JasonOasis

I would not cancel a March 2022 cruise based on what's going on now. If current reporting is to be believed most Caribbean Islands are ramping up their vaccine roll outs. The islands with the highest vaccination rate at 60% of the population in the Caribbean are the Cayman Islands but they have banned cruise ship until 2022. The next three islands are Anguilla at 40% then Turks and Caicos at 31%, and finally British Virgin Islands at 26%. All other islands including the Bahamas and Jamaica are below 24%. While over in Mexico and Central America, Mexico leads with just 15% of their population being vaccinated. However all of these cruise destinations with-in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America are ramping up their roll out as more vaccine becomes available so we should see much higher vaccination rate come of March 2022. I wouldn't cancel the cruise right now, instead I would suggest you wait until final payment is due and if it looks like cruise lines are still performing COVID testing during the voyage as that date nears then you make your decision. Don't make a decision based on what you are seeing right now because things will get better as time goes on.

That is not what I said at all, in fact I said quite the opposite I said COVID will come onboard the ship even Richard Fain has stated as much it is how you manage it that will prevent outbreaks, but if you only test passengers 3 days prior to boarding and never test them again how will the cruise line know to enact their COVID protocols? Let's use the recent MSC cruise as an example. Several people tested positive on that ship and they don't require vaccines either to cruise because of the slow rollout in Europe. However, the only way MSC knew they had a problem and to activated their COVID protocols, quarantine the positive passengers and ultimately disembark the positive passengers , their entire traveling party and perhaps even other passengers who were deem in "close contact" was because MSC performed testing and contact tracing during the voyage. If MSC has not performed COVID testing after the voyage was underway they never would have known COVID was onboard the ship which would have allowed COVID to spread unchecked. If you're going to allow unvaccinated passengers on a cruise and that cruise is making stops at several ports of call then cruise lines must perform COVID tests on passengers at some point during the voyage it is the only way to keep COVID cases onboard (and their will be cases onboard) low and prevent any type of outbreak. COVID found it way onto two different cruise ship over the span of 2 days but in both cases what stopped COVID from spreading unchecked was because each cruise line performed COVID testing during the voyage then activated their COVID protocols. Having COVID protocols and activating COVID protocols are two different things.

I don't think that is the case here, I don't think we are dealing with people who presented a fake vaccination card. But this does bring up an interesting point vaccinated individuals can contract covid but I believe the science stated they can't spread covid which is good news for a cruise ship. The issue we could see once cruising resumes out of US ports are unvaccinated individuals who leave the US negative for COVID, disembark the ship at one or two ports of call, come into contact with a person with covid while not taking all proper precautions then bringing covid back on the ship. The major difference between US, European cruises and Singapore cruises is Singapore cruises are to no where therefore there is little to no chance of covid ever enter the ship if it isn't brought onboard during embarkation day. Whereas both here in the US/Caribbean and in Europe you are visiting several ports of call and with cruises relaxing the rules and allowing any and all passengers to disembark like we normally would before covid there is a chance covid could be brought back onboard the ship. Since vaccines will no longer be required the only way to stop any outbreak onboard a ship is by testing all passengers at some point during the voyage, and that is what cruise lines are trying to do they know covid at some point will come onboard a vessel but what they can not have are any more covid outbreaks even though the original outbreaks were not the fault of any cruise line. People keep saying the protocols are working, well the only way for covid protocols to work is for a cruise ship to identify covid positive passengers early and isolate those passengers. The only way to identify and initiate covid protocols this is through testing, because there is a chance covid will be brought back onboard a cruise ship at one or more port of call. If Celebrity has not tested the guests (even though the test was for guest to return home) we would have never know about these two passengers. However, just because we would not have known does not mean covid isn't on board the ship. Since we are not going to require vaccines ( and I'm 100% okay with that decision) we then have to accept the fact that testing must, must be performed while onboard the ship especially if the ship is stopping at multiple ports where all passengers are allowed to disembark and explore the islands on their own.

Here is a section from the cruise contract that covers if a person tests positive for COVID once onboard and is disembarked. f. Passenger Testing Positive for COVID-19 During Cruise. Passenger understands and agrees that if, after boarding, and even if Passenger has fully complied with all COVID-19 Policies and Procedures, Passenger tests positive for COVID-19 or exhibits signs or symptoms of COVID-19, Carrier may disembark, refuse re-boarding after a shore excursion, or quarantine Passenger as well as members of Passenger’s traveling party, or take other steps which Carrier determines, in its sole discretion, are necessary under the circumstances to protect the health and well-being of others.Under these circumstances, any such Passenger with a known or suspected case of infection with COVID-19 who is disembarked, refused re-boarding, or quarantined shall be entitled to a prorated refund or future cruise credit or the unused portion of the Cruise Fare. For further details, refer to Carrier’s refund and cancellation policy at www.RoyalCaribbean.com. Each such Passenger is responsible for all other related costs and fines, including without limitation travel expenses. Under no circumstances shall Carrier be liable to any such Passenger for any costs, damages or expenses whatsoever incurred by any Passenger.If Carrier received payment via credit card and a refund is owed, the refund will be made to that credit card. file:///C:/Users/u216009/AppData/Local/Temp/cruise-ticket-contract.pdf I'm not trying to be confrontational I'm just trying to understand because the cruise contract clearly states something completely different than what the Healthy Sail Panel states. I don't know when the cruise contract was last updated but clearly these two documents are not in agreement.

Then what did Richard Fain mean when he said unvaccinated passengers would have to cover any and all cost associated with their decision to cruise unvaccinated? He made that statement earlier this week and never really explained what additional cost he was talking about.

My concern is for unvaccinated passengers if they either test positive while onboard or they are deem to have been in close contact and Royal decides to disembark them at the first available port it could potentially be very expensive for those individuals to get home especially if they don't have insurance. And if they are actually positive with COVID and its not a false positive they can't return to the US until they test negative which would then involve quarantining in a country they never intended to stay in. I believe people should be given the choice whether they want to cruise without being vaccinated but this MSC story should be treated as an eye opener as to what can happen if you do and you test positive.

As far as I know MSC does not require vaccines, Europe vaccine roll out has had a few delays. The article states the passengers and accompanying parties were taken off the ship and transported home. My question is when they say accompanying parties are they only talking about those in their party or were the close contacts who were also tested remove from the ship as well? Cruising is all about relaxing, meeting people, talking to people, I've met some really great people over the years on cruise ships and since we know they already have the technology to identify who you've been in close contact with can Royal and or did MSC disembark passengers who were also in close contact but not necessarily with the couples traveling party? What constitutes close contact and how long would one have to be in close contact for the cruise to say this person tested positive now you have to come with us as well? Also are their different standards for close contact for fully vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals?

All those billable hours are adding up. Cha ching cha ching the lawyers are loving it and laughing all the way to the bank.

I'm not a fan of the RoyalUp bid process because in my opinion the only winner is Royal Caribbean. RoyalUp is basically Royal Caribbean using your desire to upgrade against you. Meaning if you do win the bid you've probably paid more than the upgrade was worth which means Royal has won and you've lost even though you might think you've won. In my opinion an upgrade should be a win win for both parties involved you score a upgrade at a reasonable price and Royal gets a few extra bucks on a suite they didn't sell at regular price. Some of the RoyalUp offers (bids) I've been sent since they launch the program are ridiculous and although you get to choose how much you are willing to bid Royal sets the lowest bid price and if you go with the basic bottom of the barrel bid you won't win. Therefore I would suggest you call your TA or even call Royal Caribbean reservations directly.

My first cruise was a ocean view cabin, it was nice and that was when the cruise bug bit me but I swore I would never again do an ocean view cabin. Afterwards my husband and I would always book balconies. And for 2 people a balcony isn't bad we had more than enough room, but then a few years ago we did our first B2B cruise on Allure and we scored a last minute upgrade to a junior suite. We called Royal maybe 2 weeks before the cruise and this was before they started the bidding process for upgrades and Royal upgraded us to a junior suite on the 2 cruise of our B2B cruise, that is when the suite bug bit us. We did go back to a balcony for our next cruise but I kid you not we were miserable because we were both like we should have booked the junior suite. Now days we either book a Sea or Sky Class suite, I would love to book a Star Class suite but for now it is out of my price range it is a bit hard for me to justify spending $20,000 dollars on a singular 7 night cruise. At that rate I can book two cruises in grand suites or even crown lofts and still have change to spare. Going from a balcony to a suite is dangerous because it is nearly impossible to go back there is so much more space in those suites.

I would say pick up the phone and call your TA or if you booked with Royal directly then call Royal. My most recent cruise Royal canceled was the inaugural cruise on Odyssey out of Fort Lauderdale in November 2021. The options they offered did not work for my schedule so I called them and was able to book a January 2022 cruise on Harmony of the Seas and the c.s. agent was able to find me a great rate for a crown loft. Keep in mind TA's and Royal Caribbean C.S. agents if they are good at their job can find fares that may not be published on the website. In fact for my Harmony cruise the agent quoted me one price and while she was switching everything over she found a price that was around $350 dollars cheaper per person for the crown loft. Cruise fares are a lot like air fares, the fare you see online is only one fare it doesn't necessarily mean that fare is the lowest fare. The good news is cruise lines don't charge you for booking or speaking with a reservation agent. So pick up the phone and call you may be surprised what a TA or a Royal agent can find.

That is exactly what it sounded like to me. His comments on unvaccinated passengers did lead me to believe those to choose to cruise but are not vaccinated may incur higher cost and more restrictions once onboard the ship. I didn't take it as he was trying to twist customers arm into getting vaccinated. Instead I took as he is letting customers know if you choose to not get vaccinated and choose to take a cruise you will be responsible for covering all additional cost needed to make sure Royal prevents a COVID outbreak onboard one of their ships. So basically he is giving customers a choice while making them aware of the financial responsibility they will incur if they choose to cruise unvaccinated.

Unfortunately the issue is supply and demand. A few weeks ago Carnival cruise lines CEO gave an interview where she said demand for 2022 cruises has already exceed 2019 demand and 2019 was a record breaker for the cruise industry in terms of the number of passengers setting sail. With most of the 2020 season canceled and now more than half of the 2021 season a total lost, a lot of people have already lifted and shifted their cruise vacations to 2022. I know last year my international cruise was canceled at first I moved it to 2021 but then in November or December of last year I moved it again to May 2022 on Odyssey of the Seas out of Rome and scored a really great rate on a grand suite. I just checked the price a few days ago for Odyssey out of Rome and the price has gone up $1,000 dollars per person for the same grand suite. My advise to you would be if you see something you want in 2022 book it now because I don't see prices going down for the 2022 cruise season and there are still a lot of people holding on to their FCCs and as this industry reopens and as general public (most people on this thread are avid cruiser who would have jump on a ship months ago if they had let us) regains confidence in the industry you are going to see more people using those FCCs to book cruises in 2022. You can always book at a lower rate if you should find one but I would recommend you book now if you are serious about going on a cruise in 2022 because demand is will only continue to grow. I don't think prices will come back down until 2023 but by then your FCC will have expired.

This is absolutely ridiculous that these government agencies can't come to any type of agreement that gives this industry a green light.

Finger crossed you get some answers soon. Adventure is a great ship I've sailed on her numerous times but there is nothing that can compare to an Oasis Class ship. My fingers are crossed your sailing does not get canceled.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery they are even copying the Ultimate Abyss slides, but the kicker is Royal will still retain the title of the worlds largest cruise ships. Royal's Oasis of the Seas first set sail with revenue passengers in 2009. MSC finally catches up to Royal by late 2022, just in time for Royal to once again reinvent and reimagine a new class of cruise ship with the Icon Class with debuts in 2023. ? Before World Europa ever sets sail Royal will have uuummm....let me think about this... oh yes 5 Oasis Class ships in service. Not exactly "The New Era for Cruising" MSC would have people believe. Welcome to 2009 MSC glad you finally caught up only to be left behind once again ?

The first thing I'm going to do is just stand on promenade of Symphony thank the good Lord and just take it all in. This my sound cliche but I'll be a lot more appreciative because this situation has opened my eyes to how quickly a government agency can take away our ability to cruise. Afterwards I'm heading straight to Windjammers or Park Cafe to eat.

I'm sorry you'e had issues with wow bands in the past but I've never had any issues with wow bands and I've never paid for a wow band, the wow bands have always been in my cabin on embarkation along with my key card. I've always thought they were free because ever since they rolled out wow bands they were always in my cabin. Like you pointed out they are useful for paying for drinks, food, and other stuff onboard the ship, also they come in handy should a person forget their key card in their room.

Exactly I don't see how cruise ships are any different from airlines. Take for example American Airlines and El Al Airlines, both of these airlines beginning in June will offer nonstop flights between Miami and Tel Aviv. Israel requires all inbound passengers from the US be fully vaccinated and it is the responsibility of each airline to check each individuals vaccination status before they board their flight to Tel Aviv. Although the federal government is responsible for screening all passengers, local government (police) is responsible for securing terminals. For example whenever a fight breaks out in a terminal it is local police that respond, not federal police. Why is this important? I think it is important because we don't see Ron DeSantis threatening American Airlines or El Al Airlines with $5,000 dollar fines per occurrence but yet he is picking a fight with cruise lines, it makes no sense

We don't know what the final health protocols will be we all have to wait and see what happens. But I don't fault Royal Caribbean for taking this approach. If Royal were to turn away families with children under 12 Carnival would love to snap them up. I have no children, neither my husband or I want children but I can understand why Royal can Carnival are taking the approach they are taking because it is no ones fault that for right now the vaccines are not available to children under 12. Just like you and I are eager to get back out there on the high seas so are families with children under 12. I think NCL is making a huge mistake by telling families with children under 12 years of age they temporarily can't cruise and I think it will drive families over to Carnival and/or Royal Caribbean. With Royal requiring everyone over the age of 12 be fully vaccinated I think 90%-94% of all passengers onboard will be vaccinated and with the CDC constantly changing the rules who knows what the mask situation will be onboard or what capacity limits will be at venues. Even though I don't have children I know people and have family members who have children who love to cruise. What I don't want to see happen is for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to turn into min version of Virgin Voyages.

Yes I'm sorry I think I'm confusing myself but yet we are in agreement.

There is no way for Royal to hit 95% vaccination once you throw children in the mix. However according to the article on this sites homepage if you look at the article right below the fireworks illusion article it states until August 1st Royal will require all passengers over the age of 16 be fully vaccinated, then on all cruises that depart after August 1st Royal will require all passengers over the age of 12 be fully vaccinated, Royal expects these restrictions will be temporary. So what this means is if you are over the age of 16 and you are unvaccinated you can not cruise once cruising resumes, and that age limit drops down to 12 years of age on August 1st. This means the only unvaccinated people who will be allowed on Royal's ships after August first are children younger than 12, hence the reason Royal won't hit 95% but Royal's vaccination rate will probably fall somewhere between 90%-94% fully vaccinated.

I don't believe in vaccine passports but I understand why the cruise industry would temporarily require them. What I think is comical and hypocritical is DeSantis has been preaching since the start of the pandemic that he trusts Floridians and Florida business to do the right thing and do what is best for the business, its employees and customers, and government needs to advise but not punish business and individuals. DeSantis this past March overturned all the fines that were levied by local governments against individuals and businesses who broke COVID rules put in place by their local government. But now the same DeSantis has signed a bill in direct contrast to everything he has been preaching since the start of the pandemic. He is not trusting local Florida businesses to do what they feel is in the best interest of their business and he also will levy $5,000 dollar fines each time a business breaks the law. And he has said COVID restrictions would have devastated Florida's economy but now the very law he championed could be the very thing that slows or stops cruising from resuming in the state of Florida. I like DeSantis but sometimes I just want to ask him what the heck are you doing? You are now playing the same political game you've accused everyone else of playing.

For my Symphony of the Seas cruise in October they are charging $58 per day for DBP and $71 per day to combine DBP/VOOM. They are also offering me a $350 dollar onboard credit not sure where the onboard credit came from but I'm all in DBP/VOOM for $71.

Four drinks per day on a cruise, I think I may have been over indulging over the past few years. ? What I'm looking for is a number around $60 dollar per day/per person DBP + Wifi bundled together, I think that is a fair price. Now if Royal decides to be generous and go as low as $48/day I will be all over it.