JasonOasis

My sister works for Blue Cross Blue Shield and she behind the scenes this is what the insurance companies are fight over. If you received your shot from a government run facility (city, county, state or even FEMA) you don't have to show your insurance card at all the Federal Government covers the entire cost of the vaccine. However if you go to for example a private company like a Walgreens, CVS, or any number of other private facilities some of those facilities are asking patience for their insurance cards in which case your private insurance not the government is paying for the shot. In the case of where my sister works she is saying Blue Cross Blue Shield has been fighting with the government for a while now to even get the government to cover the cost of the COVID test. I've taken several COVID test at my local Walgreens and every time I've taken a test they've asked for my insurance card. I never paid anything out of pocket but they still asked for the card.

I was able to get my first shot yesterday thanks to people who didn't show up. There is a mass vaccination site run by FEMA not far from our house and a few of my coworkers told me they got their first shot because they continually check the cities vaccination website starting around 3 or 4 pm. At first I wasn't going to do it because my mind was set on getting vaccinated this summer but if these vaccines are approved for children 6 and older I began to fell like there would still be a supply and demand issue well into the fall because the priority would be getting children vaccinated so all schools around d this country could fully reopen in the fall. With two cruises schedule for this fall I decided to check the cities vaccination site at 4 pm and there were slots available. The vaccination cite closes at 8pm so both my husband and I got our first shot of Pfizer yesterday evening at 7:30pm and all thanks to no shows and the city and FEMA not wanting to waste any doses. My arm is really sore and I had a headache come on about 45 minutes to an hour after receiving the shot. Since it was already evening once that headache kicked in I just took a shower and went to bed. I woke up this morning the headache was gone, I have not felt any other side effects except my arm is still hurting at the injection site.

If you don't mind me asking what are you looking for while on the ship? Although I have not been on Mariner, I have been on Adventure multiple times which is another Voyager Class ship and I have done B2B 7 night cruises on Adventure in the past and loved every minute of it. Obviously Voyager Class ships are not Oasis Class ships they don't have the same feel but that isn't to say they aren't equally as fun or equally as entertaining. My first cruise ever was a 7 night cruise on Adventure out of San Juan back in 2008 after one night onboard Adventure I was hooked. I went from a never cruiser to being hooked to cruising because of Adventure which is why I asked what are you looking for while on the ship. If you posed the question because you think you may get bored, I can only speak from my experiences, on Adventure (which hasn't been amplified Mariner has been amplified) there is more than enough things to do on Voyager Class ships to keep you entertained. Outside of Oasis and Quantum Class ships I prefer Voyager Class ships over Freedom Class ships. I don't know why but Freedom Class ships just don't do it for me.

The Today Show did a story on this topic today I think they were expecting some news from the CDC, even though I get the feeling many of their anchors are not fans of the cruise industry. In the report (link provided below) Kerry Sanders which I think is a friend of the cruise industry and probably the reason NBC did this story did say the CDC has issued no new guidance and declined (the politically correct way of saying the CDC refused) to take questions or comment on the cruise industry. As much talking at the new CDC director has been doing over the past several days lamenting the record number of Americans traveling for spring break, one would think the director would at the very least take a few questions from NBC's Kerry Sanders concerning concerning the resumption of cruising in this country seeing that cruise lines have been shut down for more than a year now. https://www.today.com/video/cruise-ships-prepare-to-welcome-back-passengers-108624965839?playlist=mmlsnnd_todayarchiveswednesday

I have been waiting for Royal to return to Los Angeles for years.... I'm excited about this I've already told my husband once reservations open we are booking at B2B out of Los Angeles. Hopefully the schedule works out where I can combine a 4 night and 5 night cruise but if it doesn't I'll just have to settle for a 3 night followed by a 4 night cruise. Then fly home for a few days, leave again on another cruise on an Oasis Class ship out of Florida. Next year is going to be a good year we are already booked on Odyssey in May out of Rome (depending on what happens with Wonder we may very well switch my fingers are crossed they don't just sail her straight to China). That cruise would be followed up with a Navigator B2B, at the end of October, followed by a yet to be selected Oasis Class cruise in November, followed by our first cold weather cruise in January 2023 on Anthem.

Watching President Biden's address to the nation gave me hope cruising would resume in July. But after listening to Dr. Rachel Walensky (CDC director) talk about the US may need to look at another lock down again thanks to people traveling for spring break it is making it hard to hold on to the hope cruising will resume any time soon. I'm a naturally optimistic and hopeful individual but every time I listen to this new CDC director I get this gut feeling that she is going to stand in the way of the resumption of cruising in this country as long as she possibly can and no one in Washington D.C. is going to lift a finger to help the cruise industry out.

I've cruised on Adventure, Freedom and Brilliance in the past but it has been about 3 years since my last non Oasis Class or Quantum Class cruise. But every time I've cruised on Adventure, Freedom and Brilliance in a grand suite or owners suite we always been told the full complement of Royal Suite Class amenities are only offered on Oasis or select Quantum class ships. There is no suite lounge but you should have access to the concierge lounge on deck 13, back then we had to pay for Wifi even though we were in a grand or owners suite. Talking to people who were booked in the Royal Suite they did point out they had to purchase drink packages. Again this was 3 years ago my last experience on a non Oasis Class or Quantum Class ship so things may have changed, but if you want the most up to date information on the amenities offered on Radiance Class vessels I would call Royal Caribbean.

Pfizer, Moderna and J&J are all shipping vaccines all over the world, it is how Isreal was able to vaccinate more than half of their population in such a short period of time. Also on earlier this month both the EU and Italy blocked more than 250,000 vaccines doses of Astra Zeneca which was headed to Australia Italy is one of a few EU countries still using Astra Zeneca. On the other hand there are other countries within the EU according to publish reports people do not want the Astra Zeneca shot. It has been reported countries like Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands all have thousands of doses of Astra Zeneca just sitting in cold storage, while they have very few Pfizer, and Moderna shots available (the shots people want). Keep in mind Pfizer main production plant is in Belgium not Michigan. The first Pfizer shots that arrived in the US didn't come from Michigan they can came from Belgium flown in on a commercial aircraft with no passengers onboard. I'm not sure what Astra Zeneca did or did not do but even South Africa has stop using Astra Zeneca's vaccine and have switched over to J&J. I'm not sure what is going on with Astra Zeneca even the German Chancellor said she will not take Astra Zeneca. Except for the UK most Western countries seem to now be turning away from Astra Zeneca which is putting more pressure on Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J.

I'm glad you booked it... Although this is a cruise line blog, people should know all the major carriers have gotten rid of change fees which in many cases could be cost $200 dollars per ticket. Now if your plans change and you need to change your flight you can without penalty and if the new fair is higher than the fair already paid you just pay the difference instead of the old why where you paid the difference plus the $200 dollar change fee. Customers can also do same day standby for free well, this option use to cost anywhere from $50 - $100 dollars depending on the airline.

I do plan on getting the vaccine later this summer once there is enough supply and I can choose which shot I want. Prior to COVID I did a lot of travel domestically and internationally. Working in the travel industry I think it is only a matter of time before many countries around the world begin requiring all international inbound passengers be fully vaccinated. We saw this with testing, once there was enough testing where anyone and everyone could get a COVID test many countries began requiring all international inbound passengers to present proof of a negative COVID test prior to boarding a flight. Some countries have gone further and now and are testing passengers again once they arrive even though they tested negative just a few hours ago. I think this is where we are headed with the vaccines. Once their are enough vaccines available world wide you will see countries moving towards requiring all inbound international passengers present proof of vaccination and they might still require passenger present a negative COVID test until there is enough data to say unequivocally that fully vaccinated individual can not spread the virus. Also another thing to keep in mind about cruising is cruise lines sailing out of the US will have to comply not only with CDC guidelines but also all health and safety guidelines of each country their ships will visit where passengers will disembark. Islands in the Caribbean probably do not want open their doors to millions of cruise line passengers if they are unvaccinated because it would increase their risk. If Biden can deliver on his promise that anyone who wants a vaccine can get a vaccine by May 31st, I think the CDC will allow cruising to resume in July. And to address any Caribbean island lingering concern about importing more virus via cruise ships I think cruise lines will require every passenger be fully vaccinated and they may still require a negative COVID test prior to boarding.

This isn't about the environmental impact, Key West is more than happy to accept smaller cruise ships or should I say cruise ships that cater to a high end "luxury" clientele. Now day it is so easy to hide behind the environmental claim but when you dig deeper you realize what what some people Key West want and don't want. The sad part of all this is this decision will have unintended consequences on small business that depended on cruise lines like Royal Caribbean or Disney to stay afloat. What will happen is those business will eventually be push out in favor of more high end luxury and ultra luxury shops that will cater to the smaller cruise ships that will still be allowed into Key West. At some point this way of thinking will spill over and effect the entire island if everyday people don't stand up to stop it. If allowed to continue Key West could easily become an exclusive playground for the ultra rich all under the guise of we are trying to limit the "environmental impact". If you want to truly limit the environmental impact they would ban ALL cruise ships not just cruise ship with more than 1300 passengers.

In my opinion the one recommendation that is standing in the way of the CDC actually working with cruise lines more closely is the fact the CDC still recommends Americans avoid all nonessential travel. I've chosen not to follow that recommendation I know how to keep myself safe at home and on vacation. I think for the sake of appearances and to keep themselves out of the cross hairs of the talking bobble heads on CNN and MSNBC the CDC will continue to slow walk the safe return of cruising as long as that recommendation is in place. They don't want to be seen talking with cruise lines while still telling every American to stay home and avoid travel.

It is 100% doable only if you walk off with your luggage which means you have to pack smart. I've done this several times when flying out of Fort Lauderdale and Newark, in most cases the doors open about an hour after the ship docks. I've walked off Allure at Port Everglades or Anthem at Cape Liberty at 6:30am and I'm on an 8:30am or 9am flight home. San Juan's airport is a bit further from the cruise port than Fort Lauderdale international is from Port Everglades or Cape Liberty is from Newark International. However, if the ship arrives at 6am you should be ready to walk off the ship by 7am. The beauty of walking off with your luggage early are the lines to get through customs aren't that long. You could potentially be in a cab on your way to the airport by 8am at the latest for an 11am flight. The only other way I can see this working if you check your luggage is if you book a higher tier Sky Class, any Star Class suite or if you are top tier member of RC's Crown and Anchor society. If you are in one of RC top tier suites or a top tier member your luggage will be waiting for you in a separate area which makes it much easier to find. Also I've found that customers booked in top tier suites once you claim your luggage you are escorted to nearly the front of the line of people waiting to clear customs.

If you're not going to mandate all passenger be fully vaccinated before cruising then I think the safest way to conduct test cruise would be with a mixture of vaccinated and non-vaccinated passengers, of all different age groups. The reason I say use a mixture is because even though all passengers would at the very least be required to provide proof of a negative COVID test there have been instances (not directly related to the cruise industry) where a person has tested negative for the virus only to test positive 2 or 3 days later. If President Biden's new timeline of May 31st being the date where any all adult Americans who want a shot will be able to get the shot I still think test cruises should take place with a mixture because so far none of the vaccines have been approved for children under the age of 16.

Where on the port schedule are you seeing the 7-night cruises. I'm only seeing 3/4-night cruises which is great, I've been waiting for years for Royal to return to Los Angeles and Navigator of the Seas is a great ship. I think my husband and I can squeeze in a 4 nighter after our 9 night Odyssey cruise and still make it home in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

I'm almost facing the same dilemma but I have 3 days in between my late October 2021 cruise and my November 2021 cruise. If there is some type of requirement in place what I'm hopping for is cruise lines will either accept a negative COVID test or allow people to board who can show they have been fully vaccinated.

@twangster Here is a direct copy and paste from the main page on this site talking about the Solarium on Odyssey the update was posted on March 3rd. "Mr. Tamis also told travel agents that the Solarium adults only area will have areas to cool down, but not a pool. "Adults only pool, there is not." This sounds similar to the Solarium set up on Harmony of the Seas, which does not have a pool in that Solarium." https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/ Also in my response I did state Harmony of the Seas, not Oasis, Symphony or Allure. Oasis, Allure and Symphony all have a pool in the solarium, I've been on Harmony enough times to know it does not. In fact the last time I was on Harmony at one of those small meet and greet sessions in Dazzles with the captain a person in the audience asked if RC would install a pool in the solarium he said no. He stated it is easier and cheaper to outfit ships with water slides and other water features than it to install a pool after a ship has already been designed. As much as Harmony looks like every other Oasis Class ship there are differences especially behind the scenes but the captain did admit RC knew they made a mistake by having cool down areas and not a pool in the solarium on Harmony. If you pull up the deck plans for Harmony of the Seas and compare to Allure and Oasis the total number of adult pools (not jacuzzies) you will see on Harmony is 4 pools, whereas Allure and Oasis have 5 adult pools, the one missing pool on Harmony is in the solarium. It is a shame to see them make the same mistake with Odyssey that they made with Harmony especially if Odyssey's home ports after COVID will continue to be Fort Lauderdale (fall/winter)and Rome (spring/summer) both of which are warm weather destinations.

I'm not to fond of the size of the lettering on the side of the ship either, and I read on this site the Solarium does not have a pool just cool down areas. In my opinion that is a mistake, which I thought Royal had learned from on Harmony of the Seas. Other than this the only problem I have with all Quantum Class ships is with the layout of deck 4 the Royal Esplanade, on every Quantum Class ship I've been on the flow of traffic on the Royal Esplanade is terrible and it alway feels crowded throughout most of the day. Having said that I still enjoy cruising on Quantum Class ships just as much as I enjoy Oasis Class, and Voyager Class ships. If there is really one class of ship I don't enjoy it would be Freedom Class, and I honestly don't know why. I've taken 2 cruises on Freedom Class ships and on both cruises I just didn't like the feel of the ship and after the second cruise I was just ready for the cruise to be over and I never want a cruise to end.

I understand that but Royal has to Amp it up at some point, Texas would feel slighted if Allure was the only Oasis class to remain as is no water slides, no Ultimate Abyss, or any of the other new venues that are now on Oasis of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas. I'm a person who is alway full of hope and until Royal says no Allure will not be Amped, I will continue to hold on to hope. I can close my eyes and see it Allure goes to dry dock at some point in 2023, the brand new terminal is complete with jet bridges (or whatever they are called) and hopefully by the fall of 2023 Allure comes home Amplified!!!! LOL

11 night Anthem Southern Caribbean Cruise January 24, 2023 booked. It will be our first time sailing out of New York in the cold but at least it will be 9 days of fun in the sun. I'm assuming one day in each direction we will be freezing our tails off in the Atlantic but its is worth it to escape old man winter. Come on Royal release the the rest of the fall/winter 2022-2023 schedule for the remaining ships I'm looking for something in particular in October or November of 2022. I almost booked the Panama Canal cruise out of Los Angeles on October 2nd.

Get ready Texas, Allure is coming we finally know when she will set sail out of Galveston November 2022. Fingers crossed Allure will be amplified during the Spring of 2023 and returns to Galveston in the fall of 2023 amped up ready to go!!!

I checked last night before I went to bed at midnight, I checked again this morning when I got up at 5:30am, and I've checked probably another 10 or 12 times since this morning and its only 4:39 central standard time. This is like black Friday shopping I feel like I need to pack up some Thanksgiving leftovers and get ready for the long haul.

With my next cruise not scheduled until October my plan is to get vaccinated in July or August of this year. If vaccination becomes a requirement in this country to restart cruising I have no problem with it.

I'm optimistic for 2022. In 2020 I almost booked a 2021 European cruise I'm glad I didn't because it doesn't look like Europe will be open to American tourist until late Q3 or Q4 and of course there would still be restrictions. However in 2020 I did book a 2022, 9 night Greek Isle cruise sailing out of Rome. Neither my husband or I have ever been to Greece so here is our chance to get a taste and I'm sure we will come back for a land vacation. But I'm optimistic the 2022 European cruise season will be awesome I'm also waiting to see RC plans for getting Wonder of the Seas to China. Because I already had 4 cruises booked I couldn't do Spectrum of the Seas in 2019 and she had some great ports of call on her way over to China. I've told my husband we are going to try and hold out on booking any more cruises in 2022 until we see how Wonder of the Seas get to China. We do have 2 cruises booked this year one in late October and another in November I'm hopeful cruising will have resumed in this country by then.