barbeyg

Maybe it’s just my suspicious nature , but why is there nothing on the website when I go directly there and search? Also someone on CC said the domain was registered anonymously in Canada 2 weeks ago. https://www.whois.com/whois/royalfreeshipping.com Just a heads up for others who expect scams when it sounds really good. Could be legit, but I’m going to hold off till it shows as a link directly from their site.

No worries! I had to research that myself. Info is ever-changing with shots, travel, etc. Really have to stay on top of it these days, don’t we?

Only Pfizer is FDA approved for children under 12 right now. That could change, but for now, that is the option. Moderna and J&J are doing studies, but Pfizer is the only one currently available.

Don’t know about the excursions, but the requirement is fully vaccinated two weeks ahead. So, that is 2 Pfizer or Moderna, 1 J&J. I can tell you that planner items do pop back up when someone cancels. We had the unlimited dining plan, then upgraded to a suite. Cancelled it and someone in our FB group announced that UDP for 2 just came back and they grabbed it. So, you can watch for it. Good luck.

There is no way around the requirement to purchase RCI excursions for children who have not been fully vaccinated at least 14 days before sailing. These rules have been in place for some time, and in many cases, are required by the islands that are visited. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise Tours Required for Families With Unvaccinated ChildrenFamilies traveling with unvaccinated kids must purchase a local tour through Royal Caribbean if they wish to go ashore in ports of call. This applies to all ports of call except Perfect Day at CocoCay, and Port Canaveral, Florida. Vaccinated parents wishing to go ashore freely can visit our youth facilities onboard to learn about drop off program hours and availability, and reserve time for their child on the day they wish to go in port.

Congrats on being a cancer survivor! I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

What Steve said. We are driving from TN to Miami in less than a month, adding 1 hour to our 12 hour drive to stop off in Savannah overnight for some great food. Right now, we just don’t want the hassle of having to wear a mask for hours on end just to fly. It sounds like the car trip may be too much for you, though. Suggest you choose what is best for you.

Steve, I really don’t think there will be an issue. You may even want to ask the tour company if they will store your luggage for you. Seward is small, not a lot to navigate to get to the boat for the tour. I personally would have an early breakfast, and walk off with luggage. And suggest you contact the company offering the tour. They may even have pickup available from the ship. Have a great time!

Spot on from WAAAYTOOO. I was coming here to post something very similar. You can't please everyone, so I personally don't try to. I love organizing and planning, love sharing that with others. It's almost as much fun as the cruise itself. Almost. lol I make plans, and my "bestest" of friend know this. They understand that they can hop onto the "Barb train" and go along for a fun time, or do something else. It doesn't matter to me which they choose. I have a work friend (like a sister) who asks what my vacation plans are that I'm willing to share with others. She and her hubby have traveled 3 times with us now, and are comfortable enough to go their own way when they want. Please try to have fun. Don't let this spoil your cruise. While the "piling on" was very unkind, please try to shake it off, and enjoy YOUR cruise. Let others know where you are going and what you are doing, and don't wait around for them if they are late. It is not your responsibility to cater to their every moment. This is your vacation too! We enjoy talking to our waiters briefly when dinner is wrapping up, if they/we have time. But we also prefer to have privacy during our meals. It's a fine line between being attentive, and hovering, and the best servers know where that line is. Maybe this will improve as the week goes on. Hope your cruise is uphill from here!

Each time we have booked AK, the sailings were added in November. So, anytime this month, if the historical trend continues.

Mine has a signature. My husband went the very next day, and the same provider just put CVS on his. Probably got tired of signing.

Personally, I would go for the longer cruise on Allure. And I love the Quantum class. But, more nights, for less? The only caveat for me would be that I prefer Eastern over Western. Just a personal preference. Your kids will be wowed on either class, but for them, I think Oasis class has the edge. Happy cruising, whichever you decide!

Thank you so much! . Ours wasn’t showing on the CVS site a month ago, so forgot about it. I just checked again, and they are now there! Downloaded as pdf and saved to my electronic files. So now, Ms Over-Documenter has our cards, this electronic record and the paper shot record from the state of TN. We should be good to go for our cruise in December.

Maybe she IS talking about check-in, which requires a time to be selected. You produce your negative test, shot cards, etc. at that time. Unless she is getting tested then. They are doing appointments for testing now, if you want to do the testing there.

We have had multiple price drops on our May 2022 AK cruise, Ovation. We have 2 balcony cabins, and have saved over $1200 per cabin. We had saved a lot on our December Oasis OV balcony cabin, but I wiped that out with upgrading ourselves to a JS. Just waiting for a potential price drop on that now.

I am truly so sorry about your mom, and the grief I know you still experience. My mom passed when I was 5, and all these decades later, I still miss her tremendously. I hope you and your grandparents have a beautiful cruise, filled with joyous memories of your Mom. I pray you feel her presence with you, and it comforts you like nothing else can. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.

Screenshot it now? I ageee with @SpeedNoodles, about the printed copy.

As far as I know, there is still weekly testing. Probably how they discovered most of them were positive.

Me too. I'm hoping since they are all so young, and been immunized, that most are asymptomatic and this will end quickly, with no ill effects for any of them.

No, but on CC people who are currently on the ship have gotten notification. Copied from there: From RCCL Thirteen of our 1,799 crew members on Allure of the Seas have tested positive for COVID-19. They, in addition to any close contacts, are in quarantine and being monitored by the medical team. In an abundance of caution, Allure’s ice-skating and aqua shows in Studio B and AquaTheater are canceled. There will continue to be a wide variety of entertainment options available to our guests on this cruise. This is only .75% (less than 1%) of the crew members currently positive. That's better numbers than we've had locally. I have no doubt this has been reported to the CDC and they are investigating. No word on whether most are asymptomatic (at their age, the probability is high).

Re the links: Carnival has been sailing at 70%+ capacity. They and MSC are both known to be stretching it when it comes to safety protocols for Covid. Both should be expected to have more cases. They aren't representative of the entire industry. Even with that, the percentage of people sick on those ships is miniscule compared to the number who were sailing. Carnival had 3000 passengers and 1400 crew aboard, and 26 people infected is less than 1%. And the last article is a click-bait opinion piece. Doesn't really provide anything. And this is not to minimize death from Covid. My family has had its share of Covid tragedy. This is to put the situation into perspective. I feel safer taking an RCI cruise than I do flying, shoulder to shoulder, on a plane right now, because RCI has been jumping through all the ridiculous CDC hoops. I'm quite impressed with some of the measures they have taken. Some of us are ready to cruise, some of us aren't. Both decisions are valid. One doesn't have to be right and one wrong. We each get to make the choice for ourselves. That said, I am not even thinking about our May 2022 cruise in relation to what the protocols will be, because they could be completely different by then. Hope you get to take/enjoy your trip.

If anyone is currently having issues, and are with Verizon, there are nationwide issues with wifi calling. We are having them ourselves, and so are others across the nation. It’s Verizon, not the phones. Ours worked yesterday morning, and reset doesn’t fix it because I did that: https://www.mod-gadget.com/wifi-calling-down-for-all-verizon-customers-carrier/

I think that only the most avid cruisers are not going to let the 2 day test bother them. When I tell friends about the great price I got for our December cruise...and that they can join us...there are two reasons they cite for not joining us. Not knowing for sure until two days before sailing that the vacation is a go, or the fiasco from last year with the Princess ship. When I tell them about all the changes aimed toward safe sailing, they listen....and still say they aren't interested. Me on the other hand? We already have our tests in hand, ready for the beginning of December. lol

As do I. I never toggle wifi calling off, and there is no charge for it. That way, when I need it at home, it's always available.

Same with iPhones. I’ve had several calls come thru before, and texted with no issue.