BrianB

Update....Anthem has been cleared and disembarkation has begun. All aboard time has been extended to 7pm.

We're on the Anthem. St. Thomas was part of our original itinerary for today but was changed yesterday for St. Maarten. I'd like to think the company decided to not wait until we were tied up at St. Thomas and then be told we couldn't disembark...but pay the port fees for docking. I'm thinking Axel Foley, "I ain't falling for the banana in the tail pipe again!". I guess I'm just a wee bit cynical. Hey! A little humor is good. Especially now.

I see that cruise 'news' website has hijacked my Anthem New Year's Eve video to advance their ongoing anti-cruise agenda. But, it won't help them. I think most reasonable cruisers have already learned to do their own research and not rely on agenda-driven hysterics...thousands of us! Happy cruising!

I bring a test kit with me in my luggage. My plan is if I feel ill or in any way think I may have it…I’ll do the test in my room. This way I at least have an idea before I call. *I know, pretty anal! But…I’ll still call. I’m guessing they do PCR which is much more specific than the rapid antigen test at identifying Covid. It may ruin the cruise for me, but if I do have it, I’d rather have a medical person monitor me in case the infection suddenly affects me in a bad way. Most importantly, I don’t want to be responsible for causing others to get it…especially those who may have a life-threatening reaction. That would be tremendously selfish.

I'm on the Anthem now. This is my 9th cruise since my personal restart in September. If the protocols change and require me to ride a unicycle while onboard...well...I'll start practicing now. Point is...Royal is a business and gives me a choice. Purchase their product or not. I'm sure they don't like the effect these protocols are having on their bottom line...but, it is what it is. Do whatever makes you happy.. and comfortable. Or not. It's your choice. Best wishes to you and your mom.

I heard a story of a couple who brought a large square rubber package to security as a carry-on. Turns out it was a ten person, ocean-rated, inflatable emergency rescue raft. They wanted it with them in case they had to quickly evacuate the ship and didn’t want to risk not getting to the life boats in time. It was denied because of the compressed air bottles inside. I sort of wished I was there and someone had pulled the cord…inflating the raft. Sounds like a TV sitcom episode. That’s when I realized…there are some people who just shouldn’t cruise.

The first date is 12/22/2021…the date of production. The expiration date is 11/21/2022. Also, my sister ordered a six pack a few days after I did and her tests all have the same dates.

Anthem...Dec 31....New Years Holiday Cruise. Final count: 2033.

They can change at anytime during the sailing. We accept this possibility when we agree to the cruise contract at booking. If changes occur prior, they usually send out an email ‘Changes affecting your itinerary’. But sometimes things happen to prevent the ship from docking…usually weather related. Or a medical emergency causes a diversion and thus a delay or a cancellation of a port. It’s just routine when you cruise….ship happens!

In my opinion…this action by the CDC was forced by a very powerful senator who has been on an anti-cruise crusade for years. His recent publicity-generating criticism of the CDC regarding it’s cooperation with the cruise industry, and what he describes as the CDC’s ‘failure to do it’s job’ by not pausing (aka/shutting down) the industry is based solely on headlines and not on that ‘science’ they’re always pointing to. So, to placate someone who is directly involved with their funding….oh, well. That’s politics. And to add a little more perspective to this…this person has been under a lot of critical scrutiny this past month over attending a certain event. He has been pretty much in silent mode since then, trying to let it subside. So now one of his first public statements is one of diversion. Typical ploy. Check it out…google it. Again…just my opinion. Feel free to disagree or, in the event this is considered too political, delete it. By the way….cruising’s positivity rate is near or below 1%. His Petri dish-state is currently at 20%. So it’s 20 times more dangerous to be in his state. Maybe his constituents should flee to the safety of a cruise ship.

Could it be the case counts on the ship? Or just a general temporary shut down of the Bahamas….

1. Purchased from eMed via their website using my account. 2. Ordered Sunday December 26…0849am. 3. Approved Sunday December 26…0901am. 4. Shipped Sunday December 26…via FedEx. 5. Received Tuesday December 28 at 1146am (security camera). 6. Production Date 12/22/2021…Expiration Date 11/21/2022

I wouldn't wait. No telling what the future holds. All six of them have expiration dates of Nov 2022 so they're good for nearly a year. Get 'em while you can! Just my opinion.

After getting only aluminum cans on one cruise….I now bring a plastic bottle in my luggage. I just empty the can into my bottle and use that. I agree the water seems to taste different when drinking it from the can…but somehow it seems normal coming from the bottle. Go figure.

I ordered a six pack of home proctored tests from eMed on Sunday. They arrived two days later on Tuesday. I was very surprised that they came so quickly. I cruise often and use CVS as my go-to test site. Like you, I always book early…so far I haven’t had an issue. But my back-up is the home test. Hopefully this helps others preparing for a future cruise needing Antigen tests.

I ordered a six pack from eMed on Sunday morning. Ten minutes later I received the email that my order was approved. I anticipated a delay in delivery due to less supply and an increased demand. They arrived two days later on Tuesday morning. They all have expiration dates of November 2022. To say I was surprised is an understatement.

Received the email last night regarding our cruise on Anthem leaving Friday. San Juan is cancelled. They extended our time in port in St. Thomas until 8pm. Nine day cruise went from three ports to two. I don’t mind….I’m cruising!

Yep. I'm sure those other transparent cruise lines have no problem telling their guests to expect being denied ports...or expect positive crew cases after you sail...to expect adjustments to scheduled onboard activities because they planned on having less crew available... Royal should have done that too. Oh, wait.............

The fact is no one can tell you what to expect in two weeks. That’s clear to anyone following along with what’s been going on. They are pretty much telling everyone that with this new variant…expect changes, adjustments, cancellations and postponements of services and itineraries. And if you wish to not take the chance of being disappointed…maybe do not go on a cruise now.

Maybe some people don’t want to believe it…that’s up to them. It is what it is.

Just received this email.... Very informative.

I agree. As far as US news media…if they can’t squeeze it into their ‘Covid! Cruising Bad! Covid! Cruising Bad! Covid!’ agenda, then it’s just not newsworthy.

We all sign a cruise contract that stipulates ‘itinerary can change at anytime’ so Royal is under no obligation to compensate for lost ports. However, on a case by case basis, they have done so. It helps with loyalty and customer satisfaction. It’s a business decision. Even pre-Covid, ports were cancelled mid-cruise for any number of reasons; weather…high winds…medical emergency causing diversion…port issues. It happens. As far as the ‘Covid-cases-onboard’ reasoning goes, just seems a bit unfair that cruises are targeted but other tourism modes are not. How can they justify stopping a cruise ship with fully vaccinated, recently tested passengers from docking. The positive onboard cases and their close contacts have been quarantined and won’t be coming ashore…but they allow unfettered access if you fly in? Not very science-based.

On the print page…Scale to 80%. But don’t forget to reset it back to 100% when you’re done. Don’t worry…as protocols are added, pretty soon the SetSail pass will be on page eleven!

I’m in Central NJ. CVS opens up scheduling two weeks in advance. Exactly two weeks before my test date, I log in to my CVS app (usually right after midnight) and secure my test date and time. I have also kept checking availability just to see…usually there are available slots up to three or four days prior. For anyone in NJ getting ready to cruise, I hope this helps!