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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.

Just got back today from our first cruise ever on Oasis of the Seas, and it was hands down THE BEST vacation we've taken. Thanks to Matt, all his videos I watched, and all the advice from everyone here, we were fully prepared for everything.

Someone already answered but Certified Travel Counselor and Master Cruise Counselor. But thanks for reminding me, I never updated my signature here, I have the Certified Travel Industry Executive (CTIE) accreditation as well.

Editing this because i was wrong. 75 people and 50 staterooms.

I’m so sad it’s my last night! There were two bars that had bartenders who would start making my drink of choice when they saw me coming (the Solarium and the Trellis)—and it only took $1 cash per drink on top of the DBP during the first couple of days. I will be sure to mention them by name in the post-cruise survey if I’m given the option. I feel like I could never parse any announcements over the intercom, which was frustrating—on this cruise in particular the announcements I cared about where Aqua80-related, and even though I was listening for them, tonight I wandered from the Schooner Bar into an unexpected full Aqua80 performance with almost a full house…I was honestly shocked they would even try high dives and the tightrope walker the night before Bayonne. (The tightrope walker was not, in fact, not able to make it across with the effortlessness he achieved on Wednesday; I left to get a Campfire Cookie at Playmakers after his first couple of attempts to stay upright, which made me feel bad.) I’m SO happy I made this trip, and I honestly think I’d rather come back on Oasis before experiencing a new ship: is that weird?

Once I boarded the ship, I was able to use the app for show reservations. Had to connect to Royal Wi-Fi before the app would let me do that. I tried it on land and it didn’t work. Show reservations filled up fast. I think this ship must be full. Ate both lunch and dinner in the Windjammer today and the food was so so. Really nice variety and very fresh, and the desserts are wonderful, but the food is not as good as it was on Odyssey and Freedom. I will branch out tomorrow. I just made platinum and I have a card in my room inviting me to a platinum event tomorrow at 10:30. I’m guessing that will be coffee and donuts and someone encouraging us to just keep booking cruises and make it all the way to diamond. But I’ll go and see. I also have a card in my room with a barcode and if I scan the barcode I can pre-order pool towels and they will be delivered to me instead of having to go get them at the towel station. Beautiful sunset tonight. I don’t think I can get any pictures here to upload due to the Internet but I will try. But take my word for it it was beautiful. I went to the aqua show tonight and it was amazing. Just fabulous. Absolutely make sure you get reservations for that. I followed that up by going to see two comedians, Don Gray and Phil Palisoul. Phil came on first and he was hilarious. By the time he finished I could barely keep my eyes open so I left and didn’t get to see Don. But he’s performing later this week. I didn’t get much sleep last night so I’m worn out. Walked 7 miles today exploring the ship and getting back-and-forth. More soon

Happened to my son (not on a cruise). His son tested positive just before Xmas. My son’s company required a 14 day quarantine (ridiculous especially because son never tested positive). Gets 1 week covid pay, nothing for the second week. Goes back to work for a week and his daughter comes down with it. She is able to go back to school 5 days later but he’s out for another 2 weeks this time with no pay at all. And he still never tested positive!! Tried to apply for unemployment for the three missing weeks but was rejected. Just a mess.

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I noticed that his solarium bistro was not open at all. Ours is at least open for breakfast but that’s it. I’m not a drinker, so I can’t give you any reviews on any of the beverages here. Planning on having a few mocktails but I know that’s not the same. it’s been a great day. I had planned on it being a pool day but I found plenty of other things to do. Plus some serious relaxation time in my room. Today I was able to sit on the balcony and watch the world’s sexiest man competition, which was wild! Tonight is an ice-skating show and then another performer who I think is a singer. We’re at Labadee tomorrow! Allure is a beautiful ship with so much to do and such great staff. But she is definitely showing her age and waiting for that amplification. The pool deck for example, is worn and pitted and has lots of spots with discoloration and holes and chips. The Casitas are dirty in a permanent way. My room is just a little too warm for my liking and I heard several other people on the hallway complaining about the same thing this morning and apparently that’s just how it is. so much to love here though, far more good than bad. But having come off Odyssey, which is shiny and new, I’m seeing a lot of differences. Even for an Oasis ship. So far my impressions are the really big thing to love about this cruise is the entertainment. They have a huge variety and really good people so far. And lots and lots of performances, which are completely booked out. They only let you reserve each performance one time, you’re not allowed to make reservations for the same show more than once. But you can try to squeeze in if you want for a second time and see if they’ll let you.

No Solarium Bistro. No Northstar (broke down), Broke down elevators, cabin phone doesn't work, one dining room not open for dinner (I've been told, I don't eat in the MDR), No olives (at least the first night), No draft beer in the Pub, Poutine in the pub was French Fries and cheese sauce and I was told that's the way it is and always has been yet the menu says cheese curds and gravy which is what I actually wanted (yes, I know Poutine is supposed to be French Fries and gravy), no Pina Colada, laundry didn't make it back to the cabin when promised, had to go to Chops Grill in less than semi-formal clothing. Security in the Terminal almost confiscating my Drone saying they aren't allowed on the ship, finally a supervisor reversed the untrained individual and I got my Drone back. I'm sure there is several more things to report if I wasn't under the influence of massive amounts of adult beverage, I'd probably remember them all. None of this on its own is earth shattering. But, you add up all the little things and it really starts to frustrate. Well, no draft beer in the Pub is kinda earth shattering. I really don't like to be like this. I'm very loyal to Royal but this cruise and ship will go down as a big disappointment. This is my old Army buddy's first Royal cruise and I really talked it up to him and his wife, they've been Brand X cruisers. I'm trying to convert them. Not sure it's going to happen, now.

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.

Thank you for this info. I went back and forth about bidding on a ATS and decided to go ahead and bid. I love being on the 17th floor but want to try something different

Maybe it was raining or the photographer was overheard saying "hold my beer" right before taking the photo.

i'm so sorry to hear this. I know the difficulties of saving for a cruise and to have something like this happen is awful. Thank you again for sharing your experience. I hope your son recovers quickly and you stay Covid free.

They tried to move us. From our deck 8 balcony room to a deck 2 interior. We begged and begged and crossed our hearts and hoped to die and swore we wouldnt leave the room. The "quarantine wing" is guarded to make sure people dont leave. all the free alcohol we want. Not sure if everyone gets this or they just feel bad that only our son is positive and we are stuck in the room with him.

I called the ArriveCan hotline (1-833-283-7403) and I got some additional information for my specific situation. As I am only doing a one way trip from Vancouver to Seward (open jaw) and not returning to Canada, I was told that I will not need to complete a second ArriveCan form to get on the ship to leave Vancouver. I looked at the 'enter by marine' form on ArriveCan app and it clearly identify 'port of entry' and date of arrival', so it makes sense that I would not need it because I have no port of arrival. I am sure the southbound cruises from Seward to Vancouver would use this form, but not the northbound Vancouver to Seward. I believe the issue described in the above referenced live blog was that that particular Radiance OTS cruise was closed loop returning to Canada which does make sense. I'd expect the same for the closed loop Serenade OTS sailings out of Vancouver. As for the land point of entry, they stated that the point of entry needs to align with the ArriveCan app, so I cannot put one and change mind to go through another. I would need to create a new form.

Well, I’m here in Fort Lauderdale at the hotel. From my window I can see a distant Celebrity cruise ship at the terminal but I can’t see much else. It looks like there might be other cruise ships further away. I have a great view of the airport and planes taking off! I got up at six this morning, tended to the cats, (who were very upset about the site of the suitcases), and then drove 100 miles to the ever-chaotic Atlanta airport. We had a mysterious hour long delay in taking off but here we are. Safe and sound. check out time tomorrow is at 11 and my boarding time is 12:30. I’ve had two stern emails from Royal Caribbean, reminding me not to show up before my designated time. But I don’t really see an option. Once I check out, I don’t feel comfortable sitting around the lobby and this is not a hotel where you can get out and walk around, especially with two suitcases. When I did my solo in March on Odyssey, I came to this same cruise terminal in Fort Lauderdale with the same situation. I flew in the same day and landed at 10 o’clock in the morning and my boarding time was not until 230. I planned to sit around the airport for a few hours but eventually I decided that was crazy and I just went ahead and took a cab over to the terminal. I walked up to an 11 AM line that was being filed into the building and showed the staff member there my boarding pass and she ushered me in. I told her twice, “I’m not supposed to board until 230. Is this ok?” She put a finger to her lips and said, “honey, I’m not checking your time so let’s just not say anything, OK?“ I was on board the ship and having lunch by noon! Wouldn’t it be lovely if that was the same case tomorrow? photos from home and the plane.

Alot of positive cases here on serenade of the seas. Alot. including us. our son has tested positive on thursday. We are all now confined to the room. My husband and i have no symptoms and have been testing negative. we got free wifi and the remainder of our cruise refunded, as well as room service for whatever whenever. it sucks but i knew the risk when i chose to cruise. I just wish it didnt happen to us. Also i think i under estimated what a covid hotbed this would be. Went through thursday, friday, saturday, and then debarkation sunday morning. fun times. ask me anything about the process and ill try to answer.

Been on board this week. Heard there was around 5400 on board. Absolutely no complaints for this cruise. The crew have been fantastic and all meals in main dining and and one night in Hooked were great. Shows were Hiro,Flight,1977,Randy Cabral and two comedians. With that said this ship is back!

Hey ya we were actually all crammed into a room when we were trying ti disembark, and also counted the cabins on the list. Could have been a bit more or less but around 50. if we had really known the risk we wouldnt have cruised. also found out the 14 day quarantine info they gave us was almost a year outdated. We do not have to quarantine.

Totally get it! I felt the same way on the Oasis this past Spring Break sailing. Happy that sailings are happening again but wowza, I honestly forgot how many people they can get on a ship, spoiled by our previous few sailings. ( except Odyssey 11/21 Thanksgiving ) people everywhere on that one also. But I would prefer that to another shut down any day of the week, I am holding my breath though wondering if they are getting slightly arrogant and ramping up to quickly, fingers crossed everything proceeds well. The stock price plummeting again is also concerning. Be that as it may, have a great time and relish your sailing. I would rather be on that crowded ship with you, then home right now! Cheers to you, thanks for taking us along. I would like a picture with the description of the sangria please....ah so thirsty about now. Have the best time At least you are having a much better experience then @10-42gees, I am willing positive karma his way for sure!

And no need for masks in terminal

Those are typically only found in suites.

Not scientifically backed nor does that make any sense. Im sick of these no science rules.

We get a pro rated refund of our cruise. our room service always came when it was supposed to. You have set meal times when you are in quarantine. They call you 2 hours before the meal time to collect your order. Then your food comes at 7, 12:30, and 6:15. Ours was always on time or early. Annoying part was for breakfast they didnt collect the orders the night before. So we would get an early wake up call each morning. The food was always fine. Not dining room quality as i suppose it sat for awhile. But still the same food just lack of presentation and freshness. you could also order outside of meal times and they would bring it to you about 30 mins later. You could order anything off any menu during times when they were open.

Whenever I've done a "one way cruise" i've never parked at the cruise terminal; i've always used an uber or car service. But I live in North Jersey so it's not super far for me to get to any of the NY Area cruise ports. Maybe parking at EWR makes more sense? Then uber over to the cruise port? Then it should be easier to get to your car once you fly back to Newark.

I have stayed in the 2 BR ATS but never stayed in a CLS (I have been in one, but never booked one). Pros of the 2 BR ATS: Star Class amenities (including the Genie). Incredible aft views. Cons of the 2 BR ATS: LONG walk all the way aft. Pros of the CLS: Dramatic views with the 2 level, full glass windows/doors. Very short walk to the Coastal Kitchen/Suites Lounge. Sky class amenities. Cons of the CLS: Long, steep stairs. Narrow room/balcony. No real second bedroom. The 2 BR ATS was our first (and second, and third) SC suites. I really enjoyed the suite(s) but I soon tired of the very long walk and once I discovered the convenience of being up on Deck 17, we switched exclusively to Deck 17 and have never gone back. I'm really glad we did the ATS. There's nothing to compare to it. Besides the Royal Loft Suite (and the Villa Suite), the ATS are the only SC suites that truly have a separate bedroom. If it were me, I would definitely put a minimum RU bid in for the 2 BR ATS. It would be well worth the SC amenities alone to get there via RU. Good luck !

Just a heads up for anyone travelling to Greece this summer be aware of this scam! https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/tourist-stunned-after-being-charged-26958008 Apparently it happens a lot

The Galveston Daily News is reporting that Galveston cruise lines are asking for commercial flights into Galveston's Scholes Field to support the cruise industry. An excerpt from the article: "As operations pick up at Royal Caribbean’s new cruise terminal, scheduled for completion at the Port of Galveston this year, Shahan expects prospects for limited commercial operations at the airport to expand. “The cruise companies have been telling us they want commercial services to the airport,” Shahan said. If that came to fruition, the airport likely would build a new terminal and would need to add Transportation Security Administration facilities to the building, he said."

The volume is usually quite loud in the theatres and there isn’t a lot of ambient noise in audience so hopefully you will be able to enjoy the shows there. The ice shows and aqua shows are more about visual than audio appeal and I feel those would still be entertaining to watch.

Certified Travel Counselor and Master Cruise Counselor

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.

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

That is unfortunate, sorry that it is happening. Is your son OK?

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!! =

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.

My favorite game to play while solo traveling as woman is how many times I hear "YOU'RE SO BRAVE TO TRAVEL ALONE". sigh.

We are currently on Symphony on the 1st leg of our B2B. We were waiting for information and direction for our Covid test in preparation for the next leg. Nothing…Crickets!! So we contacted the Suite Concierges, Nadja & Jennie, and asked what needed to be done. We didn’t want to neglect to do what we needed in error. To our complete surprise, we were in formed that B2B guests no longer need to test and that this was the 1st sailing to apply this new rule change!! We were dancin’ in the streets(of Central Park, that is). Whew!! What a relief.

How far in the future is your cruise? If it's 6+ months, they might yet have those plans in place to offer excursions. Just a thought.

@WAAAYTOOOthank you so much! This was SO incredibly helpful!

No. Not without repricing the entire reservation, which would [more than] negate any savings that you would realize from a RoyalUp upgrade.

Hey Joe, Glad to hear you're alive and well! Your time in Rome is not long enough, I know from personal experience. But here's a link I think will help you with your ttransportation: Private tours, Transfers & Shore Excursions - RomeCabs Have a GREAT cruise and enjoy every moment of it!

You don’t have to look very far on the internet to see guests experiencing IT related issues on Royal. Email is part of IT. I wouldn’t try to analyze why or what you may have or don’t have as root cause. It’s Royal.

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

Well said! I will say, one of my favorite things about solo cruising is not having to negotiate when or if we eat and where. Or how long we stay at the table. I mean my husband is very easy to travel with, but anytime you travel with others, that’s one area you constantly have to talk about. It’s lovely to skip a meal or just go eat on the spot as soon as I’m hungry.

Cruise Terminal 10 Here’s the old and new terminal locations. The exit to the Gulf is to the far right. The automobile processing facility in front of the new terminal will remain. Street view.

Would've been a "sea day" for me anyway

There may have been cruise lines that would have been impacted if such a regulation had been in effect for the pandemic but Royal isn't one of them. I've had a significant number of cruises cancelled with Royal and in every case they did offer a full refund as an option. They also offered FCC and FCC accelerators like the 125% but for every cancellation I chose the refund option. What I don't see in the regulation is a time frame for the refund to be processed and that is where Royal did slip at times. Despite that, in the end Royal did eventually refund dozens of cancelled for cruises for me and I am whole with them in the long run. To me, at least as a Royal guest, this regulations appears to be much to do about nothing, something that politicians can claim they did something when they didn't really do anything at all. However there may be other cruise lines that didn't offer refunds so for some other set of guests this may carry more weight.