AspiringCruisePlanner

Check insuremytrip.com they give you a list of quotes from different insurance providers. Since you're flying in day of, make sure that the coverage in the Trip Interruption section kicks in after a small number of hours. I believe 6 hours is as low as they go, but you may find better. Do your research and make sure it covers all your bases.

From the RC Australian site FAQ. Not searchable on the US site. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/aus/en/faq/questions/what-is-a-guarantee-stateroom-and-how-does-it-work- At times we may offer you the option of making a ‘Guarantee’ (GTY) booking. This means you may book a stateroom of a guaranteed category type (Interior, Oceanview, Balcony or Suite) on your chosen ship and cruise. However, the exact grade, number and location of the stateroom on the ship will be allocated by us (at our discretion) and at any time up until checking in at the port. Once your GTY stateroom has been allocated to you, we are unable to accept any changes requested by you. Guests booked in GTY cabins may not be berthed with other travelling parties due to availability. Staterooms allocated may be subject to obstructed views.

Oh, then you'd still get 10 points if she joins you in the suite. Enough for your D+

If you booked prior to March 31, the booking is still eligible for CWC benefits, but the cancellation would have to cancel on the Thursday before your sail date to get the 100% future cruise credit. Unless you are flying out Thursday or earlier, you probably won't know whether your flight will be canceled. So, you're probably going to want some better protection. I'm fairly certain that you can still purchase travel insurance, even this close to the trip. Travel insurance while traveling overseas is a good idea in any case. Make sure it has sufficient trip interruption coverage to cover the cost of the cruise.

This must be a 10 night sailing in a GS then?

I've also been curious about the answer to this question in regards to having a person in a room that provides suite benefits in addition to a separate non-suite stateroom. For example, a family is booked in a star class room and wants grandma who is booked in a balcony room to also get the DBP and UDP benefits while being able to sleep in a different room. I'd imagine there could be issues when counting passengers for the manifest and muster station assignments, but I haven't heard any solid answer to this question.

Critical piece of information in the article: Yet, since the phased restart of cruise travel in July 2021, there have been no critical emergency situations where any ship has been overwhelmed with the need to evacuate guests due to a crippling outbreak of COVID-19. Even where higher numbers of cases have been reported on vessels, the cruise line’s emergency measures, including contact tracing, isolation measures, and quarantine, have proven effective, and most passengers who do test positive have been either asymptomatic or experienced only very mild symptoms of discomfort.

I love the sound of this, but the definition of a nova doesn't seem desirable in the context of a cruise ship. "a star showing a sudden large increase in brightness and then slowly returning to its original state over a few months."

Louder @smokeybandit! Even if you only use the card for RC purchases, you're missing out. Also, something to be aware of is the points expire after 5 years. So if you plan on not cruising for a while or wait to save up, you could be loosing those points. The best card out there IMO for the occasional or active cruiser is the US Bank Altitude Connect Visa. Earns 4x points on travel, including cruises. 4x at gas stations! 2x at grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining and streaming services, 1x on other purchases. Points never expire and can be redeemed for cash, merchandise, or travel. No foreign transaction fee. It does have a $95 annual fee, but it's waived for the first year and the $500 sign up bonus is very nice. The annual $30 streaming credit knocks the effective annual fee to $65. Not saying this is for everyone, but for an average consumer that travels even occasionally this card kicks butt.

Sure, but based on the issue being reported, the takeaway from this for me is to call Royal for cruise planner price adjustments rather than canceling and repurchasing on the website. At least until there aren't any more reports of this popping up. It's crazy to think the code doesn't have a solid enough validation process for these transactions to eliminate the chance of this happening.

Looks like there's two types of gift cards/certificates, because the certificates on the page below can be used towards OBC. The caviat is that the funds must be applied 10 or more days before the sail date. https://www.royalcaribbeancertificates.com/ So the answer to the OPs question is it depends what type you have.

I can't see them allowing this. There's no way to verify that the sample was collected properly or from the correct individual.

Most certainly, the test will not be accepted. It's written very clearly that the test must be supervised. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/if-need-an-rt-pcr-test-before-i-cruise-where-should-i-go Accepted Tests for Guests Sailing from Europe Below are details about which tests are accepted to board the ship. The type of test you need for your cruise, as well as the testing window, can vary depending on your vaccination status. If you are unclear on test requirements your for your cruise, visit our main COVID-19 testing FAQ to learn more. Accepted Types of Tests and Results There are two common types of diagnostic COVID-19 tests A molecular test, also called a PCR test or NAAT test – our testing requirements call this a “PCR test” An antigen test, also called a rapid antigen test – our testing requirements call this an “antigen test” The test must be supervised by a health professional, such as a doctor, pharmacy technician, public health worker, or telehealth professional. Telehealth testing at home is only accepted for vaccinated guests, and only when it is conducted under live video supervision. Learn more about acceptable telehealth tests including our home test kit. You must receive a valid results document from your test provider that includes the name of the lab that processed the test, the lab’s CLIA Lab Number or Certification Number, the address of the lab, your name, the date the test was taken, type of test, and your negative result. This can be a printed document, email, or telehealth app notification. Fully handwritten doctor’s notes (such as those written on a prescription pad) will not be accepted. Minimal handwritten components (such as a check mark on a “negative” box) are acceptable as long as the other required information is printed on the document. Tests We Do Not Accept Antibody tests are not accepted, as they do not detect a current infection. Home test kits that are self-administered at home, and not supervised live by a telehealth professional, are also not accepted.

Based on the photo for the diapers in the Royal Gifts page it's the Huggies Snug & Dry type, but I can't say with confidence that's the type you'd receive. Honestly, the 34 pack for $14 is pretty reasonable considering you don't have to lug them on the ship yourself. If the type of Huggie is a deal breaker, give them a call to be sure. Here's there number: (800) 722-5443 Make sure to order before the cruise, because you'll probably pay a whole lot more onboard. Here's the faq page for Royal Gifts. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/royal-gift-order-options And here's the page with the photo I referenced. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/royalgifts/gifts/huggies-diapers

Virgin is in a very competitive space in the cruise industry already and their target market, millennials like myself, need to persuaded that the price they pay is worth the vacation. Appealing to that type of market requires a very heaving marketing presence. Also, millennials who are in a position to drop a couple grand on a vacation often have job positions that make it difficult to find a week off that doesn't leave them drowned in work once the vacation is over. Baby boomers, on the other hand, have more flexibility and can go on several cruises in a year with one of the major cruise lines. Having a larger population in this age range in the Florida area also makes the trip more manageable since a flight to the cruise terminal may not be required, especially with the rising costs of flights nowadays. Besides the food, I don't see how Virgin Voyages has positioned itself leaps and bounds above other the major cruise lines. There biggest differentiator is that it is 18+. I still put my name in the drawing because a free cruise is a free cruise, but at this point I would much rather book a cruise with RC or Celebrity over Virgin.

The cost breakdown shown on the Royal Caribbean booking confirmation page doesn't show all the discount details well. The 100% discount for your grandson is included in the line titled "30% Off" along with the 30% off discount for everyone else.

My neck hurts already thinking about looking up at the screen for an extended period of time.

There are still some CWC eligible bookings. Any booking confirmed on or before March 31, 2022 for a sailing that departs on or before September 30, 2022 is still eligible.

@Matt, would you know the answers to some questions I have regarding this new change? Would FCCs for cancellations of upcoming CWC bookings still be issued without an expiration date? Or does this only apply to FCCs issued before today? I'm led to believe it will apply towards all CWC FCCs, past and future, but I can't be sure. If a cruise is booked using these CWC FCCs that is lower in price than the value of the FCC, does the unused portion of the FCCs that is re-issued now have an expiration date?

Out of curiosity, I checked on this. It appears to me that on the backend side of the bundle, the beverage package portion of it is discounted less compared with purchased by itself while the internet package portion is discounted more than when bought alone. So even though there's a lower overall price with the bundle, the gratuities are higher because the beverage package portion of the bundle is getting less of a discount.

They do not have this option available. You could always ask or have your TA try to get this, but the policy states only refunds or future cruise credits can be issued in this scenario.

Unfortunately, even if she received a letter of recovery, she would be denied boarding due to testing positive within 10 days prior to the cruise. The question is explicit on the health questionnaire. Although, your whole party is eligible for a full refund since she tested positive. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/if-i-test-positive-for-sars-cov-2-what-is-your-refund-policy-and-costs-covered

Does anyone know if they have updated the language in this FAQ page? The title suggests a religious or medical reason is needed, but the details below don't give a list of circumstances that would be accepted. Did that exist there at one point? https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/who-should-i-contact-if-a-vaccine-is-contraindicated

@octaviocloss I don't know if you read the OP's message correctly. If the bid for the royal up is for only one of the connecting balcony rooms, only that one room and it's occupants will be upgraded. Meaning only the OP and her husband would be allocated to that upgraded room and no other guests can be added to it. They wouldn't allow the kids room to be so far away from the other, so even if you won the Royal Up, you would have to rearrange rooms anyway. Royal Up is not set up to handle these situations where multiple rooms would combine into one room. In order to move everyone to that 2BR GS, you would have to book it at it's current rate and cancel the other reservations. From the FAQ Q. If I have two reservations can I bid only once through RoyalUp℠and if accepted, cancel the second reservation and move the guests into the upgraded cabin? A. No, if you have two cabins you will need to submit two separate bids and they will be considered independently. RCI cannot guarantee that both reservations will be upgraded. In the case that one of the reservations gets upgraded, you cannot move the other guests into the upgraded cabin. All reservations cancelled within the penalty period will be subject to cancellation fees.

That's tough having two genies get covid on the same voyage. Hope you still make the most out of the trip.