XtremeGK

10 hours ago, Mandy123 said:

Hello, I am looking for examples of notice of recovery.  I went to my clinic today for my son and they didn’t have one ready. They have one that is generic for school but just doesn’t look right. Can anyone show me an example that worked for them to take their cruise?

Thank you!!

We went to our pediatrician this week to get one for our son. I printed out the page on the Royal website that has the requirements and gave it to the doctor with his positive PCR test result. She was a bit bewildered by needing a letter (why isn't the positive PCR itself good enough as it is in other countries...I agree, but a discussion for another time), but typed out the letter on the spot using the guidance from the website and printed it at the front desk.

For my wife, her PCP sucks, so we used a telemed option we found online. Had to pay for it, but worth it.

It's a known issue with the way the website displays the pricing -- KSF gets rolled into the 30% off for all discount line. If you do the math on it, you'll see that it is in fact pricing correctly.

4 hours ago, Frances said:

We are leaving on June 5 from Copenhagen n have not heard much info from RC n TA on testing. Where do we test. We are not bringing our own tests. No info on activities either

Not difficult to find: Getting Ready to Cruise | Healthy & Safe Cruises | Royal Caribbean Cruises 

They're not going to tell you exactly where to get tested, but they do give you the guidelines required. They even tell you you can use the eMed tests.

"Guests traveling into Denmark from another country should be sure to look into any requirements your own home country may have for exiting or re-entering its borders.

On arrival, all guests from non-EU or Schengen countries must present a negative Covid-19 antigen test taken within 24 hours of their flight departure time.

All Guests: Required Pre-Cruise Testing

All guests sailing from Denmark will need to take one test before boarding, as detailed below. Tests must be supervised with the result provided on a certificate which includes the guest’s name and date of birth. Supervised telehealth tests are not accepted for unvaccinated guests – only for vaccinated guests. All tests are at the guests’ expense.

• Vaccinated guests who are up to date must show a negative result for an antigen test taken no more than 2 days before boarding day. Vaccinated guests who are not up to date will have a 1 day window to take this test. Kids age 5 to 11 who have been vaccinated may present proof of full vaccination and follow the testing protocols for vaccinated guests.
• Unvaccinated kids age 2 to 11 must show a negative test result for an antigen test taken no more than 1 day before boarding day.
• Guests under 2 years of age do not need to complete a pre-cruise test.

eMed Tests Kits for Guests Traveling from the U.S.

Through our testing partners, U.S.-based vaccinated guests may purchase antigen test kits for vaccinated guests that you can complete online with a supervised virtual video visit, wherever you are, 24 hours 7 days a week to meet travel testing requirements for cruise or flight. Learn more

30% off of $784 is $235.20. $235.20 x2 (passengers 1 & 2) = $470.40. + $854 (full cost of kids fares 3 & 4: $427 x2) = $1,324.40. Awfully close to your $1,326 discount there. So Kids Sail Free is calculated in the 30% off all guests on this.

Your $255 per person = $1020 for 2 adults, 2 kids. That's your fares for 1, 2, 3 & 4 (including KSF -- $784 x2) = $1568 - $76 flash sale = $1492 - 30% off on guests 1 & 2 ($470.4) = $1021.6. Divide that by the 4 passengers and it rounds to $255/person.

11 hours ago, 10-42 said:

One more idea.  If your cabin requires your Sea Pass card to turn on the lights, take an old unusable prepaid card from the local arcade or something like that.  It doesn't take an actual Sea Pass card or credit card.  Just something about the same shape and size.  No magnetic strip required.  

It doesn't create more space, but it just makes life a little easier.

I bring old hotel room cards for this very purpose!

You can generally tell which crew members are more interested in engaging in conversation, and I do enjoy getting to know those that are interested in sharing.

One of our cruises, our MDR waiter had been on the Costa Concordia when it capsized. He stayed off the water for a while, but cruise ships offered far more money than anything back home. He was on his first contract back on a boat and admitted to a lot of fear at first. When we sailed, he was a little over 3 months in and said he felt far more comfortable, and being able to regularly have his pay sent back home had solidified he made the right choice. Even showed us his ID from the Concordia, which he still carried and was far worse for the wear.

Some ships seem to still include room service (on a very hit-or-miss level). We're sailing Adventure at the end of the month and given our cabin set up (DW and DS in one cabin, me solo in another), I only had to pay for one person, so I got it at $2/day more than Voom. Would get Voom anyway. If room service is by chance included, it will pay for itself even without using the Chops lunch or other perks. If it's not, it's still a reasonable price for Voom.

On 4/29/2022 at 9:48 AM, CruisingNewb said:

Getting a Certificate of Recovery may be difficult at this point.  If the cruise is 14 days out and the certificate must show recovery at least 11 days prior to sailing, there is no way to know if you will recover in the tight 72 hour window.  That is assuming that you can get to your doctor on the 11th day and get a proper letter signed that day.

Don't panic though.  Test again at home in a few days.  Then test again a few days later.  Stay at home for these next 2 weeks.  

Worst case scenario and you can't get cleared to board, get your refund and book a new cruise ASAP.

@Kirsten There are telehealth/online options for a Certificate of Recovery. They cost $60-75, but do offer 24 hour turnaround time.

My wife and son both tested positive this week (I've been testing daily and remain negative), and we sail at the end of the month. We plan to do all the pre-cruise testing, but will also get Certificates of Recovery (my son is 3.5, so maybe it'll save him from needing the antigen test at the pier).

47 minutes ago, Larry Muster said:

ship was unable to go to CocoCay because " the captain who decided to not take our ship to coco cay". 

On another thread he notes that he was on the Allure sailing that missed CocoCay due to diverting to FLL for a medevac.

If I received compensation for every time I've missed CocoCay (for weather, not a medical emergency as this gentleman had), I'd be living onboard a cruise ship right now.

We're on the same cruise with our 3.5-year-old son. Walgreens near us in central NJ do rapid NAAT -- my parents sail this weekend, made back-to-back appts on Thursday, swabbed at the same time and had both results back in 90 mins. Can book that a week out, so we plan on making Saturday & Sunday appointments for the little guy (Sunday as a back-up in case Saturday is inconclusive).

1 hour ago, Traveling Mike said:

I love pre-check.  If you do not have it, you need to look into getting it.  I have Global Pass and It is not much more money or work, and it gets you into the United States without any hassle.  I got to the airport in Fresno, a medium size airport, and it was very busy outside at 4:20 am.  I lucked out and American Airlines was not the busy one this morning.  Everyone was loading other airlines.  I got my ticket and dropped my bag (34 lbs.) very quickly.  I got over to security and the regular line was very long.  I got in the Pre-Check line and walked right to the front of it.  As soon as the guard was done with the person, she was working on she called me in front of the people in the regular line.  She checked me really quick and sent me to the line by the wall where no one was at.  The guard was working with a Spanish speaker having him pull off his sweeter and shoes and belt and everything out of his pockets.  He waived me around him, and I just dropped my computer backpack (with the computer in it) on the belt and waked through with everything still on.  I was in and out so fast I felt guilty.  Now I just have to wait an hour for my flight to load to take me to Dallas then to Fort Lauderdale.

Talk to you later,

Mike

302

PreCheck is one of the greatest things about travel. I fly semi-frequently between work and vacations, and typically fly out of Newark -- so easy to get your money's worth (and in my case, it's paid for by one of my credit cards -- we only pay for my wife).

Only taking one double points cruise, but it's doing its most important job. Starting at 66 points, so need 14 for Diamond. Wife wanted to limit the spending on a purely points-motivated trip, so 4 nights on Adventure out of Cape Liberty (live less than an hour away) to Canada. Booked interior solo. 4 nights + 1 extra point for solo doubled up gets me 16 points. And thanks to price drops, moved myself up to an aft balcony -- which my folks graciously decided to make the upgrade cost a birthday present. Interior was costing me under $500 all in solo.

With the Diamond drink vouchers, my wife and I will forego the DBP on our 9-nighter on Oasis next summer. So the <$500 saves us from the >$1000 in drinks next year.

Mission accomplished.

55 minutes ago, twangster said:

Clearly the ship is not in peril or at any risk.  It sailed back from the DR without incident.  Now it has effect repairs and seek USCG approvals and clearance from classification inspectors.  Very routine any time any incident occurs on any ship like this.  

The ship was stable and not in any risk that would warrant mustering guests or crew.  It's also the Captain's job to avoid inducing panic.

I see no reason to second guess the Captain's actions in the wake of this event at this point.  If it was a major incident they would have sailed straight to a shipyard and not a US home port.  If the necessary repairs can't be affected while in Port Canaveral they may need to visit a shipyard but that won't mean there is risk of sinking or capsize.  First step is attempt repairs at a US port where there are qualified workers and supplies.  Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

A lot of very good points here. We also don't know exactly what repairs are happening. We all know supply chain issues are a HUGE hold-up these days, and who knows how many items needed are stocked somewhere. Would not surprise me if a lot of cruise ship "parts" need to be custom made for that particular class of ship.

Has anyone else had room service included on a recent sailing?

2 hours ago, jay1021 said:

Have you just got the first 4 (or whatever the first order for your situation) or all 8?  If you only ordered and got the first iteration, maybe you can order the second group and they will be the "IHEALTH, maybe!  Hope this works out for you.

The best scenario - they do away with pre-anything before our next cruise/travel, whenever that is.  

Our second set arrived last week and are the Abbott tests, just like the first. I have seen the IHEALTH tests at our grocery store pharmacy.

Wondering if we'll get a similar email for our Canada sailing -- their protocols are testing within one day of embarkation, but Royal hasn't said anything yet. DS is only 3, but his 3-day window for PCR wouldn't be affected because he'll get the antigen test at the pier.

11 hours ago, woodman1 said:

Everyone a huge thank you for your reply. I've been to New York just not the city so I had no idea, will be looking in to Newark.  

Depending on how early before your cruise you come in and where you stay, it's actually very easy to avoid NYC proper pre-cruise (avoid NYC? Really? Work there long enough and you look for ways to avoid it). If you fly into EWR, stay in Jersey City or at an airport hotel, you can always take the train/PATH into the city for dinner or sightseeing. Hotels near the airport will be cheaper than in the city and easier for getting to the pier in the morning. If you're coming in for a few days pre-cruise, staying in the city isn't a crazy idea at all.

41 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I bet they kept the boarding test to mirror the CDC CSO.  

Right now, they're saying antigen test within one day of boarding, so we'll see if they adjust to two days to match the CDC.

Count me (another NJ resident) among those saying no. Docking in the morning means you have to deal with NYC-bound rush hour traffic. Good luck with that. Newark is by far the most convenient airport to Cape Liberty. Southwest pulled out of there, but check United -- they're the dominant airline and it's their largest East Coast hub. Might find some decent fares.

17 hours ago, MuttMutt said:

Oddly enough I have seen the cruise ship step it up to drop someone off on 3 of my 4 sailings which one of the 4 was a B2B.  My very first one in October 2019 after leaving Falmouth we made an overnight stop at Grand Cayman to drop someone off.  That route was a 7 night from Galveston with Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and then Falmouth.  The second was the 2nd leg of our B2B while headed to Cozumel and they dropped off when we got there a few hours early.  And while on Adventure of the Seas last week we went up to full speed around 6:30 in the evening and made it in to Progresso around midnight due to a crew member's injury.  While on the water the last sea day on the same cruise we had a woman choking in the Windjammer at lunch and one of the other passengers ended up giving her the Heimlich Maneuver then after a bit a person from medical came up to check her out.  For a moment I actually thought there was a fight or something because I head glasses and plates being knocked off the table.  

I feel like we've diverted or stepped it up for a medevac on more sailings than we haven't. I've had trips that have returned to Bermuda nearly 8 hours after we departed for a medevac via pilot boat, arrived in San Juan 3 hours early to offload a patient at the pier, even diverted to Gibraltar on Quantum's TA for a passenger medevac.

I'm taking a points run cruise this May to get DW and I to Diamond. 100% unquestioned that I'll have the DBX for that.

For next year's 9-night cruise once we're Diamond, we won't be getting it (it's part of the justification to take the points run cruise this year -- spend under $500 on my solo fare to save over $1000 on our 2 drink packages next summer). We bring refillable water bottles that we fill using cups at the water station (bring on a 12-pack of waters to bring ashore at ports), our 2 bottles of wine. We may end up buying a drink each some days, but many days, our 4 drinks will be enough to cover us.

Would we get additional drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) if we had the DBX or Refreshment package? Probably. Do we need them? Not really. We'd end up with the fresh squeezed juice and specialty coffee drinks just to get our money's worth. DW drinks regular coffee every day at home (I don't drink coffee at all) and we drink whatever OJ is on sale at the grocery store.

53 minutes ago, USCG Teacher said:

 

Amtrak Northeast Regional trains will actually stop at Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) as well, which is just a bit closer to Cape Liberty and prevents you from having to drive through downtown Newark.  Your Amtrak ticket also covers the cost of the AirTrain Monorail to the terminals.  I'm not sure if it's a much better option, just a different one!

True -- Just have to weigh the hassle of the fact that an Uber pick up would be at the airport terminal, NOT the Amtrak stop. Have to take your luggage over to the AirTrain to a terminal, then down to the arrivals pick-up.

On 2/3/2022 at 3:52 PM, Wolfpackfan said:

While talking about the 2023 NE cruises.  I understand they go out of New Jersey. We’ve done NE cruises before but on Princess. We like to take Amtrak up for the cruise.  Is the Royal cruise port anywhere close to where Amtrak stops? Are there any hotels nearby we should consider for the pre-cruise night?

 

Nearest Amtrak stop is likely Newark Penn Station. Best bet for hotels is probably Jersey City. Ubers are plentiful in north Jersey, so while they're not walking distance (though I don't think I'd consider the NYC terminals walking distance from Penn, especially with luggage), they're not an expensive ride, either.

4 hours ago, JohnH2526 said:

Thank you ALL soo much for the help.  I used Matts advise. reserved our drinks at $56/day/person AND TODAY, 23 days to go, it dropped to 30%off and I cancelled the order and bought for $52/day/person.

And on a side note, Mary and I will be married on 2/22/22, in Cozumel MX and will be swimming with the dolphins.  We had custom made Life Jackets, hers in white with a veil attached, and mine is black with Tux Tails attached to the back and a bow tie..   Should have some fantastic photos.

Thank you again.

John and Mary

Congrats on the wedding -- great choice of date. Easy to remember in future years.

And congrats on scoring a helluva deal on the drink package. I haven't seen much below $60/day since the restart.