Icesk8rReedy

I will be on Odyssey the 8th and this terrifies me.  It's just the hubs and me.  I mistakenly booked during this time because I wasn't thinking.  I try to avoid sailing in the spring break time but I messed up.  I hope the mayhem has calmed down by that point but not holding my breath.

What I think this will do is open up to more aggressive bids.  Many cruisers are not aware of Royal Up which kept the thresholds a little lower.  Now what can happen is more people will openly max out the bid and Royal can increase the max amount. 

THANKS!!  I just added to my card since I have to pay off my April 2023 cruise before end of the year.

My TA is an AmEx travel agent and she told me to get it, you have to book deposit with the card and pay the fare in full with it too.

I travel a lot for work and for me it is Atlanta, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and San Franscisco.  But if you rarely travel I don't think it's worth paying the money for it.  But if you do travel frequently, I would get TSA Pre-Check and Clear.  What would have taken me 30+ minutes in just pre-check line alone literally only took me 45 seconds.  This was in Fort Lauderdale recently.

I use Wine Angels and they are amazing.  I get them on Amazon.  In Alabama our alcohol laws are absurd so when I fly to Cali or other states that sells booze I can't get here, I load up my checked bag with it.  It's bubble wrap in a THICK ziplock protector.  Highly recommend.

Breakfast - when I can find it, avocado toast.  I had it on Allure in October/November 2021 and it was the best I ever had.  Also waffles, fried egg with runny yolk. 

Don't have a favorite for lunch or dinner.  I usually stick with go to for lunch.  Fries, cheeseburger, and a few sides of whatever looks good.

Dinner is always MDR or specialty dining.

2 hours ago, Ronaldo807 said:

I got Norwegian, but not Royal this time around. 

Same.  I have AmEx Platnium and got this offer.

3 minutes ago, jbrinkm said:

 

I'll be honest and say that if I had to choose which of those was the "bad" show, it would be the ice show. I've never seen the Aqua show, so looking forward to that, and can't wait to see Mamma Mia. The ice show I could take or leave...

Choreography was bad, the "rolling dice" noise was excessive, and it just wasn't very good skating compared to what I've seen from RCCL.

I am on Allure starting Saturday this week!  Is the iceshow still Ice Games?  I saw it back in November and to say I wasn't a fan, not was my husband, is putting it mildly.  As a figure skater myself, probably one of the worst ice shows I have ever seen on RCCL.  Would like to see something else.  If it's still on, I'll just do something else.  

Safe cruising!

43 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

If it was me, I’d cancel the Key and use that money towards the Royal Up. 

That's what I just did. sort of.  I did confirm with RCCL that it is S&S so I cancelled The Key.  Sadly the Royal Up was on a different card and The Key was on a credit card I pay off monthly.  I now have a credit to use for something else....like vacation clothes!

I bought The Key specifically for the lunch, early access, and Voom S&S internet (got it for SUPER cheap!!).  I absolutely need internet that will handle a conference call in Microsoft Teams for school.  I was in a Jr Suite and won my Royal Up to Crown Loft Suite.  I see that comes with Voom but is it enough to handle a Teams call or is it just basic Voom?  If it's just basic can I pay for the increase and get rid of The Key?  If it helps I am on Allure sailing out of FLL.  I have never been in a real suite so this is new territory.  My apologies if this had already been covered, couldn't really find anything regarding this.

14 hours ago, CruisingRealtor2018 said:

So we are also on the 4/2 sailing and it is currently not listed as an option inside the royal app.  

 What's even more bizarre is that it shows up in cruise planner. 

It is showing up for our cruise on 4/2.  We ate there back in November and really enjoyed it.  Although I had a raging case of meat sweats.  So much food but oh so good.

I was a competitive skater until about 6 years ago.  I was doing most doubles and was not allowed to do ANYTHING at all.  No jumps or spins, had to wear a helmet.  I left my skates at home and just decided to enjoy the cruise.  Sadly the week before the cruise I had a skate life ending injury and no longer skate.  This was 2016.

5 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

If you use the link directly from the Celebrity site (which is different than the one you posted) they are the usual $69.99 for a 2 pack.

 

https://store.optum.com/celebrity-cruises/

Yes, but a google search (which is where I got the $50 test info) is how it came up.  Hmm, strange. 

So in my findings, it looks like Royal and Celebrity use the same Abbot Ag Card proctored home test.  Here's the strange thing, the one for Celebrity is cheaper than the one sold for Royal, same website though.  Granted right now the Celebrity one is saying sold out.  But they are still the same test.  Each one is a 2 pack.  I'm confused. Here are the links...
Optum Store | Optum Store

COVID-19 Test for Travel - Abbott BinaxNOW™ Ag At-Home Kit | Optum Store

On Allure 10/31 and had the cloth ones.  I discovered that if you take it off and mess with it and can't get it back on, slide the plastic thing all the way off and put it back on again from the other side.  I had a few times it was a bit too tight on the wrist, managed to slide it off over my hand and readjust it.

7 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

A year ago, during a global shutdown? When they were making up any reason to get you to send them money? 
Had things worked out,  you would have gotten a great deal. 

I had $1800 in OBC to use or lose for my 10/31 cruise.

15 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

 

Now you know why the price for the Key was so good. 

No, I got it a year ago.  The price was on par for what it was for past cruises.  

58 minutes ago, cruizzing said:

They key was almost the same price ($.60 difference per day) as Surf & Stream on one of my sailings, so it seems like a good deal if you're going to purchase S&S anyway. Granted you need to purchase for everyone in the room over 6 and one may not necessarily do more than 1 S&S package or do more than 1 device which may save some $, but for this price difference, some may see a benefit. 

THIS!  This right here.  We were going to get the internet package anyway and it was cheaper to get the Key plus a few other nice things that go with it.  I am on Allure 10/31 and while it hasn't officially been cancelled yet, it is no longer available to buy.  So now I have to pay more money just for internet.  I need the internet because I'm in grad school and just because I take a vacation doesn't mean school does.  I even have to get the surf and stream because I have to watch lectures.  I'd keep the Key for the price I paid and only have internet for a cheaper amount.  Oh well.  It is what it is.

20 minutes ago, sowhat said:

Royal Caribbean International has announced that the Wonder of the Seas will debut in the U.S. and Europe instead of China. 

The new Oasis-class ship is set to sail from its home in Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean on March 4, 2022, before making its way to Barcelona and Rome for a summer European season.

Ohhh I wonder if they will take Allure out and replace with Wonder?? I am on Allure for an 8 nighter in April '22.  That would be cool but if not, I am ok with that too.

I ordered a 2 pack from Optum and it said they shipped with delivery no later than today.  When I check tracking, the number doesn't exist.  Not feeling so great about the shipping service, especially since it's FedEx.  

26 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

RCCL in an offering email today still showed the KEY as an option for cruises.

 

If that is like the other offerings like Unlimited Dining or Deluxe Bevies, you need to sign in to book it for your cruise.

It was open to buy as of last week for me.  Now it isn't.

What ampurp85 said.  I have it for my 10/31 on Allure and it's not available anymore to purchase.  Pretty sure it will be cancelled.  With reduced capacity, I am hearing it isn't necessary anymore.  Which sucks.