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Thank you both! This is the kind of detail that calms the anxiety brain!

For parking at the Port Canaveral cruise terminal, is there a prebooking option? Or just show up and park? Thanks!

This. I would be very uncomfortable cruising if they did not require a test. People with symptoms will convince themselves it’s allergies so they don’t miss their cruise. Asymptotic cases won’t know they are infectious. While not perfect, the testing does help make a safer environment.

I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. I hope the cruise itself is so wonderful that it makes the frustration fade away.

I adore the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle. It’s right in the middle of everything downtown. Short taxi to the port.

Have you tried changing your air travel yet? Many airlines are not charging change fees right now even on “non refundable” tickets

That’s awesome! Minimum bid for us to go from GS to CLS the week we are on Harmony is $485 pp. What a difference!

On a fun note, the coaches for Hydrow are in LA this month. My cool down this morning took me right by Navigator

Also, if you have the drink package, it’s easy to grab water as you disembark in ports. There will be crew there with bottles on ice

It’s kind of like kohl’s, if kohl’s were an airline. The earliest prices are usually the best prices, and as bookings increase, prices creep up. A sale off a higher base price might sound better, but won’t always be less expensive. If you are seeing a price you can live with, seriously consider booking it.

Excited to follow along as we will be on Harmony in April. Congratulations on beating cancer!

I don’t get why someone wouldn’t self test before heading to a cruise that tests at the port. Seems like a scene could possibly be avoided, if not the disappointment. Especially with children

I haven’t cruised yet in the new era, but from what I’ve read, it seems many of the vaxxed and unvaxxed areas are in the same rooms, just different levels? Since the virus is airborne, they are just being performative if this is the case. Either the new filtration systems they put in are good enough to truly clean the air, in which case no need to be separate, or they are not that good. In which case it doesn’t matter what section you are in, you’re still breathing the same air everyone else is exhaling into. The idea that the virus would stick to a certain area of a room is just silly. it’s my understanding though, that the new air systems are that good so I’m choosing not to worry. And I say that as someone who does not eat indoors at restaurants yet on land.

I was just reporting my experience I would think they would lean toward a simple “no” before throwing someone off the ship

Hi, I will be on this cruise with you! Still waffling on whether to bid or not. May just have my TA see what she can get a nicer cabin for compared to the minimum bids, which seem high to me. What did you bid on? either way, I agree! We are hoping not too much of a spring break vibe

Thanks! One less thing to decide about!

We found at dinner, when our daughter was 19 and 20, the servers took their cues from us. The first night when they asked for her drink order, I’d say to charge it on my sea pass card, and that’s what they would do going forward. We never specifically said she was underage or asked if that was ok. She definitely looked older. Ymmv Also, I can’t remember if Royal does buckets of beer at the pool. When we are on princess ships and order the buckets, she never was stopped from sharing when she was underage.

This is new for me, we’ve only done smaller ships. Are there casitas on Harmony? If we have access to the suite sun deck, is it still worth booking a casita one day? Thanks!

Lol my child was working as a lifeguard at 15, so I always let her go without me. Not sure where OP’s grandson is from though. Certain parts of the US do not train swimming as early/extensively as we do on the NC coast.

If it’s an iPhone, put it in airplane mode, then turn on WiFi

Thank you for sharing this - you've answered the question I got on to ask. I just tried to mock-book a CVS test to see if they'd be easy to schedule in my area, and was surprised to get the "do no qualify" message. I was wondering if it was ok to be a little flexible in my answers! We've at-home tested as precaution before being around our IC daughter, and found that we are true butter fingers with that dropper. Turns out it is indeed possible to flood the test strip lol. I think for us, it will be worth the hassle to have a test done by someone else.

Wait, wine is included at CK?

The only input I have here is for cabs in other parts of the island on St. Thomas. I think if you grab a cab to one of the popular beaches, it is fairly easy to get a ride back to the port. Keeping in mind the "cabs" in St Thomas are most often big open air jeep/bus things that they pack to bursting and will sit there for ages while they wait for people to fill it up. If you go somewhere random on the island - we often have gone to a private marina - it can be very hit-or-miss with cabs. We've had a van stop for us and add us on to his list of stops. I still am not sure he was actually a taxi lol. Others may chime in who have greater experience. It may be possible to call a cab, but I have found very mixed reviews of that scenario in my research for a better way to get around St Thomas. Whatever you do, don't cut it close to when you need to be back on board. "Island Time" is real!

Even if you order something over the limit, you will only be charged the difference. I often end up with a few $1.07 charges for wine. Not a big deal, they won’t be making an issue out of covered/not covered. You will love the ease of the drink package - and I hope you will love cruising in general!

If you look through the live blogs, I’m sure there will be someone who has boarded Harmony at PC and will have shared photos. Your daughter might like to look at these to have an idea of the process. If you can’t find any, shoot me a message and I’ll take some when we go in April.