SummerXU

Agree with everyone else - option 2. Treat yourself to the ABC islands in the southern Caribbean.

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

I'm still seeing 1 day before too. We're in the same position as you; 2 days before would let us test before leaving home, so it would be a really helpful development.

I'm guessing though, that since Italy is the odd one out in this respect, it must be a requirement of the Italian government, so not too hopeful of seeing it change. 

I bet you're right that it is dictated by the Italian government. I think there's still a slight bit of hope for updated testing requirements once their current protocols/phase expires on April 30. On May 1, their masking requirements are set to change again, so maybe we'll see some testing updates to align with other European counties. 

24 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

Two days before is not 48 hours, correct? So if I get tested day 1 at 10am and board day 3 at 3 pm this is ok?

Correct. It specifically says days, not hours. So any time on the appropriate day is acceptable.

24 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

Italy been updated as well

Can you show me where you see the update info? The website and my app still say up-to-date guests must show a negative test taken no more than 1 day before boarding. I really hope it's adjusted to 2 days because then we can test, and have that test be valid for boarding, before leaving home.

So I’m confused about the nonalcoholic carry-on policy. I thought I understood that a limited quantity of water or soda could be in your carry-on on embarkation day. This is supported by the FAQ section on Royal’s website. However, I received my cruise docs this morning and they say that non-alcoholic beverages are NOT permitted. So which is it? Does this have anything to do with cruising out of Rome instead of the US?

56 minutes ago, Empehi said:

I totally agree .... RCL is way over the top with these protocols. First, why one day for Italy but the rest of Europe is two days.  I was all set to take the test the morning of our flight and if positive, I would have cancelled the cruise ..... now I can't do that .... right there it is almost a deal breaker for me.  Holidays are suppose to be relaxing, this trip appears to be anything but.

21 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

 

I suppose it's possible that the one-day thing is being imposed by the Italian government but it would be hugely helpful if Royal offered terminal testing for everyone, even if there were a charge for those who don't qualify for a free test.

 

In your case, since you're coming from across the pond, I would definitely recommend you do a test for your own peace of mind before you leave home. Even though it won't be usable for boarding, it would be far better for you to do that than to fly all the way to Rome without testing and then test positive on arrival.

Hey, Empehi! I believe we’re on the same cruise. I totally agree with Fiona. I was really hoping for a 3 day test period so we could test before leaving home. Even 2 days would’ve been better than 1! Our plan now is to do an at-home test the morning of our flight (the 14th) and then do our official test in the Rome airport when we land Sunday morning. We’re also going to take some of the Abbott/eMed tests with us as a backup. 
 

Just because Royal won’t accept the test you take 2-3 days beforehand, it’s definitely a good idea for peace of mind. 

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but instead of starting another one, I'll take my chances and ask here.

A few weeks ago, I made MTD reservations for each night of the cruise. I later canceled one of the nights because I wanted to change the time. It now shows that night as canceled but when I go back in to make a new reservation for that night, it says "Limited to once per day." Any suggestions?

I haven't sailed on RC yet (or been on any cruise since the re-start), but I prefer self-serve. At least at the all-inclusives I've been to during Covid, they don't have enough staff working the buffet...so you stand around and wait and wait and wait for an employee to come over to your section just to get one item. Hopefully Royal has a more functional process in place.

How is everyone continuing to check their booking and see their cabin as TBA? My email said they would be closing my current booking while they work on the transfer, and sure enough, my original booking is no longer coming up in my account. In fact, I can’t access my VIFP account at all (past cruises, etc.) Every time I log in, it asks for my booking number (which of course is now invalid) and when I try to bypass that, it completely kicks me out. 
 

This is my first ship replacement so I’m interested to see how this all shakes out. 

On 11/13/2021 at 2:06 AM, Trixie21 said:

Maybe someone who has been on Odyssey or whom is booked to go can answer my query.

We are booked on Odysseys first Mediterranean cruise in May.

On previous cruises I always reserved times in advance for MTD through my cruise planner or my travel agent would do it if it involved multiple rooms.

There is no option on my (new style) cruise planner to reserve times for MTD for my Odyssey cruise and my travel agent has been unable to do it either - she has been told we reserve it through the app - presumably when we board.

Can anyone confirm that this is indeed the case for all Odyssey cruises or is it just an anomaly for this particular one ?

I’m on the May 16th Odyssey Mediterranean sailing and I’ve been driving myself nuts trying to make our MTD reservations. I’m new to Royal so I kept researching but now I think it must be something with the Odyssey Mediterranean sailings. 

Thank you so much everyone! I used the phone prompts suggested above and got my email confirmation immediately. (I now know silly little things like when my final payment is due! Details, schmetails!) I still find it so odd that I had to request this instead of it automatically being sent to me, but at least it's taken care of now.

Again, appreciate everyone's help!

4 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Did you book directly with RCI ?....I always get a detailed booking confirmation emailed to me almost instantly and then print out the hard copy and move the emailed one to my travel folder.

Yes, directly on the website which is why I’m so surprised I didn’t receive a detailed confirmation. I expected something with pretty graphics and logos and all the details. 

Booked my first RCCL cruise last week. (YAY!) The only confirmation I received was a very generic, all-text email saying they had received a $XXX deposit towards booking number XXXXXX. It didn’t list my cabin number, balance due, itinerary or anything. 
 

I’ve since created an account and downloaded the app. I’m able to see my cabin number and itinerary (although no times are listed) but I’ve looked everywhere for an itemized breakdown of my deposit, balance, cruise fare, taxes, etc. and can’t find anything. What am I missing?! This info has to be somewhere!

2 minutes ago, BrentD said:

Also on that note....never had this happen before, so this may be a stupid question. But I assume the FCC is only for the amount you’ve paid so far if final payment wasn’t due yet (less taxes, prepaid gratuities, excursions, etc) and not a credit for the full fare you booked at, correct?

Correct. They'll just take whatever you have paid towards your current cruise and apply it to your new booking.

7 minutes ago, BrentD said:

Woop! Just got our cancellation email this morning for the May 8th Mardi Gras sailing with 100% FCC and $600 OBC. Paid to hold out!

I was in this same situation, only we were on the May 15 Mardi Gras sailing. We've already made alternative vacation plans, and knew we weren't going on the cruise, but I was holding out on canceling as long as possible. I'm actually really glad and relieved that it's been canceled. Now I don't have to play this game and have until the end of Sept to pick my new cruise.

35 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

As the order cited above says, passengers must provide proof of a negative COVID test or documentation of recovery. Since the 2nd part applies to me, I thought it worth pointing that out. 🙂

The documentation of recovery must include a positive test within the last 3 months, just FYI for anyone who plans/hopes to use that option rather than a negative test within 72 hours.

9 hours ago, keywest1 said:

I got the email for myself and 4 family members also got the email.  I booked a family cruise and put their contact as my email since I was paying for everything.  We range between Red and Gold.

I'm the same. I've booked cruises for multiple friends & family members over the years and have used my email address. I got the offer for 2 of my friends and 1 family member (red, gold, and red.)

Someone speculated it might have to do with onboard alcohol spend, but that's definitely not the case here. Red and Gold friend have spent $$$ on alcohol before whereas red family member has spent $0.

Also my first, back in 2007. Love to see that she's still around.

We are booked for May '21 and I absolutely cannot wait. It will be the biggest and newest ship I've ever sailed on. Keeping my fingers crossed that all goes according to plan.

We are trying out one of the new junior balconies. The balcony is the same size as a regular balcony, but the room is a bit smaller. You have an extra dresser with drawers instead of a sofa.

It's 12:15 on a sea day. I had a late breakfast (Seaday Brunch) because I like to be lazy and sleep in, so I'm not quite ready for lunch yet. I've been laying out on the aft pool deck since about 10:30 and have had a few cocktails.

I'll take it. Every little step forward is good news. Hoping the sailings go well.

I'd also like to add...can the Sailabration cruises really be considered "news" at this point? They were announced months ago. I surely hope that's not it.

I, too, saw John's teaser on FB and am wondering what the news will be tomorrow...

The Blue Iguana breakfast burritos is one of the foods I most look forward to when cruising (along with Guy's Burgers). So good! I have about 3 on a 7 day cruise (also have to fit in Seaday Brunch and buffet favorites).

I do wheat tortilla, ham, Mexican scrambled eggs, cheese, onion, tomato, and crema fresca. I tried the hash browns one time but wasn't a fan. They were too crunchy.

1 - There should be early, late, and YTD. I'm not sure why early wasn't coming up for you. I made a reservation a few weeks ago for a May sailing and all options were available. I don't believe you can make a "standing reservation" with YTD. The intent of YTD is to just show up when you want.

2 - Most new ships do not offer FTTF the first several months of sailing. I doubt it will be available yet in June...but I could be wrong.

3 - No idea on this one!