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I would also guess that so many people are canceling and looking for future cruises to book with their FCC, and 1 year out “sounds” safer to people. 

Our cruise to FLL was on 2/21 and it was sold out.  Our cruise home to STL was on 2/29 and it was also sold out. 

On Indy - You’ll either take deck 4 and then a flight of stairs up or deck 5 and go through a door that looks forbidden in the lounge (it’s not forbidden though). It’s an awesome view up there!

12 hours ago, JalenR said:

Do will still go to the desk to check in after security since sea pass cards are on the ship now? 

You’ll find your sea pass cards at your stateroom door, waiting for you when your luggage is ready (last week it was around 1pm for us on Indy, but 4pm for some of my family). 

6 hours ago, Alnursu said:

Caribbean islands refusing cruise ship entry.

 

 

https://nypost.com/2020/02/26/cruise-ship-turned-away-from-caribbean-ports-amid-coronavirus-fears/

Oh I saw this ship yesterday!  All the Jamaican workers at the dolphin swim were chanting “go away! Go away!” as they set sail away from the dock again. 

There was no extra screening before my cruise started on 2/22.  Have you traveled to China within the last 14 days?  Have you had the flu in the last 7 days?  Assuming you said no to both you immediately were granted access. 
 

They could be cleaning extra, but I haven’t seen it personally (doesn’t mean it’s not happening though).  And definitely no captain’s announcement twice a day. 

We’re on Indy right now and LOVING this ship.  We’re in the newer panoramic rooms, so ours is in great shape. But the entire ship seemed in good shape to me. There are a ton of activities, especially for those ages.  The FloRider, trampoline thing, pools, ice skating, kids club (seriously, my kid begs to go)...

I’m currently on Independence for a 5-night visiting Haiti and Jamaica. Labadee, Haiti was a ton of fun today, looking forward to Jamaica tomorrow. This ship is beautiful and there is so much to do!  We have 14 people ranging in ages from 2 to 65 and everyone has found plenty to keep them entertained. I highly recommend the new Panoramic rooms if you don’t mind the front of the ship.  We’re in 1802 and the views are stunning. There’s a bit more movement (not a ton), but I love how it rocks me to sleep. 

My 5yr old and I were both diagnosed with strep this week.  Our cruise starts on Saturday.  We’ve been on antibiotics and followed up with the doc today. He said we’re not contagious any longer and wrote me a doctors letter saying so. 
 

Do I have anything to worry about from Royal?  I guess I just worry because I still have a random cough at times.  But the cough could stay for weeks!

This form will also allow you to indicate you have a CPAP (and any other special needs like dairy intolerance, mobility, hearing, etc). They recommend doing it at least 30 days before sailing. 
 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs

4 hours ago, rich_cathybrock said:

Hahaha!  I bring some small tools and ext. cord and hook up my Firestick.  That way DH and I are spared Cruise TV and can watch what we like.  HDMI, USB and Component all available.  I even bring along an IR adapter since phones stopped adding em a few years ago, just in case I have to change the input and can't from their wonky remote control.

 

Have fun!

I keep hearing extension cords aren’t allowed.  I’d love to hear what kind/how!

My 2¢ on prints - do you have an album you would put them in and look at them?  I, personally, prefer digitals and make a photobook from Shutterfly (or similar) and have that printed instead. Takes up less space than a photo album and you can use scrapbooking things like adding text about what you were doing, dates, etc. 

Also - Shutterfly gives away free photobooks all the time!  I like cheap lol. 

thanks for all the responses!

Yes!  Insurance is so important. On our honeymoon in Mexico I got so sick the resort doctor thought it was my appendix. Took me to the hospital, and they demanded money upfront before even looking at me. It wasn’t my appendix (thank goodness, I can’t tell you how happy I was to leave that hospital - long story). 
 

The next day my grandma passed away.  We ended up leaving 1.5 days early. Insurance reimbursed the hospital visit, the missed time on our vacation, and our changed flights. 

Hi!  We leave soon on Indy.  My husband is a bigger guy (6’1”, 400lbs). He’s worried about fitting in the chairs at the show, dinner, etc.  Anyone else have experience with this and willing to share your experience?

thanks in advance!

I don’t get why people are so bent out of shape over shorts in the dining room.  Do you avoid restaurants at home where people wear shorts also?  I’d bet $5 that your local steak restaurant has everyone from dresses and slacks to shorts and tank tops. They’re simply clothes. Be happy they’re not naked. 
 

OP - I’m going on Indy next week and I have a few dresses and some casual clothes planned to pack.  My husband will probably wear shorts and a button up, maybe slacks and a polo. 

Do you or your wife drink at all?  If not, you could call and request an exception. They’ll have you get the refreshment package, but will allow only one guest to get the alcohol package with a reason. 

We had this happen twice recently. We first booked the Explorer for mid-February and it was chartered.  They offered us $50/person in OBC for switching to a March date with the same itinerary. Fast forward a month and the cruise was chartered again. This time we were offered two additional dates, or a different itinerary/ship.  We accepted the switch to Indy on 2/22/20 and the additional $50/person OBC. 
 

While super frustrating, it worked out for us.  Better ship/itinerary, and $400 OBC.  Sorry you are going through this too! 

6 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Anthem has Deck 13.  For real. 

Indy has a 13 also, but no staterooms on it. 
 

Congrats Soremekun!

That really sucks. I agree with calling the agent directly, and escalating if possible. If they don’t respond, call the Royal Redeployment Department at 888-281-9344. 

I haven’t cruised this specific ship, but have noticed a ton of canceled Coco Cay port visits due to weather lately, and no canceled Labadee.  Not sure if summer makes a difference though, just my 2¢ on itineraries. 

If you have the Internet package, you could use iMessage (or Facebook messenger if android users). 

2 hours ago, Lindas 1st cruise said:

I am concerned that we won't get the same choice of cabin by having to change our booking - not sure how fast the ships fill up.  I know they guarantee the same stateroom category, but we are sailing with friends and did originally have adjoining balcony cabins (2D) on Deck 7.

 

We got $100 in OBC.

 

Thanks again for the explanation and responses!

In my experience, they’ve tried to put us back into the exact same room if at all possible. When you or your travel agent contact them, just let them know your intentions with your friends and they should be able to assist, especially if the bookings are linked. 

I’m not imagining we’ll have many purchases onboard besides maybe 2-3 drinks a day and maybe $50 in arcade spending. So I’m considering a cash account as I really don’t use credit cards often and have a lower limit. 
 

With a cash account, do you prepay or settle up at the end before leaving?  Do you literally have to pay cash, or can I pay off the account with my debit card?

We prepaid gratuities, so could we realistically cash out the last night onboard and avoid the morning line?

We had our Explorer of the Seas cruise canceled for a charter, then rebooked a week later.  Then they chartered that cruise too!  We finally were given an option to change ships to Indy and change itineraries and took it. We did get $200 OBC each time we switched, so that was nice (basically they gave us $50 a person each time they chartered).