Kathleen

^THIS. A rapid antigen tests only detects an active infection where as a PCR detects any lingering sign of an infection even though it may be no longer active.

@Michelle SkotteWe have ported at CocoCay, Cozumel, Roatan and Costa Maya and have enjoyed all of them. It’s been fabulous and I’d cruise at 50% capacity anytime. Never a line or wait for anything.

I am on Oasis currently. Everything has been great! All shows, bars and restaurants are open and going, except after day 4 the Aqua Shows were cancelled due to the chief safety/technical expert for the show tested positive and was no longer available. The staff is top notch and all the guests seem very happy with the cruise. I’ve loved every minute. We are very fortunate and have had great weather and not missed a port.

^ditto all of this (except for ports) on our Oasis cruise currently. Everyone seems to be wanting to wear their masks as VK much as possible to stay well themselves. As you are, we too are impressed and pleased.

Day 2 has been great thus far. Today was our day at Coco Cay and our first visit here since it was completed. What was supposed to be a cloudy day with possible rain has been absolutely beautiful. We had reserved a beach bed at breezy bay and it has been well worth the cost. We love the island and it has brought us much needed relaxation to begin the cruise. We had a small delay getting into port as we were waiting for Harmony to leave. It was not a big deal and cruiser’s disembarked at 930. Until tomorrow…….

@Lovetocruise2002he mentioned he was on Ovation for the Alaska season until October. He’s been fabulous. There is also a great bartender in the suite lounge named Edgar. He can mix up a very fine espresso martini, which I find I need after a big meal and before I go into a dark theatre. Gives me the jolt I need to keep me from nodding off! Anyway I feel such gratitude to this community, because without I wouldn’t have known all to do and experience.

Nityam is our Genie and we are very pleased thus far. Our cabin as we entered:

I will miss meeting you. You are a big reason we are here in Star Class!

We just boarded Oasis as our first Star Class cruise and it was much less stress free than anticipated. First I stressed about the Covid results and as everyone reassured me: they just look at your name, date of test and result! So I’ll take the time to reassure everyone else like me that it was easier than anticipated. Lastly, because we had uploaded our vaccine card, we only needed to show it once. We are on board and finally feeling the relief and excitement of cruising once again. Because of the recent cancellations we are more thankful than ever to be on a ship. Thanks to all who have cruised before me that held my hand and calmed my anxieties as the time drew near. This community is so valuable but even more during these times! Cheers to sailing once again.

Good luck. We had snow yesterday but lucked into just being in the 3” band of snow as opposed to some areas south of us received 9-10 inches.

Thank you. I have stressed about this all week!

Thank you @twangsterI feel better knowing that.

I took an at home COVID test this morning. Received my email right away with my results. For some reason it is not showing up on my app or my Navica account when I log in. Is my copy of the pdf of my negative test results sent in the email enough for boarding. My husband took his test directly following me and his results are in his app. Just want to settle my anxiousness and confirm the printed pdf of results I received in the email is enough for boarding from those who have previously boarded. I have called the number listed in customer support of app and have been waiting over an hour for my call to be answered!!

I can't say for the ship, but the new CDC guidelines are isolate for 10 days from symptom onset or may be shortened to the first day without symptoms after day 5 if a well fitting mask can be worn for the remainder of the 10 days..

Although not the most gourmet, one of my favorite foods came from a food truck at Dunn River Falls park in Ocho Rios. Best Jamaican meat pie I have ever had. Nice and spicy!!

We loved the Ovation of the Seas and enjoyed its itinerary when we sailed in 2019. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt which was downtown in a very convenient location. The port is located about a 15 minute drive from the downtown area and there are no hotels nearby. Due to where the port is located, just walking from the street to the terminal would be quite a distance and not preferable. Count on a shuttle/taxi/Uber type of transportation. The uber/lyft drop off is about a 1/4 mile from the terminal but a very easy walk. https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/washington/grand-hyatt-seattle/seagh

You might reach out to Royal Caribbean on Twitter and send them your questions. I find them to be very responsive.

@BrianAltwe are doing the reverse 10 day cruise in October from Vancouver back to Hawaii on Quantum!! Sounds like a great time. Can't wait to hear about your experience in May 2023.

Thank you. Just looking forward to sailing. Can’t think of anything better than breakfast and coffee on the balcony watching the ocean make waves!!! A favorite pastime.

Thank you guys so much for these lovely updates. Cruising 1/9 and this just adds to the excitement. I’ll breathe easier once I see negative Covid tests Friday!!!!

@tonyfsu21looks fabulous. We are scheduled to sail same itinerary and same ship in 1/9/22. We can’t wait to sail. Thanks for sharing.

The Marriott is just down the street from the port and has nice waterside venues. Although I do not believe they have a shuttle, it was close enough for us to walk. Rolling luggage was a little laborious but it is really close. https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/tpamc-tampa-marriott-water-street/?gclid=CjwKCAiAiKuOBhBQEiwAId_sK-7VXrQ7nKqCt99yMuDLesIuH1xFFVKx7j-8MeMvlsbwyBL9MtwwfBoC_n0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Although I don't disagree that 1.9% of total ship population is an acceptable amount, I don't think you can compare that to your state's 9% positivity rate, as that is a whole different computation. The positivity rate is based on the percent of test positive for the week out of the total number of tests taken. I am a Kentuckian also. Since the pandemic began, over 19% of our population has tested positive for Covid and out of this past weeks numbers, 2913 new cases would be .06% of our population that tested positive this week. Although we are cautious in and outside of our home, (especially in these last two weeks before our cruise: Jan 9, 2022) I am fine with assuming a risk of 1% or a little more of infection rates on the ship. We are currently experiencing the pre-board Covid test anxiety as the cruise draws near!

We have it booked for our upcoming Jan 9, 2022 cruise. I will try to remember to come back and update you with our review!

I find messaging with RC Twitter account with questions and issues to be much more helpful than calling the general RC number also.