Chadster

My RoyalUp details said you can modify your bid until up to 3 HOURS prior to sailing, so I'd imagine they could RoyalUp you after boarding the ship into someone's no-show room if they really tried hard enough 😂

Matt, have you been on EVERY cruise since the restart??? 

Our sailing is Oct. 24th and we joined a FB Roll Call page.  I'll attach the pics for days 1-4 🙂   I can't wait to see the rest!!

You can still micromanage your cruise with a TA. You can still plan ALLLLL the fun stuff. If there’s a sale, just drop them an email to check your price. No need to call 6 times and get dead air. 
 
Seriously next booking go with a TA (obligatory shout out for MEI and Sharla in particular) 😁

I received my tests. This is the lot number and expiration date printed on them, but with the 90-day extension, they're now expiring on 1/5/2022. So, thankfully they'll cover my cruises.

Let's just have unofficial ones all of May 2022. That way, I can be included during my May 1 sailing on Serenade from my aft-corner balcony.

Also, just a heads-up: I ordered a 3-pack and only received the 2-pack. They're shipping me the third one expedited, so I'll likely get it later this week. For me, the wait isn't a big deal because with the 2-pack I received, I have a test for my Sept. 26 cruise and a backup in case something goes wrong -- or, more hopefully, a test for my Christmas Eve cruise. The third is basically a back-up in either case, since I'll be on a B2B from Dec. 24 to Jan. 9, so I'll get the test for leg 2 onboard direct from Royal.
I'm guessing I'm not the first it's happened to, because the rep told me "I know we're shipping out single tests at no additional...well...anything...expedited." Customer service was quick, helpful, and didn't try to give me a run-around, and I appreciate that.

I received my tests. This is the lot number and expiration date printed on them, but with the 90-day extension, they're now expiring on 1/5/2022. So, thankfully they'll cover my cruises.

If you change it to the June 5 sailing, I'm in!

Ok so I'm already booked on that cruise, but still

I'll be getting my first block on that cruise. Maybe Matt can interview me like he did Mario. I mean 140 pts vs 8200 points, same difference right?

I just realized that as of Monday, I have reached Diamond Level!  I had 73 points when I got onboard the Allure last Sunday.  If my reckoning of the Double Points promo is correct, together with the double points I’d gotten as a solo cruiser, I am now (unofficially) Diamond. Yay!
 

Yeah, I went through the store front, and now a note that wasn't there on the day I ordered appears saying...
 

Yeah, I went through the store front, and now a note that wasn't there on the day I ordered appears saying...
 

In our case, we're flying in to the FLL area 2 days before our cruise so we're planning on doing the proctored test in the hotel - which makes for a great option for us since we aren't getting a rental car and I wasn't sure where to go in the Hollywood Beach area. We'll have a spare test with us, too, in case anything goes wrong. 
 
We'll test again when we get back home as well. 

I'm in the " @Sharlais awesome!" camp for sure! I haven't snagged any price drops recently, but what I really appreciate is that when I think I see a price drop and ask about it, she'll get in touch with me and tell me whether or not it's actually a good deal given my current promotions including OBC and the like. So, while I may not always save extra money on the front end, I'm still getting my value maximized thanks to Sharla's skills in "travel agent math", and to me, that's good, too! 🙂

I’m also a believer in redundancy. I have more tests on hand then I’m going to need. Just in case there’s a mistake, malfunction or loss of video connection. I purchased a six pack (drank it, it was delicious)…then got a six pack of tests from eMed directly. Six tests cost $150 but they have the earlier expiration date…which was extended. These tests are my backups to getting tested at CVS, and I may never need to use them, so they are really an investment in peace of mind.

Hi Linda!
Here is the current policy as per Matt's post on 8/27/21. On B2B trips, Royal will test you onboard prior to the second cruise at no cost to you...
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/08/27/royal-caribbean-did-not-change-their-back-back-cruise-policy
 

Certainly! I'm hopeful the tests will be good at least through the end of December, because that would indeed keep me squared away until my cruises for 2020 are done. Will report back when the package arrives.

Certainly! I'm hopeful the tests will be good at least through the end of December, because that would indeed keep me squared away until my cruises for 2020 are done. Will report back when the package arrives.

I had decided on going the home-test route earlier this week as I was finalizing my itinerary for travelling to and from the port and decided to wait to see the pricing on the ones being sold through the "Royal Caribbean storefront" was marked up because...well, I wouldn't have been surprised. If that'd been the case, I would've just gone through the regular Optum store.
Since they weren't marked up, I went ahead and bought a 3-pack this morning. I'm now covered for cruises for the rest of 2020. Delivery has a window between "Sept. 9-10".

I had decided on going the home-test route earlier this week as I was finalizing my itinerary for travelling to and from the port and decided to wait to see the pricing on the ones being sold through the "Royal Caribbean storefront" was marked up because...well, I wouldn't have been surprised. If that'd been the case, I would've just gone through the regular Optum store.
Since they weren't marked up, I went ahead and bought a 3-pack this morning. I'm now covered for cruises for the rest of 2020. Delivery has a window between "Sept. 9-10".

I had decided on going the home-test route earlier this week as I was finalizing my itinerary for travelling to and from the port and decided to wait to see the pricing on the ones being sold through the "Royal Caribbean storefront" was marked up because...well, I wouldn't have been surprised. If that'd been the case, I would've just gone through the regular Optum store.
Since they weren't marked up, I went ahead and bought a 3-pack this morning. I'm now covered for cruises for the rest of 2020. Delivery has a window between "Sept. 9-10".

I wore shorts on the 2nd formal night on my last cruise and didn't get struck by lightning on the way into the MDR.

I'm in the " @Sharlais awesome!" camp for sure! I haven't snagged any price drops recently, but what I really appreciate is that when I think I see a price drop and ask about it, she'll get in touch with me and tell me whether or not it's actually a good deal given my current promotions including OBC and the like. So, while I may not always save extra money on the front end, I'm still getting my value maximized thanks to Sharla's skills in "travel agent math", and to me, that's good, too! 🙂

I'm in the " @Sharlais awesome!" camp for sure! I haven't snagged any price drops recently, but what I really appreciate is that when I think I see a price drop and ask about it, she'll get in touch with me and tell me whether or not it's actually a good deal given my current promotions including OBC and the like. So, while I may not always save extra money on the front end, I'm still getting my value maximized thanks to Sharla's skills in "travel agent math", and to me, that's good, too! 🙂