S.Marie

I am thinking the announcement about cancellation of June cruises will be today or tomorrow. I just checked my cruise planner for 2 cruises that I have booked in June and it says that the sailing has been suspended

Overeating. My hubby and I wanted to fit as many dining experiences into our 4 night cruise that we wound up napping or falling asleep after every meal (and we did not accomplish much else!)

I would have liked to be a volunteer -I’m healthy with no preexisting conditions; very committed to mask wearing, hand washing, and cleanliness; and I have a job where I am currently working from home (and could work from anywhere). However, I have 3 young children and a spouse with a preexisting condition so it would be best for me to observe from the sidelines and cheer on those who are able to get cruises rolling again. Much success to those who are selected!

The Maryland style crab cake on Mariner was the worst for my husband and me. Full disclosure: my husband is from Maryland so he knows his way around good seafood (and I learned from him ). I read in a number of blog posts that the crab cakes were good so we were excited to try them. The crab cakes in the MDR should have been called breader cakes because there was hardly any crab in it, so we were disappointed. Luckily, we had the UDP and saw that Chops also had crab cakes on the menu so we decided to give it another shot. The crab cakes in Chops has less breader but it was pretty flavorless. At that point, we gave up on getting anymore crab cakes on the ship but all of the other food we had on Mariner was great! I’d definitely get the UDP again. 

I’m just here for the comments and to take notes on where to stay for my next cruise 

On 10/5/2020 at 12:02 PM, cruisellama said:

Think we got another hint from Mr. Fain today.  Short cruises first (to me that means - if you're on a 5-8d run, its toast this year).   Need CDC approval on the plan so nothing can happen until then  besides any crews must undergo the new training.  I translate that as 2020 is toast.

I am glad that Mr. Fain is remaining so positive. That gives some hope, but again, they have to know by now which ships will NOT be sailing in November so I am disappointed that RC has not revealed at least that much information to its customers yet. I have other sailings to look forward to for 2021 but my November 2020 trip was the biggest one yet that I had planned for my family. I need to know if I should cancel all of the ancillary plans/bookings (hotel, car rental, etc.) I have related to this cruise but I’m not canceling until RC has said that the November thanksgiving Oasis cruise is a no go.

The NCL suspension does seem to indicate that November 2020 is out for RCL too. So heartbroken...really wanted this one to go. Here’s to hoping we will cruise again someday. 

Any guesses on when Royal will make the big reveal on whether ships will sail in November/December 2020?
 

It’s less than 30 days from November 1st, and based on prior cancellations by Royal, we should have had Royal’s decision about November (at the very least) by now. 

I am still hoping that my Thanksgiving Oasis cruise is a go but I have been holding off on confirming other plans (like car rental, hotel for night before, etc.) until we get official word from Royal that things are a go.

I would even be ok with Royal saying we are still waiting for the green light from the CDC but here are the ships we plan to deploy (or not deploy) for our start up phase. Thoughts? 

We have no idea what we are going to do. We are traveling with our 3 kids and while my husband and me would prefer to fly, the cost to pay for all of us to fly to any of the Florida ports is high and we are not ready to do any flying with the kids just yet. On the other hand, I like the control we have with our driving bubble although we are not looking forward to an 11 hour drive with the kids (I’m sure we will be pulling our hair out with stops and bored kids...), being tired before the cruise starts, and having to get a rental car so that we can comfortably fit all of us for a long distance trip. 
 

So we are holding off on making a decision until we have more concrete info about when and how cruising will resume.

Perhaps I am just late to the game but did you guys see this? Just popped up on the Royal app for November 2020 Oasis cruise. Hopefully that means no more having to find creative ways to stay in touch with your sailing group, buying Voom, or using your phone plan data so long as you can chat with them via the Royal app. Yay! 

16 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Of course, Black Friday/Cyber Monday is coming up and historically there have been good sales around that time, but who knows what will happen this year.  Last year’s holiday sales were a dud.

@WAAAYTOOO yes- last year’s Black Friday/cyber Monday deals were not worth the time I spent hoping for good deals. But I am fine letting go of these sales if Royal (and the CDC) say that cruises are a go in November!

@WAAAYTOOO and since these cruises are quickly approaching the 60 day countdown, I am not sure if there will be too many more big sales like this, especially if cruising begins again in November. 
 

I am really leaning toward YOLO booking all of the items I want in hopes that our holiday cruise sails..

.

@Neesa I really wanted to do the thrill and chill too! If Oasis is not one of the ones that will resume sailing in November, but Mariner is, I will likely be switching over to Mariner 

These cruise planner prices, especially on the cabanas at Perfect Day, are just too good to pass up!

Hi all! I don’t want to jinx things but I am feeling slightly encouraged that the 2020 holiday cruising season may actually happen.  

The new cruise planner sale has some really good deals but I am hesitant to buy anything (and have a bunch of $$$ tied up) until there is some indication that cruising (though limited) will resume in November. I plan to be on the 2020 Oasis thanksgiving cruise.
 

I foresee that if cruising does restart, many of the cruise planner items are going to go up in price and/or be sold out pretty quickly once the news is announced regarding cruise resumption. On the other hand, I don’t want to wait (and wait and wait) for a refund if the 2020 holiday cruises are cancelled. 

Are any of you planning to YOLO purchase cruise planner deals for your 2020 holiday cruises or are you holding off until we have word that cruises will resume in November/December?

It was our 7th wedding anniversary and we decided to take the 2019 holiday cruise on Mariner since we never had a honeymoon. We had so much fun but one of our favorite things is the unlimited dining package! We are foodies so we tried every restaurant. We went to Izumi Hibachi twice because the food was soooo good! 

@KathyC we have the Key for our Thanksgiving Oasis cruise and the earliest check in was 2:30 for us too. I’m fine with the later check-in but wonder what adjustments will be made to the Key privileges since we won’t be able to have the embarkation lunch and bag drop off. Perhaps they will replace the lunch with a fancy dinner? 

I love the refreshed look too! 

Right now we are set for Oasis departing on 11/22 (to replace a cancelled July trip) but are considering changing to Harmony that departs on 11/22. Any one have any thoughts/preference on Oasis versus Harmony for a thanksgiving cruise?

On 5/14/2020 at 10:16 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Yes, it's very weird and sad...

On 5/14/2020 at 9:54 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I present a piece of credible evidence that my 1 August Symphony cruise MAY be sailing :

Today, the cost of the day pass at Coco Cay nearly doubled !!  Yesterday, it was $79 and today it is $149.

Of course, there are other reasons for this price jump - it could be selling out...but I choose to see it as being evidence that we are going !!

This cruise goes to both Labadee and Coco Cay, which would make it, seemingly, a top candidate for a "go" if ANY of the ships are going.

Fingers crossed....

The UDP went from $118 to $132 and the water park went from $79 to $94 on the July 20th Indy cruise and I told my husband that I think it is a sign that it may still be a go. I know I’m delusional but those little price increases made me excited.

124 days since our Kid free anniversary/holiday cruise on the Mariner 

82 days until our 5 day family cruise on the Independence to Labadee and CoCoCay. Hoping that things will be sorted out by then! 
 

Seven brides for seven brothers or Calamity Jane

7 hours ago, ddmcruiser said:

Love this!  Looking forward to Symphony of the Seas in April!  First time on Royal Caribbean and you guys here are great!

Yay @ddmcruiser! We are so glad to have you!

20 hours ago, Okgladgal said:

Freedom. 5/2020...less than 180 because I finally cashed in my RC points from my credit card

Yes, I did!

 

22 hours ago, Ogilthorpe said:

Oasis 115 days 

Oasis 122 days  ... first B2B!

Allure  332 days

Anthem 450 days

This is my 5th post ... do I lose my lurker status?

 

 

This thread is specifically for the comfort of the lurker! Feel free to share/comment as much as you like (or don’t)

6 hours ago, nhilding10 said:

Harmony 1/26/20! I'll be behind the...

@nhilding10 I love you! this may be the best gif I’ve seen to date! #gifgamestrong