mbk999

I think both are doable. The airport is only 1-2 miles away. If you take your own luggage, 1045 is fine. THe last time we were there, we waited for our luggage and were at the airport by 9:15. As long as there's no hiccup with customs or staff shortage at the port, should be okay.

Thank you for the Allure update. We sail on her in two months with a similar itinerary, swapping Labadee with Coco Cay. Thanks for the info on Aruba and Curacao

She was definitely showing her age a few years ago when we were on it. More so the cabins (worn fabric and carpet). and the outer decks (rust). The interior spaces were still fine.

I didn't see it or a three day option for our July Symphony sailing. Only the individual restaurants were available. I was assuming they weren't offering it (yet) as it seems unlikely to have been sold out a year in advance.

Yep, did that once

Nope, not a terrible person

Sadly Phillips is but a shell of it's former self but the Mrs Phillip's crab cake recipe with Jumbo Lump makes for a good homemade cake.

and I thought vaccines would be the most controversial topic on these boards....

Yeah, sadly got tired of waiting and were afraid of no other travel options the longer we waited so we canceled August and we'll try again next summer.

It's been an "interesting" process signing up for these. Persistence is the key. I'd check the CVS/Walgreens sites every morning and periodically throughout the day. You just have to jump on it the minute you see something available. My daughter works in a school system in another state and since I am up before the crack of down, i've been trying to get her an appointment all week. I was finally able to sign her up today but that was around 0615. That's good about the doctor's offices getting them. Mine has just sent out emails saying they don't have it yet so try and get it from other means as soon as it is available.

I wonder about that too. I know people who have had zero reactions and those who've spent 24-36 hours in bed from each of the three vaccines. I'm one shot in with Pfizer and I waited the 2 hours at M&T stadium. Nobody was thrilled to be in line that long but I didn't hear anyone complaining too much.

It won't get back to Florida but if Cunard still runs their weekly trans-atlantic, you could at least get back to NYC.

You're right, they can't operate expecting to have no cases, I don't see that happening anytime soon. IF (appropriately caveated) they can get rapid testing figured out and have sufficient tests per voyage, that would go a long way towards the mitigation and control while on-board. You may have to test every day, certainly returning from a port of call. Increase the medical center, increase staff to ensure passengers quarantine (boy that would be a fun job, staring at a cabin door all day). My worry is less about the ship than it is with how the ports react to a ship with cases. It's one thing for a port of call to deny a ship, but a home port is another matter. Hopefully I'm not naive in the assumption that the cruise lines are discussing COVID protocols with the home ports.

and hope the other mainstream lines follow suit. It won't do Royal (or NCL or Carnival) any good if there's another Diamond Princess incident and the ports shut down again. That's one of my worries, an incident on another cruise line that further impacts the industry.

Yeah, I liked that one too but it's too late in the month for the school schedule and my wife will be back to work.

Good to hear that it's not a huge issue for folks. It would have been interesting this week if the industry hadn't been shut down, we'd have been sailing down the east coast through the storm.

07 August sailing. I liked the Labadee/San Juan/St Thomas/Perfect Day itinerary. Hopefully the family wedding next summer won't be then and MD doesn't go crazy and start schools in early August....

Thanks I'll still price check but I don't think I'll drop to a GS if one comes open, I'll stick with the Loft. My only concern is any increased motion as my wife can be susceptible to motion sickness but she wanted to try the suite too.

I just booked a Loft suite on the Symphony for next August. I wanted a suite in order to get the Sky Class benefits, Not to isolate but in today's world, having access to areas that aren't as crowded is a good thing to me. And if they got too crowded for comfort, whether for covid reasons or just too many people, we'd at least have a bigger room/balcony to hang out in. We are boring cruisers too and hang out on the pool deck doing a lot of reading. I originally looked at a Grand Suite but by the time I got with the TA, the last one was gone so I went to the crown loft. My logic was that my FCC was already a sunk cost so the additional price was the cost for this cruise. It's our first time in a "real" suite so I am really looking forward to it.

Have a great cruise!

If you're coming in earlier in the afternoon or evening, I'd personally just drive to the port and stay there (it's been too many years since I've stayed at Port Canaveral hotels to have an opinion on any). If you're coming in late, the Hyatt is a great option though it was >$200 the last time I was there. Great hotel and it's nice to be in bed <20 minute after collecting your luggage. I just walked down to the airport food court and got breakfast the next morning. I've stayed at the Hampton Inn by the airport and it was fine. It's about a mile away so also a good option for late flights.

If you haven't done Halloween Party, it's a lot of fun. You'll be able to get into the parks at 4 PM. Signed, They Guy Whose Wife Made Him Wear a Jack O' Lantern shirt The whole trip sounds awesome, have a great time.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/world/amp-stories/seaweed-invasion/ That stuff isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Maybe Murphy's law just bit you on that trip. Our Allure cruise was a 50th for me and a 25th for us. The cruise was during the same month as the anniversary at least, it was a few months different than my birthday. Our TA asked us about that it when we booked and asked which days we wanted them to be recognized. On those nights, they brought out a special dessert at dinner.

I wear dockers/slacks and a button-down or polo shirt but I've seen shorts, T-Shirts, jeans, sandals, etc so I don't think you'll be turned away for wearing jeans. You'll probably be in the middle, some will be dressed up more, some will be dressed down more.