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We have arrived in Amsterdam! We flew nonstop on KLM in business class. It was an outstanding flight. MisterZ and I decided long ago that the vacation starts when you leave your house, not when you reach your destination, so we budget for nicer flights than we did when we were young. Here’s my seat: And MisterZ’s adorable tiny welcome aboard Heineken: Ten hours, over night. Here’s the menu (it was all delicious, btw): Also, KLM does a cute collectible gifty thing — a house full of gin! There are 102 different ones to collect, a new one every year apparently. The flight attendant made it clear we should fly a lot more and collect them all We’ll see if they make our suitcases go to the Bad Kid room tomorrow or not! We’re staying at the Steigenberger Airport Hotel Amsterdam. It’s quite lovely, although some rooms are more updated than others. The restaurant is excellent. This hotel chain is always a solid choice, if you have the option. MomMe was already here as planned. We used our BinaxNOW covid tests and all came back negative. Woohoo! We are currently waiting for the tiny humans to stop playing Minecraft on the hotel computers so that we can print our result. Heh. One more sleep and we’re ON THE CRUISE!!

I’m tempting fate by starting this blog a whole two days early. Eep! We’ve been trying to cruise some form of this itinerary for years and it has just never worked out. Then finally in 2020 we were booked. Hooray! Wait, what? Global pandemic? Doh! There was no lift and shift option, since Royal didn’t offer anything like this in 2021, so we took our FCC and stayed home. As soon as the summer 2022 schedule came out I booked, deciding to worry about how it might fit in our plans later Turned out to be a little bit stressful, since we will be moving less than 4 weeks after we get home from this trip, but that’s Future KristiZ’s problem. Good luck to her! Ha! It is myself, MisterZ, and MomMe again on this cruise. The conversation might have gone something like this: “Hey Ma! We’re cruising the Arctic next year!” “Oh, how fun for you two!” “No, WE’RE cruising the Arctic. All three of us.” “Well ok then! Guess I better find some sweaters.” I appreciate her ability to roll with it We’re on Jewel of the Seas in an aft corner 2-bedroom Owner’s Suite, #9656. Should be perfect for all the Norwegian scenery. Itinerary: June 20 - Amsterdam June 21 - At Sea June 22 - Molde June 23 - At Sea June 24 - Tromso June 25 - Honningsvag June 26 - At Sea June 27 - Alesund June 28 - Flam June 29 - Haugesund June 30 - Kristiansand July 1 - At Sea July 2 - Amsterdam June 29 was supposed to be a sea day, but about 30 days before departure Haugesund was added. First time I’ve had a port added without any other port changing. Who knew? It was already a pretty busy itinerary, now more so. I will hopefully be able to include some photos from MisterZ’s much better camera as we go along. And please ask whatever questions you have about Jewel, Norway, or anything else and I’ll do my best to get them answered.

It's okay, @Lovetocruise2002 starts her live blogs like six weeks early

We had that on our way to Vancouver through LAX. The LAX flight was oversold, and they asked for volunteers. We asked if they could move us to the direct flight to Vancouver and they did that. Saved us 3 hours in travel time. No money offered, but seeing as the direct flight was originally 2x the price as the one we booked, I call that a win.

Gosh, I've never even seen Cats but now it's my least favorite!

Suite Concierge email as promised!

Flight logistics for this cruise were tough. Since we’re coming from Managua, Nicaragua our options are a bit limited. I also wanted to avoid the “test to fly to the US” hassle if we were just going to transit through, so flying through Panama City was the choice. I also didn’t want to fly for 18-24 hours. There is one flight per day from Managua to Panama City, and then one nonstop flight from Panama to Amsterdam. Sounds great, right? Except the Managua flight got into Panama 5 minutes after the Amsterdam flight left. And the two airlines involved don’t play nicely together, so buying a through ticket wasn’t possible anyway. Overnight in Panama was our only option. And then flight schedules changed about 6 weeks before our trip. Turns out we would have had a very manageable 3 hours to make the connection in Panama, but now it was too late. Changing either flight by a day would have tripled our cost. Overnight in Panama remained our best option. We flew to Panama yesterday, and spent the night at the Crowne Plaza Airport hotel. It was… serviceable. And that’s pretty much all I’ll say about that. Oh, except the dinner buffet (the only choice) was actually pretty tasty. So that was nice. We are currently sitting in the KLM lounge waiting for our Amsterdam flight to board. MomMe, flying out of Jacksonville via Atlanta, is already on her way to Amsterdam. We will meet her at the hotel, as she gets in about 6 hours before we do. We got the email from the Suite Concierge about 6 days out. I’ll see if I can drum up a copy later.

Days Eleven: Willow Today was our last day here so I woke up early to play with my cousins. We played a couple board games then had breakfast. It was time for our final excursion: sled dogs! We got to play with all of their 62 dogs. Lots of them enjoyed getting up on their hind two legs and dancing with us. There was this dog named Patsy who’s the great x22 granddaughter of Balto and Togo. She was the sweetest out of all of them. If you ever go, be sure to look out for Tenzing, he bites anything hanging off of you and almost stole my scarf. After we played with them for a bit, it was time to mush! Since it’s summer, we weren’t on sleds and instead had the dogs hooked up to a UTV. I got to stand in the back the whole time. It was really cool to see these dogs run and funny thinking my own dog was sleeping at home. Once we were done mushing, we played with the puppies! They were adorable, but one of them tried to eat my hair. I even got to hold one. We got hamburgers or hotdogs, chips, and cookies included with the whole experience for lunch. It was amazing and if you’re ever in Willow, you should definitely give Snowhook Adventure Guides of Alaska a try. Once we got back to my cousin’s house we played on their trampoline for a little bit. Then we tried out their ATVs. I didn’t drive, but it was pretty cool to ride with my dad. I think I’ve been on every mode of transportation this trip. It was time for the inevitable packing. Somehow we made it all fit, even with our souvenirs. We played a couple more board games then said bye. Before we left I made sure to get myself a sled dog. Plush of course. Then we were on our flight and headed back home. Shortly after we took off, my mom opened the window shade one last time and above the clouds, we saw for our first time Denali. We are now members of the 30% club, meaning only 30% of visitors to that area actually get to the see the mountain. Clearly it's a very elusive and exclusive mountain. So I started this blog to find out what there was in Alaska for teenagers. In Optix, they go with the flow and do whatever everyone wants to do. You can almost always look for something fun to do there when they’re open of course. There’s also tons of activities onboard and off board for anyone. I’d definitely do it again. And a big thanks to everyone who made this blog happen. My mom for having the idea, my dad for posting it, my brother for pictures, my family and friends for encouragement, and most of all to you, my reader, cause without you, none of this would really matter so thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Thanks for tuning in to my Alaska Adventure!

La Vida Loca has just confirmed that this is the case. Any medical or religious exemptions now require NO documentation. Eligibility to cruise with an exemption is still entirely up to Carnival to determine (they must still comply with the 90% vaxxed rules) so you must pay your cruise fare in total before you find out if you will even be allowed to cruise unvaxxed and you will still be required to test so that leaves us out BUT I do see cracks in the dam. This new rule applies to any cruise, including the Caribbean. Yay ! Moving in the right direction.

Every protocol that has been implemented chips away at the ability to enjoy a vacation. Every protocol impacts the travel industry. Some more than others and some in ways that aren't as easy to quantify. The removal of the testing requirement for inbound international flights has created significant impact on the travel industry. Just because planes were full before they removed testing doesn't mean there was no impact from the testing requirement for international flights. Other protocols like pre-cruise testing impact the travel industry. Vaccination requirements impact the travel industry. There are people now that are not cruising because of these protocols. At the moment there are many new to cruise booking travel that is largely rebound or pent up demand from having minimal travel for two years. There will soon come a time when that pent up demand has been satisfied. The state of the economy and inflation may soon put the brakes on travel demand. When that occurs the industry will need the folks who are currently avoiding travel due to protocols. Just because ships are full doesn't mean that there is no impact from the current protocols.

I'm posting this in the Rumors section b/c I have not seen it but one place, so far. La Vida Loca is reporting that Celebrity will be lifting the vaccination requirement for passengers under 17 years old, for cruises from Europe. Granted, this is a subset of a subset of a subset of cruisers, but to my knowledge this is the first time I have read of any vaccination requirement being lifted anywhere. Testing requirements ? Yes...but not vaxxes as far as I know. Anybody else hear this anywhere officially ? Could there be a crack ?

One thing about TAs. I recommend going east to west. Mrs. Cake has been on both, and she had a strong preference for E->W, because of the time zone changes. Ship-wise, I think they are all great. I went on Mariner from Rome to Galveston back in 2006, my favorite cruise so far. Barbeyg mentioned taking a TA in 2024 for a retirement celebration. I hope to do the same!

I found there were some neat visuals in Spectra's Cabaret...but my main thought was "very weird".

The wife and I are excited about our cruise, and it's still 460 days away!

I rather enjoyed Saturday Night Fever on Liberty, Mama Mia was good for the music but the story is corny.

Anthem. Story is kinda goofy (but aren’t they all ?) but Queen music is really excellent. I love Abba but the storyline in Mama Mia ! is so ridiculous that I just can’t get past it.

Favorite - We Will Rock You Worst - Tied - Mama Mia ! and Cats

If you get in the habit of tipping a few bucks with each of your six pinnacle drinks you may find by the end of the night you haven't consumed all of your six coupons. Establish a relationship and have an "anchor bar" for your coupons to go farther. Worst case use the two 50% CAS coupons for two beer/wine during the cruise. Even if you have to buy a few drinks during the cruise between the 50% off two beer/wine and a handful of "overage" drinks at full price by the end of the cruise your out of pocket can be under $100 pp including those cash tips with every drink. Way cheaper than a drink package.

The Bamboo room is a Tiki bar that offers some limited food items. They are fun items but pretty limited in terms of choices. Playmakers is a sports bar with a deeper bench when it comes to the food items. Depending on your group you may find it hard to find something for everyone at the Bamboo Room. Drop by with your team and see what they think. Playmakers and The Bamboo Room are a short walk apart.

I told you those days are long gone! @GregDand I were just discussing how much we should tempt fate and when we should start our Fjords blog lol

Royal does provide a pressing service for a fee. There's nothing on board that allows you to do it yourself. I use Downy Wrinkle Release and hang the garment in the bathroom for a few minutes with a hot shower running. Works well enough.

Honestly Pinnacle status is no joke. Not only should they be afforded the drinks above they should be allowed to dine at the specialty restaurants as they do Coastal Kitchen. That would be a very nice gesture on Royals part. The upcharge everyone else already pays should well enough cover them. This could also help alleviate the capacity issues in CK. I'm not a pin only diamond, but I scratch my head when they take up every table in CK and I have to struggle to secure a reservation at my preferred time. Showing more love to pins helps the suite amenities as well.

But will Viking continue testing passengers everyday onboard? That’d be a deal breaker for me

Oddly, one of the best shows we've seen was Charo on Freedom back in '06. People of my age know who she is. We went to the show expecting the full Coochie-Coo act and waiting for a train wreck of a show. The first part of the show was what we expected, but then she went off-stage ad came back on wearing formal wear and carrying a classic guitar. She explained that prior to her Coochie days, she was trained by one of the great classical guitarists in the world. She then spent the rest of the show displaying skills that I never imagined she had. It was truly incredible and memorable.

I'm jealous. I can't think of a better way, other than actually being with all my kids, to spend Father's Day than being on a cruise ship. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all Fathers, sailing or not.

I buy the home tests through Royal to avoid any issues. They are easy to do and can be done anywhere/anytime.

The athleticism was impressive. I agree with your analysis. Can’t wait to see the Effectors in the future, though.

OMG! You were so thorough on your replies and definitely answer every single thing with great insights! I deeply appreciate the time you took to reply me. I'll make sure to book the Aqua show! You seem to be quite an expert but I hope your next sail will be the best one ever!

I just wanna say thank you so much for taking your time replying to my message. You have made great points and I'll definitely share them with my friends! I really appreciate your kindness!

@NeesaI enjoyed your blog. Sometimes it's about the writing style and you tell it like it is - warts and all. I like when people write about the good and the not so good so it gives a good overall perspective on how some things on ship really are. And, maybe others can read it and take mitigating actions to improve their cruise. Glad non of that made you down and you were able to stay positive throughout your journey.

I can't wait - you do the some of the best live blogs ever!

I’m pretty sure this is the same suite we had booked for our Aug 19 Jewel cruise out of Amsterdam. Of course, we had to cancel. I hope you guys have a GREAT time !

On my most recent cruise, May 13th, Ovation, Seattle, we flew Southwest from Atlanta. Multiple stops both ways, every leg was completely full. In fact, in Las Vegas, on our return flight to Atlanta, Southwest was offering $600.00 and a free flight to Atlanta the next day if you'd give up the flight we were on. My wife wanted to do that so bad. I was in a hurry to get the flying thing over with and get home. But, that's it. Before this last trip, I hadn't flown for over a couple decades and promised that I would never fly again. Well, I broke my own commitment and flew to/from Seattle. That's it, never again. Well, until there is an again, again.

Surprise you must vacate your stateroom by 0800, Dudley saves the day. We met him at Schooner Bar which was packed with all cabin types. He told everyone to remain seated except suites and pins. Son of a gun if he didn't wisk us off the ship in minutes. I'll leave with some nice memories and am glad we did it but please beware the Mariner was a shock. Maybe include internet? Maybe allow more then one towel per person and maybe don't make me hunt down a garbage can because you say no. Probably our worst Royal sailing to date as far as ship, but Dudley and that itinerary just wonderful! Parked next to the Mouse this morning.

Let's get back on track to the original subject. I sure hope they are not replacing the duck with a chicken dish. One of the reasons I like to cruise is we eat food not on our normal menu at home like duck, lamb and even warm water lobster. In the midwest we have plenty of great beef, pork and chicken, so I don't really want that on vacation. Btw we also cruise to escape the cold winters, so it's not a complete deal breaker.

@Gabrielbeblo first off, welcome to the blogs. You will find lots of info here and on the main page. I'll do my best to give you some insight/answers. Drink package question : I personally always get the deluxe drink package. I find that I easily drink enough between cocktails, wine, water, coffee, soda to make the price worth it for me. So you should ask yourself the same question. How much do you plan on drinking each day etc, and figure out if the value is worth it to you. There is no hard and fast answer. While its easy to run to the windjammer to grab a juice during the day, its also much easier to be at one of the many bars and order a great cocktail etc. Dinner question: The main dining room is included in your cruise fair and they have three options. Set timed dining which is either early (5:30pm) or late seating (8pm) or my time dining which you go when you want during their operating time. Many people like the set time because you can get the same wait staff for the duration of the cruise and build a relationship with them. With mytime, that option(same waitstaff) may not be there depending on the time you go. You also are encouraged to make reservations early for your time slots so you don't have a wait for a table. The other option is the windjammer for dinner, or any of the other complimentary places ie sorentos for pizza etc. I personally have not had a bad experience in the main dining room for dinner and have always done the early seating, mainly because I have younger kids, so making them wait until late for dinner makes for grumpy kids. Deck 7 - I personally have not sailed in that area of the ship and you will have thousands of opinions on those locations. Some will say they are great, others will say you will feel tons of motion, only you can decide after sailing in that room if you made a good choice or not. Other tips, read many of the articles @Matt has written on the main page about all of the options for drink packages, internet, dining, and on an on. Don't sweat the small stuff, relax and have a good time on your cruise. Hopefully this will be the first of many for you. Each time you sail you will learn something new, as I do with each cruise, and take that information into the next one.

OMG, TMI, I'd just as soon dislike the thing rather than try to understand it. LOL Thanks for the info though!

Our past Sept 21 Alaska cruise out of Seattle, they checked our negative results four times. So like @Suite Snob said, it's just a "one and done" error.

Favorites...Rock of Ages, We Will Rock You, Burn the Floor. Least...Cats.

Thanks. I guess I just ignore the rules for the little ones as I have no one that fits into that category anymore !

The Effectors and Tap Factory on Odyssey. I don't have a least favorite. Maybe Saturday Night Fever on Liberty.

we were on Summit in the retreat in March. I assume the Luminae menu is the same between ships. The entire experience was incredible. Best dining experience we have had on 12 cruises that include Disney, Royal, and Celebrity. The staff are awesome, the food is incredible, you're going to love it. If you don't see something on the Luminae menu you like ask for the MDR menu and you can order off that as well. Enjoy!

You want coverage that covers you door to door. From what I've seen, it only covers the cruise portion, so you have to call and add the airfare and hotel, or whatever is involved in your vacation (and change the dates of travel if you are flying out ahead of time). For this reason I personally just arrange my own travel insurance.

Agreed! Just got mine yesterday for my 7/17 sailing!

Any staff shortage on Harmony's 5/29 sailing was hardly noticeable. Some ships will obviously be in better shape than others, whether it's luck or other factors, but I wouldn't be discouraged or go into your cruise with a negative outlook. MTD specifically can be a bit of a mess from what I've read. So if traditional seating works for you and you can switch, that would at least take that one specific issue out of play. Just spitballing.

I am thinking Symphony, Anthem or Odyssey because there is more space and more to do on those sea days. It's also a boon that they will end up either in FLL or MIA, that saves on round trip airfare.

To add a new layer of conspiracy to the vaccine situation....I heard on ANOTHER vid that Carnival is no longer requiring a doctor's letter for the request(s) for vaccine exemption. This rumor is even more esoteric than the Celebrity one in that there is absolutely no additional information as to exactly what IS required for their (Carnival's) exemption process....simply that the doctor's letter is no longer required. As far as I know (and that's not saying much) this new Carnival requirement affects all sailings, including the US. So......

Slow but I'm trying....

Hi there @CruiseRVA! Welcome to the boards! 1) This is a totally workable plan. You’ll want to take the Orange Line ferry, which is the first one to leave. You’ll want to be sure to get off the ship as soon as they clear people to leave, and scoot over to the ticket booth at the end of the pier. The first ferry leaves at 9:00 IIRC, maybe 9:30 (schedule wasn’t posted when I checked the bermuda4u.com site), so there’s not a whole lot of time to get the transit passes and get over to the ferry. If you miss that first ferry, the next one doesn’t arrive for about 90 minutes. Once you’re in St George’s, it’s very easily walked and there are a decent number of sights to see. You’ll also have a good number of food options and art / craft stores to check out. 2) I haven’t done this excursion, but I looked at it for our first trip last year and found reviews on TripAdvisor that indicated there really wasn’t much to see through the glass bottom, and it was a bit of an uninteresting trip. As always, take Internet reviews with a grain of salt. 3) Horseshoe Bay is perfect for day 2, as most passengers will try and get there on day 1. Don’t take the public bus line, take the small minivan shuttles that you’ll find right at the end of the pier. $7 per person each way, and the shuttles are constantly coming and going so you can leave whenever you’d like. And take a couple towels from the ship with you for drying off Once at Horseshoe Bay, find the shack by the beach entrance to get loungers and/or an umbrella and/or a bucket of beers. An employee will walk down the beach with you to set up the loungers where you’d like, and also dog a hole for any umbrella. You must pay cash for all of these as I recall. Rates are about $18 for a lounger, $15-ish for an umbrella, and they have package offerings as well. People there are good about not stealing your lounger or umbrella and respecting the space where it was set up.