WAAAYTOOO

So Steve, do you think you're going to have any issues with keeping your grandson with you on the second half of the B2B ?

Sorry to have to report that our last meal ever in a Royal Caribbean MDR was Thanksgiving dinner on NAV. Obviously we had the same menu and chef as @Poochdid. It was the single worst meal we have ever had on board a ship (or off a ship, for that matter). We haven’t been back into a MDR since. I hope you have better luck !

What a clown show !

So this is something new, right ? It hasn't been like this before....I don't think ?

I'm not completely clear about the message here, but let me assure you that big money does not necessarily equal assured quiet. Some of my most expensive suites (including at least 2 Star Class suites) have been among the noisiest I have stayed in. Most of the full suites on the Vision class ships are noisy as hell. The most obnoxiously loud suite we have ever had was the Grand Panoramic Suite on Oasis where the music coming from the pool deck was deafening. We actually got a partial cruise fare rebate for that one it was so bad.

So far, I have been making all final payments and then cancelling once they announce the "new" protocols (7 such cruises since the restart). If you cancel before they announce the protocols you will get an FCC vs cash refund. ...but what I still don't know is whether we can ask for a cash refund for those cruise itineraries that include ports of call where it has already been announced that unvaccinated are not welcome - but the protocols have not yet been announced. That has still not been answered that I am aware of.

So true ! How things have changed in the past 1 1/2 years !!

I have never heard of this and I absolutely believe that a Genie canNOT affect any other cruiser directly, with a very very few exceptions. The only situation that comes to mind was on one of our very first SC cruises. We had Reyno as our Genie. He had reserved seats in the Aqua Theater for us and when we got there, someone was sitting in one of our reserved seats. I won't retell the whole story but in the end, security had to get involved and the man moved (reluctantly). Other than something like this, I can't imagine that a Genie could negatively impact anyone else's cruise in any [direct] way. More likely would be that the Genie would slide you into an otherwise ALMOST sold out excursion or make arrangements for an additional excursion....but kick someone else out ? Nope.

Ooh-Rah !

What about unvaxxed pax who have itineraries where unvaxxed are not permitted ? Are they still requiring you to wait until protocols are announced ? I guess (hope ??) that things can change by Nov.

Nope. You're not. I don't have a FB account either and never will.

No, not at all. I'm sure you've read some of my SC blogs where I discuss that Dan really doesn't care much for the Genie service. In fact, if it were strictly up to him, would cruise in a balcony cabin with none of the "extras". He doesn't really care for the fuss. One of the things that he really dislikes about SC is all of the activity that it generates. Someone is constantly calling or knocking at the door or coming or going (now, this may change with COVID restrictions and protocols but that's the way it was BC). What the Genie wants more than anything else is for you to enjoy your cruise and it that means that you didn't need him/her much, all the better, I'm sure ! But I'm willing to bet that at LEAST for the first time, you will enjoy the attention and help. It is so nice not to have to worry about ANYthing. All of your reservations, your seats (it's so nice to know that your seats are reserved and that you can wait until just minutes before the show to arrive), your trips off and onto the ship, room service, extra attention for your daughter, arrangements for special tours (may be a thing of the past....) like the personal tour we got of the Central Park gardens with Laszlo Turos (senior horticulturist for Royal who created all of the Central Park gardens). But you can get as much or as little attention from the Genie as you like. On our one of our last SC cruise we asked that the Genie make a special effort to minimize the interruptions and she did ! ...and there's just nothing like having your Genie arrange a party in your suite !! Some Genies will even create and send out invitations but we never wanted anything quite THAT formal.

There is no mandatory tip for the Genie. Anything you decide to tip (or nothing) is entirely up to you. It's truly a personal decision.

^^^This The app is awful.

Nope. Just 2 of us

I have had trouble clearing my ears at times, too. I always find that if I wait until I feel the pressure to start valsalva, it is too late. You might consider starting to clear your ears right from the start of descending. Even if it seems like overkill, it’s better than trying to descend with clogged ears !

We have always found $700-1000 for a 7 night to be fair.

As I recall, this was the "incident" that prompted Royal to hire James VanFleet.

It certainly could have been the Explorer that we were on but there was also a very bad storm that Anthem experienced a few years after ours. That one caught big headlines. I suspect this is the one you are referring to.

The worst seas I have ever experienced were coming out of Bayonne...but that was also due to sailing directly into a nor'easter. We were on Explorer in the late fall (Nov I think). I thought for sure we were doomed. The big waves took out 2 lifeboats, flooded the elevators midship and blew out a glass door midship (which is why the elevators flooded !!). Had the ship been sailing at capacity, we would not have been allowed into our ports of call, but fortunately, we were not (at capacity) and the sidelined lifeboats did not present a problem. After we made it through the storm, the next days of sailing were some of the smoothest I have ever experienced. Those first 2 days and 3 nights though.....yikes !

Congratulations on your SCUBA certification. I have only done 1 diving excursion with Royal and it was really disappointing but I don't blame the excursion. The conditions were just crappy. It was on St. Maarten and the visibility was awful. We putted around down below for a while and then came up and stayed up.

Congratulations on Star Class, Andrew !! Glad to see you back on the blog. I have not done a private journey excursion but I have been contacted by a few PJ agents for some of my upcoming SC cruises. If you would like information for one or more of these agents, let me know.

We have 7672 booked on Jewel for our August 19, 2022 12 night British Isles Cruise so if we are able to go (protocols, ya know....) I will let you know how it is !! I guess that's probably too late, isn't it ? Oh well...you can let ME know how it is !!

Ours too. We are putting in a full home water treatment system and a RO system for the kitchen. I have heard that Florida has the second worst water in the US. I believe it.