Marc Van Niekerk

and here is the full rundown: 

We are booked for this too.  So excited for our first TA!
BTW, there is an FB group for this search "Odyssey of the Seas Transatlantic November 3rd 2024"

I just called and changed our preferences in under 10 minutes with the number at the bottom of the image posted above and  asking to change my bonus amenity. 

Starlink is vastly different technology compared to the previous satellite technology.  As a company Starlink is very young and their satellite constellation is even younger.  It is only a few years old.  The first beta users connected in 2020.  The thing about Starlink and the satellite constellation is that it's only about 15% built.  
Starlink is so new that user reports are valid the day they are posted but not much long after that those users reports are old and dated information that doesn't apply anymore.    
I mean no disrespect to anyone who posts about their experience with Starlink but their experience means very little a month later.  
Unlike previous satellite technology used on ships for internet, Starlink uses local resources to connect a ship to the internet.  When a ship is sailing along the coast of the US Starlink uses ground stations close to the ship in the US.  When the ship moves away from the US and is sailing along the coast of another country, Starlink uses gateway cities in that other country to connect the ship to the internet.  A ship sailing an itinerary may use dozens of different gateways cities as it sails, in many different countries.   This is wildly different than previous technology.  It  also varies one itinerary to the next. 
Someone can have a great Starlink experience one week on one itinerary and another person on the same ship a week later on a different itinerary could have a terrible Starlink experience.  The average person doesn't think of all the tech and geography involved, it just works great or it sucks, for that person, in that moment in time.  
This constantly changing gateway city can yield constantly changing results.  Someone watching Netflix probably won't care.  It just works.  Someone trying to connect to corporate resources to work remotely will face different challenges.  Federal employees, defense contractors and similar high security environments typically block foreign access.  These environments typically work from anywhere in the US but the moment you are in another country you may find yourself cutoff and denied access.  
New gateway cities are added over time.  More satellites launch every month.  There are also different types of Starlink satellites, the newer ones work different than the older ones.  So many factors in play for newborn satellite constellations.  
How will it work for you and your family members?  It all depends.  

I wonder how many other folks are staying at the Crowne Plaza after the cruise. Maybe we can share a ride. There are 2 of us (wife and me). 

Hi Marc,
So far we haven't been able to identify any reason why we cannot still assist our international clients,  but we are still investigating.   Thanks for the tag and I will update you as we get more info!

I guess the big question here is if our Canadian policy allows for re-pricing? I have no idea, and never checked, because I have always used a U.S. based TA and also pay in USD.

I may be wrong here but formal nights seem to coincide with sea days.
That said, there are still come itinerary changes that need to flow through in the Cruise Planner since the addition of Perfect Day to replace Roatan.
Presently they are still offering Mason Jar Brunch on day 2 when we are at Coco Cay.  Generally this is only on sea days as well.

I figured out how to force this in CHROME on my PC.
I needed to empty the cache and hard reload the page, but the steps are pretty techie.....
 

Freedom of the Seas Independence of the Seas Liberty of the Seas Enchantment of the Seas Allure of the Seas Oasis of the Seas Adventure and Anthem are in the process it seems (among others).

It has always been up to the cruising community to identify which ships had the legacy Voom versus O3b Voom.  Royal just called it all Voom.  So far Starlink seems to be the same.  i.e. - it's up to us to document which ships have Starlink.  
So far it's only O3b ships.  I haven't seen any legacy geostationary ships get it yet which is a shame as they really, really need it.  O3b ships haven't been the gloom that has become the legacy ships.  

Itinerary change is reflected in the calendar on Cruise Planner but they do not seem to have reloaded the excursions, etc. to match.

I have found that it depends upon the currency in which your cruise was booked.  Since we now book through a travel agent (shout out to MEI Travel) in US dollars, all our cruise planner purchases are in USD.  
In the past when we booked ourselves in Canadian dollars the cruise planner purchases were in CAD.

I have found that it depends upon the currency in which your cruise was booked.  Since we now book through a travel agent (shout out to MEI Travel) in US dollars, all our cruise planner purchases are in USD.  
In the past when we booked ourselves in Canadian dollars the cruise planner purchases were in CAD.

Thanks. It looks like this is app is for Canadians, and I can't download it. I'll search for the US version. 

Canon has a tutorial app called Canon Coach that had a few guides on using a camera with more settings than the typical Point and Shoot.
 
https://canon.ca/en/product?name=Canon_Coach&category=/en/products/Software-Solutions/Camera---Camcorder-Apps

I'm so excited to announce for the Wonder of the Seas Group Cruise in December 2022 we're going to Maya Chan while in Costa Maya!

Anyone that's booked with MEI Travel for the Wonder of the Seas group cruise is welcome to be our guest for a complimentary visit to Maya Chan as a thank you for supporting our travel sponsor for this cruise!
When: Day 5 (December 22)
Just email Beci Mahnken at [email protected] with the names of everyone on the reservation and how many guests in your cabin.
If you've never been, Maya Chan is an all-inclusive day pass spot with limited capacity and a pool!
Here's a recent visit I made: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/09/09/odyssey-of-the-seas-live-blog-day-4-costa-maya

Quick update about return to Canada after April 1 and no test required.
I registered with ArriveCAN for DW and I however I did not pay super close attention to the spelling of my last name.  On MOST of my identification my last name has a space in it, and this is true of my passport.  My NEXUS card however has my last name without a space.
My ArriveCAN did not have the space and so while I was allowed to enter without any issue at the airport, I have now been getting daily check ins reminding me to be quarantining for 14 days.  I am not truly required to do so as I am fully vaccinated but there is apparently no way for them to stop the system from contacting me.  I will continue to answer their questions and take it as a lesson learned.
All my life I have had to ask people looking me up in their computer systems to check with and without the space in my last name so I should have known better.

Are you wearing a mask in public and maintaining a list of close contacts? 🤣
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/these-covid-19-travel-rules-are-still-in-place-and-you-might-not-know-about-them-1.5859570
Maybe doesn't apply to you if you aren't in Ontario.
 
 
 

Booked on this!

My family of 6 all used Shoppers, yes it’s more pricey than Rexall, Costco etc. but like someone mentioned - all it takes is one person to be on a power trip and turn you away. The Shoppers travel paper is all typed and very detailed with official sticker etc … it honestly looks way more legit and professional than the others (and I did my research) … not to say others won’t be accepted (I know they were last week). But personally, it was not a chance I was willing to take!!

I got one of these tests from another passenger after one of my switch health tests failed me, was so excited not to have to scramble to find a testing location, only to find out you cannot download their App to a Canadian SIM card. By then I was already at my hotel, so off we went to Lab doc and spent $70US 😞 

I got my Rapid Antigen Test at Costco (in Ontario, Canada) and I paid $17. It was accepted on my Oasis of the Seas cruise with no issues at all.

Has anyone had experience where their test is not accepted when attempting to board? We have plans to test but with the variety of test ms available in just worrying that maybe I get all the way there and the decide they don’t like ours. It feels kind of irrational but still it is stuck in my brain.