WAAAYTOOO

I suspect that it is a combination of the Harmony being a holiday cruise and the fact that Allure failed to get her upgrades. For a while, right after it was announced that Allure would not get the upgrades, Allure sailings were noticeably $$ lower than the other O class ships...but I think they have stabilized to some degree, now. If you decide to switch sailings, let us know how that goes. In the pre-COVID days, you would have been penalized $100 PP for "cancelling" a full suite on Harmony. With CWC, I'm guessing they would give you a FCC for the amount of your deposit, which you could then use to book the Allure 8 night....but not sure how quickly all of that would happen. If it were me, I would probably go ahead and pay the deposit on the new Allure sailing and then apply the Harmony FCC once it is disbursed to you.

Congratulations, @Drewtastic86on Star Class. It is an amazing experience. We have only stayed in a hotel in the NY area once and that was due to the very first COVID-related cruising mishap (the first for Royal, at any rate). Our cruise was delayed by 3 days so we had to stay over and wait for them to determine that there had been a false alarm on a possible COVID case on the previous sailing. I cannot recommend any particular hotel but I can definitely steer you CLEAR of anything in downtown Bayonne. We had to make a spur-of-the-moment decision while riding in the back of a taxi and we chose poorly. We normally go against all of the experienced wisdom and fly in on the same day for cruises out of Bayonne. We simply took Uber from our [awful] hotel to the port once the cruise finally started. Sorry....no help at all on the question of hotels and rides. The Star Class area is Zone 6 in Bayonne. The problem is, as I recall, that they (those directing traffic) were limiting who could take that right hand turn and go down to Zone 6. I don't think they were allowing the cost sharing rides to make that turn so we had to get out on the corner and walk ALL the way down the embarkation gauntlet to get to the SC check-in. I would say that whatever ride you take, just make SURE that they know and are able to get to Zone 6. Even once you get to Zone 6 they will try and take your bags so RESIST ! If you have ever sailed out of the suites area of the new terminal in Miami, you will most certainly be underwhelmed at the suites/SC waiting area at Bayonne. It's small and in no way special. One good thing about embarkation in Bayonne (Also true at the new terminal in Miami), Star Class (and perhaps the other suites as well...I cannot remember) have a special boarding ramp. Because I asked for our bags to remain with us throughout the boarding process, we had the porter take our bags right with us in the "private" boarding ramp when it was time to board. I don't recall there being anyone else boarding with us so I think that ramp may have been for staff and SC only. One interesting thing about keeping your bags with you during boarding. The bag handlers in Bayonne are Longshoremen (Union) so we had to have 2 different porters during that boarding. Ship personnel are not permitted to handle bags in the Terminal so we had 1 handler that took our bags from the waiting area up to the ship and a ship's porter take the bags onto the ship and to our Suite. It was kind of a nuisance, to be honest. When we did the same process in Miami, someone from the ship came and got our bags in the waiting room and took them all the way to our suite and up the stairs. It was much nicer. If you want someone to take your bags upstairs for you (and all of the SC rooms on Anthem are 2-story) then I recommend keeping your bags with you. If you have them delivered via the normal SC luggage handling process, they will be dropped off downstairs and you will have to schlep them up the stairs yourself. Not cool.

Actually, the suites on this cruise ARE sold out. There was quite a bit of shuffling that went on a number of weeks ago due to a cancelled/redirected Quantum of the Seas TP that was supposed to leave out of Sydney but was redirected down to Brisbane. Rather than transferring all of the pax from the QoS Sydney departure down to the Brisbane departure, they just cancelled everyone on the Quantum SYD-HNL sailing. Many, many pax who were booked on the Quantum jumped over to Ovation with no price protection. It was handled SO badly. We are on the prior sailing (NZ 11 night) and the following 16 night TP to HNL. We're waiting for the final leg to be published (HNL to YVR). The prices on those suites shot through the roof once the Quantum debacle materialized but they still sold out very quickly. If you have your heart set on a suite, I would do as @SpeedNoodlessuggests and get a good Travel Agent to wait list you for a suite but go ahead and book another room just so that you have something. I expect the other categories on that sailing to become more and more scarce. If you want to read the wailing and gnashing of teeth for yourself, go to the roll call for this sailing and/or the now-cancelled QoS SYD-HNL sailing. It was not pretty. Good luck !!!

WOOHOO ! How exciting ! I am so excited for you. What a NICE Christmas present. I love how the project just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I can relate. Congratulations. Please keep us up to date with progress and pix !!! Merry Christmas !

A few years ago when we were on NAV Izumi was open for lunch while in port. I don't think this is a regular event but we just happened by there one day when we decided not to get off the ship and it was open. I don't think you can expect this to happen often but keep your eyes open; it does happen, rarely.

It is my opinion (and nothing more) that when they decided to turn the Ultimate Dining Plan into the Unlimited Dining Plan, they truly meant for it to be unlimited. I'm sure they realized that there will be some people who will try and "game" the system but for the most part, I believe that people just come in, eat what they want and leave. I agree with @twangsterthat Johnny Rocket is an anomaly. Some ships will include it in the UDP and some do not. Some ships allow you to have a milkshake using the DBP and some do not. Some ships will allow you to go to JR and get ONLY a milkshake, using the DBP (not requiring you to eat at all) and some will not. We nearly always purchase both the UDP and the DBP and honestly, I have never been turned away from any restaurant or told that my plan would not cover whatever I was seeking. I've still never eaten at a Playmakers so I cannot say what would happen if someone wanted to eat, leave and come back for more.

I agree with @AlmondFarmer. While the ATS 1 BR is a very unique suite, I think the CLS is even better. It is a LONG walk all the way aft to the Aqua Theater area and it gets old by the end of the week. The CLS are very convenient to the Suites Lounge and Coastal Kitchen. I would NOT recommend a 1 BR ATS above deck 11. They get really small as they go up in elevation. How many people ? If there are more than 2, I definitely recommend the CLS. Regarding the view....the ATS have an unobstructed view of the Aqua Theater but the 1 BR suites are pretty high up there. There are no real obstructions to the views of the CLS but the ones facing aft over the basketball courts and the miniature golf course don't have the beautiful ocean view that the side facing ones do. My very first experience with the "high end suites" began with the 1 BR ATS so they have a special place in my heart. I think they are a definite "must do" once but knowing what I know now, if I were given a choice between the 1 BR ATS and the CLS, I would choose the CLS.

In general, it seems that the refunds are a bit quicker if you go in and cancel them through your CP before you cancel the cruise.

?

Well, I am now officially re-employed ! Here's the ultimate irony. It seems I am going to have to fly back to DC to get the badges and equipment I will need to work from Florida. We threw all of the ideas around (for trying to do it from here) and it just seems that you can't get there from here....so after the first of the year, I will be going BACK up there to get everything formalized...then fly back home and actually start doing the routine stuff. Since I've essentially been off the job since Feb I am ready to go get back to work. The nice thing is, I will pretty much be able to work when I want to with a few structured requirements (meetings, etc.). I will still be doing the travel that I love so it's totally win-win. It took far longer to get the paperwork done than I had thought it would, but I've been in no hurry so it's all good. YIPPEE !!

Count Dan and me in that specific "anti-COVID" anti-vax group. We are very trusting vaxers in all other cases but there are just too many unanswered questions about the COVID vax at this point. Perhaps most of these questions are just conspiracy theories...only time will tell. We will definitely NOT be among those who are jumping to the front of the line to get it. Will we get it, in the end, just to be able to cruise ? Unknown, at this point.

Yay !

Unfortunately, no. When you cancel your cruise the only option is the FCC. The only way to get a cash refund is for the cruise line to cancel your cruise.

I can't believe it's been a year already ! Wow...it seems like I just started reading your live blog last week. Merry Christmas to you and your family and everyone else on the blog !!

Those situations are precisely when Genies are the most useful. You would need not worry about getting a reservation anywhere. The Suites Concierge would also be a big help but they do not have the "pull" that a Genie has. I think the suites will be at a significant advantage in situations like these.

@LogicallyLazy, if you do get a RoyalUp offer, or even hear from a reliable source that someone else got one, please let us know. As @Lovetocruise2002said, I am under the impression that they aren't even offering RoyalUp at the moment....but there is a lot more going on on that side of the world that we probably aren't hearing about. Good luck. I hope they do offer it and I hope you get it, if you bid. "A gift from God" may be a bit of a stretch, but the Genie is, indeed, a wonderful, incalculable benefit for SC pax. Frankly, with 50% capacity, they may not be quite as valuable as they are with 100% capacity....on the other hand, with social distancing and downsizing/crowd management, they may prove to be even MORE valuable. I guess we'll just have to see. My favorite "what can a Genie do for me ?" story is when we (everyone, including staff) were forced to leave the ship during a call at Port Canaveral (I will forego the long story associated with all of this). There was a [unhappy] sea of humanity in the terminal waiting to get back on the ship. Tempers were beginning to flare and it was not a pleasant situation. I called Yen Lee, our Genie, and asked for help (some crew had already been allowed back on board). In less than 2 minutes, we saw her coming down the escalator and we hailed her. She scooped us up, elbowed her/our way through the throng and passed back through security, safely, and happily, back onto the ship. She said to us, "stay close to me and don't stop !". That moment was worth every penny we paid for SC on that particular sailing. We truly enjoy SC....Dan not quite as much as me....but it's still a wonderful treat. If, for whatever reason, you are not able to upgrade, Sky Class is NOT a bad consolation prize ! The suites, access to the Suites Lounge and breakfast in the Coastal Kitchen and priority boarding/disembarkation are wonderful perks. Good luck !! ....and you're right. You can't go back once you have experienced the extra sweet life !

Please remove: 3-14-21 (Allure) L&S ? 1-16-22 (Oasis) Chartered ? Please add: 4-11-21 (Liberty) 4-18-21 (Liberty) 5-23-21 (Serenade) 7-17-21 (Independence) 7-25-21 (Independence) 9-13-21 (Mariner) 9-17-21 (Mariner) 9-20-21 (Mariner) 10-30-21 (Vision) 11-13-21 (Allure) 11-21-21 (Allure) 12-23-21 (Symphony) 12-31-21 (Symphony) 1-30-22 (Oasis) 2-12-22 (Symphony) 2-19-22 (Symphony 3-12-22 (Symphony)

Yep. Thanks.

Where do you find the master list again ? I can't remember.

I used to do the shot glasses and then they became a nuisance with where to put them; they were no more than dust collectors. They went bye-bye with the move.

I like your trend. Delete 2, add 3. Well done !

Even before the "global pause" in cruising, I think that Royal had eliminated every one of their extended Christmas + NY cruises. I really think it is b/c they know they can sell 2 expensive cruises vs 1 expensive cruise. Now it's B2B or nothing ! Secret: I booked Holiday cruises on Empress for a VERY good price and then L&S them to Symphony. Saved around 70%. What a deal ! Glad I did it while I still could. No more Empress (or Majesty) L&S !

My TA used to be local to me. We lived only a few miles apart....but when I moved to FL I left her, physically. But this does not matter. It is NOT necessary to "visit" your TA these days.

I am with @Lovetocruise2002on this one. I do not consider it my TAs job to find fare reductions for me. Has she, in the past ? Yes. In fact, she found 2 incredible deals for me on some upcoming cruises not too long ago, but I do not think it is her job to do that. The biggest advantage to having a good TA is to help you when things go south OR when you need for the cruise line to bend the rules JUST a little bit. @michelledid some amazing things for me for L&S this year. Twice she was able to get me into Star Class suites [L&S] when Royal had declined to do that. It's really those times when you need an advocate to fight for you that a good TA is invaluable.

The same way we get them now, I guess. I really don't know !