WAAAYTOOO

We are currently on that cruise as well....but will most likely have to cancel since we are unvaxxed.

So sorry to hear of the loss of your mother, Daniel. My best in whatever you decide to do.

No spa perk with Sky Class that I am aware of. Star Class gets 1 visit to the thermal spa but no treatments. I can’t imagine Sky would get something that Star does not.

Wow, you hit the trifecta with that one !

YIPPEE !!! SOOOOOOO happy to hear it !

Well, I can't say that I don't understand. I have been there myself. Sit back and give it some time. If you still feel the same way (and I would not blame you ! Nobody likes being censored) then continue with your withdrawal. This is the way I look at it : I am a more effective advocate for my position and beliefs when I keep up the fight than I am if I give up or give in. My goal (and I'm sure yours, as well) is not to offend or incite, but to advocate. I'm no help to anyone if I just give up or let bullies run me off. I'm also just playing into their hands if I let them bait me into a pointless battle of words. Nobody wins then. This blog is about cruising, not about vaccinations or about whether COVID is real or a hoax. There are plenty of other places to fight those battles. I am trying very hard to stick to the things that really matter here - primarily, trying to maximize the joys of cruising. Truthfully, I'm not sure how much longer cruising is even going to survive. I have my serious doubts...but I will try and help, not harm.

This was information that my TA sent to me.

They're charging for the lessons now ?? YIKES !

WOW, that looks sooooo awesome....finally !!! I had to laugh when I saw that web of lines and hoses. It reminded me of something that the Ghostbusters might put together.

Actually, I have (so far) only cancelled 1 cruise due to vax protocols (8-21-21 AL) so I'm not sure if the casino comps cancellations will be a different process or not. I suspect that they will follow the same rules of cancellation (due to vax protocols) as regular cruises but who knows. As for the one that I did cancel, I had an excellent outcome for that one. They cancelled for a cash refund which includes all of the (~$10K) FCCs that were on that one, plus another $1K in cash. I give all of the credit for that to @michelleat MEI. She made all of that happen and I could not be more grateful. I have not actually seen the $$ credited back to my credit card yet for any of that refund but I don't really expect to see that for a while. If, for some reason, they do not honor their agreement to refund all of those FCC's, trust me, you will all know about it. For now, I am trusting their word that all will be refunded.

???

I don't think it is an issue either b/c our friend is on OY right now and it's an 8 night itin.

The only thing I see available for SC for a Christmas sailing is the Star Loft Suite ($$$$$$) on Harmony 12-19-21 for a 7 night eastern Caribbean.

I had a very similar experience with a chartered cruise. I was scheduled for 1-16-22 OA and was booked in the Owner's Panoramic Suite. That cruise got cancelled due to a full ship charter. They were willing to move me to the 1-30-22 OA sailing but the OPS is one-of-a-kind and was already booked. They moved me to one of the Star Loft Suites but refused to price protect the booking so I ended up in a lower category suite for more money. I still have that booking ! ...but I never really intended to take it. I am still pi$$sed off about the way they handled it. Now I'm really glad that I didn't cancel right away (I would have gotten an FCC) b/c now I will be able to get a cash refund if the vax protocols do not lighten up - and I fully expect they will NOT. The great thing about the big suites are they are AWESOME. The bad thing about the big suites is that they are scarce. If you have to start switching ships it becomes very difficult to get equity. I do, however, have a story about a GOOD outcome when changing ships. MANY months ago I booked an Owner's Suite on Empress with the express intention of L&S to another ship. The end result was a Star Loft Suite on Allure...so in that case, I actually ended up with a BETTER suite for the same price. So it does happen...it's just very, very rare.

Several weeks ago they cancelled my HNL-YVR on Quantum, which was the third of a series of AU/NZ/TP cruises for us. The first 2 were on OV out of SYD, and at the time, those were both still scheduled to sail. I didn't really want to take the first 2 on OV without the final leg to YVR so I cancelled the 2 OV cruises myself (RFD). Now that they have finally cancelled the OV cruises that I originally had booked, I feel fully vindicated !! I would have lost those cruises in the end, anyway. I figured they wouldn't sail so it turned out to be a good decision to just cancel them myself AND I am now so glad that I booked those AU/NZ cruises as refundable...it was so easy to just cancel. It doesn't look like there are any possible shifts for any of them so I didn't lose anything by cancelling.

Nope. Since it was a casino comp the only thing they will do is reinstate the offer that was used in the original booking. No price protection or shifting for a casino comp. I'm ok with it. Chances are I would have had to cancel anyway unless the vax protocols lighten up, which I do NOT expect.

It looks like all Vision sailings out of PR are all getting cancelled and 1 Explorer sailing. Here is a list of cruises being cancelled.

We lost Vision out of Puerto Rico for Oct 30, 2021. It looks like they have cancelled all of the PR sailings for Vision. Here is a list of the cancelled sailings for the next couple of months

I have contacted the FL Attorney General to ask for an evaluation to see if Royal asking me to provide proof of vaccination in order to sail on a cruise for which I have already Paid in Full, violates SB2006. Maybe I will hear back, maybe I won't.

It is always a fixed menu but I know that they make allowances for food allergies. I really think all you have to do is let them know ahead of time what your food allergies are and they will make sure you are accommodated. They are really good about it. I wouldn't worry and I certainly wouldn't think it would be adding any drama unless you spring it on them unannounced....which I know you would never do ! For SC, the CT itself is complimentary. The only thing you pay is $25PP for the upgraded wine. We have always enjoyed CT. The last time we did a CT was on the first half of our Anthem B2B SC cruises in Feb 2019. We met some really fun people at the dinner whom we invited back to our suite for a kind of impromptu party. It was so much fun. The Genie just makes the arrangement for you like he/she does for all other events. Where and when would depend on the ship. Who will depend on who signs up for it ! Sometimes the table is full and sometimes there are only a few who sign up. It seems like there's always at least one "character' at a CT who makes it all so fun.

Welcome to the Blog, Dominic !! Star Class is awesome. I know you will enjoy it. Good choice on the Suite ! The middle GLS on Deck 10 are the creme-de-la-creme of the GLS. They are huge and the views are incredible. Plus you will not have quite the noise problem (from the 270 shows) that we had on Deck 8. For US sailings (not sure if the rules will be the same for AU/TransPac sailings), you could order anything to drink and have it delivered to your suite. Of course, the drink might be a bit on the weakish side by the time it gets to you if you have ice in it but I have read of some people who asked for the ice to be left out of the drink...and then you can add ice once the drink reaches the suite. Your suite will always be stocked with ice, water, soda, juice and beer. Wine and liquor are extra. Regarding food delivery to your suite...as @LogicallyLazynoted, room service from the specialty restaurants is limited to the restaurants' operating hours....so if you get a yearning for lobster at midnight, you will be SOL LOL. You CAN order from regular room service but you will be limited to the room service menu. No charge though... No, you do not have to have a "standing order". You can order whenever (with the operating hours restrictions noted above) or whatever you want. If, for instance, you want to eat breakfast in your suite every morning, it might be useful to give that order to the Genie the night before.....that way there is no delay in getting it delivered. It IS possible to order your own food, but I have found, over the years, that it is not always easy to get through to the room service people and in the end, I have just decided that letting the Genie do the ordering for you is the easiest way, all things considered. Being proactive will result in less wasted time and warmer food !! Alcohol in your suite....this is a tough one. Is it possible ? Yes. Is it easy ? No. Is it cheap ? NO !!! During one of our SC cruises we had friends who were also SC and they insisted on having liquor delivered to their suite. Basically, you must purchase the bottles of whatever you want at a VERY inflated price (they basically charge you the equivalent of retail cost for individual drinks for the entire bottle....very costly). You would be far better off just ordering the drinks individually and having them delivered. The same is true of wine. Why would you pay for a bottle of wine when you can have as many individual glasses of wine as you want for "free" ?? Last thing to keep in mind....the Genie returns to his/her lamp at 9PM. It is good to be mindful of that and try and keep your requests to their operating hours. Obviously, if you have an emergency you can call after 9PM but for the most part, they try and retire for the night around 9PM. Even Genies have to rest !! Enjoy your SC cruise. Warning though....you will be forever spoiled. It's just one of those nasty side effects !

Just got a text regarding our 10-3-21 Allure. This is the first half of a B2B for us (also on 10-10) so looks like we won't be going on the 10-3 sailing. Chances are these would be cancelled in the end anyway if they haven't changed their policy of vaxxed only in the casino by then.

You are awarded the "new" C&A level once the cruise has been recorded on your C&A account....which is usually about 1 week after you return from the cruise where you go past the points level. So....you will not be Platinum until the next cruise AFTER you go over 30 points.

So what are the options (for Royal) if this requirement is sustained ? 1. They give in and have to refund the money for anyone who is considered unvaccinated. This is money coming directly out of Royal’s pocket. A few pissed off customers. 2. Royal rearranges the schedule and finds a port that will accept the ship. It’s a huge hassle for the schedulers but no refunds. Probably highly unlikely for close-in sailings. A few pissed off customers (maybe). 3. They say “F” St Thomas and schedule a sea day. No refunds b/c schedule changes do not qualify for a refund. A few pissed off customers.

Just make it a sea day. Not a big deal at all.