Cruiser4Life

On 2/10/2022 at 3:38 PM, wordell1 said:

 

On 2/10/2022 at 3:27 PM, GatorCruiser said:

What  are recommendations for multiple people and bags that likely won’t fit into and UberXL , some have mentioned Larry’s limos , anyone use this company’? 

I highly suggest Larry’s. We use them for clients and also personally for years. Sure you can be fancy and get a limo drop off (not saying I haven’t sprung for it before) but they also have a great selection of private cars and SUVs for reasonable rates. Upon booking, they will ask your port and ship and how much luggage you have to select the right vehicle…. They are usually about 15 minutes earlier than your requested pickup time and wait patiently outside. They know their way around both ports extremely well.  Phone communication is above average with this company as upon disembarkation, I usually wake up to a text msg from my driver that they are already there waiting in the designated area and to text as soon as I clear customs and they pull right into the loop. Sorry for the lengthy response but when I find a good company, I rave about it. Happy cruising! 

39 minutes ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

Did NCL opt in already?  On the dashboard it shows their ships as opting into the program:

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html

 

Yes, it appears so... If you add NCL's other two lines, it totals the 20 total ships that have opted in...so it appears they are the first and only so far.

46 minutes ago, Cruiser4Life said:

I personally second this recommendation for space coast/Melbourne/cocoa beach area if you are looking to relocate to Florida. I live in west Broward county (west of ft lauderdale/port Everglades) and although happy here with the quick access to ports, just love that central  area of Florida. We are a military family and with the base up there, it is a beautiful, quiet, friendly and patriotic beach area, only an hour from Orlando. 

Oh.. and I feel like the hurricanes also somehow avoid this area… the last couple times a storm was headed for SoFla, we hightailed it up to Melbourne and relaxed without having to worry about the base or surrounding hotels lose electricity.

6 hours ago, Jill said:

We are between St Augustine and Jacksonville in North Florida. We actually have a change of seasons here and very few snowbirds. 
 

We are 2 hours to Port Canaveral, 4 to Fort Lauderdale and 4 1/2-5 from Miami depending on traffic. I’d personally look around the Space Coast. Melbourne etc. That would put you basically at Canaveral and then just 2-3 hours to Everglades and Miami. Prices will be more reasonable. You’ll also be close to I-4 (or Bee line) to shoot over to Tampa. 

I personally second this recommendation for space coast/Melbourne/cocoa beach area if you are looking to relocate to Florida. I live in west Broward county (west of ft lauderdale/port Everglades) and although happy here with the quick access to ports, just love that central  area of Florida. We are a military family and with the base up there, it is a beautiful, quiet, friendly and patriotic beach area, only an hour from Orlando. 

I’m sorry if this question doesn’t belong in this particular topic… kinda new to posting…. I bought tickets for the thrill park today and then looked at the zip line…. All day thrill park and zip line (I’m assuming one ride, not unlimited) were the same price, almost $100 each… am I correct in thinking the thrill park tickets do not include the zip line? $100 each seems pricey for a zip line….

sorry! It was in the Music Hall….

Hi! We are on the Oasis at end of March. My daughter and I love the theme nights. She loves to dress up for anything… I know there are 70s parties on most ships.. but the last cruise compass I saw for Oasis last month also listed an 80s party…. I believe in the ice rink…. Can you confirm if this occurred during your sailing?

4 hours ago, teddy said:

We’re in Miami 

We are leaving out of Miami too so fingers crossed. Thank you so much for the reassurance! 

2 hours ago, teddy said:

Just some info…..

 

We are currently upstairs in the waiting area in Terminal A.  We were not asked for our physical cards.  When I asked, the agent told me that our cards were verified when we checked in through the app so we were all set 

What port, if I may ask?

4 hours ago, Pooch said:

He used it to upload his vax proof on line.  Had an issue unrelated to the digital nature of the proof but ultimately was accepted by Royal.  I assume the same proof presented at the terminal will work.

Sounds good. I was told you had to provide the physical card at the port no matter what and no exceptions. Praying that’s not the case but if so, she is making a long drive for nothing and I’ve tried to prepare her.

1 hour ago, Pooch said:

God I hope so cuz that’s all he’s got.

I will contact the travel agent. I have no idea what to do if Royal doesn’t accept… when is your cruise?

On 1/26/2022 at 8:27 AM, Pooch said:

My brother, who is my tech guru and fixer of all my issues God love him, is coming on his first cruise with us.  I have been trying to get everyone’s ducks in a row. After he sent me a photo of his digital vax info (he’s the only one without an actual card, got his shots at Gillette Stadium at a mass vax event), I told him to print a copy & put it with his passport.  Why? It’s on my phone. Ok just suggesting an old school backup to potential new school problems.  Nope, sees no reason for it.  Ok dear brother, you do you. I think I’ll secretly print off what he sent me.  Shhhhh, don’t tell him!

Does anyone know if a printout of the digital vax card will suffice? My sister has the same problem, she never received an actual card.

2 hours ago, LBTravels said:

You were able to bring cooked food back onboard?!?!? We were not allowed to do that on the Anthem 12/31 sailing

The Anthem crew I spoke with reported the same thing locked on the ship since October. I asked my stateroom attendant if I can get him anything and after refusing 5xs, he said socks and chocolate. I gifted him with both and additional tip, the crew is not allowed to hangout with each other. So, they basically are working 10 hrs a day, eat then go to their cabin - rough life. On my sailing I was told two cabins/4 people on my deck confirmed COVID were quarantined day 3 of 9 day cruise.

 

 

We put it our backpacks and was only questioned one time after the security scanner… said it was our leftovers and they let it through. Don’t know if they were supposed to….

45 minutes ago, Neesa said:

@Ray I'm just off the Odyssey and Oasis and the crew members we spoke to were not allowed off the ship for months. This was our experience and we sailed the  two ships  maybe it was just those ships, thanks for being so kind and correcting me. Maybe it is just RC ships I've sailed on. 

We sailed serenade back in August to Alaska and can confirm they had not been let off the ship… one of the things they told us they missed the most was being able to get a fresh cooked meal that was not onboard the ship. We felt awful for them so at the port stops, we brought a special few crew members a hot meal to go from wherever we ate right before re-boarding. They were stunned and appreciative!  

I was actually hoping for the opposite. We have a family member waiting until the vax mandate is dropped as she has an autoimmune disease and her doctor is recommending against it.... With the way the pandemic has progressed and vaccinations only ensuring against hospitalization, we are hoping rules change for a same day test for ALL on embarkation day. All the cruise lines should have to do is make sure ALL passengers are negative the second they board the ship.... after that, it is all up to chance. And that is the risk we all have to take. I'd much rather be on a ship with 100% negative tests on sail day, than 95% vaxxed and a negative test 72 hours prior, which is proving to be useless at this point. Just an opinion..... 

It is odd… but more than likely a good sign…. If she has not infected you in all this time, likely she is no longer contagious and her antigen will be negative… try it and I’m rooting for you to enjoy your vacation!!

4 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said:

Am I correct in believing that my wife can't go on our first cruise of a B2B because it is within 14 days of the cruise?  My wife first had symptoms for about 10 days and still has mild symptoms.   Her first PCR  test was positive 7 days ago and positive again today.  I have been negative for both of my PCR tests. 

My question is do I need to report the test results to Royal and apply for a refund for the first cruise?  Seems strange to assume we can still go on the second cruise of the B2B. We have decided not to go on the first cruise but the second cruise of the B2B is still an open question.  I understand that a Rapid test may be negative in the next 1-2 weeks so do we still plan for the second cruise or should we just forget about both cruises?  Thanks.

I’m assuming she is vaccinated as adults have to be to cruise without an exemption…. Try an antigen test instead of pcr. Royal accepts those for vaccinated people and I have several friends that continue to test PCR positive when they are long recovered but antigen negative. PCR can pick up strands of dead virus but antigen shows positive with a contagious infection only…. Good luck!

9 hours ago, Cruiser4Life said:

I third this…. If that’s a thing. I know our state makes big headlines but our family went maskless everywhere as soon as it was allowed and no issues. I cancelled our Harmony NYE cruise today because even though I wasnt thrilled about the masking, I cannot justify spending over $10k for missed ports and lack of onboard entertainment. Did not pitch a fit over the no refund policy this close to sailing and simplify rolled it to the odyssey next NYE. Nothing Royal or anyone of us can do about the current situation, it’s just bad timing for the industry.  My daughter is crushed but at least our Alaska cruise in August went off without a hitch.  Going to go celebrate NYE at a little jazz club in Melbourne maskless and happy this year. Here’s hoping for the spring break cruise in March to be better. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday week, no matter what their decisions!! 

One last note for anyone cruising next week…. I had asked the concierge if tables would be available for sale in the promenade and various other venues throughout the ship for NYE as in previous years and the response was that the bar dept was still waiting to hear from stateside whether that would be available. Also, that most if not all events would be taking place outside on the decks that evening. So no parties indoors may make for a very crowded scene outside. Again, not trying to be a downer but just passing along info. 

1 hour ago, Neesa said:

@ChrisK2793 I second this. Based in Florida and living our lives. My daughter has attended high school in person and (gasp) no masks. Totally a choice for families, while we are not arrogant about the situation and do our best to respect others while going about living. We are on this ship right now (Odyssey) and our days are pretty packed. We wait in long lines but participated in the bumper cars multiple sessions, I fly, the jumpy thing and the shows that aren't canceled. Morning walks on running track. No isolation, no sir, no way.

I third this…. If that’s a thing. I know our state makes big headlines but our family went maskless everywhere as soon as it was allowed and no issues. I cancelled our Harmony NYE cruise today because even though I wasnt thrilled about the masking, I cannot justify spending over $10k for missed ports and lack of onboard entertainment. Did not pitch a fit over the no refund policy this close to sailing and simplify rolled it to the odyssey next NYE. Nothing Royal or anyone of us can do about the current situation, it’s just bad timing for the industry.  My daughter is crushed but at least our Alaska cruise in August went off without a hitch.  Going to go celebrate NYE at a little jazz club in Melbourne maskless and happy this year. Here’s hoping for the spring break cruise in March to be better. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday week, no matter what their decisions!! 

I think the only cancellations would be if there was a massive crew outbreak and they simply didn’t have the staff for the next cruise..: so only an unfortunate single  ship/single itinerary cancellation and then back to normal once the crew is well.

I would absolutely love to see Wicked on a cruise ship…. Better yet in the Aquatheater so Elfie can really “defy gravity” … sorry, total Wicked nerd over here….

It's gotten beyond out of hand. I'm sure we will be cancelling NYE sailing next week. I haven't heard from the Concierge yet, but we are definitely out if they are not selling tables on the Promenade like usual for the big party. There are plenty of places on land (especially here in Florida) where we can enjoy a festive NYE party so it's not worth it to pay over 10 grand for what it will probably look like on a cruise ship this year. So sad, another cruise down the drain.

I am in the same situation... even same NYE cruise which we will sorely miss... been a tradition since our daughter was 3 years old! Adults are all vaccinated but will not be vaccinating our 12 year daughter until there are many more years of research to come... I wish Royal would use the same protocols in the US as they do in foreign countries... Only over 18 required to vax.... It seems excessive to fly to Barcelona or Cyprus to get on a cruise but it is becoming more and more tempting....  You can contact special_needs@rccl.com for what they require for exemptions but the list is short as to what they accept.