Pattycruise

Every protocol that has been implemented chips away at the ability to enjoy a vacation.  Every protocol impacts the travel industry.  Some more than others and some in ways that aren't as easy to quantify.  The removal of the testing requirement for inbound international flights has created significant impact on the travel industry.  Just because planes were full before they removed testing doesn't mean there was no impact from the testing requirement for international flights.
Other protocols like pre-cruise testing impact the travel industry.  Vaccination requirements impact the travel industry.  There are people now that are not cruising because of these protocols. 
At the moment there are many new to cruise booking travel that is largely rebound or pent up demand from having minimal travel for two years.  There will soon come a time when that pent up demand has been satisfied.  The state of the economy and inflation may soon put the brakes on travel demand.  When that occurs the industry will need the folks who are currently avoiding travel due to protocols. 
Just because ships are full doesn't mean that there is no impact from the current protocols.

Critical piece of information in the article:
Yet, since the phased restart of cruise travel in July 2021, there have been no critical emergency situations where any ship has been overwhelmed with the need to evacuate guests due to a crippling outbreak of COVID-19.
Even where higher numbers of cases have been reported on vessels, the cruise line’s emergency measures, including contact tracing, isolation measures, and quarantine, have proven effective, and most passengers who do test positive have been either asymptomatic or experienced only very mild symptoms of discomfort.

You have to show a statement that has your name and 100 shares.  I’d imagine if your name shows 100 shares it’s fine…can’t hurt to try

I thought I read somewhere it was something like within 3 cabins....but I am not at all sure about that.
My kids will be two doors down....one cabin in between us.  First time I see whoever is staying between us, I will make it clear to them that if they are disturbed by my kids in any fashion whatsoever I would like to know, and my kids will wish security came and got to them first 😀

Thank you. I appreciate the information. Our cruise is now pricing at $370 less per person!! Going to contact my TA today. 

Thank you @FionaMG and @Neesa.  I have followed your advice and will report back.

@ticoman yes something is amiss. This is unacceptable especially with the little ones. I figured it had to do with ships capacity, really unacceptable.
Send an email right now to [email protected] and  [email protected] 
Mark as urgent and state your case simply and plainly. I wrote to these addresses and had a turn around response in 24hours.
I also agree reach out on social media as well. 
Please let us know how it goes. I wish we could do more. Positive thoughts to you.
 

@ticoman I'm sorry to hear this has happened to you. I have two suggestions.
1. Reach out to Royal on their social media platforms, that can sometimes sting them into action because of the massive visibility.
And 2. Send an email to the executive office at [email protected]. Flag it as urgent. Obviously, the top man himself (Michael Bayley) doesn't deal with these matters personally but he has a team that of people who do. Try to keep your email as concise and factual as possible and not get carried away with emotion however hard it will undoubtedly be.
I hope it works out for you and you will have a fabulous cruise. Please come back and let us know.
 

Quantum of the Seas, sailing June 27 out of Seattle.
Latest update is that they just automatically reallocated our rooms with an e-mail that "After completing an onboard stateroom audit of Quantum of the Seas, we found a discrepancy with your stateroom's capacity requiring us to move you to a new stateroom on our June 27, 2022 sailing."  We are now in cabins 9164 and 7290 - very far apart from each other.  We were in 12276 and 12274.

Technically cabins with minors must be in view of the adult/guardian. So either directly next door or directly across the hall.
if you choose to change keys and leave minors in a cabin “out of sight”(something I’ve done) be aware misbehavior by the unsupervised minors in the cabin can lead to trouble for you. 

Even if you test day of boarding it will not eliminate someone who is “incubating” the virus and tested negative on embarkation from becoming positive and spreading it and developing symptoms (or no symptoms for some). I do believe it was shown you are more contagious before you develop symptoms -
having traveled to the Bahamas at the restart and knowing if we (my family of 6)tested positive on embarkation day all of our needs would be met by Royal (hotel, meals, quarantine, return flights)  I was comfortable going.  Royal changed that policy (I’m sure it became quite expensive for Royal once Omicron variant hit hard in January and that’s when they discontinued that policy.
I for one would not schedule another cruise where testing is done on the day of embarkation unless it was to a drivable port, unless the cruise line would guarantee to pay for all associated costs from a positive test like Royal did at the restart. 

I had a cancelled cruise in January and go the FCC in April, just in time to make payment for my June cruise  I'd hope they are doing better now with the timing.
 

I’m on Oasis now.  I have the scheduled 5:30 seating. At dinner last night, first night on the ship, they announced if you weren’t seated by 5:45 for dinner your table would be given away. They also said the dining room opens at 5:15, I imagine to expedite service.  When we left the dining room, I’m not sure what time, there were 2 long lines waiting for entry.  Staff was attentive and did not seem lacking.  I was on this ship May 1 and it felt less crowded and service sucked as did the food.  So far, so good.
I did see new staff being given orientation today. 

I’m on Oasis now.  I have the scheduled 5:30 seating. At dinner last night, first night on the ship, they announced if you weren’t seated by 5:45 for dinner your table would be given away. They also said the dining room opens at 5:15, I imagine to expedite service.  When we left the dining room, I’m not sure what time, there were 2 long lines waiting for entry.  Staff was attentive and did not seem lacking.  I was on this ship May 1 and it felt less crowded and service sucked as did the food.  So far, so good.
I did see new staff being given orientation today. 

I got that, and that is true, but the only reason that is true is because RCL is so hard to deal with and has such poor IT that things like this occur. It's kind of sad for a multi-Billion dollar company.

From Google - "The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federal nutrition assistance program. SNAP provides benefits to eligible low-income individuals and families via an Electronic Benefits Transfer card. This card can be used like a debit card to purchase eligible food in authorized retail food stores."
Formerly food stamps, also known in same areas as EBT 

This is true. I use a no annual fee cash rewards from BofA. I get to pick what category I want to get my 3% cash back on each month. I choose travel and get 3% back on my cruises, 1% on all other purchases. I only get the bonus on the first $2500 I spend each quarter, but I keep track and will split my cruise payment up to time it if needed 😂 
The Costco Visa does 4% on travel but you get it back in Costco cash, so it's worthwhile if you are a regular Costco shopper.
I have a wallet of cards that I use for various purchase categories to maximize my kickbacks everywhere 🤓

you can see all the choices for your reward points on their website.  I prefer to call and speak with a rep to go over my options, ensure I understand them and have them apply them.  
 

I think the problem is everyone tries to get there early, thinking they can just enter the terminal when they get there....it adds to the traffic.

I was linked with my adult sons reservation. I was able to do his arrival time.  I was also able to do the healthy sail portion (which opens after NOON the day before the cruise sails) 
I could also do reservations in the app with them when on board 
precruise I could select them to add to any reservation I made.
each person can go to royalcarribean.com and create an account and add their reservation number to their new account. It should then show in the app. If your reservation is not showing as linked to theirs they can add your reservation number. (Link missing reservation)  it is wise they each use their own email address so they will get updated and the post cruise survey.
They can also call Crown and anchor (C&A) and sign up for a loyalty number though I hear sometimes they say you need to complete the cruise first to get the number  1 (800) 526-9723  they should have their reservation # handy.
 

June 10th arrival of Oasis was one hour late to the port.  I understand the pier was a hot mess between the now later disembarkation and those who arrive way before their assigned arrival time. 
 
Bayonne doesn’t allow early entry from your assigned arrival time unless you fit the “special category”, particular suites, Pinnacle etc..  They call the time and check your set sail pass before letting you enter the building.  It’s hysterical watching people try to enter early and get removed from the line.  The guy with the bullhorn “11:00 means 11:00 not 1:00, your set sail pass should say 11:00 if you are on line to enter”…..sure enough, “that’s not an 11:00 get off the line”.  IF they get it down to a trickle incoming for one time slot they’ll call the next time slot. 
As for dropping off luggage, they should be there taking luggage, no one checks your time in regards to that.

you can see all the choices for your reward points on their website.  I prefer to call and speak with a rep to go over my options, ensure I understand them and have them apply them.  
 

I think the problem is everyone tries to get there early, thinking they can just enter the terminal when they get there....it adds to the traffic.

I think they do that for newer bookings.  It might be that more people prefer to pick their cabin, and the cruise line would prefer it, rather than having the guarantee in effect at a cheaper rate from the get go.  Customer satisfaction?    With that said a JS guarantee on a new cruise was cheaper than picking the JS.  Since I'm familiar with the ship, and none of the JS seemed to be in a bad spot I went that route.  This will be my first time not in a cabin I chose (aside from a RoyalUp I did-never again).

I have used mine as payment towards my cruise in the past. When you sign on to the website there are rewards you can select. We have selected both payment and OBC boxes at different times for cruises. For payment I always try to make sure I redeem 8-10 weeks before payment is due. When it shows up, my final payment is reduced by that amount. The redemption selection for this is $500 or less but to cash out $1000 you can choose $500 twice. Same for on board credit. You can select different amounts to satisfy the amount you prefer.