StephanieH

If I remember correctly, my first transaction with my TA was to transfer a booking to her. So yes, a TA can come in after you've already booked.
Like you, I also love booking cruises, doing the research and weighing options, but from experience, I can say that my TA, @StephanieH, has always found a (much) better deal than what I have found in my research.  Probably the only part I play is to ask her about "deals" I've seen in my cruise hunting.

I have to put my TA, @StephanieH on speed dial!  

We've all agreed that the CDC guidance is ridiculous and unnecessary.  This just reinforces it.
For me the real question is what will RCG do with the summer sailings that don't touch the US. i.e. Adventure out of Bahamas, Vision out of Bermuda and Celebrity Millennium out of St. Maarten.
I'm booked on 2 of these sailings and haven't really heard anything. One of my sailings is less than 30 days out.
I'll let everyone know my experience once on board.

I have three right now:
Odyssey of the Seas - Nov 15-Nov 20
Odyssey of the Seas - Nov 20 -Nov 28
Freedom of the Seas - Nov 29 - Dec 3
I've contacted my travel agent, @StephanieH, to change the second Odyssey booking to one on the Radiance.  That's one more ship to cross out on my bucket list.  I haven't given up on my desire to sail on all the Royal ships in the fleet.  The Radiance bearing the name of the class makes it extra sweet.
OFF-TOPIC: What do you call a ship after which a class is named?  A flagship?
 

End of pandemic means an ends to justify spending bills. Just as in previous administration, they were motivated as well by pandemic politics during an election year. 
This is evidenced by seeing multiple times where the current CDC director came out with positive claims about schools being able to be re-opened and vaccinated people being able to spread Covid or get Covid. We see where the CDC Director's comments were walked back from direction of the Administration. 
While politics are being played and the US Citizenry was subjected to year long human experimentation via lockdowns that we will suffer consequences for many years after Covid has faded away. And to bring it back to cruising, the CDC is choosing to ignore data from cruises that sailed safely during the pandemic and subjecting US ports to continued economic loss. It was never meant for unelected health officials to set public policy but yet here we are. 
If the CDC continues to cling to the no sail order until Oct 31 from US ports or make the conditions unrealistic for cruise ships to follow, it will be interesting and telling to see how the cruises in the summer from Caribbean ports go with Covid. Imagine being an unemployed or underemployed cruise affiliated US worker to watch this over the coming summer. Politicians are supposed to do risk analysis and set public policy but somehow some politicians cling to a zero covid worldview. Perspective has been lost. For example, is it worth bankrupting towns in Alaska and the resulting economic and social damage done to their populace to keep cruising closed down in the US?  

Yes! I also believe a certain segment of our population is approaching going off the deep end. A fully vaccinated acquaintance recently posted that she and her husband finally ate at a restaurant “don’t worry! We ate outside!” 
 
These are the same people that have now been conditioned to avoid Level 4 countries and if you do visit a restaurant and eat inside or travel to a Level 4 country you’re labeled reckless and putting others in danger. It’s past ridiculous in my opinion. Life is full of choices but I fear our freedom of choice is being smothered to put it mildly. 

Here's another one ....... Greece is a CDC designated Level 4 - don't travel there country. Greece just opened to international travelers including Americans today. If you can show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test you can travel to Greece and don't have to quarantine. Are Greek public health officials idiots? Nope, the Greek government has correctly ascertained that the cost of restricting tourism in Greece, fearing SARS2 transmission from travel associated mobility, is higher than the cost of dealing with the low risk that vaccinated or even unvaccinated tourists with proof of being COVID free will spread SARS2.
This is rational and pragmatic. The Greek government could stand as a shining example to the US government and the irrationality of the US CDC driving the Biden Administrations irrational public health policy that is locking down the cruise industry.    

Some will argue the CDC is "just doing their job" adding countries to the don't travel to list. I look at it this way. Even though the advisory does offer that if you're going to travel to the Bahamas get vaccinated before you go is contrary to their general guidance that if you are vaccinated, you can travel...... with certain additional recommendations that are also contradicted elsewhere .... when you return from travel get tested, or don't get tested if you don't have symptoms.
I mean, the CDC can't keep up with their own set of advisories that contradict each other.  Exhibit one in my argument is above.
The CDC, formerly the premier infectious disease center in the world, has rendered themselves irrelevant by their overly pretentious and behind the science travel recommendations.  They are the butt of numerous jokes. Just go to their web site and try to find concise guidance on how we should be conducting ourselves right now to return to some degree of normalcy as the number of vaccinated American soars. 
 

Looks like I'll be on the Odyssey Inaugural Sailing after all. Woot Woot
My very reliable TA, @StephanieH, has gotten me booked for an Inside Stateroom (for now). That puts me on a B2B on the Odyssey for 11/15 and 11/20
You can contact her for details. The US Inaugural sailing is not on the Royal website yet.

Really good pricing on these sailings.  So happy RCCL is sailing again!!
 

Really good pricing on these sailings.  So happy RCCL is sailing again!!
 

Really good pricing on these sailings.  So happy RCCL is sailing again!!
 

Really good pricing on these sailings.  So happy RCCL is sailing again!!
 

Royal has stated the last antigen test on board will be timed so this can be used for the purpose of flying home.

Good to see politicians trying to move the needle, but thus far it is clear the CDC does not really care about what any politician says (except perhaps the President, as evidenced last fall with that alleged tug of war with extending the no sail order).
The fact technical instructions haven't been delivered and it is now March (from when they were supposed to be given in October) is absolutely ridiculous. Talk about not being an honest broker.
The fear that the Conditional Sail Order is the No Sail Order with a different name is accurate, and it is absolutely absurd this has gone on this long.
I'm not saying cruises should  have been able to restart 6 months ago. Just that clearly the cruise lines have demonstrated a lot of self restraint, and they know more than anyone, the importance of operating safely given their very public and media-unfriendly coverage.
If the CDC is willing to say vaccinated people can all hang out and be merry together, explain to me why, at VERY least, those same people can't be hanging out, on a ship, with these multiple layers of precautions that have already been defined.  It really defies logic at this point.

We've had a couple of dry days, and the plumber came back out to add some more equipment to the pad. Hopefully the electrician makes it out today or tomorrow because we have more rain in the forecast on Friday and again on Tuesday.
In the meantime, I may have booked a 2BR Aquatheater on Allure.  781 days to Star Class!

I finally emailed Stephanie yesterday and she's working on our reservation.   I'll ask for a quote on Elevate - we don't usually do excursions, especially in those ports but if the ship actually goes to Key West maybe we will there.  Aren't gratuities included with Always?  Trying to think what I would use the OBC on...other than in the casino.  ? 

Essentially I'm going to be the old man in this clip
 

I haven't left the state of Florida since February 2020, but that's about to change as I'm taking my oldest daughter skiing for her first time.
As a kid, I'd go skiing all the time.  But I haven't gone skiing at all since I think high school, or maybe college. So it has been about two decades since the last time I hit the slopes.
Earlier this winter I had looked at going skiing up in Vermont, but quarantine rules make that kind of trip impossible.
Then, I saw a Facebook post from @AnnetteJackson's family of a ski mountain in the western hills of North Carolina and I knew I had a chance!


After doing some research, we're going to take the 10 hour drive up to Beech Mountain, which is outside the thriving metropolis of Boone, North Carolina (less than 2 hours from Asheville).
We're going to do a long weekend over President's Day weekend, since my daughter gets 1 day off of school and I convinced my wife to let me pull her out of school for one day before the weekend begins.
I managed to find a ski condo about 20 minutes from the mountain.  Rentals went very quickly in the days I took to decide what to do, but I think for us it will work quite well.


I also spent a lot of my credit card points on Amazon purchases for the necessary cold weather clothing we need.
I was also able to rent our equipment and get lift tickets via the Beech Mountain website.
The only thing left are lessons, which are available in person on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the lesson. I guess we will be getting up early to lock in those.
My hope is my daughter will enjoy skiing as much as I did at her age, while also hoping I remember how to ski. It can't be that hard to remember how to do things, right?


Besides injuring myself in a classic case of "Matt, you're not 20 years old anymore", I'm also slightly concerned my daughter will find the cold and windy temperatures too much and want to stop.
Plan is to go after school next week and stop half way in South Carolina, and then get to the mountain the next day.
Basic approach should be:
Thursday: Start drive up Friday: Arrive at mountain. Check-in, get equipment, provisions, etc Saturday: Ski! Sunday: Ski! Monday: Drive home bright and early

They started our pool at our new house in November.  All inspections completed from the frame, now waiting or the weather to cooperate so they can do the concrete.  I had a pool at my other house and missed it when we moved back in MAY.  Cannot wait for it to be complete!
 

They started our pool at our new house in November.  All inspections completed from the frame, now waiting or the weather to cooperate so they can do the concrete.  I had a pool at my other house and missed it when we moved back in MAY.  Cannot wait for it to be complete!
 

To be clear, there's been no hint or talk by anyone in RC of a vaccine being needed, so it's purely speculation right now if it would become a policy later.

I work for the US Government and an executive order was signed for telework through 30 June 2021.   This does not give me the warm and fuzzies for my 5 cruises next year.  I pray I am wrong.  

We're both military and I grew up an Army brat so please don't jump on us, but we found this funny.
Thank you to anyone who served, family members included, past, present and future.

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone! Stay safe!