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Checked in at 5 AM and got 12 PM.

We were changed from Cozumel to Costa Maya for our December 2nd cruise on Serenade. Have to check things out...thinking of Jaime's, Krazy Lobster or Blue Kay.

Very disappointing. Hope things change by the time we cruise in early December. Is the music in the Centrum "easy listening"? Fun bar?

Haven't been to Costa Maya in years.

Confused about credit for first package booking..Reading two different things....Will it come before cruise or when I'm onboard? If onboard can I withdraw this money from my account?

I missed cruising tremendously and was excited about getting on a cruise again. So I booked a short cruise on the Serenade. After looking into the mask policy though, I am worried that wearing a mask in indoor spots including walking around the ship and in Cozumel really will be a problem. (Will head to the beach, but getting there and shopping afterward with mask seems awful.) I live in Florida and cannot wait to rip the mask off when we come out of a facility where masks are required. (I'm a bit claustrophic) We are vaccinated, but one of the things we like most about a cruise is sitting at the bar, chatting with people. I understand that one cannot sit at the bars now. Does this include the bars just for vaccinated people? I think this would affect the ambiance tremendously. Would like to know how easy/hard it was for you to cruise under the new mask policy. Did you find that the vax only venues were enough for you? Would not cancel our cruise, but just concerned. Thanks!

Since I wanted to use some points for my reservation I made it through Chase, my cc. Guess I should have switched it to a more accessible TA within the timeframe. Lesson learned

We booked with Chase's Travel Dept since we used points for some of our cruisefare. However, they have no email access , do not seem very "attentive" when I call, and aren't available on weekends. If I come across a sale and cannot reach my TA, would RC deal with me directly?

I've been looking at the delicious food photos for RC ships online, and realize that I do the same thing every cruise....Watch my diet before a cruise, lose some weight so my clothes will fit for cruise, and then go crazy eating and drinking once we are onboard including bread, pasta, ice cream, etc. My thinking is "It's vacation time....Enjoy it! Love the morning mimosas, wine with lunch and dinner, frozen drinks or mojitos at pool and martinis or mixed drinks in the evening. My husband who is a 79 year old personal trainer always eats healthy foods at home. He eats/drinks more on a cruise, but still keeps things under control. Usually has a good breakfast, very light lunch and regular dinner portions with lighter choices. Most days he doesn't drink until his pre-dinner martini. I really would like to eat/drink healthier on cruise, but know this will never happen. Wondering how many others do the diet before cruise/overeat and drink once onboard.

Read this today: Cruises from the U.S.*: Guests who are 12 years of age and older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This includes cruises departing from Florida and visiting The Bahamas and/or U.S. Virgin Islands, which require all cruise guests to be fully vaccinated. We are departing from Tampa 12/2 and read that certain venues are for vaccinated only and not open to non-vaccinated....However, above says everyone needs to be vaccinated. Edit..... Thanks for all your input. I'm surprised there are so many venues open to people with children under 12 and and people with approved medical or religious reasons on the smaller ships since these usually seem to have more adults without children. Based on this, I think there should be more "vax only" venues on these ships. (I realize vaxed people can also choose to go to the unvaxed venues as well. Wouldn't stop us from cruising, but would feel safer in a vaxed only venue.)

Loving your review and photos! We're sailing in early December. Unfortunately, we're not Diamond or Pinnacle members though.

Love your writing style...We will be on the Serenade in early December and are excited about cruising again!

I've read that if your Royal Up bid gets selected, you are charged per person (up to 2) which I understand. However, since you cannot pick your new cabin selection, wouldn't that be the same as getting a guaranteed cabin in the new category? So if we won a bid for a junior suite, wouldn't there be a possibility that we may not like that location and would be "stuck with it"? I also seem to remember that not all junior suites are definitely not the same. Seems like too much of a gamble to pay extra.

Thinking it would be nice to sit out with 2 of our friends if we upgrade to a Jr. Suite.

Is there any way to correlate the check in times for a reservation that is linked to ours or do we both need to go in and hope we come up with something close?

Do we have to notify our TA of a price decrease that we see or can I contact RC directly? I booked this trip through my credit card company using some points and sometimes they are difficult to contact. Does one always need to call either if they see a price decrease or does it show up in your Planner automatically? We are only doing a 4 night cruise in early December this time. Is it usual that a price decrease could occur in such a short time?

Just to be sure...If I buy Voom for one device, my husband can use it on his phone, but only if I'm not using it. Is that correct? How do I switch between his using it and my using it? Thanks so much.

No problem PG Cruiser...Loved the help. Tried it this morning with my Galaxy Note 10 Plus 2 ways: 1. Leaving airplane mode off, wifi only on....Text did not go through 2. Leaving airplane mode off, wifi AND wifi calling on...Text went through. So onboard I guess using #2 is the answer. Thanks everyone! Forgot to say that if I put wifi calling on without wifi also (airplane mode on) the text will not go thorough.

Been reading through a conversation I had awhile ago with RC stating the same as below which is on their site:The Voom Surf Voyage Package keeps you connected with friends and family all cruise long with 24 hour access. Text on messenger services, browse the web and send emails with VOOM high speed internet. I don't think we can text as usual by just hitting the text button on our phones when aboard the ship.

One more thing please....If I get Voom (cheaper version) and use Facebook Messenger (via ,u phone) does the person I send a message to also need to have Facebook messenger on their phone? Thanks everyone. I only need the ability to communicate with someone at home in the US via text. So I'm thinking if I order a Voom on one phone that would work to text back and forth with petsitter. (First time we're leaving our beloved standard poodle on longer than an overnight with the petsitter, and we're so nervious about it. Since she doesn't text via apps, I'm glad to learn that regular texting while on the ship or in a port with wifi will work

Thanks everyone. I only need the ability to communicate with someone at home in the US via text. So I'm thinking if I order a Voom on one phone that would work to text back and forth with petsitter. (First time we're leaving our beloved standard poodle on longer than an overnight with the petsitter, and we're so nervious about it. Since she doesn't text via apps, I'm glad to learn that regular texting while on the ship or in a port with wifi will work.

I am looking for a way to receive texts while onboard the Serenade (Radiance class ship). I read that I can use Whatsapp with Voom. However, the person I need to text me while I'm cruising is not very phone savvy so does not use Whatsapp. ATT international does not cover cruise ships....Their cruise ship plan is $50 a month. What is best way for me to receive texts from people who do not use messaging apps? Thanks so much.

We usually book a regular balcony for our longer cruises but decided to take a guarantee since we will only be doing a 4 day cruise from Tampa to (supposedly Cozumel) in early December. Do you think our chances of getting a regular balcony would be better or worse considering the Covid situation and amount of cabins available? Also, would Royal Up Offers apply to a 4 night cruise? Do they assign all the Royal Up offers before distributing guarantee balcony cabins? Thank you!

We are booked for an early December cruise to Cozumel. Read that RC sent emails to people changing their Sept and Oct cruises to Bahamas instead. Has anyone received information about this?