caitlynambrai

Wow - glad to see crying is a common response and I'm not alone!   When I booked my son's first shot I burst into tears on the phone and the nurse says "happy tears"  me "yea"  her "that's good - let it out, you're not alone I really do get this response a lot"   lol.   
 
Maybe the ships should have giant tissue boxes beside the hand sanitizers as we all board!   Followed with bubbly!
 

Say a prayer of extreme gratitude that we live in a world where amazing vaccines can be created and distributed so quickly to help save so many lives and help us get back to "normal".
Then, it's off to the first bar we can find to have an "embarkation" cocktail and get the B2B cruise party started on Symphony. ? 

I've said this multiple times when discussing the pandemic because there are others who have really suffered but I've lost two years that I will never get back of cruising and going to Michigan football games with my son - we are both graduates continuing a long family tradition on both sides. Yeah, first world problems!
But this is a huge deal for me at my age. Losing two years of cruising, something similar to loosing chunks of heart and soul, to the shut down of life sucks when you know there aren't many years of that left.
We have a routine. The first thing we say when walking into the Grand Foyer is, "honey, I'm home." We go from there.
I liked the post that said, the first thing I'm going to do is ..... tip a crew member! Fantastic. I think I'll bring a stack of bills and each crew member I encounter is going to get one until I run one
 

Thank God for the vaccine and for the opportunity to cruise once again!

Shout out to my wonderful, persistent, patient and awesome MEI travel agent Sharla.   She was able to move our booking for 4 from 2 jr suites to a 2 bedroom grand suite for Ovation 8/27!    So excited.   It is slightly more than the cost of the same suite for 2022 BUT we get to go in 2021!   So excited!     Thanks Sharla!!!

My brother had to book 3 staterooms for 6 people on Ovation for the 8/20/21 sailing

Or the unvaxed can stay home and they can wait until the coast is clear.  That is also simple. 

Or the unvaxed can stay home and they can wait until the coast is clear.  That is also simple. 

Or the unvaxed can stay home and they can wait until the coast is clear.  That is also simple. 

Or the unvaxed can stay home and they can wait until the coast is clear.  That is also simple. 

I am still cruising because I am vaccinated but I would prefer to be around those who are also vaccinated, at least majority. You do realize that the media is just aching for some outbreak or something bad to happen on a ship that had unvaccinated people, and people will be like "told you to do vaccinated only"... no one knows how this will play out. People who choose to not vaccinate, that is up to them, but cruise lines have to assume the risk of bringing these types of people onboard. Why else are they vaccinating all their crew and want most of their passengers vaccinated? They are only doing these test cruises because kids can't get the vaccine. If there was a vaccine for kids under 12 right now, I can almost guarantee that it would be only vaccinated cruises. They should do vaccinated cruises and unvaccinated cruises, separately, and see what happens. Not to mention, being on a ship with unvaccinated passengers may increase the likelihood of more restrictions such as masks and all that. Fully vaccinated cruises as it stands now, no masks are required and barely any restrictions. Cruises sailing around the world that are unvaccinated, masks required with a bunch of restrictions. Pick which side you want to cruise on.

Any chance there might be a 4th of July sale?
 

Absolutely, as well as a Father's Day Sale, Flag Day Sale, Dog Days of Summer Sale, Labor Day Sale, Full Moon Fever Sale, End of Summer Sale, a "Keep Checking Back for a Better Deal" Sale, a "Just Because We Decided to Have a Sale" Sale........
I guess I'm trying to say there are a lot of sales! ? 
(But seriously, do keep checking back for better deals!)

Hmm, I received 125% OBC for my cancelled cruise planner items in January.
The "30% off" price on the drink packages I'm looking at is about 120% (119.86%) of what I had paid for the cancelled cruise.
Well played, RC. Way to get most of that money back. ?
They must be looking at my onboard bar purchase history! They know I'm gonna buy it! ?

Now if RC would throw me a bone and give me a real sale on the Coco Cay Beach Club, since I'm still bitter about not booking it on the first day sailings were bookable for $71

Congrats !! https://cruisefever.net/celebrity-cruises-will-resume-cruises-from-florida-in-june/?fbclid=IwAR0vCu1-ROA6tSg1S48CTsdpeQMtHVq7J53zBIJceAMIYpV1WRAvTzPFzb0
 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/covid19-operations-manual-cso.html
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/05/26/cdc-gives-cruise-lines-relaxed-face-mask-guidelines-and-issues-new-rules-vaccinated
Thank you Doug for the post in a Facebook group for the June 12th sailing. Updates below:
Provided cruise ship operators with more discretion regarding fully vaccinated travelers. Provided additional discretionary considerations for ships with at least 95% of crew and 95% of passengers fully vaccinated.
New Information I noticed:
Mask Usage
Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may designate areas as only accessible to fully vaccinated passengers and crew where masks and physical distancing are not required (e.g., casinos; bars; spas; entertainment venues; and dining areas, including self-serve buffets). For ships with at least 95% of crew and 95% of passengers fully vaccinated, cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that they do not have to wear a mask or maintain physical distance in any areas. Shore Excursions
Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that—if they are fully vaccinated—they may engage in self-guided or independent exploration during port stops. The cruise ship operator is additionally advised that foreign jurisdictions may have their own requirements.

They'll package it as "Free to Cruise on the Freedom on Freedom Day!"

There will be a sale beginning May 27

The GT on deck 12 don’t have the pull out sofa bed. Instead they have a hot tub on balcony.
This pertains to Allure and Oasis, not sure about Harmony and Symphony. 

Not parents with deluxe beverage package. 

I’m waiting on the next cruise planner sale as well, it’s been about a month since the last one. Hopefully it will be this weekend!

I don't see anything yet, but that could change at any time.
If there is a sale, I'll post it on the blog!

It's not news. 
There was 1,600 cases of Covid in Florida yesterday and that's a GOOD day.
Media needs to stop treating ONE case on a cruise ship as news. It's not, and all this does is perpetuate the stereotype of "floating petri dish".