jeffmw

There were a few itinerary changes. The Harmony, and then I believe another ship or two had the order of ports changed to move around the weather. I'm on the Adventure starting tomorrow out of NJ and going to Bermuda, which just got hit indirectly. By all accounts, it seems like we'll still be going there. The damage doesn't seem too extensive and flooding doesn't appear to be an issue. Adventure is up in Canada now, coming back to port tonight and just dodging the storm as it comes north. There was a non-Royal ship (can't remember if it was Norwegian or Carvnial) that was supposed to go to Bermuda today and got re-routed to Canada, where it's honestly not much better. The new tropical depression brewing in the South Caribbean now seems like it could cause some changes for Western Caribbean sailings next week.

Interestingly, they just emailed me my new travel docs. I'm wondering if it's because they know the system is down but they want to make sure we have the info we need.

As the one who first stepped in and said to relax because these IT issues happen, I'm really hoping they get their act together and get this back up soon! I have a sailing leaving tomorrow plus I just got a Royal Up bid fulfilled and I have no idea where my new room is, don't have baggage tags, etc.

I really do try to be patient in these situations but with a voyage leaving tomorrow it would be very helpful if I could log in!

Man you guys are tough! Sh*t happens! Apps and websites go down sometimes! It's okay! [Now, having said that, I have a sailing tomorrow and just got a Royal Up bid accepted, so if they don't get things back online soon so I can log in and see my new room, etc., I'll be leading the angry mob.]

I understand. Let me be clear on something: Everything I mentioned in my post is from my personal experience. We had 4 appointments and ended up only being able to do 2. My wife and daughter had to make a last minute appointment at a CVS 20 minutes away because of OnPoint. Meanwhile there are literally dozens of people on the FB group of our sailing and in several other Royal FB groups having the same widespread issues with them. This isn't just me taking this person's word. These guys are screwing everyone. As far as the message, I looked into her and it seems legit. But even if it isn't legit, that doesn't change the experience I've had with OnPoint, nor the experience currently being had by dozens of people just like us trying to get testing so they can cruise or travel.

Yeah, absolutely! And there were far more problems going into the night with people on our sailing for tomorrow.

Just wanted to warn everyone that OnPoint Testing, which a lot of people are still using for cruises that still mandate COVID tests (Bermuda, Canada), is having some serious issues and should no longer be used. In a Facebook group for my sailing (Adventure 9/24) there were about a dozen people who had planned to use OnPoint and everyone's Zoom links were expired. Nobody answers the phone there or answers emails. Many of us spent the entire day trying to get a hold of someone to help. Some of us were able to get our testing done, but many were left scrambling for a new test. The same is going on with sailings on other cruise lines (my wife joined a few Facebook groups for those sailings and saw many people freaking out over the same thing.) To top it off, I posted a comment on OnPoint's Facebook page saying I had been unable to reach anyone, and I received this note from a former employee... It seems with so few places still requiring testing for travel, this company is cashing out -- and not in a very honest or ethical way. (The note should be read 2nd image, 1st, then 3rd -- I couldn't get them in the right order!)

LOL... trust me. Lack of quality of food in the MDR is not limited to Adventure It's the one thing Royal needs to get in order soon. They need to reinvent the MDR experience and make it something desirable again.

I am fully vaccinated and very much in favor of policies to prevent the spread of COVID. But I'm going on a Bermuda cruise (pending the hurricane) this Saturday and this testing thing is a huge pain in the ass. Not so much because it's that difficult (we've all been doing it for two years now) but because it just seems excessive given what every other port and country is doing at this point. It's such a freaking stress attack to test your entire family 2 days before you leave knowing if one of you is positive the trip is off.

I saw something about this recently. The jellyfish population is growing massively all over and this is starting to happen more and more. They have no natural predators and many of the other animals they compete with for food and resources have dipped significantly in population. Jellies are more resilient and adaptable, so they've taken over where other species have disappeared.

So now it does appear a CAT 3-4 hurricane is going to hit Bermuda 3 days before we're scheduled to arrive there. PLUS, that hurricane is going to be heading right up to Canada thereafter, making it very unlikely it's going to go there either. Jim Van Fleet said the weather in Bermuda is scheduled to be good by the time we get there, but I can't imagine they'll be able to take a cruise ship 3 days after a massive hurricane. They can't get to the Caribbean and back from NJ on a 5-day cruise. So... now what?

Yeah I'm following him and he does provide updates. As of yet, he's only worried about the cruises that are sooner and says he'll get to this one after this weekend. As of now, it looks like it's now a hurricane that's going to directly hit Bermuda a few days before we get there. If it's a strong enough storm I doubt we'd be able to go there even if the storm is passed. But then the issue is that the storm is going further north and is going to cause issues in Canada, so I'm not sure that's even an option as a replacement. And I don't think they can get to the Caribbean and back from NJ on a 5-day cruise. So....???

Any knowledge or experience as far as this is concerned?

Yes, you're right. The certainly level is low, but if you look at the "spaghetti models" nearly all of them have the storm turning upwards towards Bermuda (and actually the models have gone heavily in that direction over the past 24 hours.) A couple hit it directly. Most of the others dissipate prior-to, which leads me to believe we'd at least have some considerable rain as the remnants of the storm pass through. Yes, and I've never been to them and do want to go there but, 1) We're going with our two kids [8 and 10] and there seems to not be much to do on those ports for kids. I've actually seen a lot of posts here and elsewhere complaining about how little there is to do in Halifax, and 2) We're excited for a warm beach vacation. We don't particularly want to go somewhere where it's 65 and raining. Being rerouted south, at least you get roughly the same type of vacation.

I'm on Adventure starting 9/24, on a 5-day cruise from NJ to Bermuda. With the tropical storm moving through the Caribbean now, there seems to be a decent chance it's going to be going to turn north and go through the Bermuda area while we're supposed to be docked. Two questions on a reroute situation: It seems NE/Canada is typically the most common reroute, but with it being late September I can't imagine they're going to take people who packed for a beach vacation to Maritime Canada. I assume most passengers wouldn't have appropriate clothing for the weather. With only 5 days and a storm moving north from the south (potentially blocking a path to a Caribbean), any thoughts what they may do? (Complete speculation is fine) I've read conflicting things about what they do in this situation as far as a credit. I saw one person earlier this year saying they got a 50% credit for the cruise fare plus an on-board credit, while others have said you're SOL. Can anyone confirm one way or the other? Thanks! Jeff

It's a big problem on the Oasis-class ships (not that Adventure is one of those.) It's a design flaw. The casino empties right out into the MDR lobby and it reeks of cigarette smoke all along the entrance and spreading into the MDR, as well as up the nearby staircase. It's pretty awful if you're walking anywhere nearby, or if you're trying to eat dinner and you have a table near the entrance.

Another question while we're at it.... what's the cheapest path for pre-cruise testing people have found? I'm fairly certainly my insurance won't cover the tests unless they're requested by a doctor. So is the best/least expensive route the Binax proctored tests for $35 a piece? Has anyone had luck with anything else for less? [whole party is vaccinated]

This question comes up constantly and I think people who enjoy the romance of formal night try to paint it to be more of a mandatory thing than it is. You do NOT need to wear formalwear or even anything upscale to these dinners. While I don't think it's respectful to look like a slob (I wouldn't go in a tank top and beach flipflops or anything), there is no expectation that you bring nice clothes on your vacation (where you have minimal storage space, as it is.) Regardless of the night, I typically wear a polo shirt and shorts (not a bathing suit or anything). Do NOT believe the people who try to tell you that you have to dress up. It is OPTIONAL.

As far as the Sail Away Party, you have to remember that's a social event, and that the port operates on a different schedule. The boat leaves when the port and crew say it's time for it to leave, which can be affected by a number of factors. They don't get to choose exactly when they leave. Think of it a bit like a plane leaving the gate. There are a lot of variables at play. So while the Sail Away Party is certainly scheduled to take place near the time of departure, they can't always make them perfectly coincide with one another.

Headed on Adventure next month and it appears we're going to be full (as of today there are nothing but inside, 2-person rooms available -- nothing for 3 or 4 other than one suite left.) I've been on full ships before and it really never seemed too bad, but there seem to be a lot of complaints on review sites lately about crowds on ships and service, etc., and some of the recent reviews of Adventure note things were crowded. Sometimes I think these comments are mostly just from people who aren't accustomed to typical cruise-crowded (waits for elevators, etc.) Does anyone have any insight into whether staffing has increased at all? I know there were complaints back in the spring when some boats were just getting moving again, but I'd hope they would've gotten more fully-staffed since then.

Yes, actually, I have used them and thought they were great.

Yeah I get that. I'm just wondering if they'll leave a room empty rather than grant a RoyalUp because they don't want to cheapen the experience. The minimums on the dial can be pretty low. Do they take every free room and give it to the highest bidder or do they turn down bids and leave them empty if the only bid is too low?

Here's a question I have about Royal Up (not sure if it's been answered here before.) Do you think they deny bids if they're too small, even if they have available rooms? Like, are there minimums to what they'll accept (and by that I mean beyond the functional minimum that the dial on the website allows you to select.) For example, if I bid $30 per person for an upgrade and for some reason there aren't very many bids for that cabin type for that particular sailing, do you think they'll take the $60 and give the upgrade or is there perhaps a view internally at RC that it cheapens the product if they're giving away room upgrades for so little?

On the big ships (Oasis class), yes. Particularly for the Aqua Theater. For the smaller ships, it's obviously not a bad idea, but in the big theater it's usually pretty open.