cruisin from florida

If we don't want our pictures, on ships where they still print photos I find someone looking at a print and offer to get it for them for free. We've also given pictures to non-diamond traveling companions.

If I were doing one of these cruises this spring or fall, I'd be preparing for other potential changes to protocols. Might not happen, but certainly could. We have a TP and New Zealand cruise coming up, and are watching very carefully for any protocol changes for all flights, countries, and cruises.

With all the airline issues today, the odds may have gone up.

When our cruises were getting cancelled throughout the pandemic, we would sometimes cancel when the writing was on the wall (before the cruise was officially cancelled) so that we could get the same itinerary on a later cruise while they had a good cabin selection. It worked out.

Smoothies at the Spa bar. They juice fresh veggies and fruits along with fresh ginger, etc. Really refreshing!

Good point ! We got a great price on our JS for fall 2024 TAs

Royal knows those TA cabins will book up fast (based on how fast the 2024 that we just booked is running out of cabin categories) and they'll probably be able to charge an arm and a leg. Glad those who aren't happy with the protocol are getting full refunds.

Like others, our large family group found the free chat feature useful and it's nice that it's free, but the lack of notification is a real shortcoming. Hopefully they'll correct that in the next iteration.

+1 on the ultraspacious cabin. Check out the videos online. Our kids are getting 8200 on Adventure. AMAZING cabin.

Keep in mind that besides any port rules, etc. Royal has to have sufficient healthy employees to staff the cruise. Recent variants are highly contagious, and while vaccination isn't a guarantee that folks won't get infected and pass it on (case in point, our whole vaxxed-to-the-max family came home with Covid after our December cruise on Oasis) it can reduce transmission and severity. As with travel since the beginning of the pandemic, everyone has to be ready to be a bit flexible.

Sorry! I'm stopping now.

I don't always tip at US hotels. But US hotels have to at least pay state/US minimum wage. I don't think that is the case on cruise ships. I DO always tip at restaurants, because servers are not paid minimum wage.

As much as I like the convenience of prepaid gratuities, I agree. If this and other service reductions continue, we'll remove the prepaid gratuities and tip generously, in cash, the people who provide us direct service. Let the bean counters try to figure it out.

I think we're seeing that already. Which is one of the reasons for staffing shortages on board. Working the existing staff harder isn't going to entice those who returned home and found other ways to support themselves without having to leave their families for months on end to come back to the ships. It's very short-sighted, and as a customer and stockholder, I am concerned for the long-term effects on the brand.

We rented a car one-way from Vancouver to Seattle a few years back at the end of our southbound cruise. We were able to get great nonstop flights in and out of Seattle, and this was the best solution we found. Note: there were 3 couples splitting the cost.

At home I pick up my own plates, make my own bed, cook my own food. I cruise because I enjoy a vacation where other people (who should be adequately compensated) do those things for me. Including twice a day cabin service. It's one of the things that makes cruising a unique vacation experience.

We're doing a 4 night on Silhouette in February, and we're getting drinks, internet and tips included for less than the Brilliance without all that. Same departure date, same cruise length. I wonder if the left hand is talking to the right hand over at RCL.

Oh, dear. This is exactly how folks (rightly, if cost is their number one factor) explain their choice to cruise another popular line rather than Royal. Is Royal battling its way to the bottom?

There's never a requirement to tip. We choose to tip for special requests, which ice has become.

It's already not part of the routine, unless you request it. We always request ice on the first day, and it's replenished twice a day the whole cruise. We tip accordingly.

You can still get masks from guest services, but they don't leave them in your cabin anymore. I prefer the kn95s.

Our 4 year old grandson started running a high fever on Tuesday night. It came down with meds, and we tested him for Covid on Wednesday morning with a test we had brought with us. He was positive. My son called medical, and after waiting an hour or so was told to bring their whole cabin (Cabin 1) to medical. No escort, no isolation on the way down, although we all masked. (I went along to help with the two littles... given that I had been reading to the four year old in bed the night before, I figured additional masked exposure was not going to make anything worse. I'm Cabin 2). After a little trouble finding the correct entrance we were put in a room and a nurse came in after a while and got the info, then tested each family member about 5-10 minutes apart. They did not test me, although it was obvious I was a close contact. Only the grandson was positive. He was examined by the doctor, given some OTC meds, and we were told to wait. We were also told that we'd be the last off the ship the next day. After another wait, we were escorted through service accesses and elevators back to their cabin. They were told to isolate and that guest services would be in contact. I'm not going to detail the guest services communications timeline, but it was slow, confusing, and at times contradictory. Meanwhile, family members in Cabins 3 and 4 tested positive, called medical, and were eventually called down. Cabin 3 DIL tested negative in medical, and was told she wasn't officially considered to have Covid by Oasis, but to isolate. Cabin 4 DIL tested positive and was escorted back to her cabin, etc.. Both positive cabins were offered an inside cabin for the negative passengers, but the offer came pretty late and was vague. The family of 4 had an ultraspacious Oceanview, and mama didn't want to be in an inside alone with the baby who knows where on the ship. I don't know how cabin 4 decided to not take the additional cabin, but I'm sure it was in part due to it's being the afternoon of the last day of the cruise. When we hadn't heard from guest services for a while, I called room service to confirm that the isolated could order from the MDR menu. Eventually Guest Services called and said that Cabins 1 and 4 would be the first off the ship, and to keep their bags with them. (This was after repeated calls to get information on debarkation.) We repeatedly asked for a luggage trolley (family of 4 with a sick child, a stroller, and lots of luggage) and were finally told one would be provided. (I eventually asked the Diamond Concierge to help clarify what was going on.) When the guy showed up at 7:20, there was no trolley, and he had heard nothing about it. He was told the situation and asked for a trolley. At this point Cabins 2 and 3 left for self-assist debarkation, since we weren't allowed to help the sick folks. We had planned for formal pictures, so everyone had extra luggage plus a stroller for the little in cabin 3. Oh, well. Off we went. There was a delay for the covid folk just before the gangway to figure out who would get the trolley off the ship and back on again. Eventually the whole party met up in the car pickup area and we loaded up and drove home. By Thursday evening 6 out of 11 of us had tested positive. By Friday morning it was 9, with the other two testing negative but having some other crud Hubby and I started on Paxlovid right away, and tested negative yesterday. Everyone else is much better, still testing positive. Love the ship, knew the risks we were taking. Staff shortages are showing in guest services with stuff like this.

We had a similar experience on the same sailing, except most of our party was isolating due to Covid on Wednesday. Terrible MDR service, with wait staff clearly overburdened. We had an amazing cabin steward. On the Covid side, it was pretty surprising that communication and processes weren't clearer after all the time. Probably another staffing issue. The ship is amazing, and we would do another big family trip again. I just hope they can address their staffing issues.

We just booked the return on Adventure leaving Barcelona 11/24. That will give us 17 days to visit Portugal and Spain.

We just got off the Oasis. Our cabin steward was fantastic, and one of the highlights of our cruise. Switching from that to a once a day service from someone with twice the number of cabins will significantly impact our satisfaction with Royal.