Dad2Cue

How were the seas/weather on this cruise?? We were supposed to be on this TransAtlantic but had to cancel. A TransAtlantic is still on our bucket list and we have rescheduled it for October 2023. Is it better going east to Europe in the spring? We are now thinking it might be better to go west from Europe and end up back in the USA. Any ideas on what might be better logistically and weather wise. What are the pros and cons?

I only saw one sign that was for "The Key". We followed the sign but it led us to the same place with everyone else in line. The line wasn't long because of reduced capacity so no big deal. The lunch in the main dining room was good but it took forever and we almost decided to skip it. Our carry on bags were in our room but they would have been fine with us as we waited for lunch. By the time we got out of the main dining room the staterooms were already open so once again the bags could have stayed with us especially since there was a long line to check the bags in. We had separate internet packages but we could have done as well with a single device internet package and shared it. I was a bit confused about free room service but that wasn't included. The doors to the shows didn't seem to be open early for anyone with The Key but perhaps everyone had The Key. I honestly don't think The Key opened up anything at all but we wanted to try it ... once was enough.

We usually plan every detail a year in advance for a trip like this however, time is getting short. We have been on a Mediterranean cruise that included Barcelona (first cruise ever at the time). We liked Barcelona and have never been to Spain except for that. A TransAtlantic cruise is somewhat of a bucket list cruise. I feel comfortable with the TransAtlantic part and ports in Spain --- not so comfortable with disembarkation and 7-day stay in Barcelona. We need everything to be as easy and as convenient as possible because nothing seems very easy anymore. We don't intend to take Barcelona by storm. We recall taxi service was great in Barcelona. A TransAtlantic cruise has been in the works for a couple of years but has been postponed or rescheduled several times. I didn't think this trip would happen so I didn't plan anything except for the cruise and the flight back home. I would not want to cancel the cruise. It doesn't seem like anything will prevent us from going this time except for health issues -- I think I'm up for it though. Cost is a factor but we realize we can't take it with us when "that time" comes. Any recommendations.??? Staying onboard the ship and doing excursions would be fantastic. Anyone know how the 4-day gap will be handled? A back-to-back with another Mediterranean cruise is a possibility. Thanks for any recommendations.

Tough call in that regard but generally I would agree. I was a "tourist" during the Cold War. Officially, my dollars needed to be exchanged at government banks and goods needed to be purchased at government stores just for foreigners. However, my dollars were well received by the citizens of Russia. The people were very nice to me considering I was the enemy. St Petersburg was called Leningrad back then but it was still a beautiful city with good people.

That's a good question. For us, it isn't a work around just to get on a cruise ship. We actually don't care anymore whether we go on the cruise or not other than to get what we paid for. My wife doesn't believe she is still contagious. I can't believe that I didn't have covid because I was as symptomatic as my wife but tested negative. From what I have read and heard about PCR tests, they can detect "dead virus" for months after being infected. We were advised not to do a PCR test before a cruise for a few months because of that. It isn't like we are trying to game the system. I think the CDC is clueless too when they changed the isolation time from 10 days to 5 days. Everything just seems so arbitrary (and political) ... we don't know what to believe or what to do!

Same thing happened to my wife last month. We were within 14 days of a January 9th cruise on Jewel OTS which was the first of a B2B on Jewel. The second part of the B2B wasn't within 14 days of her testing positive for covid. We cancelled the first cruise and weren't sure what to do about the second cruise. Royal decided for us and both of the B2B cruises on Jewel were cancelled. Since we cancelled the first cruise because of testing positive, we requested a refund. That seems like yesterday but you have to love Royal because a full refund just popped back onto our credit card today! We are now in Florida two weeks early for another cruise on Odyssey. My wife's last PCR test about 3 weeks ago was still positive. We decided to go to Florida anyway to enjoy some warmer weather compared to Iowa. We are waiting to do a rapid test before the cruise next week. We aren't sure what the result will be but neither one of us have any symptoms. I tested 3 times and never did test positive.

It says the FCC just needs to be issued and applied which I would gladly do. It doesn't say it will apply to the cruise that the FCC is applied to. Now my bubble has burst because something tells me the FCC won't be issued anytime soon. By that time, we will already reach 80 points after day 6 of our upcoming cruise ... what good is that??? Dear Crown & Anchor Society Member Late last week, we announced the unfortunate cancellation of your upcoming January 15, 2022 Jewel of the Seas sailing. Today, we want to respond to the many questions received regarding Double Points. We are happy to share that once the Future Cruise Credit (FCC) issued for this cancellation is applied to an upcoming booking, we will automatically apply the Double Points. There's nothing you need to do to ensure the points are applied. As a reminder, your new FCC can be used on any Royal Caribbean International sailing that departs on or before December 31, 2022 (or one year from your original sailing - whichever is further out). We know many of you booked your vacations because of the Double Points promotion, and we look forward to seeing you back onboard in the future. Sincerely, Royal Caribbean International

Thanks for asking this question. We are at 68 C&A points. I got an e-mail recently about the cancellation of Jewel OTS and was pleasantly surprised that Royal would be honoring double points for our cruise that was canceled. It was an 8-day cruise so double points gets us 16 points. 68+16=84 points so that makes us Diamond! When will we be officially Diamond cruisers? We have another cruise scheduled for Jan 29th. My wife gets the refreshment package and she is happy with that. I usually get a few "refreshments" too in terms of the souvenir soda glass which she doesn't use. I would rather have a couple of beers once in awhile and maybe an occasional mixed drink. My wife doesn't much care for alcoholic drinks. Seems like the drink vouchers will work just fine for me!

I have a $853 "problem" to solve just like your problem. I'm sure I'll think of something. I have already whittled the problem down to a $650 problem with cruise planner purchases! Strawberries and champagne is a good way to begin a cruise. Chops+1 is a good way to spend some money too. If all else fails ... I'll visit the casino.

I certainly can understand that strategy too! Except when the time comes to apply a FCC it seems to be hard to find the FCC. On the other hand, it can be challenging to remove a FCC and apply it a different cruise. I was told it could take months to accomplish that feat. I agree with @Sharla and "I have nothing nice to say about finding FCCs and applying FCCs". I did manage to apply a FCC once and went on the cruise so it is nice that I don't have to worry about that FCC anymore!

I really think it is better to apply it to a cruise, any cruise in the future that is likely to happen. Make sure it is applied correctly. With any luck it will be documented on the cruise vacation receipt. That way you will know where it went and have it applied to something.

I have one of those nonrefundable $300 deposits on a cruise after the May 2022 cutoff date and not covered by CWC. My deposit was $100 per person for 3 people. I wanted to either change or cancel the cruise because one person couldn't go on the cruise. I could change the cruise and pay a change fee (keep same reservation number) or I could cancel the cruise and end up losing the whole $300 either way. One little trick they said was possible was to take a person off the cruise. Then the deposit is $200 for two people. If I cancelled I would only lose a $200 deposit and $100 would be refunded. I'm not sure if I could have taken 2 people off and the deposit would only be $100 and then if I cancelled, maybe $200 would be refunded?? I ended up taking the one person off and opted to decide later about what to do. However, I'm hoping the CWC dates get extended.

It is a dilemma. It is my understanding that a PCR test can stay positive for months after being infected. My wife'symptoms are pretty much gone. Even the CDC has decreased the quarantine time from 10 days down to 5 days as long as symptoms are gone. That reminds me, I need to make sure that I make an appointment for a rapid test instead of a PCR test for 2 weeks from today. The 2nd cruise of the B2B is January 15th. The first cruise was supposed to be a 6-day cruise on January 9th. I think I will just reschedule that one and maybe not mention the positive PCR test. What are the chances of someone wanting to do a PCR test while we are on the cruise? I'm pretty sure it will still be positive. I also wonder how many onboard covid cases on cruise ships were from people who got on the cruise with a negative rapid test but later got a PCR test that came up positive due to a covid infection months before the cruise???

We would probably rather have a refund for the first cruise but would still like to go on the second cruise. Above all, we just want to do the "right" thing whatever that is. We just want to be completely transparent with Royal and report the positive test. I would think a positive test would raise some 'red flags" for Royal and might prevent us from doing both cruises of the B2B. We also don't want to go to the port only to be told we can't go on the cruise. The FAQ part on the Royal web site says the following: 100% cruise fare refund for you, and your Travelling Party, if any of you tests positive for COVID-19 within 14 days prior to the cruise or at the boarding terminal prior to the cruise.

Yes ... my wife had two Pfizer doses + a booster. I had two Moderna doses + a booster. It is weird how I have stayed negative even though we haven't been socially distant at all, no masks at home, no isolation rooms at home, nothing. I had some "cold" symptoms last week but got over it quickly. I'm the one who is also "immunosuppressed"!

Am I correct in believing that my wife can't go on our first cruise of a B2B because it is within 14 days of the cruise? My wife first had symptoms about 10 days ago and still has mild symptoms. Her first PCR test was positive 7 days ago and positive again today. I have been negative for both of my PCR tests. My question is -- do I need to report the test results to Royal and apply for a refund for the first cruise? It seems strange to assume we can still go on the second cruise of the B2B. We have decided not to go on the first cruise but the second cruise of the B2B is still an open question. I understand that a Rapid test may be negative in the next 1-2 weeks so do we still plan for the second cruise or should we just forget about both cruises? Thanks.

It came up that way on my Chromebook and only listed the Allure TransAtlantic on April 24th. I clicked on it and it gave me an Ooops so it wasn't bookable. I certainly hope it is a glitch of some kind. I'm very excited about going to Spain on Wonder even though I originally booked this cruise on Allure. I read somewhere that since Wonder will be leaving 4 days earlier, the arrival in Barcelona will be 4 days sooner. I haven't made any arrangements for a hotel in Barcelona yet. I'm looking for recommendations. Also, there was talk about guests being able to stay on the ship for those 4 days ... is this true??? ... even if I'm not doing a B2B. I'm considering making it a B2B for this reason but I don't think it will be feasible.

Sorry, I understand how FCC's are supposed to work but I avoided taking them for the most part because I couldn't understand how they were being processed. I took a FCC early when I cancelled a cruise and it got confusing. I managed to get it applied it to a cruise way into the future so I haven't actually used it yet. I asked if it could be reapplied to a cruise that wasn't so far into the future but was told it could take up to a month to do that. It's like a phantom FCC because all it did was decrease my cruise fare on the future cruise. It wasn't itemized on the cruise vacation receipt or anything but I was told that it was "in the system". I'm not even sure what cruise I applied it to but I think it is still in the system! Refunds haven't been much better but at least I can cross one off when it trickles in.

I got The Key for a January cruise on Odyssey that I paid $18 per person per day for 2 people during the Black Friday sale. I was thinking free room service was included and maybe some preferred seating at the shows would have been nice. I would like the two device VOOM package but we could get by with one device I suppose. Unfortunately, a two device VOOM package now costs the same as what I paid for The Key for two people. What exactly makes The Key worth it because I will probably keep The Key now since I won't save anything if I want VOOM for two devices???

We reached Emerald level right before Covid. We just completed our first post covid cruise so with the double points, we are halfway to Diamond level. I wasn't aware of any Emerald amenity and didn't ask. There were a couple bottles of water in the stateroom on our recent cruise so perhaps that was our amenity!

Can anyone confirm this? I just purchased The Key for a January 2022 cruise on Odyssey. The price of The Key was decent compared to the 2 device VOOM. Room service and 25% off specialty restaurants was what made me want to give The Key a try.

I think it might be worth it for that price. A single device Zoom costs nearly that much so I agree with @BrianB. I have never purchased The Key but used to like the idea of a reserved section for shows. I don't think the reserved seats for shows are needed anymore but free room service sounds good. I never could justify having to purchase The Key for everyone in the stateroom so it just depends on how many devices you need to connect on Zoom. I was the guy saving good seats for everyone else at the shows so that's why it mattered to me! I would consume a few drinks while waiting so that costs money too. I couldn't afford the deluxe drink package nor do I consume that many drinks to make the drink package worth it.

You can call this number as well 866-562-7625 I think you select option "4" and then "3" to be connected to the automated system to request a confirmation of any reservation at any time. You need to know your reservation number and have an e-mail address linked to the reservation on file with Royal. The automated system will ask if you booked with a Royal representative or a travel agent but say directly with Royal. When the automated system verifies your e-mail address (just say yes) it spits out an email with attached confirmation statement before I can hang up even though it says it can take 30 minutes. Let me know if this works for you. I book directly with Royal so I collect updated confirmation statements all the time when something changes. OBC after final payment date. Otherwise price reduction before final payment date.

I didn't know there was a rule. Will the rule have any effect on my trans-Atlantic cruise to Barcelona on Wonder this April 2022?? I'm still giddy about the ship being changed from Allure to Wonder!

No need to worry because the $370 OBC showed up in the cruise planner today. I followed your lead and booked a Beach Club Cabana for $599 and I think it was the last one. Is that a ridiculously low price for that type of cabana? I cancelled the 3 Beach Club day passes I had. The refunds for the day passes combined with the OBC covered the $599 with money to spare. Thank-you for the idea. How long does this best price guarantee after the final payment date last? I like it.