BrianB

On the Oasis…this is no earlier time available for My Time Dining. Due to physical distancing protocols in the main restaurants, they spread out the traditional time dining so My Time is later. 6:45pm is the earliest that I have seen. That’s late for me as I’m a 5:30 diner. Hopefully the protocols ease and more times open up.

I usually do MyTime, but now…with distancing protocols…the earliest time available is 6:45pm. That’s late for me…I’m usually a 5:30 diner. Hopefully, as time goes on, the protocols begin to relax and we start getting back to normal. Also, when I book my cruises, I usually get to choose my dining preference.

I’m boarding Oasis at noon today…also in a CL. I’ll ask about special dinners in the CK for holidays…especially New Years and Thanksgiving. I’ll post later.

On the Oasis, all of the shows are there. The Broadway show Cats, the Aqua80’s show, the Frozen in Time ice show and the various headliners and comics perform. As @SpeedNoodlesnoted, due to physical distancing rules, you can only reserve them when onboard. And you can only reserve each of them one time…so everyone gets a chance. Some showtimes are for vaccinated only, others may be for everyone. In the theater, the main seating area is for vaccinated only and the balcony is for everyone. When in the vaccinated only section, masks can be removed. In the everyone section, masks must be worn and distancing between groups is recommended.

Disembarkation has been pretty smooth lately…especially with the decreased capacity. I do self walk off with my luggage but it’s just me with a large rolling bag and a carry on that attaches to the top. The walk from the ship, through the gangway, down the escalator and into the customs hall is pretty long. If I had more than one bag, I would probably just put them out at night and pick them up in the customs hall. It’s very easy locating them. Then after getting my face scanned at CPB checkpoint and getting the green check mark…a quick stroll out the side door and to the garage. Make sure you have your parking ticket with you…do NOT leave it in the car. I hear this happens quite often. When you approach the garage, you must insert the ticket and a credit card into the self-service pay machine to get an exit ticket. There’s also a cash only machine. Don’t worry…there are plenty of workers to show you how it’s done. They actually do it for you…makes things go much quicker. You’ll get a receipt and an exit ticket which you need to raise the barrier to get out of the garage. They even have a worker who takes your ticket and inserts it in the machine for you. Up goes the arm and you’re on your way.

That’s what the stick thingy said…

Eureka! Health Questionnaire completed and submission was successful! Ready for tomorrow!

Update; At 12 noon, 24hrs prior to my arrival time…I received a notification from the Royal app advising me to complete the Health Questionnaire. This time I was able to access it and answer all the questions (still not pregnant). When I tried to submit…got this.

I tried that. I figured that could be the issue. But for the cruises on the Oasis last month, it still wouldn’t let me submit my answers. I kept trying until right after midnight when I got a response like…’questionnaire is closed…do it at the port’. Maybe it’s because I tried to do it before the 24hr period and it locked me out. If that were the issue, then I would guess others have the same problem. The email was received at 6:30am.

I love the newly-amplified Oasis! For me, it’s the ship and not the destination…I usually stay aboard…been there, done that. Except, of course, CocoCay. But, I really like a port-intensive itinerary because most days the ship seems so empty as many guests are out enjoying their excursions. I also really love the Anthem. My home port is Port Liberty in Bayonne NJ (an easy drive) and I park in the garage steps away from the terminal. Sailing on the Anthem in winter from the Northeast is great! The Solarium is completely enclosed and climate controlled…as is the family indoor pool. And the SeaPlex is great for indoor activities. There’s the NorthStar and iFly and the beautiful Two70. Always a beautiful sail away on a dark, cold wintry day sailing down the river with ice floating by…as I sit in the pool in the heated Solarium surrounded by green foliage sipping a tropical cocktail (with ice floating) looking forward to the summer weather ahead.

I get the email notification the day prior to my cruise letting me know that the Health Questionnaire is open on the app. But, when I click on it I get the message ‘You will receive a notification the day before your cruise…’ Or, I am able to access the questionnaire and answer all of the questions (No…I am not pregnant) but when I click on submit I get the response ‘try submitting your answers again’. So I answer all the questions again (No…I’m still not pregnant) and when I click on submit I get ‘try submitting your answers again’. I sort of get the feeling that there’s some group of IT geeks laughing at me seeing how many times I’ll submit my answers again. Probably trying to get revenge after being victimized so many times during grade school with ‘stop hitting yourself’ incidents. I end up having to answer the questions at the port during check-in. No! I am NOT pregnant! Has anyone else had this issue or is it maybe a specific ship-related thing. All of these happened before boarding the Oasis.

CDC…and therefore the cruise lines…identify someone as ‘Fully Vaccinated’ if they are fourteen days or more from the second shot in a two-shot series, or from the date of the one shot vaccine (J&J). Boosters are not (yet) part of the equation. Don’t forget to bring your vaccine card with you. They still want to see it at the port! Remember…it’s always a good idea to do your due diligence and keep abreast of any changes by frequently checking Royal’s web site. Don’t wait for a notification email or text. Enjoy your cruise!

I took @Matt’s advice and tried pricing some of my cruises using two guests rather than just me being solo. In some cases, the price was somewhat less…but not enough of a difference for me to rebook. Even with the tax and port fees refund. All of my cruises are in Crown Loft Suites (Oasis) and Junior Suites (Anthem), so I don’t know if that makes a difference either way. I’m fast approaching the 340 point mark so I will reprice afterwards. Hopefully I see a drop with the 150%. Double points gives me six points per night. I appreciate Royal doing this because this is where I would be anyway if 2020 wasn’t cancelled. **Off topic but, can’t help myself…tickled pink as I just this moment got my negative result from CVS for Sunday’s cruise. Damocles’ sword has nothing on waiting for a pre-cruise Covid result.

When my three November cruises on the Anthem had their final pay dates pushed back…my check ins were all deleted. But as each one hit the ‘Check in is Open’ date, they all restored my original information. Same arrival times. They could have saved me the anxiety and just kept me checked in. Oh well…all’s well that ends well.

Thank you @JohnK6404! Great running photo dialogue! I was on the Oasis for a back to back last month and I’m boarding again this Sunday for another. This makes me feel like I am still aboard. Excellent photos and descriptions. Can’t wait to get back! Thanks, again.

Suite lounge on Oasis has the free drink happy hour (5 to 8pm) and uses the beautiful sunken bar between the lounge and the CK.

Mine too. A sticker for each shot with just vaccine brand, lot number, date and location. No initials or any writing…except my name and date of birth and patient number on top.

If that was me…I would email Royal with a copy of the form and then if they respond it’s okay, print out the response and bring it all to the port on embarkation day. But someone else may have experience with this………..

I was on the Oasis for a b2b last month. Like the previous posts already noted…besides being unmasked outdoors, there are indoor venues where vaccinated-only guests can gather without masks. I didn’t see any issues with people flagrantly violating the rules. Everyone seemed to just go with the flow. I did notice some people who forgot to re-mask when they left an unmasked area and crew members gently reminding them and they quickly complied. When leaving the theater, there were crew members at the doors reminding people to mask up. I liked that the crew was well trained to quickly remind those who forgot. It just quickly became second nature. I got so used to it that it didn’t bother me at all. On another note, I didn’t see any guests who seemed annoyed by the constant masking of others. Some guests wore masks everywhere, even outdoors and in unmasked venues. Nobody seemed to care about who made which choice. We’re all on a cruise! Finally!

In the US, there is a minimum time set by the government so that the final passenger manifest can be submitted to the CBP prior to sailing. But as @twangsternoted…I think the cruise lines will extend the time beyond the government minimums in order to accommodate testing, and other, reasonable delays.

Bad link! Very bad. Bad!

On my Apple iPad, the Royal app allowed me to upload photos of my card…but still not on my Android phone…even after updating. So today I deleted the app from my phone…powered it down…then restarted it. After downloading the app again, I found the ‘Photo Vaccination Card’ option in my check in, right after ‘Choose Arrival Time’. But remember we still need to bring the card to the port!

I usually wait when I see a discrepancy in my posted points. Most times it self corrects after a day or two. But this time, I know there are lots of issues with Royal’s systems being very busy during these confusing times. So I saw my points posted for my Sept 26 cruise were wrong. I was due 42 points for the seven night cruise but only received 28. Also, the cruise before that…on Sept 19 didn’t post yet. I called C&A and the call was answered quickly. The agent, David, saw the discrepancy and got it corrected right away. Now I have the 42 points added for the second cruise. He also took care of the first cruise but I have to wait a few days for those 42 points to post.

Sail away is from Bayonne so we do not pass the Statue of Liberty. She’s further up the harbor…as is all of Manhattan. We pull out, turn right and head for the bridge. Once in a while, usually for publicity photos, the ship will turn left and head upriver to the statue…spin around…then head back down to the bridge. We still have views of the statue off in the distance and the downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines. Going under the bridge is very interesting as there are just a couple of feet clearance. The ship lowers her funnels so she can squeeze by. Nice view from midship on the upper deck. Did you receive an email regarding the departure time changing? Usually it’s at four…but the last two trips I took in Sept it was pushed back to five. Even if it is at six…you should have enough time to get to dinner at Chops…providing there is no delay leaving the dock…and you go right after we clear the bridge. You dine at your pace…they just allow a general time frame for dining. Enjoy the cruise! I’ll be there also.

When you use a TA, you no longer ‘own’ your reservation. That’s why finding a good TA is critical. Most great TAs get repeat customers because they offer fantastic service as they advocate for you…find the price drops…find the best deals. It takes a lot to manage a reservation. It’s not just book and forget. A good deal from a box store, or a discount company, or even a credit card company may be great when it’s booked, but if prices drop as time goes on…or a better cabin or upgrade is possible…than you can miss out on a much better deal. Good luck and I hope everything works out for the best!