joshgates

Unless you have some specific reasons for using this it's not a good option to go with. Assuming you're looking at the $100 package the included data is only 200 MB with a $2/MB overage, the $50 package doesn't include data at all. This is a _horrible_ cost for data and you can easily blow through that just updating an app on your phone or pulling general updates/email/news/etc. I'd highly recommend getting Voom and enabling WiFi calling on your phone. While you're in ports most plans nowadays include Canada/Mexico for roaming already and if you want/need additional coverage you can get International Day Pass that essentially rates your usage as domestic in most countries for a 24 hour period for $10. Your best option with the cruise package is to close the page and back away slowly before it realizes you've seen it.

Looks like prices are already inching up too.

I wonder if this is what Royal was going to announce earlier, just with a ship of their own too.

Cruise ship shaped inflatable floating bars will be available for sail so everyone with canceled cruises can have the experience in their pools this summer.

I'd actually planned on doing a riff of this on CocoCay as my christmas card last year.... Still have the tube/hat/robe/socks packed, maybe we'll get there soon enough this year to do it. But agree with your previous statement too. Just got the second dose this week, well worth the two days of feeling like someone ran me over with a truck and when they got out to help me decided it'd be more fun to just jump back in and do it a few more times. Should help with other travel this summer and getting the CDC off our backs sooner, I hope.

Every person on a cruise is just helping their neighbors and coworkers with social distancing. Seems solid.

Dec 5th, but staying on for a few so coming in the 4th and leaving the 2nd. Return leg wasn't open for normal flights when I booked so called in today and got everything situated.

Yup, I just called in to change something and they were able to assign my preferred seats now, they couldn't last month... Well, except for one leg that my preferred was already taken. *grumbles something about preferring Delta.*

We'll agree to disagree there. That's great in abstract, and I agree to a point, but it's losing sight of the larger picture, especially when there's a significant difference between commanding a fighter squadron and running a multi billion dollar company that has to put a priority on customer experience and branding. That's not an attempt to downplay your opinion and experience, just pointing out that they're two vastly different arenas. Today's situation is unprecedented and involves countless people, companies, and governments. RCL has been somewhat open about what's going on including the safe sail procedures, but beyond that there's no real transparency to give for US based sailings. We do see a significant amount of info in places where it does make sense, like Singapore and Israel. Right now they are at the complete mercy of the CDC for even starting test sailings out of the US, unilaterally releasing information isn't going to endear them to the people they're working with at all...and that's if they even can. I work for a telecom and have NDA's with the vast majority of the companies I interact with, some to the point where I can't even mention that we're associated. I would imagine similar agreements are in place when dealing with government agencies...or common sense to not antagonize the people that control when you can reopen. Even outside of any talks and negotiations with the CDC you have to worry about staffing up ships, how are you going to vaccinate the crew, entertainment, resupplying ships (and we saw at least one article of a company/warehouse going out of business that services parts of FL), agreements with ports for how/if they'll be able to dock, communication with people running shore excursions at each port, any physical changes that have to be made with the ships themselves, etc etc. There's near countless things in motion that are undoubtably changing constantly and will continue to. A good number of them you can't even begin to firm up until there's an actual restart date in mind. We all _want_ more information and sooner but the downsides of releasing plans that will inevitably change significantly outweighs the minor gain of their most dedicated loyalists being appeased... That said, luckily we're all entitled to our opinions, so if we ever meet on board the first several drinks are on me as I'd love to hear more about your service ?

I get it, I wish we had more information too and the uncertainty is annoying to deal with. The problem is releasing information or even giving a deadline for when they're going to release more information is setting a baseline for expectations. If they miss the deadline because we're in a situation that's extremely fluid there will be backlash, if they release expected guidelines and people consider them excessive, backlash. If they release guidelines and then have to change them, backlash. If they release expected timelines/itineraries for ships to restart and they have to change, more backlash. Right now, not releasing details is their best option (in my opinion, subject to change depending on how my gin supply dwindles through the day). It's frustrating but until things are more certain there's little upside and a lot of downside to releasing any information beyond what we have. Once things are more set though I'd hope for and expect a deluge of information.

I'm like your mum, it's bad enough that just watching some videos can trigger my motion sickness and being on a ship definitely triggers it (less so on the largest ships). I'm perfectly fine though with just taking bonine once a day and keeping some of the gin-gin double strength hard candies around.

It's like the movie "Idle Hands" only it spent too much time in the Live Blog section and went "YOLO"

Right with you. Had the same one booked since they were released, ended up booking the Oasis as a backup, and when the new Grandeur sailings released booked it as the backup to the backup. Ended up canceling Anthem/Oasis but starting to debate booking a new backup again ?

I beg to differ.... I Dream of Genie ? Come to think of it though...I should add a couple others onto the reservation since I think this will be one of my rare non solo cruises...

Well, somehow I booked a Star Class suite on the Allure for March 2023.... Can't say I'm upset about it.

About the same. I'm almost equal driving distance between Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Buffalo and so far the A2S flight they booked on AA is the cheapest and shortest duration on both legs. Everything else is either a fairly large price increase, a 14 hour flight usually with overnight layovers, or both. I just keep reminding myself it'll be worth it as soon as I touch down.

For one data point, I'm flying into Barbados a day early via A2S (leaving the Sunday we get back) and it is refundable. Still debating on changing to self booked since I'm really not a fan of AA, just haven't found anything better yet.

I took a look at mine, there’s not a ton loaded into it yet so can’t say anything definitive. For what is loaded in the only mention that could be construed as non refundable was the PADI open water diving course. Same wording (roughly) was in another sailing with the current planner though. I’ll be interested enough to keep checking as it fills in more.

Sold! Emailing my ta ?

I have absolutely no recollection of this! ? Except looking back through and realizing I averaged 18 a day that week.

Tempting...that's a fantastic itinerary and does fit in my schedule... You're evil.

Yup, I started booking some shorter ones on Navigator and Mariner for later this summer and fall. Those studio interiors on Mariner are just dirt cheap right now, hard to pass up even with the cost of a flight. More optimistic than I’ve been in a year.

I'm not sure the world is ready for me in a cat woman suit, but if that's the price..... Formal night could be interesting.

Or the ICVP, (yellow card) I got when I got a yellow fever vaccine a long time ago that's extremely similar to the cards being given out for the current vaccinations. While there is (a lot) of discussion (and some action) around a digital vaccination passport, the problem itself isn't a new one. Royal or any cruise line doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. If that's the direction they go you can just toss your vaccination card in with your passport, if there's progress on a more universal digital "card" they can tie into that system. To be honest I think it's a moot point for the moment. No one has _any_ idea what Royal, or more importantly the ports they visit, will give for requirements. Till then it's just getting worked up over a potential possibility.

Got my first dose earlier this week and yeah, you get a card that has the manufacturer, lot number, location, date of shot, etc on it. It's very similar to the yellow fever vaccination cards, just not yellow. To get it and the first shot I had to show ID and a consent form at the door and be on the preregistered list (consent form stayed with them), show ID again at the checkin desk where I also got a wristband with a scanable code and gave them my insurance to bill it to, sat down at the one of the vaccination stations where they verified my ID again (and twice more with birthdate), scanned the wrist band, scanned the barcode on the vaccine vial, and my wristband again. Long story short, there's absolutely a record of my getting it out there and I've got a card that'll get another stamp next month with the second dose. I'm going to still believe that most people are too honest to try and fake a vaccination card. That said, I'm actually pretty interested in what a verification system would look like, and if RCCL would implement it. My guess is that they'd rely on the cards (or whatever they change to) unless there's a larger vaccination verifications system built that they could use. I don't know nearly enough about health information regulations to speculate on what those might look like, but not surprisingly there's been a fair amount written about those in the last couple months.