Pooch

My first dinner on my first cruise.  “Do you recommend the pasta or the fish?” “I recommend both?”

Wait, there’s a new blog cruise?  Who do I have to know???

Oh believe me, I have been drooling over menus for months or at least since they’ve started to show up!!  Trying to gauge what 6 adults might want on any given night makes me crazy ESPECIALLY my dear brother who doesn’t get the concept of advance reservations (how do I know what I’ll want to eat?!?). Told him “ you’ll eat what I damn well tell you to!!!”  ??

You have to!!!  I so need to meet you??

I will take this up with the suites concierge. I’m sure he/she will let me know if I’m asking too much.  My current list of requests are:
2 nights in CK for 6 (4 in OS 2 in JS)
reservations for 3 @ Izumi Sushi & 3 @ Sabor (same night)
the lobster night question 
I try to be low maintenance!
Oh PS: can you order more than 1 on filet night?  Have no doubt hubby will want 2!

I don’t know, well I do know YOU know what you’re talking about but I still feel like I’d be asking too much to have them send an order of lemon harissa chicken and maybe 16 lobster tails to CK so hubby can have scallops and gnocchi?‍♀️?‍♀️

You have to!!!  I so need to meet you??

You have to!!!  I so need to meet you??

I have a feeling that they are the ones with 6 kids, so the Adults buy the Full drink package and their kids, their kids friends and a couple of aunts, uncles and grandparents use the Freestyle cups and just pour it into other cups.  Wow, I am even more judgmental than I thought.

I’m sure it changes from ship to ship and depends on who you’re dealing with, but…I find that most managers/hosts at CK try their best to reasonably accommodate in most circumstances. Of course there must be someone eligible to enter and utilize the premises. They usually can tell from reservations and trends during that particular cruise when there is availability and they try to make it happen for you. Especially if you are willing to be flexible. And most importantly…being considerate, understandable and gracious. You can catch more flies with honey…(I don’t know why I used that proverb…I hate flies!).

Well, it's not about the individuals, it's about herd immunity, for the ship as a whole.
The only thing that matters is what % onboard is vaccinated.  If it's too low, additional protocols/requirements are added, for both everyone and additional requirements for the unvaccinated.  Vaccinated cruises will have a higher % of vaccinated people onboard.  If the % of vaccinated people onboard is too low, additional protocols are needed.
If you have enough people vaccinated, it doesn't matter if you have a few people unvaccinated.  Royal just wants to make sure the virus doesn't overtake the entire ship, or they will have to stop sailing.

I'm beginning to think it might be better just to have 100% vaccinated cruises. RCCL has already shown their hand as far as what they think of unvaccinated people who'd rather assess their own risk, beat the virus naturally, and avoid putting emergency authorization use drugs in their system.
It will then be disappointing to watch outbreaks, large and small, on the 100% vaccinated cruises. The CDC statistics and anecdotal experiences (yes you and I reading this both know of more than a few of our own friends that have become symptomatic with covid despite vaccination) have unequivocally demonstrated that the vaccinated populations are ALSO unfortunately being very much infected by Covid-19. But at least RCCL alienated and pushed a large portion of very loyal cruise fanatics off the ships to claim "hey we did every thing we could, we eliminated those that wouldn't toe the line with acceptable societal medical decisions".  
Maybe RCCL will then decide that if 100% vaccinated cruises are still suffering from outbreaks anyway, we might just as well have ALL people  back and stop dividing and pitting against each other a segment of the population that once shared a real love for a very special pastime together. 

I don't see harm in waiting till the last minute to cancel.  If you cancel now, you will only get FCC.  If you wait it out, perhaps you might be offered a refund due to the ever changing health policies.

Sadly (fortunately?) you don't have to pull them out of their shells - they've already done that. Kinda takes away the ick factor, but also takes away the fun.?? I would order them every night if I didn't think my waitstaff would judge me behind my back (or my gut! French Onion soup and Escargo every night does not sit well for me).

In my opinion…the difference between ship and shore based infection rate reporting is the strict protocols in place on ships. Imagine if everyone, everywhere had to go through constant testing. Pretty clearly, rates would go up…especially in vaccination breakthrough infections. It seems the majority of infections on board are mild or completely symptom-free…discovered randomly or through contact tracing protocols. The major difference with cruise reported infections is the media. The news seems to have always had a microscope on the cruise industry and now more so than ever. It’s almost as if the media fixates on negative cruise related news and reports with the smugness of ‘we told you so’.  Even so…I believe the industry takes their responsibility to ensure safe and healthy cruising seriously. They have to…it’s the best way to conduct their business, restore confidence, maintain repeat customers and attract new passengers. It just makes sense.

Yup I much prefer canned soda to fountain soda.  The bars usually have some.

According to others on the boards, if you click on it, the current price will show.  I have not had occasion to try this.

Give them to the Genie and RUN!!!! (Just kidding?)

Yes, but the CDC CSO is still in force in Texas, unless the Judge has issued another order since last time I checked.  The order I saw allowed Texas to intervene, but did not extend the TRO (or stay, whichever it is) to Texas.   The Florida law is now not applicable to NCL, but it is to all other cruise lines, and it is subject to change at any moment (as we learned with the CSO).  My point is that all of these legal maneuverings, in my option, will muddy the waters (see, keeping it on a cruise theme), possibly reducing the public's faith in the rules of the cruise companies.  Personally, I am willing to go and follow whatever the rules are and I expect them to be ever changing at this point.  I just don't know if I represent the cruising public.  

Or if you are a conspiracy theorist regarding vaccines... "if you don't get the chip stay off our ship" 

Who needs a pat of butter, aren’t the rolls for sopping up the butter on the escargot???

Give them to the Genie and RUN!!!! (Just kidding?)

Give them to the Genie and RUN!!!! (Just kidding?)

On the Freedom mid July there were the pepita(pumpkin seed) rolls and French bread both cold but then there were warm Asiago cheese rolls, soft, warm and delicious.

According to others on the boards, if you click on it, the current price will show.  I have not had occasion to try this.