FionaMG

That's very interesting, thanks for answering. Can't wait to see your onboard pics when you do finally get to sail her. ?

I have never been on an inaugural sailing but I've been around the boards long enough to know that it's a big deal for many of my "board buddies". So I am just curious how those of you who were booked on the initial inaugural that subsequently got shortened and now is apparently no longer an inaugural feel about this latest move? Will any of you want/be able to go on the new inaugural?

Great pics. Thanks for sharing. I still don't like the way the name is written on the side of the ship though.

He's definitely on Allure. His latest post on FB shows him on a ship in Miami, so clearly not Harmony or Symphony since both are in Europe. From the angle of the photo and the Marine Traffic map on the Port Miami webcam site you can tell it is Allure.

Just saw this posted. I went through the nearly 300 comments but he hasn't actually confirmed where he is yet.

Excellent news ? https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spain-welcome-back-international-cruises-june-7-2021-05-29/

@JeffB I will certainly look into that when the time comes. Thanks for the suggestion.

@JeffB I really hope you're right and we do get to go. We've done this same route and been to all the ports before so I wouldn't actually care if the ship just sat out in the Med for the week! It would certainly beat sitting at home. Here in Portugal, we have about 36% "half" vaccinated and 17% fully vaccinated. I am in the latter group because I was lucky enough to be given the J&J vaccine. The others in my party will all be given their 2nd dose in time for the cruise. We aren't booking any flights though, at least until after final payment. If push came to shove we could drive to Barcelona. It'd be a 12-hour road trip, so not ideal but still doable. Meanwhile, there is a poster over on CC who is on the same sailing and is desperate for it to be cancelled so he can L&S to next year and price protect his great price. This because he is travelling from the US on a first-time bucket-list trip to Europe and he knows it will not be the trip he has been looking forward to precisely because of the mitigation measures you mentioned. I totally understand his viewpoint and really feel for him. It's a no-win situation. Your Celebrity cruise out of Athens looks great, by the way. I hope you will have an amazing time! Maybe if you get the chance and are so inclined you could share some thoughts and pics with us all on the live blog board?

Europe seems to have been rather forgotten about in the furore over all the recent CDC changes affecting cruises out of the US. I was expecting to have had at least a tiny inkling by now as to whether or not my late September western Med Harmony cruise out of Barcelona might actually go ahead. The only information I have been able to glean from the websites of the various ports is that Spanish ports are expecting to see cruises starting from mid-June but they will initially be "domestic" cruises, i.e. calling only at other Spanish ports. They are hoping to see a return to international cruising some time in July. That said, since MSC has been sailing out of Italy since August, the Italian ports they visit already have considerable experience of pandemic cruising.

Since these high prices are for close-in dates that may well not sail it makes me wonder if it's a way to try and prevent people playing the system by booking a cruise they're pretty sure is not going to go in the hope of getting the 125% FCC or the chance to L&S to next year at this year's prices.

I guess you didn't notice the post you answered is from last year, 2020, when Allure was due to be in Europe. This year it's Harmony that's in Europe, not Allure. Sorry to hear you won't be able to make your sailing. ?

If there is another Oasis class ship doing the same route I would say there is a good chance. We were booked on Allure (in Europe) last year. We took advantage of the L&S and switched to Harmony for this year, since Harmony is the Oasis class ship that is doing the Western Med route this year. Still not sure if it will go ahead (waiting for news from Royal) but I am pretty certain that if they were to cancel it they would offer L&S again, which would put us back where we started on Allure!

He posted a pic of the ocean on his FB page yesterday that someone had sent to him from Allure and I spotted this in the comments: Poster: "You are going to be on harmony right?" Marc: "Not sure"

Happened to me too, right about the same time as you, but it was all working again a few minutes later.

In case it might help, I often use the Hilton brand when I travel to the US and they are currently offering flexible bookings with free changes or cancellations up to 24 hours before arrival at many of their properties. It's not across the board though so you do need to check the details in each property's description. https://covid.hilton.com/ If you're not already a member, you can join their loyalty scheme (Hilton Honors) free of charge before you book and that will usually get you perks such as a small discount off the price. Anyway, whatever happens, I really hope you get to go and that you have a fantastic trip. ?

Perhaps you could book something now as a back up. In the current climate of uncertainty, many places let you book with no upfront payments and free cancellation up to a day or two before arrival. If you can find one that's suitable for your needs, you're all set if your cruise doesn't go ahead or you can cancel if it does.

Similar situation, I remember when we did a TA from Lisbon to Brazil on Splendour a good few years ago they took on a large number of Brazilian crew prior to the sailing because the ship was going to be doing the winter season there and Brazilian law required a large percentage of the crew to be Brazilians.

This is me too. It's just a nice way to round off the day.

I know. Not happening, right? I barely even glance at them before binning them.

I wonder if there are any plans to do away with the tons of paper "special offers" that normally come along with the paper compasses??? @PG Cruiser I like to keep the paper compasses too. I put them all in a file dedicated to the cruise in question so I can look back on my cruises.

I love the wax museum, it's great fun. Another possible route for your flight back from London could be either Gatwick or Heathrow to MCO. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic regularly fly this route as it's very popular with Brits heading to Disney. If you use miles, I think BA is in the same alliance as American and Virgin with Delta.

Do you know if they will actively advertise these sailings? Or is it going to be a case of having to hunt for them or happen across them by chance? I would really like to try Celebrity for their itineraries but as non-drinkers refuse to pay the mark up for AI.

I guess you're looking at eastbound NJ to Southampton on May 2nd 2022? I waited and waited for that one to come out because we had been planning on doing this year's. However, we preferred this year's itinerary because it was a day longer and had a stop in Canada meaning also a max of 3 sea days in a row (deal breaker). So for us, that one's unfortunately been shelved for now. ? So, I agree that probably you wouldn't get much use out of a balcony on that crossing but are you high enough on the C&A ladder to get a balcony discount? Because if you are, check out the obstructed balcony cabins on deck 6, as that may actually work out cheaper or not much more than the OV. Then if you did happen to get a decent day or two you could take advantage of it without having spent a fortune on it. Take a look specifically at the so-called "square cabins" which are not too badly obstructed and have a wider balcony (6254, 6258, 6654 and 6658). The ones on starboard will get you better sunshine going in that direction. Getting from Southampton to London is fairly straightforward but will depend on whether you are planning to fly straight back to the US on disembarkation day. Cheapest is usually the National Express coach service which runs every couple of hours but which may take a while especially if there are any accidents/road works along the way. The train can be an excellent choice; more comfortable than the coach and less susceptible to traffic delays but a bit more expensive. You can't usually book either of these very far in advance but it's worth checking daily to see when they open up because the earlier you book the less you pay. Also they do have cheaper fares for the over something-or-others (can't remember the exact ages but you'll find them on the relevant websites). The third option, if you're likely to be tight on time, is to book a car service. There are several local ones in Southampton that are well-regarded. Another option worth exploring is using a low-cost carrier out of Southampton or Bournemouth to somewhere like Amsterdam, Paris or Dublin and booking an onward flight to the US on a separate ticket. This could save you some money by avoiding the UK's hefty air passenger tax, although you need to be wary of the luggage rules and costs charged by the low-cost carrier and allow enough time to collect and re-check your bags. Dublin has the added attraction of having pre-flight US immigration so when you arrive back in the States it's as if you've arrived on a domestic flight. Lastly, if in the end you decide to go the London route, do try and stay there for a couple of nights, if you can possibly swing it. It would be a terrible shame to miss out on visiting such a great city. There is very decent budget hotel chain in the UK called Premier Inn which has comfortable properties at sensible prices. Sorry for waffling on for so long. I hope some of it's helpful. ?

It appears an announcement regarding Harmony may be imminent. Apparently Harmony cruises through October have been removed from at least one big box TA's website although they are still on sale on Royal's site. This all fits in with Marc Walker's mid-May timeline on his vanishing FB post a few months back.

In the entertainment department at least. Now I just need to know if there are changes to the itinerary that might affect my cruise in September. I don't suppose you have any inside information on that... ???