ChrisK2793

A++++++++ The only thing you forgot to mention is that almost the entire leadership of the CDC is made up of former Pharmaceutical Company Executives who still have very strong ties to their former companies. That gives them a very strong incentive to say and do what will benefit their former employers. My opinion is anybody who ever worked for a pharmaceutical company, even as a janitor, should be barred for life from a role at the CDC.

‘Here’s an example of the pre-paid menu from Symphony. Each person picks 1 small plate, 2 large plates, and 1 dessert. The ala-carte menu is the same except it has prices and you order whatever you want. If you eat there as part of a UDP, then each person gets $35, so anything over $70 total for 2 people would be an extra cost at the end of the meal. Yes, it can be charged to his seapass card and anything he charges to it will go on your credit card if that’s how it’s setup.

The show actually SOLD OUT ….. No, they did not go after them. DeSantis’ office did issue the following statement about it to the Washington Post when asked about it: The governor’s office says the unorthodox PRICING violates Florida’s rules: “Charging higher ticket prices for individuals who do not furnish proof of vaccination unfairly discriminates against people who have enumerated rights under Florida law,” said Christina Pushaw, press secretary for the governor’s office, in an email to The Washington Post. Other than that statement, nothing else was done by the state of Florida to stop it. Attached is a link to the full article that talks about the governors response: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05/29/florida-concert-price-vaccinated/%3foutputType=amp Royal is charging the same BASE fare to everybody regardless of vaccination status.

‘That’s where the huge glaring loophole comes in ….. nowhere in the law does it say they can’t provide an UPGRADED form of service if you VOLUNTARILY show them you’re vaccinated …… ONLY that they can’t require it for you to enter or receive service. Everyone receives the same entry, service, and has to follow the same requirements unless they voluntarily choose to show they’re vaccinated. Ron DeSantis would have to instruct his State AG file a lawsuit against the cruise lines and and take it to court if he wants more read into the law than what it specifically says ….. I’ll bet my right arm that DeSantis isn’t going to say what Royal is doing violates the law as written. He wants cruising started back in full force ASAP for the massive tax revenue and local economic benefits that go along with it. It’s also very rare when a court that isn’t pretty liberal rules that a law means more than a very strict reading of what the text says.

You might want to read the actual section of SB 2006 that deals with the vaccine passport ban ….. nowhere does it say they have to accept your word that you’re vaccinated. It only says they can’t REQUIRE you to show proof of vaccination “to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business operations” ….. it also says it “does not otherwise restrict businesses from instituting screening protocols” which is a huge opening for individual interpretation ….. see below: Section 18. Section 381.00316, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 381.00316 COVID-19 vaccine documentation.— (1) A business entity, as defined in s. 768.38 to include any business operating in this state, may not require patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-infection recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business operations in this state. This subsection does not otherwise restrict businesses from instituting screening protocols consistent with authoritative or controlling government-issued guidance to protect public health. (2) A governmental entity as defined in s. 768.38 may not require persons to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 Here’s a link to the entire text of the law ….. vaccine passports are only covered in section 18 on lines 1119 thru 1155 https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/2006/BillText/er/HTML

The law only says they can’t REQUIRE you to show proof of vaccination to receive service ….. they’re getting around the law by saying NOBODY has to prove they’re vaccinated to take their cruise ……. BUT the law doesn’t say that they can’t say that EVERYBODY vaccinated or unvaccinated has to follow certain requirements unless they VOLUNTARILY decide on their own to show proof of vaccination …… it’s a big glaring loophole in the law, but it is there.

I think that’s their ultimate goal ….. to make unvaccinated people 12 and over not go on their cruises ….. at least for the time being

Is there some restriction on having a thread where people can discuss news items even if they’ve already been posted as a news story on the blog here? I’m not asking to be rude, just curious because this is the second time I’ve posted something that didn’t have a thread and someone referenced it on the blog and last time they also made a comment that it was already on the blog.

”Royal Caribbean International said on Tuesday it would require unvaccinated guests over 12 years of age traveling from Florida to show proof of insurance that covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, quarantine and evacuation.” https://www.reuters.com/world/us/royal-caribbean-ask-unvaccinated-guests-florida-cruises-travel-insurance-2021-06-29/

You’re better off using Voom Surf & Stream

‘Yes, you can call the C&A department to ask questions or to setup a C&A account even if you’ve never been on a cruise yet. You can also sign up online for a membership as well to get a C&A number ……. But for children under 13, it will take a phone call. On the phone they can also connect your immediate family’s accounts ….. spouses and children under 18 ….. then if any of you go on a cruise alone, you ALL get the points. This also applies to significant others living at the same address and minor children you are the legal guardian of.

I’d take this with a grain of salt, ….. but I just had to call Royal’s Corwn & Anchor department about something else … so while I had them on the line, I also asked if people with ZERO C&A points get double points too. She put me on hold to talk to her supervisor, then came back a few minutes later and said whether you have Zero points or 1,000 points, you’ll get double the usual points per night for your booking category as long as your C&A number is connected to your account both before the double points booking deadline and before your final payment date, whichever comes first.

The biggest thing you want to do is make sure your phone is ALWAYS in “Airplane Mode” before leaving port to make sure you aren’t using your cellular service or cellular data or you’ll be in for a huge shock when your next bill comes. All you have to do after that is turn the WiFi back on if it turns off when you put on Airplane Mode and anything free from royal and/or the WiFi package you purchased will still be able to be used thru the WiFi.

isn’t it currently refundable up until 48 hours before the cruise? I’m guessing the 2 families must have separate cabins and reservations ….. unless the mom and dad of the 2 girls are dating and sharing a cabin.

There is this one in the FAQ, but I don’t think it necessarily means first time cruisers won’t get double points ….. the question was if all people in current levels get double points ……… there wasn’t anything in the question that made me think a NEW cruiser wouldn’t get double points …… this question isn’t about NEW cruisers ….. I’d call Royal to get a 100% one way or the other answer …. I really think this question and answer is only answered the way it was because the question had nothing to do with a first time cruiser …..

I couldn’t find anything in the Crown & Anchor FAQ for the double points offer that says you have to be at least a gold member to get double points ………. The only thing I could find was that you MUST give your crown & anchor number when originally making the reservation to get double points ….. do you already have a crown & anchor number even though you haven’t cruised yet? Did you give your crown & anchor numbers when booking your cruise? Here’s the link to all the double points the FAQ: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/topics/crown-and-anchor-society-double-points-offer

‘ There’s always the current option to cancel up until 48 hours before the cruise …….. then take it at a later date when vaccines may not be required. They’re already not required for cruises leaving from Florida.

‘You’ll get 4 points per night if you bump up to a Junior Suite ???

‘Even vaccinated, if you test positive, under the current rules you’ll still be put off the ship at the next port and have to fly home.

The suite concierge will email you about a week before the cruise ……… you can email back and have them make nightly dinner reservations for you in the Coastal Kitchen at whatever time you want.

You can get a big, nice suite on Royal for what you’d pay for a balcony room on Disney. Every time I’ve looked at Disney cruise pricing, the minimum price for 7 days in a balcony room was $7k or more for 3 of us ……… we ended up booking cruises on Royal for the same week every time on an Oasis class ship and stayed in a Grand Suite, Crown Loft or Owner’s suite for the price the balcony room would have been on Disney.

On the flip side, if you have something that needs to be done or changed ASAP, you can call RCL and get it done immediately on your own ….. if you have a TA that’s hard to get in touch with, or that takes days to do what you ask, you could miss out on a price drop or anything else you might need done ASAP. To me personally, not having control of my own reservation isn’t worth it, unless I’m getting OBC or something else from the TA for using them.

‘According to the article, they plan to sail this Saturday, June 25, with nobody “required” to show proof of vaccine ….. maybe they made some sort of unreported deal with the CDC to sail without a test cruise after the CSO was struck down, even though the order was held off from going into effect until July 18?

It is new ….. until today, Celebrity’s policy was that you had to be vaccinated to sail on their ships.

Celebrity Cruises drops requirement for passengers to show proof of COVID vaccine for Florida cruises: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2021/06/23/celebrity-cruises-2021-no-proof-covid-vaccine-needed-florida/5318195001/