Caribbean Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 Hi all, we are on Day 3 and at port in Grenada. We wanted to give a brief update. Royal Caribbean was terrific in the boarding process. All went smooth with the pre-COVID testing. Everyone on the ship is wearing masks. No complaints from anyone. We asked about number of passengers. The crew was told there had been 800 people booked for the cruise. The week prior to departure, there were numerous cancellations. Passengers actually on the ship is around 500. Lady G can hold about 2,000 passengers. It feels surreal with only 1/4 of the occupancy. I kind of like it. Our lowest possible bid won the room upgrade to a balcony room. We feel sorry for the staff. Their pay is the tips. They are taking a huge hit in pay. Every Royal Caribbean employee has expressed how thankful they are that we are here cruising during this time. The itinerary changed a couple of times before boarding. The 1st day on the ship, we saw the itinerary had changed again by removing Columbia as a port. For this 14 day cruise it is not terrible to drop a port day. We only have 4 days at-sea for a 14 day cruise. We are glad we did not let our fears get the best of us and cancel our reservations. The water is warm, come on in. melmar02, Yesiamthere, KristiZ and 8 others 9 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewww Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 Good to hear we’re heading out on the 1/23 sailing (I hope). I’ve got a ton of questions. We’re you able to book entertainment once you got on the ship? how was getting into Barbados? any tips for our first pandemic cruise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Posted January 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 No need to book entertainment. They are only having 1 main show per night at 9:30 pm. This allows both meal times to finish before the show. The main theater has only been about 1/2 full. It makes it a little more difficult for the entertainers to energize the crowd. Be sure to have your vaccine & booster shots current and also have a RT (real time) PCR test done within 3 days of arriving to Barbados. With the negative test results, it was simple to enter the country. People who arrived without having been tested had to test at the airport before passing through customs. The only pandemic hassles are the masks & excursion rules. Excursion rules: some ports only allow disembarking/tours through Royal Caribbean (ex. St. Vincent’s), other ports allow the tours to be booked through local excursion companies if they are government authorized (ex. Grenada). We booked an ATV tour for Grenada through TripAdvisor. The tour company sent us a copy of their government authorization. The islands are keeping tourists away from their general population. You can expect to see the islands from vans, sailboats, atvs, & jeeps. The only shopping so far has been inside the port area. We have only been to 2 ports so far. We will see if any ports allow us to walk around in the city. Even if you do not see the Royal Up offer email, be sure to find the Royal Up section on the Royal Caribbean website. This is the easiest time to qualify for a nicer room with very little additional cost. KristiZ and RWDW1204 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Posted January 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 My wife just updated me with the exact count. 621 passengers. WAAAYTOOO, RWDW1204 and SpeedNoodles 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 I would love to do an itinerary like this one. The problem is convincing DH that it won't kill him to sail on what he refers to as a "fishing boat"! (This from the man who worked for 8 years on the old Sitmar Line, whose ships were tiny in comparison to Grandeur ) Hope you have an amazing time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNO Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 @Caribbean ... Very nice report. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted January 20, 2022 Report Share Posted January 20, 2022 Hi @Caribbean Hope you are having/have had a great trip. Could you kindly update on the ports etc as we are due on the Grandeur Feb 20. Out itinerary changed (briefly!) on my payment page with Aruba going from an overnight to a single day and Trinidad being replaced by Antigua and Dominica but it has gone back to the original schedule now. Most of the excursions we have booked through RCI but we have booked a local guide in Panama - I saw your comment about certain locations having different rules so wondered if you could let us know how you got on (and off!) at each port We arrive in Barbados 2 days earlier and have requested the latest possible check in for the ship so we can have the full day on the beach. From your previous post I am hoping the whole check in at port will be pretty easy - we have both had double jabs and boosters plus will be having PCR in UK <72 hours before boarding the ship. Thanks in advance. Barrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Posted January 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2022 Hi @Bazza all is going without a hitch. Curacao had a curfew in place. The ship left at 9:30pm instead of 11:00pm. Be sure your PCR test has specified that it was taken with the nasal test. One group had the proper test but it did not specify the sampling method on the documentation. The group had to be retested upon arrival at the Barbados airport. The ship is full of people from the UK. You will feel right at home. The rules for each port listed on the Royal Caribbean website has been accurate: Ports of Call requirements Our port activities are: St. Vincent - snorkeling (Royal Caribbean excursion required) Grenada - ATV (Trip Advisor; government approved required) Aruba - rented a car Bonaire - snorkeling (Trip Advisor) Panama - Canal & Monkey Island (Royal Caribbean but not mandatory) Costa Rica - Van tour; National Park, monkeys, banana plantation (Trip Advisor) Curacao - Taxi & Sunset catamaran (Trip Advisor) Antigua - Taxi to beach Dominica - Beach (Royal Caribbean excursion required) Except for St. Vincent, Grenada, & Dominica, everything has felt wide open & normal. Yesiamthere 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted January 21, 2022 Report Share Posted January 21, 2022 12 hours ago, Caribbean said: Hi @Bazza all is going without a hitch. Curacao had a curfew in place. The ship left at 9:30pm instead of 11:00pm. Be sure your PCR test has specified that it was taken with the nasal test. One group had the proper test but it did not specify the sampling method on the documentation. The group had to be retested upon arrival at the Barbados airport. The ship is full of people from the UK. You will feel right at home. The rules for each port listed on the Royal Caribbean website has been accurate: Ports of Call requirements Our port activities are: St. Vincent - snorkeling (Royal Caribbean excursion required) Grenada - ATV (Trip Advisor; government approved required) Aruba - rented a car Bonaire - snorkeling (Trip Advisor) Panama - Canal & Monkey Island (Royal Caribbean but not mandatory) Costa Rica - Van tour; National Park, monkeys, banana plantation (Trip Advisor) Curacao - Taxi & Sunset catamaran (Trip Advisor) Antigua - Taxi to beach Dominica - Beach (Royal Caribbean excursion required) Except for St. Vincent, Grenada, & Dominica, everything has felt wide open & normal. Thank you @Caribbean. Glad you are having a good time Looks like my itinerary is going to change - possibly 2 trips to Grenada (one near start and one near end) replacing Trinidad. Do you knw if we will just be able to grab a water taxi to Grand Anse from the cruise port (that is what we did on our previous visit)? Looks like you had some great excursions. Enjoy the remainder and safe onward journey WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Posted January 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2022 @Bazza, when we did the ATV trip in Grenada, we were picked up from the cruise pier by a provided van. The van driver would not let us out to walk around the city. Grenada is keeping their citizens in a protected bubble. You would need a private transport boat and a private beach. Our Grenada stop will have been 2 weeks prior to yours. Hopefully they will relax the rules by the time you arrive. Bazza 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXCoastPatriot Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 On 1/11/2022 at 1:37 PM, Caribbean said: Be sure to have your vaccine & booster shots current Booster is required for entry into Barbados? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 @TXCoastPatriot, we were told the vaccines needed to be current. The booster was needed because it was more than 6 months since the original vaccinations. I am not sure how closely they looked at the booster. They did verify we had received both of the Pfizer doses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Hi all, on the last day, Covid testing was provided on the ship. As a surprise, my wife tested positive for Covid. We think she was exposed on the Royal Caribbean excursion to the Panama Canal. The Panama excursion was a large group on a tour bus with no roll down windows. My wife & I were always careful to follow the rules and preferred staying in open air spaces. The Panama excursion was the only time we think our guard was compromised. My wife and others that tested positive had to leave the ship after all passengers had disembarked. She counted 8 of them total. We were never informed during the cruise that people had tested positive. The crew kept things very hush-hush. Royal Caribbean is flying the passengers who tested positive back to the States. The spouses are not able to fly back on the private plane. My wife was only able to travel with a carry-on bag. I had 3 suitcases to carry on American Airlines. The 3rd suitcase was going to cost $200. To avoid paying $200, the 3rd suitcase quickly became another carry-on. We are from Birmingham, AL another passenger had flown from Nashville, TN. Each of them were not flown to their home city. The plane is landing in Huntsville, AL to split the difference. They each have to rent a car to make 2 hour drives home. We are still glad we came. Our 30th anniversary has been memorable! RWDW1204, Yesiamthere, CravingaCruise and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Posted January 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Another update: A car service with driver was provided from Huntsville to Birmingham. Royal Caribbean had everything handled. My wife is pulling up to the house and I am waiting for the connecting flight in Miami. She will be home 4 hours ahead of me. Skigoofy and AshleyDillo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCWind Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Hope it is a mild case of the virus and that she gets well soon. Bazza 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 @Caribbean as per @LCWind's comment, I hope she is ok. Thanks for all the updates. And congrats on 30 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Posted January 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Thanks for the well wishes. My wife only has a cough and it is going away. @Bazza, have a great trip! SpeedNoodles and Bazza 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Please have fun on this ship. This is ship is my first Royal ship. I will be on her again next April 2023. Bazza and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted February 15, 2022 Report Share Posted February 15, 2022 On 1/24/2022 at 12:15 PM, Caribbean said: Thanks for the well wishes. My wife only has a cough and it is going away. @Bazza, have a great trip! @Caribbean Hope wife fully recovered.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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