VACruiser

Well stated. I am extremely upset ?.  I called for my refund and they told me everything would be returned except for the insurance travel monies.  That insurance would have gone into effect when the actual cruise would have started. This was a total of $550 that they will keep! I asked to speak with management and they told me they would submit a form to the insurance but that it would most likely not be honored. How is that right?? I am going to continue to take it further but I should not have to be fighting for something that they canceled. 

I've given up on cruising in the near-future as in several years, until some semblance of normalcy returns and I well know that may never happen. I went on a Vacation this year to Cocoa Beach, Florida and said numerous times how I miss cruising. But, when I go to mock-up cruises on Royal Caribbean's website I get put-off by the rise in prices so I give up and move on. I go back occasionally to mock-up more cruises only to leave thinking how crazy these prices are. Alas, I hope one day for something to change.
I had two cruises that were cancelled in the past two years that I was in Crown Loft Suites and I can't touch those original prices I once had. There is an increase of about 40% so I may never get to go to the 17th floor on an Oasis Class ship if this stays at these levels. ?
 

Someone was willing to give a $1 million donation to the Governor to influence this issue. It may have backfired in this round, but you can deduce that this is far from over and that sometime in the near future big cruise ships will magically appear in Key West. Too much money involved.
If the citizenry of Key West doesn't want us there, and it voted 3 times to that effect, we should respect that. I say "thank you for your hospitality" and let's move on to another port of call. 

I have been on both cruise lines and I don’t think you are off the mark in your analogy. I use the Walmart versus Target analogy as the clientele are very different. That being said, it depends on what ship and what time of the year. If you go spring break on a Carnival lower priced cruise you are going to amazed by some of the sightings you’ll see as I have been in the past. But I’m in my late 50’s so my tolerance for drunks is pretty low.
On the flip side Royal has its share of dress code violations at the pool and on excursions so it’s not immune. I just think Royal is a cut above Carnival in the cruising market. With the Carnival Mardi Gras coming on line soon that may tighten the competition market but only time will tell.

I have been on both cruise lines and I don’t think you are off the mark in your analogy. I use the Walmart versus Target analogy as the clientele are very different. That being said, it depends on what ship and what time of the year. If you go spring break on a Carnival lower priced cruise you are going to amazed by some of the sightings you’ll see as I have been in the past. But I’m in my late 50’s so my tolerance for drunks is pretty low.
On the flip side Royal has its share of dress code violations at the pool and on excursions so it’s not immune. I just think Royal is a cut above Carnival in the cruising market. With the Carnival Mardi Gras coming on line soon that may tighten the competition market but only time will tell.

I have been on both cruise lines and I don’t think you are off the mark in your analogy. I use the Walmart versus Target analogy as the clientele are very different. That being said, it depends on what ship and what time of the year. If you go spring break on a Carnival lower priced cruise you are going to amazed by some of the sightings you’ll see as I have been in the past. But I’m in my late 50’s so my tolerance for drunks is pretty low.
On the flip side Royal has its share of dress code violations at the pool and on excursions so it’s not immune. I just think Royal is a cut above Carnival in the cruising market. With the Carnival Mardi Gras coming on line soon that may tighten the competition market but only time will tell.

I had my second Moderna shot on Friday at the VA. I am an avid cyclist so I thought the best prescription for care would be to wake up Saturday morning and ride in which I did for 43 miles with a friend. I got home and showered and then got cold chills, headache and extreme body aches. I guess I got it mad by me taking it out for a spin. 
I took some ibuprofen and hung out the rest of the day and did nothing. The chills were very real and I felt like it was mid-winter but it was 70° outside.  I’m hoping today will be better but we shall see. Oh well it’s done now so I’ve had my second shot so I did civic duty.
 

The one thing I do know is there is big-money involved in these vaccinations so I can imagine that this will be a lifetime issue, like an annual flu shot, and we will be asked yearly at our annual physicals if you would like to get booster shot. It wasn't long after the vaccines started being issued at sizable numbers that the discussions about booster shots had already started.
When it comes to money you can bet your bottom dollar big pharma will find a way to make more of it...(my ode to Jurassic Park - life will find a way).

Transportation Worker Identity Card. This card is issued by the United States Transportation Security Administration and the United States Coast Guard. Individuals must have a TWIC to gain access to secure maritime facilities. These often include ships, ferries, dockside warehouses and port customs offices.

Transportation Worker Identity Card. This card is issued by the United States Transportation Security Administration and the United States Coast Guard. Individuals must have a TWIC to gain access to secure maritime facilities. These often include ships, ferries, dockside warehouses and port customs offices.

Transportation Worker Identity Card. This card is issued by the United States Transportation Security Administration and the United States Coast Guard. Individuals must have a TWIC to gain access to secure maritime facilities. These often include ships, ferries, dockside warehouses and port customs offices.

I am with you there! I've done some mock cruise research and laughed so hard at those prices. Now, I just do it for a laugh in the morning to get me going; it's better than coffee.
These are insane prices and the Return on Vacation Investment (ROVI) is just not there. I hope they come back to reasonable levels at some point as I would miss cruising at, but I could live without it if this remains - sad, but come on Royal...that's crazy. When booking a Grand Suite on an Oasis class ship gets to almost 8-9K levels - come on you're killing me here RCI.
I looked at a Crown Loft Suite on Harmony this morning for a laugh and mocked up with travel insurance and pre-paid gratuities for 10.5k - again, I laughed so hard I almost fell over in my chair. By the way, I actually had the same cruise and same CLS room (1710) that was cancelled in Dec 2020 and it was $7300 so we are talking a difference of $3200 ?.

Guess I was getting excited for nothing...if those are the "new normal" cruise prices, I wont ever be able to cruise again. it wont be Covid-19 that will stop me from cruising, it will be the $$$.
 
Those are insane prices!

Considering the monetary base of the United States, the 2021 rate is reasonable in real prices. It only appears more expensive nominally. Ask to pay in Bitcoin. 

I’ll take my chances ?

I’ll take my chances ?

And don't get me started on Freedom's Bermuda sailings this summer and fall. Compared to Anthem, that 5-night sailing has jumped from around $1,800 for 2 passengers in a mid-ship balcony cabin to nearly $4,000! And that's the same end-of-season October sailing I've done twice on Anthem. Holy highway robbery, Batman!

That is true. I always read and don’t comment a lot so it’s interesting to see where people come down on the sides of COVID  issues. I know my cruising days are over for awhile and have had three cruises cancelled thus far so my thirst for cruising has diminished. Hopefully that will change in the future but it will probably be years.
 
I have to wear a mask all day at work, because that’s where my livelihood comes from, but wearing a mask on a cruise that I pay dearly for is not going to happen. I’ve already made plans to go to the SC beach’s for the next couple of years until this craziness has subsided. We shall see. 

That is true. I always read and don’t comment a lot so it’s interesting to see where people come down on the sides of COVID  issues. I know my cruising days are over for awhile and have had three cruises cancelled thus far so my thirst for cruising has diminished. Hopefully that will change in the future but it will probably be years.
 
I have to wear a mask all day at work, because that’s where my livelihood comes from, but wearing a mask on a cruise that I pay dearly for is not going to happen. I’ve already made plans to go to the SC beach’s for the next couple of years until this craziness has subsided. We shall see. 

That is true. I always read and don’t comment a lot so it’s interesting to see where people come down on the sides of COVID  issues. I know my cruising days are over for awhile and have had three cruises cancelled thus far so my thirst for cruising has diminished. Hopefully that will change in the future but it will probably be years.
 
I have to wear a mask all day at work, because that’s where my livelihood comes from, but wearing a mask on a cruise that I pay dearly for is not going to happen. I’ve already made plans to go to the SC beach’s for the next couple of years until this craziness has subsided. We shall see. 

To which my response is "Someone else can benefit from my discretionary spending. You need me more than I need you right now."

RCG's response, I bet, will be:

Cruising is an expensive adventure and I am interested in the freedom of a vacation and restrictions that limit my fun so  I won't cruise under these restrictions. It's going to be tough going for cruise lines for the foreseeable future as they try to get up and running but are limited due to country rules in order to operate. I'm sure a lot people on this forum will cruise just to cruise because they love it that much, but as far as the general population, I don't see people flocking to get back unto ships for their vacations in the near-term. I personally have chosen a different path for the next couple of years of renting a house at the beach.
Cruises are starting to get expensive as the prices have risen for all kinds of reasons; but, suffice to say, until the value is back, I'm not going to go cruising again. I hope one day to be back but for now, I'm on land.

Cruising is an expensive adventure and I am interested in the freedom of a vacation and restrictions that limit my fun so  I won't cruise under these restrictions. It's going to be tough going for cruise lines for the foreseeable future as they try to get up and running but are limited due to country rules in order to operate. I'm sure a lot people on this forum will cruise just to cruise because they love it that much, but as far as the general population, I don't see people flocking to get back unto ships for their vacations in the near-term. I personally have chosen a different path for the next couple of years of renting a house at the beach.
Cruises are starting to get expensive as the prices have risen for all kinds of reasons; but, suffice to say, until the value is back, I'm not going to go cruising again. I hope one day to be back but for now, I'm on land.

I've already started my cancellation proceedings for my November 2021 cruise on Oasis as I'm sure this is going to be a requirement for future cruising events. My largest fear is to get on a ship and someone tests positive, whether false or true, and I get stuck in my room after paying a lot of money to go on a vacation. I'm out until all this gets sorted out.  I've already booked a house on a beach in South Carolina for August 2021 and this may now be the new vacation norm.
What ticks me off is even if I get the vaccine I will still have to take a Covid test prior to going on vacation and I bet also wearing a mask on ship too. And, that's why I'm not going to jump all these hoops just to go on a vacation that is supposed to be fun and relaxing...?