KevinJ

@Pooch sorry for your troubles. I'm always watching the weather forecasts when we have to travel during winter months. If it looks like we're going to be impacted, I consider traveling out early. So far I haven't had trouble getting out, but three years in a row I was "stuck" in Palm Springs in February, oh dear! We just missed that March storm as we left for FL on March 24th for our Wonder cruise.

Early bird are assigned A16 through A60. They automatically assign you your spot so you don't have to worry about checking in exactly 24 hours ahead when check in opens. I don't believe they will sell anymore early bird seats once the A group is filled, but not sure. I've always used early bird for my travel and the highest number I've had was in the A50s. Enjoy your cruise, we're on Ovation June 17th.

Very first thing we do when we get onboard is book all our shows. Usually go to the Solarium have a drink and get it done. If you're doing specialty dining that also should be done first thing. Oh and sometime in there we finish our e-muster. We've always just used the APP to do this.

@Louise L Chris has just started a contract on Ovation of the Seas for the Alaska season.

Was verifying the check in date for my June cruise this morning, like I do every morning. Its always been May 3rd, today it was May 4th? Then I noticed the my C&A status was pending? So logged out and back in. Now the check in is back to May 3rd and status is correct. So when using the APP make sure to log out and back in once in awhile. And if anything seems off try that to fix it.

I've started to just use the at home tests. I've always had them available as my plan B. My first time back cruising in October CVS cancelled our tests the day before so three days from cruise, plan B worked. I then used my Primary Care Physician for a couple, but the last time they had started doing the tests in their office and what they gave me for results made me nervous. It was just the doctors letter head paper that just said I was negative. None of the other sorts of things like lab number. I did the at home again, no problem. I also feel that so many people are doing the at home, the port people are familiar with what the document looks like. I also always have extra tests, just in case I do mess up.

Well they "could" identify who has the proper documents by having them "attached" to the sea pass card. However, that would require an IT change. Based on how well their IT has handled other changes I shudder to think of all the snags they would create. :):) I just completed creating our ArriveCan account, this probably ensures that I won't need it by June

@1st Mate I had asked my TA, he said they were telling all their clients to fill it out. I sort of agree that they would have no way of tracking who had filled it out or not. I'm not even sure how they tell if you've done it prior to boarding? Is this just another document we'll have to present?

On our March Wonder cruise we were onboard at 11:30 the e-muster stations were not open till 1pm. Sort of a nuisance as my wife has mobility issues so we always get the muster done as we board to avoid the multiple elevator rides. I know terrible problem

Cool, if my math is correct I'll be eligible for a block on my Jan 2023 Odyssey cruise. I also like the thought of a block for that ship. If I hadn't just booked an October cruise I'd have gotten the block on Wonder March 2023, oh well.

Was just checking my cruises yesterday and today. October Canada cruise out of Boston, DBP 70$ yesterday no discount showing. Today it's 75$ with 20% discount? Internet for my Odyssey Jan 23 cruise 26.99 per day. If you add additional devices the per day rate only drops 1$ so for three devices it's 24.99 per day. My June Alaska cruise shows DBP at 70$ we got it for 54$. So you really need to keep checking and keep notes on all the prices to decide whats a good price or not. And as others have said, don't look at % discount, just look at the price offered.

@1st Mate I have had the exact same questions. I'm going from Seattle to Alaska and have no intentions of getting off in Victoria. This ArriveCan process adds just one more hoop to jump through. We're not cruising till June so hopefully there will be better clarification of the cruise ship process.

I get the DBP and check constantly for pricing. I have to call when getting it as my wife cannot drink so it makes it a bit more difficult to reprice. Just checked today for my Jan 2023 Odyssey cruise and the DBP is 98$ ouch. At that rate i'll have to consider using my diamond vouchers and going out of pocket for some extras. I'm hoping black Friday will be better.

My biggest stress point these days is the COVID test. Since I switched to using the at home test that's helped, and I agree have extras. Then I need to check all our documents multiple times to make sure that I have them and have them all together ready for boarding. Our last cruise we flew following all the advice to arrive the day before. Even though our flight would have gotten to the port on time. Ha, plane stated down the runway and then turned back, three hours later was finally left. Had this been day of cruise we would have missed it. For our Alaska cruise in June we're leaving two days early.

I would prefer that they keep the assigned boarding times. I've cruised three times out of NJ since restart, they're not very organized there. Seems like it's always been a very long line and unless you mill around at the front you can't tell when they call for each boarding time. My last cruise we went out of Ft Lauderdale, first time I flew for a cruise. I can feel for @1st Mate we came in the night before and signed up for the airport shuttle. We had an 11am boarding time. Two choices for the shuttle 9:45 or 11:30. Took the 9:45 shuttle got to the terminal at about 10:15. There was already a huge line even though they hadn't even started boarding. The terminal folks were doing a great job of moving people around to get them lined up by boarding times and I was happy to see that even at the last point to enter they checked the sail pass for boarding times. They kept telling people this is 11-11:30 not 1:30 and moved them out of line. I'm a master at picking the shortest line that takes the longest So amazing how many people are completely unprepared to board. It just makes that first drink that much nicer.

I suspect when you do a mock booking and actually select a cabin, that cabin gets removed from the available inventory for some period. I had that happen when my wife was looking at a booking on her computer and I was looking on mine. The cabin she had selected wasn't available to me.

Thanks for all the thoughts. My wife has mobility issues so we do need to do point to point transfers. Not able to move around with our luggage. She's having knee replacement surgery 9 weeks before this cruise so she'll be even less mobile.

@jay1021 thanks sounds like what we want to do. Probably stay nearer the airport to make flights easier.

Sailing on Ovation June 17th, arriving in Seattle June 15th, and leaving the day after the cruise on June 25th. I can see that there is quite a distance between the airport and the cruise port. So where to say and how to do transportation? Stay near the airport and transport to the port or the reverse? I use Marriott since I get my rooms on points. Any thoughts or recommendations?

Wonder 4784 March 25

I just got my test from my doctors office. First time they have dome it in the office. I'm concerned about the paper they gave me with the results seems very simple. Anyone else have just a letter accepted?

My morning schedule would always be to get my wife her specialty coffee. I actually would just tell them our cabin number. Since I had the DBP and she had the Refreshment package it probably made no difference. By day three the barista would see me coming and know exactly what I was ordering . I don't know if one of us had no package and I was ordering for the one that did if that would make any difference.

It's also easy to cancel and then repurchase if you see a better sale. If you have used On Board Credit for a purchase it is immediately returned. If a credit card, it can take some time to be credited. I recently repurchased our beverage packages. It only took two days to get the credit card refund. I think they've gotten better at this as last year it could have taken weeks.

I had the opposite problem. I prefer the early seating. Had 530 listed on my invoice. When I got my sea pass card it showed MTD. Just went to the MDR and asked to be changed. I was solo and they placed me at a table for 8, two couples and three other solos. Funny thing was that the other three solos had the same problem I had, wanted early seating but got MTD. We had a great group at the table.

I agree with @ChessE4 I always put on long pants for the MDR, just my personal preference. I probably still have my Hawaiian shirt on though. Formal and dress your best I'm put on a button shirt with a tie, my only tie. I do enjoy seeing some of the folks in their formal attire though. As they say, you do you boo.