VACruiser

@She Sails Away the sailing to nowhere did not start out that way! 8 Night southern in December, the ship was packed. I remember blogging about the fact our room steward told us they were at 100% minus of course the cabins set aside for "sick people" & people on here verbally assaulting me saying "that's not possible, no way.  The steward is lying," mind you the bloggers who responded were not on the ship with us, thus my appreciation for "real reports" like yours!
So we did go to CoCo Cay on Sunday, boarded Saturday and the private island on Sunday. But even then we felt something was off. Another ship also was on the Island & the people overwhelmed the staff. But I digress, we sailed down to the beautiful Curacao and the Captain made an announcement, the Island is having a meeting, our Covid numbers are being discussed. Almost every hour he updated us, our excursion time had come and gone we were docked at the Port staring at the beauty, but alas we were not allowed to disembark. This was after about 4 hours, fast forward Aruba would not let us in either. 
We sailed back and then in circles until we were scheduled to return, the one time I was really ready to leave a ship. The Odyssey was beautiful but staff were dropping like flies, one day our cabin steward was a sweaty mess you could see he was ill, no thank you. Please get well and I declined service the rest of the sailing. We were Sky class & CK was slow due to limited servers and the suite concierge disappeared after night 2. 
We did our best to make the best out of what we had and Royal did give us 50% of the fare we paid in FCC and the excursions were refunded in a very timely manner. I said it then, Royal was now in the position of only hurting themselves if they were not careful. As an aside I did hear a couple talk about just creating their antigen test results from taking a previous negative test and changing the dates to avoid the test again, smh we as passengers do have a responsibility to to abide by the protocols, but I also place blame on Royal for ramping up capacity way too fast. 
We are still happily sailing in June & July to use our FCC's and are fully aware of our responsibilities and exposure, we will be careful & enjoy but as I said before taking a break for a minute, some land exploring is now in order. The picture you just posted of Curacao, that is all we saw on that sailing 🙂 
I love that you are positive and making the most of it!

I have really enjoyed this blog I think you have been extremely honest in a balanced kind of way weighing out the good and bad.  As others have said, we all know that this has not been the best couple of years for cruising and we as consumers have to weigh the Return On Investment for a vacation.
When it gets too hard to justify the money spent fewer people will book cruises and the lines will respond. But, RCL is still 45 Billion in the hole right now and they have to take that into consideration on ship occupation. I'd hate to be the CEO and CFO right now. Awesome blog I'll miss it when you're done.
 
 

One of these days people are going to start to realize that when you are vaccinated and boosted it is from a variant we already know of. When new variants come around it's all bets are off and you are not protected no matter how many shots you've had.
At some point we have got to treat the Coronavirus like just another virus that humans get from time-to-time. The good thing is that with every new variant it is getting weaker and we are buiding better immunity against it. 
One day it will change but not any time soon with our current attitudes treating this as if it is the plague.

One of these days people are going to start to realize that when you are vaccinated and boosted it is from a variant we already know of. When new variants come around it's all bets are off and you are not protected no matter how many shots you've had.
At some point we have got to treat the Coronavirus like just another virus that humans get from time-to-time. The good thing is that with every new variant it is getting weaker and we are buiding better immunity against it. 
One day it will change but not any time soon with our current attitudes treating this as if it is the plague.

One of these days people are going to start to realize that when you are vaccinated and boosted it is from a variant we already know of. When new variants come around it's all bets are off and you are not protected no matter how many shots you've had.
At some point we have got to treat the Coronavirus like just another virus that humans get from time-to-time. The good thing is that with every new variant it is getting weaker and we are buiding better immunity against it. 
One day it will change but not any time soon with our current attitudes treating this as if it is the plague.

One of these days people are going to start to realize that when you are vaccinated and boosted it is from a variant we already know of. When new variants come around it's all bets are off and you are not protected no matter how many shots you've had.
At some point we have got to treat the Coronavirus like just another virus that humans get from time-to-time. The good thing is that with every new variant it is getting weaker and we are buiding better immunity against it. 
One day it will change but not any time soon with our current attitudes treating this as if it is the plague.

One of these days people are going to start to realize that when you are vaccinated and boosted it is from a variant we already know of. When new variants come around it's all bets are off and you are not protected no matter how many shots you've had.
At some point we have got to treat the Coronavirus like just another virus that humans get from time-to-time. The good thing is that with every new variant it is getting weaker and we are buiding better immunity against it. 
One day it will change but not any time soon with our current attitudes treating this as if it is the plague.

There is a lady (close to 40 YO) I work with that drinks Diet Coke in a 24 ounce thermos that she fills with ice. She drinks at least two to three of those a day. I call her a lab rat and there are scientists that follow her around just to see what happens. On top of all that, she is a heavy smoker too - UGH!!!

ah yes, family...traveling with family can become very special at times. 🤪

ah yes, family...traveling with family can become very special at times. 🤪

ah yes, family...traveling with family can become very special at times. 🤪

ah yes, family...traveling with family can become very special at times. 🤪

and, that is where it starts to get cray-cray. Every country will have different requirements for what makes up current and what happens if you have gotten over Covid and what that means for this mess. If you had two shots, three shots, but you got Covid and recovered what does that mean and on and on we go...the possibilities can be endless. The current cruisers on this site are much more diligent than I would be on keeping up with all the changes so my hats off to you who can do that.  Me, in the mean-time, will head to the beaches in South Carolina until this gets sorted out

and, that is where it starts to get cray-cray. Every country will have different requirements for what makes up current and what happens if you have gotten over Covid and what that means for this mess. If you had two shots, three shots, but you got Covid and recovered what does that mean and on and on we go...the possibilities can be endless. The current cruisers on this site are much more diligent than I would be on keeping up with all the changes so my hats off to you who can do that.  Me, in the mean-time, will head to the beaches in South Carolina until this gets sorted out

and, that is where it starts to get cray-cray. Every country will have different requirements for what makes up current and what happens if you have gotten over Covid and what that means for this mess. If you had two shots, three shots, but you got Covid and recovered what does that mean and on and on we go...the possibilities can be endless. The current cruisers on this site are much more diligent than I would be on keeping up with all the changes so my hats off to you who can do that.  Me, in the mean-time, will head to the beaches in South Carolina until this gets sorted out

I now this is off topic a little but maybe @Matt can start an end of Vaccine Requirements pool and we can all kick in $5.00 a piece and whoever is closest to the date and time it is announced wins a free cruise at the Balcony level.  😀

Good question on the CWC - I think it has to come down to money and how much that costs the company versus customer needs. Unless you get a Covid Positive Test I'm not sure how many people are using CWC right now for different situations.  In my scenario I wouldn't even think of booking a cruise until the protocol changes and the vaccine is the thing of the past - and what I mean by that is a voluntary shot protocol that you can get once a year if you like; just like a flu shot was before all this started.

I would be shocked if the vaccine requirement will be lifted this year and I really think it will be quite awhile (2023-2024) before anything like that is even contemplated.  I'm only saying that based upon how much hubbub we had to do to get back to cruising and the current variant of the month that keeps occurring that is always right around the corner will keep the current situation intact. I'm in the boat (pun intended) where I've had the shots to maintain my job and my wife has not had the shots. When I floated the, hey I can go on a solo cruise I got quite the look so I'm on dry land for the foreseeable future.
When it changes I'll book a cruise as quick as my keyboard allows.

Good question on the CWC - I think it has to come down to money and how much that costs the company versus customer needs. Unless you get a Covid Positive Test I'm not sure how many people are using CWC right now for different situations.  In my scenario I wouldn't even think of booking a cruise until the protocol changes and the vaccine is the thing of the past - and what I mean by that is a voluntary shot protocol that you can get once a year if you like; just like a flu shot was before all this started.

I would be shocked if the vaccine requirement will be lifted this year and I really think it will be quite awhile (2023-2024) before anything like that is even contemplated.  I'm only saying that based upon how much hubbub we had to do to get back to cruising and the current variant of the month that keeps occurring that is always right around the corner will keep the current situation intact. I'm in the boat (pun intended) where I've had the shots to maintain my job and my wife has not had the shots. When I floated the, hey I can go on a solo cruise I got quite the look so I'm on dry land for the foreseeable future.
When it changes I'll book a cruise as quick as my keyboard allows.

Is it true that once you attain Pinnacle there is a secret benefit of free closing costs on your move into The Villages?
 
At first I thought it was crazy and then I started to ask Pinnacles, and I’ll be damed if they all don’t live there. 
 
Come Seek……

I'm retired active U.S. Army.  When you search for a cruise, cabin, and so on, it will ask what state you come from, if you are a Crown & Anchor member, and Military.  As far as I can tell, when you get the quote for your selections, it automatically give you whatever discounts are available, if any.  I don't think that they will stack discounts, give more than one discount at a time.  But, they are very dynamic with their pricing, sales, and discounts.  So, who really knows. 🥵  In the rest of my life, I don't go with the flow, I ask a lot of questions and demand the truth.  But, with cruise companies, it's impossible to feel confident that you are getting the straight poop from them.  So, I love cruising and I try to do the best I can to make sure I get what is offered, go with the flow.  I hate that part but, like I said, I love cruising.  

Fuel is one item that will have to dealt with but food costs are also soaring so that too will have to dealt with. Most economists are predicting a 3rd-4th quarter of this year to see the full brunt of inflationary values to hit the market. There is no way any business, much less cruise lines, not to pass on increases to their customers. I'm sure the cruise lines will have to bake that into cruise price increases. Fuel surcharges is not the way I'd expect them to handle it as it is too harsh for consumers to see. Better to raise the price of the overall cruise; kind of a take it as it is versus pay more now in an unexpected expense so we'll let you on the ship - too disruptive.
We might as well get used to higher prices for all things...there are lots of podcasts where they interview farmers on how their prices are increasing and they are going through the roof.  And, fuel and food touch almost everything in our economy.
As the old adage used to say, when the US sneezes the rest of the world gets a cold is still very true. We are just in the very edge of the beginning of inflation - sorry to have to say that but it is true. Economists are saying a recession will show by the latter part of this year but by then we will have lived it for the 2 quarters of negative growth and by then we will know full well it's here. Takes a while before the statistics catches up to the reality.
 

Fuel is one item that will have to dealt with but food costs are also soaring so that too will have to dealt with. Most economists are predicting a 3rd-4th quarter of this year to see the full brunt of inflationary values to hit the market. There is no way any business, much less cruise lines, not to pass on increases to their customers. I'm sure the cruise lines will have to bake that into cruise price increases. Fuel surcharges is not the way I'd expect them to handle it as it is too harsh for consumers to see. Better to raise the price of the overall cruise; kind of a take it as it is versus pay more now in an unexpected expense so we'll let you on the ship - too disruptive.
We might as well get used to higher prices for all things...there are lots of podcasts where they interview farmers on how their prices are increasing and they are going through the roof.  And, fuel and food touch almost everything in our economy.
As the old adage used to say, when the US sneezes the rest of the world gets a cold is still very true. We are just in the very edge of the beginning of inflation - sorry to have to say that but it is true. Economists are saying a recession will show by the latter part of this year but by then we will have lived it for the 2 quarters of negative growth and by then we will know full well it's here. Takes a while before the statistics catches up to the reality.
 

as said above I'll try to stay out of politics...I'm not sure that is completely possible as Covid has become nothing but political as everyday life revolves around that very thing and the world we live in is very different than March 2020.  Will they ever consider natural immunity? Under the current protocols - I don't think so unless they say that you don't have to get a booster because you have had two shots and had Covid so a booster is not needed. I don't see any scenario where they give up on the shots in the near-term.
I'm in the category as I've had two Moderna shots and had Covid so I should have a high-antibody count but I would have to get tested to test my theory on that.
I think in the near-term that maybe the best we get out of it. If you have not had any shots you will be hounded every time you visit the doctor or need a medical procedure they will hold that over your head. I would hope that is not the case but that has been happening already so it's not unprecedented. 
May be we all get antibody tests before cruising and the highest count gets a Suite upgrade 😆