Andy & Sheryl Unwin

Sheryl and I did the home test 2 days ahead of our 4 days on Freedom on Sep 27th. I have to say it was fairly straightforward once we had the camera angles right. We signed into the Navi site and waited just a few moments for our Proctor to connect. Thereafter it was simply a case of following the instructions. Once complete, we went into a queue for 15 mins while the test kit "cooked". After the required 15 mins, another proctor connected to us and validated the test, and certified the documents which were available to us almost instantly. It is a simple and painless process which gave us the go for boarding 2 days later

We were orginally on a sailing with Navigator, and had the beach club locked in for $76.00. However, when Navigator was retasked to California, and we were bumped to Freedom instead, the price went up to $161.00. However, to my astonishment, I received an email from Royal advising the difference between the original $76.00 and the $161.00 for the new booking would be refunded as an OBC. With some judicious sniping of the booking, I managed to drop the fee to $124.00 and was rather pleased with myself. More so when I was able to reduce it further to $93.00 Matt's advice (and I paraphrase) to constantly review such bookings (including drinks packages), cancel and immediately rebook for price drops, has paid dividends. And in fairness to Royal, they did the OBC for the difference between $76.00 and $93.00 which Sheryl absorbed in shopping.

We had the app loaded at the port, with backup screenshots and hard copies. As it turned out, the hard copies were faster.

I hope you enjoy as much as we did

A shame we didnt know, we could have had a lava flow together

4 nighter on Freedom, Sept 27th, 1130 onboard

Sheryl and I boarded Freedom on Monday Sep 27th, and I have to say it was simple. We left our hotel (DoubleTree) 5 mins before checkout time at 11:00 and loaded the bags back into the car. Our scheduled arrival time was not till 1pm so we had a couple of hours to kill. Easy enough, we went for a stroll around Bayside Marketplace, which is about 5 mins from the terminal. It was a little precruise relaxation and fun, and parking was only $6.00 (one of the advantages of driving to the port) When we parked up at Terminal A, we were 15 mins early, so we sat and waited for 10 mins, then took the bags to the handlers, and strolled up to the door. From entry to being onboard was less than 25 mins, with no hassles other than me leaving my walking cane at security, which was easily fixed. Arriving at the door at the right time seems to have been the way to go.

A pleasure good sir, and yes we each had a Lava Flow with Kraken Rum. Converted to the cause, Lava Flow is now our cruise drink.

So we are back from our short jaunt to Nassau and Perfect Day. A fun four day break we have been looking forward to for some time. There have been several questions about the Covid protocols so I thought I would answer them all in one posting. First, as we were going to the Bahamas, the Bahamian Government has mandated all visitors MUST prove their full vaccinations. Not a problem for us, Sheryl and I had our second shots at the end or April. Next requirement was for us to test negative for Covid. Also not so much of a challenge. 2 days prior to boarding, we each used a proctored online antigen test. (we used the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test) The results were negative as expected. In fairness, all crew are vaccinated and it is my understanding they are all subject to antigen testing regularly. At the terminal, we arrived at our appointed boarding time and our documents were checked, passports, Boarding Documents, Covid Vaccine Cards, and proof of negative antigen test all checked at the door of the terminal. Once through the initial check, we were directed up the escalators to the next point where we were again validated, and this time subject to health screen, including temperature checks. Following that, we were adorned with wristbands (do not remove) which proved to all around us we were vaccinated and negative. All good, now to security. There was a little concern when they scanned my back pack and saw the magnets there, but it was easily resolved with a quick look. Thank you to the security staff for their vigiliance by the way. Their job is to stop anything nasty getting on the ship. As we boarded Freedom of the Seas, we were once more security screened and all was good. Thereafter we were directed to our emergency muster station for our safety briefing. Then wayhay, we could enjoy. All out door spaces were mask free, and inside the ship, general areas like passageways, the promenade and such were mask mandatory. There were however, mask free zones for the fully vaccinated. Honestly, it was no hardship, I think we have all become accustomed to wearing masks as it is. However, the opportunity to be mask free out doors and in specific areas was more than welcome. There were some changes since our last cruise. For example, at the buffet, it was not self service, staff behind the counters piled the plates on request. Additionally, in the WindJammer Buffet, tables were well segregated, every other table was marked as unavailable, the remainder were open, and in my field of view when they were cleared, they were totally sanitized including seating and table edges. There were far more hand sanitizing stations than ever before, and prior to entering any part of the ship, such as shops, bars, theatre or restaurants, we were asked to use them. I have always been pleased with how Royal Caribbean ships are so sparkling clean, the crew really do take pride in their ships. But on this trip, Freedom OTS was gleaming like never before. More than that, any surface that had public contact was sanitized heavens knows how many times per day. Even when we used the hot tub, when we got out, a crewmember was spraying down and sanitizing the hand rails we touched. We have cruised onboard Freedom before, (2017) and love the ship herself, but we have to give kudos to RCCL in general, and the ships company in particular, for ensuring she wasnt only looking her best, but was amazingly clean and sanitized.

We sail on 09/27 so roughly 60 days ahead of sailing

Thank you everyone, as a result of the confirmations here, I have completed the sign up to volunteer Vaccine information at the terminal

I wonder if anyone else has received an email from Royal requesting proof of vaccination and directing to another site to complete details? I have such an invite in my email inbox and am suspricious

Not sure where else to put this, but here goes. Earlier this week I had a huge problem with the C&A confirmation page after login. I would log in to the Royal website to check out cruises, and was asked to complete a short form of confirmation details, starting with my email address. However, putting in the email address activated a pop up which asked it I wanted ot keep using my email address, that then returned me back to the original login screen and yes, I was in a loop of doom. I reached out to IT support and what a great experience that was. The young man to whom I was speaking did not have the answer, but while I was on the phone he rallied others to his aid and eventually it was resolved. What impressed me here was the determination to immediately resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the caller (me). As an IT professional myself, I know there are those who do not have this as their highest priority. Would I recommend RC/C&A IT support ? Very much so. It may take a few selections on the menu to get to the right person, but in my experience, the service is exceptional once you are there.

For us, it is any cabin below the pool deck. We had a JS on Serenade and the cabin was directly below the automatic doors for the Solarium. Great cabin, brutal location.

Brilliance - out of Tampa. 5 nights western caribbean in 2016 as a surprise for Sheryls birthday. The only "oops" here is giving her 2 days notice. Apparently girls need more time than that to pack

I love it, thank the info is really appreciated

Awesome, I knew someone would know, thank you sooo much

Fortunately, I control the access and can ensure she doesnt see it.

I havent yet booked for our 25th anniversary in December 2023, but I am wondering if anyone has any insight on whether I can setup a surprise for Sheryl and arrange for our vows to be renewed onboard. Has anyone done this or know if it is even possible? If so, how do I arrange with Royal ? TIA Andy PS: its super secret.

Allure - Mar 13 - Mar 19, 2022

Our TA (Kelley Hardy - MEI) is only too happy to do so. I am very happy to say her pricings are significantly lower than I can source on the RCCL cruise planner.

For us the choice of JS is for the bathroom, well worth the money

Serenade Oct 29 2022 - 7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise

A magnanimous offer from Royal. Bottom line, we get the difference back as an onboard credit, and if we dont use that, it gets refunded. Basically they are honouring the original bookng cost which is outstanding. Dear Guest, Recently, we reached out to inform you of the changes to our deployment planning and how as a result your reservation was going to be moved to a new ship. Since then, we’ve received some inquiries regarding Cruise Planner purchases and want to provide you with some clarity. Regardless of whether you choose to stay on the new sailing or choose to cancel, your Cruise Planner purchases will automatically drop from your reservation. You’ll receive a full refund of funds paid to your original form of payment within 14 days. If your reservation has been moved to the new sailing and you re-purchase like-for-like Cruise Planner items and there is a price increase, we’ll reimburse you for the difference via an Onboard Credit added to your SeaPass Account. This credit will only be added if the products purchased are the same as those you previously had. For example, if you originally booked a 1-device VOOM package – re-purchasing a 1-device VOOM package would make you eligible, purchasing a new 4-device VOOM package instead would disqualify you from the credit. Once you’ve completed your Cruise Planner purchases, the credit will reflect on your SeaPass account by Day 2 of your new sailing. This Onboard Credit can be used anywhere onboard and if at the end of your cruise you haven’t used the full amount, any remaining funds will be reimbursed to your credit card on file. Below, you’ll find some FAQs answered for you regarding this offer. We hope this has clarified some of the confusion around your Cruise Planner purchases. We look forward to having you back in onboard very soon! Sincerely, Royal Caribbean International

So 2 out of 600 people, thats not bad in the current climate. a 0.00333 ratio. Although sadly that isnt the spin the news agencies are putting on it