JasonOasis

Doubtful.... Remember cruise lines did not have to opt into the program but they all did so voluntarily because it is better for cruise lines to work with the CDC than work against them. Keep in mind although the rest of travel industry in the US has long put covid behind them the cruise industry in this country is still in a precarious situation in their relationship with the CDC. For lack of a better way to explain it cruise lines and the CDC are like frenemies and at the end of the day the CDC not the cruise lines still has the ace in the hole. It is doubtful that at this point in time any cruise line sailing out of the US would voluntarily opt out.

According to google maps from my house in Chicago to PortMiami if I were to drive it would take me 21 hours and 27 minutes. Your post peaked my interest seeing that I've never driven to Florida and I was hoping it would fall within the 18 hours you prescribed. However at over 21 hours I just can't see myself spending that amount of time behind the wheel of a car and it would be me driving because my husband is the worst driver I've ever met. I let him drive once on our way to Wisconsin Dells we didn't even make to past O'Hare before I made him get off the expressway so we could switch. I don't know how some people got a driver license.

There have been quite a few threads on this topic Matt has even posted great information on the main page of this blog advising people not to fly in the same day your cruise departs. I would implore you to read not only this thread but the many other threads on this very topic because all it takes is a lengthy delay or a cancellation and your cruise is over before it even begins.

You can fly on the zip-line 10 stories above the board walk, but no iFly on Oasis Class ships.

You are correct it is hard to sit down and talk to a representative at NextCruise Desk if you are a walk-in. What I do is make an appointment there is always an appointment book and representatives will always go with those who have an appointment first. If there are no-shows then they will go with walk-ins but the wait for walk-in tends to be long especially during the middle of the cruise.

Welcome to the Boards. I like to be back onboard at least an hour before departure. Normally the all aboard time is around 30 minutes before the ships scheduled departure time but I would advise you to not cut it that close. If you are exploring a port on your own the captain does not have to wait for you and over the past 13 years that I've been cruising I've seen more than a few people running down the pier as the ship pulls way.

I would say it depends on the current book onboard offer. If you already know the future cruise you want to take and your current cruise sets sail in the next week or two at most I would wait and see what offers they have onboard. This past January on Anthem Royal had a great offer for those who booked onboard and they were running an unbelievable sale, which is when we booked our December 10th, 8 night Harmony cruise. If you booked a Star or Sky suite they we're offering not only a reduced deposit but also up to $700 dollars in onboard credit per cabin. We booked our 8 night cruise onboard in a 2 bedroom Aqua Theater Suite it was the only Star suite left and the price including taxes and fees was $9300 dollars and my husband and I have the full $700 dollar the onboard credit. Weeks later at home we book a second cruise on Harmony in December, a 6 night cruise leaving December 18th of this year creating a b2b they had no Star suite available so we booked a Crown Loft. There are three problems and one mistake we make the mistake was we knew we were doing a b2b but decided not to book the b2b onboard. As a result of that mistake the first problem we have is the total cost for Crown Loft for a 6 night cruise was $8600 dollars (that sale Royal was running was over). Next problem we have no onboard credit for the 6 nighter because we booked on land. Lastly once we add on the deluxe beverage package and if we decided to add on the ultimate dinning package our 6 night cruise will actually cost more in a Sky Class suite than what our 8 night cruise costs us in Star Class suite all because we didn't book the 6 nighter while we were onboard Anthem when we booked the 8 night cruise. The lesson we learned is if you know what ship you want to sail on and a general timeframe for when you want to sail if the pricing onboard is within your budget book it and transfer it to your TA later. Don't wait to see if you will get a better price later because that strategy didn't work out for us.

I love CocoCay. Of the last 4 cruises that I've done since October of last year on Symphony, Anthem, Wonder and Freedom the only cruise that didn't stop at CocoCay was my 12 night Anthem cruise this past January. For now my next cruises aren't till December 2022, a b2b on Harmony and for now we are not stopping at CocoCay instead the cruise will stop at Labadee. I like Labadee but CocoCay is better in my opinion.

There is also no data collected pre-cruise. Just because an individual tests negative 2 days prior to boarding does not mean they don't have Covid when they board the ship. If a person develops Covid like symptoms or test positive (remember asymptomatic's) while onboard or after a cruise it is irresponsible to jump to the conclusion that the only place they could have gotten Covid is onboard the cruise ship. On our flight down to Miami from Chicago this past week for our weekend cruise 3 night cruise on Freedom I could count on 1 hand how many passengers onboard my 100% full flight were wearing masks and I don't even need all my fingers to count them. According to the CDC the incubation period where a person my have no symptoms at all is now up to 14 days and there is the possibility that an individual could still test negative during that up to 14 day incubation period. With an incubation that now can go up to 14 day it is nearly impossible to say 100% where an individual contracted Covid. The idea that every person who boards a cruise ship is negative for Covid is a fallacy. Look at Singapore when Royal was offering cruises to nowhere and all passengers had to present a negative Covid test. Yet Royal still had to contend with positive cases on multiple cruises (some cruises were cut short other canceled) even though none of those cruises at the time stopped at any ports of call and all passengers were presumed negative pre-cruise based on their negative test. Testing people after a cruise unfairly targets the cruise industry and would once again set the cruise industry up to take the brunt of blame for continued spread of Covid. I understand the need for requiring adults to be 100% vaccinated but pre-cruise Covid testing needs to go away and there is no reason whatsoever to test people post-cruise.

According to Cruisehive Norwegian was forced to cancel another cruise on Norwegian Sun. This time it was a 9 night Alaskan cruise it was to set sail on July 5th that was axed last minute as the vessel is still undergoing assessment with the US Coast Guard in Seattle. It has been a tough spring and summer for some Norwegian passengers, who've seen their Caribbean, Alaska and even European Cruises all canceled. I can't imagine what the people on the July 14th cruise are feeling, they have to be on pins and needles hoping and praying the ship is ready to set sail for their cruise which for now is still schedule to depart.

On Freedom this past weekend Playmakers was showing several baseball games, but in addition to baseball they were also showing tennis, cricket, football (we call it soccer in the US) and other sports. Even though there are a lot of screens in Playmakers they do not only show sports that happening in the US and there is no guarantee that Yankees vs Red Sox will be on any screen in the bar and unlike most sports bars on land the bartenders at Playmakers do not have access to remotes to change the channels on the screens . If the game is that important I would suggest as others have already suggested that you buy the internet package.

The picture that CrimsonCruiser posted are the same cups they had on my 3 day weekend cruise on Freedom. They look and feel cheap and no insulation. But I understand Royal has to cut cost where they can for now to deal with the debt they where forced to take on during the shut down and every little bit helps. You have to ask for the cups which is something something I don't mind because in my opinion it reduces waste. When I cruise I always but the drink package but I've never used the cups, my husband does and he will bring them home but even still in most cases they end up in the trash because he never uses them at home and I can't take the clutter. Having said that I do hope at some point Royal does go back to the other cups because some people really do enjoy them and collect them as souvenirs whereas these new cups will most certainly end up in the trash as there is nothing collectable about them.

I just got off Freedom of the Seas today (free cruise thanks to Casino Royal) this was both my husband and I first 3 night weekend cruise. While I agree it is a totally different crowd than the typical 7 night or 11 night cruise if we lived in Florida we would definitely do it again, we had a blast, the party just didn't stop at all. Luckily we are both off for a few more days but I can understand how these types of cruises may not be for everyone.

Multiple airlines fly nonstop to BCN. Next summer you will be able to fly nonstop to BCN from JFK, EWR, IAD, CLT, ATL, PHL, DFW, BOS, and ORD. There could be flights as well from SFO and LAX next summer but I'm not 100% positive about those flights resuming.

The Bartender pulled out a separate bottle from underneath the bar after being tipped with $20 dollars cash????? LMAO!!!!! There was no shows scheduled in the Aqua Theater at all??? According to the OP Royal didn't cancel the Aqua Theater shows they never even scheduled them. Whoever this person is you have admire their commitment to posting this trash every week to 10 days, the hit and runs keep getting more and more outlandish. At this point I read them only to laugh at the ridiculousness of the post.

I know no one wants to think about this especially at the beginning of summer but if you have a cruise booked this upcoming holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) please that SpeedNoodles advise. If you are flying you either need to leave 2 days before your cruise or if you can't leave 2 days in advance you must leave at least 1 day early but on the FIRST FLIGHT OUT. By now I'm sure everyone knows what industry I work in and I'm telling you this pilot and flight attendant shortage is not going to be fixed by the holidays. The flight attendant shortage should start to ease by late summer of 2023, as airlines are hiring flight attendants. However, flight attendant training can be up to 8 weeks long depending on the airline. Airlines don't do new hire training year around because the FAA requires all current flight attendants to go through recurrent training. The pilot shortage is going to last for a least another 3-4 years maybe even up to 5 years. To be a FAA licensed commercial pilot in the US is not easy or fast, it takes at least 3 years to go through all the training then on top of the training a new pilot must have at least 1500 hours of experience (most pilots gain this experience by becoming flight instructors). If In individual is extremely dedicated they can go from zero hours to the flight deck of a regional carrier in 3 years but the norm for most people is around 4 or 5 years. Last year was a good year for pilot schools, but thus far 2022 has been a great year for pilot schools as more people look to become pilots and most airlines have dropped the bachelor degree requirement. In my opinion the pilot shortage probably will not ease up until 2024 unless Congress raises the mandatory retirement age to 67, which for now seems highly unlikely. If you have a cruise planned during busy holiday travel periods either this year, or next year or if you are looking to book a cruise this year or next year during holiday travel periods and need to fly to the port it would be in your best interest to fly out 2 days in advance, because we (the industry) don't have the staffing and there is no easy way out of this mess for the airlines.

Oh you don't want to know what we are not telling you at the airlines. LOL!!! Just know it is all heavy regulated by the FAA, and there are certain things that must be operations for an airplane to takeoff and there are certain things that can be deferred. It is called a MEL or (Minimum Equipment List) and airlines must follow the MEL if something on the aircraft isn't operational, but at the end of the day it is perfectly safe. I'm not just saying that because I work for an airline, I'm saying it because it is true and because I know seriously airlines in the US and their pilots take safety. Another thing about the airlines the MEL isn't indefinite there is either time frame limit, or a limit on the number of takeoffs an airline has on a MEL before the aircraft is consider dead and the MEL item must be fixed. At the end of the day even if the airline has followed the MEL the final decision lays with the Captain. If the captain isn't comfortable with the MEL the captain can refuse the aircraft and it does happen. However for people under the impression that every time an airplane takes-off everything is working 100%, well............... SURPRISE it isn't, but it is totally safe.

Anyone who is booked on a cruise leaving this 4th of July weekend as an airline employee I implore you to please have a plan B if you are flying. If you can try to fly out a day earlier than you planned. If that is not possible then do same day standby which for most airlines is free for revenue passengers and try to get out on an early morning flight. It is better to sit in a hotel lobby in Florida, Galveston, New York or wherever your cruise is leaving from than sitting at the airport hoping and praying your flight doesn't get delay or canceled. If all else fails BE PREPARED TO DRIVE IF NECESSARY. If you can't leave a day earlier than planned, or can't move your flight to an early morning departure and your flight gets delays have a reasonable cut-off time in mind how long you are willing to sit at the airport and deal with rolling delays. Once you hit your personal cut-off time if your flight is still on a rolling delay do not hesitate get in your car or go rent a car and DRIVE. Some airlines are already issuing waivers to passengers booked between July 1 and July 4th. Normally airlines only issue waivers when there is a major snow storm, or a hurricane so the fact that some are already issuing nationwide waivers is a indication that there is going to be some major operations meltdowns this weekend do to staffing shortages. This holiday weekend DO NOT MISS YOUR CRUISE BECAUSE YOU DON"T HAVE A PLAN B. The FAA only allows pilots and flight attendants to work so many hours before they are "illegal" and are required by law too go into crew rest and the length of crew rest depends on the total number of hours they were on duty. So a pilot who was on duty for 12 hours or a flight attendant who was on duty for 14 or 16 hours is not going to be legal to fly for at least 10 to 12 hours.

Reading the newly posted article on the home page of this blog it appears as though the testing requirement will remain in place for at least a few more months according to Royal Caribbean's CEO. Which could mean the testing requirement might still be in place this fall or perhaps even this winter. And as far as the vaccine requirement to cruise and when that might go away he had no concrete answer because according to him many countries/destinations still require a high degree of vaccination for all arriving cruise ships. I personally (even though vaccinated) was hoping the vaccine mandate would go away by the end of this year but after reading his comments that he gave on Ovation this week I'm starting to think the vaccine mandate will still be in place well into 2023.

I know no one is buying cruise ships let alone an entire brand which is partly why Carnival is moving ships from struggling brands to brands that are doing better. But with $35.1 Billion dollars worth of debt that is costing you $120 Million dollars every month in interest payments alone how does Carnival Corporation get that debt down? Demand here in the US is strong but Carnival Cruise Lines can't do all the heavy lifting for the Carnival Corporation. What has gone wrong for Carnival Corporation this year in Europe but hasn't gone wrong for MSC? Was Carnival Corporation perhaps late in their response to move ships and shift itineraries in response to the war in Ukraine? I'm just trying to understand why Europe has all of a sudden become a challenge for Carnival Corporation while other cruise lines which are facing the same challenges in Europe are doing a better job navigating these challenges?

Just don't tell me they've ran out of Vodka, Belvedere is my preferred brand but I'll take Tito's as well.

During a conference call with investors Carnival Corporation refused to rule out selling one or more of their 9 brands to raise cash. Carnival did not dispute rumors that they could sell their Seabourn brand, Holland America brand or other brands as means to raise cash all the CEO said was the company would evaluate all options including the sail of brands. It was revealed that because of the Covid shut down Carnival Corporations debt has ballooned to $35.1 Billion dollars and the interest on that debt is costing Carnival $120 Million dollars every month. Carnival reveal that while they are doing extremely well here in the U.S., they are not doing so well in Europe. Although other cruise lines are doing well in Europe Carnival Corporation revealed they have experiencing more as they put it "challenges" in Europe in regards to demand. This is why Carnival is taking 3 cruise ships from Costa one in 2022 will go permanently to Australia a 2nd Costa ship will set sail from New York starting in 2023 and a third Costa ship will set sail from Long Beach in 2024. According to Carnival's CEO they are moving and will move ships from brands that are experiencing weaker demand to brands where demand is strong. https://thepointsguy.com/news/carnival-corporation-cruise-brand-sale-question/

Carnival Cruise Lines just announce effective immediately they are ending their policy that required all unvaccinated guest to either either book a shore excursion through Carnival or remain onboard the ship in ports of call. While Adults traveling on Carnival were required to be vaccinated Carnival did allow unvaccinated children and teenagers to cruise as well but they couldn't get off the ship unless they were on a Carnival sponsored shore excursion. That policy ends NOW, but there are a few exceptions there are some islands in the Caribbean that still require all passengers who disembark be fully vaccinated. The ports of call that still require all passengers be fully vaccinated are San Juan, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, St. Kitts, Tortola, and Gran Turk. This is a small but major step back to normality. I still don't know when the overall vaccine requirement will be dropped but it appears that a majority of islands in the Caribbean have dropped vaccine requirements for passengers to disembark cruise ships.

I think a lot of the complaints this past winter and early spring were outside of Royal Caribbeans control. My husband and I were on Symphony on a 7 night cruise this past October 2021 and Chops was amazing. The steaks, the sides the bacon the deserts were all amazing in fact we had unlimited dinning package and we ate at Chops twice during that cruise. However on our 12 night Anthem cruise this past January 2022 Chops was terrible and they didn't even have all of the items listed on the menu and the items they did have were not high quality that we expect from Chops, but I think most of it was due to supply chain issues and disruptions where Royal simply couldn't get the quality of product they normally would for Chops. Every other restaurant we ate at on Anthem during that cruise the food was amazing. We going on a free 3 night cruise July 1-4 on Freedom thanks to Casino Royal and we already are looking forward to going back to Chops, and we also have a B2B cruise on Harmony this coming December and we will be booking the ultimate dinning package on that cruise with Chops at the top of our list.

Today Carnival Cruise lines announced that in addition to Costa Luminosa which will sail from Australia later this year Carnival will also take Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Unlike Costa Luminosa which was built in 2009, and is over a decade old Costa Venezia was built in 2019 and Costa Firenze was built in 2021 when factoring in the global shut down of the cruise industry that makes these two ship practically brand new. In an article on the website The Points Guy Carnival is on the record saying they will NOT rebrand Venezia or Firenze instead Carnival will sell cruises on these ships as Costa by Carnival. They are calling it a brand-within-a brand and as such Carnival is saying as a result of not rebranding these ships passengers will be able to enjoy Italian ambiance, culture, and food but at the value they've come to expect from a Carnival cruise. According to The Points Guy Carnival hasn't released any itineraries for either of these new Carnival ships but did state Venezia would set sail from New York and Firenze would set sail from Long Beach once they are delivered to Carnival. While this may be seen as good news for Carnival customers it means Costa Cruise Lines which Carnival Corporation owns would be left with just 10 ships in its fleet. At a time where European juggernaut MSC Cruise lines is expanding like wild fire in Europe and other places around the world and adding new ships it does beg the question what is going on over at Costa Cruise Lines that they need Carnival to take now a total of 3 ships off their hands? https://thepointsguy.com/news/carnival-to-get-more-costa-ships/