DJsMrs

This is so disappointing and incredibly frustrating - I absolutely feel your pain. And I hear Matt when he talks about cancelling... In May 2020 we L&S a cruise booked in April 2021. My husband thought I was crazy and that everything would be sailing by April of 2021... boy was he wrong. I'm super glad we moved it (especially now that I see the price is 3X what we paid). This whole situation is so fluid and so disconcerting and SO frustrating. We all want it to be over and have our regular lives and schedules back. Someone reminded me the other day that "re-opening" will be a series of baby steps. And be prepared for one step forward and two steps back. There WILL be covid on cruise ships. What will that mean? Will they be prevented from docking? What will happen to passengers? Quarantine on land? Who knows - but all of these details need to be sorted out and addressed before the cruise lines can hit it with full force. It's a process... I keep reminding myself that it's not forever. It's just for now.

Wow - glad to see crying is a common response and I'm not alone! When I booked my son's first shot I burst into tears on the phone and the nurse says "happy tears" me "yea" her "that's good - let it out, you're not alone I really do get this response a lot" lol. Maybe the ships should have giant tissue boxes beside the hand sanitizers as we all board! Followed with bubbly!

Technically she wouldn't be old enough to be fully vaccinated if she turns 12 two weeks before you cruise. I believe their policy states that a person isn't fully vaccinated until 2 weeks after a second vaccine. I would hope the cruise line would address this and be reasonable. I cannot imagine that there are SO many "just" 12 year olds sailing that this is an issue so significant as to impact herd immunity on a ship. Their policy almost needs to apply to kids who are 12 years and 6 months so they have a chance to achieve vaccinated status. Fingers are crossed it works out and you get to sail.

We’re in BC. But it shouldn’t vary too much province to province. I think when this kid went they were literally knocking on 12 so the nurses may have done it - there was uncertainty about the policy and so it went ahead. It may have been a one-off situation though.

Bravo - yay for doctors. ?? And your explanation totally makes sense. I guess the last thing we need is an 11 year old having a reaction to a vaccine and causing vaccine hesitancy ..... thanks for clarifying stupid Covid. I just wanna cruise ???

If it was me I’d check with my doctor or local health authority. Where I live I know kids who are nearly 12 have been vaccinated. And maybe settle the tone of your reply. No need to be hostile (which is how this comes across) - it’s an innocent suggestion. If someone is 4 weeks shy of their 12th bday I I can’t imagine that 4 weeks makes enough of a difference if they get the vaccine. Anyway - no one should be taking health advice from the internet. Check with your doc before jumping to conclusions. (Note - I also live in Canada and the policies re: public health are significantly different here than they are in the US).

I believe children that will turn 12 in 2021 are eligible to be vaccinated now. Not specifically after their date of birth (at least here, this is the rule). It’s based on birth year - not date. I have friends whose children don’t turn 12 until November and December and kids are able to receive the vaccine. I can’t see vaccinators splitting hairs over a few months - especially since we are practically in June and their objective is to get as many people protected as possible.

One last thing - the flights home. OMG. Left FLL at noon, into Toronto at 3:00 - out of Toronto at 7:00 and home at 9:30. With time changes we were travelling for 12 hours - and the kids were absolute troopers. My youngest napped on the flight from Toronto to Vancouver, but the eldest held strong... until we were ten minutes from home. The conundrum is that he's getting a little heavy to carry up the stairs into the house, and then up the stairs to his bedroom Good thing they're so bendy - I'd be in treatment for a month if I feel asleep in the car like this!

San Juan was a good little wandering day - and time with my son is always appreciated... I don't have many days left where he actually wants to spend time with me, so I was grateful for him coming along ? Puerto Rico was followed by another sea day. I'm pretty sure this day was full of pools, lunch at Izumi, cupcake decorating for the littles, and general relaxing. We had to be well rested for the penultimate day at Coco Cay the following day. Needless to say the kids were out of their minds excited... and I'm not gonna lie - so were the parents. We managed to score a cabana in the waterpark, which was handy for a group of 7.. we wanted to have a home base where we could leave our stuff and not worry about it. In hindsight - I wouldn't do it again I don't think as we barely spent any time there. We were first off the ship thanks to our genie - but people lost their minds. As we disembarked there were a couple of cart/train things that drive you around the island, and as the doors opened and we headed off it was like folks were running from Armageddon and the only way to survive was to be on one of those vehicles. It was horrifying and the fighting and behaviour of the adults wouldn't be tolerated in a kindergarten classroom. We literally stood there with our jaws on the floor - it was something. I was trying to reconcile the amount of energy required to run and fight for a seat with the energy required to walk... it didn't jive. Wowza. After the debauchery of getting off the ship we walked all of about 100 yards (I'm guessing - it wasn't far) over to the water park, found our cabana and we were off. The slides were great - we had so much fun. Lines weren't too bad - we just avoided the long lines and went on the ones we really wanted to hit first thing in the am, and then at the end of the day. I feel like they almost had to kick us out! We made it back to the ship for snacks and a little rest - and an lovely little surprise for each of us from Luciano. He really nailed it and we were totally surprised. Boys were over the moon ? As this was our last night on the ship we ordered room service and really enjoyed an amazing dinner on the patio with everyone before the packing was finished up. What a great week... Disembarkation was a breeze - I think it was under 15 minutes from room to curbside for the uber. Great week... I'm feeling melancholy looking through these photos and trying to remember everything. Something that's dawned on me, however, as I review our cruise is how much time I put into everything ahead of time. And I mean everything... I'm obsessive about it. Maybe because we were such a large group and I didn't want to miss out on things because there were so many of us. I feel, moving forward, I will plan a little less (save for imperatives, like transportation and excursions) and try to go with the flow a little more. I've already got a list going for our December cruise (if we get to go) of 5 or 6 "musts" and other than that I think I will leave it to fate! Hopefully we're on Harmony this year - I've got everything crossed... and writing this with crossed fingers and eyes is less than ideal. lol Happy sailing everyone - and remember... be calm, be kind, be safe!

Oh St Thomas you made me so happy and I cannot wait to go back. Next year. Adults only - cannot wait. But back to December 2019 - following St. Thomas was San Juan. We've been to SJ a multitude of times, and honestly the most exciting thing we've done at this port is go to the Walgreens to pick up bandaids, tylenol, or after-sun care ? So hubs and little boys stayed on the ship - and I ventured out with my friend, her eldest and my eldest son. We had a lovely wander - I love the old town in SJ, the denim bricks are fantastic, and we also popped in to Walgreens. lol. Then we got ditched, so my son and I went in search of the street with the umbrellas and we also enjoyed just wandering around. The only conundrum was that it was HOT. And not just mildly uncomfortably warm. It was like Hades turned up the thermostat to 9 million. And humid. We were in a situation and I caved at one point and let him have a gatorade - and I made him share it with me. But we had a lovely walk around. We had been to SJ in July when the protests were in their full glory and there was graffiti everywhere and shops (although open) were boarded up. At one point in July we happened upon the intersection where the protesters were face to face with the police, and it was fairly uncomfortable - so we high tailed it outta there in the even bricks started to fly! Our December visit revealed almost no evidence of the summer events. We found a few view points, went to the chocolate shop, and enjoyed the amazing colours and architecture. We were back on board for lunch, and had a really great day exploring the ship some more, and of course had the kids (and adults) in the pool!

Beauty beach views all day Never-ending sandcastles ... and swimming Isaac the Iguana making sure the boy is still alive (me calmly trying not to freak out - that was a BIG Iguana!!!) Fun in waves all day And snacks! Have you even been to the beach if you're not having a nap on your balcony afterwards? ?

St. Thomas Take me back Day 4 Prior to leaving Vancouver I had arranged for a van to pick us up and take us to Sapphire Beach for the day. I was trying to stay away from the busier and more popular beaches and get a bit of quiet, but still with services… and Sapphire did not disappoint. We booked with Big Love taxi (hope I’m allowed to say that?) and they were great. But we did have one slight hiccup. Ship time and St. Thomas time is different. We arrived at 9:30 ship time… which I believe was 10:30 local time, so our poor drive sat and waited for us for an hour. We met at the Windmill… and had some trouble finding him, but in true small-town style, the shop owner by the windmill knew all about our story and who our driver was and called him over and united us. The poor guy - I felt really bad… but, lesson learned for future bookings! Nonetheless, our magnificent 7 loaded into the van and he whisked us across the island to the beautiful Sapphire beach. If I remember correctly, there was a beach bar/restaurant that we walked through to access the beach, but once we hit the beach we hooked a sharp larry (took a left) and wandered down a bit of a way until we found a spot that met our requirements of sun, shade, and not too many Iguanas! Typically I’m a beach chair, umbrella, shower, pool, bucket of drinks, kinda girl… but with the 4 boys the mission was slightly modified to obtain maximum fun in the ocean and with the sand. We did away with the chair requirement and parked our towels on the beach and it took me back to my summers when I was a kid at the lake - I brought some beach toys, we had snorkels and I think it’s safe to say that all the kids had a really great day playing, building, swimming, and napping. After about an hour of beach time we were starting to feel a smidge parched, and as luck would have it the most amazing person ever walked by and took our drink order. Said bucket of beers arrived shortly and he helped us all day and brought lunch and the whole kit and kaboodle. It was spectacular. It wasn't cheap (a la Mexico) but I didn't feel like we were being gouged either. We had a great day on the beach until Big Love came to collect us and run us back to the ship. I’m such a firm believer in pre-arranging a ride. A time was set, he came, everything was smooth sailing and stress free. I will never forget being in Bermuda at the beach in the summer of 2019 and people were trying to leave to get back to their ships and there weren’t enough taxis or busses and some folks were losing their minds. It was crazy, and after witnessing that debacle I am reaffirmed in my position to pre-arrange/book/pay for travel on the Caribbean Islands. We got back to the ship, and if I remember correctly we ordered room service for the kids, got everyone showered and chilled out after a full day in the sun. Loved St. Thomas - a really great day.

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We also took advantage of our sea days to explore food on the ship. Luciano asked us to let him know what we wanted for breakfast to be delivered - and we definitely enjoyed having breakfast in our room, on the balcony, and in bed (in some teenage cases - lol), and also loved having our Starbucks delivered to the room each morning. It was heavenly. Room service was good, food was warm/hot - and there were no complaints. Our favourite spot for lunch ended up being Izumi sushi. It was fantastic and the service was impeccable. Over the course of the week we enjoyed a meal at all the specialty dining venues and kids tripped into the jammer on days when we were hanging out by the pool to grab lunch. Adults would more typically opt for park cafe (if we weren't going to Izumi). All the restaurants were great and we had absolutely no complaints. We did not eat in the MDR all week. We also visited many of the bars and enjoyed a libation or two. I loved having a "date" with my youngest on the rising tide for a trip up and a quick zippa something yummy. He was treated to a sprite and thought it was the best - but by the time we got to the top he was ready to rip again... so the length of the date met his requirements ? The suite sun deck was another spot we walked through and spent minimal time in. The smoking side is the bar side - and the non-bar side feels a bit like no-man's land... so it just wasn't our jam. Too bad because it looks great up there. I think on Harmony it's non-smoking up there, so hopefully we can make more use of it on our next cruise. My husband and I went to the comedy show which was pretty funny and we had a good laugh - but I have no idea who the comedian was. Other than the comedy show we didn't really explore any other shows, save for the Aquatheatre show from our balcony, which was amazing. Kids were getting up early, so it meant most nights we were done by 9:30 or 10:00. I should also point out here the Luciano was great about getting us into venues without being "those" people. The only instances were for the ice skating (which had a lineup), and the comedy show - and I was very grateful... and he brought us drinks too! I'm easy to please, but even easier if you bring me a cocktail. Sorry - I know this is all over the place, but I'm really digging deep into my memory - and it's a bit of a stretch considering I don't really remember what I did yesterday. lol Next up ... St. Thomas!

Wow - this cruise had a great start. We had 2 sea days to get our bearings and take advantage of all the ship board activities. My boys both brought their own skates from home and had fun on a few tips around the rink. Carousel, flow rider, climbing wall, lots of swimming, cupcake class, build a bear (penguin), ice cream machine inspections, bridge tour and we even found a new buddy in Central Park!

Boarding Day! We were finally all together - the magnificent 7 were stoked to get on board. We all gathered in the hotel, grabbed a quick bite and coffee, fired up an Uber XL (a suburban or something) and off we went. Pretty sure we got to the port at 10:45’ish. I remember we held on to our bags and wouldn’t let anyone touch them until the star class guy showed up -(a la @Lovetocruise2002) and then it was an absolute whirlwind through everything and up into the waiting area where we sat for maybe 10 minutes until Luciano popped out of his lantern. ? After introductions were complete he led us up the gangway and on board and took us on the long walk down the long hallway to our room way at the back of the ship. Kids were so excited to see the room - I’m just remembering that we didn’t tell them we were all in one room until we got to our suite. It was pretty fun. Except for my oldest being disappointed that we weren’t in the crown loft suite. Seriously?!? It all happened so fast I was happy to have a video of us all walking the hall and entering the suite ? But I can’t get it to load - so you’ll have to take my word for it that the kids were pumped. Once the suite life sunk in we headed to Sabor for some lunch and a marg and did some exploring around the ship. My boys knew what was what after having been on Oasis so the were having a blast showing their buddies all the cool places to go and the all-important ice cream machine locations Then Muster Then sail away on the ridiculously large balcony with cocktails ? It was pretty heavenly. And Frosty came along for the ride

Hmmmm - in my cruise withdrawal as I peruse old blogs - I've come across my unfinished cruise blog - what a total disappointment. Makes it hard to relive when it's not all posted. So - in the interest of covid cruise and travel withdrawal I think I'll fire a bit of an update and review in here ?. And what I can't remember I'll just make up - at this point does it matter? I feel like I'd go somewhere in a row boat if I was offered the chance! Not sure about the public art display at FLL behind my boys - but this dude is one that we all still talk about! And my boys - both still with long hair before donating - it's funny looking back on them and realizing that it's no wonder people thought they were girls. haha! I remember flights were good and we may have enjoyed a cocktail or two.. Everything was on time. Got to the hotel late enough that our friends had already hunkered down for the night - so we grabbed a bite to eat in the lobby and tucked in to get sleep and be rested for boarding day. Oh the good times of travel.

"should" key word in that sentence ?

I think the CDC has this near the bottom of their priority list - despite all of us, and the cruise lines desperately looking for a path to return to cruising. In my mind I'm holding off giving up all hope until July'ish. I think they've literally got their hands full managing the vaccinations of so many Americans and hopefully once that settles down into a more routine event they can start to look at travel again.

I just heard an interview with Barry Penner on the radio - he's a legal advisor to CLIA and he said even he doesn't expect anything to happen in this calendar year in Canada. However, there is a bill in the US senate right now that would allow ships to bypass Canada for a limited amount of time... but he's trying to work with the gov't to allow a technical stop of a 4 hour anchor drop off Victoria that would satisfy current US law requiring the foreign stop. Of course the concern is that ships may never come back to Vancouver/Victoria which would devastate those cities in terms of tourism dollars spent. Alaska is obviously pushing hard to get the bill passed - 60% of tourism dollars spent in Alaska come via cruise ship... so they really need to get the ball rolling. However, I now see it was confirmed the conditional sale order will, in fact, remain in place until Nov 1 this year... so who knows - this may all be for nothing if ships can't even sail out of US ports. Maybe 2022 is a much more realistic time frame in terms of sailing out of the US despite what all of us had hoped for and thought would happen.

I wouldn't hold my breath on these being lifted if I were you. Travelers coming into Canada currently require a test before they get to the border, a test at the border, then those driving need a 14 day quarantine plan with a commitment to another test at 10 days in, and flyers are required to quarantine in a government appointed hotel for three days while they wait for the results of the test they were given at the airport when they landed - after being released if the test is negative they must finish their 14 day quarantine and must provide a plan to show authorities, they also require another test after 10 days, and police have been tracking down people here who have been violating the conditions of their quarantine. None of this seems to suggest that there will be a cruise season north of 49 in the 2021 calendar year. There is no hint here at travel restrictions being lifted or the border restrictions being relaxed to permit non-essential travel. Here in Vancouver (and all of British Columbia) we are still restricted to only being with our household bubble. Numbers are going up with the new variants - which isn't a big deal in itself - but hospitalizations are up, ICU is up, and percent positivity is up. Hospitals are seeing a concerning number of young people coming in. My husband and I are in our late 40's and are on track to get our first jab in mid-May. So... as far as the border - I honestly can't see restrictions lightening up before September - and by that I don't mean "open" in the pre-covid sense. There will not be a cruise season in Canada this year. I'm genuinely concerned and trying to stay positive that we will be able to travel in December for our cruise out of Port Canaveral. If we have to quarantine for 14 days when we get home I'm not sure we will be able to go. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer. Only 10% of Canadians have had their first vaccination, and about 2% are fully vaccinated. Woefully behind most other G7 countries.

Have you paid for your cruise yet? If not they'll adjust your final payment amount.

We had a boatload (see what I did there) of OBC that we didn't use on our cruise - we had to go to (gasp) guest services, although I suppose we could have gone to the concierge in the suite lounge, and got a form that we filled out to tip our Genie. I'm betting you could do the same with your onboard account.

Yeah - this is no surprise. The slow vaccine rollout here, combined with new variants, questionable vaccine response of some of said variants (and more of this will surely come), plus Trudeau's tightening of the border... it's a hot mess. Feels like 2020 redux.