Ampurp85

Day 32....... Well technically it is only 25 days to vacation as we start are Disney World vacation on the 25th of October...... October protocols were released and there were no changes. New boarding times did open up and I was finally able to snag a noon boarding time. BFF and BFF's mother have finally received their passports and I was able to update their check-in. Just a note: they made an appointment with the post office, paid for not only expedited service but also next day delivery and it took 8 weeks start to finish. Each one was over $200, which considering it took a while still, wasn't worth it IMHO. BFF was upset because his coworker applied in early Aug and received passport Sept 25th without paying extra. So as far as passports go YMMV. Some of our party decided they would like to pee their pants and be chased by maniacs so they purchased tickets to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal on Oct 29th. I love Halloween and will be dressing up when we board the ship, my go-to for Halloween has always been Harley Quinn....not the new movie version with the pink and blue hair and general craziness. But the black and red jester from the late 90s and early 2000s cartoon and comics. However that requires make-up and in the FL humidity.....nope. So I am going to keep it simple and go as a witch, while BFF with be a Day of the Dead witch. My brother is vacillating between Jesus and his go-to, nice ghost. If you are wondering what a nice ghost is, it is a ghost that sings showtunes and talks in a Broadway-style voice. My mother will be a 1940s nurse and BFF mother is an actual nurse, so she is wearing her scrubs. Eagerly awaiting the passage of time until I actually step foot on my first RCG cruise ship in over two years.

I don't think they will be extending the double points offer, sadly. The last extension wasn't a last minute thing, it is already the 29th. Some faithful TA would have posted something in regards to the extension if it was happening. I really wanted 1 more month, Dec might have been stretching it but Oct 31st would have been a sweet spot.

Since capacity has been reduced, they are limiting the amount of UDP on most cruises. I sail Oct 31st, it was sold out the end of Aug and briefly popped up in Sept, it is no longer showing again now. Some people have reported being able to secure it on boarding day as there were a few no-shows/cancellations. So it is being offered but since you booked a close-in sailing, they didn't have any available.

Isn't PC the one where you have to actively tell someone you arrived at your scheduled time? They apparently have a lot of newbies working and they have been just letting anyone come in regardless of scheduled time. I think they were just checking vax card, passports and negative test and disregarding the scheduled time. I believe PC was the port that a Star class pax almost had a problem with because they were unfamiliar.

I didn't like my RCG transfer as I was very late getting to port. Plane landed at 10:55 and we were at the RCG transportation counter by 11:30. They waited until the bus was full so it was after 1pm before we even left the terminal. Then we had to go to another terminal and pick more people up. So it was 1:45 when we made it to the port and then almost 2:45pm when we made it to the ship.

If only one of you test positive but the rest are negative, then the positive person should quarantine and the rest of you with negative test can enjoy. I do mean negative and not just asymptomatic as you can still spread the virus and that would be a-hole thing to do. Also outbreak is a stretch, there hasn't been an outbreak at any point since the restart. The new 2 day testing protocols have pretty much neutralized cases on board. You can't say with certainty that a masked flight has zero risk of transmission as, everyone may not be vaxxed or wear their mask properly the entire time. IMHO cruising is much safer in regards to transmission than flying. I also believe if you follow the protocols then you have a minimal chance of catching the virus, especially being double vaxxed.

My MEI agent has probably caught a price drop once or twice. Usually I email him after scouring the site,. I honestly don't expect them to always be on price drops. They aren't charging me. I also don't think I am their only client, so if it takes a full day or so to answer me, I don't feel slighted in the least. What I was grateful for was not having to worry when the poop hit the fan during the height of the pandemic. But everyone likes their service to be performed a certain way so.....

I guess it is, as it seem like bookings will only be available and open the day before your cruise. Right now you can try to schedule test as early as 2 weeks before your cruise, sometimes a month if you do it through your primary care physicians.

So it means if you sail on Sunday, you need to make an appointment that Sat. Also its 30min before check-in time. So if your check-in is at noon, then you should schedule an appointment no later than 11:30 am

Its in the 13% range but some sailings have had 1400+. So I decided starting at a 20%-ish average would be okay.

Your photos are always beautiful and impressive. I also appreciate that you hardly ever immortalize a rando. I like people-free pictures for things like this.

This has happened to me plenty of times. I always look for solo, so it will show me something like $158 all the way until I choose a cabin. Then it corrects itself for the solo supplement. Last Monday it told me my $320 6n Odyssey sailing was waiting for me. Royal IT at it's best.

I think Odyssey had some bookings that were just closed and never opened back up; all those Indy L&S. While people, have been able to continue to book Allure. Odyssey sailing from Oct-Dec are within tens of Allure, an extra $60-80. I too don't get it. I would have loved to do Odyssey at the current 23-30% it is sailing.

That's great that RCG did right by you. I have been reading on FB and the other blog of people going from Star class suites to Jr. Suites.

I believe it was opened on the European sailings but they said until capacity is above 50% no dice. Harmony will be in the US by then and I think you shouldn't hold your breath.

Those should be the right test, just make sure they are unopened.

RCG is currently offering limited testing at some ports, you will have to sign up 24 hr in advance and it seems like it must be 30min before your scheduled check-in time. So if your check-in is at noon you would need to schedule a test at 11:30. However, this is not a guarantee and therefore you should not wait and try to schedule these test as they will be very limited and a last resort thing. Some airports will have testing available, all and all these types of test will run you at least $100+

Did you also get confirmation of a CLS because some people have reported being downgraded since Wonder has less suites than Allure.

@JconnYes you will only get original points. So if you aren't moving from a jr. suite, where you get 4x the points, to another suite. Then you will just get 2x the points. In your case you would be paying the $350 just for a bigger room and some small perks depending on class of ship.

They also only have very limited spots, so this a really last ditch effort. Someone on FB already/allegedly tried and it looks like test are schedule from 11am to about 3pm. Its also some sort of local urgent care/not RCG affiliated testing site. So maybe the contracted a third party to avoid any turn away's.

I use MEI, I have a 2br GS so maybe that is the reason. I saw an 2br AT that I was hoping to try to RoyalUp on.

Of course you need to factor everything in. If you are just chasing points is £1000 worth it? IMHO £1000 could purchase a whole other cruise. If you have the time. But it might be better money spent to do solo than a jr.suite. This suite will put you closer but so could 2 solos in a balcony. Plus it should be fun to reach diamond.

I don't understand why I can't do Royal Up, it says my 37 day away cruise is too far away. But people on my cruise have gotten RoyalUp offers already.

@DunwoodyDadI guess I wasn't clear. What I meant is that if you book now but change date or ship, you should keep the same booking number and receive double points. CWC and the process of L&S have made it so they can easily move you without cancelling. Of course YMMV as this what happened to me.

With RCG moving final payment, this year will suck for some of you. Not to mention the protocols and such which has been causing cancellations. MEI is free and if my bookings can help someone's job I am all for it.