Jeremiah1212

I wouldn’t get too hung up on specific flight times booking that far in advance. You’re pretty much guaranteed to have a schedule change (or 2 or 3 or 9 or 10!) before next April that will derail your initial plan.

Why? Just check it like everyone else does. If you have things you can’t live without for a few hours, carry a small bag with you. You’ll board, probably grab lunch, wonder around the ship for a while and your bags will arrive soon after. There really is no extra step involved.

Different categories most definitely have different minimum bids for upgrades.

I don’t think I’ve had my temp taken since the very first restart cruise on Edge in June 2021.

That’s not what the video says. He makes a wild sweeping assumption that being asked to rate the experience by a waiter is now directly tied to them personally. Unnecessary drama over something totally unfounded.

Possibly a small discount, but with All Included and Celebrity’s fairly static prices it may not amount to much. They don’t change prices by the hour like Royal does.

I would not rent one with any expectation of privacy. You are still sitting next to the pool in the midst of the the crowd with loungers directly in front of you. The setup on Edge and Apex would be my preference.

They face the pool on Beyond. On Edge and Apex they face out to the sea.

When did Edge ever sail from Miami? I don’t remember this. There are typically plenty of signs and people to help at the terminal. If you time your arrival right there are sometimes no lines at all, which is something most would prefer. If you are totally lost just look for someone with a name tag and an iPad.

They have a separate lunch menu. The options are pretty nice. They used to offer the Luminae burger. As far as privacy, on Beyond they face the pool instead of the water so there is no privacy. The split option for 2 is comfortable enough but it’s nicer when you have the full cabana in my opinion.

From a selling perspective, adding the upgraded drinks, upgraded WiFi and OBC is a powerful sales tool - and even more so if the customer is pricing suites on RCL or NCL. Suite bookings are strong overall. People like the perceived value.

That mirrors my thoughts as well. I didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it. Would I book it again voluntarily? Probably not. But if a group of friends were set on VV, I wouldn’t necessarily say no like I would if they suggested Carnival. Full disclosure - I did not pay for my VV cruise but that didn’t sway my thoughts. This is where my ‘trying a little too hard’ comment comes into play. Yes, it’s more lively than Celebrity, but it’s not nonstop champagne showers and dancing. Just like you can easily avoid the crowd at the Martini Bar or Silent Disco on Celebrity, there are plenty of places on VV to get away from a boisterous event that may not be for you.

All cruises sailing from North America are 21+, regardless of where the ships port. Everywhere else for the most part is 18+.

I've only been on one 5 night Virgin Voyage, but I would be surprised if there is much overlap with people who enjoy both lines, especially with the hyperfanatic/critics that post here. VV is much different from Celebrity. Celebrity is much more traditional. The cabins on VV are very Ikea-ish. Clientele is a bit younger and more lively. You won't find drag, pajama parties, sex talks or the tattoo shop on Celebrity. The VV approach to food and dining is very different as well. They have the food hall instead of a traditional buffet although its really just a reformatted buffet. The shows and entertainment are very different than traditional production shows with the shouty singers (sorry Celebrity). The VV ships are much more chopped up into small venues than a Celebrity ship. Similar to NCL which in my opinion are poorly laid out. Lots of low ceilings and small venues. They definitely try to lean more Las Vegas than typical cruise. It does feel a bit forced at times, like they are trying a little too hard to make it something it is not. Overall I'm not sure I would do it again.

I just FaceTimed with someone on Beyond. It was a little after 11pm local time so maybe not as much traffic but it worked perfectly fine. They are only on day 2 of the cruise but said it's been really fast. People I talked to earlier in the month said the same. I kind of wonder if the OP didn't actually have Premium Wifi?

Save them for use later if needed. If you're concerned, one test really isn't enough. We got home from a cruise in early September and I was fully symptomatic for 36 hours before I tested positive.

Yet thousands and thousands of people have figured out how to get tested in Rome or somewhere nearby. Just do it online or go to a pharmacy.

Which package did you have?

They all work differently but on AA, until it's ticketed, you can't use your status to get Preferred Seats or Main Cabin Extra seats. If you book Premium Economy international, you're also entitled to a Preferred or MCE seat on domestic legs and you also can't select those seats until it's ticketed.

Celebrity isn't currently offering OBC on those sailings outside of suite bookings. Your TA OBC may never show up in the Cruise Planner depending on how they issue it. It should be documented on your invoice or confirmation from the TA.

Cheaper refundable fares, potentially cheaper business class fares to Europe, no payment due until the cruise final payment (with some caveats). Conversely, their customer service is horrendous. If you have day-of travel issues, despite what they tell you, work with the airline, not with FBC. There is no need to add another layer of calls or people. Dependent on the airline and ticket type you can't always preselect seats. Your TA will get notified and then add the cost of flights to your final invoice.

Fine with me. I like the pop up reminders in the app when you have added something to your calendar.

This is the current policy: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/covid-19-cancellations-and-refunds-policy.pdf Someone in your traveling party would need to test positive and you would need to go to a doctors office or urgent care to get a documented test done to confirm. Based on the second bullet you could plead your case that the entire group was exposed but that process seems far more subjective.

They cancel purchases to make it balance. Same thing happens when TA OBC is given and the guest changes the rate which results in lower OBC.

You can look at open cabins but I would say most of the numbers people report onboard from crew are entirely made up, especially when people quote specific percentages. I do know the upcoming winter '22/'23 Caribbean sailings are significantly lighter than they would like them. What that means for potential sales and deals...who knows. Prices are not low.