Jax

Me too! Mine was due in 4 days.

I was planning on making final payment in 4 days so this was welcome news.

This thread was a good reminder to book our couples thermal pass for our upcoming cruise in December.

My gut is telling me it was genie specific as there were other perks we missed out on. But who knows . At the time we were new to the Royal brand and star class so the upside is we didn’t know any better!! Haha I now have a fantastic TA and the insights and experience of this community so we will be that much wiser next time!

We purchased the couples thermal pass on our Anthem star class cruise in December 2019. We were not offered a complimentary pass….this may be another inconsistency between ship and genie or possibly it was because we expressed an interest in purchasing the thermal pass to our genie. Regardless it wasn’t an issue. I did not book it through cruise planner but our genie assured us we would take care of this once we boarded. We could access the thermal suite at a time of our choosing, did not have to go at the same time as hubby and were not limited to the 15 minute increments shown on cruise planner. Not sure what impact Covid has had on this now.

If it’s anything like Nexus, they are probably backlogged. We submitted Nexus renewals March 2021; hubby’s was approved right away but mine and our sons are still pending review. Thankfully benefits have been extended for up to 2 years while they process the backlog. I know that doesn’t help your situation but backlogs may be common for these types of government programs. The Nexus program falls under Department of Homeland Security in their trusted traveller program; not sure what agency TSA Pre falls under.

Edge, Panama 11 night Christmas/New Years 2022. Retreat.

It was already booked haha, but I saved $3450.

December 19th, here is a copy of the email Dear Guest, We're looking forward to welcoming you onboard Oasis of the Seas for our December 19th, 2021cruise. As we countdown to your sailing, we have an itinerary change to share with you. As part of the guidance received from the CDC, we've implemented new boarding protocols, so we'll need some extra time for check-in and we'll now depart from Miami, Florida at 6:00 PM, instead of 4:00 PM. Separately, pier construction in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic has been delayed which means, we'll no longer be able to visit this port and as a result, we unfortunately won't make our visit to San Juan, Puerto Rico either. However, we'll visit our private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Philipsburg, St. Maarten instead! Additionally, to maintain your safety and wellbeing, our visit to Labadee has been replaced with a sea day due to the current political and security situation in Haiti. We know how much time and effort go into planning your cruise with us, and we're sorry for any inconvenience caused by this. The good news is, we've added extra time to our visit in Perfect Day at CocoCay, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten - giving you more time to enjoy these beautiful destinations. We're excited to take you to new ports and know you'll have an excellent time! Below, please find our revised itinerary. Day Port of Call Arrive Depart Sun Miami, Florida 6:00 PM Mon Perfect Day at CocoCay 7:00 AM 4:00 PM Tue Cruising Wed Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 11:30 AM 8:00 PM Thu Philipsburg, St. Maarten 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Fri Cruising Sat Cruising Sun Miami, Florida 6:00 AM Perfect Day at CocoCay is a private destination unlike any in the world. While there, lounge in the Caribbean's largest freshwater pool, Oasis Lagoon, or take the plunge down North America's tallest waterslide, Daredevil's Peak! Soar to new heights on Up, Up & Away or just unwind at your leisure. Next, we'll head to Charlotte Amalie, where you can see some of the worlds' most beautiful harbors. Enjoy exploring colonial landmarks, like Blackbeard's Castle, or sip on some local lager at a quaint microbrewery. Then in St. Maarten, discover beautiful beaches, rolling hills, and mountains - all offering spectacular panoramic views. Travel back in time while discovering centuries-old ruins and get your adrenaline fix ziplining through lush tropical forests. Whether you're looking for thrills or simply want to chill, these ports have something for everyone! Any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for Puerto Plata, Labadee, and San Juan will automatically be refunded to your original form of payment. Our Shore Excursions team will automatically reschedule any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for Charlotte Amalie. In the next few days, your updated tour information will be e-mailed to you. In the meantime, feel free to browse all the exciting shore excursion options for your sailing in Cruise Planner. Thanks for your understanding. We can't wait to welcome you onboard Oasis of the Seas!

Good idea! Thank you

Good to know. Thank you!

ICYMI, there are some sweet savings to be had.

We received an updated itinerary 100 days out. Puerto Plata Dominican Republic, San Juan Puerto Rico and Labadee are out, replaced by Perfect Day and St Maarten. I feel like we lucked out because we really want to visit Coco Cay for the first time, hopefully in a floating cabana. And our son wants to go to Maho Beach in St Maarten to watch the jet blast. Who am I kidding, hubby wants in on that too! The footage could be the highlight of my blog. Haha Plus we got a $1900 price drop this week, so not a bad week!

If you are thrill seekers you should check out Maho Beach and the jet blast. We had family that did this … they honestly had no idea what they were in for. Had never watched any of the videos. They were well exfoliated and discovering sand in hard to reach places for days. https://youtu.be/GqVjD3nBSQg

We are booked on Oasis over Christmas and are planning to go. Honestly, even with the changing protocols I feel like this is our best chance to travel outside Canada before the goal posts move again. The recent testing changes are a nuisance as we booked our flights on day 2 with testing planned on day 3 (so that one test could be used for entry into the US and at the cruise terminal). So if testing protocols remain we will need to get another test in Florida. Not a deal breaker but an inconvenience and added expense. Royals covid coverage has helped with our decision as it is tough to get any sort of covid coverage in Canada. I never imagined the biggest obstacle to travel would be scheduling multiple covid tests. Lol

It wasn’t fun on Anthem in a GLS either but thankfully Reyd was up for the challenge. Lol

This detail didn’t make my Blog. I am sure it would have been but our genie overlooked the days shortening so we missed it by about 30 minutes. It was a total dark view from up there. ? ?

I think a document outlining your preferences is a very good idea. I did not do this on our first star class cruise (rookie mistake as it was also our first Royal cruise ?) but will definitely be doing it going forward. I think it may make it easier for the genie as well; rather than having to look at multiple email threads they have it in a single document. Requests are really a personal thing, but ours were pretty basic. We had the genie schedule activities like I fly, Northstar, Escape Room, sea plex activities and entertainment. For instance we wanted to do Northstar at sunset and I Fly multiple times. It’s best to have them book these time slots beforehand as space can fill up quickly. If you change your mind, your genie can always cancel your time slot. We also let our genie know we wanted a bridge tour (I think those may be temporarily suspended due to covid) We provided a list of restaurants we wanted to eat at and those we did not … if you are specific about eating at a specialty restaurant on a particular day , let your genie know. We wanted to eat at Chops Christmas Day and have breakfast on our deck Christmas morning so our genie arranged that …. A word of advice be very specific on any special requests/condiments on any room service orders. We were 0 for 3 and that was putting our order in through our genie. We generally avoid in room dining for this reason but thought we would give it a try. Probably would not do it again. Thank goodness we had a 14 year old son that didn’t mind running for the forgotten items. Lol In terms of the frequency of communication with your genie, it varies from genie to genie. Some are better at pre cruise communication while others may be better at delivering a fabulous onboard experience. You kind of have to go with the flow and trust the process. It will be fantastic in the end!!

Yup, and when your genie doesn’t look at the questionnaire, or very few parts of it, it feels like a total waste of your time.

We were given a hard copy but can access our vaccination records through “My Health Records” app. Things may change with the vaccine passport expected early fall if it’s mandatory for travel outside Canada. As for a timeline, the passport will be ready to go “early this fall,” according to Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

? Agree. Compared to what I just spent on 3 direct flights from YYC to MCO ? Your 25th, our 30th … Lindsay can be our chauffeur. Sounds like fun to me! Lol Oh wait, space for luggage could be a problem. ?

I would have a Plan B and book Air Canada. I took a quick look and the refundable fares are not as crazy as I thought they would be….that way you will not be stuck with a travel bank you don’t want. If you wait you risk price increases, especially at that time. Why don’t you fly to MCO and jump in with us ...we can drop you in FLL on our way to Miami!! LOL If all goes well we will be boarding at the same time. ?

I think you may be right. Plus it is consistent with Government of Canada’s recent announcement to ease border measures for fully vaccinated travellers.

I would send you my link but it’s only good for one use. Lol

I booked through TA