twangster

Can they and can you afford it are different questions. They don't typically accept US insurance but you can pay and submit for reimbursement if your health coverage works out of the country.

I'm confident no Australian members of CC will have an opinion of Foster's. Maybe they will.

Eight double occupancy cabins are the minimum for certain types of groups. Free cabin excluded, maybe try talking to TA before trying to navigate groups on your own. It's a free call with a reputable TA to talk options. No commitment.

Terminal one is Royal Caribbean so... BTW... congrats on becoming a moderator!!!!

I just spoke with the LA onboard to ensure I understood it correctly. My first question was regarding age for "youth" as defined by the CAS. A. Youth is any age 17 and under. Could be a 2 year old or 6, 8 or 15 year old, etc. Anything below 18. I gave an example of a D+ family. She confirmed that a D+ youth is eligible for drink vouchers (non-alcoholic) and Voom days. She also said that a youth D drink vouchers can be applied for a JR milkshake. She then brought up the scenario of Pinnacle youth. In my mind this would be a very small subset since dependent youth do not convey Pinnacle status, only a dependent spouse, or so I thought. Nope. Pinnacle youth now get free internet like their Pinnacle parents she told me. She had a Pinnacle youth on board four cruises ago and confirmed they were given Pinnacle benefits but not the points. Once they turn 18 their own "Individual" points kick back in and that will be their level on board.

Mariner July 2022 Youth Offers

If the original booking qualified for the double points promo but then was moved to a new ship and sail date as long as the same booking number was retained then it should qualify for the double points promo if it sails in 2022. I've had several such cruises. One didn't get the double added so I called and they agreed it was eligible so they added the extra points. There were some cruises Royal cancelled in January and February where the FCC should allow the new booking to be eligible for the double points promo but that was specific to a few ships that Royal cancelled the cruises due to Omicron.

I'm not sure when it appeared. Times still available here on day 7.

I feel your pain. Navigator has had some really cheap deals but airfare makes it a big nope.

On board Mariner now. Just looked in the app.

Mariner July 2022 Gold Platinum Emerald Diamond Diamond Plus Pinnacle

Have there been any flight changes recently? If Delta changes the flights sometimes they'll work with you more.

Allure is doing this route. She alternates a 6 / 8 itinerary with the 8 night going to the same islands. No complaints noted. See if you can find a roll call from last week or any of the other 8 night cruises recently.

TAs can now access the planner, at least for ships that use the new "My Royal Cruises" planner.

Even if booked through a travel agency you can access the cruise planner on Royal's website.

Thanks VV. Puts the pressure on the rest.

Dropping test in the near term is not likely going to generate new bookings for close in sail dates. Dropping testing for cruises that depart 45 to 90 days away will directly impact new bookings. It will be interesting to see what they do. They know that testing is universally loathed by most. Who will be the first line to make an announcement? Royal is not usually first at these things. Often they are last. Let the competition make the first step and see how it went for them.

Deck 13 midship has large overhangs. Deck 13 fully forward or aft does not. Deck 6 fully forward has the only balconies that look down to the sea without anything in the way. Most of the rest of deck 6 has obstructions or a public walkway right below it. Search the internet for ship pictures. The midship hump is mostly suites. Forward or aft the hump tends to be inset so most balconies look straight down to the public walkways and lifeboats. In this area higher is better but watch out for the deck 13 overhang in the midship areas noted above. Smoking is on the deck 5 starboard side on this ship so if sensitive to the smell of cigarette smoke go higher or avoid starboard.

Some lines have different demographics. Some lines have been known to not care as much. Before they all got slapped into the conformity we know today Carnival didn't require masks while Royal did (August 2021). That only changed when the CDC saw they had no intention of following guidance. They didn't do test cruises either while Royal did. Now we will get to see the true colors of each line assuming they truly are free to set their own policies. I bet the legal departments at each line are burning the midnight oil. They will have more potential exposure now if they are creating their policies. Some lines may be willing to be exposed more than others.

Once the CDC started to actually talk with the cruise lines there has been back channel communication that isn't made public. What we don't know is what they are now saying to the cruise lines despite public "guidance" suggesting it's now up to the cruise lines. Once the major lines start announcing changes we'll get to see how similar or different each line will be. Time will tell.

You should be okay if everything goes to plan. In March the port pilot was late. Delayed us a bit. Ship happens.

Cheers! It's gotta be 5 o'clock somewhere... While the ship did plug into the pier fiber pedestal I couldn't find any WiFi broadcasting anywhere so while some of the bars at Labadee are connected still no guest WiFi. My first drink yielded a paper ticket but subsequent drinks at island schooner bar, columbus cove and barefoot beach bar were swiped at POS stations. Bar staff reported these were connected to the ship. Back on the ship at 4pm no drinks posted to my ship account yet (for today). The move from paper tickets to POS terminals is pretty big so it's a huge step in the right direction. Ship bar staff who work at Labadee used to come back to the ship and enter all those paper tickets by hand once the ship departed and still do their regular bar jobs that night. BB lunch had a few shrimp options. Not my thing so I did the jerk chicken. You are what you eat... The premade salads were perfect. Grab and go. Shrimp offerings. The only other thing I saw this trip was some LED lighting in a few places on a pole with a solar panel. At the marina, path to the point, Columbus cove dock and Barefoot Beach at a minimum. I didn't go hunt for them so they could be more. These might have been here in March for my last visit and I missed them. Random pictures walking around. Kiddie splash zone. With 3,500 on board there was lots of seating. Front row oceanfront loungers went early but still lots of loungers and umbrellas to be had all day. The "Pinta" tender (ferry) is still here but given our inside berth today it wasn't in use. The aqua park. The arrivals plaza opened up with the security building gone. Still not used to seeing the ship on that side of the pier. In summary it's mostly the same as it has been with new signage and a revamped arrivals plaza. Connecting the ship to the pier for networking open the potential that one day soon maybe WiFi coverage will be extended onto Labadee. My cell phone worked with the included international data from my cell provider. It was pretty strong early (8Mb down, 3 Mb up) but once more cell phones loaded up the one tower it wasn't as fast later in the day. They were running the starboard lifeboats later in the day so I think that's why we docked where we did.

Mariner's visit on July 19, 2022: Testing out a new Galaxy phone with a super zoom. Looks like the local Royal staff were escorting some local fishermen out of the ship's way as we approached. First shot is with the ultra wide lens so you get the idea of the scene. Zoomed in a bit. Not a bad zoom for a smartphone. I wasn't paying very good attention as we docked as I was immediately disoriented upon reaching the pier. It seems we docked at the inside berth today. so a right turn off the ship. Saw them connecting the ship to the pier's fiber box for data networking. Hmmm. As noted upthread the entrance area has had the old security building removed so it's more open now. Towel station in the building on the left at the end of the pier. So weird seeing the ship on this side of the pier. Ceremony setup of some kind. Wedding maybe? Vow renewals? The point was open today. Barefoot Beach signage reads "Barefoot Beach Club" in most places. Friends in a balcony (non-suite, non-pinnacle) booked an overwater cabana at BB and had no issues accessing BB. Saw some interlopers try to slip into the BB alternate entrance and they were asked to leave. Wristbands still used at BB.

Better than being there live!