JasonOasis

On 9/15/2022 at 2:20 PM, LJay0301 said:

Hello All, 

I am going on my first ever cruise! Sailing on Anthem of the Seas out of NJ to Bahamas, I was hoping some more experienced cruisers could let me know of what kind of items to pack since its late fall when I'm sailing out of the area & down into the warmer weather. For reference I am from Long Island NY, so I know the weather is very unpredictable in the area in November. I chose this cruise since it was a local port, I wouldn't need to worry about additional airfare & hotel costs. 

Any advice is greatly appreciated  

Since you already live in Long Island you're already familiar with the weather.  I live in Chicago and I've done Anthem several times I've cruise out during January, February and March. Although I've never cruised on Anthem in November I would say for their day I would wear what you normally would wear on long Island during the month of November which I'm assuming is probably a lite jacket and long pants.  By the time you get up the next morning it will be warm outside, at least it was to me.  Coming from Chicago in January where it could be single digit temperatures hitting 60 degrees and climbing to 70 degrees on the day after departure is shorts, teeshirt and flipflop weather.  However some people were still snuggled up in their winter coats perhaps 60 degrees was too cold for them.  By day three everyone is in shorts, swimwear, not a single winter coat in sight. 

On the way back to Cape Liberty this year I was still in shorts, teeshirt, and flip-flops on the last day of the cruise.  In my opinion the temperature was great and comfortable I didn't need long pants and long sleeve shirt until the sun set on that last night.  But once the sun set the temps really took a tumble and by the time we pulled by into Cap Liberty the next morning it was 38 degrees outside. Again as a person who is used to cool/cold weather 65 degrees on the final day of the cruise was lovely. Knowing what to pack totally depends on you and your body type, if you are a person who thinks 60-70 degrees is cold/cool then you might want to pack accordingly. 

They can't please everybody and play all the sports customers want to see.

My suggestion is bring your own devise with you and watch Formula 1 on it.  I know it isn't the same things as watching it on a large screen TV but if it is your own devise then at least you have control over what is playing.

The only person who can answer if it is worth an extra $3,000 dollars is you, because only you know your finances.  I enjoy the suite life when I cruise but my finances will only allow me to cruise up to Sky Class. We got lucky and booked a Star Class suite on ur upcoming December cruise but that was only because of a unbelievable sale Royal was running.  If not for the sale we would not have book a Star Class Suite on our December 10th  Harmony cruise.

One thing you don't want to do in my opinion is go into debt to go on vacation or upgrade a vacation. 

6 hours ago, Chili said:

Around the end of next year,Royal will have 6 oasis and a Icon .

They will be struggling to find somewhere to deploy them during the northern winter.

My bet will be Wonder will be home ported in Singapore with 4-5 months around Christmas in Australia.

They have applied to resume cruises in Hong Kong with spectrum but
I don’t like their luck with that.

Oh no they won't struggle to find places to deploy them in the Norther hemisphere winter season. The number of ports in the Caribbean that can accommodate an Oasis Class ship has grown over the past several years.  It is my understanding that Royal continues to work with Islands in the Caribbean on port upgrades so Oasis class vessels can visit more islands. 

For the northern hemisphere's winter 2024/2025 season a deployment could for example look like this: 

Harmony, Galveston 7 night Western Caribbean cruises;

Wonder, Port Canaveral 7 night Eastern and Western cruises; 

Allure, Port Canaveral 3 and 4 night Bahamas/ CocoCay cruises;  

Symphony and Oasis, Port Everglades 6 and 8 night Eastern and Southern Caribbean Cruises;

Utopia and Icon, Port Miami 7 night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.   

I hope at some point you all Down Under do get an Oasis Class ship I really do.  However, I still think any chance Australia has of getting an Oasis Class ship is directly tied to both China and Hong Kong.  Both of these markets when they reopen need to see strong demand for cruising because Wonder of the Seas could then cruise the Chinese and Honk Kong markets from mid-April through early-October before repositioning to Australia from mid-October through early April for Southern Hemisphere's spring/summer season.  

On 8/18/2022 at 9:17 AM, Vancity Cruiser said:

270 is an amazing space but it absolutely sucks as a theatre venue.

I love 270, I think the space in innovative I like that the audience can get that close to the stage and the action.  It feels much more intimate than the traditional theater.

On 8/18/2022 at 1:27 PM, Rackham said:

I'm wondering if they're replacing the Viking Crown Lounge with a lounge under a glass dome?

The glass dome is more than likely the solarium.  One thing Royal commented on with Wonder of the Seas is people absolutely love the fact the solarium has been climatized. 

1 hour ago, KBrad said:

Carnival has a great chart on their website that lists different ports and their vaccine or testing requirements. I wish RC would just rip the band-aid off and let unvaxxed be responsible for what ports require what when disembarking. Or just let me stay on the ship… I’m ok with that too. 

That is easy to say however there are some destinations that will not even allow unvaccinated guest to embark the cruise at the embarkation port but the cruise line will still allow the unvaccinated guest to purchase the cruise.  In the fine print you will notice the cruise line will not advise you of your ineligibility until you are at the embarkation port.  Some destinations will not allow unvaccinated guest to disembark the ship, while other destinations require unvaccinated guest to test 48 hour prior to ships arrival in port.  Depending on the length of the cruise (lets say 7 nights) you could visit 3, 4, or even 5 ports depending on the embarkation port. From the US that could be up to 5 different countries with different entry requirements for unvaccinated individuals that the unvaccinated guest would need to look up first before they purchase the cruise. 

With NCL reporting a near 40% increase, Carnival reporting over 50% increase and according to the Today Show report a travel agent reported a 200%-300% increase I wonder how many of those customers are unvaccinated and how many of them read the fine print v.s. how many of them just booked a cruise bases solely off the headlines?  I wish everyone was as responsible and diligent as you but if entry requirements don't change for the unvaccinated this will certainly blow back on the cruise lines.  

One last thing if people have purchased non-refundable cruises and they don't have travel insurance and they don't find out until they arrive at the embarkation port that they can't even board the ship, correct me if I'm wrong but I think the normal cancellation policy applies, which means they loose all their money.  How do you think that will play out port-side? 

Twangster is absolutely correct both NCL and Carnival have buried their policy verbiage so deep that this morning even the Today Show on NBC which did a report on cruise lines dropping testing and vaccine requirements missed, didn't read it and did not report on it.  

All they did was focus on the headlines NCL, and Carnival have made over the pass few weeks with their announcements, and the fact that NCL is now reporting a near 40% increase in bookings, Carnival is reporting booking have double since their announcement.  They also had a travel agent whom they interview who reported that his agency has seen a 200%-300% increase in cruise bookings and he didn't even mention anything about the warning to unvaccinated travelers. There was no mention at all in the NBC piece this morning that unvaccinated individuals should read the fine print before purchasing.

If local regulations don't change at destination I fear there will be a lot of angry and irate passengers at the embarkation port when they are denied boarding because they do not meet entry requirements.

@bobroo I found an article from 2019 that went into a little more detail about this disagreement between San Juan and several cruise lines.  In the article it is reported that Carnival Cruise Line in addition to Royal Caribbean had grown increasingly frustrated with the conditions/infrastructure of the docks, the Port Authority in San Juan had not invested any money in the docks and their financial situation at the time in 2019 didn't allow them to invest in money in upgrading their docks.  It was reported that Puerto Rico back then was looking at privatizing the cruise docks although the article does not divulge which company they were looking at.  However it is reported in the article both Royal Caribbean and Carnival asked the local government to stop the sell or privatization because both cruise lines were willing to invest their own money into repairing the docks.  (I'm assuming if both Carnival and Royal wanted to repair the docks they would have also taken the time in upgrade the docks to handle larger ships.)  Their offer was rejected at which point Royal decided they would pull out of San Juan.

However now in 2022 San Juan signs a deal with Global Ports Holding this company manages ports around the world just look at what they doing at Nassau's port. I think this is a deal both Royal and Carnival can get behind.  I think the whole reason behinds Royals frustration was do to the fact that the Port Authority had allowed the port and docks in San Juan to fall into such disrepair and they didn't have money to fix it and who knows how long talks or negotiations had been going on.  At a certain point Royal and Carnival was like we will pay to get this fixed (probably because it was impacting their customers experience) and that offer was turned down Royal decided to pull its ships. Luckily for all everything worked out Royal is still sailing from San Juan and the contract to privatize was awarded to Global Ports Holding.

https://www.theweeklyjournal.com/business/royal-caribbean-cruise-ships-canceling-calls-to-san-juan/article_adf16aa2-1084-11ea-9748-b31d04b39438.html

4 hours ago, david hannay said:

it seems with royal carribean that if you have deep pockets,and are able to buy grand suites and above,you get to go to the suite lounge,get all the perks,and more,but if you have started from the bottom and have worked your way up this so called ladder,and through the good and bad times you have stayed loyal to royal,it doesn't count for anything,i was in business for 34 years and two things we treasured,our name and our customers loyalty,we are diamond members,and want to keep going to diamond plus and above,but it appears if you book a grand suite and above you get everything,no longer is it kool to be loyal,only money talks,so sad.

Well, welcome to the 21st century where the more money you spend with a company the greater the perks.

If you want the perks that come with grand suite then purchase a grand suite or higher. 

When I first stated cruising I could not afford a any suite it wasn't in my budget. However things have changed for me financially and now I can comfortably afford Sky Class suites.  My husband and I had achieved diamond status before we were ever able to afford suites and when we first stated cruising we could only afford 1 once a year in a balcony.   Loyalty has nothing to do with perks we now get onboard when we book a grand suite or higher.  

Take a look at the airline the perks are different if you book an international a basic economy ticket v.s. a business class ticket.  You loyalty to the airline is not a factor.  You could have been loyal to an airline for 30 years and purchased a basic economy ticket and I come along no loyalty at all but purchased a full fare business class ticket I get perks that you don't get.  You might as a member of their frequent flyer plus get to go to the general airline club where everyone goes.  However, I because I purchased a business class ticket get access to the premium club within the club that has way more perks and benefits than what you find in the regular club.     

21 minutes ago, bobroo said:

I am glad to see that San Juan is going forward with their plan, it has been overdue and a long time coming. 

 

On the other hand, modifications to the ports in San Juan bring nothing but bad memories on how ugly and intimidating the top management of Royal Caribbean can be. 

 

The more successful San Juan's port modifications become, the bigger the middle finger in the face of the  bullies of Royal Caribbean. Good for you San Juan! keep up the good work!

Can to share with the rest of the class what you are talking about?

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

 

What is Royal waiting on?

6 hours ago, USCG Teacher said:

This is 100% spot on.  Last year my family had an AA flight out of Chicago O'Hare cancelled.  I was notified of the cancelation via a push notification and was able to rebook using the app on my phone before the gate agents even knew (or at least announced) what was happening.  I was even able to pick out our seats and we never had to speak to anyone or wait in a line.  Even my checked bags made it!

You are absolutely correct and I completely forgot to say turn on push notifications because with that feature enabled you get instant updates and can make changes to your own reservation without wasting time standing in line to speak with a customer service agent. 

I tell my family and friends this:  You are Wasting Time Standing in Line.  

If your flight is canceled on the day of departure the worst thing people do is run to the customer service line.  Get on the app and take care of it yourself because every flight that the agent can see is also on the app so while you are standing in line to speak with an agent the next flight, and the next, and the next are all being booked solid. By the time you get up to the counter the agent is like the earliest I can get you out confirmed is 4 days from now. 

I posted something related to this topic in the Other Travel forum, under the heading American cancels 90,000 flights. 

A few weeks back American quietly announced they were cancelling 90,000 flights between August and the end of December.  It was a pretty long post I would suggest just going to the Other Travel forum and read the post in its entirety.  However that 90,000 flights equated to around 18,000 flights per month which is a staggering number in itself.  As if 18,000 flights weren't bad enough just 3 days ago American, Delta, Southwest, United, Frontier, JetBlue all announce more cuts this time to their November schedule, with American Airlines leading the way.  It was announced a few days go during the month of November American would now be canceling 28,607 total flights (that equates to around 953 daily flights American is pulling off their schedule),  Delta was cancelling an additional 4,396 flights (around 146 daily flights), United was canceling an additional 900 flights (30 daily flights). Southwest and the other carriers have not yet released hard numbers but they are also announced additional schedule reductions through the end of the year on top of what they already announced back in May or June of this year.  

My advise is even if you booked your airfare using Air2Sea or a TA if your flight is impacted know your rights over the past 7-8 years the DOT strengthen the passengers bill of rights. Know your rights as a passenger, be your biggest advocate, and download the airlines app.  I can not stress just how important it is to have the app on your phone.  As a result of covid, the shut down, social distancing airlines have really poured a lot of money into their apps making them much more user friendly and you will be surprised how much you yourself can accomplish on the app never having to actually speak to an agent. If you can't get it done on the app call the airline directly or many airlines either rolled out or enhanced their text to chat feature. 

4 hours ago, VACruiser said:

I'd almost rather have all the cruise lines go to 100% testing for everyone regardless of Vaccine status and here is why. Some of these vaccines shots taking by individuals can be very old by now, over a year old and efficacy rate could be close 0%, Then you have the 4 and 5 shot crowd and their efficacy rate is varying depending on a whole set of factors that I'm not going to get into. If the goal is to keep Covid off the ship, with the highest chance of success, the only way to do that is test 2-3 days prior to have as best of a baseline as you can have. We all know that this is not 100% guaranteed but it seems the easiest way to make it work. We are just going to have to learn to live with this virus always knowing it is present.

I type this as I sit here with Covid coming back from a vacation at the South Carolina beaches. I had my shots, and boosted, but the little beast got me anyways. It didn't matter how many shots I have had because there is no meter on my body that tells me my day-to-day efficacy rate of the shots in my body...today you are at 05% left on your shot status - oh no better get another one. It becomes an exercise in chasing your own tail.

I can say having a summer sickness is the worst way to end a vacation and it has truly over stayed its welcome. I had to take another 40 hours off from work, which I didn't want to do, and I have to wear a mask at work when I do go back because I'm typhoid Mary. Can't say I blame my co-workers this coughing doesn't sound good - ugh!

Testing isn't the answer and testing doesn't stop covid because in incubation period for covid according to the CDC is now up to 14 days. During that incubation period an individual can still test negative.  I don't know how long your vacation was in South Carolina but it is entirely possible that you had covid prior to the start of your vacation but were in the incubation period and developed symptoms as your vacation was winding down. This can and is happening on cruises there is no such thing as keeping covid off cruise ships the Delta variant was proof of that and vaccines were fresh when Delta swept through,.  Then came Omicron which left a slew of infected individuals and now we have the BA5 variant. What do all of these variants have in common they all found their way onto cruise ships despite cruise lines requiring all passengers over the age of 2 to present a negative Covid test and requiring adults over the age of 12 be fully vaccinated.

The idea that testing and vaccines will keep Covid off cruise ships has already been dispelled, and Royal will do away with the vaccine requirement just as soon as more destinations drop their vaccine mandates.

27 minutes ago, Matt said:

The reason behind the Florida cruises not being listed has to do with the places those ships sail to and the countries there requiring cruise ship passengers be vaccinated (at least for now). Bahamas, Virgin Islands, et al.

However, surprising a cruise that only goes to Western Caribbean isn't included. I wonder if this is just for simplicity, rather than start saying "this itinerary, but not that".

I think you are correct I think letting customers know Los Angeles, Galveston and New Orleans greatly simplifies things for unvaccinated guest because they don't have to navigate through a plethora of cruises trying to figure out which one they can take and what the restrictions are.  Royal has simplified it by saying you can cruise out of these homeports unvaccinated the only restriction is you can't get off the ship at one port Grand Cayman, which doesn't effect cruises out of Los Angeles at all.

9 hours ago, Reigert2008 said:

I think this is all going to lead to confusion for the passengers and maybe the crew.  No vaccination needed from Galveston, but then you can’t get off the ship in Grand Cayman.  It seems like it would have been better to wait until they worked out the details with each stop and then drop it.  While those of us on the board are well versed in the policies, the general public may miss some of the fine details and then be upset when. Of course, it is the passengers responsibility to know the policy, but we know someone will miss it or their “not as good” travel agent will misinform them of the policy.

I agree with what you are saying but here is what we know Grand Cayman was one of the last islands in the Caribbean to welcome cruise ships back to their port.  I know from working in the airline industry Grand Cayman since the beginning of Covid has had some of the strictest entry requirements for all arriving passengers.  The Cayman Islands just dropped their mandatory mask mandate this past June 30th, who knows when they will drop their vaccine mandate.  I understand why Royal isn't willing to wait for Grand Cayman to drop the mandate.  However that is the only port of call on sailings out of Galveston and New Orleans where unvaccinated guest will have issues and have to remain onboard.  All other ports of call on sailings out of Galveston and New Orleans are open to everyone regardless of vaccine status. 

This is also why Royal hasn't yet dropped the vaccine mandate for the Eastern Caribbean because with all the different entry restrictions for unvaccinated travelers that is a disaster waiting to happen, and in the age of social media it is going to be a public relations nightmare for cruise lines like NCL and Virgin. 

1 hour ago, Reigert2008 said:

I think this is all going to lead to confusion for the passengers and maybe the crew.  No vaccination needed from Galveston, but then you can’t get off the ship in Grand Cayman.  It seems like it would have been better to wait until they worked out the details with each stop and then drop it.  While those of us on the board are well versed in the policies, the general public may miss some of the fine details and then be upset when. Of course, it is the passengers responsibility to know the policy, but we know someone will miss it or their “not as good” travel agent will misinform them of the policy.

It is a lot less confusing than NCL's policy where they are basically tell everyone regardless of vaccination status you are welcome to cruise.  However, you the passenger have to figure out if you are allowed off the ship, what documents you may need as a unvaccinated passenger to get off the ship, do you need to test prior to getting off the ship,  or if you are even allowed to board the ship at embarkation port at all.  NCL is putting all of this on their guest to figure out, Royal for now is saying if you are sailing out of Texas or New Orleans and are unvaccinated the only port you will not be able to get off at is Grand Cayman and they are working with the Islands in the Eastern Caribbean on coming up with a harmonious policy that aligns entry requirements.  Right now looking at the Eastern Caribbean and even if you don't have time to go through all the entry requirements for unvaccinated individuals just look at NCL's announcement it is hodgepodge of restrictions that vary form island to island that will undoubtedly lead to extremely frustrated passengers and frustrated crew. 

As anxious as unvaccinated individuals are to get back out there cruising I honestly think the steps Royal is taking will result is a better cruise experience for passengers than the steps NCL or even Virgin has taken.  

The headlines for both NCL and Virgin are more exciting than the headline from Royal, but if an unvaccinated passenger does not do their due diligence on an NCL or Virgin cruise they will be in for a world of frustration and disappointment especially if they are cruising the Eastern Caribbean.  The frustration is foreseeable and avoidable if cruise lines would just take ownership of it like Royal is doing, instead of placing 100% of the ownership and knowing entry restrictions on the customer like NCL and Virgin are doing.  I think people are getting caught up in the headlines, Virgin and NCL are allowing unvaccinated guest onboard but are not pay close attention to much of the fine print.  Whereas Royal is taking a different approach in asking unvaccinated customers for a little more time while they continue to work with island in the Eastern Caribbean on coming up with a better plan that is less confusing for customers. However if you are unvaccinated and want to cruise with Royal, Royal is saying you can cruise with us starting in September out of Los Angeles, also out of Texas and Galveston but you will not be able to get off the ship in Grand Cayman.

4 hours ago, Clarabeara said:

We just heard yesterday that our 9 hr Discover Cape Cod Excursion was canceled for the September 1 sailing. No explanations given, our planner had no idea, shorex@ hasn't gotten back, customer service didn't have information, DMed on Twitter but no reply, doesn't seem like they're replacing it with anything but who knows. 

We've never had this happen with other cruise lines, I've checked with friends and ditto, any information or suggestions welcome. 

 

Are you on the Adventure of the Seas September 1st sailing?  I have a coworker who is going on that same cruise to Canada and New England as others have pointed out that is holiday weekend (Labor Day).  Although I don't live in Boston or New England but I'm going to go out on a limb and say like here in Chicago Labor Day weekend is probably their unofficial end to summer.  It is their last chance to really draw in massive crowds. After Labor Day weekend I imagine like here in Chicago things start to go down hill as tourist numbers start to drop off. 

Could it be that either Royal or the tour operator canceled the excursion because of expected crowds and drive times that would eat up a significant amount of time dedicated to the actual excursion itself?  Cape Cod is definitely a popular destination I recommend you visit but not during your cruise, because you will want to spend a lot more time on Cape Cod than what the excursion has time for.   

7 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

There won't be  a hard limit, but there will be a natural limit since so many cruisers will be vaccinated anyway

You are absolutely correct NCL will not have a hard limit on the number of unvaccinated guest they will allow onboard.  However it isn't a free for all just yet and NCL is really putting the responsibility for knowing the rules on passengers. 

On NCL's website they have a hyperlink that unvaccinated customers should look at before they book a cruise because some destinations still will not allow unvaccinated guest.  Destinations like Bermuda and others unvaccinated guest are not allowed to sail at all.  Other destinations unvaccinated guest will not be allowed to disembark the ship while in port.  While other destinations will allow unvaccinated guest to disembark the ship as long as they have presented a negative Covid test taken no more than 72 hours before embarkations, other require unvaccinated guest to not only present a negative Covid test but also a certificate of recovery.  While ports of call like Puerto Rico require all unvaccinated guest to present a negative Covid test taken 48 hours prior to disembarking the ship in San Juan (NCL will administer the test to guest onboard but will NOT cover the cost of the test). 

In their press release NCL makes it clear it is the responsibility of each individual guest to make sure they can comply will all entry restrictions.  What NCL does not address in their press release is if an unvaccinated customer books a cruise they are not allowed to set sail on will NCL issue that customer a full refund.  Also imagine the chaos as unvaccinated individuals try to disembark the ship not realizing they are at an island where they are not allowed to disembark.   I applaud NCL for removing the vaccine mandate but between now and September 3rd they need to find a better way to help passengers navigate this process because entry restrictions for unvaccinated guest vary from island to island.  And to put that responsibility entirely on the guest to figure out I think will result in a lot of frustrated passengers.

Also one last thing if you are unvaccinated and test positive for Covid onboard NCL will cover all onboard medical expenses for services rendered at their medical facility.  However if the medical team decides to disembark you they will assist you with making land reservation including quarantine (some islands still require unvaccinated individuals to quarantine at a government facility) but NCL will NOT COVER any cost related to any land charges that unvaccinated guest may incur, including medical cost, quarantine cost, hotel cost, air fare, food and any other cost that may arise.  If an unvaccinated guest is disembarked from the ship just like Virgin Voyages they are on their own. 

It looks like for both NCL and Virgin if a guest is vaccinated they are allowed to remain onboard and quarantine in their stateroom or in a stateroom near the medical facility.  However unvaccinated guest it is entirely up to the medical staff whether or not they will be allowed to remain onboard or be medically disembarked.  

Personally I like St Lucia, it is simply stunning in my opinion 

On 8/3/2022 at 8:23 AM, Jason.H. said:

Just incase anyone else is in the same boat as me and dying to cruise again but are not covid vaccinated, Virgin cruises is allowing 10% of adults (adults only cruise line) to be unvaccinated. We will be coming back to royal I'm sure but for now virgin will have to do. Haven't booked yet but still exciting being able to look at booking knowing it's actually possible to go again. Hopefully all the other cruise lines will follow along soon. 

I wonder if people have read the fine print (and that isn't directed at you personally so please don't take it as a personal attack). 

There seems to be separate rules at Virgin for vaccinated verses unvaccinated sailors.

While Virgin is allowing unvaccinated passengers onboard that 10% is based off the total number of passengers booked not the ships capacity which we know Virgin is struggling to fill their 2 ships even the one currently sailing in the Caribbean. Sailors as they call them can book online or call sailor services where you will informed if you can actually sail. If they've already hit their 10% limit and you call afterwards you won't be allowed to sail.  Secondly on Virgin Voyages if you are unvaccinated you are required to present a negative covid test taken within the previous 24 HOURS or you must test at the pier. Thirdly you must fill out a questionnaire that is sent to you 24 hours prior to boarding and even then Virgin Voyages makes it clear you or someone in your group could still be pulled for and screening by the ships medical personnel and if the medical personnel deem you at high risk for contracting covid they can deem you unfit to sail and deny you boarding at the pier. Speaking of groups lets say the group is unvaccinated and all of you arrive at the pier at the same time all TOGETHER and Virgin deems one person unfit for travel the entire group will be denied boarding.  The only way to avoid this outcome is if you all arrive seperately and have no contact then only the person deemed unfit for travel will be denied boarding.   Forthly and this is the kicker should you as an unvaccinated guest become ill onboard with covid Virgin Voyages will not cover ANY related expenses and they can medically disembark you.  While Virgin will not require unvaccinated guest to purchase travel insurance unvaccinated guest need to know they are on their own with no financial assistance from the cruise line should you get sick during the voyage. Lastly Virgin Voyages is highly recommending that unvaccinated sailors wear a mask while onboard the ship except for when they are on a outdoors or in their cabin.

There is a lot to consider before taking a cruise on Virgin if you are unvaccinated because there is no guarantee that you will actually get on the ship and secondly if you test positive during the voyage Virgin is letting you know you are on your own.  

13 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

So, for now, nobody is required to have a PCR test ever, right ?  Antigen is ok for everyone regardless of vax status or length of cruise (certain destinations’ requirements notwithstanding).

That is correct an antigen test is acceptable as long as it is administered or supervised by a medical professional regardless of vax status or length of cruise.

If you choose to book a non-refundable cruise and don't buy any type of trip insurance than you are accepting the risk that comes along with that type of booking.

None of us knows what life will throw at us but when you book a non-refundable trip you are accepting a certain level of risk. 

16 hours ago, CharmMicah68 said:

2022 Today, right now, current climate, current status, remove all the past baggage of timing, politics, variants, blah blah blah.  NONE of the restrictive additional protocols in place today make any logical, mathematical, impactful sense other than the ones mom taught us when we were kids.  They simply congest, cause stress, irritate, waste money and we all will continue to pay for it.

DROP THEM ALL.  I'll take "rolling" them back gingerly, but simply lay it out there and tell these locations to alter or the ship alters the stop.  The revenue is enormous and they will alter policy.  RCCL will rally its customers by taking a stand.  

I understand what you are saying however it isn't a dictatorship where the cruise line dictate to these Island nations their list of demands.  It is more like a partnership between the cruise lines and the nations in the Caribbean. 

You say the revenue is enormous (and it is) and they will alter policy.  However, if there is one thing the pandemic has shown it is the resiliency of the islands of the Caribbean. These islands survived more than a year without any revenue from cruise lines all their tourist revenue came through tourist flying to their nation on aircraft.  For some people the ship is the destination others choose a cruise not based on the ship but based on the islands the ship will visit. Start removing ports of call and cruise lines could start loosing passengers who choose their cruise based on destinations served. Removing ports of call to try and teach a Caribbean Island nation a lesson or show them who's boss could absolutely backfire. And just like the nations airlines step up service to the Caribbean when cruising was suspended they would have no problem add that capacity back to their schedules to accommodate tourist if cruise lines start dropping ports of call. 

Lastly your suggest of dropping ports may work from May through October, but what about November through April?  The fall/winter timeframe is when a majority of Carnival, NCL, Royal, Celebrity, Princess, Disney, Holland America Line, are all sailing to more destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico than at any other time of the year.  If cruise lines start dropping/altering ports to get islands to alter their policies they will run out of ports of call to visit from November through April. Only so many ships can visit a port at one time so dropping ports hurts the cruise line especially seeing some of these larger ships have a limited number of ports  in the Caribbean they can actually visit.

The answer is for the cruise lines and these island nations to work together toward a mutually beneficial deal where everybody wins without one party drawing a line in the sand because they think they are holding all the cards.

17 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Interesting, that in the beginning, it was really the other way around.  Royal desperately wanted a vax mandate but Florida passed a [utterly useless] law that prevented the cruiselines from requiring a vax to sail so when the Bahamas made it their requirement , the cruiseline(s) said, “Sorry, nothing we can do.  Must comply with the Bahamian government”, and the vax mandate was born.  Now, it seems that the Bahamas are clinging to the mandates/protocols.

I'm not sure that is correct.  

From the beginning Royal was 100% onboard with testing all passengers over the age of 2 years old but they were not one of the cruise lines who wanted a vaccine mandate.  Royal took steps to demonstrate with the right protocols unvaccinated individuals could sail the same as vaccinated.  

The cruise line that was desperate for a vaccine mandate was Norwegian Cruise Lines which took the extraordinary step of actually banning unvaccinated individuals (children) from all their ships when cruising resumed because at the time there was no vaccine approved for children under the age of 18.  Norwegian propped themselves on a really high pedestal because they were the only major cruise lines in the US sailing at 100% fully vaccinated and tested and they tried to use it as a selling point that they were the safest cruise line sailing from any US port.  That was until the Delta variant brought them back down to Earth in spectacular fashion with a major covid outbreak on one of their 100% fully vaccinated cruises in early fall of 2021.