EmptyNestTravels

Wow, some of Royal's older ships don't support the app? Is there a list of those ships somewhere? I will absolutely avoid those ships!

Oh, yes! Those Passport holders with the window for the vax card are great. Got one right before my last cruise, and it helped speed things up going through check-in at the port. Plus I was less worried about losing or damaging my card. Amazon sells a wide variety of card holders and lanyards, including several "cruise-themed" ones. There are lots of options available. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cruise+lanyard+for+ship+cards&i=office-products&crid=1EXQQFGXD8RJF&sprefix=cruise+%2Coffice-products%2C82&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_7

SeaPasses do not come on a lanyard. Royal sells some logo lanyards onboard, or you can bring your own from home (cheaper and your choice of style, color & selection). I've also seen people put adhesive card holders on the back of their smart phones for their SeaPass cards rather than using a lanyard. I've only seen people carry their Coca Cola Freestyle soda cups around, so can't really answer if folks bring a holder for those.

This is not intuitive, and it took me a while of Googling and asking another forum member the same thing recently. I finally found the detailed answer by web searching how to set up signature block in the Invision Community (blog platform). It's easy and makes sense once you figure out where and how to set it up. I had been looking in my profile, and under message settings, and those were the wrong places. Thanks @PPPJJ-GCVABfor posting here with details so other folks can do this, too.. Maybe we need an FAQ page for the forum?

They will need to see your face when the call starts. Then you will need to hold up the unopened test box and allow them to see the expiration date. Then you'll show your Government-issued ID (up close on the camera); and then **at their instruction** they will tell you to open the test, and you'll have to hold the test card up to the camera so they can scan the QR Code. (Do Not Open the test until they tell you to!). Once that's finished, they will walk you through the steps to open the swab package and swab your nose. At that point, you will need to point the camera down so that they can see the test card sitting on a flat surface. And the camera will stay on and they can observe the test card during the entire 15 minute wait time (even though they leave and will pass you to a different proctor to read and record your results. When the proctor returns after the 15 minutes, they will tell you to hold the test card up to the camera so they can read/confirm the test result. Personally, I've found it easiest to use my laptop with integrated camera and just tilt the screen up or down as needed. I hope that helps.

Recommend you head to the spa as soon as possible on Day #1 to talk with them. Let them give you the tour and pitch their first-day "specials" to you. Granted, the specials are still expensive, but they claim to offer significant discounts, especially if you book more than one session/treatment. The spa services are provided to a third-party medi-spa company that serves many cruise lines. They will tack 18% gratuity on top of the spa fees quoted to you, so just keep that in mind. And be ready for the high-pressure up-selling and products they will pitch to you during you massage/treatments. If you're not interested in the up-selling, I would be very clear with them up front so that you can relax during your massage time. Have fun!

If you're not going to print the NAVICA results in hard copy to take with you to the port, suggest you take a screen shot of the results from the NAVICA app to keep on your phone in case there is a poor cell signal or no Wi-Fi at the port. Just to be doubly safe, I always print a hard copy and also take a screen shot because I don't want any reason to not be able to show clear results at the terminal. . Enjoy your cruise!

Watched @CHRIS WONG announcement today about his new contract on Ovation. Now I'm going to have to figure out how to add an Alaskan cruise to my schedule! Best of luck on your new contract, Chris. Enjoying all your vlogs (especially your Orlando trip with Steph). Cheering you on! Thanks for the great content! Let's get CHRIS WONG VLOGS to 100K followers on YouTube!

Fear not! The eMed test is remarkably convenient, easy, quick, and painless. There are several videos online on how to do the test, and the proctor will walk you through the entire process. You'll just need to create an eMed and NAVICA account and log-in (laptop with a camera, tablet, or smart phone) to get started. Here's the link to Matt's video on how to do the eMed testing:

I think the refund process depends on your TA agency and how they process your reservation charges. I use MEI-Travel, and they process the cruise reservation charges on my behalf with Royal. But the transaction comes through on my credit card as being charged directly from Royal (not from MEI-Travel). That means when I have a refund coming, it comes directly from Royal, too. While my TA may make the refund request, and give me an idea of what to expect (including that the refund could be split up over three separate refunds from Royal); the refunds always come directly from Royal and not from my TA. So, my guess is the TA has limited visibility into the issue, and is as the mercy of the cruise line to process and credit your refund to you. I've had some come through more quickly than expected, and one that's taken several weeks so far. But again, the actual refund comes from the cruise line and is not paid to me by my TA or their agency.

Looks like cruising is back! . But, how many "beverages" were dispensed?

Since it doesn't cost any extra to use a TA, it's a no-brainer for me. I often do the legwork, but then transfer the cruise to the TA to manage and track for me. On more than one occasion, my TA has found a price drop, new option for OBC, etc. and has also found me a deal on a better class of cabin; and handled the legwork of making all those associated changes. It's been my experience I can be as involved as I'd like to be with tracking and managing my reservation in collaboration with my TA; or I can just be hands-off and leave it to my TA. The TA may not be able to give OBC, or other amenities depending on the situation. I think those are perks that certain agencies offer at certain times. AMEX travel offered me those perks including the OBC and bottle of wine if I switched over and used them for my cruises. However, my experience using AMEX travel has always been that they pick the most expensive fares available (for airlines anyway), and then offer the AMEX "discount" on those. Essentially, I can use AMEX and get a small "discount" and perk on an extravagant fare; or I can just go with a more reasonable source (smaller TA or book direct) and get a much better deal. For me, it's about the working relationship with my TA who knows me, and looks out for me, vs. a big agency offering supposed "discounts and perks" on inflated fares, and where I'm just another number in the crowd. I book my own airfare, but I am happy for my TA to manage all of my cruises for me, and have never been disappointed.

Is this just a UK thing? I've heard in several cruise vlogs (Emma Cruises, for example) that the rules for gratuities, etc. are different for cruises booked in/from the UK vs. USA.

849 Kids! Wow!

On Harmony (Oasis+ class), the sign on "The Living Room" (space for teens) says "Reserved for Teens Ages 12-17 Only". Can't speak for other ships.

Well, look at that! Matt's YouTube vlog posted today is all about Labadee! Thank you @Matt!!

Was there ever an update from Royal after Richard Fain seemed to say they would make the onboard chat feature free? Now that he's gone, I wonder if Royal decided making it free might overwhelm the Wi-Fi capacity on the ships? For me, it's worth having the paid Wi-Fi package and using any number of chat apps to keep in touch with folks onboard and at home. But, I realize that's not a good option for everyone, and a free chat app would be a nice perk for some - especially families.

More money for you to spend on the cruise then!

Is a local pilot required to be onboard for entering/leaving port? If so, I would expect the pilot to be liable.

@GatorCruiser - I'm on Dec 11th Wonder cruise, too. Hope to meet you.

May 15, 2022 Bermuda cruise on Mariner seems to be filling up fast! There are already no OVBs available. . First-world problems!

IMHO I would recommend you reconsider getting the drink package - even if just the soda or refreshment package, so that you get the souvenir cup for the Freestyle drink machines, and can get "free" non-alcoholic drinks throughout the day on the ship and in CocoCay. The Freestyle machines onboard dispense more than just soda and include vitamin water, Powerade, flat or carbonated Dasani water (you're going to want to stay hydrated); and you can add multiple flavor options to all soft-drinks as you desire). Not having to pay for water and other drinks (which could be available only at mealtimes could be a lifesaver and money-saver). While the deluxe alcohol drink package is expensive, the refreshment and soda packages are much more reasonable IMHO, and well worth it. The gratuities are included in the drink package purchase price, so you would not be paying any additional gratuities onboard for beverages that are included in the packages. If you decide to purchase alcoholic beverages onboard, you will pay the going price (usually around $10.00 each) + an 18% gratuity added on top of that. The cost for the alcoholic beverage(s) and gratuity on those purchased alcoholic drinks will be added directly to your SeaPass card account. Your SeaPass account needs to be paid (cash or charged to a credit card) before you leave the ship at the end of the cruise.

Somebody might be getting a brand new iPod before the cruise!

Super TA saves the day! Thank you!

I hope my December 11th cruise on Wonder is still on. Still shows in my CP as of today. Lucky for me, I've got a great TA @michelle @ MEI-Travel who's looks out for me.