WAAAYTOOO

And all this time I thought it was just taking me longer to sober up?

Hello fellow cruises from down under, we did the first of our check-in today and thought I would share. We have been regualarly checking the app, which you must have, and saw our ship, Grandeur finally get an upgrade which finalised last night. Previously it sat on its lonesome below all the other bookings we have where the ships which already use the app we could access details, but the Grandeur we could not. So check-in was noted on the app as 25 Nov, and being a RCB insider knew that the key to an early check-in time was to get in early, and start 11.30pm, so half an hour prior to the day.
First thing to know is do not do what I did and get up at 11.30pm on the 24th and continue to check the cruise planner and app waiting to see the change to "open". Anyway by 2am I gave up. It dawned on me this morning; stop laughing, I am slow; that it would be US time, eastern pacific, so Miami or New York time. This afternoon at 3.15pm Sydney time, 11.15pm, NY time, my app changed to open and off I went. Do you sense I am keen???
Being old school, I used the computer to check-in but you need the app to complete, and the process is similar as peviously, except with a number of protocols and disclaimers which you can print. There are three steps you can do prior, with the fourth step needing to be done the day of the cruise.  Step one and two are as before, personal details, passport, credit card, emergency contact, and then you can select the boarding time. On our cruise which is out of Barbados, there are a couple extra local government protocols and we have the addition of not only a test three days prior (which is different to the two days prior on cruises out of the US),but also a complientary test required at the port prior to boarding. Oh our noses are going to be sore, lol. Also the earliest boarding time listed was 1.00-1.30pm which we secured.   
However the third step must be done via the app, there is nowhere via the computer check-in to access it. Maybe I did something wrong but I have gone back and checked several times, so you need to go to the app and  into your booking and add your vaccination details, type and date of last dose. It will also allow you to take a picture of the front and back of your vacination card. In Australia we have the a government issued International Vaccine Passport, which is a single side paper or picture on the Medicare app run by the Australian governement. I could not work out how to upload a digital copy to the app so I opted to take a photo, which is one way offered, of the print out I will be carrying. It is in the pending stage as Royal needs to validate it, and I will update this when I either have approval or required to do something else.
I really need to check-in using only the app, similar process but we have nicer phots saved on the computer. Silly I know. 
So happy, one step closer and only 45 long days to go before our 674 days of waiting to step onboard a cruise ship is over.
 

@codyh21I'm really happy to hear that you can share internet access amicably, but that is NOT the case for us !!  We did the "multiple device, single log-in" plan ONCE and it nearly ended our relationship !  LOL  Just kidding of course...but we found it extremely frustrating to share a log-in.  NEVER AGAIN.  First of all, whenever we are "relaxing" and online for whatever reason, we generally do this at the SAME time so it is virtually impossible to share a log-in.
For simplicity's sake I only purchase the DBP+Voom option anymore.  Sure, I could save a few bucks by using my free D+ days and then buying the plan on board on day 3 or later but it's too much of a hassle for me.  I would rather pay a little more and not have to worry about the internet plan once I'm onboard.  Having said all of that, I have not yet sailed since the start-up and there's a possibility that I MAY decide to try and skip the DBP since we both now receive 5 free beverages daily....but I haven't decided if THIS hassle is worth it or not so for now, I'm sticking with my DBP+Voom scheme.  Of course, all of this is prefaced by the fact that we may never sail again, but that's another issue altogether !

Seasoned travelers won't find any Earth shattering info here, but we only started being able to travel in 2019.  We never would have even thought about third party insurance if not for this site.
Back in September, we cruised out of Nassau on Adventure.  
We bought the ship to airport shuttle from Royal and on the way to the airport, my wife's suitcase got crushed.  It was very noticeable, to the point that it wouldn't stand up on its own....although when we grabbed our bags at the airport, hers was strategically wedged in between others so it was upright.  It would stay closed, but it will never roll again.  It was kind of a bummer since it's only been used twice.
The transportation company was not Royal Caribbean, however they gave us an RCG claim form to fill out.  After a couple months of no response despite sending all asked for documentation and repeated emails/phone calls/social media messages, we submitted a claim through our third party travel insurance (Allianz).  They asked for pictures of the damaged bag, a copy of the claim form we sent RCG, and something that showed replacement cost (we sent a screenshot of a current Kohl's page that showed the replacement cost).
After two emails apologizing for any delays due to high claims volume, we received a check for full replacement cost a couple weeks later. 
While it's not an expensive piece of luggage, it still sucked to have to buy a new one.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Matt was right, don't wait to buy things, buy them when you know you'll want them.  I kept holding out on the deluxe beverage package only for it to go up $3 per day per person and not budge on Black Friday.  Near as I can tell nothing is less expensive than it was a week ago.  What a let down.

Update on hot tub
The process surrounding the hot tub on the balcony of the GPS is somewhat of a mystery. I couldn’t find much written about it from past guests. I asked Shane if the hot tub could be filled on embarkation day for the duration of the cruise. Shane and the suite attendant will look after filling and the suite attendant will have the water tested and treated daily as needed. This sounds simple enough.  I will report back once onboard but if it works as described, it will be a real treat for Reyd and I because we love our nightly hot tub routine. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Gotta be something more to it than "oh never mind "

Gobble gobble my RC friends.  God bless you and yours!

Well wishes to all!  Remember those of us who work the holidays to make it safe for everyone else!

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, Robert….and everyone else as well.

Unfortunately my issue is still not resolved. My purchases are not showing up in my cruise planner. On hold for the 4th time. I wonder how many hours it will take this time.