BrianB

The major issue I see quickly approaching regarding cruising from Bayonne…is the procedure at the terminal. Pre-Covid…whatever time we arrived, we entered the terminal and went through security…then checked in. We then were directed to seats and waited for boarding to commence. Now, of course, due to physical distancing protocols, if anyone arrives before their specified arrival time…they will most likely be forced to remain outside until their time. Many are used to the pre-Covid procedure and don’t realize it has been changed so they just show up early. To be fair, the arrival time has never been enforced before and even receiving pre-cruise emails warning about sticking to your time apparently is not very effective. There are usually long lines of people waiting outside. The problem is NJ in winter is very cold, windy and wet. Forcing people to remain out in the cold with very little cover…in particular those who didn’t bring their own car…will be a problem. I’m hoping Royal is planning on doing something to prepare for this eventuality.

I’ll do google flights and set notifications on price drops…but like the others, I book directly with the airline.

Schedules, itineraries, protocols and just about everything else is subject to change as circumstances evolve. Now there is the new ‘Nu’ variant. Keep informed and up to date on Royal’s website as much as possible. Don’t wait for individual notification as you might miss it or be missed during distribution. Due diligence is key. It appears that for the foreseeable future, the one constant is…nothing is constant.

After so much travel…including so many cruises…I’ve learned that anything can happen. Especially after reading stories on this forum and others. Although these incidents seem to be very few and far between, that doesn’t really matter when it happens to me. The best I can do is make sure I do my research and exercise due diligence regarding where I spend my money. The biggest takeaway from all the stories is the benefit of good travel insurance. That and paying attention to protocols, policies and changes regarding my trip. I don’t want to be surprised and have to struggle to get something done at the last moment. I’ve also found that for me, the investment in good, waterproof luggage is so important. I always do walk-off so I need strong, long lasting wheels. And I’ve seen many times where loaded luggage carts are sitting on the pier in a sudden downpour. But…all that planning doesn’t matter if the worst happens. Ergo…insurance!

Maybe that’s the plan…but I’m still happy with the price. Plus, I know things are in flux and changes are going to happen as time goes on. We’ve seen expiration dates be extended on lots of things, or adjustments made…so, I’ll see. I think the room service and dining perks should be extended if they are going to continue with the 6:45 MyTime dining. Either way…I locked it in at a good price!

Thank you…I’ll check it out!

I received an email denying my future Shareholder Requests because… ‘…there is another discount or onboard credit offer already applied Balcony NRD. If you wish to take advantage of the shareholder’s offer instead of the other offer…have that offer removed.’ That’s the first time I have had the request denied, though virtually all of my past cruises had multiple discounts applied. After reviewing the terms and conditions of the Shareholder Benefit Offer, it appears I will not be able to use it anymore as long as I apply the 150% solo cruiser discount that comes with my C&A point total. Oh, well…the solo discount is much higher than the shareholder discount. Another fine print casualty…

…and to answer the question that will probably be asked…many who tested positive without any symptoms were tested because they were close contacts and/or members of the same travel party of someone who did have symptoms resulting in a positive test.

I usually get the dining package. As soon as I board, I go right to any restaurant host desk and make all of my reservations for the cruise. The assigned time that comes with the package is just a placeholder.

…and since virtually all are vaccinated, virtually all have had minor or no symptoms. I have not seen any reports of onboard Covid cases taxing any ship medical facilities…and with the media microscope focusing on the industry, I’m pretty sure it would have been a major story.

Well…for me it was very beneficial. I cruise solo and the Key is very appealing, I only have to purchase one. This sale I ended up purchasing the Key for eight upcoming cruises. It was $17.99 or $19.99 each cruise. So for a few dollars more each day from what I would have paid for just the internet…I get the benefits of easier boarding, carry on luggage drop off and delivery to my cabin, Chops lunch, free room service for the entire cruise, 25% off all dining purchases made onboard and easier disembarkation. I don’t really care about the other benefits. Also, the CocoCay Beach Club price dropped more than fifty percent and was available at the lower price for all of my cruises through Dec 2022. I locked in the lower price on eight cruises! I feel like the woman in that commercial……..

I have been on six cruises so far…two in Sept, two in Oct and two in Nov…my next is in four days. I have felt very safe and comfortable onboard. Knowing every adult is vaccinated, along with the constant cleaning…the ventilation…masking policy…physical distancing protocols…I know I have less risk on the ship than on land when I’m in the general public. I also take my own reasonable precautions; use the stairs as much as possible, don’t squeeze into an elevator, always use the hand sanitizers, avoid crowding. To be honest, it’s almost the same mindset that I have on any cruise pre-pandemic…I cruise mostly over the winter months so I am always aware of respiratory viruses, Flu and Norovirus risks. All of my cruises so far have been to Florida/Bahamas so I haven’t been to the Caribbean yet. I have been off the ship meeting with friends in Florida…I always get off at CocoCay…but I did not get off in Nassau. Once the ship starts cruising to the Caribbean in December, I’ll probably stay aboard at most ports (been there, done that) and enjoy the quiet while most others are on their excursions. But, that’s what I did pre-pandemic anyway. Enjoy your cruise!

Plus you get the benefit of all that vitamin ‘sea’!

When you get to your cabin, you’ll find a letter about your Beach Club purchase. It should have a number to call to make your lunch reservation. On the Oasis, it was the host desk at Chops Grill that handled the beach club restaurant reservations. On the Anthem, I think it was the main dining room host desk. Best to call as soon as possible. I always pick 11:30am.

Also, the beach club has complimentary coffee and danishes available when you arrive in the morning.

Coco Beach Club restaurant is excellent. Good service, food and ambiance. I really like the appetizer box before my main meal. Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Tzatziki…pita wedges, veggie sticks…delicious! Excellent menu!

Soooo….who’s going to be first with offering Submarine Cruising? Besides enlisting in the Navy, that is. I wonder what name Royal would call their new Submarine Cruise Ship? How about ‘Poseidon under the Seas’…or…‘Argonaut under the Seas’. Whatever…one good thing is, it sure would teach those deck chairs hogs a lesson. Dive! Dive! Dive!

Is there any way the supervisor can have maintenance adjust their door closer? I know it’s a safety issue that the door must close when released, but I’m guessing they have had lots of experience dealing with this type of thing in the past (banging doors is one of my pet peeves, although I’ve never had it so bad that I had to ask for help….so far). Good luck PG!

Just got home. Parking is still $25!

On the Oasis, there is the suite sun deck forward...accessible to Sky and Star suites along with Pinnacle members. There are private cabana-type enclosures on the Suite deck forward overlooking the Solarium...first come, first serve. There is no hot tub...but there is a full bar! Lots of loungers and little clamshell daybeds. Towels are included. Plus, restrooms!

That IS weird...after I posted the link yesterday, I clicked on it to make sure and it brought up the T&L article with the link to the RC website to pre-register. Now it doesn't...

Waiting patiently for information on how it’s going to work….am I ‘pre-registered’ by submitting my name and email, or is that just to notify me that the giveaway has begun? Are we going to have to register again when it starts, or every minute…(that would be onerous). I try not to assume anything, but it certainly wouldn’t be good optics for there to be some sort of ‘buy-one get-one’ cruise fare thing. Or anything other than a free double occupancy cruise fare giveaway (I’m guessing taxes and port fees will be understandably extra). By the way…I lied when I said ‘patiently’…

Did NCL choose wisely? I think not… NCL chose to risk losing loyal and new customers alike by intending to create what they believed to be the safest cruise environment available…they did that with their 100% vaccination requirement, thus alienating cruisers with children who were unable to be vaccinated. They also received free publicity by suing Florida over their mandate. So far, so good….. But…looking at the CDC cruise ship color code chart today, NCL has four ships approved for restricted (passenger) sailings. As of today, three of the four have reported cases of Covid onboard. Two of them are in yellow status, which means the number of cases have met the threshold for CDC investigation. The other is in orange status, the number reported is below the investigation threshold and the CDC is monitoring. Royal has fifteen ships approved for restricted sailings. Seven have reported cases onboard. Only two are in yellow status. Lots of litigation and bluster…”Our ships have propellers and rudders and we can move them anywhere”…apparently was not the best strategy in servicing your loyal clientele…. Oh, well…just my opinion.

Update…I emailed three separate request forms, one for each of my cruises in November, along with one copy of my current brokerage statement…all in one email. The first cruise had the benefit applied quickly. Then I received an email from Shareholder Benefits that my other requests could not be applied because they did not have a copy of the brokerage statement attached. **by the way…they specified the statement date must be within the past 90 days** So I had to re-send the other two requests separately along with their own copy of my statement. They were then quickly approved.

Yes. Every minute for 24 hours…over 1400 cruises. https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/royal-caribbean-free-cruise-giveaway?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-article&utm_content=20211119