Cruising With JT

I am hearing that you can do drive through rapid tests and they don't really ask you why you're there since you're sitting in the car?

I think you should be able to, since it is "health related".

Why would anyone get a test by themselves when they have to pay for it? Everyone is going to opt for the complimentary test from Royal in a separate terminal. From my understanding, rapid-antigen or PCR tests are not covered by insurance if they are related for a "travel" reason. They are only covered if you actually have symptoms. Not sure lying is a good idea either.

Wow 2 minutes of shaking sounds nuts... glad you are okay...

Inside cabin. No way. Balcony and above only!

2 days on Allure is going to be so hard!! PS -- my favorite ship and cruise of all time.

Congrats @twangster!! Excited to hear about your experience as well. I know a few RCL Blog Insiders who are also going! I am not sure if you're one of them since I don't know your real name ?

@CHRIS WONGI am staying in this exact same room when I board Odyssey in November. It's a great room perfect for 1 person! Looking forward to meeting you! I think you'll be in the casino so I will look for you there. Big fan!

I renewed it in Oct 2020 even though I knew I wasn't going to travel until 2nd half of 2021, had a feeling things would be the way they are now. Got mine back 9 weeks later. So glad I did it then though as now people are scrambling to get theirs back or paying that expedited fee.

I think COVID impacts everyone differently. I honestly think I had it when no one even really knew about it back in early December 2019. I had a 102 fever, cough that basically killed my lungs (couldn't even sleep), had to go to the doctor for some lung/breathing tests, loss my sense of smell and taste for about a week, the cough lasted about 3 weeks. My wife and daughter never got sick. I don't know what it was, but if that was COVID, you do not want to experience what I did. I am fully vaccinated now.

I think the wellness check is where we show them our vaccination cards and they make sure we are feeling okay? Not sure if this where they would do temp checks but that's what I'd assume a wellness check is.

Good to know, thanks Matt!

Great info, thank you! I have reached out to my agent to see what's possible. I will look at the cost of getting insurance for my cruises individually and then see if the annual cost is less with similar coverage.

That looks pretty good. I am guessing the annual plan just sticks with you for any trip you take within the year? Now wondering if I can cancel any policies I already bought?

I will have to look into that. How much is an annual plan do you know? I have 6 cruises remainder of 2021 and 2 in 2022 so far, 1 in 2023.

Yeah that's the unfortunate thing, I shouldn't of bought this insurance. Allianz has better coverage (below) by default (the one I selected) for better pricing on another sailing. Going to see if I can cancel the one I originally bought after final payment online. Thanks.

When booking through Royal (either direct or online) there is an option to purchase their "Vacation protection plan" through Arch Insurance Solutions. Has anyone bought this before? I usually purchase travel insurance through Allianz but figured let me try this one since it was a booking that I had to make online real quick before transferring to my travel agent. How does this work? Do we just print out the content/details on the link below and that is our insurance coverage? https://www.archinsurancesolutions.com/coverage/Royal I also have a 21 page PDF document where on Page 5 it shows the below. Is this same for everyone? Can't really "customize" the coverage from what I can tell. It wasn't cheap either at $149 for a 7-night cruise. Just want to make sure I am covered.

Hi all, On Royal's website for their health protocols, I am not seeing anything about temperature checks at the terminal, onboard the ship, or when embarking/disembarking. Did they remove that requirement? https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise?dPort=seattle

Allure of the Seas back in December 2013 when she was the world's largest ship! Still my favorite cruise of all time. Through the years I bounced around between Norwegian, Carnival and Royal, and even did a Princess, but now have decided to truly be Loyal to Royal. My next 9 cruises booked are all on Royal Caribbean. Let's go!!

Very nice!!! I am currently Gold with 17 points only but will reach Diamond by my December cruise on Navigator. The double points promotion is amazing!! An early congrats on getting to Pinnacle. Being Diamond+ right now must feel nice! It will take me awhile to get there and who knows how long it will take for Pinnacle, maybe my whole life once the Double points go away lol. Wow @ Super Mario amazing.... 8000 points and counting!!

Wow @twangsterwhat a beautiful collection. Silly question, but I am guessing you are Pinnacle?

Wow Doug...that is an impressive journey to hit Pinnacle... Anthem of the Seas in Jan 2022 correct? Almost 1000 by end of 2022...wow! I don't know how many points Super Mario has...but this is impressive.

Do they start at Diamond and above?

Yay!!! I want my crystal block!!! Haven't yet got one.

Just booked Oasis! Mask or no mask lol.. going to experience this amazing ship!