Jasukkie

Just risk mitigation. Bermuda has an excellent hospital but tourists tend to get sick or have accidents there and not be able to pay their bills. They do not charge Mexico prices.

I'm not a gambler. What is the purpose of having vouchers rather than just returning credits to the seapass card?

Based on the reaction I get from servers I think most people aren't tipping on voucher drinks. It may be they just think it's included in the daily gratuity charge and they don't give it a second thought. Or they figure free is free. I never tip on the water bottles. Five dollar tip on a two mixed drink order. Two dollars on a beer or glass of wine. I think my father must have ingrained in me to never leave one dollar lol. I carry my cash in my lanyard, it's no big deal. I love the voucher system.

I don't know if I've ever shared a sailing with him, but I think social isolation is a much bigger problem for landside people, in general. Sounds like he's out and about, has internet and is still working, and has the means and health to keep sailing. As long as he's not acting entitled with the crew or something, more power to him.

We did it once in Chops and it was just average.

We got tails on lobster night at Jamie's on Anthem in March. I guess it depends on the server and how things are going in the kitchen.

I received reimbursement for post-cruise isolation expenses but am still waiting for the actual cruise refund. We all had to isolate so no experience with split refunds. It does fundamentally change the cruise experience to lose a cabin mate so I would hope you get the refund too. I would not expect that for a whole entourage of multiple cabins but I do think it's reasonable to refund per cabin.

Just ask your room steward or at the pool deck. They're tan colored fleece blankets, no charge for use on the ship. I've enjoyed them for movie nights on deck in other cooler locations too. I've never had a problem getting them.

I've done five on Royal since the restart. All good until my last one, which was much higher capacity and ended in Covid infection. I was very, very spoiled by the low capacity ones. The sea remains lovely. I'm not picky about food and don't really care so much about entertainment. Being honest, it's not the same level as pre-pandemic in terms of staffing and things being in-stock. You may want to wait a while yet if you are expecting everything to be back to normal.

No, no, you want to stay NEGATIVE!! (sorry, couldn't resist) I used the eMed tests several times without any issues, would definitely recommend.

People are definitely boarding in the incubation stage and are contagious, despite negative tests. When my group caught covid onboard (sick and positive on day 5) one of us first tested negative on antigen, later that day was positive on PCR. From the point of view of controlling spread, a case could be made for at least eliminating SOME of those who are infected but once transmission starts happening onboard it's kind of an eh situation. Anyone who cruises should consider themselves likely to be exposed onboard and should consider their personal health histories and risk factors for potential illness away from hospital care.

That's funny. I had a bad experience on a 5 nighter out of Tampa with some very drunk, very loud young men next door. It was March so might have been their spring break. It was definitely a booze cruise, which I wouldn't care about if it didn't interrupt my sleep. I did a short cruise on Navigator out of LA that was lovely. Nice and quiet, totally mellow vibe. I guess pick your dates with care. That was during the school year not during a vacation time.

I would just add that Covid has thrown a real wrench in healthcare services onboard and what might be true on one sailing may not be true on another. They simply may not have enough staff coverage to want to keep you onboard if they are worried you may relapse or have complications. There are zero guarantees other than they will do their best to stabilize you.

I like the burger, but I get it as rare as they will agree to make it. Love their baked potatoes, the wedge salad, and the filet. Really don't like those tater tots, totally not what I thought they would be. To each their own.

Yes, I have. I would not have said that if it were not my experience. As I said, it's a vibe, they aren't literally putting their hand out. It's more about making it seem like they are providing an exception. Pretending they have to check, saying they don't usually do this (lol), and being extra solicitous. I'm not bothered by it but I know what's implied.

In my experience it's not a problem, but your server will expect a tip, or at least give off that vibe.

From my experience catching Covid onboard Oasis, Royal does not want you to report for testing. They certainly will not hunt you down. They also will not follow your progress once you leave. We did take advantage of the hotel and meals offer so as not to spread it further. It took two months but they did follow through with reimbursement.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your answers.

(Asking for a friend) What is required for booking an accessible cabin? The person in question is a scooter user, can walk with a walker or cane for short distances, and would do better without the step up to the bathroom. One travel agency website says accessible cabins should only be booked by full-time wheelchair users and the party risks being re-booked with potential upcharges if they book fraudulently. Does anyone have experience being a scooter user and booking an accessible cabin? Royal's special needs for seems to include scooter users and doesn't have any language saying full-time wheelchair use is required, at least that I could find.

I'm confident you will be offered the 1+2+1 as others have described. It's a lot of food. $20 wouldn't go far there.

I hope so. I think the vibe is a good fit in that market and sailings would sell well.

You can't judge the worth of masks if you are taking them off to eat or drink inside. It's like wearing a condom part of the time.

It's a fun icebreaker but it's not really an integral part of the experience if you don't care for that sort of thing. But yes, no problem to just have water.

They could not be more accommodating. They will just pop the grill plate out and switch as needed based on needs at the table.

Just an idea, but perhaps the devout Catholics in the group would care to sponsor their priest to come along in exchange for provision of Mass as needed? Win/win all around.