BrianB

Dark colored sport jacket (material must be as wrinkle free as possible) folded inside out, one shoulder into the other…packed in plastic dry cleaner bag. Found some good videos showing how to do it. Dark khakis, belt, nice tie and dark dressy-ish comfortable shoes. Sort of ‘casual/formal’ wear. But I try to get out of the jacket and tie as soon as possible after meeting the Captain, or whatever formal event is over. I’m on vacation.?

Welcome John Henry. I was wondering about this benefit as I’m getting closer…. Can someone share…If there is a 60% off second guest sale, is that factored in to the benefit?

They recently extended the date for the Cruise with Confidence eligibility from July 31 to August 31. I’m hoping they also extend the end dates as well. I like that they now allow us to combine our FCCs so we can apply more than one of them to a booking. I’m also hoping the Best Price Guarantee is also extended.

Sometimes choosing to do the personally responsible thing may not be the easiest thing. But, then again, choice is subjective. CDC guidelines listed above seem to be based on the available science and specifically addresses your scenario. I respect your choice but the consequences are pretty clearly spelled out. Royal needs at least 48hrs to submit the passenger manifest to the CBP. I believe that is the main reason for the 48hr cancellation window under the Cruise with Confidence program. It seems they are willing to work with you but need some sort of documentation to justify the refund or, at the least, issue an FCC. I agree with the other comments…keep trying by going up the chain and hope for a better outcome. Good luck and good health!

I think the bottom line for the cruise business is profitability, safety and sustainability. They can ensure profits by attracting customers to ships that have proven they can offer the most risk-adverse, healthy, safe and anxiety-free experience. They sustain repeat customers and attract new business the same way. The cruise lines don’t need the CDC or any other government entity to force them to do that. It’s just business. Especially in today’s climate…where every incident aboard a cruise ship becomes a hysterical media circus…they need to enforce health policies and have plans and protocols in place to mitigate and prevent disease spread. They have them. Their future business depends on their being able to operate successfully while under a largely unfair media microscope…they can, and they will. Just my opinion.

Good question. Especially with the reduced passenger capacity. I never saw anyone monitoring the entrances of the Solarium pre-Covid…just the sign.

Go to the nearest Royal ship and show them the email at the gangway. They’ll have to let you on to finish the safety drill!?

Insofar as the injunction is concerned…it addresses primarily the CSO and it’s mandatory rules vs recommended guidelines. I think the big issue here is what will be decided in the future regarding the CDC (a part of an unelected executive branch agency) being able to forcibly shut down the entire cruise industry in the US for over fifteen months. The no sail order created by the CDC carries with it penalties for violation, in essence it is a law. Whether an emergent matter can be stretched over such a long time…without any legislative action…is unreasonable. Individual states have since recognized this and have passed legislation curtailing unfettered executive branch power in the future. An emergency is not permanent...or seemingly so.

Sounds good. The only issue would be a delayed arrival back to port. These instances usually occur due to a medical evacuation while at sea when the ship needs to deviate to another port to drop off a sick passenger…or deviate off course to meet the coast guard. Or sometimes a mechanical issue with propulsion causes the ship to decrease speed...or avoid a storm. I have experienced all of these on my cruises but this has been very unusual and ships are virtually always on time. Or close to it. Hate to be a negative Nellie, but even though these things do happen…I still schedule flights on disembarkation day. In the highly unlikely event of a delay, guest services onboard will assist in contacting the airline for a rebook.

Waiting for my Sept 19 cruise to open up for check in. Online says check in not available. I uploaded the latest version of the app on my cell. It has the safety information (including hearing the emergency signal…am I the only one who likes playing it??)…but where would it show me a check in date? Curious to know if anyone was able to check in on a ship that has not yet completed a test cruise and/or received a conditional sailing certificate from CDC.

I think we’ll be dealing with this for a long time to come in one form or another. So long as there are no significant outbreaks and the protocols work…then I would hope that sailing gets back to full speed ahead, with less restrictions, and we can get back to enjoying Royal’s hospitality.

I have four cruises on Oasis from Bayonne booked and paid in full starting Sept 19th. I’m hoping the test cruise goes well and paid cruises can begin. I’m assuming check-in will open after the successful test and CDC issues the conditional certificate to sail. I’m also hoping I get an email inviting me to be a test-cruiser! I could be there in an hour!!

I have these issues too. My tried and true method of dealing with it (after much research, analysis, evaluation and experimentation…mulling over the intricacies and possibilities) is to first have a drink. Then, after thinking long and hard…another drink. Sooner or later the app will get back to normal. Ish inebidable.?

Double Points applies to new, individual, and named existing bookings on all Eligible Sailings made through September 30, 2021. Double Points is available to existing Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club Crown & Anchor Society members. Double Points provides Crown & Anchor Society members double Cruise Points on sailings departing from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022 (“Eligible Sailings”). Cruise Points will be applied once the booking is paid in full and sailing is completed. When reserving, a valid Crown & Anchor Society member number must be included in the reservation. Offer excludes residents of China.

For me, it varied with each cancellation. Sometimes it issued pretty quickly and other times it took quite awhile. It gets complicated trying to keep track when I use FCC to book other cruises and then those cruises cancelled also. Had to figure the 125% back on the deposit…then the original FCC credit…and a new certificate issued for that amount. It was also difficult keeping track because each re-issued FCC had different ID numbers. As with your case, I made several final payments using a portion of an FCC and waited for the balance to come back as a new FCC with a new ID number. I’m sorry I can’t give a more precise answer but my experience was varied as far as time was concerned. However, on the plus side, every calculation worked out precisely. There were two issues where, in the beginning, small mistakes were made on the amount issued (one was several dollars too much, the other less) and they explained it perfectly when they made the adjustment. I wish I was spreadsheet savvy but I’m a simple pen and paper guy.?

…or the Staten Island Ferry.

Don’t know anything about these people but…. During my ‘cruise career?’ I have seen and heard about lots of people trying to scam the system by either making up complaints or by grossly exaggerating minor issues in order to ‘get something’ from the cruise line. Some of them were so obvious…I heard a group talking freely in an elevator, bragging about how they got OBC or future discounts. They compared what they got and it was like a game to them…who got the most. Every so often, something would occur to cause either a delay or cancel a port stop. We would go sit by guest services to watch the vultures descend, demanding compensation for the inconvenience, berating the staff behind the counter. They didn’t care that the delay was caused by a diversion to remove a seriously ill passenger. They just considered it an opportunity to ‘get something’. Some people are just not happy unless they can get something for nothing.

Same thing for me with United. Combines my first and middle name. Never had a problem.

Hello. My name is Brian and I’m a Cruisaholic.? 15 booked in the next nine months…six paid in full…all but two are Royal leaving from Bayonne. Two in Sept b2b, two in Oct b2b, two in Nov b2b…etc. I don’t think it’s an addiction…it’s a gift. I consider myself lucky to be able to do it and can’t wait to get back on board. I hope confidence in cruising continues to grow as more and more successful cruises are completed. Can’t wait!

Lots of good info here for solos. For me…I always cruise solo. But I am particular in which cabin category and location aboard ship I want to pick. So no Guarantee Cabins. I like at least a balcony and some ships do have balcony solos. But I also like more cabin space. So solo cabins are no good for me. The best I can do is look for good sales and after I book, I check virtually every day for price drops. If I didn’t have the time to do that myself, than I would absolutely have a good travel agent. They do all the work and find the best deals. They can also advise when it’s the best time to pick up a good price. Plus, they can give extra perks like onboard credit. The 60% off second guest sales are good…and solo only pays tax and port fees for one. Also, I don’t get the drink package…I take advantage of the drinks that come with my C&A level and if I want to purchase a few more, it ends up being less expensive. One perk of cruising solo is you get another loyalty point for each night. So, in a balcony or below, you get 2 points each night. With the current double point offer, you get 4 points each night. Good luck on finding the best price for you and have a great time! Remember…with all the wonderful people you’ll meet aboard ship, cruising solo never means cruising alone!

My 9 night Sept 30th New England/Canada cruise from Bayonne NJ on Freedom OTS was cancelled weeks ago. But that was due to the ship being repositioned. Before it was cancelled, I was wondering if maybe we would do a couple of US northeast ports and then a run to Bermuda to cover the PV act requirement. I would have loved that itinerary.

I have B2Bs in September and October on the Oasis from Bayonne. I’m hoping these cruises go off without a problem. Oasis is doing test cruising from Bayonne next month and then the paying cruises begin. I don’t see a problem with the back to backs happening but I’m sure turn around day is going to be very different. Usually in Bayonne when I did B2Bs on the Anthem, we stayed aboard in the Diamond Lounge until zero count, and then…after CBP viewed our passports…we were allowed out of the lounge. Now, I hear we’ll have to disembark…have to take a PCR test because we were ‘out of the country’ and wait until the results come back negative (sweating anxiously with all finger and toes crossed)…and then board. Oh, well…it is what it is. Can’t wait to get back to cruising!

Check in is not available for my September cruises out of Port Liberty, but I have received RoyalUp emails for both Sept 19 and Sept 26 cruises. Five days ago I was able to submit bids and I received emails that my bids were received…and then yesterday I received RoyalUp emails again…for the same cruises…with no indication that I had already bid so I placed them again. Again I received the acknowledgment that my bids were received. Strange.

Cruise with Confidence…If the price drops before final payment, then the cost will be adjusted and a new reservation confirmation will be sent with the new info. If the price drops after final payment, you will receive the difference as an onboard credit. I have a lot of cruises pending and have made adjustments due to price drops several times already. Very easy.

Without any court mandated action, I think the CDC would extend the CSO rather then letting it expire. Again. They’re like a clinging ex who just can’t let go… “I will not be ignored!” Let the cruise lines operate. They have the incentive to be as safe and healthy as possible. Any hiccup would be grabbed by the hysterical agenda-driven press like a starving dog on a bone…or a least a cute kitten to a laser pointer…sensationalized and exaggerated by pontificating talking heads, and condemned by politicians looking for momentary relevance. Covid, and all it’s future variants (Alpha through Omega) will be here throughout the fall, winter and beyond. Virtually everything else is open…it’s time to treat cruising equally.