Srp431

I think you are misunderstanding peoples replies and wrongly classing it as bullying.
The 1st reply simply suggests that we should NOT judge a book by its cover! In that the person involved may have underlying issues.
2nd reply points out that we need germs to build up our immune system. 
3rd reply points out that staff may also be an issue, lots of threads on here showing that cases of covid are higher in crew members on all ships.
Also staff should be wearing gloves when working and dealing with any passenger 
Now your replies are your opinions and that this person doesnt have underlying issues, has parents who didnt educate him properly and who in your own words will catch herpes and spread it around! 
Yet you call others bullies and insulting when none of the replies launched any personal attacks towards you? 
Ps Herpes (HSV -1) can be transmitted orally simply by giving your 80 year old grannie a kiss at xmas if the bacteria is present around the mouth ( cold sores ) 
 
 

Yaaaaay everyone in our traveling party has officially tested negative so the biggest anxiety is gone! We all had the at home test kits as back ups but I was able to get a super convenient time at CVS which is on my way home from work. So….it just seemed easier than worrying if I would have one of those faulty test kits. 

Thus far, reservations for Windjammer have not been actually needed. One of those protocols they added in theory, but hasn't made it to practice (yet).

Anything above 32f is shorts weather for me

Anything above 32f is shorts weather for me

You can skip ahead to the time and then come back to fill in any missing info.

The “Symphony squad” kept asking me to join them on this sailing as we had last years canceled on us.  I kept saying I couldn’t as my oldest sons favorite holiday is Halloween.  There is no way I could leave the kiddos over Halloween!

We had also just gotten off Oasis on Oct 17th which was an epic family trip!!

We sailed on a staff assisted cruise with Autism on the Seas as all three of our children are on the autism spectrum.   It was beyond fantastic in so many ways! 

A wonderful opportunity came my way after that cruise.  My husband was onboard with the opportunity, and there I was, 9 days out, booking Symphony!   

The fun part was being able to tell the Symphony Squad I would in fact be sailing with them!  I asked a good friend (who also sailed with us on Oasis) to join me as well.  

So this live blog will be about my second sailing on Symphony, reuniting with cruise friends, and Autism on the Seas as this is another staff assisted cruise for them.  I will be documenting their week onboard.  Here on the live blog there will be snippets of the program but feel free to contact me on here if you have any questions.  I’m more than happy to help! 
https://autismontheseas.com/
And if you don’t know who is part of the Symphony squad, you’ll find out soon enough…. 

You stated that wrong...its the Michigan/ohio state game.

Playmakers onboard may have it, but like the previous person stated, no way to know? BTW? Go Blue!!!!! 🤣

After Royal has seen my card one time on a sailing, why can't they have a field in your C&A record that is checked to say fully vaccinated.  they manage to track lots of other information, don't need to see the card 6 times a year cause I don't all of a sudden become Un-Vaccinated

CDC:
 

There is food for all tastes and diets.  I've never felt crowded on a cruise ship. These ships are designed to ensure the ship (when full) doesn't feel full.
 
You'll find more annoying adults than annoying kids (though still not that many).

Thank you. I enjoyed your review 

Miscellaneous musings #3
The gym 🏋️‍♀️
In these Covid times, the gym was the only indoor space on board (at least that I encountered) where masks were not required but there were "masks on" reminders as you exited. Every second cardio machine was switched off and had a sign on it saying that it was not in use due to physical distancing. Even so, the open ones were never fully occupied when I was in there, although I make a point of going to the gym in the late afternoon when I cruise because I know that's a quiet time, so it's possible it was busier in the mornings. The free weights and pulley machines were fully available. Not much physical distancing there but again with so few people around it wasn't hard to keep your distance. People would scrupulously sanitise whatever machine they'd been using when they were done, even the mats used for floor work.
Note that on this cruise the gym was operating fewer hours than normal, from 7 am to 7 pm rather than the usual 6 am to 10 pm. I got caught out the first evening and ended up doing my session on the running track instead, making use of the space at the aft where they normally have the deck chairs (and which were not there on this cruise).
Shows 🎭
There was only one production show on this cruise: the Broadway musical, Grease, which we did not get to see because it was only performed 3 times and we were unable to secure a booking for the only time that suited us.
The other shows - the ice show, the aqua show and the headliners - were all good. I liked that there were later show times available (between 10 pm and 10.45 pm); when the shows are at 7 pm and 9 pm, I invariably miss them because the earlier time clashes with my work out and the later one clashes with our dinner.
At the start of the week, most passengers were pretty compliant about wearing masks in the show venues but, by the end, many seemed to be tiring of the requirement. On the second-last night, in the main theatre, probably around 50% of the audience "chinned" or entirely removed their masks as soon as the lights went down.
The show times for this sailing can be downloaded from the PDF I posted near the beginning of the thread but I expect they will change very soon since the ship is due to return to the US at the end of the month.
Loungers 🏖️
Although the ship had few passengers, it was rarely easy to get a lounger right by the pools at the times we went (never early). I put this down to the large numbers of European passengers refusing to pay the outrageous excursion prices and simply staying on board. However, if you didn't mind going up to the deck above the pool, you could usually find loungers without too much trouble at any time of day.
The Solarium 🌞
A great spot and always very quiet. Southern Europeans tend to want to be in the middle of the confusion where they can all socialise together, so there did not seem to be much demand for the solarium. Plus, of course, Harmony is the ship with no pool in the solarium, which may have been significant. The wicker chairs with soft cushions and padded footrests in there were soooo comfy.
Final thoughts
We really enjoyed our cruise. It was very relaxing and just what the doctor ordered after the stress and anxiety of the last two years. However, it was definitely NOT the same experience that we would have had pre-pandemic. The ship was very quiet, too quiet in fact, and missing the usual buzz. Conversely, the service was magnificent, with the staff falling over themselves to make sure we enjoyed ourselves and, very importantly, felt safe. Departure was different too, since you go and have breakfast and then wait in your room until your tag is called. I would actually love to see this procedure maintained going forward as I felt it reduced the stress of departure considerably. 
Having booked a a cruise to the Greek Isles cruise on Odyssey of the Seas for next May just a few weeks before we sailed on Harmony, we booked another at the Next Cruise office, to the Canary Islands on Anthem of the Seas for next September, taking advantage of the low deposit, OBC and double points. We are thrilled to be back cruising again and are keeping our fingers crossed that the impact of Covid will lessen in the coming months and we will have a more "normal" experience on those two cruises. I have never before had two future cruises booked at the same time and I can't wait to get started on the planning for those! 😁
That's all for this one; if there's anything I've left out, do feel free to ask. If I know the answer I'll be delighted to help. Happy cruising! 😊

I hated the Windjammer for breakfast, at least pre-covid, but getting bacon there was always justifiable.

The reality is Royal processes are not perfect right now.
Upload your vaccination card but you need to show it three different times before boarding, sometimes at checkpoints that are literally 25 feet from each other.  
Does Royal think it's possible to become unvaccinated while walking 25 feet?  Do they not trust their own processes?  Maybe the first checkpoint forgot to ask for the card so have checkpoints two and three ask for the same documents again after asking the guest to upload it.  
If an unvaccinated slips on board they deserve to be there after making it through the gauntlet.  

Allure of the Seas  connecting balconies for Christmas (Dec 23 - 30, 2021) saved $1,032 per room. Thank you Jacki @ MEI.

Walgreens, CVS, or an urgent care site are options.

I’m Italian.  We are legally bound to eat carbs!!  It’s kinda like that scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding:
He’s a vegetarian.  He doesn’t eat meat.
No meat??  Ok, I make you lamb.

Maybe because I am already fat, lol, I have never gained weight after a vacation. I think it is because I am always at least twice as active. I don't diet, the whole diet thing is bad imho. I try to maintain a healthy relationship with food as a general rule. Everything is okay in moderation. When I vacation, I enjoy, as it is a break from my every day rotation. I think the major thing is I am not a drinker, maybe 1 to 2 alcoholic drinks on vacation and not every day. Regularly I can go months without picking up a drink. Drinks are where you pick up the pounds🤣

How long does it take to get from the boarding point to the Windjammer (with a stop at a bar on the way)?

about time Royal quit pandering to a Very Very small minority and went with the majority of passengers

Our clinic told us to not laminate our cards due to the laminating process may smear the ink on the stickers. So we haven't tried

Had a table next to us (group of 8ish) that wore the same shorts + muscle shirts all week in the main dining room. My 9yr daughter kept reminding us they were dressed wrong and of course had to say it loudly every night.

Had a table next to us (group of 8ish) that wore the same shorts + muscle shirts all week in the main dining room. My 9yr daughter kept reminding us they were dressed wrong and of course had to say it loudly every night.