KLA

I lost a good amount of weight through Covid and I admittedly haven’t been dieting during the cruise at all. Breaks are good - I’m looking forward to getting back on track next week. 
 

I will say I’ve been wearing my Fitbit and we have been getting 10k+ steps a day and have worked out during the cruise - so there’s that! 

25 minutes ago, barjpoe said:

We would have loved to seen Showgirls , but past our bed time.

They only do one show and its at 9:45PM to accommodate the second seating of dinner.

Maybe when they go back to having an early and then a little later showing for those guest who do early dining, we'll see it.

I’m on board this week and capacity has been higher than most recent sailings (~1600 passengers) and they are doing two showtimes for Showgirls. 7 pm and 930 pm. 
 

Ship still feels very light capacity. It’s been great. I will say that the reservations for the early showings were hard to get. Make sure to book basically anything that requires a reservation (iFly, North Star, any show) as soon as you board through the app to make sure you get the time you want. 

27 minutes ago, barjpoe said:

We Royal Upped to a JS from a balcony on Odyssey last month. NO walk in closet!  Shower and tub were in one room & toilet was in across the entry way in separate room.

On Odyssey now and that’s what we have - two toilets (one with the shower and bath), no walk in but tons of storage. We’ve been very comfortable. 

8 hours ago, Big B said:

Hope you are enjoying your cruise!

We are!! Just made our early arrival in Cozumel and will be headed towards Nachi if the rain doesn’t pose too much of an issue today! Enjoying coffee in bed before heading out for some exercise. 
 

The room has been amazing, and I am officially sold on why everyone enjoys Coastal Kitchen so much. 

25 minutes ago, BrianB said:

*Sunscreen!

We’ve been good this cruise!!!! No sunburn yet and we sat in the sun all day at coco cay yesterday. 

I was told that if this is the case the suite concierge would be able to assist with that. 
 

In our case, our Odyssey bid was accepted two days before (OV Balcony GTY -> JS) so that could very well be the case. Also, hi from the Odyssey pool deck! 

8 minutes ago, Matt said:

South Beach is closed at the moment because there aren't enough guests with the reduced capacity. Not sure when you are sailing, but in the interim, the decision has been made for you.

Can confirm this was still the case as of yesterday. I believe it is crew only for the moment.

Also, hi from the Odyssey pool deck! 

I will personally always bid on a Junior suite if it’s a reasonable offer. On the oasis and quantum classes you get access to dinner at coastal kitchen and the extra space really is nice (even if unnecessary). 

I would argue in the case of a Junior suite, it’s a little bit harder to get a “bad” location unless you already have a very strong preference for where you want to be deck or ship position wise. 

Hello from on board the Odyssey!!! It’s nice here. 
 

I saw the second ship out floating yesterday from the beach - I believe that that is the Celebrity Reflection which is scheduled to resume in November (from my very brief research that could be very incorrect)

6 hours ago, roybthered said:

How far out from a sailing would they let you know? we have bid on a JS and a GS but are 12 days out from sailing, (Anthem from Southampton around the UK).

I sail tomorrow and we had our bid accepted yesterday, but the timeline varies wildly. This seems to happen sometime within the week of sailing, but it could be sooner or never. 

2 hours ago, Big B said:

Any updates on your royal up bid?

It was JUST accepted. We sail in two days. Junior Suite from OV balcony GTY!!!!

I’m in the same position. One says pending, two are expired with no option to edit or cancel and I sail in 3 days. Starting to think we didn’t get it. 

6 minutes ago, Dawn T. said:

Hi, Kayla.  Two of our royal up offers expired, but we had a crown loft suite pending for a least a week, maybe 2.  Then 3 days before we sailed, it was awarded.  Fingers crossed you might still get your JS!

I will try not to lose hope while simultaneously also not getting my hopes up too much further!  

On 9/26/2021 at 5:29 PM, Neesa said:

My previous two sailings that I did a Royal Up bid, each time I had one pending and then 1900hrs like clockwork the evening before embarkation they expired. This doesn't surprise me at all, very poor as it is exciting thinking you may have won the upgrade. At least you are on a sailing and didn't have to pay any more. I am at home thinking about work and school tomorrow....so enjoy your cruise! Wishing you fun and relaxation for days......

Ah.. bummed to read this and that's exactly what's happening with my cruise that departs in 5 days. JS Upgrade has been pending for about a week now. 

I will add for glasses of wine - If the glass you want is for example $15, they will charge you the difference. 

57 minutes ago, FManke said:

I know it's only speculation, but how long will this last? Just until the end of 2021 and then ramp up as usual next year?

 

Happy Cruising!

I'm speculating that part of the problem is the number of people who may not be aware of current cruising protocols or considered a vacation and unable to book at short notice with the re-start. Less of an issue of capacity and more of an issue of 'able to book'. I suspect going in to next spring/summer is when some of the real big increases happen. What's happening now is the marketing story of how Royal took care to bring cruising back safely. 

40 minutes ago, steverk said:

I'm on starting Oct 3.  Any idea how many will be on board?

Less than a week!  

Today’s the day!!!! 

UDP Question - can you use that for lunch at say, Giovanni's Kitchen on boarding day?

Still have two expired, one in pending and I keep checking for that 'accepted' notice. No luck yet, though. 

We DID get our GTY cabin assignment, so worst case I am actually happy with what they gave us. A JS would be so, so nice though. 

I would have to agree to the above - I personally enjoy the limited crowds and experience at Nachi Cocom, but if you don't mind crowds and want more of a 'party' atmosphere you'd enjoy Mr. Sancho's. 

16 hours ago, twangster said:

That was Carnival's approach.  Fewer ships but operating at 75-100% capacity.  

I prefer the reduced capacity approach.  I didn't feel safe on Carnival.  

1 hour ago, Christie said:

I just think about the millions of dollars it costs to sail and think surely they aren't even breaking even with current capacities.  

I mean even if it is reduced capacity and they're losing a bit (and exactly to the point that @twangster  has made) - Royal is building a marketing story as cruising as a fun and safe vacation. Royal putting effort in to safety protocols and having people come back and say "that was great and the protocols were a minor inconvenience and I felt safe and wow that new muster function was awesome no one else is doing that" is a win for them and I think that people are starting to notice that cruising is back. Big picture, I believe. 

14 hours ago, Cruiser58 said:

We booked our Sept 5 cruise in early August, and the first available check in time was 2:30, so we took it. A week or so later, we were looking, and they had opened up slots for 12:30, so we snagged one of them. We dropped off our luggage about 9 am, on the morning of the 5th. Showed up about 11:45, and were allowed to go directly in...

The same thing happened for me - towards the end of last week 12 PM opened up and I grabbed that.

2 minutes ago, RCVoyager said:

I've stated this in earlier posts here.  I don't think you should do it.  It will dominate your vacation.  Do it at home either before or after so you can enjoy your vacation.

I would add on the argument that if learning a new skill in a unique setting and creating that memory of doing something for yourself would add to your vacation, I would say absolutely. Based on the review my husband and I are considering this.