Saw on the show schedule what appears to be LASER TAG...  does that require advance reservations ...  we sail May 16 but it is not listed that I can see to reserve it...  does it open up once onboard?  or just show up.. 

Also we do self disembark and use TAXIs that are plentiful when you leave the ship..  it is a 10 -15 minute drive to the airport contingent upon traffic but we have always had easy off easy go in about 10 cruises since restart  ..

we have numerous trips from the Ft Lauderdale terminal..  for us an UBER driver has always been on time and a worry free trip to the terminal..  we use a taxi from the airport and a uber from a hotel.. not sure how far your hotel is but we could always see the ships from the hotel.. 

the non standard buffet pics look like the inaugural sailing..  we were on Wonder March 3 and it WAS spectacular..  do not expect that on your cruise.. but we also find now that buffets are open for dinner that nights the menu is iffy.. we go to the buffet and have them grill our protein, make a good salad and find some sides..  but remember your request results depend on your waiters experience.. we have had them say sorry that is the way the dish is prepared.. and at a different table with different staff, they did this: For those who like more than a bite of a vegetable..  I asked the waiter to bring me additional and every night he brought a large plate of a variety of all vegetables offered..   so our table was happy to add to their plate...   if you have any food issues and tell them the first night..  they will put in special orders for you for the remainder of the cruise..  my daughter in law was lactose intolerant and they made sure each night she had her order put in for the next one..

had we stayed at the first table we would not have had the positive experiences..

the best burgers for RC are the ones at COCOA CAY.. IF you are stopping there... 

We are on the OCT 10 sailing as well with you.. we did the initial one on SEPT 5 and were so happy with everything, we book it again before the ships fill back up.. 

Coco Cay was a delight with so few .. but we did not get off in Nassau... 

but the other post is correct...  biggest thing is your vaccination card, neg C test, passport and sail pass

we were on the ship within 15 minutes of entering the terminal.. disembarking is strictly facial recognition and we were back at the parking garage..

thanks for the info.. 

Oasis class spoiled us as it was ANY beverage in ANY bar except bionic and rising tides

so, there was not a list of restricted beverages.. but again what we were used to in past cruises

We just disembarked from Oasis and the diamond tier offered 4 free drinks at anytime anywhere everyday.

the last time we sailed celebrity we had to use the elite pre dinner lounge to get them..

For those who have sailed post covid what is the current procedure to get our complimentary beverages

We are taking Silhouette in Jan

thanks.. trying to get thru all the post topics and info

we are sailing Sept 5.. let us know if the band in the music hall was any  good

we had great ones on Anthem but can not find any specific group on utube to check..  the only one I found that may be possible were so so.

we also enjoy Tony on La Lido Loca..  he is very informative on the latest news and delivers in his warm funny way.. 

We are doing Sept 5 with friends and have cabins  8602 and 8610.. in total agreement with last poster, we book it for Central Park access far away from the boardwalk activity   Of course no one knows how much traffic or noise comes from stairs or elevator traffic, but can not think this cruise would have an issue if not fully booked...

Did you see Allure docking this morning in Miami..she was coming in as the Carnival Horizon was docking.. guess they are getting crew and supplied ready for the test cruise this month..  another step closer.. 

according to deck plans online this is where they identify LIDO

Oasis Of The Seas deck 16 plan (Lido-FlowRiders-Ultimate Abyss Slide)

Deck layout and review

I would have thought the POOL deck... but who knew... we WILL be doing the slide.. IF the SEPT 5 goes, the lines should not be too long or pool chairs hard to find  WHOOHOOO

According to the RC BLOG information, the CDC has required EACH SHIP that wants to get approved to sail with revenue generating passengers  conduct a test sailing to ensure all procedures are known and followed by that ship and crew.  even though  some are not going out of FLORIDA it is now appears to be  uniform mandate.

for those of us on SEPT 5 sailing, we must pray that all crew will stay negative in their testing and not create the situations that occurred on Odyssey and the disney ship.. IF it all goes well for the test cruise, then we should be a go for sept as they will get supplies and  put everything  in place for us..   cruise will not be at full capacity so it should be a GREAT trip as those are reporting on youtube  videos from Adventure, Freedom and Celebrity ships..

NELBLU so looking forward to seeing you on the LIDO!!!

when I saw this topic on the next page, it DID state this for future test sailings,, so looks like test WILL be out of NJ

Royal Caribbean International has issued an update on their upcoming simulated voyages (test cruises) that will sail with volunteers:

• Allure of the Seas – July 27 from Port Canaveral
• Symphony of the Seas – Aug. 1 from PortMiami
• Independence of the Seas – Aug. 1 from Port of Galveston
• Mariner of the Seas – Aug. 11 from Port Canaveral
• Serenade of the Seas – July 7 from Port of Seattle
• Oasis of the Seas – Aug. 22 from Cape Liberty

this was published on the CRUISE INDUSTRY newsletter this morning

The Oasis of the Seas has got CDC’s provisional approval to sail a simulated voyage on Aug. 22-28, 2021. This was announced by the President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, Michael Bayley.

Bayley said that the news was delivered to them in a letter from the CDC.

According to Royal Caribbean’s schedule, the Oasis of the Seas will sail her first revenue voyage on Sept. 5 from Cape Liberty. She will be visiting Port Canaveral, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau on a seven-night itinerary.

so for all of us who are supposed to be sailing on this ship.. LETS PRAY.. 

it know it was listed 02/06/21  it was not FEB 6 it was June 2... 

I have the article from another paper as well that did not use international date format

https://news.boat-cruises-trips.com/royal-caribbean-plans-to-resume-sailings-from-bayonne-new-jersey/

this is a link to a report that states the MAYOR of Bayonne has had talks with the PORT AUTHORITY and they are looking at Bayonne cruises restarting possibly mid august at a reduced capacity. We made our final payment for SEPT 5 and ROYAL rep stated at this time the cruise is still listed selling cabins.  Not sure of max capacity .. but this is our 3rd rebooking for the same cruise.. 

Again since they will not require test cruises with vaccination compliance, it is possible that something WILL sail either the end of AUG or SEPT 5 start.   imagine the next few months of all the other cruises will determine the final outcome..   but seriously some of the media using wording like "COVID OUTBREAK" when it is only 2 passengers out of 600 is ridiculous...  also, did the drug companies not share that those vaccinated may still contract but would be asymptomatic OR at least NOT require hospitalization for any serious symptoms... so as usual putting a sensational twist on nothing really newsworthy..  I would feel RCG definitely have a plan to deal with what ever happens and feel more than happy to board ... 

Hope to see some of you there who mentioned you are sailing SEPT 5...

My family has been cruising for over 30 years and made many purchases from watches to a variety of diamond , gem and gold jewelry. Most was purchased in Mexico, St Martin , St Thomas and Jamaica..  Before this century when they did not have multiple ships in port every day of the week, we DID make some deals of quality that were confirmed at home..  HOWEVER when my mother died and we took all her jewelry for appraisal , we found over 50% of rings/bracelets did not have all real stones...  rings that had rubys and diamonds , the large stone in the middle was NOT real, but the chips or small decorative side stones were... some were just poor quality.. sapphires were colored glass and many other disappointing finds...  thank heaven she never knew as she wore them proudly and boasted of the DEALS she made...  

A Citizen watch from a store in Jamaica may have been real one, but we were told as with Factory Outlet stores in the US, they make special watches that they sell to be sold outside the us..  the number on the watch was not available in the US and they could not locate a US price..  ( can not confirm this ..just what was suggested)

As with anything else, if part of the joy is shopping, dickering, and having the memory of it all during a special vacation as with my mom, it is the perceived value of the experience that makes it priceless..  but maybe that should be reserved for less expensive trinkets.. 

thanks for your replies...  with 20+ ships in RCL fleet alone, they will have a large number to put up at all the ports.   good to see Miami is waiving the berth fees, most likely many others will offer to do the same.  

I looked at the ship cruise mapper site tonight and there are so many clustered down south..  will look tomorrow night expect  to see the ocean almost empty..  

Since the majority of all ships are on the seas or in port somewhere, now that so many cruise lines are suspending cruises for so long, where will they put all those ships.

I can not imagine the number for all these lines.  then do the ships sit empty or have minimal crew to maintain??  will they all have a major cleaning ?  will any go to dry docks..

If anyone gets the scoop, would be interesting to know

NY GOV just shut down BRoadway and any other venue with 500 + in a gathering.. 

we already saw Baltimore port was closed as well

so we need to follow closely to see how this would impact our trips and make contingency plans accordingly.. 

as upsetting and disappointing as much of this can be, we need to put it in perspective and get thru this ..  may we all stand together strong and keep each other positive and informed...   having the ability to get on forums like this and share real information is so helpful and supportive... 

at least Royal has been on top of making us feel more in control of our decisions offering the 48 hour cancellation info..  but we realize as in MD, it is not always their decision.. 

Good luck to everyone and stay healthy..

The biggest issue at Cape liberty is the line of traffic going in to the pier..   once you are there and can drop off our luggage to the porters and go park..  the embarkation process is very fast and efficient.   we have cruised from there multiple times and the only time we had an issue the WiFi was down and they were not able to  upload  the online check ins with a scanner..  however since this new virus issue, they may have some new procedures in place..

regardless if you do as you suggested you should be fine... remember you can not get in your room until 1...  so we now plan on getting to the pier around 1 and the lines are smaller    we go straight to the cabin drop off walk on things and go eat.. 

Wouldn't this problem go away if they just sold a drink card package with x amount of drinks for a discounted price... then they could just sell drink cards online in advance with an additional  pre cruise discount like specialty dining??  If they can put 3 drinks on your card for diamonds and up for certain times every day during the cruise which we use on the oasis class ships, it does not see too far a stretch to put a specific amount of drinks on a seapass card for the entire cruise .. 

they track most everything else you do with that card..  but maybe I am not seeing a down side that others may... 

Having been on the Allure, can tell you the Boardwalk balcony has the potential to be a bit loud. You will have all the noise and lighting from the aqua shows as well as outdoor movies that are shown. during the day the rock climbing wall is on one side and those who climb ring the bell!! just look at your deck plan to see your cabin compared to all of this. It may be fine for you but wanted you to be aware of what you could be dealing with every day..

We have not been on Oasis but on allure and harmony.. central park is much quieter on those ships.. just check it out

we will not do Harmony until April 7 but in Nov we did Allure and walked off the ship with our luggage at 7 am ..no line. right out thru customs and to a cab and were at the airport before 7:30 to get into check in security line which did move quickly and were at the gate for our 9:30 flight with plenty of time to spare.. so we did the same flights out this time... of course we realize this is does not guarantee any unforeseen complications, but if nothing arises, you will be fine.