AshleyDillo

Not definitely, but it does list November 1, 2021 as one of the potential end dates if it precedes the other two situations that could lift the order. I think this has always been the date, though? It's on their website: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/index.html

Deck 8 is always my number one choice. It does cost a bit more than decks 9 & 10, but you will get the largest ATS balconies and rooms on deck 8. Also as mentioned you are at the Central Park level once you make it to to the center of the ship. It's also only 2 flights down to the Boardwalk and 3 to the Promenade. If you are debating between the ATS 2-bedroom and the 2-bedroom GS, definitely consider all the costs of the Star Class benefits that you will receive when you are trying to make your decision.

It's about a 15 minute walk to the Courtyard Junkanoo beach. If you've ever been to Nassau, the Courtyard is about the same distance from Senor Frogs as Senor Frogs is to the port (assuming they're using the same port to sail out of in Nassau that they use for port stops).

JetBlue flies that route via JFK.

You definitely can. They have had to-go containers to pack it all up every time I have done it, chopsticks, soy sauce packets, etc. Still have the same $35/person limit per visit as take-out.

It depends on the testing requirements of the country that you are entering. Aruba, for example, doesn't accept the cheek-only swabs and it must be a nasal swab.

The TA does NOT own the FCCs.

I'm still thinking it's just a case of copying the check-in pages/code for the Singapore sailings and isn't a sign of an overall policy change.

Nope!

On my Odyssey sailing for January 2021 I have the My Time Dining showing under the Dining tab in the Cruise Planner. When I click on My Time Dining it takes me to where I can add it to my cart and schedule the times.

Would you still go if the cruise was going to sail at this point? If so, I don't see any reason not to make the final payment if you can financially afford it. If Royal cancels you will have the option to get everything you paid back 100% in cash. If you've already decided you are going to do the other vacation no matter what, you probably want to go ahead and cancel under the Cruise With Confidence policy and you'll get the deposit back as Future Cruise Credits.

Well at least the CDC has no say in restricting air travel. I'd be more comfortable on a direct flight to a country that required a negative test to enter the country than I would on a domestic flight in the US. But alas, I am sure when the CDC comes to reviewing the cruise line plans to get up and going, they're going to make sure that the itinerary doesn't include any of the countries on their risky list. If you look at that listing of the level one and level two countries, that doesn't leave many places in the Caribbean that are currently low-risk to visit.

I would make sure you read through all 11 pages of @Galveston Steve's All Things Galveston post as it may have some suggestions about staying in Houston vs. Galveston. It seems to be a similar situation to the Orlando vs. Port Canaveral. I've never sailed out of Galveston but I know certain busy times of the year some hotels will require a multiple-night stay so that's something to consider.

There's a 6 nighter that does that the week before Christmas 2022.

Those 7 nights are meh..same old routine and more $$$. That sailing Los Angeles to Tampa through the Panama Canal though....hmmmmm.

I believe the policy changed in October 2020 to allow this: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/10/30/royal-caribbean-makes-using-future-cruise-credits-easier-rule-change

It may not be a policy change and it's just their IT copying that portion of the check-in via the app from the Singapore sailings that are currently running. They require a passport for those sailings. When they even hinted at a national policy change for requiring passports years ago there was an uproar and push back. I thought I remembered that CBP was going to change the rules on a phased-in basis as part of a 9/11 security initiative that would start requiring passports for land/sea travel between the US, Canada, and Mexico. Somehow they relaxed the requirement for closed-loop cruises to not require the passport or even an enhanced driver's license which is the minimum requirement to get back into the US by land.

The UDP will include meals at any of the restaurants on board any time they are open. So if there is a specialty restaurant open on embarkation day, you should be able to use your UDP. I've only sailed Anthem in that class and I don't think any of the sit-down specialties were open on boarding day for my sailing but the Johnny Rockets quick serve style was. On the Oasis class ships there tends to be at least one sit-down full scale restaurant open but the more casual ones were open as well (Playmakers, Portside BBQ). Odyssey should have Playmakers onboard and they are usually open the first day, so that would be a good place to take advantage of the UDP. I've been able to take food to go with the UDP. Izumi Sushi is usually pretty good about allowing it, as did Playmakers and they actually had disposable takeout containers. On my Oasis sailing I was even able to get Chops to go, but I did make a reservation ahead of time and showed up and asked if I could get it to go when I got there. Chops wasn't equipped for to-go orders with takeout boxes, so it was my food on a plate with a room service lid over it. Experience can differ ship by ship, but I've found if you ask nicely usually they will accommodate you where they can. I wouldn't expect them to do a 4-person full 3-course meal to go order from some place like Chops, but asking for a single entree, dessert, or appetizer usually won't put them out too much. It will help to make sure you have a reservation if you want to try to do a to-go from one of the sit down places. I was able to use the app and make several solo reservations at different restaurants without issue outside of the busy dining times.

Some of the venues have rotating performers that aren't specific to the ship like the comedy club and Music Hall and headline in the theater. They fly the talent to the ships and if you cruise enough you will start to recognize names. The constants are CATS in the main theater, Aqua 80s in the aquatheater, and One Sky in the main theater. I took a photo of the entertainment schedule and posted it in my Live Blog of the first post-AMP sailing over Thanksgiving 2019. Insert shameless plug below...

If you are talking about a Denali one that's part of a land tour, I would choose that one just because I would likely do a land tour less often. It would be cheaper to take another Alaska cruise in the future, so I could save the Mendenhall one for a later trip. My father did the one out of Talkeetna and loved it.

Make sure you link your reservations in your Cruise Planner. That will hopefully carry over to the app once you are onboard. If it doesn't, you may have to link it there. You should be able to use the app to make the dining reservations once you are onboard the ship's wifi connection. But the best thing is to do as @twangster suggested and go make your reservations when you first get on board. You can use the lap later to reschedule and move around reservations and also make new ones.

There's always a danger of hurricane problems when sailing that time of the year. They won't sail into a hurricane or tropical storm, but there is always the possibility that a storm could have an impact. Just something to keep in mind. Invest in some travel insurance and try to make refundable travel arrangements to give yourself as much flexibility as you can afford.

I did a web search and found the names Kenny James and Joey Van mentioned as entertainers on that particular cruise. Don't know exactly what kind of a performer either gave but maybe that can point you in the right direction.

I can't believe @CGTLH didn't manage to take one. All of his photos from our cruise are located here: 2017-08 Anthem There's one shot of the living room where you can see the balcony out the doors, but there isn't a full balcony shot from outside. Maybe he can dig some up from the shots that didn't make the website. I'm pretty sure someone was always in the way when he tried to. My father enjoyed falling asleep out there with a bottle of wine. PS: It isn't a covered balcony, so wear sunscreen if you plan to do that even on a NE/Canada itinerary! ?

All the reports that I read before the shutdown is that that the floating cabanas get assigned in the order that they are reserved and there wasn't a way to specify a cabana location. Whether a Genie could override the assignment or not is something that has been widely reported, mostly because the floating cabanas were so new and there hasn't been many experiences to go on by before the shutdown. You definitely need to reserve the cabana in the Cruise Planner before the cruise. Remember you can cancel and rebook if the price drops lower, so if you are planning on getting one, might as well lock in your reservation.