JasonOasis

I think you are correct. I think anyone holding out hope cruising will resume either this spring or summer should prepare themselves for the possibility their cruise will be canceled. The CDC still hasn't given the cruise industry a road map for a safe return and now with the new administration in Washington D.C. and a new CDC director it may be months before the CDC gives the cruise industry direction conducting test cruises and ultimately a return to cruising. As much as I don't want to say this I honestly do not believe the cruise industry or the resumption of cruising from US ports is a top priority for the CDC especially under the new administration.

Just announced United Airlines will launch new nonstop service to Barbados from both their EWR (New York) and IAD (Washington D.C.) hubs once weekly starting on December 5th the same day Grandeur of the Seas begins sailing out of Barbados. I think United Airlines should expand this service to either 2x weekly or 3x weekly as most people do not arrive the same day their cruise departs. Hopefully United's route planners will consult with people familiar with the cruise industry and adjust or add a second weekly flight because if the flight out of EWR or IAD is delayed anyone onboard trying to catch their cruise will miss the boat.

I don't think it is a hassle what it all comes down to is tourist will need to do their homework before planning a trip abroad. In my opinion the ownness falls on the tourist to have a plan in place prior to traveling. If people have a plan in place it is less of a hassle, for those who don't plan they yes they are running around at the last minute trying figure out where can I get a test. Testing, testing, testing, is the how we reopen travel and tourism in 2021 until the vaccines and data from the vaccines are more widely available. Anyone planning a spring break land trip, or a summer/fall land trip or possible cruise should be doing their homework now, because they will need a negative COVID test. Traveling in the age of COVID does not have to be a hassle as long as you know what to expect and are prepared.

Your cruise credits are now good through April of 2022 as long as you sail by the end of September 2022. This extension was just announced, I received an email a few days ago from RC confirming this. In my opinion we could see another extension on those cruise credits if this suspension drags on into the summer months of 2021. Having said that I am sorry you've lost your job hopefully things will turn around for you and your fiancé. I'm not sure whether you are new to cruising or not but unfortunately you made a mistake many people made by booking (either mistakenly or purposefully) a nonrefundable cruise. Royal Caribbean is not trying to steal your money, they are not trying to keep your money but the nonrefundable contract is clear and your money is safe with Royal Caribbean which you can use towards a future cruise. Don't let this experience turn you off to cruising or to Royal Caribbean because I don't know if you have taken the time to peruse this blog site but if you have you have seen there are a lot of people who still want to get on a cruise ship as soon as possible. I wish I could offer you a different answer we saw airlines try this approach of offering credits but ultimately they had to offer full cash refunds. However cruise lines are not airline lines they operate under to completely different set of rules so even though passengers who booked nonrefundable airfare were able to receive a cash refund that simply isn't they way cruise lines operate. I hope you will reconsider and give Royal Caribbean the chance to show you how great their customer service both on land and especially at sea is.

You absolutely nailed it, I know we get on a cruise let loose and have fun but every now and then while relaxing in your cabin you want to watch TV. The ability to cast or stream from a personal devise would be great because their current closed loop programing plus the 2 news channels are terrible. Also as others have noted more power outlets and I would really love a steamer. For years RC allowed me to bring my steamer onboard in my carryon but in November of 2018 they took it from me at Port Everglades and said RC would no longer allow steamers. I want a steamer in the cabin.

For passengers who live outside of the U.S. they should be able to get a COVID test and their results within the CDC's time frame. Now after the cruise when passengers are on their way home there are some airports like MIA, LAX, SFO, and others that are rolling out the rapid antigen test for a fee of course, there are also certain airlines here in the US offering rapid test at certain airports as well. Hopefully as we move deeper into 2021 and get closer to the resumption of cruising more airports across this country will offer a rapid antigen test to anyone who needs a test. Personally I don't see cruising resuming here in US until June or July at the earliest so by then (fingers crossed) it will be a lot more easier for all travelers to access a COVID test.

There are no incentives to paying off your cruise fare early. If you are not sure about your dates (or even if you are) and you are booking a cruise more than 6 months out I would suggest booking the refundable fare because anything can happen. And like others have already pointed out if you are sure you're going on the cruise you can simply switch it to a non-refundable fare if the non-refundable fare is the better deal. A lot of people were burned and are still upset with cruise lines because they booked a non-refundable fare.

Junior suites are not worth the money in my opinion period, they are nothing more than a glorified balcony. If you are going to splurge then spring for the Grand Suite or higher. I've stayed in every category of Sky Class suite on the Oasis Class ships (I can't afford Star Class it is outside of my price range for now). If you are going to cruise and you have the money to treat yourself then just do it, treat yourself you won't regret it. I guarantee you Sky Class on an Oasis Class ship is worth the extra money. There are several different suite types within Sky Class on Oasis Class ships. In my opinion 3 are worth the money they are the Owners Suites, Crown Lofts, and the Aqua Theater 1 bedroom suites. My persona; favorite are the Aqua Theater 1 bedroom suites, some people don't like being at the back end of the ship I for one love it.

In the past I've used both Uber and a cabs to get from Port Canaveral to MCO. When my cruise is over I personally don't like waiting around for a 60 passenger bus to round people up I want to get off the ship on to the airport and on my flight home. I've found that for me the easiest way (although not necessarily the cheapest) has been Ubers and cabs. The good thing about the cab is if you take it from Port Canaveral to MCO it is a flat rate.

Thank you for your response I will have to check out Celebrity because I for sure want to do a Mexican Riviera cruise as well as the 15 night South America cruise that leaves out of Buenos Aires and ends in San Antonio, Chile. I've been hoping Royal Caribbean would add these do itineraries to their line up but I guess we will just have to get on Celebrity.

I've never been on Celebrity, although I've only heard great things about them I've also heard the majority of their customers are a bit older than those on Royal Caribbean, NCL, and/or MSC. Those are the only cruise lines I've ever been on. Although I would love to cruise the Mexican Riviera, I'm not sure if Celebrity Cruises is right fit, how are they compared to the 3 cruise lines I've been on? Also if Celebrity is going back is their any chance we might see RC home port a ship in 2023 at either Long Beach or San Diego?

My husband and I did this same cruise in 2019 on Oasis of the Seas, like someone else stated many of the cruise ports are outside of the major city centers, but what my husband and I did was we booked a private tour in Naples that picked us up at the cruise port and drove us down to Amalfi Coast it was a simi-private tour with 2 other people and we didn't feel rushed the tour guide was very much familiar with cruise ship passengers and our tour was around 7 hours not including the drive. At both Rome and Florence since we had already been to these cities via a land vacation a few years earlier we simply jumped on the train. At La Spezia we took the shuttle bus from the cruise port to the train station and boarded the train for Florence because we both wanted to go back to Ponte de Vecchio and we both love Florence, we did the same thing at Civitavecchia the port city for Rome. Since we had already been to Rome before we felt comfortable getting around Rome on our own. But these options do take time so factor it in if you decided to explore on your own or with an outside tour company. At Palma de Mallorca we again hire a private tour company which picked us up at the pier and dropped us off back at the pier. The only time I really felt rushed was in Florence because Florence is a bit further from the port than Pisa on the train, so we were rushing just a little bit but we still had a great time and we made it back to the ship with 2 hours prior to our set sail time. My husband and I live in the big city we are use to trains, buses, subways, when we take land vacations it is our main mode of transportation. However if you are not comfortable on public transportation or if you are a person who get lost easily then I would not suggest you take any of my advise. Instead just book your excursions through the cruise because doing Europe on your own you need to know what you are doing and where you are going. At the end of the day I loved the Western Mediterranean cruise we took we got off the ship feeling gratified. Next year we are booked on a Greek Isle cruise on Odyssey of the Seas, it will be our first time taking a Greek Isle cruise.

My introduction to cruising was on the Adventure of the Seas at the time it was doing round trips out of San Juan PR. Prior to this I thought I knew what cruising entail also one of my family members had a horrendous experience on a Carnival cruise ship and swore I would never get on a cruise ship. However someone in my family had taken a RC cruise and was ranting and raving about how good RC cruises were and instead of our usual land based family vacation they planned a family cruise. It was a fairly inexpensive cruise so I thought why not give it a try its only 7 days and if I don' like it I can always get off the ship book a hotel and fly home after all I work in the travel industry. Needless to say I didn't get off the ship I loved it, the entire experience was almost magical. Before that cruise when I wanted beach vacation I would always go to resorts, but after that first cruise I had not set foot on another land based beach resort until 2020. Since my first cruise in 2008 I've been taking 3 and some time 4 cruise per year all thanks to the Adventure of the Seats. I love Freedom, Quantum and Oasis Class ships but Adventure of the Seas will hold a special place in my heart for ever and I've taken multiple cruises on her she is simply a beautiful ship.

Nassau is a fun port with lots of things to keep you entertain for the entire time the ship is in port and I've never felt my safety or my husbands safety was threaten in Nassau. We always create our own shore excursions when in Nassau. If your judgement of Honduras is based simply from the location of the port then you haven't seen what Honduras has to offer. I will say Honduras needs to do a better job of securing the port and street and shop outside the port. A lady did try to pick pocket but me and my husband but because we were attentive she couldn't get us. Having said that Honduras does have some beautiful beaches also there are a few island you can visit by just taking a short boat ride. Jamaica is one of those islands that I just love, I love the people, the culture, the food, I've never felt like my safety or the safety of my husband was in jeopardy. Most times when we visit Jamaica we again we never book an excursion through Royal we always book our own or just do own thing. Hopefully you will give these islands another try.

Although there is speculation that the CDC is slow walking its guidance on how cruise lines should proceed with the simulated cruises I think home porting Grandeur of the Seas in Barbados is simply Royal Caribbean expanding and offering passengers more options and more Caribbean islands. I would love to book this cruise in December 2021 but I'm already booked on a 7 night Symphony of the Seas in October of 2021 and a 9 night Odyssey of the Seas in November 2021.

I would suggest you not cancel but instead wait until RC cancels your cruise this way you will receive the 125% FCC. If you cancel you will only receive 100% FCC. With the news that RC will let their Health and Safety panel of experts make the final decision on whether to require passengers be vaccinated prior to cruising, if that panel doest in fact make that recommendation cruising may not resume until July 2021. The last thing any cruise line wants especially here in this country is for a cruise to be cut short do to a possible case of COVID onboard, even a false positive test would end the cruise immediately. The media in the U.S. is already sharpening their claws waiting for cruising to resume so they can once again tear this industry down. I would rather the cruise industry wait and get it right, than to see cruise ships splashed across every network and cable news channel with talking bobble heads trashing an industry they know nothing about.

Not to disagree with you but the CDC does have the authority to shut down the airlines in this country because they are all US flagged carriers. However airlines do more than just carry vacationers, there are people who still must travel for essential purposes, and also what people may not know is passenger carriers also move a lot of cargo. When most people think of cargo they think UPS or FedEx but passenger carriers like American, United, and Delta move a lot of cargo and mail throughout their networks. Shutting down all passenger carriers is a decision not to be taken lightly because the repercussions to the US economy would be devastating. The airlines are very much intertwined into the overall US economic engine. Having said that I will say the CDC has taken a complete 100% hands off approach to the airline industry allowing that industry to make up their own rules as they see fit, but they have completely lock down the cruise industry. I've always said this from the moment the CDC issued their no sail order, the virus didn't reach Washington State, or New York City via a cruise ship (there were no direct cruises between China and either of those states) the virus reach those states via airplanes. Passengers on airplane who were not properly screened is how the virus got into this country, but cruise lines not airlines are the ones who paid the price. Airlines get bailed out while cruise lines are left out in the cold. There are millions of people in this country who work directly or indirectly for a cruise line or in the cruise industry who can't go back to work because the CDC will not allow it. The cruise industry was an easy target not only for the CDC but governments around the world, whereas airlines are a whole different beast.

I completely understand that but there are two issues the cruise industry is up against. First the only reason the no sail order was lifted was because the White House intervened. I can almost assure you the incoming Biden Administration will not intervene on behalf of the cruise industry. Secondly the availability of vaccines. I give Trump credit for operation warp speed, but where the Trump Administration dropped the ball was with their original order they only ordered 100 million doses from Pfizer, and I think 100 million does from Moderna, but they order 300 million doses from AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca was supposed to apply for emergency FDA approval in late December. Now here in the US they are having to redo their phase 3 trails do to serious problems with their data and the fact they didn't test the vaccine on older Americans. I know the UK has approve their vaccine but it was just reported the FDA does not anticipate even considering emergency use authorization until this new phase 3 trail here in the US is complete with all new data and that won't wrap up until April at the earliest. The next company up for FDA approval is Johnson & Johnson but again the current administration originally only order around 150-200 million doses. The additional orders the White House placed for Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson only happened in December after it was revealed that there were serious problems with AstraZenca's phase 3 trials but those additional vaccines won't be delivered until early summer 2021. Also Johnson & Johnson is not expected to apply for emergency use authorization until late January after Trump leaves office. Will the incoming administration apply any pressure on the FDA to expedite the review process for Johnson & Johnson I'm not sure Biden will do that because of the criticism he has leveled against the current Administration for pressuring the FDA to expedite the approval of Pfizer and Moderna. I want this to end just as much as anyone else, even though I'm new to this blog site I've been cruising yearly taking multiple cruises since 2008 and I have 2 cruises booked a 7 day in late October on Symphony of the Seas and a 9 day in November on Odyssey of the Seas, in fact I'm ready to book a summer 7 night Caribbean cruise should cruising resume by then. So make no mistake about it I want the CDC to update this ban on cruises over 7 nights as soon as possible but will any of it happen before fall 2021 I'm not sure it will.

Transatlantic cruise can't happen the CDC has banned all cruises longer than 7 days until November 1st. Judging from the spread of this virus here and abroad it wouldn't surprise to see RC cancel their 2021 European season or restrict European cruises to Europeans only like what MSC did this past summer. I think for sure the European season will be delayed for Americans because of the delay in rolling out the vaccines and I don't see Europe fully opening or relaxing restrictions to American tourist until mid to even late summer 2021. As far as the resumption of cruising here in the U.S. it wouldn't surprise me if we don't see anything before July 2021, and I'm talking about the simulated voyages. The first paying customers may not set foot on a cruise out of U.S. ports until August or September 2021.

Hi everyone this is my first post on this blog. I've been sailing with Royal Caribbean since 2008, I have sailed on other cruise lines as well but Royal Caribbean is the best in my opinion. I do agree with he is saying, I moved both of my 2020 cruises to late October (Symphony of the Seas) and November (Odyssey of the Seas) 2021 and we moved a European cruise to late May (Odyssey of the Seas) 2022. I 100% believe the cruise industry has been unfairly targeted by the CDC and health organizations around the world while airlines and hotels have been allowed to make up the rules as they go along, having said that I do think people on booked on earlier cruises in 2021 will be in for a few surprises. I work in the travel industry and the thing that is coming up now for 2021 is vaccination requirements in order to travel especially internationally. In most countries from what I'm hearing the vaccine should be widely available by mid-summer 2021 any one thinking of international travel before then not a good idea. To reopen and jumpstart tourism and salvage some part of the 2021 busy season I'm hear a lot of place will require visitors to show proof they've been vaccinated. Call me crazy but I think in time this may migrate over to the cruise industry, I think once the vaccine is widely available cruise lines may require all guest to show proof of vaccination before they are allowed to set foot on any cruise ship. Testing is good and testing is a great way to restart the industry but I don't think it will end with just testing I think requiring all passengers be vaccinated is coming by fall 2021.