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The true self serve is one indication of getting back to where we were before the COVID restrictions. On our cruise last week the crew was still serving us but there was usually only one server for both sides of the line so it sometimes took a while until they moved to the opposite side. This caused a big backup during rush hour and the folks were getting testy. The person servicing and replacing the trays was still there as always but they did not serve anyone. In the Diamond lounge they stopped serving you and you went and served yourself from the small food selection. That said, the CDC loosened their restrictions and are now allowing the cruise line to decide for themselves if they want to have crew serve or you serve yourself at the buffet. Sign of the times.

We just finished a B2B on Liberty and we always had a Cruise Compass waiting the evening before in our room. Never had to ask. Must be on particular ships. We use the app but my wife still likes to browse the Compass to see all the activities on one easy read page.

We always do our pre-cruise testing early (latest 4am). The wait is less and the date shows correctly. Longest wait we have had so far for a proctor is about 1 minute.

Just finished B2B the two weeks of Spring Break. Both trips were definitely fuller than earlier cruises. The nice thing to see was the start up of some cruise favorites such as the sexiest man and International belly flop competitions as well as the love and marriage shows. More pre-pandemic feel than in a long time. The shows were better attended and the vibe feel was great. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed having the ships to myself over the last 7 months but I love seeing the enjoyment of others on their cruising adventures. Plus it gave me new folks to talk to. There were lots of kids around but not an issue, just made the chair hogs reappear but was not overly crowded where we could not find a seat. With the masking policy relaxing it seemed almost back to normal.

The three Alaska representatives who presented the bill that allowed Alaska cruises this past year are requesting an extension of the bill so that if Canada does not allow cruise ship stops this year they can still sail from the lower US to Canada without having to stop in a foreign port.

For the casino cruises you have to pay the port fees and taxes. We typically pay less than $450 for each cruise for the two of us and that includes gratuities but we do not take the Royal insurance. Third part insurance is better, covers more and is less expensive. It is a great way to sail.

We use the transfers on all of our flight travels, except for Ft Lauderdale. The cruise port is within sight of the airport and we take a cab over. Is also quicker for Disembarkation when you have to catch a flight.

Congratulations! The party is on!

Since the Diamond and D+ after this next cruise along with the Prime for the wife we have abandoned the drink package. Take lots of tip money but the 4 drinks per day for me is fine and not sure what I will do with 5. When I am in the Casino with the wife the waiters always ask me what I want and bring it along with hers without charge so I always seem to have extra. She tips well so maybe that is the reason.

This is in our Cruise Planner for our cruise next week. The "learn to play" in the casino we have purchased onboard. Hope yours shows up soon.

Yes the TV's have HDMI ports. Was just on her and they are the typical Samsung TV with side jacks and remotes.

Never, never leave on a cruise without the travel insurance. But Royal's insurance does not give as much coverage as the third party vendors. Have only had to use it once and paid for itself many times over. Have also seen others have their trip cut short due to illness or injury and we do not travel without it. Were advised not only by folks on this blog but passengers we have met on other cruise lines that strongly advised us to get the protection early on. All it takes is once. We have an annual policy and the cost is less than 2 single cruises worth for the same coverage.

Much more construction than when we were there in early January. Will see it all in a week and cannot wait. Will be great when they finish to go out of a new facility whatever the ship. The current one is not bad compared to some I have gone out of but new amenities such as facial recognition on Embarkation day, newer jetways, etc. would be great. I will not fuss about which ship as any day on a ship out on the water is better than land. I'll still be parking at the indoor parking, but that is just me.

She may need to bring proof of her name when she received the vaccinations especially if her passport is in her married name. The people checking are particular about names matching. Same goes for the COVID test 2 days prior to sailing, make sure the name on the test exactly matches your ID. The last two sailings we have been behind folks who have had this issue. They straightened it out and boarded but it takes extra time and a visit from the supervisor to get it approved.

Let the check-n person know you have an issue with actually putting it on your wrist and bring a lanyard to clip it on. I put mine on my watch band, that way i can remove it when I eat or am in the water. They are water proof but I cannot stand to have it on when in the ocean. My wife cannot stand to have it on her wrist also and she always wears hers on a lanyard with her sea pass card. It just has to be visible for certain areas. If they insist on putting on your wrist then do not tighten it and when you walk away from them, take it off and put in on your lanyard. If they insist on tightening it down, when you get on the ship you can go to guest services and have it removed and exchanged for a loose one.

Did you check the itineraries, room level, OBC, etc between the physical letter and offer listed on Club Royale? If no difference then you can use either one unless the agent states one is no good.

Yes you can bring a small portable fan. If you want it closer to the bed or on a particular side you can request an extension cord from your room steward. Outlets by the bed are at a premium and are never where you need them to be.

Our trips to CoCo Cay have not been crowded lately due to lower ship capacities. You will have no problem finding places to lounge, drink or eat.

The walls and ceilings on Liberty OTS are metal and will hold your magnetic hooks. We use them all the time for hats, light jackets, etc and will work for this purpose. Get the strongest ones. We will be on Liberty in two weeks. We also move our glass table into the closet to give more room or you can ask to have it removed for your trip.

Alcohol will remove the Sharpie marking off the plastic cover. Works great.

I have had trouble uploading photos that are too small in size. Royal does not want a low resolution photo and I have had to go to a larger file size photo to upload.

The proctored tests are so easy and great for us. I set a laptop up on the dining room table with the camera showing the table surface and person taking the test. When one of us is finished they log out of their Navica app and the next person logs into their Navica app and starts their test. We print out the results and off we go. Except for our first cruise in August we have used the proctored tests for all the others have enough for the next three. We are hoping by the one after that they will drop the testing requirement altogether as it is the biggest stress adder to the cruise today. If not we will purchase more of them and continue on. At least we can get some reimbursement on the tests now through my insurance. Not all the cost but anything back is fine by me.

If you mean the purchase in the store and use on your own, no. If you mean the scheduled drive-up test with you or them swabbing your nose and them running the test and giving you a written or email result, yes. Royal DOES NOT accept self administered off-the-shelf tests.

We have taken photos in the app to use but not uploaded photos. Did not like the photos and uploaded better ones on the website. On our last cruise the check in clerk did not like the photo and she retook it which did not go over well with the wife. She was glad they do not store the photos to use again.

Who ever was creating the luggage tags for Wonder must have been looking at the ship from the bottom floor up instead of the top floor down.