KLA

I would be very surprised to see wholesale cancelations.  However, I think cancelations of particular sailings is possible for consolidation purposes if the demand dips.

We took a tour with Bernard's Tours when we went on our honeymoon, it was great and we loved it 
It was a tour of maybe 10-12 people, air conditioned van, drinks onboard (soda, water, rum punch)
We stopped at many sights including some time at Orient Beach for some swimming 
 
https://bernardstours.com/

Everything right now is just speculation. I would be surprised if there was another full cancellation to the scale like we saw a couple years ago, since now we are better equipped with an understanding of how the virus works to protect ourselves and for Royal Caribbean to make recommendations to provide a safe vacation. 
It is what it is for the moment - nothing we can do but wait to see what happens next. 

Everything right now is just speculation. I would be surprised if there was another full cancellation to the scale like we saw a couple years ago, since now we are better equipped with an understanding of how the virus works to protect ourselves and for Royal Caribbean to make recommendations to provide a safe vacation. 
It is what it is for the moment - nothing we can do but wait to see what happens next. 

Our home for the next few nights. Twinning with @Jax in the Grand Panoramic 1758. Pardon the photo dump.
Living Area:



Bedroom and Main Bath:














Balcony:


 
 

This is all based on conjecture and is my own personal opinion. 
1) Baring some sort of an all out travel ban or mandate I do not think that RCL will cancel cruises. 
2) What I think what we will see are some protocol changes. Which we have already seen with the masking changes. I am also sure that internally they are monitoring the epidemiology of covid on board their ships (eg who is getting sick, how sick are they, where are they from, age, etc). I think that they may slow down the ramp up to increased capacity. 
My personal prediction, is that I fully expect there to be more cases on board RCL ships just like the Symphony OTS. I think that as long as cases are mild or asymptomatic, RCL will not try to change their protocols too drastically. However if they see a rise in severity or a huge influx of cases, I think they may take even stronger precautions. I expect that RCL will slow down their increase in capacity over this winter, and ramp up faster during the spring of 2022. I fully expect by summer of 2022 to be close to full capacity and definitely at fully capacity by the end of Summer 2022. 

I often find advice offered by the phone reps to be varied and contradict the website a bit. For example, I was told that my Covid test needed to be within 48 hours of sail away time, when the policy is clearly posted that it's anytime 2 days before you board. 
Another case where 1) It helps to review the policies on Royal's website directly (and often, the closer you get to sail away to be familiar with the changing landscape of protocols) and 2) work directly with a trusted travel agent. 

I often find advice offered by the phone reps to be varied and contradict the website a bit. For example, I was told that my Covid test needed to be within 48 hours of sail away time, when the policy is clearly posted that it's anytime 2 days before you board. 
Another case where 1) It helps to review the policies on Royal's website directly (and often, the closer you get to sail away to be familiar with the changing landscape of protocols) and 2) work directly with a trusted travel agent. 

My next cruise is end of January, so not part of the new dates.  I am totally fine if they lengthen this to include mine.  Yes its disappointing, but is completely a reasonable, practical, and proper response.  We don't get to pretend this is over just because we are tired of it.  
The crew and the business deserve the extra layer of protection this policy provides.  I work for an airline, we have federal mask requirements for our passengers and have since near the beginning of the pandemic.  Our flight attendants and our business deserve that extra layer of protection that policy provides.  No different for Royal, so Ill happily keep it on.  That said, Ill be wearing my Celebrity mask I was given on that cruise, because it is very nice.

The only way I could see Royal being forced to cancel cruises on their own would be if too many crew members become infected, or are quarantined due to contact tracing, and there are not enough to properly staff a cruise. 
That’s why I think the new masking rules are being announced. Precaution.
However, as a famous general once said…’Take not counsel of your fears’. In other words…it is what it is. Plan on cruising and having a great time. Hopefully this new thing…and whatever newer things come along…don’t become an impediment to safe and healthy cruising.

I think this is newsworthy from the standpoint that a lot of people who don't want to get on a cruise yet are not doing so because they're wondering, "What happens to me if I test positive on the cruise? Am I going to be stuck on an island or on the boat for weeks?" And I think this story a very intentional attempt for the industry to say, "Look. This isn't that common, but if it unfortunately happens to you, we are doing everything we can to get you home and keep the other passengers safe."
It takes away the mystery behind a very serious concern that's likely preventing a lot of people from cruising right now. 

I just want to make sure everyone is clear that these policies have nothing to do with CDC guidelines or "government bureaucracy."
Nothing is forcing them to do this. No government is mandating these policies. RCI is doing this because their medically trained health experts, who are tasked with evaluating the efficacy of these types of policies, have determined that this policy will help to ensure safe cruising. This is a decision being made by a private business in the best interest of its future and the safety of its customers and employees. No government body is forcing them to do this.

Perfect - thanks! Actually - went and found this right after I posted: - https://www.cruisehabit.com/can-i-use-walgreens-rapid-diagnostic-id-now-test-my-cruise

I was just adding info, totally did not see it as a disagreement. As with all investments, I'm sure they want it to be generating revenue ASAP. I think the bigger problem would be selling tickets until they get the country under control.

WOAH, Livin on a pr... nevermind.

WOAH, Livin on a pr... nevermind.

WOAH, Livin on a pr... nevermind.

Any path to escalate that again? That doesn't seem like what I would expect for an error on their behalf...

WOAH, Livin on a pr... nevermind.

I know her type of student very well...and my best recommendation: have her talk to her teachers about getting assignments to take on the trip. There is a lot of stress in the coming months she will face and having a getaway could be really useful for helping her recharge her batteries, reduce some of the stress and help keep her from burning out.

As soon as you can, confirm your dining reservations at the MDR.  Sometimes what we have pre-cruise are only placeholders for the actual reservations.

As someone who went to college for Engineering - I *wish* I had done this. Good for her! 

To be fair, it would be no different than it was pre-pandemic

Worst case take an excursion to the hot tub on ship. 

FWIW - Coco Cay has its own weather station, so if you use the Weather app on your iPhone (or similar) you can actually search for Coco Cay and get live weather update.