Elzbeth

5 hours later I am home safe in Arlington  TX. Time to pet my cat and finish out a proper Texas road trip with a gratuitous beaver shot!
Thanks everyone for following along!

That is why I prefer not to pre-purchase spa services.  I know there will be some special to take advantage of.
 
And along those lines, remember to try for the port specials later in the day. You may think you wont be around to take advantage but often people come back well before the ship leaves.

Lol yup!  It turned out great because our travel couple, Rich and Rhonda, were with us and they are joining us on this  cruise!  So our conversation kind of rolled around our cruise next year on Utopia and Rich kind of slipped in that he thought there was something on the books before that one.  I chimed in agreeing with him and we all at the same time told him we are going in November!  He was quite surprised at first but it turned into a huge laughing event with us all goofing on the fact that he just had no clue at all!   😂 😂  He did ask me what else I’m hiding from him…hahaha.  🤔 
The funniest part was when we were driving home he told me I need to put it in his phone calendar and I told him…it’s already there!  I had added it months ago!  We took a fit of laughing so I called Rich and Rhonda to give them one last laugh as they were driving home!  So I guess our anniversaries will continue to add up…and hopefully each one will coincide with yet another cruise!

Hi All! I was curious to see who might be along for the IOC Nov 10-15, but it's not even listed in the roll call 😞 Anyone? LOL  I know someone is going because Atlantis sold out. But I got a great price on my excursions today for the Labor Day sale. FYI if you haven't checked prices lately!
@PPPJJ-GCVAB...I'm invested. Did you tell your husband?

Royal is doing what it needs to do to survive.  It's obvious the CDC has no intention of letting them sail soon in America.  Numerous ports have agreed to allow Royal ships to visit on the premise that everyone will be tested and everyone will be vaccinated.  Virgin Cruises is doing the same.
There is no way any Caribbean nation can tell it's people they are opening their ports to thousands while those countries haven't been vaccinated unless everyone arriving is vaccinated and tested.  That is the only way to better ensure the safety of the Caribbean nations being visited before those residents can get the vaccine.  
I realize many will not choose the vaccine and some can't get the vaccine for medical reasons.  The problem facing Royal is the very real possibility of collapse if they wait any longer.  
Boycott if you must, spend your money elsewhere if you choose.  However understand the company has to do this to survive.  

For those of you who are on the fence about using a Travel Agency, PLEASE READ. This past weekend we decided to book a 7 day cruise on the Anthem out of Cape Liberty, NJ and bring our daughter and her family along with us over Easter week departing on April 22, 2022. I spent a couple of days searching the Anthem for a JS for my wife and I and two balcony adjoining rooms for our daughter and her family. I did find some of what I was looking for on different decks, near the elevators or on deck 13 (below the WJ) and they all were not acceptable. So, I contacted Michelle, MEI Travel (they also sponsor this blog) told her what I wanted and VIOLA! Today I booked a JS on deck 10 and two adjoining cabins also on deck 10. None of those cabins were available when I searched. Moral of the story here is don't waste your time, get ahold of Michelle at MEI and let her know what you want. She can make miracles happen! ?

Good Afternoon RCB folks,
 
I am writing at Matt's request to let you know about how my wife and I are going on a free(yes, you read that correctly, free) cruise this March 25th out of Ft. Lauderdale on the Independence of the Seas. 
 
A little background here: I have been "playing" the MyVegas games on mobile and desktops for years. My wife and I usually use the rewards to add weekends to our annual trip to Las Vegas and a free weekend to Biloxi, MS yearly. But, last year RCCL became a sponsor and added discounts for cruises that were meh. This year they added free cabins on select sailings. My wife is a teacher so her vacation time is set in stone. Well as luck would have it, the stars aligned and we secured a reward for a free trip and $250 shipboard credit. The process as stated in the purchase seems straight forward, but, I will document the process for those that come after us.
 
Have a wonderful week
 
Russ Stringer
MAJ (Ret.), US Army

I see the RCL stock price is down about 2% on news of your cancellations... ?

Good luck to all my fellow crew members who are currently on Quantum Of The Seas.
 
Lets prove to the world that cruising can be done in a healthy and safe way!
 
Hopefully it won't be too much longer before I get asked to rejoin a cruise ship, and head back to work. I'm amazed at how much love for the cruising there still is, and it's people like you that will keep this industry alive!
 
 

If the expectation is no coronavirus on board, then we are doomed for failure. If the expectation is rapid detection and mitigation, then I'm not sure I see a problem in the context of adequate social distancing and contact tracing on board.

My grandson and I are currently sitting in our hotel room in Disney as the ONLY hurricane of the season to do so, meanders through Central Florida! Thankfully most of the storm came overnight and probably will clear out within a couple more hours.  Has been a lousy week weather wise, the only thing for which you can’t plan!!!

A little different but I was on a flight back from Europe with my 73 year old Mom a few years back. She is a very run-of-the-mill looking grandmotherly type. Very unassuming. I have dual citizenship, she is a British citizen so I don't know if this played into what happened but I breezed through customs with barely a glance from the agent. She was chosen to be searched. She had 2 pieces of Lladro (porcelain figurines) that her sister had gifted her in her suitcase. 4 hours later I had a mother who thought she was going to be deported from the US (she lives here), her hair was a mess, her clothes were rumpled and she was hysterical and in the throws of an anxiety attack. It was an honest mistake on her part. She thought if it was a gift she didn't need to declare it. We know better now and declare everything. Getting picked is just bad luck but when you do it can turn into a fiasco. 

lots of folks will say to skip this port but the few times I've gone I'd explored and had a great day. The first time we went to Atlantis, we got tickets direct from Atlantis' website, took a cab and beat the crowds and had a great day at the waterpark. The next time we got off and went to Junkanoo Beach, it was within walking distance and we just chilled for a couple hours and again had a great time. The first time years ago we went to the straw market and then I think Senior Frogs if memory serves (after Senior Frogs I may not remember right). The next time we go I plan to get a cab to one of the nice beaches (Doctors Beach? Cable beach? might be mixing up my islands) on our own and chill there for the day. I would also not be opposed to one of the Island Excursions- Pearl Island or Balmoral, etc off the ship.
If you haven't been I'd encourage you to get off the ship and decide yourself if it's worth it. We always have a great time where ever we go!

Congratulations on the Star Class.  You will be ruined for life....but that's a good thing !
Officially, the Genie is only able to make arrangements for their Star Class passengers.  Unofficially, they will certainly do things like make reservations for the entire group at a specialty restaurant.  If dining reservations are made for non-SC pax, just realize that those not in SC will be required to pay for their meals and drinks.  What the Genie may or may not do are things like hold seats at venues (theaters, etc.) for non-SC pax. 
Honestly, it has a lot to do with how many non-SC folks we are talking about.  If we are talking about onesies and twosies, I have great confidence that the Genie will go out of their way to include everyone.  If we are talking about multiple cabins and many people, it would be much more difficult for the Genie to do.  We have traveled with non-SC friends many times and the Genie has always accommodated us....but we were also careful not to place the Genie into a situation where they weren't comfortable.  For dining....absolutely, I'm certain it would not be a problem.  
I will offer one bit of insight that my last Genie shared.  The Genies are VERY careful to NEVER put anything in writing that violates their "rules".  So, if you correspond with your Genie and ask them to do something that is a violation of the rules, they will NOT correspond back to you with an answer that violates the rules.  This also goes for conversations over the phone and texts.  Once you are onboard and you can chat face-to-face with the Genie, I have never had a Genie that wasn't completely helpful with my non-SC pax....but again, this was never more than 2 people.  My rule of thumb is to advise my Genie that there will be non-SC pax in my group, but never expect or ask for the Genie to acknowledge that or "discuss" in writing, that fact.  Trust me....your Genie wants you happy...and they will do whatever they can to make that happen.  But don't ask them to take a bunch of non-SC kids to the front of the bumper car line.
Probably the best way to include non-SC pax in your party is to have the Genie arrange a gathering in your suite.  There are no limitations placed on the Genie to prevent them from having as much food and [applicable] drinks brought to your suite as you could ever want.  I say "applicable" b/c, as SC pax, you are entitled to virtually unlimited amounts of water, soda, beer and juice brought to your cabin.  However, if you want wine or liquor, you have to pay for that and liquor is only available in individual drinks...no bottles of liquor are allowed.  But food ?  You can order as much as often as you want.  If members of your non-SC group want to enjoy SC benefits, that's the best way and puts the Genie in the least uncomfortable position.
Enjoy your SC cruise !

If the U.S. in general would adopt half of the mitigation protocols proposed by cruise ships it would go a long way to getting the situation under control.  
The cruise industry has an opportunity to show America how to open and operate successfully despite a pandemic.  
Besides, the biggest elephant in the room may have left the building in a few months.  

@RBRSKI, would you be willing to amend the date on this? I have an Oasis cruise on 12/6 that I would really like to sail! ? 

Where do I sign up to be a test cruiser?  I can be at Port Everglades in 20 minutes

I pulled the PDF from the CDC URL above.  The Executive Summary was copied DIRECTLY from the 40 page document published by the CDC on their website.  These are their words, not mine.  Please stop misleading people.
 

 
From the CDC website:
See the attached Order (print-only) pdf icon[PDF – 40 pages] for the full requirements.
 
 

1.  Do NOT log into your account.
2.  Go to royalcaribbean.com
3.  Go all the way to the bottom of the page to "Cruise With Confidence".  Click

4.  Go down and click on the box that says "Cancel Your Cruise".  I realize that this is NOT intuitive.  Most people would not click on a "cancel" link unless they intended to cancel !

5.  Go down to the box that says "Lift & Shift" and select that option

 
6.  Fill in the appropriate information for your cruise and click "begin request"

7.  The details of your cruise will be displayed on the left side of the screen.  On the right side of the screen is where you will put the information for the "shift to" options.  Put in the name of a ship and it will show you what dates are eligible.  You can make up to 3 selection options but you don't have to do but 1.  Then just submit the request.
Good luck !

Yes. Yes. Yes.
Never underestimate travel delays, especially when airlines have cut back on flights due to lower demand.

I have done it both on arrival and departure..but hate it and stressed out and wont ever do it again. I would always err on the side of caution. Much more relaxing and fun that way too....I always can find something to do the night before in a different city before the cruise.
 
And with less flights and options in alot of cases, I could see the potential for further issues if something goes wrong with a flight or a delay could turn into a longer delay now.

Whether you're boarding at 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., a relaxed morning in the departure city is ALWAYS better than rushing around an airport or three. Airline delays happen all the time for many reasons - I once had a flight from Memphis to Cincinnati delayed by three hours because the first flight of the day on that plane was impacted by fog in Portland, Maine and each subsequent flight was pushed a little bit later because of gate availability, etc.

Yes. I don't travel for work but recent years have flown a lot to visit friend on weekends, etc. Last year alone... 
I had 2 AA flights delayed.
I had a United flight delayed by 12 hours.
That's just what I remember. Personally, not worth the risk.

But what am I going to find to do in NOLA? ?

My thought is yes.  I routinely fly a lot on business and know only too well how often flights are cancelled, delayed or diverted. Personally if I were flying for a cruise with a departure deadline, I would rather hibernate in a hotel overnight than risk not making it onboard