Just Booked our First Cruise in Almost 3 Years!

[RaelynM]

Just booked our first cruise since the pandemic. Sounds like Royal is relaxing a little for unvaccinated guests. Not paying the deposit until our TA calls Royal on 8-8.  We want to clarify that we would be guaranteed as part of the 10% or whatever number unvaccinated people they allow on board.  We are excited we are hopefully going to be cruising in November!  

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/07/29/royal-caribbean-will-allow-unvaccinated-passengers-cruise-ships-early-august?fbclid=IwAR1o7dFtEGL1U-jA3JOr-d5f4CZqVe6Awuto7xQOVVSQLjbIRfLX1QDYZDA&mibextid=us0yfe&fs=e&s=cl

[Biker19]

9 hours ago, RaelynM said:

We want to clarify that we would be guaranteed as part of the 10% or whatever number unvaccinated people they allow on board. 

You might want to wait till further into August to get some feedback from those that tried it.

[Ourusualbeach]

10 hours ago, RaelynM said:

Just booked our first cruise since the pandemic. Sounds like Royal is relaxing a little for unvaccinated guests. Not paying the deposit until our TA calls Royal on 8-8.  We want to clarify that we would be guaranteed as part of the 10% or whatever number unvaccinated people they allow on board.  We are excited we are hopefully going to be cruising in November!  

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/07/29/royal-caribbean-will-allow-unvaccinated-passengers-cruise-ships-early-august?fbclid=IwAR1o7dFtEGL1U-jA3JOr-d5f4CZqVe6Awuto7xQOVVSQLjbIRfLX1QDYZDA&mibextid=us0yfe&fs=e&s=cl

Definitely do not pay the deposit until policies get publicly posted on their website and you can get assurances when you book.

 

I have several on hold right now waiting for that before they get deposited.

 

 

[not-enough-cruising]

10 hours ago, RaelynM said:

Just booked our first cruise since the pandemic. Sounds like Royal is relaxing a little for unvaccinated guests. Not paying the deposit until our TA calls Royal on 8-8.  We want to clarify that we would be guaranteed as part of the 10% or whatever number unvaccinated people they allow on board.  We are excited we are hopefully going to be cruising in November!  

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/07/29/royal-caribbean-will-allow-unvaccinated-passengers-cruise-ships-early-august?fbclid=IwAR1o7dFtEGL1U-jA3JOr-d5f4CZqVe6Awuto7xQOVVSQLjbIRfLX1QDYZDA&mibextid=us0yfe&fs=e&s=cl

AS of this moment, there has been no change to Royal’s vaccine requirements; don’t put down a deposit yet. 

Edited August 6, 2022 by not-enough-cruising

[Cinders411]

Hope all goes well. Our first cruise was magical. Just to be back on the water was wonderful! 

[broadwaybaby123]

Great, I hope it works out for you.  Just keep an open mind, as things have changed a lot in the past 3 years.

[RaelynM]

On 8/6/2022 at 5:57 AM, not-enough-cruising said:

AS of this moment, there has been no change to Royal’s vaccine requirements; don’t put down a deposit yet. 

As stated in the link in my original post, "Royal Caribbean is the second line to change its policy, following Virgin Voyages announcement last week that it would allow up to 10% of passengers on any given sailing to be unvaccinated for Covid-19."

 

Our TA has confirmed this information.  The only thing we are waiting to hear tomorrow from RCI is if we would be guaranteed as part of the 10%.  We are not going to put down a deposit unless they can guarantee we would be part of the 10%.  Spent almost 2.5 years getting our deposit back from them after this all started from a January 2020 cruise.  Definitely do not want to go through that again 🤪

 

[RaelynM]

On 8/6/2022 at 4:44 AM, Biker19 said:

You might want to wait till further into August to get some feedback from those that tried it.

Our TA is calling RCI tomorrow to confirm we would be guaranteed as part of the 10%.  If they cannot guarantee we would be part of the 10% allowed to cruise on the trip we booked, we will cancel the trip.  Not putting any money down until they can give us a guarantee.  Took almost 2.5 years to get a deposit back from the trip that was canceled in January 2020.

 

"Royal Caribbean is the second line to change its policy, following Virgin Voyages announcement last week that it would allow up to 10% of passengers on any given sailing to be unvaccinated for Covid-19."

 

[SargassoPirate]

3 minutes ago, RaelynM said:

Our TA is calling RCI tomorrow to confirm we would be guaranteed as part of the 10%.  If they cannot guarantee we would be part of the 10% allowed to cruise on the trip we booked, we will cancel the trip.  Not putting any money down until they can give us a guarantee.  Took almost 2.5 years to get a deposit back from the trip that was canceled in January 2020.

 

"Royal Caribbean is the second line to change its policy, following Virgin Voyages announcement last week that it would allow up to 10% of passengers on any given sailing to be unvaccinated for Covid-19."

 

Good for you.  I started cruising again with the restart and have three more cruises booked right now.  I haven't given a second thought to the vaccination status of those around me on planes, trains, buses, cruise ships, hotels, restaurants, movies, concerts, or the grocery store.

 

It's your responsibility to protect yourself and do whatever makes you feel comfortable. If that means wearing a mask, you should wear it everywhere to and from your cruise. And it should be an N95.

 

Have a great cruise.

[not-enough-cruising]

11 minutes ago, RaelynM said:

As stated in the link in my original post, "Royal Caribbean is the second line to change its policy, following Virgin Voyages announcement last week that it would allow up to 10% of passengers on any given sailing to be unvaccinated for Covid-19."

 

Our TA has confirmed this information.  The only thing we are waiting to hear tomorrow from RCI is if we would be guaranteed as part of the 10%.  We are not going to put down a deposit unless they can guarantee we would be part of the 10%.  Spent almost 2.5 years getting our deposit back from them after this all started from a January 2020 cruise.  Definitely do not want to go through that again 🤪

 

The link you post is an article on an unofficial Royal fan site (I love the site don’t get me wrong) 

 

After this was posted, Royal made the official announcement that no changes to vaccine requirements would be made at this time, only testing was modified. Matt even addresses this on his blog in another posting, commenting on the change in course with the vaccine requirements. 
 

Good luck, let us know how it goes. 

[RaelynM]

On 8/6/2022 at 5:31 AM, Ourusualbeach said:

Definitely do not pay the deposit until policies get publicly posted on their website and you can get assurances when you book.

 

I have several on hold right now waiting for that before they get deposited.

 

 

We have ours booked, but have not paid a deposit.  If our travel agent is not able to get confirmation from RCI tomorrow about us being guaranteed as part of the 10% on the trip we booked, we will cancel.  While we have been going to to all-inclusive resorts over the past two years, we are excited about the possibility of cruising again.  

 

Here's another article about it, 

 

"As of Aug. 8, testing for vaccinated passengers will only be required on trips of six nights or longer; unvaccinated guests will need to test before all sailings. The company said it would keep a “high percentage” of fully vaccinated guests on all trips — without saying what that means; under the CDC program that just ended, 90 percent of passengers were supposed to be vaccinated to meet that designation. Crew members will be fully vaccinated and boosted when they are eligible."

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/07/29/carnival-royal-caribbean-covid-testing/

[RaelynM]

5 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

The link you post is an article on an unofficial Royal fan site (I love the site don’t get me wrong) 

 

After this was posted, Royal made the official announcement that no changes to vaccine requirements would be made at this time, only testing was modified. Matt even addresses this on his blog in another posting, commenting on the change in course with the vaccine requirements. 
 

Good luck, let us know how it goes. 

Can you share your source about the "official announcement?"

[RaelynM]

15 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Good for you.  I started cruising again with the restart and have three more cruises booked right now.  I haven't given a second thought to the vaccination status of those around me on planes, trains, buses, cruise ships, hotels, restaurants, movies, concerts, or the grocery store.

 

It's your responsibility to protect yourself and do whatever makes you feel comfortable. If that means wearing a mask, you should wear it everywhere to and from your cruise. And it should be an N95.

 

Have a great cruise.

Agreed!  Thank you!

[not-enough-cruising]

9 minutes ago, RaelynM said:

Can you share your source about the "official announcement?"

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center?icid=hlthys_wrnssn_hlt_nbrdxp_pghdr_3467

 

Right here, along with the updated testing protocols, it clearly states that all guests age 12 and over must be vaccinated for North American embarkations.

Had vaccination protocols changed, it would have been posted here along side the new testing procedures.

 

There are reports on CC from a prominent travel agent member having this information confirmed by Royal Caribbean.

 

I am sure things will continue to evolve; Royal has eluded to another announcement the week of August 14, but we will all just have to wait and see.

Edited August 7, 2022 by not-enough-cruising

[RaelynM]

21 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center?icid=hlthys_wrnssn_hlt_nbrdxp_pghdr_3467

 

Right here, along with the updated testing protocols, it clearly states that all guests age 12 and over must be vaccinated for North American embarkations.

Had vaccination protocols changed, it would have been posted here along side the new testing procedures.

 

There are reports on CC from a prominent travel agent member having this information confirmed by Royal Caribbean

Thanks for the link.  As stated on their website (https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center?icid=hlthys_wrnssn_hlt_nbrdxp_pghdr_3467), 

 

"Our current testing protocols will remain in place through August 7, 2022 for all U.S. departures.  

 

We are continuing to work with our destination partners to evolve and finalize other travel protocols, as we begin transitioning to the point where everyone will be able to vacation with us. We look forward to providing more updates in coming days."

 

So it does appear things will possibly be changing tomorrow, August 8, 2022.  Our travel agent will be reaching out to them tomorrow.  Hope to see you onboard 😀

 

 

 

[JGriggs]

I called to possibly book a cruise for May 2023 (4 night sailing - Bahamas) and was told we have to be vaccinated to sail. Obviously, that can change but I didn’t feel comfortable holding or booking a room until there’s better feedback. 
 

We were suppose to take an extended family cruise June 2021 which was cancelled since 75% are not vaccinated. Just don’t want to tie up any money and have to fight to get it back. 

[Ourusualbeach]

4 hours ago, RaelynM said:

Our TA is calling RCI tomorrow to confirm we would be guaranteed as part of the 10%.  If they cannot guarantee we would be part of the 10% allowed to cruise on the trip we booked, we will cancel the trip.  Not putting any money down until they can give us a guarantee.  Took almost 2.5 years to get a deposit back from the trip that was canceled in January 2020.

 

"Royal Caribbean is the second line to change its policy, following Virgin Voyages announcement last week that it would allow up to 10% of passengers on any given sailing to be unvaccinated for Covid-19."

 

Don't necessarily expect things to change exactly on the 8th.  Royal has never been good at following dates they set, especially since they said more changes are coming the 14th.

[dada2199cc]

I believe things will change this week as official declarations by some hold out governments are also expected this week.

 

fingers crossed, we are in the same boat as you!

[RaelynM]

On 8/7/2022 at 11:03 AM, JGriggs said:

I called to possibly book a cruise for May 2023 (4 night sailing - Bahamas) and was told we have to be vaccinated to sail. Obviously, that can change but I didn’t feel comfortable holding or booking a room until there’s better feedback. 
 

We were suppose to take an extended family cruise June 2021 which was cancelled since 75% are not vaccinated. Just don’t want to tie up any money and have to fight to get it back. 

My travel agent called this morning & the guy she spoke to was clueless.  She then checked the site & it appeared to be down.  

 

Here's an article I found last night, 

 

"Beginning August 4, vaccinated passengers on Carnival company sailings that last less than six days will no longer be required to provide a negative PCR or antigen test result before boarding vessels. A similar policy will take effect on Royal Caribbean company sailings on August 8. In a Facebook post, Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley also shared that unvaccinated guests who have recovered from COVID in the last 90 days will be allowed to sail with the company, marking a departure from existing policies, which had barred most unvaccinated people from going on cruises. This major decision from the industry's main cruise companies comes as smaller cruise lines, including MSC Cruises, Azamara Cruises, and others, have abandoned testing and vaccination requirements altogether (if not required by ports)."

 

We will standby to standby.  Just received a credit on my cc a few months ago for the deposit we had on a cruise from January 2020!  We have our cruise booked for November, but we do not have to pay a deposit until August 15th.  If this have not changed by that time, we'll cancel & wait until they get their things together!

 

https://reason.com/2022/08/03/cruise-lines-relax-covid-testing-and-vaccination-policies/

 

[RaelynM]

23 hours ago, dada2199cc said:

I believe things will change this week as official declarations by some hold out governments are also expected this week.

 

fingers crossed, we are in the same boat as you!

 

Yes, things are in the works by the sounds of it!  RCI staff my TA spoke to this morning were clueless & then she noticed the webpage was down.  She wondered if they were updating it?!  Found a few articles last night that were interesting.  

"For longer sailings, Royal Caribbean and Carnival will still require passengers to test, though they have more flexibility with testing, able to provide a test result from up to three days before the departure date. Additionally, unvaccinated passengers will still be required to test before all voyages, though they will no longer be required to test at the cruise terminal on the day of departure."

https://reason.com/2022/08/03/cruise-lines-relax-covid-testing-and-vaccination-policies/

 

This was positive 😃

 

"Is the cruise industry coming back? After more than 2 years under a COVID cloud, the answer is yes.

'► Royal Caribbean Group has dropped its testing requirement for vaccinated passengers on some voyages, the company said. Testing is now required for vaccinated guests only on sailings that are six or more nights. Testing is required for unvaccinated guests on all trips according to a news release.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2022/07/28/cdc-covid-cruise-ship-program-end-travelers/10098433002/

 

[RaelynM]

On 8/7/2022 at 11:51 AM, Ourusualbeach said:

Don't necessarily expect things to change exactly on the 8th.  Royal has never been good at following dates they set, especially since they said more changes are coming the 14th.

 

1402 hours - Just received a call from my TA.  RCI Rep stated there are a lot of moving parts right now.  He could not guarantee anything at this time.  There is another announcement coming out on 8-15 from what she was told.  We just canceled the trip we had booked for November.  We will re-book once we see something in writing from RCI.  

[erinsmom03]

37 minutes ago, RaelynM said:

 

1402 hours - Just received a call from my TA.  RCI Rep stated there are a lot of moving parts right now.  He could not guarantee anything at this time.  There is another announcement coming out on 8-15 from what she was told.  We just canceled the trip we had booked for November.  We will re-book once we see something in writing from RCI.  

 

Why not just book the refundable deposit option? Then you can cancel up until the final payment date and get your deposit back, for any reason. Unless, of course, you are booking a suite.

[Ourusualbeach]

5 hours ago, erinsmom03 said:

 

Why not just book the refundable deposit option? Then you can cancel up until the final payment date and get your deposit back, for any reason. Unless, of course, you are booking a suite.

They had s November sailing....past final payment date. 

[RaelynM]

This sounds promising!

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/08/10/royal-caribbean-drops-vaccine-requirement-certain-cruise-ship-sailings?fbclid=IwAR2uDVXK_7rlCLG59LruVvVJSocSE5CV-Ko0R8VpwFGXXaQhkNbWk8vGLQw&mibextid=us0yfe&fs=e&s=cl