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He had a high fever and started coughing. I brought tests from home. Tested him and self reported it to the cruise line. Wanted to do the right thing by reporting it and trying to make sure no one else got it from us.

Haven't been on Wonder yet but agree with Matt and his reasoning. All Oasis class are great for kids IMO. Take the GS on Harmony now (I'll be in one for the first time in 15 days) and try Wonder later.

Well this takes us from 9 tests to 6. It’s an improvement but the US needs to drop it’s ridiculous testing requirement. We literally will walk off a ship that has been in the US ALL WEEK, go straight to Vancouver airport and we need a freakin test. Meanwhile you could drive from Seattle across the border, traisp all over Canada for 2 weeks, drive back across the border and no test required. Proof our government is totally dysfunctional

How is this possible? Icon is being constructed in a dry dock.

We're 2x Negative and we'll be cruisin! Plus...we got RoyalUpped to an ocean balcony from an interior. Friday the 13th is such a lucky day!

My wife noticed an offer on the Deluxe Drinks Package that was posted on a Facebook group. This is for European sailings of 5 nights or above and represents a huge saving. The offer is only available on Live Chat and although the offer advertised has expired, Royal Caribbean have extended it. Today's price is £71.05 pppd, but if you contact Royal Caribbean on Live Chat they will add it to your outstanding balance at £40 pppd (in fact it's slightly under, as the cost per person for the 7 night sailing is £275)

My paid cruise had a significant price reduction. Great, no big deal, my TA took care of it. It was refunded as expected as OBC. Then a week later the OBC was gone and that amount was refunded to my credit card.

What caused your son to be tested?

This!

Are you in your original room or did they move you? does room service deliver cocktails?

Arrived at the port at 11:15 and went straight to the 1230 line. Didn’t matter. They were shoveling people through as fast as they could in all lines. No one checked my time and I was on the ship by 1140 wandering around and checking everything out. Did muster drill right away, made show reservations as fast as I could… And they were already selling out… Then a quick lunch. As Matt has said many times in his videos, don’t go to the Windjammer on that first day, like I did! Unbelievably packed. Vitality spa Café was empty, solarium bistro was nearly empty, there are many other choices. Changed into my swimsuit and swam in all three pools. Two people in the first pool, four people in the second pool, absolutely no one else in the third pool. Swam for an hour, soaked in the hot tub alone, found a Casita on the sundeck, which was deserted, and looked out the ocean for a while, watching all the sailboats and windsurfers play. Rooms were ready at one but I didn’t come down till about 230. I have unpacked and organized the room, had a shower, and I’m headed back out for the Sail away party and more exploration . I have reservations for the aqua theater tonight. Found several documents in my room. Sharing these . I love my port-side boardwalk balcony cabin! Great views of people zip lining overhead, the aqua theater, the boardwalk area, the ocean and sky, and of course, people on their balconies across the way. Somebody somewhere gave a tip to bring some clothes pins or clips so that when you go to sleep at night you can pinch the curtains shut and they’ll stay shut in the room will stay dark. So glad I listened and brought along clips because they will definitely be needed. Internet on the Allure is pretty slow compared to Odyssey. Uploading photos is a drawn out process.

Royal is planning to position Radiance in Galveston starting in January. She is offering some different itineraries including a handful to Perfect Day. If lots of people sail on these itineraries, then maybe Royal will make more of them going forward.

Suite all the way. You won’t believe how small a balcony cabin will feel by day 3!

Suite all day long. What you get for benefits out weighs the little extra Wonder gives. You’ll appreciate the Much larger room over a balcony especially with 4 in a room. Then the kids will get there own Wi-Fi I’m sure they’ll use. Then if a royal up is available, try for a 2 bedroom GS.

Drink a lot more.

I will second this, load in all your vax info beforehand. That is the most time consuming part of the app. When the border first opened back up in November 2021, it took a while to get my info into the app. I saved Hubby and kids as "dependents" and since November 2021, we have used Arrive Can several times and it has been very quick to fill out with vax info and passport info pre-loaded. I have also never been asked to show the actual app receipt at the land border crossing. I think it definitely is linked to the passport because each time we have crossed since November, the land border agent thanks us for filling out the app properly, even though they never asked to see it.

A travel tip that may seem obvious: allow plenty of time in the morning to get your taxi or Uber, if you’re not taking a pre-designated shuttle. I’m staying at the Holiday Inn within sight of the port, and I just came down to ask for a cab and there are about 30 people in front of me waiting for their turn. The front desk called the cab service for me and was put on hold. This will take a while. Somehow I have never run into this before. we are just far enough off the main drag to where I can’t exactly go out on the corner and hope to flag a cab passing by.

I think it's easier to use our ipad. That way, you can prop it up and see it easier, especially when you need to show them things like your ID or the bar code on the box. You just need a book or something to prop it up against.

Welcome to the message boards. I think your kids will have a great time on either ship. I don't think one or the other has such a big difference in experience that it's worth the change. Heck, I'd argue being in a grand suite is better for the kids because you get the suite benefits, which are super helpful for embarkation and disembarkation with kids.

Weatherman - only job you can be wrong 90% of the time & not get fired!!

We are on Mariner right now and we were just in Curaçao 2 days ago. We had an amazing tour with Joey from Gone Caribe. https://www.gonecaribe.com/build-your-own-trip We saw flamingos, Visited Shete Boka National Park, swam with turtles and snorkeled at the most beautiful beach. Our boys (14 & 16) loved it as much as we did. Highly recommend a tour with Gone Caribe. Worth every dollar.

In South Florida the last thing we listen to is the weather forecast. Do not let this impact your trip in any way. It literally rains here for 15 minutes and the sun comes back out.

I'm moving this to the Live Blog section, since that's basically what it is.

Absolutely agree with you. If we listened to the weatherman...We would stay home and miss a lot of good fishing, hunting and beach days.

My kids favorite memory of Coco is the first time we were there in a day bed on the old south beach (before the perfect day extravaganza)....it started raining and they were all like "What do we do now" as they watched all the people run out of the water, pack up their crap and leave......it wasn't a thunder storm, so I took them into the water....which was warm, and the chilly rain splashed on their faces while they swam.....20 minutes later it stopped, sun came out...and we were the only people around for the rest of the day.

born & raised in Miami I can tell you that the weather forecast mean absolutely nothing down here this time of year. It says 50% chance of rain from May to September & chances are it might rain at some point in the day, almost every day but they don't tend to be complete washouts. As others have mentioned, on sea days the captain does his best to stay clear of storms, but have no control over port days. you're on vacation, don't let a little rain affect your day. The best thing about oasis class ships are all the different kinds of entertainment that they offer that aren't reliant on good weather. Happy Sailing!

Your gonna get wet anyway so what difference does a little rain make

Got to think positive here. Good chance you will not get sunburned. However, you may get waterlogged. `

Covid tests came back negative, so we are a GO for this cruise. Good luck on your tests

I know everyone is keen to get back to Vanuatu but I think their government needs to be conservative in their decision making. It is important to remember they don't have the health infrastructure of NZ, Aust, US or for that matter New Caledonia. The number of hospital beds and ventilators per head of populations is well under the countries most of us call home. Also unfortunately adding to this as a population they are also over represented in conditions that increase the risk of serious COVID outcomes (such as Diabetes etc). On the other hand a great deal of the countries income is from tourism so opening up is important. Yes, can’t wait to get back there…. But I absolutely wouldn’t want to do so if I knew I was putting the people of Vanuatu at undue risk. I am happy to let Vanuatu make their own decision on when they want to open up and respect the fact they are being cautious. When they do I hope Australia and New Zealand continue to support them as far as ensuring they have access to any medical facilities they may require as they open up and that the cruise lines act responsibility and take into consideration the nature of the countries infrastructure itself when deciding to dock in a given day our not (Which I think they will be especially RCL which has long term agreements in place with Vanuatu). I actually wouldn’t be upset if you had do a rapid test before being allowed off the ship in port. Given most itineraries see a 2 or 3 day sail before you land it gives time for your viral load to be high enough to test positive. It might be a nice compromise between having the ships return and keeping the population as safe as possible (Never will 100% but anything we can do to reduce pressure on their health system the better).

I get emails directly from Royal regarding my sailing. My TA also does, and she forwards them to me. So it seems to be hit and miss.

Hi All, Returned back to Cincinnati yesterday and will do a recap of the cruise. I did purchase internet the last 2 days of the cruise, but it was a bit slow for a blog. Overall, we had a great time on the cruise. This was our 6th time to Alaska and we had many great moments on Ovation. Overall, I think I will return to alaska on a smaller ship, but some of that was also was influenced by this being the first sailing on Ovation for several months, the ship being understaffed, and the boat at almost full capacity with greater than 4000 guests A few reflections: Loved that this was an 8 night itinerary, our first time to Sitka and that we got an extra sea day at the end to recover!! I also ended up getting the price of our extra large hump balcony cheaper than we have paid for some inside cabins to Alaska so that was AMAZING!!! WE loved the cabin and the balcony.. Since this was the first sailing, we were able to board the ship at 10 am and go directly to our cabins. Boarding went well overall, but they have a crazy process in Vancouver where you go through the terminal to check your bags, go up an escalator to begin the check in process, and then go outside and back downstairs to go through security. I suspect the line for boarding got much longer and more chaotic.. Overall the process for check in was smooth and we were glad to be on the ship by 10:30 This was our first time to Sitka. We booked a tour through viator that met downtown where the free bus let's you off. The free bus into town was great, but there were not enough buses or drivers to meet demand so quite a line formed at their pier. We fortunately got off early at 9:30 and got in line. We just barely made it downtown by 10:30 in time for our tour, but those who waited to get off the ship had a much longer line and wait. We also had a line and wait in Sitka to return after the tour!! Overall, we really had a great time in Sitka and enjoyed getting to see it! There was another princess ship in port, but reportedly, it was only at 50% capacity Prior to the pandemic, my husband and I have always booked my time dining because we like to get a table for 2. Typically we are done dinner in the main dining room in less than an hour. During the pandemic, the hours for my time dining have changed and they don't open until 6:45. Despite having reservations, the first night in my time dining took a really long time. The first night can always be a bit slower in the main dining room. We had purchased a 3 night dining package, but due to looking ahead at the menu, we decided to go to specialty dining night 2, night 4, and night 8. Night 2 was CHOPS which never disappoints, we also did Jaime's this cruise and then again at CHOPs on night 8. We decided to ask the diamond concierge if he could help us get moved to the first dining time at 5:15 in the main dining room. On night 3, a card with the table number was delivered to our cabin so we ate there on nights 4, 5, and 6 and were much happier! We like to eat dinner early overall!! We got the drink package this cruise despite having diamond drinks and I was really glad we did! I liked the freedom of having it!! We spent a lot of time in the schooner bar and in the pub. The piano bar and female guitar player were both really great and we loved the bar tenders there!! The North star was broken most of the week so we did not get to do it. I believe a few people got to do it 1 or 2 days of the cruise. One observation is there are a lot less complimentary options available than I saw a few years ago on Anthem. We also could not make it all the way to the glacier for the Dawes glacier viewing because of too much ice. It was disappointing to many, but the scenery was still beautiful, and we have gotten to view the glacier before. That afternoon was Juneau. I booked the 5 glacier seaplane outside of the cruise, and it was a wonderful experience!! I will post some photos after the blog After the seaplane, we took a lyft to Mendenhall glacier for $35 and hiked to nugget falls. The lyft driver came back to get us. One note is there is no service available back from Mendenhall so we just paid her cash. I have taken cabs from that location before for around the same price so be prepared to carry one of the taxi number with you or plan to take the bus back. Usually, we also go to the Alaska brewing company near Mendenhall, but we skipped it this trip since we have a drink package. The day in Skagway was AMAZING!!! We took the train to white pass. We did this before 20 years ago, but it was raining then... This trip was much clearer and a perfect day!! Plus we got it 20% off through the cruise planner!! Ketchikan was our only rainy port (other than the first day in Vancouver)... We did the hoovercraft tour. It was a cool boat, but we really could not see much in the rain and could not do the beach landing due to high wind. We were lucky to have a direct flight at 11:15 home yesterday nad made it to the airport in a lyft in plenty of time. We also took advantage of the bag service to have the cruise line deliver our bags to the airport so we put it outside the door on the ship thursday night and we did not see it until we got to Cincinnati yesterday. Debarkation was a little chaotic so it was nice to be able to skip the baggage claim part. If you do this, don't expect to have your bag tags delivered until between 6pm and 9pm. This made a lot of people on the ship nervous, but I had called guest services asking about them that afternoon!Overall, we had a great week and I am looking forward to Symphony for thanksgiving week!! =

So sorry, you have to be so careful with your things these days. I hope you get lucky & some honest person turns it in.

If you enter your passport and vax info beforehand in the app filling out the other info takes less than 60 seconds. For what it’s worth I have yet to be asked about the app at land crossings although signage tells you repeatedly to have it filled out as you approach the Canadian crossing. I don’t know if this is because perhaps the info is somehow linked to my passport or if the land crossings have been of the day trip variety I have had to had it scanned every time before boarding flights to (and a cruise) Canada.

Yes, that's been my experience. One sailing they didn't do this and flat out refused to give it to me. I've since done this a few times and gotten double points so don't know what was up with that one sailing.

I also found this sample menu on the Royal Caribbean website!

Our 16 year old tested positive for COVID this morning. His friends tested positive earlier in the week, so I guess it was inevitable. He is worried about finals next week. I’m worried about positive tests before our cruise. I’m hoping there is enough time to recover if I (or my husband) gets sick. None of us has has COVID (as far as I know), so I’m keeping my fingers crossed!!

I recommend reviewing the menu at main dining room on night 1 and start from there. You can see it on the app under the dining tab. You may or may not know that night 2 is typically the first formal night at the MDR and its usually a bit more upscale of a menu. That menu is also available on the app. So maybe you might want to consider night 1 as first specialty and night 2 in MDR. I have heard that solarium has not been open lately for dining, but that may change soon. However I have never actually eaten there for dinner, so I have no idea how that is. Same goes for Windjammer. Lastly, you could always do specialty on both night 1 and night 2

This is one reason that check in in Seattle is an absolute cluster. People aren't sticking to their check in times and just showing up "a little early just in case".

My wife and I are on this trip. Currently I'm in the Florida Keys storing sun for Alaska. We fly out the 21st to do Danali, Girdwood and Seward on our own. If anyone has time for a meal, check out the Double Musky in Girdwood, Alaska. The two best meals I have ever had in my life! Have not been in over 10 years, but the reviews seem to still be very positive. We are spending 2 nights in Girdwood to have dinner there twice and so my wife can finally experience the place. Girdwood is also a great place to hike and has a sky lift that runs up a local mountain. I am not being paid for the plug. lol https://doublemuskyinn.com/ https://www.alyeskaresort.com/

Here is some unsolicited advice: 1) bring medical or food prep gloves. Wear them when putting on the patch to prevent the medication from getting on your hands. 2) Try the patch BEFORE the trip to see how your body will react. 3) if you don't have a good experience with the patch, cut off 1/4 of the patch. Yeah, I know they tell you not to do this but it was a life saver for me. 4) IMMEDIATELY after putting in the patch, take off the gloves AND WASH your hands. Especially stay away Finn your eyes until you have washed those hands. I also wash the scissors I used. 5) after 3 days, remove the old patch and put a new one on behind the other ear. 6) Bring dramamine or bonanine just in case the patch does not work for you. Enjoy your trip! Oh, believe me. If you have ever been sea sick, you will know that the patch is working. In fact, I have once stood at the bow wondering why I am not sick. Amazing feeling!

Personal preference. Driving 5 mins for a free test at Walgreens is pretty easy for me.

We have a cruise coming up in Sept and we will be requesting a private table since it is only my wife and I. Not that we don't like meeting new people, but for dinner we like it to be just us two. We usually travel with at least 6 in our group, so just the two of us is going to be great!

All, I am on Celebrity Bermuda cruise starting Friday. They just changed the itinerary to have Bermuda first to avoid the extra testing per Bermuda TA.

I made myself an app for my cruise in Coda: it has my packing list, a countdown, trackers for Small Wonders and my drinks, etc. I am very ready to get my day started. My train ride was pleasant — Acela First Class apparently includes a surprisingly good meal and open bar — but because I had no plans for Newark beyond waking up here on embarkation day, I’ve been counting the minutes until it’s reasonable for me to request a Lyft to the port since I exited The Other Penn Station. The Royal app now has the activities schedule for the cruise loaded and is allowing me to add things to my calendar, so I’m killing time looking at what will be on offer. Based on what I see in the app and what I’ve heard about the last few Oasis sailings, I’m preparing myself for a trip with neither Aqua 80 nor Cats, but I will survive. (Aqua 80 is a real loss; Cats is just bad in a way I find bonkers and amusing.)

Hoping for the best... Cancun and the rest of the Mexican Caribbean battle a sargassum seaweed invasion (thepointsguy.com)

I live in Portugal. The only thing is your booking must be in US dollars so you have to factor in exchange rate differences and possibly foreign currency transaction charges on your credit card.

Welcome to the boards! Typically yes. Not every day, but most agents I've talked to at MEI will reprice when a new sale is announced. In addition, the agents that work on Royal Caribbean talk amongst each other a lot, and if one sees price drops, they alert the other agents to check. That's a long winded way of me saying they do periodically check for better prices, but I don't want to make it seem like they're doing it every day.

I think I need to buy a lottery ticket. I did retry as they offered and today I got an email....Royal up came through with a balcony cabin?