Minnitub

Thanks we will try it.

Hello, we set sail on Royal Caribbeans Navigator Of The Seas April 19th next week going to the Mexian coast. We are beginner players with several lessons already. Question: Can we Use RCs rackets and balls to play without paying for lessons from the ship. Are there certain times we could book the courts, and play other teams? We could bring our own equipment if needed. Thanks for any input. Minnitub

Thank you for all your responses. We are not cruising with HAL but know people who are, and they misunderstood that $16 was actually per person. They thought it was $60 a day for the both of them. We are long term cruisers and believe all staff deserve to be tipped. Especially our cabin cleaners. Glad to know that they can keep the extra Tips.

How much are the daily gratuities on HAL per person? And, can you request to opt out of this, and pay the servers directly?

Yes, we have done the same....just added extra days on our existing yearly Blue Cross insurance. Just for peace of mind...never had to use it yet! Lol

We just received the new RC health safety news. Sounds like we do not need to test on our 5 day cruise from Vancouver to LA, but will still need to test 2 or 3 days onboard, before our B2B 15 day cruise from LA to New Orleans. We are bringing tests with us and hopefully they will accept them, or they will have to arrange the tests themselves. Not sure if we have to pay for that on board.

We leave from Vancouver bound for the US etc. I'm still not convinced we can get on board Royal Caribbean with out a test. And still think we will need to test onboard before our back to back 15 day cruise from LA. Unless we hear directly from RC, we are keeping our scheduled Travel test the day before we cruise.

Hello, we leave from Vancouver in a few weeks, and still require a test here in Canada. RC will test us on board 2 days prior to our next b2b out of LA because that cruise is over 6 days. We had a test booked through CVM, but they shut down all locations---including one near the cruise Port. We have to book at a pharmacy 2 weeks before we leave. "They would not book a month in advance. London Drugs is currently the cheapest @ $50. But hopefully by the time you go...testing will not be required. Good luck...Enjoy your cruises. We tried twice to get to Australia and New Zealand, and had to cancel because of covid. But were not giving up!

Are Taxis readily available at the Julia St. Cruise Ship Terminal to take you to the French Quarter? Or do you require a shuttle service? We don't want to take a bus with luggage. Anybody had experience with this?

We were there in June and had a day bed in South Beach. It was tranquil. When we went to pick up the tram...the wait was too long so we walked...it took 15 minutes to reach the water park and market. It may be confusing to a child, or adult..lol to find the way back and forth.

Manulife always, even after our trip was cancelled because of Covid and it took almost a year for full reimbursement, they still have the best coverage.

In Vancouver, All CVM locations are closing by the end of September. They will be reimbursing our tests for Oct 14. We now will book a RAT at a Shoppers Drug Mart near us. They are cheaper and an accepted Travel document on the cruise ships. You can only book by phone' and no sooner than 3 weeks prior to departure date.

We found out about B2Bs. The second cruise is over 9 days, so Royal will set up a complimentary Covid test on the first cruise to be done by the medical team on board. No, you cannot use your own test you bring with. That's how it will be, unless they change their health protocols again.

I hope you are right! Because we are actually on the ship for 20 days and will be tested in Vancouver the day before we cruise. Thanks

Anyone else in this situation? We test in Vacouver 1 day before sailing on the 5 day cruise to LA on Radiance in Oct 2022. The next cruise through the Panama and back to New Orleans begins last day of first cruise. Yesterday's health protocol email stated we need to test for a cruise longer than 6 days and does not need to be supervised. So...what is it? Can our 1st test in Vancouver work onto the next cruise? Do or can we test again on the ship? Can we book a test at the LA RC cruise port? We are not tech savvy and telehealth testing is scary.

The lobsters may be tiny....ask for two tails and melted butter before hand.

We were on the Mariner in June. Pre Covid, we have always enjoyed the MDR meals. However, this trip was different. I'm not one to complain, however the chicken I ordered was chewy and gritty. It only came with mashed potatoes...nothing else....we tried 2 more times on this 8 day cruise, and were also disappointed in the Lobster dinner. It was the size of a large prawn, and they did not serve with melted butter. I can understand it's harder to get good quality food, and training new servers and chef's. So with this in mind....we will certainly go back to main dinning on the Radiance for our upcoming cruise. Chops: we had the very best steak We've ever eaten. It came with the very best attentive and comical waiter and desert. We highly recommend trying this restaurant. James Italian was also very good.

Holiday Inn Express Near Airport...across from Cosco...they shuttle to airport(free) and cruise port( small fee), and have parking packages.

It's easy to Stay and park our car in a secured lot at an airport hotel that also gives a free shuttle to and from the airport that we have our tests booked. Our returning flight after our next b2b cruises will be at YVR also, where we will be shuttled back to our hotel and vehicle. The hotel will also shuttle us to the cruise Port in Vancouver for a reasonable price. There is currently no "random" testing at YVR, so the line-up for booked test appointments should still be quick and easy, as was in Feb.

We've gone with Blue Cross for yearly coverage for trips up to 30 days. My husband had an increase of 1 medication and they upped the $ significantly. He's over 61 so they ask more questions. I was still 60 when we renewed our policy, so saving $400. Our TA recommends Manulife...we also get it for cancellation insurance and medical (at times) because they have better coverage than blue cross for some things.

We were at South Beach last month. It was beautiful, not crowded at all. Not all the beds were rented. You have your own bartender, and a greeter to attend to your needs. A restaurant and bar are a few steps away....the water warm, no rocks...and your own life guard. Tranquil it was! If you wanted to play beach volleyball...it was also very close

We ordered our Covid tests a couple months prior to our cruise in June on the Mariner of the Seas, at the Vancouver CVM medical at YVR. The evening before flying to Orlando, we stayed in an airport hotel and had a 4:00 appointment. The results were emailed to us in 1 hour. Royal Caribbean accepted this rapid test. Now we have booked more tests for our next cruise ( leaving from Vancouver) in October. I don't expect any problems for this next cruise. Cost is $80.00, and worth it for us as we are not that tech savvy.