WAAAYTOOO

I would just book and hope for the best!
As you mention things can and will change before you cruise so its certain that whats happening today will be different come June, we just have to hope that come June its changed for the better as Europe is going backwards with countries reintroducing measures to stem the new variant 

Sounds like the AO on Anthem has a much better staff working in it.  The one night our kids went to AO on Symphony in October, all the kids in there were just sitting on the floor spaced far apart and doing nothing.  When we went to pick them up an hour or so later after they called us bored, all the kids were still sitting on the floor doing nothing while the 2 workers were sitting at the checkin desk in the same spot they were in when we dropped the kids off.  Even the 3 kids in our group that went in together weren’t allowed near each other while they were there.
 

Nautical chart of Tampa Bay here:
https://charts.noaa.gov/PDFs/11416.pdf
The cruise terminal is located in the upper right corner of this chart, Ybor Channel to the left of McKay Bay.
When sailing through Tampa Bay it looks like it's a big bay and you might think that ships could sail anywhere in the bay but it's very shallow and ships have to stay within the channel which is very narrow in places.  Consequently they go slow and take their time.  

Looks like bed separated... at home.

We like to do this as they always seem to appreciate it. For us it is an extension lead, mattress topper, and robes.
Then depending on the wife's mood, either beds together or separated. Ouch, the bride just backhanded me

Royal truly is a family brand and they have really tried to create a solution that allows families to have a enjoyable cruise experience while working within the constraints of the CDC guidelines. 
Other cruise lines have either blocked families entirely or created a lottery type approach where families don't know if they will be able to cruise until days before the ship departs yet they have to pay in full months before.  In the end many families get denied and only find out the week of the cruise.  What a terrible way to treat families.
Royal could have taken the easy road and avoided test cruises like the other lines did.  Instead they took the harder path, performed test cruises and created a solution so that families could be welcomed onboard.  

My understanding is that when FCC are used to pay for the cruise the ship has to sail before commission is paid to the agency.
If a pre-pandemic cruise was originally paid in full, the agency on the original booking would have been paid commission back then.  Royal, unlike most other cruise lines, did not cancel commission when they cancelled sailings due to the pandemic.  Most other cruise lines outside of the Royal group did cancel commissions when they cancelled cruises due to the pandemic.  
Since commissions on Royal did not cancel (if the original cruise was paid in full) Royal pays a second commission (when FCC are used) only when the ship sails, otherwise they'd be paying commission multiple times if FCC were used then canceled, then used again then cancelled again.  The fair solution is to only pay commission when an FCC paid for cruise actually sails.    
At least that is how my TA explained it to me some time ago.
When anyone uses FCC it typically involves 10 times the work with Royal.  Hours are spent on the phone multiple times when FCC are in play.  I love Royal but FCC are terrible and I hate asking my TA to use them.  Once in a while an FCC will apply cleanly but those FCC earned early in the pandemic are an absolute PITA.   If you have tried using them, tracking them, accounting for them and so on, you know what I mean.

This isn't really true, if you pay in FCC then there is no commission, even if it's PIF. And, if you cancel for protocols and not due to Royal Caribbean cancelling, no commission. Just like any other cancellation outside of the pandemic. 

Yes, room service is complimentary for GS and above regardless of which ship class.

I am not a tremendous fan of the CLS either.  I do enjoy being on Deck 17 but I don't care for the narrow room/balcony and the stairs.  I do like having 2 bathrooms.  IMO the Owner's Suites are the best....until you reach SC of course.

Yes, room service is complimentary for GS and above regardless of which ship class.

Thank you so much. I just missed that!! Definitely more worth it. At double the price it was a pass!!!

Just reporting in after a 2 year hiatus.  We canceled 6 cruises in 2020 and 2021. Just got off a RCI ship last sunday.   Re-Booked the Rock and Romance cruise on the Summit in Feb and a 12 night southern Carib on the Equinox in March.

Totally agree!  I have a cruise from August 2021 that I cancelled under CWC that I am still waiting on the FCC for.

Although lacking Coastal Kitchen, the suites on Freedom and Voyager class designate a specialty dining venue (chops in my experiences) as a suite only breakfast area. I found this to be a valuable perk, especially traveling with children. The food seemed superior to main dining room and service was exceptional and quick. It is also more quite and intimate. Never went to Windjammer.

LOL, a GS is still a suite, it just doesn't have some of the benefits of those on the larger classes of ship.  I'd take a suite on any ship given the opportunity.

So, why did I name this thread like I did?!  Every time I get a reply notification, I think it’s my upgrade coming thru!! 😂
 

By sheer coincidence, this afternoon, I  received refunds back to my Amex for 4 of my six cruises. It took a bit of math to reconcile the amounts to the correct cruises, but eventually, it equaled out.  Still awaiting about 4k more for those last two cruises -- two 11 nighters on Anthem. 

Favourite travel items ✅
For those that followed along on my earlier Blog some of these items are included again because I love them that much.  
Saje Farmacy Pack includes a variety of must have roll ons. I always use immune under my nose while on the plane. 
New addition to this Blog is the Saje pocket diffuser. It’s so great for travel. ❤️ But probably won’t use on the plane because it would spread throughout the cabin.  That would probably be a good thing ……
My Pillow travel size - love love My Pillow; if I could pack my king size I would LOL but the travel size works great with whatever the pillow is. 
I don’t use anything but safe sunscreen from Beauty Counter and my Dr Ho just in case of back pain. 

Congratulations on an excellent decision.
All 8 of the ones that I recently cancelled (through 3-31-22) have disappeared from the "My Cruises" list and all of the rooms that had previously been booked are now either showing as "available" on the website or had previously (in the past week) been available and are now NOT available (these are the 5 Star Class suites....I suspect that they are being sucked up for RoyalUp bidding).  What really chaps my a$$ is that they are already re-selling my room(s) but I have not received any kind of refund for them yet.  Not even the Cruise Planner purchases, which usually come back first.  I know that I will eventually get the money back (or most of it, anyway) but for them to resell the room, they should have to refund my money, first.  Whatever....

Just interesting.

More here:
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/who-are-the-longest-serving-active-ceos-in-the-sp-500/

We just found out on our upcoming Holiday Cruise on Allure of The Seas, The Windjammer is open for all three meals!  Great new for our kids and others!

yep   ,  Melbourne and Sydney have some of the highest vaccination rates in the world.
The thing is ,there’s predictions of a 4th wave around February as a result of the silly season and the vaccines waning .
So we should expect our fearless leaders to panic again in February.

@D AltI too am pretty much an introvert. 
Our WFH situation was something I begged for in the beginning......I have been with my company over 17 years. At most we had 11 employees. We always meet the client everywhere but our office and the rent for downtown Chicago is crazy. More often than not I was the only person in the office because I rarely met with clients. So, I am glad that all those expenses have been eliminated. Not to mention mines have reduced quite a bit and I can spend all the time with Senator Meowkins......who think people are on Teams to talk to her.
@WAAAYTOOOand @AshleyDillo I think the best parts of FL are ports and being able to cruise at a moment's notice. The heat is a little much for me.

I am so glad to hear that your preferred dining times were confirmed! You never know what can happen with Royal up in the final days. There could be a Festivus Star Class Miracle for you too!