Jill

1 hour ago, cdixon22 said:

OMG. You are the best but you are supposed to be on vacation - LOL. Thanks much I will reply to the email.   

Now I know who’s on vacation! Lol. I’ll bug her when she gets back! 

14 minutes ago, cdixon22 said:

My MEI travel agent is on vacation and I just repriced our November cruise under wow sale and there is a big difference.  Can anyone at MEI travel adjust or do I need to wait for her to return from vacation?

Do you have a refundable deposit? If so, the fare is higher. 
 

I always end up bugging @Sharla to price check and then she does and then reminds me I have a refundable deposit so no better price for me. 
 

I always forget that lol and always disappointed

5 hours ago, TC FLA said:

I am in Jacksonville and searching CVS and Walgreens shows no rapid tests available. It's too early to schedule one for September 2, but currently up until August 28 it shows no availability. 

Try the Walgreens in Green Cove. I live right across the river from Green Cove and went there to get my vaccine because my Walgreens up the street from me and the Julington Creek were booked solid. Green Cove Walgreens was wide open. 
 

How soon after boarding did you try to make reservations? 

Starts August 17. Mostly international but some select Alaska, repositioning, Bahamas, Bermuda, Caribbean, Europe. 
 

Most likely the same song and dance, but check those prices anyways! 
 

1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said:

Unless you request an early time, your disembark time will have nothing to do with you driving to the port.  It depends on cabin location usually since they're gathering up all the luggage in the same area the night before to store it before putting it out at the port.  

Gotcha. We always walk off with ours. Early worm and all that. 

So do we need a secret hangout to “migrate” to should this happen again? Anyone want to start a Facebook group? “RCBlog Junkies?”

I didn’t think I was addicted to this board. Yesterday proved I am. 

October 23, 2021 Symphony 

March 27, 2022 Harmony

May 23, 2022 Radiance (includes land tour)

October 7, 2022 Odyssey 

We’ve had 3 booked for the next year forever. Booked the 4th spur the moment because double points extended and bingo zippy, we get a survey for that cruise. 
 

I made it clear the only reason we booked was for the double points that would take us to the next level. 

9 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

On Adventure everyone was off by 9:45 or so, with the last official debark window being 10:15.

 

They key difference this time is you get a departure slot based on flight times, not based on cabin location

 

I wonder when those that drove to the port get off. We’re driving to Miami and the day we get off is Georgia/Florida game. Was hoping to be home in time to watch the game! Lol It’s a 6 hour drive to North Florida. Go Dawgs! (normally we’d be at the game but this cruise is trumping football!) 

To add: disembarkation is also taking longer due to Covid. It’s not the mass exodus right now that it used to be. In the past, everyone was generally off by 9:00. Now it can be as late as 11:00. 

I would talk to the professor first. Maybe you’ll get a better idea of the timeline and feel more comfortable making the decision. 
 

As others have said, if you can afford to keep that money in FCC limbo, then I’d wait until 48 hours to cancel. 
 

With that being said, I’d absolutely have a replacement cruise already in mind and if you can afford to put down a refundable deposit, I’d slap a deposit down on the replacement cruise. 
 

If you end up sailing the original, cancel the replacement and get your deposit back. If you have to cancel the original, your backup is already booked and apply your FCC to final payment. 

I’ve had good luck contacting them through their Facebook page through Facebook messenger. You could also try contacting through email the shore excursions department. They may not have the answer but hopefully you’ll get someone that will find out. 

3 hours ago, Jkaczano said:

We have a party of 5 with a stop in Nassau next month.  13 yo and my mom want to do dolphin encounter. 15 yo wants to do sea lion encounter. Husband and I want to go and watch as cheaply as possible - there’s a stingray encounter for about $55.  Do all excursions go over on the same ferry or is everyone going to have to do the same thing?  
 

Thanks for any help you can provide!
 

Jenn

I would call blue lagoon directly and ask. We took the ferry from Atlantis. Back then they only offered dolphins. 

23 hours ago, Koepper said:

Congratulations to the folks that were selected in the latest sweepstakes!! I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences and signing up for the next sweepstakes.

I am guessing the next sweepstakes will be in October for Explorer and Navigator.

• Explorer of the Seas: November 7, 2021 departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Navigator of the Seas: November 19, 2021 departing from Los Angeles, California
• Brilliance of the Seas: December 16, 2021 departing from Tampa, Florida
• Enchantment of the Seas: December 23, 2021 departing from Baltimore, Maryland
• Vision of the Seas: January 24, 2022 departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

 

Hmmmm we could easily do Brilliance and/or Vision. Hope they send out another “sweepstakes” email for the next batch. 

If you’re on Facebook, join this group: 

23 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

You’re a good friend !

Well we’re hoping to get them “hooked” and become part of our cruise buddies! We’re all empty nesters. The husband’s one and only cruise was the Carnival out of Jacksonville so it won’t take much to impress him! That’s why I picked Symphony. Go big (and the best) or stay home! 

So since my October Symphony is now a fully vaccinated cruise due to St Thomas, lots of cancellations and lots of Royal Up options. 
 

I was tempted BUT we are traveling with RC “virgins” and we currently have cabins next to each other. I’d feel bad if we abandoned them for an upgrade. So I’m not partaking. I’m saving up to bid BIG on my 12 night Holy Land/Best of Greece on Odyssey. (now I won’t get a Royal Up I’m sure!)

3 hours ago, emmef said:

So if they are treated as unvaccinated, and Royal isn't letting any unvaccinated guests over 12 on cruises to the USVI/St. Thomas that means I need to cancel my family's cruise.  We aren't willing to cruise without our son on Christmas week.  I guess I'll wait a bit longer and see if guidance changes.

I’d wait. Make back up Christmas plans. The cruise lines are like underwear. They are changed everyday. 

4 hours ago, KristiZ said:

As long as we're just speculating, I fear they are shopping Radiance since she's going to be the last one to return to service. 

No no no. That wouldn’t be cool since I’m on her in the coveted corner aft JS in Alaska in May. 

49 minutes ago, Ch3l51 said:

Hello! New to cruising, so I’m hoping this isn’t a silly question. 
Heading to Barcelona for a jaunt on Harmony 8/22. We were recently notified that Italy is requesting all guests attend RC sponsored excursions to disembark.  Despite this little hiccup, we are still very excited—  we all deserve a little R&R after this past year! 
The email alerted discounted on-board prices for excursions after embarking... however it seems that we can still pre-book on cruise planner.

My questions—

1. Is capacity limited on excursions (ie will we chance missing out on our first choice ex if we do not pre-book), 

2. Are different excursions advertised on board as opposed to what is showing as available online, and 

3. Someone with a crystal ball, what should we do?

I would pre-book as much as you can. Then you know you have a spot on a tour. Yes, tours can sell out. It’s also a pain in the butt to stand in line at the shore excursion desk. 
 

As far as I know, what’s online is what’s available on the ship. 

Oh that’s awful. I’m spooked now. We were planning a float plane through the fjords. My husband is a pilot but I’m no fan of small planes. I’ll pick something else for us to do. 
 

On 8/4/2021 at 2:11 PM, Iluv4n6 said:

And from what I can see on the tourism website, we will need a negative Covid test within 48 hours of arrival.  So I'm thinking this requirement would match up with the mid-cruise test Royal is now requiring for 7-day E. Caribbean cruises.

18 days and counting!

I don’t see a anything on Royal’s site about mid cruise testing. We stop at st Maarten late October on Symphony. Of course we’re now a vaccinated cruise because of st Thomas. How did you find this out? 
 

Sorry didn’t mean to hijack the thread

57 minutes ago, Sharla said:

I'm laughing at Room Stewart. But this is a great idea!

I thought about correcting grammar but……