S0nny

Also if you get really sea-sick, discuss with your general practitioner a Scopolamine patch. (it is a transdermal patch worn behind the ears). In the UK it's called Scopoderm. 
As a natural alternative, ginger pills can help a lot! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! (... or in metric... 28.3 grams of prevention is worth 0.4 Kg of cure... doesn't sound as catchy...) 

Me, seeing that headline and opening this thread to see what's being talked about...

Okay, I'm just relieved that this is direction this thread is headed in...

This is EXACTLY what they told me on our upcoming booking. I was attempting to reprice our cruise, and the agent ended up making excuses as to why he couldn't rebook; This went on for DAAAAYS. (he kept saying the "hold lines are super long" and "they aren't repricing cruises right now"...
I used the advice from this blog. I called the service number and used the phone routing intended for travel agents (was connected in no time). Then I had to fight with the agent to release the travel agent's grip on our cruise. They said they are unable to do anything about it. I expressed that I HAD contacted the TA (who is the owner), and I kept getting the run around. The rep kept putting me on hold (I think they were just contacting the TA on another line). Lo and behold... I got an email from my TA saying the cruise had been rebooked for a lower price. The rep came back on the line and explained that everything should be corrected... and I insisted otherwise. After some back and forth, I eventually got an email, and was told I had to email them with my request. I emailed them, and no more than 2 days later, we were released. (not notified... I just noticed I could finally pay our balance online). 
The email is: [email protected]
Good luck!

Mentioning me usually gets worse pricing! 

Also if you get really sea-sick, discuss with your general practitioner a Scopolamine patch. (it is a transdermal patch worn behind the ears). In the UK it's called Scopoderm. 
As a natural alternative, ginger pills can help a lot! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! (... or in metric... 28.3 grams of prevention is worth 0.4 Kg of cure... doesn't sound as catchy...) 

The active ingredient in Dramamine is Dimenhydrinate.  In Canada it's marketed as "Gravol".  According to wikipedia is it available in the UK:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimenhydrinate#Nausea
Dimenhydrinate (marketed as Gravol in Canada and Dramamine in the United Kingdom and the United States) is an over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamine indicated for the prevention and relief of nausea and vomiting from a number of causes.  Bonine is another popular motion sickness solution that is less drowsy.  
Both have precautions as it relates to consuming alcohol which is often associated with cruising so do your research.
Perhaps inquiring with your doctor will yield something they can recommend.  Failing that it will be available without a prescription in the US before you board.
Don't assume you will need it.  I never take it but I always carry some just in case.

Loved the blog, thanks! It has got me really excited to be sailing on the same ship and itinerary... only 536 days to go!! ?

I always guessed there was one Cats fan on the message boards, glad we finally found you ?

lol... we had the same trend... and now I can't even THINK of booking an inside stateroom ? Even though you don't get ALL the bigger suite perks for booking a Junior Suite, you can often can make up the (some) of the difference with The Key. It made financial sense to us on our last cruise because we normally buy internet. (plus... those double points help tremendously if you're like us and only cruise once a year).  

lol... we had the same trend... and now I can't even THINK of booking an inside stateroom ? Even though you don't get ALL the bigger suite perks for booking a Junior Suite, you can often can make up the (some) of the difference with The Key. It made financial sense to us on our last cruise because we normally buy internet. (plus... those double points help tremendously if you're like us and only cruise once a year).  

Thank you! Yes this helps a ton. We’re going to choose the loft. 
 
Thank you everyone for your help!

Today, I enjoyed reading about this topic on the Royal Caribbean Blog.  It made me think about the cruises we have done.  Our first cruise was an interior room mostly for economic reasons.  I found that I needed at least a window so we shifted to an interior stateroom on the promenade on Freedom class.  Then we got a virtual balcony on Anthem  but the balcony overlooking Central Park on Allure was much better.  An ocean view balcony was okay but I liked Central Park more.  I had no issue with a junior suite except for the price.
Is this a dangerous trend and should I stop eyeing those other suites???  ? ...?...?

Yup it’s a good price but for the 4 of us it comes to $1520.  Still having trouble wrapping my head around $1500 worth of drinking for a week ??

Just remember to include every drink, not just the alcohol.  For example on port days if you take a bottle of water with you off the ship, than add that into your cost.  If you get a cappuccino after dinner, than add that in also.
I am not pulling the hammer on the drink package yet because it is unlimited in the amount they offer and I do believe it will come down to at least the high 50 marker.  However, even at 67 I would still break even.
For me this is my avg:
1. Iced Coffee in the a.m.  $5  2nd drink at the pool around noon. Total now  = 17.  3rd drink is soda at lunch =20.  4th alcohol in the afternoon =33.  5th drink is bottled water or soda late afternoon.= 36.  6th drink pre-dinner. 49 is my total.  7th drink glass of wine with dinner =57.   8th drink is cappuccino and amaretto shot.  = 75.  9th drink is bottle of water at a show. 78.  10th drink is a bottle of water to take back to my cabin. 81.
My husband is higher because he goes to the gym every a.m.,  He gets 2 powerades (1 for working out and 1 for after work).  Otherwise he is identical to me.
As you can see, 50% of my beverages are non-alcoholic.  

If you can’t drink enough to make the package worth it, you don’t have to abstain on your cruise.  Pay as you go and drink as you normally would.  This will also give you an excellent idea of what you actually spend so you’ll know what your break even point is in the future.

I am so anti-debit card just from the fact it exposes your checking account. You're at the banks mercy to release funds that might be tied up due to fraudulent activity. 

I got one in 1997 and bought a replacement in 2014.  They never ripped, snagged or failed on me.  It also serves as the IDEAL laundry bag once you're there.  Easy to spot on the carousel, too.  Lacks some mobility features of newer models. ?

Mark me down in the hard sided column as well. My current main piece is 24 or 25 inch DELSEY brand, think part of the Helium line. Can't say how rugged worthy it has been with only a few flights but multiple cruises.
Now one OCD thing when it came to hard sided stuff was how it opened. I'm not a huge fan of the clam shell design where you have two half sections. I like a more traditional single flap/compartment.
Example images below are from their "CRUISE LITE HARDSIDE 2.0" line. Just to give an idea of the flap/compartment design.


 

1. Good question... If this is a genuine concern of yours, I encourage you to contact your state and local representatives. Not a lot of people were up in arms when the regulatory agencies were telling me, a registered nurse taking care of COVID-19 patients, to reuse my surgical mask for a week (thereby exposing me and my family to take care of you and yours). If you insist on having a single-use disposable mask... they are selling a 50 pack for $9 bucks on Amazon... that's about 18 cents per mask.
2. Yes, I do realize that the masks are intended to be single use... desperate times call for desperate measures. 
3. You do not need a respirator or N95 mask for getting a haircut, or going grocery shopping (especially when healthcare providers can barely get their hands on them). The masks are not intended to filter anything. They are intended to prevent the spreading of droplets. This can be done with a reusable mask, or a disposable surgical mask (Taiwan was able to confine the virus without shutting down the country by implementing mandatory facemasks and contract tracing with isolation). While I agree that the safety of reusable masks has not been thoroughly studied, surely it cannot be disputed that they are more safe than wearing nothing. 
(sorry to the OP... I'm not trying to hijack the thread... I just want to minimize disinformation)

In that other thread you posted a graphic showing that 35% of all cases are asymptomatic.  These people don't know they are infected and never show any signs of the infection but carry the virus and spread it to others.  
The other use case involves presymptomatic individuals.  These are people who have become infected but they haven't shown any symptoms yet but eventually do.
The source for the graphic quoted can be found on the CDC's website: 
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html
Asymptomatic carriers, overall 35%
Presymptomatic carriers 40% - with a mean time to show symptoms at 6 days.  For 6 days days people in this category have the virus and are capable of spreading it but have no idea they are infected. 
The purpose of wearing the mask is to slow the spread from asymptomatic and presymptomatic carriers.  These are the individuals who don't know they are infected.    
We need to reopen, we all see the devastating impact of shutting down the economy.  The virus isn't over so how do we reopen while the virus is still aggressively spreading?  The wearing of masks is a simple action that allows us to move forward and reopen more safely while taking steps to reduce spread resulting in fewer deaths.   

Another deal breaker for me will be if they only offer short (3-5 days) cruises.  It is not worth the time and expense for me to fly to Florida for a cruise less than 7 nights.

The most important part of that citation seems to be something that was completely glossed over...
Surgical masks are designed to capture bacteria from the wearer’s mouth, and prevent them from spreading to other surfaces (or people). While Wikipedia goes on to delineate between surgical masks and masks used to prevent airborne illnesses (like N95 masks or respirators), we can still use surgical masks to prevent infection through universal use. One of the primary benefits of wearing a surgical mask in the “healthy” is by acting as a physical barrier to your mouth and nose (something humans touch constantly without realizing it). 

The most important part of that citation seems to be something that was completely glossed over...
Surgical masks are designed to capture bacteria from the wearer’s mouth, and prevent them from spreading to other surfaces (or people). While Wikipedia goes on to delineate between surgical masks and masks used to prevent airborne illnesses (like N95 masks or respirators), we can still use surgical masks to prevent infection through universal use. One of the primary benefits of wearing a surgical mask in the “healthy” is by acting as a physical barrier to your mouth and nose (something humans touch constantly without realizing it). 

Hi! These are vary valid questions. Unfortunately, the answer cannot be summed up in a meme. If you are really interested in the answer, feel free to review the literature below. These are all peer-reviewed research articles (and some of them are systematic reviews and meta-analysis). 
The TLDR: Masks work, but we use 6 ft because not everyone can/will a mask. 6ft work because science has shown social distancing to be the easiest intervention to implement on a grand scale. Social distancing COMBINED with masks substantially decreases the likelihood of spreading the virus. The lockdown is in place because science has shown that to be the BEST method to prevent the pandemic from spreading. 
 
Ahmed, F., Zviedrite, N., & Uzicanin, A. (2018). Effectiveness of workplace social distancing measures in reducing influenza transmission: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 18(1), N.PAG. doi:10.1186/s12889-018-5446-1
Greer, A. L. (2013). Can informal social distancing interventions minimize demand for antiviral treatment during a severe pandemic? BMC Public Health, 13(1). doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-669
Hatchett, R., Mecher, C., & Lipsitch, M. (2007). Public health interventions and epidemic intensity during the 1918 influenza pandemic. The National Academy of Sciences, 104(18), 75825-7587. doi:10.1073/pnas.0610941104
Jefferson, T., Foxlee, R., Del Mar, C., Dooley, L., Ferroni, E., Hewak, B., & Rivetti, A. (2007). Interventions for the interruption or reduction of the spread of respiratory viruses. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2007(4), 1-162. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006207 pub4/full
Kelso, J. K., Milne, G. J., & Kelly, H. (2009). Simulation suggests that rapid activation of social distancing can arrest epidemic development due to a novel strain of influenza. BMC Public Health, 9(1). doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-9-117
Nicol, G. E., Piccirillo, J. F., Mulsant, B. H., & Lenze, E. J. (2020). Action at a Distance: Geriatric Research during a Pandemic. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. doi: doi: 10.1111/jgs.16443