sk8erguy1978

So you can only use an at-home test if it's not done at home?

I've reached out to Royal to get clarification. The wording still isn't clear if the supervised version is okay or not.,
No offense to @VoidoftheSeas at all, but the social media team is not always 100% accurate about things they tell guests.  
Regardless, I'm equally curious to ensure we're all clear on what is and is not acceptable.

I guess this is a bad time to mention I bought the UDP....

I'm not looking for a friend. I'm looking for a Suite Master. I seek @Lovetocruise2002

Many years ago, in a Star Class suite far, far away, I promised @Lovetocruise2002 I would give Coastal Kitchen another try.  I had written it off after some "meh" lunches, but she assured me I should go again, but this time try dinner.
In exchange for this solemn vow to try Coastal Kitchen again, @Lovetocruise2002 enjoyed a few shots of the finest tequila.
Well, now it is time for me to pay the price for this agreement and go back to Coastal Kitchen on Odyssey of the Seas.

Lovetocruise2002: Will you finish what you begins?
Me: I won't fail you - I'm not hungry.
Lovetocruise2002: Oh, you will be.  You will be.

So @Lovetocruise2002, what should I know about dinner at CK?

https://shop.spreadshirt.com/royalcaribbeanblog/blue+book+it-A5f31c3d11cbf3a5887388652?productType=812&sellable=5agdz72M85sE7XQOyzNd-812-7&appearance=804
 

I sorta went on a bit of a spree with some money I've had socked away, and now I can attest to the fact that YOLO booking is indeed a thing. ?
September 26, 2021: Oasis out of Cape Liberty (7 days)
December 24, 2021: Anthem out of Cape Liberty (Christmas at sea!) (7 days)
December 31, 2021: Anthem out of Cape Liberty again! (Why not be at sea to welcome in 2022?) (9 days)
UPDATED AFTER SAGE FORUM ADVICE: May 1, 2022: Serenade out of Vancouver (North to Alaska...and back...) (7 days)
All of these happen during breaks for me with school and will celebrate milestones in said schooling since I'm getting toward the final phase.
If they all go off without a hitch, I'll be Diamond for the second leg of the holiday B2B and Diamond Plus at the end of the Alaska cruise; the one on Oasis will be my first Royal cruise (not for a lack of trying over the last 18 months!). These points will apparently really stack up with the bonus and because I'm cruising solo.
You people are a bad influence! ?

I don't know about anyone else but I really missed this site while it was doing it's "thing" with migration...whatever that was!  Happy to be back reading up on the latest info!  
Have great day!

Nothing.
Hopefully this doesn't come across wrong but if I change my behavior for a vacation then I'm questioning how serious I'm taking this virus.
If I test positive, even a false positive, then so be it. IN FACT, if a true positive (I'm vaccinated) I need to question how serious I'm taking this virus.
Edit: although, I did get COVID in January from my wife. She was exposed volunteering as an EMT. 

I do basically the same. Honestly as a WFH person still, there really isn't much to do to be more cautious. I am bringing my work laptop in case I get "stuck" somewhere having to quarantine. 

Every one has different vacation budgets, that's what is great about cruises, they can accommodate most of them.
Even at $400 difference I'd want to pick my own room, at $141 (actually $170 I'm a midship guy) it's a no brainier for me. That's because I can afford it and don't like to gamble with guarantee category.
If you can still afford the cruise comfortably and not have to cut out a "must do" to get the room, do it. However, if it comes at a sacrifice, think about how much time you spend in the room and if it's worth it to you.

(No offense JeffB but I'm writing a JeffB-length post here)
 
It all started Thursday night after the debarkation round of testing. All three in my group were negative, but about 10:30pm got a call from the ship's doctor saying our son was identified as a close contact for a boy in Adventure Ocean who tested positive. We never really asked for details on when or what they defined as a close contact since I figured we'd never get that detail as I'm sure they'd cite privacy. (Adventure Ocean follows strict masking and 6-foot social distancing rules as well as avoiding shared toys/supplies so I really doubt it was a 15 minute close contact, but we know the pressure cruise lines are under.)
The medical staff will only call you with results that late if they're positive (not that that stopped me from waiting up until after midnight for the first one).  The next morning we got a letter saying "dear guest" saying "guest" was quarantined. This step in the process is the one RC needs to work on. The letter didn't specify who (aka, just our son or all 3 of us?) had to quarantine (ended up just being our son) and had no "for more information contact XYZ" info on the letter. While the letter did list all the free services we'd have during quarantine (room service, internet, movies, phone calls) it didn't do a good job of outlining really what to expect. In my comments to RC I'm going to urge they have guest services call those people directly and lay things out for them instead of just a form letter, especially since the letter said staff would check up on us throughout the day and no one really did.  So we called the nurses station for some info, and the doctor called us back saying our son was indeed negative but they (I'm not sure who "they" is but I got the inkling it wasn't solely ship management) wanted another PCR test 24 hours later. Which meant 10:30pm again. 

By afternoon (Friday) we get a call that guest services wanted our passports, vax cards and health insurance info.  We never really got details on who wanted this, but we think it was the Bahamas government.  Because a bit later, the guest services manager called and finally we got a good line of communication going. Despite the negative tests, the Bahamas didn't want to let our son take a commercial flight home since he didn't fulfill the country's unvaccinated quarantine window (14 days, tell me that wouldn't suck). Apparently RC tried to get a waiver for us, but as of later Friday, the guest services guy was prepping us for a private flight home.  
The 2nd test Friday night came and went negative (and I'm going to assume all 4 other contacts were negative too, based on a talk with our pilots) and we got one more call from guest services that they'd have updated flight info by 8am this morning.

We got that call and they were still working out the details of the flight, but were prepping for it to be a late afternoon/evening flight and we'd move to the Hilton for a few hours. Somehow that got moved up and by 9am we got our 1pm fllight time and were just instructed to hang out in the room until noon. 
At noon guest services walked us down and we were off the ship.
They had a limo van (aka, party van) for us right off the ship, drove us right to the plane, got on the plane, flew right to our home airport and had the town car waiting for us at the GA terminal to take us home. Apparently whatever deal they had set up required actual door to door delivery, so I got dropped off at the parking lot to get our car, and our wife and son got the town car ride home.
 
So count me as the "I'm not an actor but a true story" for anyone that has concerns about booking a cruise due to fear of being covid-stranded (even if you aren't the one testing positive), RC has you covered.
I can't compliment RC enough for how efficient they were with getting us (and apparently 4 other groups for a total of 20 people in the "contact tracing kid" bucket) out of there and thus avoiding having to stay another 10-11 days for the Bahamas unvaccinated quarantine period.

We had great weather today at Coco Cay & saw an empty Allure dock late afternoon to shift crew. What an experience at Coco Cay with only roughly 1/2 of Freedom passengers on the island. 

Allure's crew were going to get a day at CocoCay during their break between the simulation cruise and the (hopefully) first revenue cruise.  
Odyssey's crew got one of these crew days a few weeks ago.  
She may be there related to that crew day.

Every one has different vacation budgets, that's what is great about cruises, they can accommodate most of them.
Even at $400 difference I'd want to pick my own room, at $141 (actually $170 I'm a midship guy) it's a no brainier for me. That's because I can afford it and don't like to gamble with guarantee category.
If you can still afford the cruise comfortably and not have to cut out a "must do" to get the room, do it. However, if it comes at a sacrifice, think about how much time you spend in the room and if it's worth it to you.

Every one has different vacation budgets, that's what is great about cruises, they can accommodate most of them.
Even at $400 difference I'd want to pick my own room, at $141 (actually $170 I'm a midship guy) it's a no brainier for me. That's because I can afford it and don't like to gamble with guarantee category.
If you can still afford the cruise comfortably and not have to cut out a "must do" to get the room, do it. However, if it comes at a sacrifice, think about how much time you spend in the room and if it's worth it to you.

I do basically the same. Honestly as a WFH person still, there really isn't much to do to be more cautious. I am bringing my work laptop in case I get "stuck" somewhere having to quarantine. 

Nothing.
Hopefully this doesn't come across wrong but if I change my behavior for a vacation then I'm questioning how serious I'm taking this virus.
If I test positive, even a false positive, then so be it. IN FACT, if a true positive (I'm vaccinated) I need to question how serious I'm taking this virus.
Edit: although, I did get COVID in January from my wife. She was exposed volunteering as an EMT. 

Nothing.
Hopefully this doesn't come across wrong but if I change my behavior for a vacation then I'm questioning how serious I'm taking this virus.
If I test positive, even a false positive, then so be it. IN FACT, if a true positive (I'm vaccinated) I need to question how serious I'm taking this virus.
Edit: although, I did get COVID in January from my wife. She was exposed volunteering as an EMT. 

Since I’m working up until we drive to the airport, I guess I’m rolling the dice. 
 
I work for a big regional supermarket chain, so I’m hoping for big bucks and no whammies. 

Not exactly apples to apples, since I'm talking Anthem from NJ to Bermuda so semi apples to oranges, but with iFly it was booked tight, lots on standby. I had the suite concierge book it. I'd say add that to day 1 stuff, run over and make a reservation ASAP. The NS wasn't that bad, however, I want to say I booked it ahead of time, but friends of mine booked onboard at their leisure, via the app. I assume paying the extra $50 is a cruise planner thing? If so it sounds amazing, and worth way more than that. Oh, Alaska, gotta go soon. Enjoy! 

Not exactly apples to apples, since I'm talking Anthem from NJ to Bermuda so semi apples to oranges, but with iFly it was booked tight, lots on standby. I had the suite concierge book it. I'd say add that to day 1 stuff, run over and make a reservation ASAP. The NS wasn't that bad, however, I want to say I booked it ahead of time, but friends of mine booked onboard at their leisure, via the app. I assume paying the extra $50 is a cruise planner thing? If so it sounds amazing, and worth way more than that. Oh, Alaska, gotta go soon. Enjoy! 

China sailings charge for these experiences but non-China sailings do not.  There is a paid version of the NorthStar experience for Alaska and Hawaii sailings; these are extended “rides” that go over-the-edge unlike the free NS rides that just go up and down.  You can pay extra for the longer over-the-side rides or still get the normal free NS rides.
Im not sure what the process is for additional experiences with NS and IFly but I imagine it just involves getting back in line and waiting.  Might be easier with reduced occupancy.

Thanks! Alaska next month. I'll pay the $50 for over the side while we are in the glacier bay. 

I can see the headlines now ... "I was a COVID-19 positive volunteer on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and locked up like a prisoner."