RCVoyager

Really a bummer, but at the same time that island can be really packed (like Saint Thomas, Nassau, others).  It's certainly a debatable, subjective opinion and everyone has different preferences.... I agree with the unfortunate sentiment that the real winners are the lawyers (as with a lot of things). 
 
I would add that there's another sea faring option and that is to take the Key west Express, a couple hundred passenger catamaran ferry that goes from southwest florida.  I am not an employee or anything, I'm not getting paid haha but I can say that I have taken it several times and will again.  It's a fun two or three hour trip and you can go down and back in a day or across multiple days.  The Catamaran itself is newer, clean and has a great three deck setup with food court, bar, different seating layouts....it's a great option if you're like me and the many other midwesterners who are in Fort Myers/Sarasota/Naples FL often.  If you look at a map, the way the keys curl back to the southwest, it's actually a pretty straight shot as the bird flies.  https://www.keywestexpress.net/

Now that the CDC is proceeding down the road to conditionally approve cruises here in America insurance will follow and apply like it used to.  U.S. Insurance companies are eager to receive premiums having had their revenues drop like so many other companies impacted by the pandemic.  
Canadians will have to wait until the border reopens AND for Health Canada to update their guidance AND for Canadian insurance companies to follow.  Once that point is reached, Canadian insurance providers will also be eager to receive premiums for travel insurance just like they used to.  They too have lost revenue from the pandemic.
It's never amusing to observe people being unable to follow their dreams or being unable to travel.  The restart may require Canadians to observe from a distance until such a time both countries agree to open the border and for Canada to give it's blessing for Canadians to cruise.  When that time comes Americans will welcome Canadians back on board and rejoice in our shared interests.  

I guess you're right.  Warm fuzzy feelings being the only benefit most of the time.

As you mention, the group here is awesome.  There is an incredible amount of experience and knowledge that is shared freely but at the same time graciously and without benefit to the person sharing.  It is remarkable.

As you mention, the group here is awesome.  There is an incredible amount of experience and knowledge that is shared freely but at the same time graciously and without benefit to the person sharing.  It is remarkable.

As you mention, the group here is awesome.  There is an incredible amount of experience and knowledge that is shared freely but at the same time graciously and without benefit to the person sharing.  It is remarkable.

I guess you're right.  Warm fuzzy feelings being the only benefit most of the time.

As you mention, the group here is awesome.  There is an incredible amount of experience and knowledge that is shared freely but at the same time graciously and without benefit to the person sharing.  It is remarkable.

As you mention, the group here is awesome.  There is an incredible amount of experience and knowledge that is shared freely but at the same time graciously and without benefit to the person sharing.  It is remarkable.

I guess you're right.  Warm fuzzy feelings being the only benefit most of the time.

As you mention, the group here is awesome.  There is an incredible amount of experience and knowledge that is shared freely but at the same time graciously and without benefit to the person sharing.  It is remarkable.

Maybe not entirely without benefit. I usually get a nice warm fuzzy feeling whenever I'm able to provide someone with a helpful answer to their question. I'd say that's a pretty decent benefit. ?

Thanks everyone. I read all the cruise with confidence options but wanted clarity and you are all the best of the best ?   I think it may be in our best interest to wait a bit to see if we get cancelled by royal and just make that separate May booking. 
We were hesitant to do the lift and shift as it’s a few families that booked separately, with the lift and shift it appears you pick preference sailings, and I was worried we would all put the same preferences but get different sailings. Not sure if that could occur. Didn’t want to chance it. We also didn’t want to wait that long to see one another.  The May cruise is the same pricing as our original December cruise. 
 
Thank you for the advice. Avid lurker on the boards and always hop on those live streams on Facebook/Twitter when Matt does them.  I feel some of you all are famous! ? 

This is precisely how we ended up on Epic !  It was a group of friends and at that time, Epic was a brand new ship.  There are a number of our cruise friends who prefer NCL so we’re always happy to go on NCL when it’s their turn to plan the trip. Epic was the last NCL cruise for us and it wasn’t a great experience. We’ve stuck with Royal pretty much since then 

We sailed on Epic a few years ago and I HATED that bathroom setup.  Water splashed all over in the room.  It was just too bizarre.  I liked the ship although I think it’s ugly from the outside....but the rooms were small, the balconies were small and that sink out in the middle of the room was just too weird.

Mission accomplished, sir! haha

It's....weird.

Agree here.  To me, St. Martin is a little tired.  I wouldn't avoid it, but again choosing between it and Grenada is easy for me.

I agree with others that not everyone is all that interested in CocoCay.

Freedom class is a stretched version of Voyager class.  Voyager Ultra class.  Other than the extra 90' feet in the middle, the ships are basically the same.  They literally took the Voyager class design and added 90' in the middle.  This new space afforded a dedicated Sorrento's pizza venue and a Ben & Jerry's ice Cream shop in the promenade instead of pizza being offered in cafe Promenade.
Personally Voyager class is a real sweet spot for me.  I have always found them to be the perfect blend between being a large ship but also being easy to get around.  Voyager class is still larger than anything in the current Carnival whale tail fleet so they are large ships, make no mistake.
Explorer's cancelled amplification is definitely unfortunate.  Much like Allure's cancelled amplification is also a disappointment.  These are extraordinary times without a doubt. 
When I sailed Explorer in 2018 for a Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise I was surprised my cabin was already refreshed.  Many areas of the the ship had been refreshed without calling it an amplification because Royal did that back then without all the marketing hype.  The Tavern for example with a large screen TV for watching sports.  
Here is the 2018 trip report from that group cruise with Explorer pictures.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/6634-explorer-alaska-62218-7-nights-rclblog-group-cruise/
The big thing lost from the missed amplification is water slides.  If water slides are important to your family that is probably the biggest consideration.  The pool deck area may have been updated with new furniture and decor but that is largely cosmetic.
I understand change is always unwelcome at first.  It represents an unknown.  Take a second to look at Explorer with fresh eyes as if you weren't already booked.  I'd have no issue booking Explorer tomorrow absent of the history of how you got here.  With that fresh perspective made an informed decision.   

The Explorer is not a sister to the Freedom.  Freedom is one of three in the Freedom Class.  Explorer is one of five in the Voyager class.
The Explorer is now pushing 20 years old.  The Freedom is somewhat newer.  All of this makes the NCL Epic look better to me.  Newer ship than either RCCL vessel in question.  An itinerary which includes Grenada and has more ABC options than RCCL at least for now.

Didn't mean to come off to forward.  I just wanted to be sure you knew the facts.  Good luck with your choice(s) here.

I'm aware of this.  I'm really trying to stay positive about all this.  I decided to sleep on it to see how I felt this morning. 
Given that our B2B on Freedom for January 2022 was the result of two "lifts and shifts" of cruises scheduled in 2021.  Considering the time spent to make it so we could stay in the same stateroom.  Then factoring in that we upgraded our rooms because the price guarantee that carried over to the cruises in 2022 seemed attractive.  Finally given that we were very pleased with the net result and this was all done about one month ago ...
I have slept on it and have concluded that L&S is nothing more than Bait and Switch!

For me, CocoCay or a day in a real port will ALWAYS go the direction of selecting an itinerary that has the port (even if it is a multi-time repeat location).

Ding! Ding! We don't have any interest to get on a cruise ship as transportation to a land resort. Not our personal interest when it comes to cruising. Other's mileage may vary.

I think in general...reduced capacity (for the foreseeable future) will result in reduced numbers @ CocoCay in comparison to their original plan...unless they start pushing more ships and/or capacity there.