If the ship doesn't visit the Bahamas or the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas) then they will allow unvaccinated provided they pay for the extra testing and travel insurance. Cococay is in the Bahamas so falls in the vaccination required rules and it's hard to find a ship that doesn't stop there.
Yet in theory, an unvax person could arrive in the Bahamas on a cruise stop with a test more recent than an unvax person flying to the Bahamas via plane.
This just blows. Sick.
WAIT ! I just read the post on the blog and we qualify under #3. We both have signed medical contradictions. Unfortunately, they will probably still restrict us from the casino which is not acceptable to us so chances are we still won't be able to go but at least SOMEone is finally recognizing medical contradictions. Hopefully natural immunity will follow close behind.
If only we knew of an ambulance chasing lawyer in Florida who could take a case involving many of us. Hmmm.
We are all being presumed to present a risk to each other and being denied an opportunity to travel by ship on the presumption that we will infect each other.
I think the CDC should be required to demonstrate that I present a risk to society before they should be allowed to lock me down and prevent me from boarding a cruise ship.
I actually prefer the WJ on Quantum class although some others have expressed crowding at peak times. I'm an early riser so I've never experienced that. Anthem and Ovation like Radiance class have outdoor aft seating behind the WJ which I use as often as I can. Odyssey doesn't have outdoor WJ seating.
I'm a big fan of Quantum class and I like that they are different than Oasis class. The cabins on Quantum class are near perfection as non-suite cabins go and the bathroom layout works really well.
I have several Anthem and Ovation live blog trip reports posted here. These two sister ships are very close to each other. Odyssey is a "Quantum Ultra" ship, the latest evolution of this class with some notable differences from what we've seen of her so far.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5387-anthem-11918-9-night-bahamas/
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17677-anthem-jan-5-2020-11-nights-southern-caribbean-recap/
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/12630-ovation-goes-north-way-north-to-alaska-11-nights-may-13-2019/
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/15665-ovation-goes-south-to-hawaii-sept-20-2019/
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17870-standing-ovation-from-the-land-down-under-new-zealand-11-nights-feb-2-2020/
Since I live in a landlocked state well away from any coast I have to fly to cruise.
With the extra cost and time burden of flying if I'm getting on an airplane to cruise I might as well cruise twice or more. Consequently I look for opportunities to stay on the same ship or move to another ship before flying home. The latter is sometimes called a side-to-side while staying on is called back-to-back. Royal calls such guests "Consecutive Cruisers". You will often see terms like B2B, B3B or B4B used in internet forums like this one to indicate a back to back or staying on for three or four in a row. Less commonly you may see S2S for side to side.
From Royal's perspective each cruise is an seperate event. When staying on for the next cruise certain things are treated like you are a new guest on the next cruise. Different onboard account, different seapass card, different reservations for meals and entertainment. For these items it's as if you never did take the last cruise, the cruise you are on now stands on its own. You need to check in for both cruises online ahead of time as if they are different cruises which in fact they are.
The most desireable B2B often means booking the same cabin for both cruises. There is no check box for this when searching for cruise, it's up to you or your travel agent to find a cabin that is available to book for both cruises. This is easier to do when booking cruises that are far in the future. When booking the cruises closer to sail date it's often harder or impossible to book the same cabin for both cruises. The cruise line offers no assistance in this effort and they will not ask someone to change cabins so that you can stay on for the next cruise.
Sometimes a B2B involves changing cabins one cruise to the next. This typically involves packing your suitcases of all your belongings except for items hanging in the closet. The cabin attendants will facilitate moving your suitcases and hanging items from the first cabin to the next. There are exceptions to this where the onus is on you to move all your belongings but those are rare.
Because a B2B involves two separate cruise bookings there are numerous times when changing cabins between cruises is required or is simply appealing. For one cruise perhaps a balcony or suite is available at an attractive rate but on the other cruise the same cabin is unavailable or cost prohibitive. Perhaps you want to try different cabins to sample each type or location so you know better in the future if a specific cabin location or deck makes a difference for your personal preferences. The cheapest rates are sometime "guarantee" type rates where the cruise line selects your cabin. In the case of a B2B with two guarantee type bookings its very unlikely they will assign you the same cabin for both cruises as the cruise line views the two bookings as unrelated until you step onboard. For one cruise a balcony might be cheaper than an ocean view but on the next cruise a balcony is very expensive and a suite is only a few dollars more. There are a number of scenarios that end up with a cabin change for a B2B.
When you book two consecutive cruises you or your travel agent needs to notify the cruise line that you have booked two in a row. Until you do the cruise line has no awareness you booked two consecutive cruises. Once on board the first cruise it's always a good idea to stop by guest services and ensure they have you on the list as a consecutive cruiser otherwise they expect you to leave like a regular guest at the end of the first cruise.
In America, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) dictates the process for consecutive cruisers. More often than not they will require all guests disembark so that the ship reaches "zero count" before they allow guests for the next sailing to begin boarding.
For consecutive cruisers near the end of the first cruise you'll get a letter in your cabin describing the process. This generally involves meeting at a designated location and time when all other guests are disembarking. Once the bulk of all other guests have left the ship as a group consecutive cruisers are led off the ship to meet with CBP. Once inspected and cleared by CBP there is often a short wait while CBP confirms zero guests remain on board (zero count) before they allow consecutive cruisers to return on board. Boarding of the next cruise starts with consecutive cruisers followed by wedding parties, suites and high ranking members in the loyalty program.
CBP will sometimes board the ship and inspect consecutive cruisers on board at the designated meeting location. No one knows how CBP decides if guest must leave or stay on board. I suspect they look at the guest list and depending on the names and details they make a game day call. For example if only US citizens are B2B and they all have passports on file then most of the inspection work is done ahead of time and they already know if there are any standouts that require more investigation. If there are foreigners or a name that matches a watch list or comes up matching someone with an outstanding arrest warrant they are less likely to allow the group to remain on board.
In my experiences only once have I remained on board. All other times have involved 30 to 55 minutes off the ship going through the process.
In other regions of the world different border authorities have different processes and often you can stay on board. For mediterranean cruises often these itineraries stay within the European Union and with the open borders of the EU there is no customs or immigration process between cruises.
Side to side cruising is another option to consider. This could involve moving to another Royal ship or a different cruise line. In Florida a side to side can involve different cruise ports. I've cruised from Ft. Lauderdale then flew the same day to a ship in Tampa. I've sailed from Miami then rented a car and boarded a ship in Port Canaveral the same day. The easiest side to side involve changing ships at the same port like Miami, or moving from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale as these two ports are less than 30 miles apart. In the case of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale on two occasions Royal saw that I was moving between ships and they offered complimentary shuttle service for me. This is not standard and should not be expected but sometimes it happens. Sometimes the ship schedules don't align perfectly and there is a need for a hotel stay between ships.
One thing to consider is laundry. You'll need to pack wisely when your overall journey is longer. Some items can be repeated such as formal wear for both cruises. Some items like bathing suits can be rinsed and hung to dry so they work for both cruises. Sometimes you just need to bring more clothes and more suitcases to last for both cruises or just plan to pay for laundry services on board. A side to side with a night in a hotel in between provides an opportunity to book a hotel with a laundry.
Sometimes consecutive cruisers are offered a special lunch or sometimes they are offered sparkling wine and mimosas upon reboarding. This varies from ship to ship.
Here are some cruise trip reports I've done involving a B2B or S2S:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14213-empress-b2b-14-nights-on-the-biggest-little-ship-july-2019/
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b/
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17015-an-amplified-agglomeration-of-oasis-pictures-post-amplification/
Here are two cruises as a S2S with a car rental between them:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9391-recap-mariner-4-night-bahamas-sept-21-2018/
AND
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9359-recap-enchantment-ots-3-night-bahamas-92118/
This is an example of a S2S with a hotel stay in between:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14700-empress-8-night-eastern-caribbean-?-oops-i-booked-it-again-?/
AND
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14968-the-magic-of-majesty-august-2019-and-then-again-in-october/
Personally I love doing a B2B and if I had more time and money I'd do more of them.
Cruise Summary
This was a bucket list cruise for me and I am so glad I did it. Like my first time to Alaska I suspect this may be repeated in the future.
The newer O3b internet platform worked great over the length of the cruise.
Ovation of the Seas once again did not disappoint.
The sea days flew past and the three port days in a row including an overnight stop made the rest of cruise very enjoyable. Debarking in Honolulu was a breeze. I'm glad we had a day in Seattle to visit as a port of call and not simply as an embarkation/debarkation city.
Cruising to Hawaii is very different compared to cruising in the Caribbean, in a very good way. The ports are very interesting with a lot to choose from.
I picked my excursions carefully and watched some of them fill up and become unavailable so I'm glad I booked them when I did and saved quite a bit of money by watching for sales as the months went by.
The tendering process was mostly a pretty good experience other than that one night coming back late when there was a wait. Still it was quite impressive to see them perform such a large tendering operation as efficiently as they did.
I'm torn between picking a smaller ship next time to Hawaii to gain a few more ports that only smaller ships can visit or repeat on Ovation.
I wish I could have stayed on for the next cruise to Sydney but that will have to wait for another year.
I hope you enjoyed following along and I thank you for viewing.
