded.

Anthem 4/10/22 has 3,800 passengers. A whopping 1,800 of them are kids age 17 and under.

If you don't have a travel agent (or even if you do and just want to do it yourself, which is what I do), you can fill out this online form for your CPAP requests. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs

SC privileges are for those who are in the SC suite only. So whoever's name is on the reservation that "wins" the RoyalUp, will be in eligible for SC amenities. As far as check-in is concerned, technically, only the SC passengers are allowed to check in via the SC process. Would they allow the non-SC pax to come along anyway ? It will be a local call. Some will report that others were allowed and some will say they were turned away. The same goes for Coastal Kitchen and the Suites Lounge. My advice in similar situations is that if you would not be comfortable with "divided" amenities, do not bid on the SC (or suite, depending upon the situation). Either you and your family will be disappointed in the results of your request to include your wife and/or the Concierge/Genie will be placed in a very uncomfortable situation of being asked to violate the "rules". Either way, the situation is not ideal. Your question/situation is very common. RoyalUp can be particularly problematic for those who have multiple cabins booked.

full suite on Allure last month and all three bottles depicted were in the shower

While I fully support the Government of Bermuda to do this, I have no "right" to enter their country, I'll not be cruising there as long as they have an "APPLICATION" to enter and a $40.00 cost just to get the "APPLICATION". That is my "right". That is tantamount to a tourism tax that I'm not willing to pay. I'm already paying a port tax and docking fee, not to mention the taxes I pay on purchases of goods and services. This is, in my opinion, a tax that will never go away. Too bad, really, I enjoyed Bermuda when I cruised there in 2019. A beautiful country and a very respectful people. We, my wife and I opted to use the public transportation system (bus) to go to various parts of the island. Everybody, the locals, couldn't have been more hospitable, we never felt threatened in anyway, not one bit. We observed a teenager, late teens, without any prompting from anyone else on the full/standing room only bus, get out of his seat and give it to an elderly lady that just got on. I don't think you'd see that too often in NYC, just for one example. Your milage may vary! https://www.gov.bm/applying-bermuda-travel-authorisation

I have sailed with a C-Pap many times. I always make a request at booking to provide an extension cord and distilled water. Originally, the cord and water were waiting for us in our room. On later cruises, the items weren't delivered until I asked our cabin attendant. But they've always been supplied. On some ships, the 110v outlet was convenient to the bedside, on others, the extension cord was plugged in elsewhere in the cabin.

Anything has happened over the last couple of years. Next time there’s a pandemic,I’m not going so don’t invite me.

From what I heard the vendor of the wow bands went out of business or stopped being able to supply new bands. Star class is still offered them though so it's not like the technology isn't unavailable. During the restart there was a lot of effort put into looking at a lot of aspects of cruising during a pandemic. Wow bands were a casualty. At some point they can roll back some of the changes that were required to get the superstrict CDC to allow any sailings to continue. That roll back won't include every protocol all at the same time. It will be a process. Be patient.

thanks for keeping it real - your blog is not only funny it's setting real expectations!

3500 passengers on the 4/3 to 4/9 sailing of Odyssey.

We were told the same thing, only the comedy show would be pre scheduled. Everything else was “wait until you board”. The SC’s on Harmony were very nice but i found them very difficult to contact unless I wanted to trek up to the lounge, could never get them from my room phone using the numbers they provided. I let them know we would be celebrating my daughters birthday on night 1 at CK, not looking for a huge deal but a candle in her dessert? A “happy birthday” from the waitstaff? Nope, nothing. I tried to make alternate arrangements for the Izumi Sushi prepaid dinner as brother & nephew didn’t make the cruise, subbing me for one of them & said I would just forgo the cost of the third guest. Couldn’t get an answer if this was ok. “I’ve emailed the restaurants manager. I don’t know what he’ll do” Then, when my son got sick, they could not reschedule the meal. Again, they were very nice but certainly not the fairy godmothers I expected.

Glad my experience could help. We had stressed about it Thursday night and ultimately decided to just try it out. No guarantees for everyone else of course but it’s a positive data point. As a proctored, government issued, and CDC approved test it seemed silly if they wouldn’t accept it. Hope everyone has great trips ahead Paul

Spike in cases means nothing, even the uber conservative CDC now acknowledges that, hospitalizations have remaining unchanged; THAT is the number to look at.

Last month I pulled my old TA off the default reservation at NextCruise in order to transfer it to my MEI agent.

The UK "debut" will be measured in days as opposed to months. That's just Michael Bayley trying to throw the UK a bone and make it sound like it's a massive honor for the UK to see the ship first. Similarly the suggested or possible stops in NYC and Boston will also probably be one day if they happen at all. MB has said it will home port in Miami. We all know Royal and how they like to get ships into service at their new home ports as soon as possible. We also all know how many things that Michael Bayley says never happen. I would not all be surprised to learn it doesn't go down as Bayley has suggested and Royal will develop another case of "getthereitis" and get the ship to its initial homeport as quickly as possible so it starts generating real revenue as quickly as possible. I wouldn't read anything into comments Bayley says in an interview. Voom would be free if you believe everything he says. How did that one work out?

But on a serious note... Unfortunately Royal is not in charge of or in anyway responsible for the Haitian government and their environmental policies. Royal owns/rents/leases whatever a portion of their land and while it is unfortunate that Labadee gets overflow from a problem on the mainland, Royal can only do so much. And while I'm guessing much of the 2021 unrest has calmed enough that Royal feels comfortable reopening the "island" I sincerely doubt things in Haiti proper are at a point where their primary concerns are the way the citizens handle their trash. I'm sure if you're concerned about Haiti's environment and their contribution to word pollution there are places you can donate to to help. There are organizations for everything now.

Me, seeing that headline and opening this thread to see what's being talked about...

While glass in general does provide some protection, and tinted glass provides a little extra protection... sunscreen is still highly recommended. Ever been on a long car ride, and when you get to your destination... your left forearm is slightly burnt? If you were on the driver side, it was next to the window... and still got burnt. The sun at the lower latitudes is no joke. No matter what my plans are each day on the ship... I always apply some sun screen before I venture out of the cabin for the day. Granted, its for two reasons... i've had some REALLY bad sun burns in my time; and I want to enjoy all 7 days of my vacation. Getting burnt on day 2 or 3.... really really really makes days 4-7 miserable. ?

I did a quick search for my Vancouver cruise in June. Prices were generally all more expensive than I had seen elsewhere

We received the entertainment schedule the Monday before our cruise but by the time we boarded, there were major changes anyway.

Made it on board. Having lunch in Coastal kitchen. Boarding was horrible but everything is worked out now. It was rough.

Australia, pre-pandemic, was a great cruise market. I feel like Australia will eventually return to being a great cruise market. Beyond the politicians, among the people there was a lot of vitriol against the cruise industry in Australia. Only time will tell how quickly the average Australian will be to embrace the cruise industry. Same for the Kiwi's. How quickly will they embrace cruise guests walking ashore. Then there is the South Pacific. For good reasons they should remain careful. Indigenous people have a history of being significantly impacted by disease brought to their islands. If you go back a handful of generations the native Hawaiian population was decimated when foreign ships introduced virus and disease their immune system had never seen before. Looks like Vanuatu is almost the same as the US. They are actually running a little higher vax rate. We only have 66.2% fully vaxxed vs. Vanuatu's 68.6%. While the US vax rate has plateaued hopefully more South Pacific islands will continue to embrace the vax.

We are the week before you and Did a bid of 950 for 2 ...we too are a JS. We did it because we bought the UDP and will drop that and eat in the CK. Plus we did the Key, which we will drop. Thus, financially it is a trade off for not much more money. Have you also checked how many GSs are left? For our cruise there are several GSs still available less than 3 weeks out.

This cruise will be a bit different than most. Ever since my mother in law passed away from lunch cancer in 2008 we’ve been looking for a way to get my wife’s family with us on a cruise or flight to a tropical island. My mother in law, Cathy, always wanted her ashes to be spread in Jamaica or in the Caribbean. I’d love to be able to say it was because of the weather, but we think it’s just because she had a thing for Jamaican guys. One of the potential stumbling blocks was going to be having to travel with ashes. However, since we moved to Florida in between booking and now it makes the transportation much easier. Also, being in star class it meant I could communicate with Berty, our genie and have assistance planning a ceremony onboard. I sent Berty a note late last week and he got right back to me with the needs; -Biodegrable Urn-she had picked out a beachy themed “package” prior to her death so that one was set -Death Certificate-original or certified copy -Cremation certificate Luckily we had all of those handy and sent Berty copies, he also requested we bring them with us just in case. He also is in the process of setting a meeting for embarkation day with the Environmental Officer and/or the Ship’s First officer who will go over scheduling and procedure. Knowing some countries have different laws that can complicate things, I always assumed it would be a sea day. As we get more details I’ll be sure to share as I know this often something people think of as they’re planning their wishes. Cathy would be really proud of what her children have become and even though it took way longer than expected, it should be a celebration not a melancholy event. Royal also has a FAQ on the subject for anyone who needs it. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-is-royal-caribbeans-burial-at-sea-policy

Just over 2700 on adventure of the seas today

Just stayed at the Hyatt House Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port (90 Southwest 18th Avenue, Dania Beach, FL 33004, USA) for the second time in less than six months. Great location (~10 minute drive at the most to the terminal or airport). They provide a free shuttle to/from FLL airport. Rooms are clean, has kitchens, and the suite set up (dining room table and chairs + living room) are a great value.