Snotarni

Just booked this today. New cabins opened up and I booked it.

CAN WE PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT EVERY CASE OF COVID FOUND ON A CRUISE SHIP ON THIS FORUM
 
its bad enough the media has to do it

Just in: I've been chosen to play the role of @Lovetocruise2002 on Allure.  
If anyone needs me, I'll be in my Star Class accommodations, waiting impatiently for Coastal Kitchen to open.

Lol. I did - just for funsies...it's $3,000+ more per person than what we initially paid🤯
#DatSuiteLife

We booked the Ben and Jerry's SWEET!!  

Oasis is August 22-28!
https://www.facebook.com/100057105533884/posts/273912684522247

We booked the Ben and Jerry's SWEET!!  

We booked the Ben and Jerry's SWEET!!  

Cheryl's Bahamas Taxi and Tours - #1 Operator in The Bahamas (cherylbahamastaxiandtours.com)
We used them for our post AOS cruise in June and they were great.

I'll stay in just about any cabin.  
Even the worst cabin on a ship is better than being stuck on land!

Dec 12th Oasis was back this morning...  I'm sure upcoming cruises will randomly continue to drop on and off as RC makes tweaks to the app platform...

I would say to expect to wear a mask anywhere indoors.  If not required, then that is a bonus.  I prefer to not wear a mask, but if it is required I will wear one.  I do not like to break any rules, whether I agree with it or not.   Rules change constantly and I feel they might get more strict with the Delta variant.  I have 10 cruises booked and will pay final payment on any that become due.  Hoping it will sail.  If a cruise gets cancelled I will book another.  I can definitely enjoy a cruise whether masked or not.

If you purchase the UDP then you would presumably eat all of your meals in specialty restaurants BUT you don’t have to !  If you decided that you wanted to eat in the MDR on any particular evening, you could still do that.  Since MTD is a “eat-at-any-time” option, you could choose to go to the MDR, either with a reservation or without one, and they would seat you.  It’s nice to have options !

I saw our Dec 12th sailing yesterday, but could not access the actual cruise planner.  Now Dec 12th and May 6th sailings are both missing.  I'm sure there is just another hiccup with the system and it will be sorted soon. 

I wouldn’t worry too much. I’ve been reading that many peoples’ cruises are temporarily disappearing from the website.  My 12 March 2022 Symphony cruise disappeared this morning and is still missing.  Someone else booked on that cruise said it’s still showing up in their upcoming cruises so I’m sure it’s just a Royal IT glitch.  Go figure !

I completely understand where you are coming from so no judgement.  I cancelled an August cruise due to the requirement to wear masks indoors for vaccinated.  Once Royal announced protocols they gave me 30 days to request a refund in full.  That refund posted to my credit card yesterday.  
Protocols for September and October haven't been posted yet because there is hope the CDC will ease back on masks requirements for vaccinated.  Now with more news of delta surging I'm thinking they won't ease off mask requirements for vaccinated, not yet, not soon.
If the CDC perceives that any protocols are being ignored you have to know they will come down on the cruise lines and the cruise lines will adjust.  
Everything is changing so quickly what someone on a ship experienced last week is already becoming stale.  No disrespect meant to them, they observed and experienced what they observed and experienced, but you can't project that experience forward and apply it for a cruise two months away.  
I am paid in full for more cruises while I eagerly wait to understand the protocols.  I really want to cruise so I'll make another judgement once all the facts are in.  I'm not going to cancel prematurely based on projections, fears and assumptions.  
If you use CWC now you'll get FCC for your deposit unless it was a refundable deposit.   If you pay in full and wait for protocols to be announced you can hope the refund policy I was able to use will still be offered in the future but that isn't a certainty either.  At the end of the day follow your gut and do what you feel is right for you. 

Invitation Received  ✔️
Choice of Allure or Ovation.  

Stop watching the news, problem solved! 😉  Most news networks ratings are in the toilet following the election and covid coverage so this is getting the attention now.  Now start packing those bags!

Now, now.  If stars align it could be partially completed in 2030.  
Oh wait.  Here come the environmental groups.  Make that 2040.  

Independence of the Seas...  9 Day Holiday Cruise in 2017...  we were hooked!!

Had some time to reflect on the cruise on a 16 hour travel day yesterday and wanted to put together a quick good / bad list.
On the good side:
Service was incredible across the board.  I don't think I met anyone that was just "nice".  No waits for anything, everyone remembered your name and often had your drink ready before you got there. Food was great, friend of mine ended booking too, so out of respect for her tastes did mostly Chops and Giovanni's for dinner but both places were better than I remembered. Ice show was amazing Lack of crowds was a unique experience.  Not sure I'll ever have a chance to be on a ship that empty again.  I was a little worried that being so empty it wouldn't really feel like a cruise, but most of the experience was still there...and in a lot of ways better. DBP was the right choice.  By a good margin.  My new loves are espresso martini's and "She's a Geisha". Sushi and Sake lunch.  I'd seen this as an option sometime last year and have been wanting to try it since then.  So worth it.  I was stuffed when I left but the food and the pairings were fantastic.  Well worth it if you like either. Coco Beach Club - Love it there, beautiful area, great food, fantastic staff.  Wouldn't mind trying a cabana at some point either, those looked fun. No chair hogs! Didn't matter when you went, you could get a seat pretty much anywhere anytime and enjoy. Not as good
UDP - So. Much. Food.  I prefer to eat smaller meals through the day when I'm actively doing anything.  Here they just insisted on bringing so much, even sending back plates half eaten it was a struggle.  Not to mention with only a few restaurants on board I was struggling to find anything that sounded good by the end of the week.  First world problems.  I don't think I'll do the UDP again unless it's on a ship with more choices or if I'm going to be dining by myself so I can just grab a roll or two at Izumi when I want. Not much in the way of activities.  Not really an issue since they're not a main focus for me, but it's nice to have the option. Not being able to sit at the bar in most bars was strange, while I'm glad they allowed it at the blue moon, I'm hopeful it'll come back to the others as well. Internet was a little iffy, I hope they upgrade it on the rest of the ships at some point too. Overall, I wish I'd gone in June so I could have justified a back to back, it was just a great time and an incredible/unique experience that I'd glad I got to do.  It was the perfect first cruise back for me, now I'll just be looking forward to the Grandeur in December.

Ok, a few last pictures, overall this was the most relaxing cruise I've done.  With limited activities on board and ports I didn't have a lot planned for I spent a lot of time reading, writing, and drinking so not a ton to report.
Seems like most excursion vendors are just trying to get back up and running so not a lot of options yet, even in Cozumel.  I'm guessing over the next several months that'll start improving as everything picks up again.
Pretty much set on making this my primary travel camera.  Has it's drawbacks but I like being constrained to black and white only and having to use color filters on the lens to change contrast / etc.  Closest feeling I've had to shooting film and without the hassle of developing and scanning or printing.

They must have changed it, at least on Adventure, if you've got the UDP it was 1 "small plate" 2 "large plates" and 1 dessert instead of a la carte.  A _lot_ of food either way though.

One thing I realized with VeriFLY is if your middle name is listed on the flight you need to put your first and middle name in the first name field or it won’t recognize that you’ve completed it.

Do drinks show on your folio while on the DBP?  I’d love to track our drinks!