JimnKathy

Truth! If you can't find a way to have incredible fun on a modern cruise ship, you're gonna have a problem finding fun anywhere! ?

One they complete the vaccine rollout and fine-tune crew training, things can get rolling pretty quickly. Assuming the ships will sail at reduced capacity, when and how will RCL leadership determine which passengers will be notified if their individual booking is cancelled to accommodate capacity reductions?

I agree. They also just need enough time to drop off vaccines at the dock...the medical personnel onboard could easier vaccinate crew members when the ship is moving, too.

...and when they start decanting the wines at Vintages on Symphony, we'll be on our way soon after.

Our case counts and positivity rates have been consistently declining throughout Shelby County, TN since vaccine distribution began. The biggest challenge right now is getting more folks willing to be vaccinated at this point. We have TONS of vaccines available now with the remaining non-vaxxed folks being slow to act. Businesses are beginning to really open back up and you can just sense an enormous sigh of relief by everyone that better days are to come. ?

I'm thinking that the all of Oasis and Quantum classes will definitely be sailing in reduced capacity by no later than 8/1 (could be sooner depending upon how well they roll out vaccines to crew members). I won't be surprised if most of the fleet isn't doing business by the end of August. But then again, I could be wrong about everything and am just throwing out Wild Azz Guesses (learned the WAG theory in MBA school while doing SWOT analysis on case projects ? ) just to generate fun discussion. Happy Sailing (very soon) to All!

I'm thinking 8/1/2021.

I used to think this was one of those universal "common sense" things up until we took our 2019 cruise on Symphony. It seems that some folks are blind as a bat when it comes to basic elevator ethics. ?

We are fully vaxxed up and are used to wearing a mask while moving about in public spaces already. Since we don't spend too much time catching the rays on crowded poolside chairs, we can deal with wearing a mask here and there if that what it takes to get back to cruising on our late Sep/Oct B2B on Symphony.

I am encouraged by this update letter from the CDC. While it doesn't necessarily guarantee a mid-July restart, at least we're seeing some light at the end of the regulatory tunnel...and that is a wonderful thing.

Excellent advice...thank you! ?

I would also add that there are a number of wonderful therapeutic treatment options available to treat folks who test positive for COVID. I wonder if the cruise lines are working to stock up their medicine cabinets with some of these drugs to minimize outbreaks on a ship?

Central Park is amazing, isn't it?

It's a great time to buy a cruise ship at fire sale prices...maybe we should all go in together and pick one up for our own personal use? ?

I know that the Solarium on Symphony has some nice outdoor seating you can take food and drink to enjoy the breezes...we did that several times for a wonderful change of pace.

Coco Cay is an amazing place that can be enjoyed without spending a dime...tons of chairs, beach/pool umbrellas, free food, etc. The Oasis Lagoon pool alone is worth enjoying by itself...the selection of beaches are awesome...free food choices abound. Just a wonderful day off the ship.

2 at this time in the books: Symphony B2B in Sep/Oct 2021 (Eastern Caribbean week 1, Western Caribbean week 2) Quantum in Aug 2022 (Alaska) We'll likely squeeze in a Bermuda cruise sometime in 2022 and a East Coast/Canada cruise in 2023.

I also examined the AT&T plan inside and out vs. the basic Voom package and calculated the Voom was by far the best option. The AT&T option just has too many "gotchas" for my taste.

My wife and I had our first Pfizer shot this past week...no side effects for either of us. Shot #2 in a few weeks. Based on conversations with several doctors and lots of research, we see getting the COVID vaccine as a personal risk management decision. If it also makes it easier and safer to travel, then being vaccinated is a wonderful bonus.

This a small yet important detail...glad to see they implemented this.

I agree. The missus and I just received Shot 1 of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday...Shot 2 next month...cruise time is just around the corner, baby! ?

Between the promising vaccine rollouts across the country along with developing herd immunity, I'm encouraged that cruises will resume sometime this summer. While the initial cruises will likely have some mandated social distancing, masking, vaccine requirements, etc., it certainly appears things are moving in a very positive direction. Happy Sailing to all! ?

Since this cruise is pretty far into the future, I wouldn't be surprised if the itinerary adjusts back in your favor between now and then. Regardless of the specific ports of call, remember that you'll be enjoying one of the best boats in the fleet while sailing somewhere in the beautiful Caribbean, certainly not a bad situation to be in. ?

In the Bahamas, we've found that any month containing vowels and consonants has a similar weather forecast. ?

The vaccine rollouts in the coming months will largely determine the timing of cruise restarts. Given that case numbers and infection rates are dropping significantly, it just remains for the vaccine numbers to reach a tipping point to speed up herd immunity. I can see where we could easily start sailing by early summer (perhaps sooner), particularly for guests choosing to get vaccinated.