AspiringCruisePlanner

All restrictions removed for the Dominican Republic as well. https://www.traveloffpath.com/dominican-republic-officially-removes-all-entry-requirements/

"Reef safe" or "Reef friendly" are not terms that have regulations behind them. So theoretically, any company could tag that on any product without issues, even if they did contain supposed harmful chemicals. The truth is there has not been enough real-world studies to determine the harmful effects of chemicals in sunscreen. The truth is utilizing sunscreens that don't have the proper chemical balance to protect against UV-A and UV-B rays can have a serious negative effect on your health. An interesting fact is that many mineral based sunscreens contain titanium dioxide as an active ingredient which has been shown to produce hydrogen peroxide in the water which also can have negative effects on marine life in higher concentrations. Also, mineral based sunscreens have been tested and frequently proven to be less effective at sun protection than conventional sunscreen, even if the SPF ratings say otherwise. It does seem that the consensus is oxybenzone and octinoxate appear to have the most negative effects and if you want to watch out for the environment, get sunscreen that doesn't contain those chemicals until more research has been conducted. There's a huge amount of sunscreen brands that don't have those chemicals, but don't advertise as reef safe. There's a lot of misinformation out there on this subject, so make sure to stay informed. Here's a great article by Consumer Reports on this subject: https://www.consumerreports.org/sunscreen/the-truth-about-reef-safe-sunscreen-a3578637894/

Bookings made after March 31, 2022 are no longer eligible for Cruise with Confidence, so unfortunately yours is not eligible. You had a small window before the final payment due date (which was yesterday for your reservation) to modify the booking prior to final payment. I don't think you'll be able to get the reprice, but if you make the claim to your TA that you made the request before the final payment due date (April 24th), you may be able to get somewhere. Good luck to you.

I bet if you utilized the "Track Everything" option, if the categories opened up, they would appear on your watchlist.

I'm a fan of using Cruiseplum.com to search for new cruises and monitor pricing for my existing ones. They implemented some new features that are super helpful on top of all the other great features they already had! With their new suite search, you can now select specific cabin category codes for Sea, Sky, and Star class rooms. It was super time consuming trying to search for available suite cabins previously on any site. For example, good luck trying to find a date when one of the 4BR Villa Suites is available on Harmony or Symphony using any other site. You can create a profile that allows you to save searches with your customized filters. You can now track pricing for sailings in your profile's watchlist. However, there's no email notification option yet and the history is only for the past 30 days. Unfortunately, there's no ability to track specific category codes within the inside, ocean view, or balcony categories for Royal Caribbean, yet. It could be because that would be a ton of data to process due to the large variety of category codes Royal Caribbean has within these categories. They do have this option for Celebrity. I didn't bother checking for the other cruise lines. The only thing this site is missing is the ability to factor in deals for C&A levels and resident deals. An email notification for price drops for cruises on your watchlist would also be super valuable. Otherwise, the creators of this site have done a fabulous job putting together and updating this search tool that has no ads and gets you the info you're looking for quickly.

And on the package it says "Individual tolerances will vary" I'm amazed they still sell these.

This reminded me that I have to try some of those sugar free gummy bears the next time I need to do a cleanse. The reviews of these things are comedy gold. https://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Free-Gummy-Bears-5LBS/product-reviews/B00CMS97YS

I don't believe OBC is transferrable between staterooms, but I could be wrong. As a backup, if you husband's room account does not use up the $700, he could certainly use the casino slot machine trick to convert the OBC into cash; either at the beginning of the cruise or at the end after all the gratuities and onboard spend have been calculated. Here's @AshleyDillo's guide to that process. No fee involved if using the slot machine. The onboard credits for cruise with confidence price adjustments are non-refundable, so you definitely want to take advantage of this if you have any credit left at the end of the cruise. I know it can be tempting, but don't hit that SPIN button when the cash is loaded on the machine.

Another instance of what to believe on the Royal Caribbean website

True, the language for requirement on AO still exists on this FAQ page. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/if-travel-with-an-unvaccinated-kid-under-12-how-will-our-experience-be

It's starting to look the most economical to get a bottle, or a few, delivered to you room via Royal Gifts https://www.royalcaribbean.com/royalgifts/wine-liquor/absolut-vodka-and-sprite-package You could get 8 drinks for $44. No gratuity added!

My wife and I sailed on Celebrity Equinox for our honeymoon in June 2019. It was our first cruise, so we didn't have anything to compare to, but we had an absolute blast! We never felt pressure to book entertainment early and could really just go with the flow. We loved the entertainment at the main theater and were impressed with the talented performers and acrobatic artists. Cruise director was great, there were silent discos, a white out dance party one night, and the list goes on. We ate dinner at the main dining room every night except for the first when we ate at the Tuscan Grille because there was a discount offered, wonderful view out the back of the ship. Awesome food the whole cruise. I felt the cruise was more catered to adults than kids, although they do have a camp at sea program and we met several families which participated in that. They also have an X Club for 13-17 year olds that I could see most teenagers enjoying. Having the beverage package included with the upfront cost was super nice. Don't have to hassle with waiting for a "sale" or watching prices. We never used the Wifi, so no big deal on that. Pre-paid gratuities was also a huge plus. We also stayed in a Concierge balcony on our trip. But we never utilized the concierge. We got a phone call every morning from our concierge reminding us that they were there to help with anything we needed. We didn't end up needing any reservations the whole trip. In all honesty, I would just book a normal balcony next time we sail with Celebrity, although we did make use of the sparkling wine that came with the concierge class room (see video). This was my first time opening a bottle of champagne, so cut me some slack. Someone yelled from their balcony "what the **** was that!" after the bottle popped. Too funny. Funny story on our trip. We love bingo which is not common for people in their 20's, so we had to play. I may have had a few too many Moscow mules prior so when our last number for a bingo popped up on the screen, I jumped from my seat and shouted "BINGO! LET'S GOOOO!". Keep in mind this is an older crowd and every other bingo won before was announced with a casual "bingo" and raising the bingo card. Everyone had a good laugh about it, and from then on my wife and I were lovingly known as the "bingo couple" in the hallways and elevators. We loved the vibe on Celebrity and the crew were just fantastic. Whether you decide on Celebrity or Royal, I'm sure you'll have a good time. VID_20190622_171613.mp4

Why not got to an actual restaurant for breakfast rather than a hotel? Any reason you mention the hotel?

Depends on your group. The ultra spacious rooms have bunk beds for extra guests, so that's a plus if you more than 2, especially kids. Also, they are only on deck 11 for Symphony so you don't run the risk of being on any deck. The rooms and balconies are just about the same size as a JS so you get some extra room. Below are the rooms you'd be bidding on. Only 5 on the ship. I'd say bid on it, but don't expect them to open up. They're more scarce than star class rooms.

I looked into the card. Really rough earning rate with no additional Royal Caribbean perks.

I know, I just didn't want to start a whole new thread.

Well it looks like the Royal Caribbean legal department strikes again. Conflicting information in their online resources. From FAQ page: 100% cruise fare refund for you, and your Travelling Party, if any of you tests positive for COVID-19 within 10 days prior to the cruise or at the boarding terminal, for cruises departing on or before March 31, 2023. From the COVID-19 Refund and Cancellations Policy: For all RCI cruises scheduled to sail between April 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023, inclusive: • If you, or someone in your Traveling Party, cancel a cruise booking due to testing positive for COVID-19 within 10 days of embarkation, you and they are entitled to a refund, or an optional FCC, for the cruise fare paid to RCI. If you had close contact with a positive or suspected COVID19 case within 10 days of embarkation, and RCI deems you are unfit to travel, you, and anyone else in your Traveling Party who cancels, are eligible for a refund of the cruise fare paid to RCI, or an optional FCC equal in value to the same. Second Conflict: Again from the FAQ: Pro-rated cruise fare refund if your cruise is cut short for reasons related to COVID-19, for cruises departing on or before April 30, 2022. And then from the COVID cancellations policy: For all RCI cruises scheduled to sail between April 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023, inclusive: • If you, your family members, traveling companions or other close contacts are denied embarkation or reboarding, or quarantined or disembarked during the voyage, due to a positive COVID-19 test or being suspected of having COVID-19, you and they are entitled to a refund, or an optional FCC, for the cruise fare paid to RCI in the event of denial at embarkation, or a pro-rated refund or prorated FCC for the unused portion of your cruise fare in all other cases. The third bullet point of the FAQ does align with the COVID policy which states coverage for quarantine, medical treatment, and travel home is covered by Royal Caribbean only until April 30, 2022. Since the information doesn't conflict until the end of this month, not a big deal. But they should get these two pieces of info aligned to avoid confusion.

This just popped into my head as a fun thought experiment for some of you avid Royal Caribbean cruisers. I'd like to hear what your ideal ship would look like if you were the designer. Pick a handful of attributes from current ships or come up with your own ideas. This has probably been done before, but who cares. 5 Restaurants 5 Attractions or Activities 2 Neighborhoods 2 Shows 3 Wild Cards (This can be an accommodation, attraction, or anything you can imagine) 4 Cruise Ports (This ship has turbo jets and can take you to any 4 in the world in a 7 day voyage) Pick a Name I'll kick it off. This is all based on what I've heard and read about, so excuse my lack of experience Restaurants Izumi Hibachi Noodle Bar (I'm basic, I know) Sabor The Mason Jar Playmakers Attractions or Activities Bumper cars Escape Room Ice hockey (Minnesota native, biased) Murder mystery dinner (This would be new as far as I'm aware. I've always enjoyed these. Cool way to meet new people) Observatory (I love seeing the stars with very little light pollution) Neighborhoods Solarium from Wonder, looks dope Central park, love the natural landscape Shows I think it's not possible because of Disney rights, but I've loved The Lion King musical The book sounds interesting and the theater setting is unique Wild Cards Free messaging Reserving a lounge chair activates a mechanism that ejects you over the side of the ship in style Real grass area with lawn games like Kubbs, bags, ladder ball, etc. Ports Galapagos islands New Zealand CoCo Cay, too much hype to miss Hawaii Pick a name for you ship. I'll call her Nebula of the Seas. Have fun everybody!

There's only 12 star class cabins on the ship! You could have just chartered the whole boat

No doubt. My guess is they'll incorporate the next generation on Icon.

I would agree. But I think they need to start offering the pre-cruise testing for free. Insurance isn't going to cover these forever.

I thought that was the case when I first heard it, but the crew and passenger percentages are calculated separately. "Highly Vaccinated: ships with at least 95% passengers and 95% crew who are fully vaccinated, but with less than 95% of passengers and 95% of crew who are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines." Although, I do believe @smokeybandit is on to something about this being somewhat flexible behind the curtain.

I'd like to add to that as well. Royal is in a particularly tricky spot when it comes to sailings this Summer. In order to adhere to the 95% vaccination rate for the CDC, they will have to rely on high vaccination rates of kids or lower numbers of them. Michael Bayley mentioned in his interview with TTG that "kids between five and twelve - well it's not mandatory - but we're vaccinated at about sixty percent of that population; sixty, seventy percent". If we take Oasis as an example, with full capacity of 5606 guests that means to comply with the 95% rule, only 280 passengers can be unvaccinated. Going off of what Michael Bayley mentioned between 60 and 70 percent of kids aged 5-12 being vaccinated, if the ship has over 934 kids aged 5-12 onboard (about 17% of all guests) there would likely be less than 95% of population vaccinated and wouldn't meet the current CDC criteria. I find it hard to believe they could meet that threshold in the Summer months after offering this Kids Sail Free promo. It seems to me that they are banking on the CDC either relaxing the 95% requirement or have plans to withdraw if the CDC doesn't do so. Regardless, I don't think they will eliminate vaccine or testing requirements unless the CDC eliminates it from their guidelines. Things can change quickly, so we won't know until we're there. But one thing is certain that Royal will be in a tight spot if the 95% rule is maintained throughout this Summer.

This is pure speculation, but I found this after poking around and I think I'm on to something. The posts are from the Hemiva Oy Facebook page. "Hemiva Installation Oy specializes in the manufacture and installation of high quality marine interiors. The company’s primary function is the manufacture of world-class suites for luxury cruise liners." For reference, they built the royal lofts, crown lofts, owners, and aquatheater suites for Oasis and Allure when they were put together at the Meyer Turku shipyard. They also built suites for several other Royal Caribbean ships. Here's a post from them back in November. It sounds to me a lot like a royal/royal loft suite. Large bathroom, walk-in closets, balcony with a jacuzzi, and, a large clue, a grand piano. 257 square meters is 2766 square feet. To put that in perspective, the Royal Loft Suite on Wonder of the Seas is 1524 square feet, only slightly over half the size. The only bigger suite at sea for cruise liners that I found would be the Regent Suite (~3000 square feet). Even if this isn't for Icon, it will be interesting to see what it looks like when it's finished. Also, what does maid's cabin mean!? Hemiva Oy also confirmed involvement in Icon with their latest Facebook post. Here's the full size photo of the construction.