SpeedNoodles

None of this should be about politics. Public health isn't politics. But here we are, largely because of politics.

I called and cancelled and posted my annoyance with the LAST MINUTE protocol change on twitter.  I DID NOT ASK THEM FOR A THING other than my REFUND  ……… They’re the ones who contacted me AFTER I cancelled ….. we had already completely unpacked ……. But I’m not an idiot …… I wasn’t going to say no to what they offered.
 

Well you know, I cannot let @Mattpin earliest start on me again 😄

I was wondering when you were going to start this, lol.

I am not sure where to begin with this one.  It has been 867 long days since I stepped off Symphony’s gangway.  I don’t even know if I remember how to blog anymore lol.  The lead up to this sailing was precarious at best.  Being a Type A planner like myself, the last few weeks have been quite stressful in terms of having whiplash from the ever-changing travel restrictions (we are Canadians, but we fly out of the US), testing requirements, right down to the, “Will we unknowingly test positive two days prior to cruise day and need to cancel the cruise?”  I’ve had a hard time allowing myself to get excited for this sailing, in fear of devastation should anything go wrong.
     Words cannot describe how much I have missed sailing, what this sailing means to me, and the utter gratitude I will feel stepping onto that gangway in two days time, God willing.  This pandemic has taken so much, caused so much upheaval and uncertainty, but there are several things that remain certain, my love for cruising has not faded, and I will never take another cruise for granted again.
     Allure … captivating, charming, grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go … I could go on and on.  You think I’m talking about sailing right?  I am, but more importantly, I am thinking of Hubby.  This sailing is not only a joyful return to the seas, but a very special celebration for us.  As silly as it may sound, on a cold December day, 25 years ago, a story of love began over a $50 bill, a 1st year university Calculus textbook, Jerry Maguire, and two cups of Tim Horton’s coffee at midnight (Note:  Hubby doesn’t even drink coffee, but he had one that night, already a winner then lol). 
     Tomorrow, we celebrate our 25th “Dating Anniversary" and what better way to celebrate than with our beloved La Bamba, margaritas, queso, fajitas, fried ice cream, and of course…CRUISING!
Who’s Going?
It’s just Hubby and I on this sailing.
Flight
It feels so good to say that we will by flying out of DTW.  Praise God for the land border opening and staying open! We double-booked flights for this one out of Detroit and Toronto, but we’ve cancelled the Air Canada flights for obvious reasons.
Pre-Cruise Stay
Allure sails out of Port Everglades so we will be staying in Fort Lauderdale on 17th Street.  When we have the girls with us, we usually choose a more family friendly property like Holiday Inn Express or Hyatt Place.  Since it’s just Hubby and I, we picked Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel.  We’ve stayed here before when we sailed Allure in 2016 and it’s modern, clean, very close to Port Everglades, and most importantly, a short walk to La Bamba!
Itinerary
This 4-night sailing was supposed to take us to Cozumel, but Royal changed the ports a few months ago.  We are now headed to Nassau and Perfect Day Coco Cay.  Personally, I could care less where it goes, I might not even leave the ship! lol
Cabin
#teamDeck17 of course! This is the way.
Pre-Cruise thoughts
-        There might be major tears when I step back onboard on Sunday.  I already warned Hubby.  He has promised to record it to show the girls so they can see how ridiculous their mother is.  People who are not cruise junkies just won’t understand lol
-        Once again, in the spirit of a live blog, please do not hesitate to ask any questions.  I will do my best to find out whatever I can for you.
-        When responding to a post with a series of pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply.  It just makes for easier scrolling.
-        Lastly, I will try to post videos and stories on Instagram.  You can follow me @lovetocruise2002
 

After I posted about it on Twitter with Royal tagged, they made us an offer we couldn’t refuse to still go on the cruise tomorrow …… since what they did when I called technically didn’t cancel the cruise and just put in a refund request and refund approval in the notes if we did a no show.  So, we’re still going to go on he cruise tomorrow now.  We can wear a mask all the time inside for what they offered!
 

NCL announced the same policy.  Others will follow.  I hate masks. 
However I love cruising more.  So I vote with my wallet.  

Please keep the discussion on cruise line policy, not Covid in general. Thank you

I am planning to go on Allure this Sunday. Just need a negative test. 🙂

My wife and I just got Royal Upped - Junior Suite on Allure for 9 days. Under 4K total - 4K Canadian by the way. Yessssssssssssssssss

Thanks. That helps.

The quality of the internet also depends on the ship.

I didn't get charged anything extra beyond my bid when I Royal Upped from a JS to CL.

Just got notified that my Royal up bid for a Jr suite got accepted, we are still 2 weeks out for our new years eve sail. This  is the first time winning a bid and it turns out they put us in an aft jr suit with the large balcony my wife will be extra happy since she lives on the balcony.

I always track the categories surrounding my category.  If those drop then I call  my TA (or Royal direct, if  you booked direct) and they will check for you.

I always track the categories surrounding my category.  If those drop then I call  my TA (or Royal direct, if  you booked direct) and they will check for you.

There are sales every couple of weeks, so quite likely.   I don't know that any Cruise Planner sales are necessarily any better than others.  Purchase what you know that you want, insure yourself against price increases, and rebook if the price drops.

There are sales every couple of weeks, so quite likely.   I don't know that any Cruise Planner sales are necessarily any better than others.  Purchase what you know that you want, insure yourself against price increases, and rebook if the price drops.

There is a good 'sale' on at the moment on the Aus website, just saved $800 on one cabin and $1400 on another by re-pricing a 22/23 Ovation booking I made in September. Check it out, you might save some cash. 
EDIT: Also $2200 on Quantum booking for Alaska 2023 which I booked last week.

Traveling back in time to 2013 would be a pretty special occasion! 😆

Absolutely you need travel insurance. This has nothing to do with CWC. Hopefully you will never need to make a claim, but if something does happen, the cost can be huge. Even a simple visit to the medical centre will cost $$$. I have needed to claim when I slipped and fell off a small water fall and broke my nose, fingers and alike. Also I have read recently where a Canadian lady fell ill on a Caribbean cruise with another line, taken to a hospital on an one of the islands and had to have the family back home raise enough funds to have her admitted and as the hospital was small, ultimately had to have her airlifted home. The amount of money which was required to raised was huge and the delays for treatment cost her, her life. If she had travel insurance, she most likely would have been repatriated State side quickly and possibly had the required treatment and survived. Buy travel insurance simply for the peace of mind.    

I think you're missing the point of travel insurance. 
If you have a health issue or have an accident while on your cruise, your medical insurance probably doesn't cover it. You  need travel insurance both for the medical bills and for a possible evacuation.  These bills can run in the  100s of thousands of dollars. CWC won't help with these bills. 
The cost of the trip is minor in comparison. 

With the extra money I saved through Royalup ,I am booking three more cruises on our Jewel cruise. I pointed out the savings to my hubby. I am making sure we have the magical card with his name on it.

It's not exactly what you are looking for, but when I'm searching for deals I start with the search feature through cruiseplum.com. It's not perfect, but it does let you filter down to Mini-Suite (Sea Class) so it's a starting point.

Unfortunately it's totally possible.