PRebecca

Stay safe @Matt. Thinking of you and all the others living in Florida who are impacted by this. 

I can’t imagine the company making such a huge infrastructure investment without taking into consideration the high probability of a direct hit by a major hurricane. In the event of a direct, or indirect, hit...I’m sure many of the structures will sustain damage...as will many of the areas susceptible to the tidal surges accompanying the storm. There is plenty of historical data to guide their storm damage assessment and recovery planning. The island has been transformed into a very popular and hugely successful money-making project and they will work quickly to bring it back to full operating status as soon as possible. We just need to keep in mind the local Bahamians who do the work on the island and hope that they, and their families, remain safe and secure.

There's a giant hurricane that is going to sit on top of Florida for three days. If that's not the definition of extenuating circumstances, I'm not sure what is.

I can't imagine they would have built the island without the foresight of there being hurricanes though. We've had at least 1-2 every year for the past few years. I'm sure they have some kind of protocol...or maybe it's my wishful thinking since we're supposed to be there on the 7th!

My heart goes out to you all going thru the stress of it! I agree with the advice try to go into it with a positive outlook. I know that's much easier said than done so I'm wishing you all happy cruising and memories of a lifetime. 
 
I'll be putting up shutters wishing I were on a ship.

My heart goes out to you all going thru the stress of it! I agree with the advice try to go into it with a positive outlook. I know that's much easier said than done so I'm wishing you all happy cruising and memories of a lifetime. 
 
I'll be putting up shutters wishing I were on a ship.

My heart goes out to you all going thru the stress of it! I agree with the advice try to go into it with a positive outlook. I know that's much easier said than done so I'm wishing you all happy cruising and memories of a lifetime. 
 
I'll be putting up shutters wishing I were on a ship.

February 2020 Allure of the Seas out of FLL. Very first cruise!

We have a pending cruise, and our plan is to take it unless Royal cancels it.  Travel insurance should cover a named storm, but it doesn't cover just 'bad weather"---there is a difference.  Even if the destinations aren't great, the music, shows, and dining are something to enjoy.  Whatever you choose, I hope you have a good time.

Try to stay positive.  There is a ton to do on Mariner and they will keep you well away from the storm.  If you go in thinking it will be terrible there is a good chance it will be.  I'll gladly trade places with you!  Have fun for all of us that are still on land.

I never knew this existed.  I just checked our cruise and 55 people have signed up.  My wife and I enjoy meeting new people when we cruise, I'll need to sign up for it, although we'll probably be mostly "Massholes" so who knows if anyone will actually speak to each other.

You get 2 floating mats, but no snorkel gear.  The floating mats will be there at the cabana when you arrive.  
Your cabana number is assigned now.  It use to be that you would go to the shore excursion desk on day of debarkation to reserve a particular cabana, but when we were there they said that is no longer the policy.  Their reasoning is that sometimes they will have 2 ships in port on 1 day.  It would be too difficult to do this.  IE Anthem might leave on Friday, and Lady G leaves on Thursday, but both would be there the same day.  Thus, Lady G's passengers would get the 1st picks, and Anthem would get what was left over.  Instead, RCL will assign according to the date the cabana was purchased.  IOWS, you could have booked the cruise 2 yrs out, and the cabana only 5 mos. out,  it is when you booked the actual cabana.  
I am not sure, but I believe the same is true if you cancel and rebook at a lower price, because it is now considered a new booking.
The night prior they will leave in your cabin the map to get to the cabana station.  At the cabana, you just state your last name and they will give you a wrist band for entry.  They have melon and pineapple water to greet you when you check in.
We were cabana number 10.  It is the farthest out on the front row.  It is a great cabana because it gets a nice breeze due to its location.  On the tip of the lagoon area, by the rocks.  However, it is a bit of a walk to the restrooms, the over water bar, and going to the pool.  @5 mins.  The snorkel shack is also a little bit of a trek,.  The tram stop is right in front of the cabana area.  
Our attendant was amazing.  In the a.m. they will bring you a fruit tray, and the lunch menu.  Order as much or as little as you want.  Try the funnel cake.  I had the greek salad and it was very good.  In the mid afternoon they will bring you fruit kebabs.  The attendant, at least ours will track you down if you order a drink instead of leaving it in the cabana.  IE I ordered a drink and stated I was going to the bathroom so she could leave it in the cabana.  I walked out of the bathroom and there she was drink on a tray waiting for me.  My SIL ordered a drink and decided to go in the water while waiting, all of the sudden she heard Ms. Lisa with a drink on the tray.  
We paid for snorkel gear on the cruise planner and my husband loved snorkeling there.  I would say he was probably snorkeling 5 hrs out of the 8 hrs there.  
The safes are there for you to use, but honestly I don't see any reason to use them.  Your attendant really keeps an eye on the cabana, checking in every 15--20 mins.  
They have limited amount of blue tooth speakers, so that would be the only thing I would bring with you to the cabana.
If you have any mobility issues, such as needing a beach scooter, I would contact RCL and see if you can get cabana number 1. 
Finally, many people talk about the seagulls stealing food, and that is true when you are at the main dining area, however, in the cabana we had no issues at all.  A). The cabana is covered and that does not make it worth while to swoop in.  B). The beach area is the farthest out from the food areas and the bulk of the lounge chairs, so it is not worth it to them for the slim pickings.   However, that doesn't mean a jerk in another cabana will take a bag of chips into the water and find it funny to have them swoop in.
All in all, it was a perfect day in the cabana and have no regrets paying for it,

The only certainty at this point is that it will likely change destination again before landfall.  This far out even the cone of uncertainty is uncertain.  

I wonder if it is the same Youtuber who got most of the facts and projections wrong when Oasis was damaged in the crane incident.  
Some bloggers and vloggers will do anything to get clicks and followers, even make stuff up.
Fortunately here on royalcaribbeanblog.com @Matt sticks with known and confirmed information, not speculation.
If you want reliable information you'll find it right here https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/

We are on Liberty right now on our first cruise.  What an absolute blast!  We are in the aft of the ship and our room is non stop vibrating...no big deal for me just not sure how the wife feels about it yet.  OH! Lava flow with Kraken is amazing!

I have never had a Sea Day that I didn't like....?

You are mistaken. Hindsight is 20/20 and to blame Royal Caribbean in any way for not being able to predict future weather with 100% preciseness is plain silly. Frankly, you're being extremely unrealistic.

Royal can't control the weather and a 25% FCC is very generous considering this isn't their fault and they are not obligated to provide any compensation when mother nature turns ugly.
I for one still plan on boarding on Friday and will enjoy whatever destination we end up sailing to.  I'll be on a cruise with like minded friends who all plan to cruise as long as they will let us get on the ship.    

I was already jealous from the very beginning of this post. You're already in Florida !!! I'm glad I don't live in florida or I would have a serious problem cruising back to back non stop!
I'm in California and it cost about $500-$600 round trip to get there. Paying for my lady as well I'm always looking at about $1,000+ ?

Day 4 - sea day .
The boat time was changed to fit Greek time so we lost one hour , but good they have done it before a sea day so we can adjust. What can I say , regular sea day were you have time to rest and explore the ship. Breakfast  in the MDR, for some reason was only until 9:30 am , remember we just changed the watch so we all forced to WJ , it was super crowded but we found some space outside. We went to some lecture about the next ports , it was mainly the port/shop consultant telling us which shops she and RCL are getting the best commission also some tecnic to make sure the shops knew we came from the ship so no lost revinew. I don't miss some guest lectures which actually do not try to sell you anything. Had a visit to the casino , empty as always. Played some 3 card Poker , got straight  3 time in a row ,also with the 5 cards bonus, 30 seconds after the host replaced the dealer and I left 5 hands later (or too late ? but still ip ) not before collecting some water on the way out as was recommended by @Matt in one of the posts , here is my current stockpile 

We went for lunch in WJ , they had Shuarma which was very  good and baklava we I took second portion (telling myself I will walk 6000 more steps to pay for it , or at least dream about it


We went to rest and watch some movie, that followed by our daily visit to the Diamond club which continues with excellent service , I guess it easy when you have only 14 people at the club and most are the same one every day , a combination of Europe route and a small boat. We went to see the battle of the sexes  , the women won ... Quick dinner at WJ , few rounds around deck 5 and we went to sleep as are next port is Santorini and we have a shore excursion that starts at outrageous  7 am time ? 
Side note , our cabin attendant is very good in many aspects and we are very happy with him , but let say towel animals is not his strong side , at least he is trying ?

 

Yuck all around.  But good on Royal for giving the CocoCay staff the break to get out of harm's way and take care of their personal situations.  

News overnight is zero chance of us getting Perfect Day at CocoCay. Royal Caribbean closed down the island until next week.
New storm track is taking it further north with higher intensity.  
Word on the street is we should get an itinerary update by 3pm. Not sure if it will be for our sailing, but we're in full "wait and see" mode.





 

I definitely need a DRINK after Reading through this blog topic....  Who is serving one up.....?

I am sorry to hear that for your own sake but more importantly because your stealing increases my costs and all the other folks on here who abide by the rules.