mjb1127

Cruise departs tomorrow. 3 days Israel, and 1 each in Ephesus, Cyprus, Athens, and Naples.

After lunch, we headed to the colosseum where we did the underground tour and then toured the top level.  At this point we were exhausted, so we headed up Palantine Hill and sat and watched a short video (air conditioning and comfortable chairs).  When it was done, Patrizia gave us the option of walking us through the forum, but we just couldn’t do it so we stood at the top of the hill and she pointed out the sites, then walked us to the taxi stand and arranged a taxi for us to bring us back to the hotel (we were responsible for the cost).  
 
overall, I would highly recommend the tour.  The small pickup hiccup wasn’t a problem and the rest of the day was amazing.

After the Pantheon, we headed by car to the Circus Maximus then over towards the Colosseum with Patrizia pointing out sites along the way.  At Colosseum, the driver dropped us off and Patrizia brought us to a little pizzeria called Palle Carrette (lunch wasn’t included in the tour but she had asked us earlier about food preferences).  The pizza was amazing!  Kids both had Margherita, DH had a diavalo, I had Quattro formaggio.  DH and I both had Coke zeros and kids split a large bottle of San Benedetto water.  Total was about 40 Euros.  Well worth it.  

Now on to today.   Woke up around 6:15, took a quick shower, and headed downstairs to Cafe Olivieri.  The cafe is about 20 feet to the right as you exit the front door to the hotel.   DH had a large cappuccino, I had a Coke Zero, boys both had still waters, and we each had a croissant.  I thought the price was good at about 17 Euro.  My chocolate croissant was delicious but VERY messy.  DH said his cappuccino was delicious.  Both boys liked their plain croissants but said they had a slight lemon taste which I didn’t notice with the chocolate.   The hotel does offer a full breakfast made by Nonni (the family matriarch), but it was an additional cost and given our early tour (and my picky eaters) didn’t make sense for us.   
 
Our tour for today was a private tour through LivTours Italy called Rome in a day VIP tour.   
 
Giuseppe knew our pick up for our tour was supposed to be 7 and when he saw us still waiting by the door at 7:08, came down with his cell phone and called our tour company.  Turns out there is another Golden hotel somewhere in Rome and the driver was at the wrong one.    He was there about 5 minutes later.  Didn’t end up being a problem as he got us to the Vatican where we met our tour guide and got in a short line for early opening.  
 
our tour guide was Patrizia.  She was amazing - she said she had a degree in art history and worked as an interpreter for many years.   She took us through the Vatican museums, and into the Sistine Chapel.  Then St Peters and down into the underground vault.  It was a full morning.  She called the driver who picked us up.  Normally this is where they do Trevi fountain and  Spanish steps, but knowing we missed it yesterday, Patrizia brought us to the Pantheon instead.  
 
 

Stopped by the Spanish steps on way back to the hotel.
When we got back to the hotel, Giuseppe was still on the desk and showed us to our room.  I just about cried when I saw that our luggage was already in the room for us.  Giuseppe showed us how to turn on the air conditioner and made sure everything was Ok before heading back down to the front desk.  As I said earlier, the room is really a 2 room suite.  At 90 square meters (about 900 square feet), it is extremely large and spacious.  Master bedroom has a frig and small safe and beds in kids’ bedroom separated into 2 twins - useful when they kick each other all night.  Water pressure and temperature has been great.   A couple “odd”  things (by US standards): we leave the key at the front desk every time we leave the hotel.  Since it’s an actual “key” and not a card, I can understand that they might have concerns of it getting “lost”.  Also, they check in desk is not on ground level and the hotel front doors are kept locked.  You push a button and are buzzed in.  It hasn’t been a problem just different.  Hotel is in a good area (around the corner from the Westin), so it doesn’t seem like a safety issue.  
 
We rested for a little over an hour and left for Borghese Gallery around 4:45.  I had prebought tickets online for 5-7PM.  The gallery is small so only a limited numbers of tickets are sold and they are only good for a 2 hour window.  Good thing I bought them online, as tickets were sold out when we arrived.  
 
while the gallery was small, the sculpture and paintings there were amazing.  They do not allow bags larger than a pocketbook, so we had to check DH’s backpack and I carried the passports and cash we had on us in my hand.  After touring the gallery, we stopped in the cafe and had some cold drinks before walking back to the hotel.  
 
It was only a little after 7 but everyone was exhausted.  No one even wanted dinner.  Since we were meeting for our tour today at 7AM, I didn’t complain.  

After lunch, we headed to Castel Sant Angelo.  Wasn’t on my wish list but DH wanted to see it.  The Castel has been a fortress and prison but is probably most known because it is connected to the Vatican by a bridge and was used by the pope to escape.  I ordered tickets ahead of time, so we didn’t have to wait in line.  
 
The bridge (pointe) to the Castel had wonderful statues and the Castel had wonderful views of Rome.  Unfortunately, the good views came with multiple flights of steps.   Our legs were tired and sore, but rather than figuring out where the taxi stand was, we decided to walk back to the hotel since it was only 2:30/3PM

Photos from Thursday morning.

One way are better because you don't backtrack and you see more Alaska.  Booking flight as two one-way tickets can sometimes save money.
The round trip from Seattle are also great cruises that let experience Alaska and usually a glacier somewhere along the route so if one of those is working out better your family don't skip them out of FOMO.

I read this report and the figures you quote are for the delta variant. The oxford vaccine was down in the low 60 % mark if i remember correctly. This is why they are saying booster is needed, simple fact vaccine was for covid type 1 ( chinese ) we are now on type 4 ( delta) the report i read mentioned the worry about future variants and how ithings could get a lot worse! 

You do not have to wear the mask while on the beach, in the water or while eating (was in Cozumel in early August) but need to wear it when going place to place. It is the rules and does no good to debate anyone on it. You either accept it or don't go and I am from a state where masks are not required.

It is fairly simple if Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines with itineraries that include stops in the Bahamas wish to continue to sail to the Bahamas then they must comply with Bahamian law and require all passengers over the age of 12 be fully vaccinated in defiance of Florida law which so far we have not heard of any cruise line being fined by Florida.
However if a cruise lines decides they are going to comply with the Florida law and not require all passengers over the age of 12 be fully vaccinated then that cruise line or cruise ship can not stop in the Bahamas at all including the cruise lines private islands.
Basically cruise lines and their passengers are now stuck in the middle of this mess and they never should have been in the middle of this vaccine passport bill to begin with.

Other than 2021 with ATRA bypassing Canada, in a normal year SEA has Quantum class while YVR (Vancouver) has Radiance class.
The original plan for 2021 and the plan that remains for 2022 is Radiance doing the one-way North/South and Serenade doing YVR round trip.
I'm a big fan of the one way and have done it twice.  That being said when Serenade was added for the 2021 season she had double glaciers on some dates visiting Endicott Arm, Tracy Arm and/or Hubbard Glacier in various combinations.  Those double glacier itineraries are very compelling.  

I agree with @Jill.  I've done both one way and round trip.  There's just no comparison.  Do the one way and spend a few extra days in Alaska.  Some things you should not miss while there:
Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward
Alaska railroad.
If you have time, do a cruise tour that includes Denali

I gotta vote for the southbound/northbound route. Yes, smaller older ships but if you think this will be your one and only trip to Alaska, go big or go home and that includes doing a land tour to Denali. 
 
The only reason I’d consider the RT on a quantum class is that the teens would probably enjoy the ship more than a vision class. However, this is a port intensive trip and in my opinion the ship is more so the means to get me to each port. 
 
The smaller ships can also get into places the bigger ones can’t. 
 
Plus…….you can take the glass top train from anchorage to Seward and that’s a must do! 

I recommend the one way cruises that end or start in Seward. More of Alaska is seen and no retracing back to Seattle. The ships that currently do this are not Quantum class. So big decision between ship newness vs quantity of Alaska seen. My family enjoyed a day in Anchorage and if additional time is available I have heard great things about Denali park.

So ! As the clock ticks and time passes we continue the journey through the ups and downs and twists and turns of what feels like the endless pandemic ! Today Quantum, Adventure, Freedom, Anthem, Jewel, Serenade, Odyssey, Allure, Ovation, Symphony, Independence and Harmony of the Seas are all sailing (did I miss one) and by the end of August Mariner of the Seas will also be sailing ! 13 of our 26 ship fleet back sailing the seas ! All of our ships starting operating with reduced capacity either by government mandate, for example Singapore and Southampton or through voluntary caps we placed on ourselves that ranged from 30 to 50 per cent. As we move month by month we are increasing our capacity ship by ship ! All of our crew are fully vaccinated and each ship sails with a total onboard vaccinated community ranging from 90 to 97 per cent. The overall majority of the unvaccinated guests are the kids not eligible for vaccine ! Do we have Covid positive guests and crew ! Yes ! As all guests are required to be tested before boarding regardless of vaccination status we typically have 2 to 10 guests a week (out of thousands of guests boarding 12 ships) who do not board because they test positive ! Do we have Covid positive guests onboard ! Yes ! How many guests are positive ! Typically 1 or 2 of a thousand plus guests a week per ship. How is that possible ? Testing captures status at a point of time and if the guest is incubating infection then the test will miss it ! Yes vaccinated guests test positive for Covid and typically are asymptomatic. What happens onboard ! Quarantine for Covid positive guest and Testing of immediate travel party, contact tracing and testing of all contacts and quarantine if positive. Repatriation home via private jet in the majority of cases. How about the crew ! Yes they are all vaccinated and all crew were tested every two weeks which we just changed to testing every week because of the Delta variant. Do we have positive crew ? Yes ! Mainly during quarantine as they join the ship and are vaccinated and tested or during regular testing ! How many ? A very small number (typically 1 or 2 every week) out of the thousands of crew. Maybe this is too much information however having a community of people vaccinated at 90 to 97 per cent with frequent testing for all is literally one of the safest places on the planet. Guest satisfaction is super high ! There does continue to be many changes or points of confusion such as Canadian mixed vaccines which is perfectly acceptable in Canada yet not accepted by the CDC and the home port we sail from determines which authority decides. However we continue to work with multiple authorities to find safe solutions. And so I am posting this to keep everyone informed ! Please remember we as a company are trying our absolute best to protect our guests, employees and the communities we visit !

Saw his FB post.
As someone who is trying to support the cruise industry by sailing multiple lines I am seeing first hand the different companies handling the situation they have all been thrust into. 
I do like that Royal Caribbean and Michael Bayley has been pretty open, transparent and what seems to be honest during the restart.  

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/non-us-settings/sop-triage-prevent-transmission.html#:~:text=The main route of transmission,%2C mouth and eyes.
The main route of transmission of COVID-19 is through respiratory droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Any person who is in close contact with someone who has respiratory symptoms (e.g., sneezing, coughing, etc.) is at risk of being exposed to potentially infective respiratory droplets. Droplets may also land on surfaces where the virus could remain viable for several hours to days. Transmission through contact of hands with contaminated surfaces can occur following contact with the person’s mucosa such as nose, mouth and eyes.

I sorta went on a bit of a spree with some money I've had socked away, and now I can attest to the fact that YOLO booking is indeed a thing. ?
September 26, 2021: Oasis out of Cape Liberty (7 days)
December 24, 2021: Anthem out of Cape Liberty (Christmas at sea!) (7 days)
December 31, 2021: Anthem out of Cape Liberty again! (Why not be at sea to welcome in 2022?) (9 days)
UPDATED AFTER SAGE FORUM ADVICE: May 1, 2022: Serenade out of Vancouver (North to Alaska...and back...) (7 days)
All of these happen during breaks for me with school and will celebrate milestones in said schooling since I'm getting toward the final phase.
If they all go off without a hitch, I'll be Diamond for the second leg of the holiday B2B and Diamond Plus at the end of the Alaska cruise; the one on Oasis will be my first Royal cruise (not for a lack of trying over the last 18 months!). These points will apparently really stack up with the bonus and because I'm cruising solo.
You people are a bad influence! ?

Because it takes an average of 5 and up to 14 days for covid to do its thing after you've been exposed.  Think of it like a flash flood. Even though the massive rain storm might have ended a couple miles upstream, it'll still be flooding for a while as the run off continues to go into the streams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ4-XT7vo-o
Serenade of the Seas is the first cruise ship to arrive in Juneau today.

Because it is not the right thing to do for the cruise industry as a whole.
only time will tell for sure, but as we are now seeing in the USA the vast majority of cases of covid running ramped again are in unvaccinated individuals.

It would appear as though Carnival Cruise Lines will follow Royal Caribbean's lead, any passenger who is unvaccinated or does not wish to voluntarily share their vaccination status will be required to purchase travel insurance that includes medical coverage should they need to be disembarked from the ship.  Also Carnival is saying unvaccinated passengers will be limited to certain areas of the ship they will not be able to experience all the venues and activities. This change is for all passengers cruising out of Florida, passengers departing from a cruise port outside of Florida will not be required to purchase travel insurance because adult passengers will not be allowed to sail if they are not vaccinated.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carnival-unvaccinated-policy-florida-royal-caribbean-cruise-lines-insurance/
Not sure why NCL doesn't just go this routes as well out of Florida.

I’m in the camp of enabling private persons or businesses the ability to control their own destiny.  No shirt no shoes no service.

I'm sympathetic with this to a degree... I'm worried about anything that could essentially require you to establish your identity in order to function as a private citizen going about your life. It has the potential to become state-sponsored surveillance of citizens without cause so quickly that it is not even worth discussing in my book.
However, you already have to establish who you are and provide relevant certifications of your own health to travel internationally. I think the case against a vaccine requirement for travel is diminished by that fact.