Reigert2008

I  still want to believe that it is a "stock photo" from an old event.  Maybe @Matthas a resource that he can reach out to for comment or information.

What is the source for this image? Accoring to the Atlantis Events site, there is talk of COVID19 capacity restrictions, so it's be interesting to know if this is a current photo or if someone is trying to put cruising into a bad light by providing false information.

Here's the link to the site --  https://atlantisevents.com/Oasis-Caribbean-Cruise

on the pricing page, there is is this as well.

18 minutes ago, BriMoore said:

We had to cancel our February cruise(Found out my mom has cancer and just can't leave the country now). I called to cancel before Final Payment date and they told me 7-10 business days for refund. We are at 10 business days and still no refund. Anyone know how long it has been taking to get your money back? Also, is it normal not to get any kind of cancellation email confirmation? Thanks!

Sorry to hear about your family medical issue. 

Most refunds have taken 35 to 40 days, I’d give it at least a month and then start nagging them.  I’ve only worded with a travel agent so I’m not sure of how it is to work direct,y with Royal, I’d highly recommend using a travel agent in the future for all travels.  I like the personal control, but the convenience of a TA is amazing.

The ports look to be the same, so now you’re really comparing cruise lines, cruise cost, cruise line perks, and the cost to get to/from embarkation/disembarkation ports. I wouldn’t say one cruise was better than the other since their just reversed options.  In my opinion you’re going to need a spreadsheet to layout all the options and costs and the benefits of each including rewards programs.  Maybe you’re close on one program to move over to the next level and then get matching benefits.  There’s a lot to consider here.

1 hour ago, zjennk said:

We are cruising to Alaska in August. We have always driven to the cruise ports and this is our first time flying.  The ship gets back to Seattle at 6:00am on 8/5/22.  Most of the return flights back to PA leave Seattle in the morning.  There are a few that leave around 10:00pm but that is too late.  Royal(air2sea) is telling me that I have to schedule a flight that leaves after 11:30am to ensure that I get to the airport in time because it takes 3 hours to dock and get everyone off the ship.  I would like to take a return flight that leaves the airport at 10:30am and that would get us home to PA by midnight. My husband doesn't want to take the chance and miss our flight.  Also, the other family we are going with and taking the same flights with is staying in Star Class, can their Genie get us off the ship sooner?   thanks

As a fellow “east coaster”, I feel your pain of flying back and losing the 3 hours.  If I were you, I would do whatever I can to just stay the night in Seattle and take the early flight home the next day.   We did our first Alaska back in 2018 and flew in the day before and flew home on disembarkation day.  It was pretty stressful and we really wished we had stayed an extra day.

good luck!

The travel notices page was updated.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/itinerary-updates

As long as the date is 14 days before your cruise, I don't think it matters.  I've listed the booster date as my final just in case there is any questions about the dates on the card not matching what i type in.  Technically, that would be your final dose.   Once you upload the images of the docs in the app they will verify it and if you get the green check mark, you should be good.

On our last two cruises (August and November 2021) they did not put the cups in the rooms and you just went to any bar location to get your cup if you wanted it.  Since we don't really use the Freestyle machines and don't carry the cups, we didn't get the cup on one cruise and waited a few days on the second cruise since she wanted Powerade Zero which is in the Freestyle machines.

since we mostly tossed the cup at the end of the trip, this was a nice way to help the environment and not have to get the cup if we didn't really need it.

1 hour ago, peytonhead said:

We have 2 adults and 2 kids staying in this room.  One of the kids is our sons friend.  The category is a 5d and the deck plan shows this room sleeps up to four.  Do the kids share the couch bed or is there a drop down bed in the room.  Not too much info on the subject.  Thanks for any help!

If it’s not too late, I would transfer this booking to a travel agent.  They would be able to get as much information as you need about the room and options for sleeping arrangements.  Our travel agent was invaluable for a recent cruise where we couldn’t get a handicap accessible room and we’re able to ensure the right bed options for staying in a non-accessible room.

1. Purchased from:  Optum

2. Order date: 01/05/2022

3. Approval date: 01/05/2022 (assuming this one)

4. Shipped date: 01/05/2022

5. Received date: 01/07/22

6. Expiration date: 11/06/2022 

never received an email about shipping,  I’m registered with FedEx, so I received a text when they “printed the label”.  Originally scheduled for delivery on 01/06/2022, but weather delayed it by a day.  It was expedited shipping, but was free on the Optus site.

12 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Yup, we fly down from CT, she picks us up at the airport, drives us to the port and back to the airport.  In return, she comes on the cruise for free!  

You're nicer than we are to my father in law   For the inconvenience of taking us to the airport at 4:00 AM and then picking us up whenever we return, he gets a free dinner.

On the Explorer back in November our room attendant provided us each a new one each night, when our supply ran low.  We had planned on a "paper mask" and a "cloth mask" per day, but learned quickly that the paper masks got "weird" with the sunscreen and we did many excursions on the cruise and was about to run out of masks due to our poor planning.  Now we know to bring (at least) 2 "paper masks" per person per day.  

However, your experience may vary.

Good Luck!

5 minutes ago, baltodave said:

Oh No!  We only had 17 days until our Vision sailing!  Even had our eDocs and luggage tags printed!

I made the decision after our Allure sailing was cancelled back in August 2021, that I would no longer print our docs and luggage tags until 3 days before we start the travel.  I had printed them out for a party of 7 (3 cabins) and used so much paper and ink and it frustrated me so much.  I'm the planner of the family and I normally do all that as soon as we get them, but got burned

Sorry you lost your planned vacation.  Hopefully you can make other arrangements.  Stay Safe.

32 minutes ago, GeorgeConlon said:

With 42 cruises under my belt and pausing due to Covid, I had questions about the Step By Step Procedure I would have to go through if I was tested positive while on one of the Cruises. I understand what Royal posts as their sites but that's not what I was asking. Yes, they will take good care of me, medically , Feed me without problems, pay for any return home fees and including lodging. 

Sounds great!! Except, thats not what I was asking.  I want to know what is the step by sep policy when I have tested positive while on the cruise!

Well, after much calling, seeing that most of the sales people do not know! here is what I have found.

First, lets say we are cruising on the 3 day of a 10 day cruise In a Suite Cabin in Mexico. I become sick and contact the Medical onboard. They test me for COVID and I test positive. They will remove me from my suite cabin, transfer me to the bottom of the boat near the medical center in a inside type cabin (Locked Down!). The Doctor will then determin if I need to be dropped off at the next port depending upon symptoms. WOW!  Seeing that I am somewhat claustrophobic, and I don't want to be removed from the boat in an unknown, or should I say underveloped country, This procedure will definitely stop me from Cruising.

Do not get me wrong! I believe what Royal is doing to protect their passangers and crew is PERFECT!!! but, I still think that cruisers need to understand what will happen if they do test positive while on a cruise.

Matt: I  am requesting you develop a video explaining to users exactly what happens in a step by sep process! 

Thanks and Keep Cruising!

George

If this is truly your concern, then I would recommend not cruising during these times.  Things are subject to change and anything that is said today could change tomorrow (or sooner).

I'm sure they have done the research and see that it's easier for people to do Sunday-Sunday for a 7 night cruise, since they probably fly in on Saturday and may only take 5 days off of work.  That is our situation.  a Saturday-Saturday cruise means we need 6 work days off.

Our big issues coming from SDF is not "going out of the way" for any destination.  I really don't need to stop in Baltimore on my way to Orlando.  We only fly Southwest, so we have to deal with what they offer, but it works out best for us in the rewards program and they generally are the cheapest option  to book with directly when you include many of the fees that others charge (we always check at least one bag). 

We don't get a lot of nonstop options from SDF, so we just try to get the best layover options

3 hours ago, jbrinkm said:

Do I need to use a travel agent or is it possible to find these rooms on my own through the website?

I would highly recommend using a travel agent. This is just one item they can certainly assist with and can do so much more for your vacation.

You're all way off, it's clear that the Empire taken over the seas and this is the scale model of a future Death Star

14 minutes ago, tomp said:

We are booked for a 12-night cruise leaving 1/8/22.  We are scheduled to visit five ports starting at day four.  Each port has a 2 to 5-day minimum testing requirement, mostly PCR.  Does a negative test prior to embarkation meet port requirements or do additional tests need to be taken onboard the ship?  I emailed RCI and got no specific response.   

You should check the Healthy Sail Center on Royal’s site, linked below.  You should also ask your travel agent or call Royal if not using an agent.   If you’re not using an agent, I’d highly recommend using one in the future.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center

I really wish people would post their source.  I googled it, but only found information from the “law related” site that is. It always accurate.

Sorry for your disappointment, in my opinion it probably would have been better for Royal to skip Perfect Day entirely, but then people would complain about that at well.  Not sure how frequently OP cruises, but frequent cruisers understands that no ports are guaranteed, but most times things flow smoothly.  During these times, it’s important to be flexible and go with the flow.

we sailed on Freedom back in August on a 4N when our 7N Allure was cancelled as the last before she restarted. Was it what we wanted? No, but we still had a great time.

3 hours ago, James Franko said:

Will RCCL ships departing from San Juan  Puerto Rico carry enough Covid tests to assure the return to that port at the end of the cruise?

Please note that this is a fan site and not officially associated with Royal Caribbean.  While we all try to be helpful, we would not know this information unless Royal releases the information.

4 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

There is, but it probably won't be big enough for bags once you get 6 adults in. I don't even know 6 adults, so this never crosses my mind.  Carry on with better ideas. 

I wish there was a way to tell them you have x number pieces of luggage so they don’t accept a ride and not have room.  We’ve had a few where they either had a small trunk or had other stuff in the trunk and our bags barely fit.  We typically travel as a party of two and each have a “carry on” size suitcase for the trunk, plus each has a small backpack which we hold in the car and my sleep machine bag which I also hold.

I’ve not “reported them” since we’ve still been able to ride,but I’m sure they have rules they are supposed to follow.

15 minutes ago, infosec123 said:

Found this out from someone who just got off the Freedom of the Seas. Originally each child was allowed 4 hours per day in the kids club, but it has been reduced to a single slot per child for the entire cruise (confirmed). Of course RCL isnt actually telling anyone this, they find out when they get on board, but plenty of people here think RCL is transparent, who need to look up the definition of the word.

Not sure if you’ll find this helpful, but @Mattwrote a very good post on the blog about Why cruisers need to be flexible to cruise during these uncertain times.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/12/28/why-you-need-be-flexible-if-you-want-go-cruise-right-now

32 minutes ago, micahd said:

We've got 6 adults and a baby going from FLL to PortMiami. I'm looking for a reliable transportation company. We'd prefer to have a dedicated van for our party. Anyone have a recommendation?

I highly recommend Larry’s Limo.  With luggage you all will not fit in a single Lyft/Uber and with Larry’s we were able to get the price per person very close to Lyft/Uber and we’re very happy.  We had 7 people with luggage and a collapsible wheelchair.

You can call them and they will help make sure you pick the right vehicle.

https://www.larryslimo.com

plus it was a lot of fun for the 12 year old niece to ride in the limo.  We had the van with Limo style seating.

2 hours ago, Iluv4n6 said:

Some new airline options are opening up for those of us in the north-woods (e.g., Green Bay) for direct flights to new places in FL this winter.  One of the options I just saw was on Sun Country direct to Fort Myers.  The price is compellingly low (compared to the cost for flights to FLL or MIA) so it warrants serious consideration for a 6-member family cruise vacation this Feb on Oasis out of Miami.  The arriving flight would come in an couple extra days ahead of time.  So we would roll the dice and take our covid tests at the hotel after we arrive in FL.  The trickiest part would be getting from Miami to Fort Myers for a 3:35 PM flight on disembarkation day.  Flixbus departs from Miami Airport at either 9:00 AM (arrive Ft Myers @ 11:20 AM) or 12:00 PM (arrive Fort Myers @ 2:30 PM).  This seems kind of tight either getting us all off the ship and to the MIA airport bus stop before 9:00 AM, or for the later option getting from the bus terminal in Fort Myers to the Fort Myers airport ASAP.  I would guess that the early option on disembarkation day would be the only one to consider, and that would mean self assist for every one.  On the plus side, Oasis is scheduled to dock back in Miami at 6:00 AM. 

Seems probably too far for Uber/Lyft.  I haven't researched any other transportation services between MIA and Fort Myers so far other than Flixbus.  Larry's Limos?

Although we likely will opt for a more expensive flight to either FLL or MIA that would make for easier connections, Sun Country probably could save us ~$1,000+ in airline cost for our family group. 

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions from bloggers who may have flown in/out of Fort Myers for their cruise vacation.

  

I’m all for saving money when you can, but in this situation I think you may be risking too much. If any delay were to occur either with the ship or traffic you are really pushing it to get between the points in time.  The way I look at it for our trips is that we want our vacations to be as stress free as possible and I wouldn’t invite this extra stress point into my vacation.  If the port was closer to the airport,  Anne it would work out, but a lot can happen on the highway that you have no control over and this is a long enough drive or bus ride that it’s too risky for me.

we also look at the total cost of everything when we decide. Sure we may pay more for the flight, but is that offset by cheaper transfer options to and from the port? 
 

I make a spreadsheet that lists all the combinations of each item and then we can see which is the cheapest option and generally that’s what we go with.

I had a hard time getting some other travelers to understand that while one cruise cost was more expensive than another one, flights and such we’re cheaper to that port and overall the total cost of the vacation was cheaper.  It’s all a balancing act and each family has to figure out which is best for them.

good luck.