Moby Dick

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.

Wish I had known that before I purchased the RCCL suggested test kits. Thanks. That's a great back-up plan. I just checked and the Government's free test kits are "IHEALTH" type kits. WOW, something going right. Once again, thanks for bringing this up to my/our attention. Didn't know such a thing existed.

I'm just trying to understand something here. Your Dr., has his/her own records of you (your husband) getting the shot(s). The card is basically a thick paper form that the shot info is hand written on and the card isn't controlled or have serial numbers on it. Why can't the Dr's office just handwrite another card? Seems to me that if he/she or a member of his staff gave you/your husband the shot and they have a record of it, it shouldn't be a big deal, just re-do the damn card. Geeeeesh, sometimes it's hard to like Dr's.

How was the weather? Too much ship's movement, maybe? Edited in: Oops, I see you already commented on that now.

The technical aspects of customer service combined with a multitude of laws and regulations, policies from the company, ports, cities, countries, agencies, and the ship's and crew's capabilities make it almost impossible for any one person/agent to be completely knowledgeable of it all. And that was even pre-COCID, imagine it now! And Royal's agents only deal with Royal cruises. Can you imagine how much Travel Agents that deal with virtually all Cruise Companies, Airlines, Hotels brands, TSA, Department of State, OSHA, well, everything that deals with travel and the workplace, how much they have to know/deal with. Happy sailing to you

I believe that as the virus slips away, it's going to be harder and harder to find COVID/rapid COVID testing locations, most businesses can see the handwriting on the wall and start using up their stock and shutting down. If Royal, or the cruise industry realize that it's getting tough out here to find rapid tests with electronically produced negative test results, they'd change some of the strict verification processes. We just received 8 rapid COVID test from the U.S. Government, they are sealed. It would be great if we could bring the sealed test kits to the terminal and perform the test in front of an official. Especially if you are prone to errors dropping things, hard of hearing and screw up the Royal suggested telehealth test kit at the last moment before you fly to, in my case, Seattle from Atlanta. There's little time to correct errors, get new telehealth test kits delivered again. BTW, we probably will never use the U.S. Government provided COVID test kits otherwise.

I don't think our CVSs ever offered COVID testing, in the Oxford/Anniston, AL. I can only hope that your local CVSs know something we don't, yet. Wouldn't that be great!

I/we us brand X travel agency, I won't state their name but apparently, they Only do Cruises. I don't use them for the competency or even the personality of my go to agent, which I could us any one of their, apparently, hundreds of agents all over the country. I use them for their Onboard Credits they offer. On my next cruise, we get well over $1,500.00 in Onboard Credit and other things from the agency AND Royal's $300.00 OBC, that's a total of OVER $1,800.00. As we are cruising Star Class, it's going to be tough using all that OBC but we'll find a way, I'm sure. I shutter what I'd do if I had the same problem as the OP had/has and my travel agent had to handle it. I'm not convinced that my/the agency I use is overtly proficient in dealing with issues with cruising, and that's unbelievable to me. I've asked far too many questions that could not be answered without a call back as they have to call Royal or another agent within their company. In most cases when I ask a question, I can only hope that the agency is talking to someone that is competent and passing on correct info to me. BTW, I've been give erroneous info from Royal's agents as well.

I always battle with how much to tip certain crew members. I like to travel with many $2.00 bills (I found that crew members like getting $2.00 bills, it's kinda unique for them) (it's getting harder and harder to find $2.00 bills, my bank (CU) wont get them for me anymore. I will give a beverage deliverer a $2.00 bill, remember, that's above and beyond the 18% that is automatically added to your check. The room Steward also get's tip money from your prepaid tips or that is automatically added to your cabin balance each day. So, I will tip the steward, starting at $20.00 per day and it goes up or down from there. If the tip goes down, I'll make sure I let the Steward know why. I believe in feedback. I'm always anxious about how much to give to a Genie. I don't know for sure but I've heard, (I'll ask my Genie in May) that a Genie is actually a Ship's Officer in rank and paid as such. So, they make a good amount of money to begin with, I've heard, not that that should change how I judge good service or not. With the Genie, I usually tip $100.00 per person in the room, again, that could go up or down. Some say that $100.00 per person, per day. I think that is a little much. So, as stated earlier, tiping is a personal thing.

Just info: https://www.verywellhealth.com/covid-19-transmitted-through-food-5100840 https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Can-I-get-sick-with-coronavirus-COVID-19-from-touching-food-the-food-packaging-or-food-contact-surfaces-if-the-coronavirus-was-present-on-it As stated earlier, I don't care which serving method Royal uses. I'm happy either way. There are pro's and con's either way. We and Royal need to make decisions based upon facts.

Unfortunately, the system is still dependent on humans to be thoroughly trained and who have the ability to use common sense and decency. I've found that, especially when dealing with governments agencies nd their 3rd party contractors, people are trained to be robots and are severely undertrained. So, one "agent" at a port may give you a hard time while another may not, in the exact same situation. So, as stated above, I'd go overboard when it deals with documented proof that is required. Don't assume anything. If the government sends you something through the mail, email, carrier pigeon, whatever, bring it all but have originals/copies at home. Take names, times, dates, locations. One thing government agencies do well is, covering their own ass, so document everything, they are. I'd even have copies of the linked webpages that I linked to above in my phone available to show where I get my information. This is coming from a retired U.S. Government investigator.

https://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/passports-for-closed-loop-cruise.html I don't think, BUT I'M NOT SURE, that it is a problem having only one biological parent present. While in the Army, my wife would travel all over the world with my two daughters without me. My oldest daughter, the same. We've crossed borders many many times and I don't remember, ever, being asked if both parents are present. But, you may want to call the Department of State to find out for sure. https://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/contact.html

Walkie talkies. I've thought about that in the past. But, besides the other people using them and being rude and channels being too busy, how do they work? There is a lot of metal surrounding you. What's the range with new good ones?

Now that would be disappointing. Hope it's back by November. I like the Baklava. I've only found it in the Bistro.

NOOOOOOOOOO, say it ain't soooooooooo!

I hear ya. It's kinda like going to San Antonio, eating Mexican at a local eatery. Then going home to Alabama, et al, and going to Taco Bell or On the Border. Not that Taco Bell or On the Border isn't acceptable/good, it just ain't the same. I don't eat in the MDR too often. But, the one or two times we did on "Formal Night", the tail was only half a tail, cut long wise and small. It was good. We ordered more, you can get as much as you want in the MDR. For the most part, I enjoy Royal's food, even in the MDR and Windjammer. I do the Windjammer for breakfast most mornings because I really like bacon and I don't want to wait for a server to bring it to me. I like to grab as much as I like the first time or go back and get more within a minute. But, I digress.

Meeeeee toooooo. I'll never call it "pop".

Yes! Also, in the U.S. a "debit card" offers no dispute protection, by law. A "debit card" only offers a banking facility promises. A "credit card", by law, offers many protections, less now than it used to be, but still a lot more than a "debit card" offers. I also agree, use someone else's money. And if you are paying back in time, you are paying back with inflated $$$$$ and I hope with a well researched C.C. company rate of %. I'm paying 7.4%, right now. Yes, it could go up, I understand that. But, with this CU, I'll always be quite a bit lower than other financial institutions. Happy sailing!

Being retired military and personal security being one of my specialties, I wouldn't travel to Russia, even without the Ukrainian war going on. Russia can take you hostage saying that you are a spy using your past military, intel, whatever as justification for it, not that they really justify anything. Hell, these days they take you hostage even if you are just an athlete. Actually, I have never agreed with anybody going to Russia. JMHO

I wouldn't count on what I'm about to say: We, many of my family and friends, to include my wife and I have never waited for more than 3-4 weeks for the regular turn-around of a passport (not "expedited"). Having said all that, if your state issues "Enhanced" driver's licenses, that should be good enough to cruise with. But, I don't travel, ever, without my passport in hand.

A passport card can not be used to enter the U.S. via aircraft. It can be used for normal travel on a cruise ship, however. https://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/passport-card.html

Just fruit for thought: While a B.C. or D.L. is good enough, consider the following: If anyone that doesn't have a passport gets seriously sick or injured, while in a foreign port and needs to be airlifted back to the U.S. on an emergency basis, it may take an extended amount of time to get authorization to fly back to the U.S. Why? Because it is the law that passengers have a passport to enter the U.S. via aircraft (or not returning to the same port of embarkation). If it is a real emergency, waiting on the an embassy to give the authorization could be detrimental to one's health. It's always, as far as I'm concerned, a good idea to have your/a passport while cruising and while in port. Again, just fruit for thought!

That's what I'm talk'in bout!

Question, yes this is just a question, no agenda attached: If you over serve yourself and wind up throwing some/much of it away, doesn't the unused food that was not put on a plate, eventually, get thrown away anyway? While we can say that we helped not waste food, isn't a lot of it being wasted/thrown anyway eventually, anyway? Doesn't the Galley prep based upon the number of passengers that are expected to eat in each venue, regardless if you eat it all or not? Seriously, it's just a question(s)!

S Florida, Dania, Fl to be exact. But, I was born in Montreal, Canada and moved to S. Fla when I was in 2nd grade or grade 2 as they say in Canada.