AndiD

I do love a good Casino - so love this article. Unfortunately we are not "high rollers", so don't often get casino perks, but we just enjoy spending an hour of an evening or two amid the excitement of a buzzing casino!

Tony - are you referring to like the drink packages or dining packages. I've noticed since the restart that they are not always available this far in advance - so that may be the case here. Keep checking back. Are you working with a travel agent at all or did you book on your own? If you booked on your own you can always call Royal, and will be able to tell you when the various packages, shore excursions, etc. will open. A travel agent could also do that for you.

Welcome, Tony! How exciting to be going on your first cruise. The Navigator is a great ship - lots of fun venues along the promenade. Is this the 3-night itinerary to Ensenada? That is a great way to test the cruising waters. My bet is that you will want to go back for more! We have been on about 35 cruises now because we absolutely love everything about it: the ships, the ocean, the ports, the food, the entertainment. Be sure to post any questions you might have - we are always happy to help! And hopefully you will find other CruiseCrazies who are going on that same cruise.

Agree with all of that PLUS - I can't imagine what that Plevo suitcase costs. And....I would have to learn Morse Code now?! 😅

I completely agree! 🤣😂

We are very interested in this one as well! And yes - if it is from Venice and not Vienna 😅

I am disappointed to hear this because I think a temporary vaccination requirement will be key to safely and successfully starting up again. I personally would not cruise yet on a ship that does not require vaccinations, so I do hope that Celebrity does not follow suit - we have a cruise scheduled for October. They do not draw as many kids so it is possible they will not need to take that risk.

We have four on the books: A transatlantic on the Celebrity apex that I am not above begging to see it go this October. We booked this one way before the pandemic. Next up is a South America/Antarctica cruise on the Diamond Princess (yes....that Diamond Princess,) in January 2022. We booked that after two Princess cruises got cancelled and the FCC built up, lol! Then the Viking Greece/Adriatic in May with Cruise Crazies friends, followed by Alaska with our Grandson on the Eurodam in June - one that has been cancelled and rescheduled twice now. I have plans for more, but waiting to see what the Apex does....if that cruise really sails or not...

And that was our last cruise as well! I also regret not having booked more, but I sure am grateful that the last cruise was with such great cruise friends! I don't think I will be as hesitant to book more cruises as I used to be - life is too short....and too uncertain now!

Quite possibly since I don't think their Governor is going to nix vaccines. My sister, who lives in Houston, told me that there is a hospital system there that is requiring vaccines for all of their employees by a certain date or they will be terminated.

Unless they are allowing a small percentage for medical contraindications to being vaccinated, but I would think that would only affect about 1% of either population so yes, I think they should both at least be 99% of crew and guests!

I loved sailing out of Galveston - and hoping that RCI will put a ship back there again soon as well!

I know that I, at least at the outset, will not cruise unless a vaccine is required, so I would not sail out of a Florida port if they are allowed to bypass that. We need to give the cruises the best possible chance of getting started again without a Covid crisis, otherwise they will end up shut down for who knows how long!

Uh oh - so.....what do you think we should do?!

Jan - I am actually worried that these will sell out before we know the fate of our Bermuda cruise - I definitely would fly to meet up with these ships! I sure do hope people go....if they don't....maybe we'll have to bite the bullet and book one, lol!

I love the idea of these cruises! They need to get started with something, and if the U.S. won't let them, then I am all for looking at workarounds. I would do either of the Celebrity cruises out of St. Maartin in a heartbeat! We love all of the ports and we love St. Maartin. The Royal ones would be okay, as well, but not as appealing to us as the Celebrity itineraries. I think the vaccine requirements for these first cruises is a good thing - let's get some cruises underway and if they are successful perhaps the CDC will consider them as test sailings. Having everyone vaccinated gives them a fighting chance of success. I'm sure these cruises will sell out quickly, but if our Bermuda cruise goes by the wayside, I would definitely consider booking one of these!

Yes they can! We usually let them take a number of photos and then usually pick one (maybe 2) to buy. Sometimes it's one of the formal night ones, or sometimes we do like the sail away photo or from one of the ports. You can absolutely buy 1 or more or none without purchasing a package.

Welcome Jana! Just to add on to what Jan said, excursions are a nice way to get an overview of a port that is unfamiliar to you. Oftentimes they take you well away from the port area to give you a true flavor of an island, such as a drive up to a mountain top or a visit to an historic site, or my favorite - something out in nature like a botanical garden or national park area. I like to choose an excursion that might also give me time to wander a bit if the port area has little cafes or pubs where I can get a local drink or try some new foods. And yes, please do come back and tel lus all about it. We have several cruises booked this summer and have fingers crossed that we will all get on a ship soon!

I have 4 cruises booked for 2021, my earliest being in June. I am hoping things will settle down by then and all will go as planned. I would not be opposed to sailing as soon as ships as ready and I am not opposed to any of the measures that I have read about as far as wearing masks, testing, distancing, etc. I am not opposed to going on structured shore excursions. I think all of these measures are necessary to resume sailing successfully and I am worried that if the cruise lines cannot sail soon, they will not be able to stay "afloat" - (pun intended/not intended - take it as you wish!)

Hi Jiggy, We have done that sailing twice - both times with Royal Caribbean, on the Radiance. This cruise sailed from Vancouver and ended in Honolulu, so it was only 11-days for the cruise itself. We have also done roundtrip from LA on Princess, which was 15 days. We did love the roundtrip, but the one-way gave us many more days in Hawaii....the itinerary itself was more port-intensive, and we tacked on a few days in Honolulu afterward. We loved sailing out of Vancouver toward Hawaii; the weather was perfect in both September and October and after the first day or so, it was warm enough to be on the pool deck - in our bathing suits! Now that Celebrity and Holland are both sailing from Vancouver you have more choices - so go with the itinerary and dates that work best for you. We love the Koningsdam and now that I know it is going....I will definitely look at that itinerary! BTW - We are two seniors in a balcony - you will love the sea days on your balcony on this cruise!! Be sure to tell us what you choose and when you go - we will cheer you on!

I would love that, Miranda - the more the merrier!!

Would love any and all to join us on this 16-day cruise around S. America and down to cruise the waters of Antarctica! This has been on my bucket list for a long time and so we are pulling the trigger - yahoo!

To us, life on board is never boring! We have done as much as 6 sea days in a row and loved every minute of them. But we are also the kind to get into a routine....sleep in a little, get breakfast and head for a comfy deck chair or lounge and read the day away! There is something so relaxing about reading with the sound of the ocean accompanying you....and then you look up to take in that gorgeous view! Occasionally we will break it up with a wine tasting or port lecture....and we definitely enjoy lunch. Later in the afternoon we retreat to our cabin...me to the balcony, hubby takes a nap; and then it's time to "clean up" for dinner! We definitely also make good use of port days, though. We love to get out into the "country", away from the shopping district, and see what the location has to offer. And yes, that usually means hiring a guide or taking a planned excursion, but we have always found them to be well worth it. And then we enjoy heading back to the port area and sitting outside with a local beer or snack and just watching the "buzz" of the day. I guess we just love cruising in general - port days, sea days, the ship, the ocean....the whole darn thing!

I checked this one out on Viking's website. Love the itinerary but man, these Mississippi cruises are pricey! Has anyone done a Mississippi river boat? Would love to know what you thought about the experience received for the cost...

We don't spend a ton of time in the casinos but do like to play a few slots. And one of these days I will work up the courage to play Blackjack or one of the table games!!