S.Marie

There's an easy fix for that though ....
Passenger attempts to buy drink ... ding ... i'm sorry sir the computer says you haven't completed the EMuster so your charge privileges have been deactivated, please follow these instructions to reactivate your account.
 
 

The CDC is wanting our feedback about what we think should happen. Personally, I think this means two things.
1) They are truly wanting a solution to get things moving. They are under a lot of pressure to get the cruise lines up and running.
2) They don't have a CLUE about what steps the companies take to clean on a regular basis nor do they have a clue as to what to do.
This means that the Blue Ribbon Panel was a wonderful idea on the part of RCL and NCL. They will be able to give the CDC much of the answers that they are looking for. Many (not all) of the people that will be commenting to the CDC will be normal people who have no medical experience. They will just be going by what they have heard or seen on the media, no matter which they listen to. This is all well and good, but I trust that they will take into consideration that most of us are just concerned people and not doctors or nurses. I hope they truly listen to the BRP and utilize their suggestions that way people can get moving again. Sitting in our homes and not being a part of society isn't good for a person either. If it was then my FIL wouldn't be in the shape he is in.

^^^^This!  is exactly why I love cruising so much.  It's about the only vacation that I can truly unwind and step back.  Saddens me even more that there is no start date in sight.  I tried to explain to my family the other night that for me, it's not just a lost vacation.  Cruising represents something far greater for me.

Back to the OP's statement...
Cruises will start in October!
I'm just not confident what year.
 
 

The new TA"s should be encouraged to be a part of this group........ The relationships built here are second to none.  @AnnetteJackson, take care of yourself.  Thank You for everything that you've done for so many.  You will surely be missed.

Although I have only been a member on here for just a short while, I always found your post helpful. You seem to take everything in stride and seem like a kind,warm and fun person. Times are changing and so must we. I hope all the MEI agents making such changes find whatever joy, love and peace they can.

This pandemic has made for a lot of changes in the cruising world from cancellations, lift and shifts, FCCs and everyone’s least favorite topic … REFUNDS!  It definitely has made a lot of people take a new look at life and that is exactly what a few agents at MEI-Travel have done.  Danette LeBlanc after 7 years with Mei-Travel is stepping away to spend time with her family.   Her father has terminal cancel and she wants to spend all the time she can with him and the family at this time.  Prayers to her and her family as they navigate this incredibly hard time.  Also, Stephanie Hudson after 15 years has decided to take some time to step away and enjoy her new home on the coast of NC.  While this is not her retirement home, I am sure after all this time a little break to put her toes in the sand is what she needs at this time.  Wishing her all the best (and a little jealous).  MEI-Travel is working over the next week to contact their clients with a new agent that is stepping into very big sets of shoes to fill, but the new agents can do it.  It does take a little time to ensure that the new agent has everything and both Danette and Stephanie will be working thru June 30th to help with the transition of their clients.  To say that this was a very hard decision for both of them is an understatement.
Also, I want to thank all of you for allowing me to work with you all.  Being able to chat with your guys almost daily for the past 5 years or more has helped me grow in knowledge of Royal and cruising.  There is no way I can think of this group without thinking about all the group cruises – the laughter, the tears, the burning bus, the exploding toilet, the first stop at Perfect Day, St Patrick’s Day and the most expensive Guinness beer or two I have ever paid for… and the memories go on and on….. SHOTS!  How could I not mention the SHOTS!   But more importantly, Matt.  The countless hours of planning for group events, looking up changes and many possible group cruises that never happened, there is just not enough time for me to write up how special my relationship with Matt and his family is.  All of this made it very hard for me to make this change, but I am stepping away from MEI-Travel to pursue a new opportunity.  This new opportunity will come with new challenges and a chance to spread my wings a little.  I hope our paths cross on a cruise some day or maybe in the Orlando area some time (This time without my suitcase with me!).
MEI-Travel has a team of agents that work with Matt and they work together to provide great service to you all.  I know with cancellations coming in the very near future you might be concerned with all this change, but the team is there to help you all.
 
See you on a cruise!
Annette Jackson

I always try to stay positive but Royal has implemented an unprecedented change that should be a cause for concern for everyone.  They are changing a ship, swapping an Oasis class ship to a Freedom class ship and arbitrarily moving guests into new cabins with no recourse, no refund and few options.
This is unprecedented and it should be a cause for concern for anyone booking a Royal Caribbean cruise.  The ship and cabin or cabin category you book may not be what you find yourself sailing. 
Without notice or communication your ship and cabin can be substituted to something else. 
We all know that the cruise contract allows Royal to make certain changes when they are required to do so.  Historically that has resulted in itinerary changes that substitute different ports of call.  That's different than swapping in an entirely different ship.   Historically when Royal redeploys a ship the future cruises on the impacted ship are cancelled and they have typically offer some sort of compensation in the form of a small on board credit.  That's not happening now.
In the case of Allure of the Seas from Galveston Royal Caribbean has decided to postpone building the new terminal there which means that Allure can't sail from Galveston as they had planned.  
This morning I have discovered that rather than cancelling Allure bookings Royal has substituted Liberty of the Seas in her place and arbitrarily changed cabins to a different cabin category downgrading in the process.
The options they have offered - accept their change or lose the deposit.   
Imagine booking an international flight in First Class that includes lie flat seats, complimentary meal and beverage service and everything else that goes with First Class only to discover the airline has swapped in a smaller plane and placed you in another seat that doesn't include any First Class benefits.  That is what Royal Caribbean is now doing on future cruises without changing the fare paid or offering any compensation.
This change is unprecedented. 
Why Should This Matter To You
The cruise you book can and will be changed by Royal Caribbean to anything they want without notice or compensation.  They aren't just changing some ports on an itinerary, they are now changing the entire ship and cabin category.  
Let's say you booked Oasis of the Seas.  You may find that ship has been redeployed due to the pandemic and now your cruise is moved to another ship.  Maybe even a smaller ship that doesn't offer your type of cabin or any of the features and activities for the ship you booked.
I can understand why they need to do this.  Cancelling thousands of bookings at a time when there is no income is a recipe for bankruptcy.  However for us, the cruising public on the receiving end of these unprecedented changes, it represents a whole new level of risk when booking a cruise.  
This pandemic has created unprecedented changes at so many levels.  This move by Royal Caribbean represents a new twist to vacation planning on a level we've never experienced before.
I've long said I don't care where the cruise goes, just get me on the ship.  The problem now when booking a cruise is I don't know what ship I will actually be sailing on.

Royal nailed everything here.  The sets and costumes were great.  All of the actors and actresses did a good job.  Singing and dancing was excellent.  It appears to be updated and modern. 

As for condensing from the original, I know musicals are supposed to be about music and have songs but this entire show was song after song. There really was no in between the songs points which could have helped someone unfamiliar with the musical figure out what is going on.  (Spoiler alert: a cat dies.)
I had to Google it to make sure I wasn't missing something.

I followed The Gift on Anthem better than this.  I'd like to think that's on Andrew Lloyd Webber and not Royal though.

I got off the elevator and decided that the least I could do was help guide him all the way to the act of this ship to Windjammer. I asked him if he minded me walking with him to the Windjammer and he took my arm and we trekked all the way across the pool deck. He told me he had paid extra to have a wheelchair and assistance but that someone complained about it? I didn't really quite understand the story and didn't really ask for clarification. 
He said he took a 16 day cruise and he's going to Africa in April.  Pretty amazing travels he has done.
We got to the Windjammer where I asked the greeter if he minded helping my new friend.  The greeter was amazing and he took his arm and started asking him what he was wanting to eat and helped him to the handwashing station.  I didn't think to catch his name tag but as soon as my room service is delivered I am popping back over to Windjammer to get his name so I can fill out a WOW comment card for him.

I am on a cruiseship and it has been three and a half hours since I last ate.  That means it's time for bedtime sushi!

This seems like a much, much better option than the Cafe Promenade and Sorrentos that everyone is else stuck with.
This was a brilliant idea and 1am Ashley very much thanks 6pm Ashley for looking out for her.

That's totally a napkin dispenser charging my phone while I BBQ it up.

Insert obligatory live blog photos of accommodations:
We had room 955.
2 double beds and a pullout sleeper sofa.  


Little minibar area with coffeemaker, fridge, and there's a microwave back there that you won't discover until after you go to the grocery store ?‍♀️

Bathroom has a sink outside the shower and toilet area so you don't have to wait to stare at yourself in the mirror or brush your teeth.

Nice shower for our one night stay with bonus foot soaking tub ??

Enough of that..who cares, fast forward to this morning and doing some last minute packing along with a guilt trip from this guy:

I picked up my mother to head to Miami.  We were driving 2.5 hours to Jacksonville to take a flight to Miami.  We live in Tallahassee.  Flight prices from there are ridiculous..look them up sometime and then look at the same flight from Jacksonville or Orlando.  We opted to drive and pay for parking.  Jacksonville is an awesome big little airport.  It never feels really large or busy and parking is cheap!  The economy lots cost $5/$6 a day and a shuttle runs every 8 minutes.  And I truly know this because I got to shuttle from the parking lot to the airport twice this morning.
Why? Because of a sentimental attachment to a teeny pink Swiss Army pocketknife.  My mother didn't have TSA Precheck and I did, so I offered to take her bags through with me so she didn't have to uproot her entire life to go through the scanner.  But props to TSA for saving us all from my mother and that 1.25" blade.  I got to walk the offending weapon back through the airport and onto the shuttle and back to the car.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is why you always get to the airport early.
We had about 30 minutes still before the incoming flight even arrived.  I wanted to go buy a Coke Zero but my mother convinced me to wait because I could just get one on the plane.  Yes, she will pay for STAR CLASS on a cruise, but not for an overpriced bottle of soda and also shamed me into not wasting my money.  Spoiler alert: They skipped my row during drink service and I did NOT get my complimentary soda.  
Flight went up..it went down.  We spent nearly equal amounts of time rolling on the runway as we did in the air.  But it was still too long when I realized I had forgotten my earbuds and had to turn closed-captioning on and experience my Netflix binging through subtitles.
 

As for the differences between the ships, they are really more alike than different.  The port actually would make the bigger difference in my opinion -- is Port Canaveral or Miami going to be easier for you?  If you are flying for the cruise leaving from Miami gives you two options for airports (FLL and MIA) which may give you more flight options.
I did Oasis for Thanksgiving last year:
 
 

@S.Marie I am not sailing on the Oasis until Thanksgiving of 2021 but I did sail Harmony Thanksgiving 2019. From the moment we parked in the deck at Port Canaveral we had zero complaints. We had an amazing time and the cruise director "Bing Bong" was so much fun, the itinerary was wonderful & warm. Can not recommend the Harmony more! But again, to be honest have not sailed the Oasis as of yet & Grease was not our favorite. A tiny bit vulgar where it did not even need to be but otherwise the sailing on her was amazing! I'm sure you will enjoy them both whichever you choose! Happy sailing!

By chance are you looking for a thirty eight year old son to adopt? I could use a rich dad that came with luxury travel privileges. 

Why isn't there greater consistency with the suite product and benefits across the fleet?

My question would be "Many of your customers are confused why refunds (for cancelled cruises) are being issued in several partial payments spaced over several weeks (months). Please provide some insight to why this is the case so that your customers' expectations can be adjusted accordingly."

I'd love to say I'd come up with a great question but I'd likely go full caveman and just say "Need vacation. When cruise?"

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/09/06/freedom-of-the-seas-live-blog-day-three-labadee

Sorry I'm late, had some issues with my SetSail Pass...
 

That's right friends, it's time to (pretend to) cruise again and you're all invited!
I can't believe my (non-existent) cruise is finally here, and I am headed back on my favorite ship of all time, Harmony of the Seas!
First, I'd like to point out that I did not start my live blog many months in advance, as @Lovetocruise2002 always  does.
Second, here are the details for this sailing.
Because I didn't pay anything to go onboard, I'm going big time!

We have the Royal Loft Suite booked for this sailing. After all, nothing is too good for my family (especially if it's all pretend).
Having stayed once before on Deck 16 in the suite area, I am looking forward to the suite enclave onboard and enjoying more time in the Suite Lounge.  Who knows, I might just go to Coastal Kitchen!
Our cruise is a 7-night itinerary, with visits to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Cozumel, Costa Maya and then back to CocoCay again! It will be 4 ports of non-stop sun, surf, and eating.

I managed to pull some strings with the government, and got some friends onboard with me for this sailing.  I'm cruising with @Big Dawg Ron, @JLMoran, @AnnetteJackson, @Lovetocruise2002's husband & @Galveston Steve!
Who knows, more may fly during the cruise...because why the heck not! 
My plan is to take the stretch limo over to Port Canaveral on Saturday, and be in the terminal (and subsequently onboard) as soon as I can!

This will be me and my towel observing RCCL's Social Distancing Rule at Perfect Day at Cococay !!    

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. ??‍♀️