Bob_KY

My 18 Days til cruise benchmarks .. 
1 - Cruise with glee upon hearing
Wash your hands it's the right thing to do...
2- Black Friday sale on deluxe drink package
3- Royal Up goes from pending to accepted
4- Broadway Show is one you haven't seen before
5- Winning at Love and Marriage with the prize being a key chain

Yup, this was on Ovation in Alaska last month.

PXL_20210915_061134155.mp4 PXL_20210911_142738157~2.mp4 PXL_20210911_142445632.mp4 PXL_20210911_142738157.mp4

We recently went to the Club while on the Mariner when we stopped.  We were the only ship in port and I had a pretty good deal on it (all things considered) at $79.   We LOVED the experience.   This particular cruise it was just the two of us and we figured we should try it at least once.  To give a bit of perspective, we are a middle aged couple, NOT high maintenance and just love to cruise and chill out.  We arrived early (much to my husbands dismay initially!), but scored one of the beach beds (first come first serve) right by the pool.  The service there was no less than fantastic and it was nice to be able to get in and out of the pool without getting sandy.  Restrooms are very close by as well.  Lunch - WHEW -  The lunch was no short of spectacular.  Seriously, I consider myself a bit of a snob with lobster and steak and these were cooked perfectly.  Sitting in the shade with a breeze, view of the ocean, outstanding service, and enjoying a fine meal -  What more could you ask for?   Afterwards, back to chilling out in the pool and the lounger.  Finally, a trip back to the boat.  It truly was a perfect day!  Also, no exaggeration, there were probably less than 50 people there (including cabanas).  
Above review aside, I'll say, we're big fans of Coco Cay in general and have never spent any $$ on excursions there in the past.  The pool, the beach, swim up bars, seating, food, drinks  etc are great all around the island.  Zero complaints whatsoever.  As someone else said, if there's definitely no "need" to do the Club.  It's fun, and if the price is right, I'd definitely do it again, but definitely not a MUST DO.  This particular cruise it was just the two of us and we figured we should try it at least once.  

Here's our point of view after spending a couple days in a row at CocoCay last week.
On both days we utilized the complementary areas and food.  We were extremely satisfied and have no complaints.  Chill Beach was very enjoyable, and we had no problems finding a set of chairs and umbrella.  Getting food was simple.  Disclaimer:  CocoCay was nowhere near full capacity.
Some people we met onboard the first day on the ship spent one of the days at the Beach Club and really enjoyed it.  Based on this feedback, we decided to book it if the price ever dropped from >$100 pp.
Looking at the Cruise Planner for the second leg of our upcoming back to back, we saw it went from $160ish to $88ish (I can't remember the exact amounts), so we booked it.  We are curious how we'll like the experience and want to see if we feel it'll be worth the extra cost when ship capacities start getting back to normal.
I'll let you know what our thoughts about it are mid-November. 🙂

Just remember, "worth" is all in the eye of the beholder.  What I think is worth the money may not be your idea.  Look at what is offered and make an informed decision.  I was just listening to a podcast where they were discussing this and what I decided was that for my first or even second trip to CocoCay I would not do it because I want to experience everything the island has and if I had the Beach club I would want to stay there and get the most for my money. BUT, after those first visits I think I will definitely do the Beach Club to just kick back and relax. 

It was JUST accepted. We sail in two days. Junior Suite from OV balcony GTY!!!!

Yes.. usually means you will get that upgrade.

You get the points associated with your original booking.  So if you upgrade from a balcony to a suite, you would get the double points associated with the balcony (2 per night).  If you upgrade from a room that already has double points (JS or higher) then you would get 2X2 or 4 points per night.

Sorry @JLMoran. I was jumping the gun a little. Let me go back and reread all of your posts. I should be done in time for our next cruise in 453 days! ?

We used to tip the Suites Concierge routinely, but we don't really do that anymore unless we use them for something.  Since we almost always had the Unlimited Dining Package (BC), we generally asked the Concierge to make our specialty dining reservations prior to boarding so we would make sure we tipped him/her.  Who knows what will happen going forward since many of the ships are not allowing the Concierges to book dining reservations pre-boarding.

Wonder how this impacts "Royal Up" timing?
Xxxxxxx
9/17/2021 Update.  I did my final payment in August for my 31 October cruise.  I recieved my "Royal Up" email today.

The beginning and end might be a bit chilly but once you hit Florida and Caribbean it’s summer. 
 
I’d pack a light jacket/sweatshirt and a pair of jeans/pants mostly for leaving Bayonne and arriving. 
 
We did an oasis cruise out of PC to eastern Caribbean one March and we hit a cold front on our last day and it was pretty chilly on deck

Gotta say, Royal is doing it right -- ship was about 30% capacity -- (I heard everything from 1200 to 1400 passengers).  The crew was incredibly attentive and happy to be sailing.   Chops Grille (my first time there) was delicious.  Check in was simple and staterooms were ready when we got on board.   We had a bit of a scare.   on night 3 (Nassau) We were scheduled to leave the port at 9pm and didn't leave until around midnight due to a passenger that needed medical attention.   I heard that the passenger had a fever and needed to find a hospital bed, but I also heard that the passenger was injured and needed medical attention.   Gotta admit it was a little worrisome, but AGAIN, Royal handled it as best they could. 
Now counting down to my next one in 7 weeks!!!   

If you don't mind deck 17 - you get muster station G2 meaning you can take the steps to 16 then take the Ultimate Abyss to Deck 6 to the Aqua Theater G2 muster station.  Makes it all worth while.

🎶I dream of the suite life up on Deck 17🎶
 
i hear the air is different and everyone smiles all the time. (Sigh)

I hope my Oct sailing is a ghost ship.....with little to no actual ghost.

Just got home from the Allure of the seas Aug 22, 2021 cruise. So first I have to say, that I felt safer on the ship then I do at my work(I work in a hospital). Everywhere you look and turn are hand sanitizing stations and hand washing stations. They clean your stateroom twice a day, all theaters are fogged after each show, masks are required for everyone indoors and pools and hot tubs have a capacity limit as well as elevators which are also cleaned ALL DAY LONG! The care that is put into making sure we are safe is above no other. The buffet was weird to not serve yourself but was still kind of normal feeling (as much as it could be), you cant even get your own drinks for the refillable cups, they have someone there at all times to serve you. we were at about 30% capacity (1684 passengers and 1800 staff). We have already booked for our next cruise to cozumel in March 2022. We did have to present our negative covid test and vaccine record 3 times prior to boarding the ship but we gladly did so. We have no doubt Royal is going way above what the CDC says they need to do.

Got a Royal Email about the updated Vax requirements. It had a click here to provide Vax Status.  Royal IT does it again.  We are vax'ed and have no issue declaring it.  I start entering my data and got to my birthday.  A calendar drop down appears.  Since I wasn't born today, I had to scroll through 744 months to get to my date.  Wow. No other way to get there.  I wonder if they actually test their app/change prior to fielding it.  ?

They're about the same - maybe a small notch higher at Luminae.   I think I remember seeing  featured a Daniel Boulud (Celebrity's celebrity chef) dish specialty offered as part of the menu every night.  Since Luminae services a smaller number of guests, its quieter and you'll see better service attention.  We usually had breakfast and dinner (if we were not at a specialty restaurant) .    Lunch offered on sea days (Luminae burger very good - also offered on Retreat deck area)   No need to go to the MDR.  ps - If you're foodies - you'll want Chef's Table.  Its a DB menu also.  Very nice , but we actually prefer when the ship's executive chef is able showing off their specialties.  The CT menu does not change so no need to sample more than once during a cruise unless you really like it.

Day 24, Celebrity Equinox, B3B, W, E, S Caribbean itineraries. Just departed our last port Curasao yesterday evening headed back to PEV (2 sea days) to arrive on Friday. Equinox will turn around and do a 9n S. Caribbean itinerary and then alternate 9n and 12n S. Caribbean itineraries through the end of the year.
Keeping in mind that I'm a Celebrity loyalist, this extended, 28n COVID sailing on Equinox could not have been more enjoyable. I highly recommend a cruise on her. Fantastic crew, ship's character and culture, food, activities and how ports and itinerary changes were handled in difficult circumstances. Entertainment, especially production shows, are Vegas equivalents. There were quite few port changes one two weeks in advance, one last minute and one (Coz and Costa Maya) where apparently ship was wrongly advised no touring in either on your own (note Twangster reported in another thread he was there a few days ago and both ports fully open to tour on your own).
We booked 3 ship's excisions on this our 3rd leg of a B3B and all three were very good and reasonably priced. Of special note, Celebrity broke all it's tours down by groups of no more than 20. No giant buses with 80 of your closest friends. I'll just mention one and that was the tour in Roseau Dominica - The Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls. Maybe 10-12 years ago we were in Dominica and did this tour. Both of these venues are in nicely maintained State Parks.
Last time we were there both parks were mobbed with tourists on dozens of huge buses. This time, we were it! This is one of the reasons you want to make the effort to cruise this year. It looks likely, barring the unforeseen, that the industry will return to around 75% operating capacity in the Caribbean by end of December. The only thing holding that back is going to be continued COVID restrictions implemented by governments in the ports of call. With an understandable cautious approach to start, I think benefits of restoring local travel and leisure jobs and revenues will outweigh the risks of COVID spread. So far, from what I know, cruise ships aren't causing spread of the virus. Ports will start to lift restrictions. One not so good thing is that among Caribbean locals vaccine hesitancy is high. That alone poses risks of rapid spread. That could keep conservative approaches to dealing with COVID in place.
Back to Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls. Getting to and from the sites themselves involves a 30-40m van ride. To get to and from the viewing platforms of these two sites is physically challenging. Pathways and stairs are well maintained but there are steep inclines and declines to traverse. Lots of elderly were on this tour and struggled. Keep that in mind. If your in good shape, regardless of age, you'll be fine.
One interesting adventure and side note. Last week, I developed some left leg pain from over-doing cycling. The symptoms were consistent with muscle strain and spasm that can be relieved with muscle relaxers and NSAIDs. I went to Medical never having sought medical care on a cruise ship before. First, I was very impressed with the services. The only problem was that they were out of muscle relaxers in their pharmacy. They were "on order." The provider I saw was frustrated about supply delays. I was treated with alternatives but these didn't relieve the muscle spasm. The visit was a simple one but not cheap. I was charged $170 for the visit and another $80 for the three medications used in my treatment - 2 of them injections, one oral. The $250 was charged to my guest account.
I got on line to find a a clinic in Curasao yesterday. When we tied up in port I phoned. The clinic catered to tourists needing medical care and were very helpful and friendly. I explained my symptoms and what care I was seeking. The nurse I spoke with took my number, said she would talk to the doctor and see what they could do. Got a return call in about 10 minutes and was told the Dr. would call in a muscle relaxer to a local Botica (Pharmacy). The nurse did ask me to stop by the clinic and I jumped a cab and went there. The best part was that the staff in the clinic phoned multiple pharmacies close by to make sure they had the drug I needed, located it, wrote down the address and the waiting cab took me there and I picked it up. I paid $45 for the clinic visit and $17 for the medications at the pharmacy. The cab with waiting time and a nice driver that was helpful in finding the pharmacy inside a big mall was a bit pricey but, hey, I got a city tour and the medications I needed. Score! 

Wow, how did you even come across a 7 year old thread!

I almost always order multiple entrees and appetizers.  I love trying different foods and cruising is a big part of that

We were at the pool more due to limited Adventure Ocean time and the lack out outdoor mask rules for our son (we were on Adventure before vax masks were required)
A lot less desire to do excursions, also due to the specific rules for excursions for unvaxxed kids. We don't tend to do RC-sponsored excursions since there are plenty of reputable and reliable private excursions for less money
 

We use something like this.  On the ship, holds sea pass & tip money and on excursions holds cash & credit card.
 
 

Military uses,  day  month  year also.  And 24hr clock.