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My Soulmate and I just met cruising friends (for the first time since the end of February) IN PERSON. We were distanced and had lunch on our porch. It was glorious. It got us thinking about how many friends we have made through cruising, and how we miss them more than the ships and cruising experience. I am afraid 2020 is a loss, and we have hedged our bets for 2021 with only cruises out of European ports. Still, we hope that we see our cruising friends again, and make even more in the future. To all the people we have met, for all the funny and fascinating conversations ... thank you. To all the people we have yet to meet ... we can't wait. To everyone ... we hope that you Stay Safe, Stay Apart and Stay Connected. Curt from Canada

I just wanted to share some good vibrations. While I had two cruises cancelled this year (May, Oct), and I am still waiting on taxes and fees to be refunded, I have made the best of a bad situation. I gladly chose the 125% FCC and the 125% cruise planner credit. I have done all the bookings myself, mostly through email using RCI sales reps I have used in the past, because I’m in the UK and don’t really have a goto travel agent. So the good news is I have been able to go from an 8 night sailing to a 12 night sailing (with nothing but gratuities, taxes, and fees to pay) using the 125% FCC and have amassed $1400 OBC to spend. I have lost out on about $125 OBC credit but considering the 4 extra nights and the itinerary (Canary Islands, Portugal, and Spain) I am super excited! I didn’t even have to pay a deposit, as FCC was reinstated while I was on the phone finalising the booking. So yes, it has not been ideal, I am still looking at a much better cruise than I started out with in my opinion. The new booking is for July 2021, so hopefully 3rd time lucky.

If testing is part of the new reality (and how can it not be ?), passengers will pay for it, one way or another. Even if there is not a direct charge, the cost will be passed on. In fairness, this is true for many other public industries...not just cruises.

Odyssey lifeboats on their way to the shipyard!

It sounds like they are not going to rush back in because they want to avoid creating a mess off the bat. So I think they intent to get it mostly right the first time. There are going to have to be some tweaks and adjustments, but I think their intention is to be on the right track, rather than start cruising with one plan and have to completely re-think everything.

This sunset courtesy of cruising in general.

I think this is the one that will actually mean something. Of course, Royal will never announce that they are recruiting/manning ships, but we will know...there are plenty of people out in the etherworld that have connections and will hear when Royal starts to hire. That is when we will know things are moving. Presently, they are still trying to get staff OFF the ship and back home so it doesn't seem like things are turning the corner yet. ...but I am sure we will hear about it once Royal, or any of the other lines, start hiring.

They'll have to make adjustments as they go. They will have a plan A, B, C, D (and so on) in place. I do believe they will have thought of most scenarios before they sail again but there's no way it's a one size fits all kind of thing.

I’ll call my friend who was a former hotel director for Royal and pick his brain. He’s currently HD for a river cruise line here in the states but stays in contact with his RC peeps. Of course he felt we’d be good by October but we all know now that isn’t happening. Your very first signs will also be when we can gather in larger groups again. That has to happen on land before it can happen at sea.

I'd say it's not bad news

And oh so much better for you than the 8 tablespoons of butter on the escargots. 😁😂

I'm in the process of Lift and Shifting my Jan 2021 Empress sailing to 2022 Odyssey. I haven't received confirmation from Royal Caribbean, but the sailing is showing up on my Cruise Planner, so I'm assuming that's a good sign. The difference between the Owner's Site on Empress and the Owner's Suite on Odyssey is $9200. Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

Agreed, but this sort of notion has me thinking about what is an "appropriate" level of cases? Zero? 1% per ship? 5%? After Royal Caribbean formed the Healthy Sain Panel, there was an interesting quote from a video that resonates more with me now. I could be wrong, but those quotes sound like they are prepared for cases to be on ships. Mitigated and controlled a heck of a lot better than Diamond Princess ever was, but I think the reality there could be cases onboard and managed without shutting down the industry may be the norm to expect.

Ill take a test to get on board...sure..... https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/08/10/royal-caribbean-cruises-likely-have-covid-19-testing-upon-return/3302471001/ But what happens when people get false negatives??????

It took me a minute to get this one.🤣🤣

This is what we almost always do. When we first started cruising 20 years ago, like so many people, we waaaay overpacked which necessitated using the luggage service (our hands had to be free for the duty free alcohol 😉 )....now, we pretty much have our packing down to a science and even for a 7 night cruise my husband and I have 1 suitcase and 1 backpack so we can walk off whenever we want. Much easier (in my opinion).

Id keep and eye on Chris Wong's channel on You Tube. I imagine the employees wont be allowed to announce anything, though....but staffing the ships for sure, will be a good sign. First and foremost, the CDC has to lift the no sail order. At this point, I sincerely doubt my March sailing on Harmony will go.....or at least it wont be what it is now. Less days, different ports, and such.

The Healthy Sail Panel will have some initial thoughts near the end of August. I'd suggest waiting to see what of those are made public rather than wild and unsubstantiated speculation by those like me who have no idea.

Several years ago our Oasis Cruise was partially chartered by LulaRoe. They make obnoxious leggings for women but men were wearing them too. It’s a MLM scheme and those people kept trying to sell to passengers. They were quite annoying. Men in leggings 😳

I think my 10+ whiskey on the rocks per day is still only about half the caloric intake of the French onion, thank you very much

Sorry, I have to edit the info and close thread. There is way too high a chance this is not on the up and up (no offense to the OP, just no way to know).

And I have YOU to thank for it, because you encouraged me to have Michelle check again. So THANK YOU!!!!

WOW ! Waaay to go ! If it’s showing up in your online account I think you’ve done it ! That’s the best deal I’ve heard of yet !

Yes, I moved my March 2021 on Rhapsody in an owners suite to the same basic itinerary in an owners suite on Harmony March 2022. Harmony is over $5000 more than Rhapsody but I only had to pay $100 difference in port fees. Sweet deal!!

I posted this EXACT post, word for word, around a month ago: Even the subject line is the same. 😔

Cruisedeckplans.com is my go to site for all things photos/deck plans etc. It's so helpful!

Hoorah for progress! It's the little things in life that keep me going right now!

A great discussion topic. For me I've tried to gauge how probable the cruise is. My nearest cruise has a low probability of occurrence, so I left it alone. My spring '21 I have a "little" more hope so purchased some discounted specialty dining.

Getting late. Almost time for... ...a hot tub before bed. There's nothing like a relaxing sea day before a port call the next day.

Michael Bayley is CEO of Royal Caribbean International (a single cruise line). Richard Fain is the Chairman (or maybe CEO or both, doesn't really matter) of the parent company Royal Caribbean Group (which owns several cruise lines).

Congratulations in advance ! What a great milestone !

I dropped by the Royal Transporter with bags packed but it seems my timing was off. Radiance was at Hubbard Glacier while I was drinking Painkillers, I mean medicating against the virus on Jost Van Dyke. I could beam over to Radiance where she was or pick another ship. I love the Caribbean but was really looking forward to cooler weather. The crew suggested New England. That's actually a pretty decent idea. Cruising with the Royal Transporter team opens up a whole new aspect of cruising. "Surprise me" I said. "Something on a New England cruise... but keep it on a Royal Caribbean ship" (I need my points to keep climbing the Crown and Anchor ladder). I'm not sure where I'm heading but I'll find out when I get there.

Cruise relaxation mode engaged. I heard in a press briefing a Painkiller might prevent Coronavirus. I looked at my watch and it was 5 o'clock. Unsure of the recommended dose, I had several.

Ironic that they lifted the International Travel advisory but Americans are banned from almost everywhere on this planet.

I started deleting posts that were so far off the mark of the rules, but consider this the last warning about this. This forum is not the place to debate masks, political decisions, or who is to blame for the spread of the virus. No matter which video, link, meme or @twangster quote you can find, you will NEVER CONVINCE SOMEONE ELSE YOU ARE RIGHT AND THEY ARE WRONG. It's frustrating, I get it. I see the same things and shake my head, but ultimately these discussions do nothing but upset everyone, and the same people who felt one way still feel that way after the thread is locked by our mods. Before you post about COVID, think "is this post I'm writing primarily about Royal Caribbean/cruising, or is this venturing into political territory?". I'll leave this thread open if you have questions, but enough is enough. I thought closing threads and deleting posts would have sent the signal that sort of chat is not welcome here, but I'll make it crystal clear.

What if you re-book your new cruise (the one that you are trying to use your FCC on) with a travel agent? Have them deal with Royal. @Matt only posts facts on the blog so this should be able to be done. This is one of the reasons I use a TA. I can do everything, but like you said, I don’t particularly want to be tied to the phone and my free time is more valuable than that.

I was inspired by something I heard during Mondays YouTube. My mind wandered back in time to my youth to 1978 when as a young sailor, I had my first major cruise (HMS Juno). I thought to myself, how much fun it would be to recreate that cruise, but this time in somewhat more opulent accomodations onboard a suitable RCCL ship. Just for fun, I wonder how much it would cost and how long it would take to complete. In 1978 it was 9 months and there was no cost to me. The itinerary was as follows: Portsmouth UK; Brest, France; Tortolla, BVI; Belize; Panama Canal Transit; San Diego CA; Long Beach CA; Victoria BC; Prince Rupert BC; Juneax, AK; San Francisco CA; Acapulco MX; Panama Canal Transit; San Juan Puerto Rico; Dominica, Lesser Antilles; Key West FL; St Thomas USVI; Portsmouth UK Who else has a dream cruise itinerary,

I was just watching a youtube showing Mein Shif 2 (TUI) complete a successful 3 day cruise to nowhere with zero Covid. I am excited that they are moving forward with ways to evaluate and adapt! Although, Mein Shif 1 had issue with Crew and COVID. Have you heard how RCL are dealing with the incoming crew and COVID

I think several of you basically said it but they are going to get tried in the court of public opinion (which really means tarred and feathered by the media), so they have to get it right the first time or get destroyed. I think the much smarter play would be to try and and fix it as they go but they are not going to be allowed to take that approach. Talking to one of my friends who did the 3 night Mariner weekender to CocoCay with me several times last year and we both agreed we would have felt fine getting on that cruise again right now ... wearing masks when in public but no additional precautions required. We went "off peak" so we already had quiet ships with essentially limited passengers and social distancing. We weren't doing shows so no worried about what that would like, etc.

To quote a dear friend of mine, this is MOO (my opinion only), but I think availability is going to be tighter next year as everyone who has had a sailing cancelled this year, or has simply initiated their own L&S due to uncertainty, rebooks for next year.

and 6month equal payments, no extra charges....

Seems like that should be assessed as a double minor 🤣🤣🤣

I don't even know who you are!!!

With that it was time to depart OSJ. All good things must come to an end including my time on Empress of the Seas. It seems like Radiance should have reached Hubbard Glacier by now so I think it's time to beam back to where I started. Tomorrow is another cruise day and I look forward to the cooler Alaskan weather.

Jost is a small island with a smaller population but this beach is world renowned.

I understand completely. The first cruise I ever went on had a partial charter of cruisers I was not particularly thrilled to be around, but they didn't give me much trouble. I just politely said no thank you the 2 times someone from them approached and started to speak to me. I know there was a thread about this earlier this year. I wish the cruise lines would let let potential guests know if there's a partial charter on any given cruise and who's doing it. I guess they don't do that because regular guests may cancel, or not book a cruise if they knew the one they're interested in is partially chartered.