JasonL

Normally I'm indifferent to vaccinations, but I am going to get this one for my family as soon as possible. Not because I think it's right or wrong, but because I wanna get back to travel as soon as possible. As long as it doesn't kill us, I'm down for it, if it means I can cruise and travel again.

Thanks for the info everyone. I ended up extending my stay after the cruise until Wednesday because the airfare on thanksgiving weekend is crazy expensive so it worked out better. The Disney property hotels basically dictated itself based on my family of 5(over 4 people closes a lot of options) and prices based on availability. Ended up with Caribbean Beach Resort and bought and reserved Magic Kingdom & Hollywood Studios for Monday and Tuesday. Fly into Miami the day before and will stay at the Hilton Doubletree. Cruise. Then rented a car which is supposed to be from the Doubletree Hilton location. Drive to Orlando Hotel. Disney 2 days. Drop Rental at Orlando Airport. Cry because vacation is over. I imagine it should be easy to get back to the Doubletree for the car rental, especially because I can check it out before the cruise?

So, this is real close to the cruise port too right? It's half the price of Intercontinental and Kimpton for the one night I'll be there. Coming across the country takes all day, so we will basically get checked in and go to sleep, then get right back up and check out to head to the port. Seems like it has pretty good setup for us with our 3 kids, Yea?

We are flying into Florida from Washington state for a Thanksgiving week cruise on the Oasis. This is the same week as the RC blog cruise on the harmony, wish I could have convinced myself to pay the extra to join yall. Harmony leaves out of Orlando and Oasis out of Miami. So, my question is this- I want to spend a couple of days before the cruise to do a Disney park or 2 and I hope to also squeeze my way into a RC blog meet up. Has anyone else done this? Are there usually meet ups before Group cruises and is everyone invited or just those on the cruise? Also, Should I get a hotel next to disney and then just drive(or uber) to the port on cruise morning? Rent a car for the few days or just use the ground transportation around disney then catch an Uber to MIami? Also would love any recommendations for a good mid range hotel near or in Disney. Thanks guys

Oh this cruise would be really great! I love cruising and I love Hawaii. Nice long days in port which is awesome.

I've been figuring my May Alaska cruise was gonna get canceled, but am not sure what I should do with my credit. I got a really cheap price so i'm thinking lift and shift to next year will be my best bet. So, I can basically move my May 24th cruise all the way to June 24th in 2022 on any itinerary that is basically the same for no extra cost right? I'd rather go on the cruise, but I like the idea of taking my cheap may cruise and moving it to late june instead. Am I thinking about this correctly?

After listening to @Matt recent podcast about wishes for 2021, I thought of a couple of my own. How about you? 1. Ok I'll put this one in since I'm starting the topic and I'm pretty certain everyone on here wants the same thing..... CRUISES TO START BACK UP 2. RCG to rework their website: Fix some of the weird glitches & ALLOW MORE OPTIONS WHEN BOOKING(or mock booking) like allowing you to put in the max guests that rooms allow. 3. More west coast cruises including more short cruises out of Seattle(this is probably more like an unrealistic dream)

Oooohhh .... I like this idea, Doesn't sound crazy at all! Lunch can be super hectic, this gets you fed and unpacked at the same time. Genius!

I would LOVE to try out a Christmas and/or New Years cruise. The price has to be right though, it is so spendy those weeks!

I'm slightly confused on how what you're looking for from Mr Bayley .... He needs to be transparent about Everything with cruisers, or is it only when it comes to cancellations? Is it Everything or is it just a couple of transparencies? I feel like you are being pretty negative in a situation where no one knows what is going to happen. It is also very unproductive to state someone is Always or NEVER doing something(every single answer). I would guess RCG has changed plans 100 times already because they are trying to move and adapt the best they can in a terrible situation. I choose to be optimistic and hopeful that RCG is doing all they can to keep their business afloat while also doing their best to keep their customers as happy as possible. I also would like to extend as much grace as possible in this difficult time.

In general we have enjoyed most dishes at the MDR, but there are also always some items that are repulsive. I am also pretty snobby about buffet food, I swear my last cruise the cooks had some sort of cruel affinity for cooking everything on the menu in fish oil.

Also, when the Wife and I started cruising we did it way different. We had a blast just with the excitement of being on a huge ship and exploring and taking in all the free stuff. We did it on the cheap and didn't spend a dime after getting onboard(sorry Royal). We loved cruising that way and you don't have to spend a bunch of money to have a great time! We splurge more now, but if I'm feeling like more of a penny pincher we dial it back and have just as awesome of a time.

Ditto on Labadee Jamaica- We are an adventurous family and if you are not in good health then I could see how you might not love this but..... We LOVED Dunn River Falls. We had an absolute blast climbing the falls and playing in the pools. Yes it's a long drive to get there and back but it was well worth it and I would definitely do it again. We went with our 8 and 11 year old girls who I had to keep close to so they didn't get hurt but they also loved it. If my girls weren't so darn risky like their Daddy I wouldn't have been nearly as concerned to watch them so close. I believe we paired this with a cave crawl which was also really fun and interesting. Grand Cayman- We did the turtle farm and Dolphin Swim. Turtle farm was .... a turtle farm. Interesting for a half hour then we just wanted to get to the Dolphin Swim. Push,Pull,Swim and Turtle Farm was the name (or something close to that) and the Dolphin swim was AMAZING and we all had a great time. It wasn't cheap but we considered it a once in a lifetime type of excursion. My girls are so spoiled......

We did the turtle farm with a dolphin encounter. The turtle farm is.... well a turtle farm. There are lots of massive turtles to look at and small turtles to touch. There are also some other reptiles to look at. This was entertaining enough as a pit stop to the real excursion. My family consensus was 30-45 minutes here is more than enough and now that I've seen it I have no need to go again. The dolphin swim we did afterwards was SO COOL though and made the turtle farm feel less exciting.

Since "winging" it probably won't be allowed this year, I need to find ship sponsored excursions as a safety net. So... I'm looking for Sitka ship sponsored excursion recommendations. We enjoy seeing nature and hiking, and really don't wanna be in a herd of tourists. Any ideas?

This has definitely changed over the years. Started out with free drip coffee and whatever flavored water,tea,lemonade was offered. Then I started adding in a couple special occasion evening drinks. The last couple cruises I pre-purchased a coffee card so we could get specialty coffees every morning and started getting whatever I wanted to drink in moderation. My next cruise(God willing) to Alaska I made my first DBP purchase and I'm excited to get loose ?

After 2021 I should be Diamond which is exciting, but I don't think I'll start thinking about Pinnacle for 15 more years. Also what I like about the RC sales are how there could be a Super Sale 99% off and it may just be more than the sale that just ended at 20% off ?

Assuming I'd have to fly across the country and jump through hoops when I get back home before going back to work...... Still a definite YES! Pandemic, Panshmemic ?

Heads up! In case you missed the last drink package deal, the price has dropped low again(atleast on my sailings)

same here! Quantum 5-24-21

Is anyone else looking at 2021 vacation possibilities every weekend? My wife gets worried and excited everytime I pull out the laptop and "browse" while watching football and drinking a couple beers. It may not be a giant number for many, but I never have 3 "big" trips planned out for 1 year. 1 trip to Hawaii and 2 cruises. Just upgraded from a 3day getaway to Alaska via Quantum 7day on may 24th out of Seattle. Went with cheapest room available on this one because it was just so darn cheap($1280 for the 2 of us). This cruise was actually $100 cheaper than my 3day I had planned... no brainer. Anyone else going on this one? YOLO book it

Quantum OTS - May 24th 2021 Oasis OTS - Nov 21st 2021

I think congress wastes enough of our money and you know they'd bill the American public for it. No Coco Loco's on my dime ?

I'm thinking the 10:45 boarding is a thing of the past. I bet they are going to give themselves more time to clear the ship and do a complete deep clean inbetween each sailing.

I'm even becoming more open to the idea of wearing masks in certain venues. craziness