Atricks

On the September 5th Odyssey crusise we did the Aviary/Port Pass excursion (only $10 each), same one mentioned above. You need an excursion ticket to get off the ship with the kids, but once off you go to the Port Pass covered meeting spot at the end of the pier (on the right) look for the "Port pass sign". Someone will escort you over to the aviary entrance, walk through it (look up in some of the rooms!) and the rope bridges above the pool and dolphin swim area are pretty neat as well. Once done with the Aviary walkthrough (which you can do at your own pace), you can pretty much go anywhere else in port, including the big swimming pool right next to the Aviary entrance.

We went to CVS before the odyssey cruise 2/3 of us got results, mine came back inconclusive (or lost). It may have been a fluke, but it happens, just be aware and have a plan B/C. My plan B was antigen test at the county drive up site.

I can see that happening after Icon comes online.

After the Odyssey experience last week we went ahead and booked the second sailing (March 11th) That's a Friday departure, so it's a bit unusual in that respect for a 7 nighter.

Mike Szwajkowski--Cruise director on the Odyssey--is moving to Wonder, he mentioned that to us last week. When the obvious question came up "are you going to learn Mandarin?", he did mention Covid has changed a lot.... Didn't expect it this fast though. Awesome.

If you see the link that says "Don't miss out! Click here to see other upgrade options on your upcoming cruise and to make a bid." You can still click it to see all the bids and the status of each, it doesn't actually modify it unless you hit cancel or change the bid amount.

Best places to check are the National Hurricane Center http://www.nhc.noaa.gov and for Royal especially, James Van Fleet's (Chief Meteorologist for Royal) twitter account Interestingly there may be something near the Florida ports this coming weekend, but hopefully weak. Other sites, etc, are useful too, but require a lot of context to know what to look at or ignore. Long range models are ok for "there may be something in the future" but not any details. There is something moving into the Caribbean right now for what it's worth.

With all the rule changes and testing, the likelihood of actually snagging a RoyalUP room because of a last minute cancel is way higher than usual.

Our Odyssey Sep 5th itinerary was completely changed, just got the email, Labadee dropped, as were Nassau and Falmouth: ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS Dear Guest, We’re looking forward to welcoming you onboard Odyssey of the Seas for our September 5th, 2021 cruise. As we countdown to your sailing, we have an itinerary change to share with you. As part of the guidance received from the CDC, we’ve implemented new boarding protocols, so we’ll need some extra time for check-in. As a result, we’ll depart from Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 6:00 PM, instead of 5:00 PM. Separately, to maintain your safety and wellbeing, we’ll no longer visit Labadee due to the unrest in Haiti. Additionally, due to some itinerary planning changes, we unfortunately will no longer be able to visit Falmouth, Jamaica, and Nassau, Bahamas. Instead, we’ll now visit our private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and Costa Maya, and Cozumel, Mexico. We know how much time and effort go into planning your cruise with us, and we’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by this. However, we’re excited to take you to new ports! We know you’ll have an excellent time. Below, please find our revised itinerary. Day Port of Call Arrive Depart Sun Fort Lauderdale, Florida 6:00 PM Mon Perfect Day at CocoCay 7:00 AM 4:00 PM Tue Cruising Wed Costa Maya, Mexico 11:00 AM 6:00 PM Thu Cozumel, Mexico 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Fri Cruising Sat Fort Lauderdale, Florida 6:15 AM Get ready to explore the wonders of the Western Caribbean! Perfect Day at CocoCay is a private destination unlike any in the world. While there, lounge in the Caribbean’s largest freshwater pool, Oasis Lagoon, or take the plunge down North America’s tallest waterslide, Daredevil’s Peak! Soar to new heights on Up, Up & Away or just unwind at your leisure. Next, we’ll head to Costa Maya, where you’ll find ancient Maya ruins and mysterious jungles just begging to be explored, as well as private beach clubs and trendy restaurants – all in one place. It’s 250 square miles of paradise packed with entertainment and history. Then in Cozumel, explore Chichen Itza, one of the seven wonders of the world, and its surrounding pyramids. Relax on one of the best beaches, Paradise Beach, or discover Parque Chankanaab’s lush botanical garden located less than 4 miles away from the port. Whether you’re looking for thrills or simply want to chill, these ports have something for everyone! As a reminder, we kindly ask that you arrive to the port during your pre-selected check-in window. This is imperative to ensure minimal wait time and less crowds during the boarding process. Any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for Labadee, Falmouth, and Nassau will automatically be refunded to your original form of payment. In the next few days, your updated tour information will be e-mailed to you. In the meantime, feel free to browse all the exciting shore excursion options for your sailing in Cruise Planner. Thanks for your understanding. We can’t wait to welcome you onboard Odyssey of the Seas! -- Interestingly Cocoa Cay would be Sep 6th, which (according to Twangster) is a day Adventure is scheduled to be there.

One thing I can see going quickly is the mixed vaccine restriction.

It worked for me, although the website (and app) has been flaky all week. Try this link if nothing else works (or if you have an email, click the "modify" link they send in it) https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/cruise-room-upgrade

Recommended site for a station is off Clearlake Rd next to the Walmart and 528 https://spacecoasttpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/AAF-Station-Report-final.pdf Which is the closest point to the port, without actually building a new railroad directly to the port. (Although technically a railroad already exists and hooks up to Florida east coast railway north of Titusville, semi close to the port, it just comes in through KSC from the north and ends in Canaveral Air Station aka NASA Railway, it just goes by the launchpads.) There's a neat YouTube channel with a guy that updates on the Brightline construction with on site video a few times a week https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRoamingRailfan/videos if you haven't been keeping up you'd probably be surprised at how far along they are.

Today it is for Odyssey.

Looks like the Odyssey test sailing is this Monday, but not 100% confirmed.

Kids share "Status" not points. When they turn 18 they keep whatever actual points they have from before they were adults and get to keep whatever status that number equates to. Our daughter went on all cruises but one with us, so is 7 points shy of our total. Although if our scheduled transpacific Oz->Hawaii actually went through we would have "all" made diamond from that, and totally leapfrogged over emerald from platinum (was 19 nights in a Jr. Suite ?).

Wow 9/7 seems impossible as is. Mixing Adventure with anyone is mixing Covid rules, so i'm not sure how that will fly. 9/6 or 9/10-11 seems like the only possibility for Odyssey (can they mix ships right now), but it would probably wind up with a very big alteration of the schedule. So It'll be interesting to see what happens, or if Odyssey winds up being the first back to Labadee or the whole route gets a revamp.

Thanks for the email! Yep, I'm going to hope that works out similar to that. (Unless near peak hurricane season gets in the way...) I know from experience sailing that type of year can result in some unusual itinerary swaps at times.

Ok that explains a lot, seems HIGHLY likely the itinerary on our Sep 5th Odyssey trip will change too. It stops in Falmouth, Labadee and Nassau already, so my guess Maybe Coco Cay in place?

Did you get an email about this change yet? (If so can you repost it) Allure still is scheduled to arrive in Labadee the very next after when Symphony was originally scheduled there. The Symphony August 29th schedule was updated on the App to show Nassau instead of Labadee now, though. I'm booked on the next one scheduled to stop in Labadee after Allure (The Sep 5th Odyssey, which stops in Labadee on Sep 7th)

Anyone have insight into what's going on with Labadee, after the August protocols got posted, I noticed there was nothing about it. Are there any ships going into Labadee in August? IS Odyssey Sep 5th trip the first back sin? Will the itinerary get changed? Originally it was going to be Allure's Aug 15th, but that got changed last month. What shape is Labadee in right now?

No mention of Labadee, which is interesting.

Private medevac plane from Freeport to Fort Lauderdale. This was their flight back, covered by royal. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N60LJ/history/20210624/1942Z/MYGF/KFLL?fbclid=IwAR3MsmvBajpsCzH703ewPsc29ZQY7yR07XfvG2rvFQy5dBzYHToOpAaCf7E Company that runs these jets: https://www.jeticu.com/

Did Royal just pull all the July Odyssey sailings listed or is it just me?

It's pretty cool seeing the switches, that said I tried to book a cabin for 3 on July 31st, and the best price I could get was just over 5k (Balcony was the only available option), so everyone else enjoy that. Too much for us. I was out a Port Canaveral Saturday and saw it for myself, it really is a beautiful ship, though.

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelBayleyRoyalCaribbean/posts/256588152921367