ChessE4

I hear your frustration, and knotty problems, well, they are knotty whether you have a TA or not. I have learned, however, that I just can't do everything, and it's OK to ask for help. I'd rather my TA play phone or email tag for me. I do agree that customers always need to pay attention to what Royal is doing, if only to remind the TA that a change just occurred. Best of luck with your FCC issue. But you are correct that there are risks (downsides) to any choice we make.

Love your photos. A bit of digression about kids. We took our son years ago when he was four, and I managed to lose him in a rest room at the pool deck (there were two exits)! It's great to see proud parents on a cruise, and we find Royal's family focus a plus. Our next cruise is in February, and we aren't quite sure what the passenger mix will be, but we are hoping for the best.

For me the credit showed up when I received my credit card statement (for that cycle).

Sometimes it is advantageous to put one adult in each room for reservation purposes even though, once on board, you switch things around. You can always get additional room keys (blank) at Customer Service as needed. Have a great cruise!

In addition to what has already been stated, don't forget to use a Travel Agent......An agent can cut through the confusion and is invaluable if an issue arises.

See also a posting on a related thread: Wordell1 writes: "The CDC guidelines for vaccinated persons is as follows: People who are fully vaccinated do NOT need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless they have symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 5-7 days after their exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative."

Good question, but my interpretation of the question is that it is asking about "unprotected" contact, such as living with a family member who has COVID-19. I think Royal needs to offer an explanation to health care workers, first responders, and others who take preventive measures. I'd like to see how other health care workers have answered your question.

In addition to what has already been posted, is it possible for you to contact your credit card customer service - if they see your proof of cancelled charges, maybe they can do something at their end, kind of like dispute resolution. Just a thought. I know you stated the bank referred you back to Royal, but I am not clear if you tried formal dispute resolution yet.

When Rhapsody was based in Tampa, it re-deployed to Europe at the end of April. We took a cruise out of Tampa a couple of weeks before the re-deployment. Not sure how the new deployments are working these days due to Covid. So the other question is "Why wasn't the Rhapsody replaced at Tampa?", and I am puzzled as you are.

Good question. They had one on our last cruise, which was Sep 2019 (Harmony). Recent cruisers can comment on the latest trends. I haven't been checking the Cruise Compasses lately.

I believe vests come with the rental kit, but I am not sure. My wife ordered us vests on Amazon.

Because of Covid 19 and itinerary changes, many cruises are not up-to-date on excursions. New excursions seem to be added as the sail date approaches. So you should see more options online (eventually). Royal normally has child-friendly excursion options. Do understand that the situation we find ourselves is not "normal", and Royal's current service level is not "normal" either -- I doubt any cruise line has "normal" service at the moment.

+1

If you follow Matt's videos, he seems to prefer the onsite parking and eschew shuttles. Frankly, I am more of a hotel shuttle guy and buy the package with parking and a 1 night stay. When I price-compare, it is a value UNLESS I need to drive home early on disembarkation day. (i might not get to my car until 8:30 AM.)

In addition to what has been said, if all you are interested in is steak, the MDR usually has a deal where you can get an upgraded steak entree from CHOPS for a discounted price. However, this isn't the same thing as going to the restaurant, so it depends on what you are seeking. No advance CP purchase needed -- order your steak in the MDR.

We had a ship change rather than a cruise cancellation, and Cruise Planner purchases on the original ship reverted back to my credit card as indicated by CrznTxn.

Sometimes. Port charges are generally estimates and not known for sure until after-the-fact. If a port is totally missed, Royal is supposed to recalculate and refund any excess. I have received some in the past, but there are other members who have posted on this topic with different experiences. Grand Cayman is closed to cruise ships now, hence Costa Maya. We are scheduled to be there in February, but we aren't holding out much hope. Waiting to see if it becomes Costa Maya or the proverbial "sea day". I recall missing one port and being allowed to order the drink of the day at a discount of a few dollars. No OBC ever.

On our last several cruises we were provided envelopes near the end, which we used for dinning staff and stateroom attendant. In the Diamond club, cash tips may be provided discreetly as there is no invoice to add a gratuity automatically.

Normally folks pack one nice outfit for formal night and don't worry a whole lot about other nights. There is typically a tropical shirt night or even a white night, depending upon cruise length. But our advice is to pack at least one nice outfit, just in case.

We usually brigk our own equipment and snorkel off the beach. However, because of island development, the reefs are now man-made. I still saw lots of fish/jellyfish. But there used to be an excursion to another site that I am tempted to try if it is offered on our next visit there. One must be wary of the currents when snorkeling at your leisure -- my son and I were once caught in currents, and we didn't have vests on (won't do that again), so we struggled. He made it to shore just fine, but I had to cheat and climb on the rocks at the cove entrance to get out of the current. That was a bad day even for divers. Normally, the water has been fine.

Haven't attended Art Auction and won't. Will try rock climbing in the future -- at last attempt, they didn't have my shoe size. Won't ever go to the spa. We are looking forward (someday) to being on a Quantum Class ship and trying the bumper cars!

Part of the issue is whether you are the sort of person who bonds with others easily. We like to get to know our MDR wait staff as well as our Stateroom Attendant. We have found that getting to know these people not only improves the service we receive, but the stories shared by Royal's staff enrich our lives. Thus, tipping a little extra at the end of the trip is usually natural for us. If there is no chemistry between us and Royal staff members, we may not tip extra at all (having pre-paid normal gratuities.) We've sometimes gotten to know bar wait staff or Diamond Lounge staff, and I'd say the personal connection we achieve is an underlying factor for tipping. This is important for Diamond Lounge/vouchers where there isn't an automatic gratuity added because there's no purchase. Now there are times I don't want to get to know strangers and I just follow the local customs, whatever they might be. (When in Australia/NZ we were counseled by locals o to avoid over-tipping.) But tipping isn't just a financial thing, there is an underlying social process at work. That is all I wanted to point out. Enjoy your cruise!!

Stopping every 30-60 minutes because of back issues (my wife has them and empathizes), is a non-starter; I'd fly, if possible. That said, we drive to Florida from NC, some 11-13 hours depending on whether it's Tampa or Port Canaveral. One reason is lousy airline connections. If we could easily fly, we'd do that. For us, "flying" is a 5-7 hour proposition because of connections in Charlotte or Atlanta. We miss the direct flights we had from Baltimore to Florida.

The only problem we've had with OBC was when a guest stayed in a cabin I paid for, and the guest never used her Seapass to purchase anything. Then her unused OBC was forfeited at the end of the cruise. My wife and I have never had a problem with individual or shared OBC, as others have stated.

We have seen very limited excursion offerings for our Feb and Oct 22 cruises. Only June 22 trip had a full range of choices. Something is going on....