Jill

We are about 15 miles inland north of st Augustine. Hoping for a breezy day tomorrow. Our coast is going to get battered though.

We enjoy seeing/visiting different places without having to unpack. For us, it offers such a diverse experience. The crew is phenomenal! I’ve yet to have a land based (in the US) vacation where the employees are all so courteous. It’s so nice to feel like you’re appreciated for coming. This particularly stands out when you first get off the ship and go to the airport. Now that’s a slap in the face right there! Lol

Well there goes my second attempt for Symphony ? (October 17) May 29 is now my third chance. Still hurts. I knew it likely wouldn’t happen.

Lol......you followed me first booking October! One day we WILL get on this ship! You, me and @Neesa will definitely have a toast!

Winner winner chicken dinner! The cruise catastrophe could have been avoided by disembarking ASAP. In hindsight it is now well known the weeks of quarantine in the ship did not yield positive results. It actually made the situation 100 times worse.

Looks like their protocols are similar to TUI. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.prestigeonline.com/th/pursuits/motors/dream-cruises-health-safety-standards/amp/

If this is on the App, why couldn’t you do it before you even board? We can check in on the App without ships wifi. Make it active on the App 24 hours prior to embark. That way the ship’s WiFi doesn’t get overloaded.

**masks in elevators and hallways

The new hygienic concept is working. But only because ship is on half capacity. Chairs at the pool are two meters apart and buffet restaurant is open but no self service. Silver is sealed for single use. You can’t even grab a coffee by yourself. Everything takes a lot more time. But at least back on a cruise ship. Mein Schiff 2 sealing from Hamburg in the North Sea with no stop. It’s TUI Cruises which belongs to 50% to Royal. So hopefully Miami is watching.

For those on Facebook, here’s a first hand account on what it’s like along with pics. For those not on Facebook, I’ll post text here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RoyalCaribbeanCrownAnchor/?ref=share

Well if we end up on Symphony May 29, we will have to celebrate with a glass of champagne or maybe a bottle! One for me and one for you! ? I just sent my reservation to Sharla this morning to move to her.

So no personal floats on CocoCay? I did see people with those small hammock floats last time so I bought 2 for next time. ? We’ll still use them in st Thomas and st Maarten though. ?

I wonder if the same test was used in the home country as was used in Germany. We all know the testing can be suspect. That’s an issue.

Well it looks like I’m in good company! ? See I knew I wouldn’t get yelled at here! We’re nothing but a bunch of enablers.

.......put down another deposit. ? Good grief. Our May Symphony was canceled, so rebooked for October with FCC, which will likely be canceled. Can’t Lift and Shift because we already have Odyssey booked for next October. This itinerary is rarely offered: St Thomas, St Maarten (our favorite), CocoCay. Next date: May 29, 2021. Start “browsing” availability. Hardly anything left. Panic! Go from JS this past May to oversized balcony October down to regular balcony next May. Call friends who we are booked with. Scan cabins. Find 2 together and bingo zippy, we are booked. I SWORE I would not give them anymore “real” money. Fail. (It is a refundable deposit ?) Hi, my name is Jill and I’m a cruisaholic.

And eyes crossed!

We’ve got October 2021 Med on Odyssey. I feel fairly confident we will have learned to live with this virus. Heck at the rate US cases are going, I think herd immunity is getting closer each day! Honestly as long as mortality rate continues to decline (currently less than .05%) the virus will be more of a nuisance. Still troublesome for those with co-morbidities but manageable for the vast majority.

Maybe they can re-assign the drink package/dining package peddlers to eMuster reminder duties. Those people are literally everywhere!

Here’s a good article on it. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/royal-caribbean-group-reinvents-cruise-industrys-safety-drill-301099281.html

You can find protocols for other lines online. American Queen river cruises, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines, Virgin Voyages and what the EU is requiring. That’ll give you an idea as to what to expect. RC has already said they will start with a few ships at reduced capacity.

We’re thinking of renting a houseboat! About as close as we can get to cruising.

I don’t see holiday cruises happening because #1 you know those ships are booked and half must go to reduce capacity. #2 there will only be a few ships anyways

I really wish they’d apply Lift and Shift to the first round of cancellations. I feel screwed lol. Our May Symphony was canceled. No Lift and Shift back then so took the 125% FCC and rebooked for October 2020. Which now will most likely be canceled. Can’t Lift and Shift October cruise because we already have Odyssey booked October 2021. Now looking at booking May 29, 2021 Symphony to replace October which replaced May and if they would have had L&S back when our May Symphony was canceled, we could have moved it. Im sure once the stupid FCC is re-issued from the likely canceled October cruise, prices will be higher for May 2021. Grrrr......

We sailed her during her maiden year to the Southern Caribbean and again 2 years later with friends on the same itinerary. Sailed Sovereign too. I remember how HUGE she was compared to our first RC ship, Song of America

I sure hope so! I have a hereditary cancer gene (Lynch Syndrome) that has about a dozen cancers in the syndrome. Since I’ve had one, I have an 80% chance of developing another. We’ve lived on a small horse farm for 20 years and rarely traveled. Now we can and we can’t. ?