gmerick

Right here (google maps link)  https://www.google.com/maps/place/25°49'24.5"N+77°56'13.1"W/@25.8234683,-77.9375242,217m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d25.8234683!4d-77.936977

1 hour ago, bouhunter said:

FYI, it's been known for months that masks don't protect you...........

The mask I wear (a 3M P100 dual filter with attached P100 exhale filter) does protect me.  The cosmetic virtue signaling fashion statements so in vogue by the screaming masses do nothing except make a (misleading) political announcement.

Don't care if folks aren't vaccinated.  It's a risk they decide to take.  Doesn't affect me.  I'll mask where I need to protect myself.  I'll avoid situations that look risky.  If I choose to get vaccinated, that's a matter between me and my nurse practitioner.  Scream all you want about how you want everyone else to protect you, and I'll happily ignore you.  If cruising is to risky for you, you're welcome to stay home cooped up in your virus proof bubble.  As for me, I'm getting on with life.  Quit screaming about vaccines, and masks, and distancing, and mandates, and all the crazy worthless laws that have ruined our economy over the past year plus.

Just returned from 8 days on a 42' Newton Dive Special boat out of Belize.  Wonderful time, great people, and everyone in the whole resort tested negative.  Next booked cruise is Brilliance OTS in October 2021.

HuffPost says it all --- 'Revenge Travel' Will Be All The Rage Over The Next Few Years

and I'm getting my revenge 3 time over.

I expect the next years cruise demographic will not at all be what we expect.  Disney, Club Med, and others are marketing "Revenge Travel" as so many middle income folks have an excess of vacation time coming due to COVID-cancelled plans over the past year.  They also have more discretionary savings as there hasn't been all that many opportunities to splurge.

A good article - "'Revenge Travel' Will Be All The Rage Over The Next Few Years"

Cruise ships arrive at the Fredriksted Pier on the west side of the island. 

Is anyone else experiencing an apparent excess value in the FCCs they've been issued.  My FCC for a cancelled 11 day Jan 2021 cruise on Anthem OTS was supposed to cover my Jam 2022 identical itinerary, same cabin class on Anthem.  Due to price drops, I now have enough on that one FCC to cover an October 2021 Western Carib on Brilliance, the Jan 22 Anthem, and I still have more than half the fare for a Sept 2022 Western Carib on Radiance.  I had already taken 2 price drops on the Anthem Jan 21 prior to it being cancelled.  

If these repeated price drops keep happening, I don't see how some CC members with multiple FCC's will manage to use them all unless they take up residence for 2022 on board.

No, this isn't a complaint (Thank-you much RCI), but it is confusing.

For folks living in countries where the vaccine is not widely available to the general public (think restricted by age, illness, equity concerns, etc) I have no issue with RCI only permitting vaccinated residents of that country on board, because those people have no choice whether to be vaccinated or not.

For folks living where the vaccine is widely available, they can make a free choice whether or not to vaccinate based on their own health concerns, or concerns about vaccines.  These people should have no restriction on vaccination status or virus screening status.  

This epidemic has reached the manageable stage.  We know how to proactively prevent it through vaccines.  We know how to cure it with existing medicines.  We know how to prevent transmission through filtration, sanitation, and distance.  Yes, some vulnerable individuals will be very adversely affected if exposed to the virus, but that holds true for many even worse diseases common to shipboard travel.

Please don't forbid me from traveling; my health concerns have been addressed, and I'm ready, willing and able to take a cruise.  It may not be right for you, due to your health concerns, so please stay safely home.  I have already made my choices regarding disease prevention.  My daily life may involve more exposure than is appropriate for you.  That exposure will not be increased by my vacation plans, even if those plans include cruising.  

Please continue to maintain your own level of safety by distance, sanitation, and filtration in a manner consistent with your health needs.  Be aware that those around you, even if they have not yet chosen to be cruise passengers, are accepting far more exposure than is appropriate for you to accept.  

We each will get on with life as is appropriate to our own situation. 

Please don't mandate your own choices on your neighbors.  

I have two masks with bifocal lenses.  I can see OK at distance, but I needed help with reading gauges, and seeing objects or critters close up - like under 2 feet.  I did one mask with self applied lenses, and bought a DGX Rio Gauge Reader Mask from Dive Gear Express (~$50).  For both, I used the same diopter as my most comfortable reading glasses.  Of utmost importance, test how the mask fits -- spend at least half an hour in a swimming pool or on the beach getting used to it.  A cheap mask that fits is much better than an expensive one that pinches and leaks.

Snuba (snorkeling with an oxygen hose) can get you swimming at up to 30 feet under water.  If you attempt to bring a cell phone with you in a waterproof pouch, ensure that it is the only thing in the pouch, and that the pouch fits flat against the phone with no wrinkles.  The phone will experience 14.7PSI of pressure, which is like putting a 225 pound book on a 3inch by 5 inch cell phone.  I'd leave it in a waterproof bag on the boat.  I carry my sea pass card, my passport card (the plastic card, not the book), a credit card, and a couple hundred in cash in an inside pocket with a rubber band around the whole lot.  I leave everything else on the snorkel operator's boat.  I would leave everything with my bag, but I like the peace of mind of having the essentials with me at all times.

No, the gov't can't mandate an experimental vaccine.  Just look at the military vaccine refusal rate.  However, the gov't can mandate an FDA approved one.  look at the polio, smallpox, MMR, etc that's required for public school admission.  The anti-vax-ers thrive on the controversies surrounding that.  Public sector employees cannot be mandated an experimental vaccine.  Private sector employees can, depending on their union contract.

Leaving 14 May

I will be vaccinated, and go as soon as I can.  Unvaccinated children wouldn't bother me.  The science shows children are very low probability transferrers of COVID-19.  I will also wear a mask full time even if not required.  It's just the sensible thing to do to protect my own health.  

I can't get on a cruise, so I am going to Belize on my own, and spend my time on a yacht.  Total cost comparable to a cruise.  I sure do miss this past year with no vacations, so I'm going on one, regardless of what CDC says.

I'm not worried about airborne virus.  It can't be any worse than grocery shopping, Dr's visits, and whatnot up here.  Almost no one wears their mask right, and food service folks are constantly adjusting their masks wearing their sanitary gloves, and then handling my food with the same gloves.  

I'll take care of my own safety with N95 masks, hand washing, sanitizer, and large sunglasses to shield my eyes from airborn dropplets.  

After all, the primary person responsible for my health is myself, not some government bureaucrat (CDC), and definitely not the clueless folks wearing masks under their noses.  

I take care of my health, and part of being healthy is taking a vacation, so here I go.

To protect the jobs in rivers and coastal ferries, all that's needed is PVSA be modified to not require a foreign port, but just require the majority of each stop between at least two of the US ports be spent in international waters.  This exemption could be applied exclusively to passenger vessels, to protect the cargo unions.

The effect of this exemption would allow northeast coast cruising, west coast and Alaska, or west coast Hawaii, and also Gulf of Mexico Florida to NOLA to Texas.  

Not sure the region has the infrastructure to support home-porting a cruise ship.  Historical airport passenger count for Cozumel is 450K passengers per year, (arrivals and departures), meaning a daily average of less than 1000 arrivals.  There's also only 6 gates at the airport.  

Compare this to Barbados with 2.3M passengers per year and 22 gates, and all Barbados gets is Grandeur.

Don't search for Le Havre, look for Paris.

A request for the CC Survey savvy savants.  That word "expect" on their survey was too ambiguous.  Please put together a CC Survey that asks 1: What protocols I anticipate the government (or corporate lawyers, or fellow cruise passengers) will require. 2: What protocols I am willing to put up with.

Got the survey for my October 21 Brilliance sailing I booked after my Jan 21 Anthem was cancelled.  I haven't got a survey about my Jan 22 Anthem booked well over a year ago.  As for protocols I expect, I checked them all, and under "Other " I said that whatever the government mandates, it doesn't matter to me, I'm going on a cruise no matter what.

Interesting idea, Israel is unique in it's residency laws.  

Could a person from the US leverage Israel's "Law of Return" to gain residency, and book sailing on an early sailing of Odyssey?

Your Alaska sailings appeared.  

Something is changing on the RCI web site.  only 180 departures worldwide listed now.  My Anthem long Caribbean's are missing.  The only 9+ day sailings are two trans Atlantic's .  Wonder what they're springing on us now.

I would guess that a 100% solo supplement is being added to the price, even though RCI advertises these cabins as single traveler only and no supplement.

Price should probably be:

Cruise fare $3,345.00
Discounts (2)
60% Off Second Guest $-1,216.17
Balc Suite NRD $-82.19
Subtotal $2,046.64
Taxes & fees $170.51