Ampurp85 Posted December 21, 2021 Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 Let's get some of the backstory out of the way. I originally planned, way before covid, to do my first B2B. But Covid happened and I thought, YOLO, I need to be on all of RCG ships at least once before I die. Original plan was a B2B on Mariner Jan 2021, but I had to L&S and so the dates available would put me on Indy. I decided I really loved Mariner, she was my first RCG ship, and wanted to sail her again. I found an itinerary leaving one day later so I booked it: turning my B2B into a S2S. Before all the cancellations and shutdowns, I had planned to make diamond in 2022. That wasn't going to happen but then came along the double points promotion. I booked Jr. Suites for both sailings with the hope of maybe doing a RoyalUp to GS or higher. This was based off the idea that reduced capacity would be a thing into early 2022. As you can imagine I was excited. A whole new experience, on two different ships in spacious rooms that I have all to myself. My last Mariner sailing was with my ex-friend who booked us an Interior and complained the entire time. She would cry if I tried to leave her and said if I had drinks, it would trigger her. We didn't get off or see most of the shows, she basically was a fun black hole, but she introduced me to RCG. Which lead me to booking more cruises and joining this blog. I lurked here for a while before I began posting. During the shutdown, I read many a blog and found myself wishing I could actually sail star class. Since I normally travel solo, star class was a bit much for me. I can't imagine the amount of food that would go to waste on just one person. Every other year we do a family vacation, but I still travel at least 2x a year on my own. My family likes to travel but they are very budget friendly. This means if I don't pay for it, it isn't happening. In some respects, it would also be wasted on them because they feel uncomfortable with too much attention. I figured SC was nothing but a fantasy and was content to keep my head in the Sky (dad joke as I sailed sky class this past Oct). @AshleyDillowas blogging about her SC experience and posted about a SC sailing on Harmony and would anyone like to join her. I joked that I have never been, and she asked if I had plans Jan 16-23. I was sure she was joking but I told her of my S2S and she was like.......girl cancel that and get on the SC train. I laughed it off but she PM'd me and I asked some questions. My first thought was what if they lure unsuspecting folks into SC to quell their murderous lust of throwing people over luxury cruise balconies???? I pushed that crazy thought out of my head when she informed me of the price. For my 5-night Mariner I had the 3n dining package, internet and the refreshment package booked. I did the math, and the cost was only about $140 more. The math is even better because it is a 7n on an oasis class ship. After a quick look up of the room, I was sold. She had booked the 4-bedroom Villa, so even though I will be cruising with a family of new people I haven't met IRL......I still have my own room and bathroom. It will be just like college. Once her wonderful TA, Beth of MEI, added me to the booking, I cancelled my Mariner Jan 15th cruise. I was a bit sad about it but about a week later I was informed I would be WFH until the end of 2022. I decide to add an interior on Mariner leaving on the 24th. This turned my S2S into a S2S2S. That's 3 different ships in three different classes. Itinerary: Independence of the seas Jan 10-14th Ports: PDCC and Nassau Room: Jr. Suite #1364 Harmony of the Seas Jan 16-23rd Ports: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St, Thomas; PDCC Room: 4-Bedroom Villa #12640 Mariner of the seas Jan 24-28th Ports: PDCC and Nassau Room: Interior #9377 Hotel stays: Hampton Inn & Suites Cape Canaveral Cruise Port, Cape Canaveral Jan 14-16th and 23-24th As you can see, I have a 2-day break in between the first cruise and a 1-day break between the second and third. I booked the same hotel for both breaks. It was also fortuitous that @AshleyDillo was staying at the same one. I have the earliest check-in time possible for all cruises. Originally, I was flying in the night before and staying at the Doubletree by Hilton. Unfortunately, a coworker lost someone recently and had to take time off. I have been helping my friend on the weekends with his restaurant and I am schedule to work on the 9th. Flights have been constantly changed and rearranged and now I have to fly in the day of. I am booked through Air2Sea on the first AA flight from ORD to MCO. Last time we used the shuttled and hated it, so I will be taking a Lyft from the airport to the ship. For a while they were out of the Binax kits, so I searched for a testing site close to me that worked with my schedule. I found one and have 2 appointments scheduled for Sat Jan 8th and 2 backups on Sun the 9th. It still states that RCG will test you as long as you are sailing within 3 days with them under the protocols, so that is my plan. Last blog I was bad about the pictures, I am camera shy, but I will try to do better this time. I set sail in T-minus 21 days......feel free to ask me anything! Neesa, SpeedNoodles, WAAAYTOOO and 8 others 6 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 21, 2021 Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 You are safe. Lol. I have never met @AshleyDillobut her mom and @CGTLHare awesome and perfectly normal people. Enjoy sailing Star! It’s a real treat! Ampurp85, Neesa, Drewtastic86 and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmondFarmer Posted December 21, 2021 Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 I will be on Symphony in four bedroom Villa at the same time (assuming Royal gets the Covid scrubbed off) Will this be a blog first having both ships with Villas being blogged at the same time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted December 21, 2021 Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 Well this sounds like an amazing trip for you. I can't wait to follow along! Ampurp85 and ellcee 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted December 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 I have corresponded with @AshleyDillo enough to feel safe and comfortable.... I hope she feels the same. She will also be blogging so @AlmondFarmerthis will probably be a RC blog first. How many people will be with you in your Villa? I forgot to mention that there is an OTW cabana, so I will also be able to try Beach Club at PDCC. This will be a bucket list cruise for sure! DDaley, JohnK6404, CGTLH and 3 others 3 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted December 21, 2021 Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 Six strange folks slated to live together for 7 days on a cruise ship..next up on The Real World of the Seas CGTLH, Lovetocruise2002, DDaley and 17 others 2 17 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLH Posted December 21, 2021 Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 I love this! Cruise people are the most welcoming, enjoyable bunch! iluvwineandtravel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmondFarmer Posted December 21, 2021 Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said: How many people will be with you in your Villa? 8 adults, all with young kids who will be left at home. (Not unattended, well mine at least.) Ampurp85, WAAAYTOOO, CravingaCruise and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted December 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 2 hours ago, AlmondFarmer said: 8 adults, all with young kids who will be left at home. (Not unattended, well mine at least.) Nice, a fun parents get away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted December 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 4 hours ago, AshleyDillo said: Six strange folks slated to live together for 7 days on a cruise ship..next up on The Real World of the Seas Haahaha, I would totally watch that. But I think your mom, with her spicy personality, would be the star of the show Neesa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted December 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2021 I have about 11 days left until I start my cruise adventure. My first sailing was one of the ones pulled and I received the letter stating that shows, port, etc. might be affected. I am okay with that as long as I sail. Indy has been able to pull into ports and positive cases amongst the crew and pax seem to be low. I had all four of my appointments cancelled as the testing sites I was going to use ran out of testing supplies. They told me to try and schedule some more appointments after the 1st week of Jan. I really can't bank on that, so I was glad I was able to order a 2pk of testing kits from the Optum store. They are scheduled to be delivered between the 12/31 and 1/2. As stated before, I help my friend manage his restaurant and the week of Christmas we had 12 employees test positive and several more whom had family that did. I worked 12/19 and began testing myself on the 22nd&23rd and had negative result for both days. I have allergies and Chicago weather has been a mess, so I wasn't sure and wanted to be safe. I had spoken with @AshleyDillo and I know the name of our Genie and gave her some basic info of likes and dislikes. I waiting to get the preliminary schedule and see if there is anything I want to change or add-on. I understand there might be show issues and I might not get any info until after I leave for my first cruise. But all in all, I am just happy that I will be cruising soon. CravingaCruise, AshleyDillo, Yesiamthere and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 Well, it is a week until I cruise. It is currently 21 degrees in Chicago with snow/ice on the ground. I want warm weather and no burdens of hats, scarves, coats and gloves. If I didn't have so much to do, while simultaneously worrying about testing, I would be bursting at the seams. I plan to start my preliminary packing of the actual luggage today; carry-on can wait. My cat has promptly decided the luggage is her home, so I am letting her sleep in there for a while. Officially today the vax mandate went into effect for Chicago. The proof of vaccine rules will apply to everyone age 5 and older and includes restaurants, bars, gyms and other venues like sports and entertainment arenas. If you work at these places you have to provide a record or negative test each week. So, there was no hope in getting my appointments back for pre-cruise testing. Walgreens and CVS weren't an option because they start testing at 9am and stop at 4pm....which is literally the hours I am the restaurant on weekends. I am not taking any chances standing in line at the free places, that's just begging to catch something. Luckily, I have my test from Optum, I wanted them as back-ups but now they are my mains. A lot of the Jan sailings so far have received notice that boarding has been pushed back an hour or 2. Since I am staying in a suite, it won't be that big of a deal if that happens. There seems to be a glitch in the app. I was checking to see if the WJ would be open for dinner, only as a means to see if capacity is over 50%, and it says my sailing is 8 days. I have uninstalled and installed to make sure, and it hasn't changed. I am fairly certain my sailing, and most in Jan, will be under 50% Yesiamthere, CravingaCruise, JohnK6404 and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted January 3, 2022 Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 On 12/21/2021 at 8:59 AM, AshleyDillo said: Six strange folks slated to live together for 7 days on a cruise ship..next up on The Real World of the Seas I feel like we all need to make this happen. I would watch every minute. I work in TV but am useless. @Ampurp85 I am excited to live through you on this trip. I don't see myself cruising for a while but am lucky enough to follow you all along. You and @AshleyDilloshould do a joint blog. Neesa, CravingaCruise and Ampurp85 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 Okay some updates........ T minus 44hrs I passed the test, and all of my bags are packed. I haven't received anything about a later boarding. But most of my correspondence goes to the TA before coming to me. The app has finally updated to show the proper number of days for this sailing, it shows WJ open for dinner. However, I have seen preliminary postings on FB that put this sailing at under 1500 pax. I ran into issues with my eDocs. Right after I made FP, they were available to print. I got busy and decided to do it a few days before leaving. I went to CP and it said no documents available. Now in the current climate, I got super afraid. I asked the RCGBlog and was told this has happened to a few others, so I felt relief. I emailed my TA and he told me this is some glitch that has been happening and I would need to get blank ones at the port. Ugh!!! Luckily a few hours later he was able to email the docs to me, he believes something was shaken loose with his inquiry. So now I have printed luggage tags, my setsail pass, and negative results. For the last end of my S2S2S I booked an interior cabin. I did receive an offer to RoyalUp and I decided to put in min bids on a few rooms. Well today I checked, and all are expired with one pending. I have been told this is a good sign and I am just waiting for them to charge my card. It is for the spacious panoramic ocean view. This is one of the newer cabin categories they put on some Amped ships. This is my first-time bidding and when I win, I will be 1-0!!! Happy cruising everyone!!! fmzsep12, KristiZ, Traveler and 12 others 13 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattG Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 BOARDING DAY! Have a blast! WAAAYTOOO and AshleyDillo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 @MattG Thanks WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 Okay my phone died, so I am in my room charging it and will give some updates. This was probably my best travel and embarkation ever. First let me preface this by saying I committed a cardinal sin......I flew out the day of embarkation. I had to work Sunday and there were no flights after 7pm. So, I booked the first AA flight, which kept moving. it was 6:30 then 6:55 and finally it was 7:15. I moved my check-in from 11am to noon because I would rather be early than late, plus I was staying in a JS so priority boarding. I have TSA precheck and from baggage drop off to actual terminal waiting to board from ORD was 14min. I didn't know what to expect so I had arrived around 5am for a 7:15am flight. Original flight was about 50% booked but there were a bunch of cancelled flights and so I counted about 20 standbys that ended up on this route. The flight was only about 75% capacity, and most were families traveling to Disney. I enjoyed my first class "breakfast" and welcome cocktail. They will give you an alcoholic beverage, but they do so discreetly, which I found a smidge weird. We finish boarding 10min early and I had my bags, waiting for my Lyft, 5min before we were scheduled to land. I made a mistake and put in port Canaveral instead of port Canaveral terminal 1 and caught my mistake halfway to the wrong location when I realized it was a 10min ride and under $20. We quickly course corrected, and I arrive at 11:55. Handed my luggage to the porter and started my embarkation process, I set a timer because it took a while on my Allure sailing. It took me 8 whole minutes!!!!!! There is a suite line and a key line, I think there will be quite a bit of children on this sailing because the waiting area was the fullest area I have seen. Also, that 8min includes getting my photo taken twice and the whole walk onto the ship. I was too early to do my Muster. I went to Sorrento's for a bite and had a delicious cherry Coke Zero......also Oreo cheesecake, don't judge me. A little bit before 2pm they informed us the rooms were ready. I am staying in an Aft JS room number 1364. It is very spacious, but the decor could use a bit of updating. It looks like there will be 2 performances of Grease and then 1 headliner and a comedian. The weather is horrible, my balcony is full of water because of a nice downpour. They changed the itinerary, and we will now visit PDCC on our last day. I originally had Chops+1 scheduled but I cancelled it because I have a Star class selling after this and want to be in fighting shape for the food coma. So, I will be doing MTD around 8:15 and hitting a show or the casino after. Also, I got some extra OBC, don't know where it came from but it's going to the casino fund. Stray Observations.... GS and WJ was the most crowded place I have seen. I just walked through WJ to see selection. They are really trying to sell drink and dining packages. Drinks at freestyle and other stations are self-serve. They have self-serve items at the WJ as well, the crew are in great spirits. I received 2 mask and a bottle of sanitizer plus a bunch of inserts (cruise compass, C&A letter, etc.) I will try to scan at some point. Unlike when I was in Sky class, I have yet to see my room attendant or receive my luggage. Good thing I am not eating until later. RWDW1204, Skigoofy, CravingaCruise and 9 others 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 Have a great time!! We love our TSA pre-check, its awesome breezing through security at airports. I'm glad all your flights worked out. Have a great time!! WAAAYTOOO, iluvwineandtravel and CravingaCruise 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 I believe I stated I had to complete a bit of work on this cruise. I worked for a bit at Sorrento's but the music was too loud and distracting. The pouring rain meant no deck or balcony. So I was in my room for a while. Then I hit the casino. I was up, then I lost so I played more and broke even. It was the busiest place on the ship. @SJ1and his lovely wife are on this cruise. We spent a nice time talking about our fur babies and cruising. My mtd reservation was at 8:15 but I ate pretty lite so around 7:30 I went down early to see if I could be sat. I was!. Both my waiter and the assistant were wonderful. The food was probably the worst I have ever had on a cruise. I'm a weird picky eater but I don't know what was going on. Maybe first night kinks. None of the apps called to me so I decided to get 2 entrees and a desert. The prime rib was grey and unseasoned. The fried chicken was salty and dry even though it was swimming in gravy. I ate 1 bite of prime rib and all the spinach and mash from the chicken. I took one bite of key lime, tipped my waitstaff and left. I got desserts from WJ and hit the casino. I regret canceling my chops +1. The current plan is to grab a drink and hit up the headliner show, Darryl Williams. There is no social distance in the MDR. I was sat alone but they sat another party at the table next to me. I am trying to maintain my covid free existence. So I plan to have breakfast on my balcony. The compass says room service is free for breakfast. Even if I get charged it's better than crowds. Preliminary reports say about 1600. There is a captains corner at 10am, I hope to get the exact amount. Sweety, Skigoofy, Neesa and 5 others 4 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 Day 2 a sea day.... I had breakfast on my balcony and did some work. Around 10am I went to the captain corner and heard some of the most hilarious questions. One lady from Kansas ask if captain Gus was shining the lights at night looking for icebergs. He said if he was, we had bigger problems then the icebergs . He also informed us that exactly 1400 guest were on this cruise. Making it pretty much 1:1 in terms of crew. The weather is a bit meh. Cloudy and occasional drops. The closer to Nassau we move the more it improves. I went to the MDR for lunch, again disappointed. Potato soup was watery. I left after the soup to see what WJ had. They had the Kimmelwicke. The famed roast beef sandwiches normally served from Park Cafe. I had 1 with fruit for lunch and couldn't have been happier. Grease was delayed from 3:30 until 4:30. During trivia, I heard a new cruiser complaing about being nickled and dimed. Said her child racked up a high water bill. They have the water cans on this ship. Out of curiosity, while sitting at Boleros, I asked single price of can and it's $2.99 plus gratuity. The other bottles were 16oz and these are 12oz cans. I want to assume the child was asking for water and some places gave her the cans and charged the room. But yes pre ordering water is the way to go. I brought a 6pk to keep in the room and I am grateful I did. Some observations Mask compliance is about 80%. I have seen a few instances of people walking the promenade or into venues sans mask. Only to be given one from crew. Casino still is the most popular place. Feels amazing to go in and not smell smoke. With less people, the WJ is the winner. They have spaced out tables, hot tasty food and a decent selection. Lots of people don't know basic math. I'm talking elevator. With such low capacity it should be easy. Library has no books. Just an icafe and quiet space. Live music with so few people is a smidge hard to enjoy. Swells are high so ship is very rocky. Traveler, CravingaCruise, Neesa and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 I went to guest services to ask about side to side testing. I was given a flyer with QR codes to schedule testing for outside the terminal. I don't think this is right. It's for paid testing to satisfy reentry or other criteria. I plan to go back to guest services and explain I am sailing within 3 days on another one of RCG ships. I really got engrossed in my book so missed the 4:30pm Grease showing, no biggie as another showing was scheduled at 8pm. I accepted my loses and chose the Windjammer for dinner. I had a delicious made to order Mongolian fried rice. The deserts were a bit meh. I walked into the royal theater at 7:30pm with my pick of amazing seats. Ten minutes later more people started to pile in. Several, once they found their seats, proceeded to remove their mask. Three announcements came on informing of the mask policy and more and more people removed their mask. By the time the lights started to dim I observed half of the audience had either no mask on or it under their nose. I hated Grease the movie, don't know why I thought the musical would be different. The ship was rocking and rolling too much, the music was too loud and I didn't honestly like being crowded with so many people not following the rules. I felt nauseous, after 20min I left. As soon as I stood up I felt better and by the time I made it to the casino, all I was feeling was coldness from my daiquiri. I got a couple of slices and went back to my room around 10. I took a peek at adult majority rules around 11 but decided I wanted to sleep. So that ended day 2. I believe we are close to docking in Nassau. I'm heading to the WJ for breakfast, I have no plans to get off the boat if they let us as this port isn't my cup of tea. I know much doesn't happen on port days if you stay on ship but my Kindle is full if great books and I am looking forward to spending the day reading and relaxing. I have yet to see the RCBlogger who is also on this ship....or maybe I have but as a lightweight when it comes to drinking, missed her. I got my QR to scan for departure which means this sailing is almost half over...boooo!!! Also weirdly enough the disembarkment times end before 9am. Neesa, CravingaCruise, WAAAYTOOO and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 38 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: stay on ship but my Kindle is full if great books and I am looking forward to spending the day reading and relaxing. I am normally an on the go active person and have a hard time sitting still. I find thought, that once I get on a ship I like to just sit and watch the sea etc, so this to me sounds like a great way to spend the day. I'm glad you are having a good time. I too agree that the MDR food has been meh sometimes. I think you are going to be spoiled on your next leg with star class, and I will be in the same situation next month when we do our first star class sailing. Neesa, CravingaCruise and WAAAYTOOO 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 29 minutes ago, GregD said: I am normally an on the go active person and have a hard time sitting still. I find thought, that once I get on a ship I like to just sit and watch the sea etc, so this to me sounds like a great way to spend the day. I'm glad you are having a good time. I too agree that the MDR food has been meh sometimes. I think you are going to be spoiled on your next leg with star class, and I will be in the same situation next month when we do our first star class sailing. I normally like to plan things to do and stay active or at least actively engaged. But yeah cruising changes things. The star class sailing might ruin me in general. So we have docked and are free to explore. Freedom is next to us. She is serving reduced capacity realness as well. I can see they also have the water cans. I agree that in can there is a slight tinny taste but poured over ice is fine. I'm sure it's mental but whatever Windjammer was as close to a madhouse as it can be on this type of sailing. THERE WAS NO BACON!!!!! Weather is still a little iffy but we are here until 5ish, so hopefully it improves. CravingaCruise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLH Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 Keep us updated on the s2s testing please. I have one coming up as well and thought it was included as well as them taking you to the new ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 10 minutes ago, MLH said: Keep us updated on the s2s testing please. I have one coming up as well and thought it was included as well as them taking you to the new ship. In her case there's a day in between sailings, so she doesn't need transportation to the new ship. @Ampurp85 I think you need to ask about B2B testing at Guest Services instead. I don't see why they can't just test you when they test the B2Bers. Neesa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 So update. Only B2B cruisers will receive free testing from RCG. Guest services informed me this changed went into affect a week after they got rid of testing for people traveling to Canada. They said if you aren't staying on the same ship, you have to pay to test at the port or find your own. I literally spoke to several reps between Jan 6-8, who told me I wouldn't have to pay or furnish my own test as long as I was sailing within 3 days on a royal ship. I only brought 1 extra test as backup so I guess I will be dragging my luggage around Friday looking for a testing place. @MLH If your ship leaves from the same terminal they will help you get there. Just let them know and they can make arrangements. If it's a different port, you will be on your own. MLH, ellcee and CravingaCruise 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmar02 Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 21 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: Windjammer was as close to a madhouse as it can be on this type of sailing. THERE WAS NO BACON!!!!! I'm pretty sure my husband would riot! We joke about how they have to order an extra pallet when we cruise. WAAAYTOOO, CravingaCruise and Ferramc 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 I decide to save the whole testing thing until tomorrow. I grabbed my kindle and headed to deck 12. I read for about half an hour before the cool wind became too much for me. Freedom was docked next to us in Nassau. I notice a few people doing the same thing. I don't think many got off in Nassau on both ships as most places had the same amount of people I had observed over the sea days. When I went on the other side, hoping it would be warmer, I saw a Disney ship was also docked. I then spent most of the afternoon reading in various places. The last was on my balcony. I went to the love and marriage show then got Sorrento's as my dinner. I played a bit in the casino, I have won no money on this cruise but did observe a few people hit the jackpots. It is the last day of this 4 night cruise. We arrived at PDCC around 7am and were able to leave the ship at 8am. Captain Gus is an engaging, funny guy. I don't know if it's because the ship is smaller or has a better announcement system, but I can always hear him clearly. I hit the Windjammer for breakfast and today they have bacon. I am going to guest service about my testing and then hitting PDCC. It's about 70 degrees and cloudy. Hopefully it warms up. CravingaCruise, ellcee and WAAAYTOOO 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 So nope, no testing for S2S guest on Indy. They are sticking to their guns that the only testing included is for B2B. I showed them screen shot and they gave me a card with numbers to call. ellcee, WAAAYTOOO, Neesa and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 36 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: So nope, no testing for S2S guest on Indy. They are sticking to their guns that the only testing included is for B2B. I showed them screen shot and they gave me a card with numbers to call. Argh. Stand your ground! Especially since it is in writing on Royal's website. Maybe go talk to the Loyalty Ambassador onboard and see if they can help you if you can't get in touch with someone shoreside. I'd be emailing or sending a social media message. If you didn't have the backup plan test kit with you, I would also sign up for the pier side testing when you get off and if you end up paying for it, you can push it up to shoreside to get reimbursed. SpeedNoodles and CravingaCruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabird Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 @Ampurp85 Can you (or others) comment on the internet speeds? I'm on Allure for Feb. and will need to work. With the "surf and stream" on AOS in December, my experience was a slow connection. I could work via email, but Zoom calls were ridiculous. (We had to resort to talk...wait 5 seconds to hear the response....talk...wait for response.) My hope would be to be able to attend Zoom calls as needed and desired. Wondering if my cell phone "cruise ship" data would be any faster. It's ridiculously pricey but for important client calls might be worth it. CravingaCruise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 @seabird So I had issues with teams and zoom. I connected and for the first few minutes it froze and lagged. After that it was fine and I didn't loose connection. This however could be the case of such reduced capacity. That means less people trying to use it when I was. I ended up making a few WhatsApp calls because of the lag at first. It was infinitely better on both port days. @AshleyDillo I don't know how to escalate on social media. But I was tempted to sign up for at port testing and asking for refund. I am also going to try the C&A desk. Thanks for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 7 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I don't know how to escalate on social media. Just a polite DM through any/all social media site to their official accounts. State the facts and cite the FAQ. All else fails email mbayley@rccl.com and they should escalate it. That's likely the route you'd take post-cruise to try and get any charge refunded. Maybe shoot an email to your TA for this cruise and ask if he has any suggestions? I wonder what international travelers are being told by Guest Services? The policy changed for them but they're still supposed to get complimentary testing through January 31 still. ellcee, WAAAYTOOO and Ampurp85 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabird Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said: @seabird So I had issues with teams and zoom. I connected and for the first few minutes it froze and lagged. After that it was fine and I didn't loose connection. This however could be the case of such reduced capacity. That means less people trying to use it when I was. I ended up making a few WhatsApp calls because of the lag at first. It was infinitely better on both port days. Thanks for the feedback. Interesting it's better on port days. I'll keep that in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 Day 4.... After breakfast, I visited guest service on my way to PDCC. I walked off around 9:30 and began my trek. Ever since my first visit I make it a habit to walk the island and then decide where I would like to sit. This is a mental exercise, the same reason I mostly take the stairs. I feel like if I can get my steps in then I have earned all my treats. I settled on Harbor Beach and spent the next 2 hours reading, enjoying the perfect weather. Close to noon I go to Chill grill for tacos. Several seagulls attacked my plate of salsa and limes. They were really aggressive today. I walked to South Beach and read for another hour and a half. I noticed on my walk that even though 2 ships were here, there weren't lines for anything. I decided I wanted a funnel cake for dessert and made my way to the snack shack. I couldn't resist and took a shack chicken to go. Around 2:30 I made the trek back to my room to shower off all the sand. I emailed my TA about testing and took a nap. I awoke to an email informing that the testing for S2S guest is still a thing. They should email guest services and arrange something. Even if it is I pay for test and they reimburse me. Earlier they were rigid, who knows what will happen now. Guest services had dug their heels in the sand. I believe that this is very much Indy specific. Maybe they don't have test but they refuse to accept anything and immediately just gave me a number to shoreside. I got the feeling they were exasperated with me. I was in no mood to argue as I imagine they deal with enough during this time. My only gripe was they required I provide proof from the website and when I did, they shut down. At least with a Genie on my next cruise, I shouldn't have this issue. I continue to wait to hear from them. I have seen @Matt blog employee but have not engaged. At the time she seemed focused. I hope to engage with her on another sailing wordell1, KristiZ and CravingaCruise 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted January 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 Update: My wonderful TA John From MEI was able to escalate things and I am schedule to get tested at 8am on Fri before I disembark. This is exactly why a good TA is worth their weight in gold. I am going to the comedy show then packing for my next adventure. MattyDubz11, DDaley, KristiZ and 10 others 7 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGTLH Posted January 14, 2022 Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 47 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I hope to engage with her on another sailing I believe @JennaRCB be on the Harmony sailing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennaRCB Posted January 14, 2022 Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said: Day 4.... After breakfast, I visited guest service on my way to PDCC. I walked off around 9:30 and began my trek. Ever since my first visit I make it a habit to walk the island and then decide where I would like to sit. This is a mental exercise, the same reason I mostly take the stairs. I feel like if I can get my steps in then I have earned all my treats. I settled on Harbor Beach and spent the next 2 hours reading, enjoying the perfect weather. Close to noon I go to Chill grill for tacos. Several seagulls attacked my plate of salsa and limes. They were really aggressive today. I walked to South Beach and read for another hour and a half. I noticed on my walk that even though 2 ships were here, there weren't lines for anything. I decided I wanted a funnel cake for dessert and made my way to the snack shack. I couldn't resist and took a shack chicken to go. Around 2:30 I made the trek back to my room to shower off all the sand. I emailed my TA about testing and took a nap. I awoke to an email informing that the testing for S2S guest is still a thing. They should email guest services and arrange something. Even if it is I pay for test and they reimburse me. Earlier they were rigid, who knows what will happen now. Guest services had dug their heels in the sand. I believe that this is very much Indy specific. Maybe they don't have test but they refuse to accept anything and immediately just gave me a number to shoreside. I got the feeling they were exasperated with me. I was in no mood to argue as I imagine they deal with enough during this time. My only gripe was they required I provide proof from the website and when I did, they shut down. At least with a Genie on my next cruise, I shouldn't have this issue. I continue to wait to hear from them. I have seen @Matt blog employee but have not engaged. At the time she seemed focused. I hope to engage with her on another sailing Yes, I will be on Harmony! I'm usually never too focused, so don't be afraid to say hi! I must have had my "YouTube filming" face on. Ampurp85, iluvwineandtravel and CravingaCruise 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 14, 2022 Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 41 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: Update: My wonderful TA John From MEI was able to escalate things and I am schedule to get tested at 8am on Fri before I disembark. This is exactly why a good TA is worth their weight in gold. I am going to the comedy show then packing for my next adventure. Yippee !!! Great news. Congratulations on sticking it out and pushing forward. Neesa, ellcee, iluvwineandtravel and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted January 14, 2022 Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 I'm glad you got your testing worked out! Hey @WAAAYTOOO, I just noticed I'm on Oasis in February next year the week before you. What, you didn't want to do the week before as well with a gazillion kiddos? WAAAYTOOO and Neesa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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