Va4fam

There's no right or wrong answer to your question. We made the decision to book JS on Oasis or Quantum class ships to get the extra C & A points and reserve a night or two in Coastal Kitchen. One other perk that we received in Miami was we were allowed to board in the Pinnacle/Suites line instead of the general boarding line back in September. Did not have the same "perk" in Bayonne. Personally I don't like the bathtub and prefer the shower only but the walk in closets and extra space are really nice. On a smaller or older ship, there doesn't seem to be a lot of differences between the JS and balcony. You don't always get a walk in closet or tub. We are perfectly happy in a balcony cabin. Sometimes there wasn't much difference in price, but I've noticed that since the resumption of cruising, these prices have gone through the roof. Would rather save that money for dining, drinks, and excursions and get to cruise another day.

We are on Oasis the first week of March and optimistic the cruise will take place and we will be on board. My thoughts have been similar to what @PPPJJ-GCVAB stated earlier about each day brings a new level of optimism or concern. We have 3 cruises booked between now and May including a Greek Isles cruise. My wife and I agreed to cancel the first one, then changed our mind to cancel the 2nd one, and finally decided a couple of weeks ago to take a "wait and see" approach. Glad we took that approach and still have options.

Unfortunately we are also on the verge of cancelling our Anthem cruise scheduled for January 20th. We run a small business and have been struggling with keeping our teams healthy the past six weeks. Right now it feels like a losing battle. We booked this cruise over 2 years ago only to have it cancelled last year and now with the flu-rona outbreaks. excursion cancellations, and possible port changes, it just feels like it's not the right time. The physical and mental well being of our employees needs to be the priority right now. Frustrated.............

It's hard to go wrong with either with all of the history and sights at each port. When do you think you are going, and is this for grown ups, family, kids, etc? Have not been on Odyssey but she looks like a fantastic ship. @MomOf6 , we did the Western Med cruise on Freedom in 2017. It was fantastic. Barcelona-Marseilles-Villefranche(Nice)-La Spezia- Civitavechhia-Naples-Barcelona. Since we don't travel to Europe frequently, all ports for us were "must see." The Rome and Naples stops have so many options of things to see and do, it's nearly impossible to squeeze into one trip. My daughter loved Italy so much that she ended up studying abroad in Rome the next summer. f you want more info, let me know and I can share the excursions we did on the trip. We are booked on a Croatia/Greek Isles trip this summer. Not sure when you trip is scheduled, but will report back on things to see and do when we return.

The Symphony Sat-Sat works great for us flying from D.C. Only 5 work days missed. We are able to fly down Friday evening and return Saturday night and still have Sunday to "recover." Since we both work, the 4 day M-F schedules don't make sense, we might as well go on a 7 night cruise. I would love to see more Sat-Sat, and maybe a Thurs-Mon short cruise every now and then. I think Brilliance out of Tampa did something like that.

We got the same email today. Not a big surprise.

How long do we have to use FCC under the CWC program? And do the FCCs go to each person the registered for the cruise (including kids)?

We used US Dollars for a beach excursion at end of September. NO issues at all.

We just missed them on Oasis last month but hope to catch them in February!! Heard they are awesome!

Outdoor rock concert!!!! What band is playing this week?

Brilliance sounds like a great smaller ship.

Hope you had a great cruise. We are considering Brilliance for a Greek Isles cruise next summer and had a few questions. Does the Windjammer have an outdoor eating area? How was the solarium, was there enough room for everyone or did it get super crowded? Did you see the gym....did they have plenty of equipment and space? Does the ship have a sports court and a movie theater? Did you go to the casino, did they have smoke free sections? If they did, was it still smoky? What type of cabin did you stay in, and which part of the ship was it located? Did most of the games/trivia take place in the Centrum? How did that work with COVID/social distancing? Thank you!

Sums it up pretty well.

It's a tough decision right now. We have a cruise we can drive to in 3 weeks and one we have to fly to in 6 weeks. We are still planning on going but will book airfare on Southwest so we have ability to cancel if needed. But if the momentum of the new variant continues, we may cancel one or both. Hate to lose the double C & A points but both of us still work and have limited vacation time......gotta make those days count!! Fortunately you have some time before making a decision.

Add me to the list following this topic.....we also stop in San Juan on Day 4 or 5.

Agree with @SpeedNoodles, if it's a Royal excursion you will get your money back. Many third party excursions are reputable and will also refund money if your port is cancelled as it makes sense for them to maintain positive reviews and goodwill. Do your research and avoid those that don't.

Yes, we have family in Cape Coral and flown into Fort Myers frequently. It's an easy drive (or ride to Miami) of 2 to 2.5 hours. The bus ride would add a layer of difficulty to your trip but seems feasible if you arrive on time and have no delays. We have rented a car but rental rates are still pretty high so we may try Uber or Lyft for our February cruise. The uber fare may be competitive with your 6 person bus fare as long as you can get all 6 people and luggage in one vehicle. We always carry our bags off ship for a speedy exit. Another good thing about Fort Myers is that the airport is smaller and flights tend to be less expensive.

If my old travel agent booked our cruise and it shows as a casino rate, is it still eligible for regular Crown and Anchor points? And since it was booked during the double points promotion, should it be eligible for the double points? This was not a comp/free cruise, we definitely paid the cruise fare. I am asking the TA but it may take a while to get an answer, they are VERY busy right now.

You want to arrive as close as possible to 2 pm. Too early and you will be turned away, come late and you shouldn't have an issue. Just don't miss the boat!

I don't think there will be widespread cancellations, but perhaps there will be reduced capacity during the new variant. Possibly by the cruise line but more likely from passengers postponing their trips. Anyone else think passenger counts will decrease again over the next couple of months?

I can only imagine how frustrating that must be. Don't give up....Royal needs to make this right. If you don't get the answer you want, keep calling back until someone fixes. Hopefully your TA can assist.

Thank you @BrianB for your response. Are all venues on Anthem open? Is the Music Hall open (who is performing there)? We would be happy to walk around San Juan if that will be allowed. Are you saying you had to book a ship excursion to disembark at all ports? Most likely we will drop the Key for this cruise and just share an internet package between the 2 of us. I'm on vacation and trying to not be glued to my phone.

Thank you @AshleyDillo. I think that as long as we keep the original reservation it should be eligible for the double points promotion. Hard to pass up 44 points for one sailing.... and will get us closer to D+.

We have an 11 night Anthem cruise out of Bayonne coming up in January. Exciting and a little nervous with the variant and all the new changes. We wear our masks everyday for work and have already been on two cruises this fall, and hoping for no drastic changes. Booked a 3 night dining package, the Key, and refreshment package (we are Diamond). Have Royal excursions planned in 3 of the 5 ports (not San Juan or St. Martin). With the new protocols released this week, we still intend to go but may revise a few of our plans and would love some feedback: 1>Dropping the Key ($19.95 a person for 11 days adds up and the only real value I see is the internet and the first day Chops lunch. Seems like the priority seating is not happening right now and we get on the ship at noon anyway so not sure much advantage to getting on board much earlier. Am I missing something? 2>Excursions. Is the unrest in St. Martin still an issue? Does anyone know or think that the new variant will limit our freedom to explore off the ship? Not sure what to do in San Juan, what suggestions do you have for a non-Royal activity? 3>Changing cabins. This cruise was booked back in 2019 and qualifies for double points. Right now we can change our cabin to a JS for $400 more per person (just 2 of us). Would that allow us to get the double-double points (11 nights x 2 x 2 for JS for a total of 44 points)? Thank you for your help. Happy Holidays and Safe Travels everyone.

We will be on Anthem in January. Was there anything on the ship that was closed or had limited access? With less capacity, did you have any issues with chair hogs at the pool or solarium? Did you go to the casino; if so, was it crowded or smoky? Did they use the rubber or fabric vaccinated bracelets?