Hutcherl

1 year, 11 days, and 5 hours ago at time of posting, I was lounging on Horseshoe Bay beach. Just enjoying the sun, relatively mild Bermuda weather, and the Dark and Stormy my wife was nice enough to get for me since I was nursing a foot injury. We boarded the ship to return home just a couple of hours later. Had no idea that would be our last cruise until 2022, still missing the Iceland & Greenland sailing that I was supposed to have taken this past August.

I would love cruising to resume but that is a personal, emotional viewpoint.  
The CDC continues to express concern of the combined effects of the upcoming flu season overlaid with the pandemic.  Their position hasn't changed even if their cruise ship order was overridden last week.  The CDC defines the peak of flu season as being December through February.  The CDC proposed extension was through February 2021 which coincides with the end of the peak flu season.   There appears to be logic and science behind their approach, it wasn't just some arbitrary date.  
From a political viewpoint the WH hasn't always followed CDC guidance and the the results have proven costly in terms of political capital.  Before the president became infected it was relatively easy and consistent for the task force to oppose the CDC and reverse it's desire to extend the cruising ban into 2021. 
The political landscape changed once POTUS caught the virus.  It's 4 weeks to an election and POTUS isn't out on the campaign trail.  He can't.  That has caused the VP to shift his focus and put more effort into the election.  As a result he won't have his focus on activities like meeting with the cruise industry.
At the moment it's all about undecided voters.  Decided voters have already cast their vote in their head.  Can they swing undecided voters by overriding the CDC so that cruise ships can sail?  My thoughts are no.  There is a lot of risk putting their necks out and going against the CDC in the wake of the POTUS catching the virus.  Another public display stymying the CDC for cruise ships which have a pretty negative connotation as it relates to the pandemic looks like political suicide.   Given that resources are so thin now with Pence on the campaign trail during Trump's absence will the significant political capital spent to go against the CDC help their election effort?   I think it could cause undecided to lean left and such a brazen tactic such as allowing cruising to commence could even be the last straw that swings some decided voters against them.
The campaign has so little time left.  They need to be very diligent choosing where to spend political capital.   I just don't see that helping the cruise industry right now, that can't be a priority activity that's going to help them win the election.  
I personally believe that individuals should have choices so long as it doesn't create undue burden on society.  The CDC might be right about the upcoming flu season combined with the pandemic stretching healthcare resources very thin.  A repeat of a Diamond or Grand Princess outbreak during flu season in a pandemic could be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back.  On the other hand I'm hoping that with increased handwashing, hand sanitizer use and the mask use that is occuring in society right now it might lead to one of the lowest flu seasons we've experienced lately.  I have no hard data to support that theory, it's just a hope.  The problem is we won't know until February or March.  

I'm with @Floski.  Perk UP PEOPLE !
I think we will be sailing by early 2021.  The right palms are being greased and egos stroked.  I think the wheels are going to start turning very soon.

We are hurting down here in Fort Lauderdale. The lack of ships in port has turned the 17th street area into a ghost town. I have to admit it was nice for the first month or so without all the people but at this point it’s just sad. So many small businesses made a large portion of their living off the cruisers that came into town weekly. I am really excited to cruise again and most importantly bring some life back to 17th street. 

For me, as a parent, it is truly the only time that I can get away and 100% relax and not do anything!  That is what cruising represents to me. It is not just a vacation. It is more than that. In addition, I truly believe that cruising offers the best value for a vacation compared to other options.

For me, it just ticks all the boxes for a great vacation trip. And it does it for less than I've seen it cost to go by air with a hotel stay.
Visits to cities I can't otherwise see, with chances to experience their scenery / culture / etc It's only a day for each place, but that's enough to give me a sense of whether it's a place I actually liked visiting in the end, not just thinking "Man, I really want to see this place!"; and that's enough time to decide if I want to experience more (repeat cruise? land tour?) I get good to great food each night without paying extra I have a place to sleep each night, at whatever level of basic or luxury I want to go -- be that through cabin class or ship choice; again without paying extra And I have the transportation to each of those places, with as much entertainment and activities as I feel like indulging in for those in-between days; slower than a plane, but when that means  a chance to recover from a crazy long day (or set of days), that's a good thing!; and once again it's all part of that total cost and not a penny more

Without chips, games like Craps & Roulette officially suck. Also, what about rolling the dice? At some point there has to be a line in the sand regarding the overall experience. If I wanted to play video roulette or video craps it can be done on my phone on my couch. Part of the experience is the casino itself. A beer at the casino bar while catching part of a game on the TV or watching a hot table and deciding where to put my money down. The experience will change but it’s just a question of how much? 

So this is one of my absolute favorite vacation pictures ever. When we were in Bermuda in June 2018, we did a 2 day transportation pass which was good for bus transportation and ferry transportation around the island. (It was around $30/person). We did a little research about the different sites we could see along the bus routes, and went all over the island for 2 days. One of the afternoons, we happened to hop on the bus with a load of school children...they take the public transport to and from school. As a former teacher of 20 years, I flocked to the back of the bus to talk with all the kids. It was one of my all time favorite vacation memories ever. They swarmed when I asked if I could take a selfie with them.

I also adore my MEI Agent but I will say....I do not consider it her "job" or responsibility to find price reductions for me.  I'm not saying that she hasn't, from time-to-time.  She certainly has.  But there is no way that she has time to check every cruise for every client every day.  There just aren't enough hours.  I consider it MY job to find a price reduction and then let her take care of vetting it.  Believe me, I have led her on many a wild goose chase on my behalf...giving her incorrect dates, incorrect ships, incorrect YEARS.  But she never says a word.  She has learned, over the years, that it's just me being me.  She does her best to figure out what I'm asking her to do and then lets me know if there's something to it or not.  I'm an awful client.  I change sailings, I change rooms, I downgrade from suites and then back up again.  She once did a price adjustment for me which ended up saving me a whopping $19.  I would never have had her do that if I had known it was that small.  She chases every rabbit down every hole that I send her way without even a hint of frustration....and all without a dime of commission since Feb (for me).

FYI Sharla Manglass and additional MEI TA are in a different league. I promise you I get emails from her saying RCCL is having a sale, I checked your sailings, sometimes I do better sometimes my current price is still better.  
She has been amazing during this time of cancellations and FCC's  I know I could not have done any better on my own, She advocates for me each and every time. And mind you, essentially all while currently working for free. 
I would never go it alone again, dealing with RCCL especially when dealing with reps that are not that skilled is scary, no thanks, MEI is the way to go!

If you find a good one keep them close.  I have used several.  The current one(first time Using) never returns emails and is annoyed when you push to get communication from her.  I’m to the point that I’m probably not using one anymore.  I like to control my booking so I’ve never found real value in one.  Not one has ever informed me of a price reduction .  I had to notify everyone when the price dropped.  Not once did one surprise me.  This is really the reason I started using TAs in the first place.  
And I believe if there is a reasonable dispute, nobody is going to fight on your behalf like you.  My experience is that A TA quickly says there is nothing that can be done.  But in reality, I believe if I had the ability to deal with RC directly I could easily get reasonable disputes corrected.  
I’m sure there is great value in having a great TA handle your reservation.  I just have struck out pretty much every time.  

You can see pics and read description of Crystal Cave and Horseshoe Bay, plus a couple other things, in my fist Bermuda blog (link in my signature). Cave was pretty neat, Horseshoe Bay is fantastic! Do Horseshoe Bay on your second day, not the first, and make it the only thing for that day.
Also, don’t buy any ship-hosted excursions. Easy as pie to get around on your own, and there’s no curfew or all-aboard time that first day. Book any excursions you want through Trip Advisor, Viator, etc. and save some money.

Bit embarrassing if after a few to many ???? someone gets the bottoms and the mask mixed up ???

@Baked Alaska  Thank you for the recommendation!  I think I will check my RCL BOA card next week and if no credit, take action then.  It is nice to know I am not alone in this...

Dispute with BOFA RCL VISA. I am currently charged for two of the same excursions and have not been refunded. Over $3K owed to me. I filed my dispute with BOFA last week. They've not credited me, but I don't owe anything. N.S! I am hoping that BOFA's dispute department is more competent that the RCL refunds department, at this point.

Could RCL be actually putting CP items on sale hoping for not only new sales, but maybe as a bait and switch?  That means they are sort of doubling up on those loyal to royal...

I’m betting there are charters for the type of swinging we all assumed that was being referred to!?

I’m betting there are charters for the type of swinging we all assumed that was being referred to!?

Okay, I'm just relieved that this is direction this thread is headed in...

Southern carribean(ABC islands) out of Baltimore on a oasis class ship!! Talk about a dream... lol I understand all the reasons why this can’t happen but one can dream, right? 

Southern carribean(ABC islands) out of Baltimore on a oasis class ship!! Talk about a dream... lol I understand all the reasons why this can’t happen but one can dream, right? 

I have wondered if they viewed their recent sales as a way of getting a short-term loan from their customers.  I hope they are not doing this, but one begins to wonder after a bit.....

I am wondering if anyone else is having Cruise Planner problems?  I searched and didn't find any similar issues.  On May 22nd I did a cancel and re-purchase (as recommended by @Matt ) on a 3N Dining package for our November Harmony cruise.  It should have saved me $32, but to this point (it will be a month on Monday) it has cost me $198 dollars extra.  Essentially, RCL charged me for the new purchase but never gave me a refund for my cancellation.  I made the transaction with my RCL Credit Card.  This is really starting to piss me off.  I called two weeks ago and waited about 45 minutes to talk to someone who could only say that I have to wait because RCL is busy.  I have the confirmation emails right in front of me.  I received them 4 minutes apart - first the cancelation and then purchase.  Convenient how they can instantly charge me, but take over a month to process my refund.  Anyone else?

I started looking into all inclusive today.  August 3rd Independence isn’t looking like a go.  I just wish, like all of us, that they make a decision soon.  

I agree. The problem is that the CDC seems to be dragging their feet a bit. Personally I think that they should just make everyone be screened before getting on the ship and take precautions while aboard and just let us sail.