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C-4 (Happy Thanksgiving!) I am a planner – to me, that’s ¼ - ½ the fun of a trip, so I began my travel and accommodation arrangements pretty early. Booked a RT flight on Delta with FF miles, and booked two different hotels for my pre-cruise stay. Both hotels were free cancellation, and I just pulled the plug on one of them. My choices were: Intercontinental Miami – Bay View Comfort Inn & Suites Miami Airport Can you guess which one I’m going to cancel? Hint: check out my caveats and the things I said I wanted to try. Now that I’m less than a week away, I also set up my Plans A, B, and C for COVID-19 Testing. Plan A: local drive through test at my local Walgreens the morning of my day of departure (November 27); Plan B: drive through test at a Walgreens 1 mile away from my pre-cruise hotel (although I may have to get an Uber to meet the Drive-Through requirement – I’m also thinking about finding a rent-a-scooter, in the hopes that the requirement is just for a "motorized vehicle." I wonder if a bicycle would count)? I've checked into using CVS, but don't really have a warm and fuzzy feeling about using the CVS Minute Clinics as I don’t understand how they work; Plan use one of my two RCL-sanctioned, Navica-supervised Binax AG Card tests. Since my flight(s) will include a red-eye, and I’ll arrive in the morning of the 28th, I’m going to spend the day exploring the city, to include the best routes and transportation options for the second part of my S2S. I’ve picked out a couple of possibilities for take-out dinner that I can bring back to the hotel room, and will plan for a pretty early night to make up for the sleep I didn’t get on the red-eye. Today is also packing day! I’m packing for two weeks, due to the S2S, but plan on doing a load of laundry on the intervening two days between ships. If I can’t get tested on the last day (disembarkation day) of the first cruise, then I’ll set up back-up testing plans for one of the two intervening days as well. Did you guess the Intercontinental? Nope! At $160 more than I'll be paying for the Comfort Inn and Suites, I just couldn't justify it (told you I was frugal!). Well, cost was part of it -- the other part is that the Comfort Inn & Suites has a free airport shuttle, AND a free shuttle TO the cruise port. I'll let you know how that does (or doesn't!) work out.

C-6 (Cruise minus 6 days) First, the obligatory background. I was first bitten by the cruise bug in 2013, when my husband and I joined about 1500 bikers on the High Seas Rally – a charity-driven biker cruise (well, we shared Freedom OTS with about 2000 other non-biker guests). The charity (and purpose) of the cruise was to raise money for kidney dialysis – and provide an opportunity for about 15 dialysis patients to experience cruising (and for many, their first vacation) while receiving dialysis on board – and completely free of charge! It was an amazing experience -- and the bite sank deep! Fast forward to April 1, 2019, when we were supposed to embark on our first Transatlantic on Oasis of the Seas – when (no fooling!) a crane fell on Oasis, shattering her aft and our aspirations of being on a megaship. Two years later, I made this new reservation on my first cruise ship – Freedom of the Seas! Cruise data: I first reserved this cruise through my TA in April 2021, because it fit in well with my goal of accomplishing a B2B or S2S this year. It has always been a solo cruise, and I made a concerted effort (with my TA) to search out price reductions through the months after the initial reservation. At his urging, I reserved an Interior cabin on the 8th deck, right around the “corner” from Central Park. In the end, I saved about $300 on my original booking by going to a non-refundable deposit; cost per night is about $82.00. Ship: Freedom of the Seas Cabin Type: Interior (8th Deck Forward) Cruise Length: 4 Nights Cruise Itinerary: Miami – At Sea – Nassau – PDCC – Miami Cruise Planner Purchases: The Key, Casino Lesson, Nassau Snorkeling, PDCC Beach Club Sooo. . . some caveats. I am unabashedly low maintenance. I don’t do makeup or hairstyling, and am most comfortable and relaxed in casual clothes. I drink water from the tap (have even drank water from a garden hose and lived to tell the tale – although I DON’T drink irrigation water (yech!), and always carry my water bottle empty through the TSA checkpoint and fill it up right away at the first water bottle filling station I can find. Therefore, I won’t be grabbing (or griping at the lack of) bottles of water onboard the ship. I also don’t get straws – maybe for slushies/Slurpees/smoothies, but for other drinks – not a chance. I do understand how the feeling of a paper straw decomposing between one’s lips is gross, and so may bring one or two plastic ones – or just drink my slushie/smoothie really fast. Since I don't have the DBP on this sailing, I will be picking and choosing my beverages with care; I am, as my DH is eager to point out, "frugal." Well, he says it a different way, but the point is the same! The reason I titled this blog “Simply Solo Freedom) is because this is what it is and what I am. As part of my milestone birthday this year, I wanted to: a) go on at least one cruise, b) cruise on a ship class I hadn’t been on before, c) stay in a cabin type I haven’t been in before, and d) try a solo cruise (my husband is not as fond of cruising as I am, and was very supportive of my trying it on my own). Since I couldn’t see just going on a 4-Night and calling it good after a 2500 mile flight, I added a fifth goal – try either a side-to-side or back-to-back series of cruises. The result: a solo cruise on Freedom, and following that, a cruise on Oasis – originally solo but my daughter said she’d like to try cruising. So this particular cruise is a simple solo cruise – with a few firsts in terms of things I’m trying (The Key, Casino lesson, Coco Beach Club) and a few goals for myself: maintain a live blog, figure out how to navigate Miami using public transportation, and enjoy the ship! What I will include in the blog: timelines and experiences; answers to the questions I’ve posed on different forums in the past; pictures of my interior cabin and its pros and cons; and experiences with the RoyalUp program, having put in two (minimum or near-minimum) bids for upgrades. Although this is a solo cruise. I hope you’ll enjoy the experience with me!

2nd Question about Walgreens testing in Florida -- is it possible to walk through the Drive Through and get tested, or do you have to be in a vehicle?

I would keep checking it. I was trying to purchase a second 3-Night Dining Package for my daughter, and it didn't show up for several weeks -- then one day (and just for one day!) it reappeared and I purchased it.

An update of sorts . . . We're still working on replacing the CDC vaccination card through our local County Health Department, and we're hopeful that that will work out. In the meantime, I uploaded her Vaccination Report from her doctor's office in Check In (I had previously uploaded the WA Certificate) -- and after about three days, that now shows up as verified with the happy green checkmark! I'm hopeful that between the picture of her old vaccination card, the WA Certificate of Vaccination, and the Vaccination Report, she'll be fine. However, we'll continue to pursue the card replacement route as well.

How bad were the delays? "Unplanned" sounds ominous . . .

If you have a package (like Chops +1 or 3-Night), I believe that RCL will set your first reservation (which, I understand, you can change once you're onboard and find out when/where it is), and that you make the other reservation(s) once you're onboard. I don't know how that fits into the "minimum" message you received, unless it's simply "wait until you get aboard to make the other reservations" stated in "Royalese." If you're trying to book a package, maybe there aren't enough left for your entire party to purchase them?

I'll be testing this out in 9 days on Freedom, and will report back! According to the (one!) RCL Rep I spoke to, the 25% discount will apply to already discounted specialty dining purchased onboard. We'll see

KOP was the first mall I ever went to!

Thank you!!! BTW, I'm originally from West Chester

I'm looking forward to your live blog, @spiralqueen! My daughter and I will be on your same itinerary, two weeks later (December 5), albeit in an interior room on the 8th Deck (but just around the corner from Central Park, so we can pretend we're in an NYC apartment ). If you have the time, could you possibly take a picture of the Entertainment schedule and post it? I'm trying to figure out which shows are when, and they don't show up on the app. Thanks in advance, and have a fantastic time!

@AHollyS, @Ampurp85is correct; that's what my The Key email specifies. That said, when I asked an RCL Rep if the 25% discount would apply to already discounted prices onboard (like when they have a "special price" offer, he indicated that it would. I'll be able to report back in about 11 days!

Good point! I didn't even think of checking Cruise Mapper to verify it -- smart move Thanks!

Thanks, @AshleyDillo!

@D AltI'm following this with interest as I'll be on Freedom in 11 days -- solo! I've never sailed out of Miami before; how did you know you were sailing out of Terminal G? I've checked my eDocs and my SetSail Pass, and can't see any indication of where Freedom will be. I'm assuming (hoping??) it's Terminal A -- but maybe not?

Yup, that's what happened to me! #FingersCrossed! You're welcome

I think that as RCL increases capacity, they may be changing The Key to fit the situation. In my case, I purchased The Key for my 4-Night Freedom OTS sailing back (out of Miami 20 Nov - 3 Dec) in August. It has gone through several changes since then (dropped Chops lunch, dropped disembarkation breakfast, added free room service, added discount on specialty dining, limited priority boarding to within stated port arrival check in time, added Chops lunch back . . . you get the idea!), and I think they've adjusted it based on when it was originally purchased. I would assume at this point what you see on Cruise Planner is what you're going to get.

I'm on Freedom 29 November (4-Night Nassau and Perfect Day). If it's available on your Harmony sailing, you'll find it on Cruise Planner on the Internet and More tab.

I did! She's been doing a lot lately -- travel, changing jobs -- so I've been holding off on imposing on her time. But now that she's back, she's set up her RCL account and is able to see Cruise Planner and the app. As I said (well, typed), I just wasn't sure what she would see on the website and on the app. We've got it covered now, though!

Thanks! I'm not trying to surprise her with anything; as you said, I just want her to know what's already been purchased.

Thanks -- she's so new to cruising that she doesn't know what she can purchase! I believe she actually can edit her check-in from Cruise Planner -- I have done so -- but I just wanted to let her know what to expect.

I feel like a complete newbie asking this -- but, I guess in this case I fit the description! My daughter decided she wanted to go on Oasis with me at the beginning of December. She's been added to the reservation, and everything's paid for . . . I've made several purchases for her on my Cruise Planner, because I wanted to grab the deals. My question is . . . when she goes to set up her RCL account (she's never cruised before), and gets a Cruise Planner, will she see the same things on her CP that I do on mine? She'll obviously be using the same Reservation #, but I'm not sure what she'll see, and I don't want her to purchase things that I've already purchased for her, if she doesn't see what I see. Also, I've already checked her in, to a certain extent, but didn't have her CC# for charges. Will CP let her edit her Check In?

If you use Twitter, I've found that contacting Royal Caribbean that way tends to get faster results. Also, I ran into the same problem that you did, and used a combination of telephone call and (I think) Chat to get it resolved. They then emailed me my Confirmation with all of the charges and discounts. BTW, they hold absolutely to that 30-day limit to transfer your reservation to a TA -- and it's definitely based on the day you made the reservation, not the day they decide to send the confirmation!

@dittyBy now I'm sure you've had a chance to see @SpeedNoodles's link. You can also get an understanding of what it will be by looking in your Cruise Planner (assuming you've booked a cruise) or by looking at the Royal Caribbean FAQs (https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/how-can-i-purchase-the-key and https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-the-key-program). Bear in mind that what is offered on one ship, or on one sailing, may differ from another, especially with current and future COVID-19 protocols. As to "Why purchase it?"; here are my suggestions: Consider purchasing The Key if: 1. you only have one or two people in your cabin AND 2. you haven't achieved the higher tiers of Crown and Anchor Society (say, Diamond) AND 3. you plan on purchasing the VOOM Internet package AND 4. the cost per day per person doesn't exceed the going rate for Voom 1-Device + $5 (or so). I use the AND qualifier because in my view, the other benefits besides the Voom total about $35 per person -- the Chops Grille lunch, the Disembarkation breakfast, and the (possible) early boarding and reserved seating at shows. For a 7-night cruise, that would be about $35 over the cost of what you'd pay for Voom (per person), so it would be more beneficial to purchase The Key. This is just my thinking, of course. I would recommend reviewing the benefits of The Key and determine what they are worth to you.

Thanks, @ChessE4, for bringing up the currents. I wonder if the Snorkel Shack has vests for renting (or borrowing)? I have one, but my (adult) daughter does not. We, too, are bringing our own snorkel equipment.