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Remember to check a Cruise Compass to see about the various drink promotions offered throughout a cruise, like cheap mimosas, liquor tasting, wine tasting, Crown and Anchor receptions, etc. When you average these low-cost drinks with what you may purchase a la carte at a special moment, the average price per drink will drop. I know it's a work-around and not exactly what you are looking for, but it plays into the total cruise experience. Don't forget the Art Show (but don't buy anything) for the free champagne!

COVID Testing for Galveston. My son tells me that in the Elgin/Austin area, CVS has only reduced testing, PCR rather than antigen, over $130 per test. I guess the presumption is that folks will get reimbursed from insurance. So for our cruise in December, we plan on Emed/Abbot online tests. I am curious if others sailing out of Galveston have found free or reasonably priced COVID tests.

We sailed the Grandeur several times out of Baltimore, and we loved the Centrum. Specialty dining is more limited, but we always eat in the MDR or other complimentary restaurants, so nothing lost for us. We also liked the show, especially the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers. It's fun to walk deck 5 on sea days to get ocean views.

The post-cruise survey would be an opportunity to give Royal feedback on specific items. In the meantime, try to take note of the crew members who give you good service (get their full name) and be sure they know they made your day. At Coco Cay, we avoid the cabanas and enjoy a spot on the beach, lots of fun in the water at no extra cost!.

We enjoyed the port shopping. Not sure if it has changed post-Covid.

As an aside, our travel agent always sends us a packet with all of the documents, including luggage tags. Another reason for having a TA.

Yes, we see it as rounding up from the presumed 15-18% to about 20%. We also tip for drinks not covered, e.g., using Diamond vouchers.

You might check the Cruise Compass. In the past, there have been theme nights for music (50's, 70's, etc), white nights, etc. One doesn't need to get dressed in matching attire, although many guests do try to blend in. I'd say it is more important to feel comfortable on formal nights with a set of nice clothes. But check the cruise compass links at the top of the page.

For us, never a year in advance, more likely 8-10 months. I am thinking you might check during the 2022 Black Friday sales, but otherwise, I think you'll need to wait until spring 2023.

If you are staying at a hotel, you can ask for a Covid Testing Site nearby. That is what we are going to do. You can also look up testing sites online before you travel. And there is also the option of Emed testing packages purchased through Royal. They are advertising these for cruises sailing from Italy - 24/7 proctoring.

We cruise an average of once per year, although 2022 will be a make-up year for 20 and 21. We find that we notice things that are different as we sail different ships, e.g., the furniture on an older ship was a little scratched, and we hated the shower curtain. However, we were bothered most by the attitude of rude guests, some of whom sat at our dinner table. We note differences in customer service, but they are due to the differences in people. On the whole, we find the more we cruise, the more tolerant we are, the more realistic our expectations become, and the more coping strategies we employ. I can't think of any cruise we didn't rate a "10", even though some were better than others. Any cruise, for us, is fantastic. Do we notice it when something we like is missing? Yes, but inevitably we find something else to enjoy just as much. If one dessert dish is no longer served, there are many others to choose from!

No, we were able to do our transfer on the ship.

Prepaid gratuities show up on your booking receipt, not in Cruise Planner. Normally, your travel agent (TA) would get your changes squared away and get you an invoice for a new or changed booking.

When booking, there is a distinction between a refundable deposit or a non-refundable deposit. Fares for non-refundable are generally cheaper, but your deposit is at risk. When you cancel a cruise, what you get back (cash or Future Cruise Credit) and how much depends upon such factors as when you cancel, why you cancel, what sort of trip insurance you have, etc. A good travel agent will explain this. Royal explains their refund policy online and on your booking receipt. Example: When my wife's mother passed away, her trip insurance covered the entire cost of her reservation. Royal has certain COVID cancellation policies in affect now, as do certain travel insurance carriers. Generally, when you see a cheap online price for a cruise at Royal's website, it assumes nonrefundable deposit. Some people book a cruise with a refundable deposit first knowing that if their plans change, they can reschedule without paying a change fee or even just cancel. We do this for most of our cruises because we book1-2 years in advance. There are other threads that go into detail about travel insurance, repricing cruises, etc. Bottom line: Virtually every cruise fare is partially reimbursable up to a point, but you lose everything if you wait too long and aren't covered by travel insurance or Royal's COVID policies. The most flexibility is offered by refundable deposits and suitable travel insurance.

Copy. I think a work-around would be to cancel and then rebook. Then the new purchase could be paid for with credit card.

When you go to your cart (online) and check out, you will be prompted for payment. I am a little confused about how you made your original purchase without going online to the Cruise Planner.

you should have received an email from Royal explaining protocols, and your hotel in Barcelona should be able to direct you to a testing site. For vaccinated guests Royal normally accepts antigen tests.

Pork loin, lamb, duck, or lobster tail in the MDR with Chocolate Sensation for dessert.

Love the Radiance! Prefer promenade on Voyager,though.

Most folks book Cruise Planner when price seems OK knowing they can cancel and re-book later if the price drops. For cruises, we book refundable deposit, and we also get travel insurance to cover pre-existing conditions. How much you get back later if you cancel the cruise depends upon the reason, the trip insurance, whether your deposit was refundable, and the time when you cancelled. We have seen 3rd party excursions that are a few $$ less than Royal, but we haven't booked them unless we were on land before/after the cruise. Sometimes the 3rd party excursions go places you want to visit. Just make sure they get you back in time! Cruise planner purchases are refunded if you cancel the cruise itself -- they go back to the form of payment used to purchase them (for most, a credit card). We are also going to the Med in October. Because of all of the port visits, you might be off the ship more than on, which affects the value of an unlimited drink package.

My understanding is that you lose the FCC if it is not used. ( We have some FCC we can't use because we don't see how we can fit in another cruise we'd really enjoy.) Now there are folks who talk about gaming the system, like booking something and trying to cancel later, but I will let them respond to your question.

We were told by our travel agent that our hotel would know where to go nearby for accepted Covid tests. As others have posted, Barcelona has multiple testing sites.

Ditto--November expirations

I think the bottom line is that everyone who is vaccinated should get a booster shot unless your primary care physician advises against it. I just got my 4th shot since I am a senior. (I want to reduce the risk that I might accidentally spread the virus to vulnerable persons.) The cruising benefit is that I can show that I am both fully vaccinated and up-to-date. So as cruising regulations or variants change, I am fully prepared.

For our Serenade cruise which Royal cancelled in January, they waited until the actual sail date before processing refunds, etc. For us, the wait was about 2-3 weeks. We found we couldn't use all of the FCC on our re-booked trip because it can't be applied to taxes and port fees.