SPS

On Harmony this week and the suite deck bar had a nice selection

Never been on Symphony, but from my experience on other ships, I generally get the best Bloody Marys from the bars on the Pool/Solarium decks.
Also, making sure to specify the brand of vodka you prefer makes a BIG difference in taste. Don't settle for "well liquors".

Just returned from a cruise from Galveston on another cruise line that rhymes with "Barnival".
Royal is better in every way.
That is all.
😀

Sept 30, no more vaccine or ArriveCAN requirement to enter Canada
 
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canada-to-drop-covid-19-vaccine-requirement-for-entering-country-on/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I mean..even for a one-and-done post I thought I'd at least get to enjoy a poorly told story of woe.... but no...just...one grammarless sentence... 🥲

I find it hard to believe that if someone complains to a crew member, they're going to get poor customer service or be told "too bad". RC has been nothing but overly helpful on every cruise I've been on and quick to resolve issues. And if one crew member is having a bad day, then go to their supervisor or to Guest Services and I bet it won't happen again. 
Food issues are fixable.  The smoking issue however is not and an unfortunate thing non-smokers have to deal with on cruise ships.  Hopefully they can upgrade their filtration system in the future to alleviate some of these problems. 

I'd be very surprised if a crew member ignored a report of mold on food when ignoring it could be detrimental to their job. And CDC inspections are unannounced, too.

Never been on Symphony, but from my experience on other ships, I generally get the best Bloody Marys from the bars on the Pool/Solarium decks.
Also, making sure to specify the brand of vodka you prefer makes a BIG difference in taste. Don't settle for "well liquors".

Though it may be too little too late for this cruise season
 
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-arrivecan-to-become-optional-other-covid-travel-measures-could-be-gone-in-weeks

I wouldn't worry too much about booking via third party. You'll likely find that people on the excursion you choose are a mixture of Cruise Line Bookings and Third Party Bookings. Plus, these vendors are keenly aware that a high percentage of their patrons have a return time commitment, if that is a concern.
BONUS: You're very likely to get the same experience at a considerably lower price by going third party.
FYI: We just returned from Skagway and the views on the White Pass & Yukon Railroad are spectacular! Skagway Brewing Co. has a very good menu of Craft Beer, Cocktails, & Food, as well.

Your bid is PER PERSON for the first TWO people on your room reservation for the duration of the cruise.
Example: If your bid is $300 and accepted, you will be charged $600 and everyone assigned to your current cabin will be upgraded.
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/cruise-room-upgrade

I vaguely recall much of that on our first cruise in 2015 but fortunately we 1 - were in a suite so no waiting and 2- were maybe 40 minutes before boarding ended so no real crowds anyway 🙃 But I do remember panicking as they did all the scanning and adding the cards and explaining, and the questionnaire and the pictures..... I LIVE for the speedy check-in now.

I remember the days of showing up and showed them the paper reservations, they looked you up in a computer terminal (not a PC, but a terminal), captured your passport and scanned it, set-up your credit card payment/pre-authorization (or took and held cash if you didn't have a card) and then had to look for your room cards that were preprinted.  Then it was "go wait in xyz section and someone will come grab your boarding group".  You could wait minutes or hours.  
 
I much rather have the efficiency of connected tablets and having to wait 2-3 hours or so to get my cards than the old way.

Yes, but keep in mind that the Café Latte-tudes on some ships also have Ben & Jerry's ice cream which is NOT complimentary.

We have stayed at Courtyard Isla Verde Beach Resort twice and have enjoyed our stay each time.
Right near the airport, right on the beach, welcome cocktail, most rooms have at least a partial ocean view. (Really nice way to start a vacation!)
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sjuiv-courtyard-isla-verde-beach-resort/overview/
FYI: Taxi services in San Juan are fairly reasonable and have a "zone to zone" flat rate plus a nominal charge for larger groups and luggage
https://sanjuanpuertorico.com/taxis/

You're a day too late with this story. Go directly to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. 😆
 

Yes, but keep in mind that the Café Latte-tudes on some ships also have Ben & Jerry's ice cream which is NOT complimentary.

I'm not a fan of all the 5 reel video screen machines that have taken over the casinos.
Last month on Quantum I was initially disappointed that this seemed to be all that they had.
But even though they were all video screen slots instead of physical reel machines, I became a fan of the five different HOT ROLL machines of varying denominations the casino had. 
They were 3 reel machines with 20 paylines that included a touch screen dice game when three "HOT ROLL" icons appear. ("Roll" the dice to win bonus credits until you roll a 7.)
I was lucky enough through the week to turn my $6 Crown & Anchor credit into about $250! 

Don't worry, I'm  just back logged in getting them up there

We booked third party excursions for all ports and I contacted them when I found out about the itinerary changes.
They refunded our IPS excursion and they are looking to see if the time for our Juneau excursion can be adjusted. 

Agreed.
NCL has some appealing itineraries which made me do a couple mock bookings during their (seemingly) never ending "free drinks, free dining, free airfare, free excursions, etc." promotion. YIKES! After the total price made me pick my jaw up off the desk, I realized that these items are NOT actually free.

Agreed.
NCL has some appealing itineraries which made me do a couple mock bookings during their (seemingly) never ending "free drinks, free dining, free airfare, free excursions, etc." promotion. YIKES! After the total price made me pick my jaw up off the desk, I realized that these items are NOT actually free.

Agreed.
NCL has some appealing itineraries which made me do a couple mock bookings during their (seemingly) never ending "free drinks, free dining, free airfare, free excursions, etc." promotion. YIKES! After the total price made me pick my jaw up off the desk, I realized that these items are NOT actually free.

I think...they don't offer it as the base fare because it is entirely possible to cruise on Royal without adding on drinks, internet, excursions, photos, etc in terms of add-ons. You get free food, beverages, lodging, entertainment, housekeeping, and the ports included in your fare. There is no NEED to have the extras. Yeah..they are LOVELY. I always get the soda package and the photo package and of course I love knowing my day in port will be well spent so I get an excursion....but it's not necessary to have a full an complete cruise.
As others said, if people want free drinks, specialty dining, and wifi there is Star Class and your base fare is higher to include those costs.