Starry Eyes

There are exceptions. Specifically, I do not think that requirement applies to children under 18, so the US entry requirement was probably not the reason Royal made the change for children 5-11. They had their own reasons. “Categories of noncitizen nonimmigrants that meet the criteria for an exception under the Proclamation and CDC’s Amended Order include: Persons on diplomatic or official foreign government travel Children under 18 years of age Persons with documented medical contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine…” etc for multiple additional exceptions

Gleeful? Joy? Emotions can be difficult to discern in written words. I am not joyful or gleeful nor do I recall joy or glee in other posts. It is a long thread; I suppose I could have missed some. Or might you be misreading people’s emotions?

The OP came after a cruise and highlighted the incorrect part of the website. Even though transatlantic sailings are specifically covered on the website, the OP posted a different section. That was bound to cause some criticism as it implies either the entire section was not read or it was read but the OP posted the wrong section to blow smoke. Also those of us who have gotten emails about the requirements might wonder if the OP is also failing to acknowledge those. Had the policy had been changed 10 days prior to sailing to require vaccination, I suspect the OP would have gotten a very different response from CC, especially if they came to CC for advice soon after the policy change was announced.

My advice remains to start a new thread. I’d say that ocean crossings (long sailings with multiple sea days far from land based medical care) are perhaps among the most likely sailings to be designated for special requirements such as vaccinations and/or testing. I suspect they want to drop the requirements even for ocean crossings by spring 2023. Still I must admit I can imagine such requirements could resurface were there another spike in cases or an especially virulent variant, much as we all hope that does not happen. So, if there are people in my party who are unwilling to be vaccinated/boosted/tested or whatever is required, I might wait to book or book everything (cruise, airfare, hotels, etc) in a refundable fashion.

Are you just curious? Or are you booked/seriously considering booking with an unvaccinated child in spring 2023? If the later, you probably should start a new thread. That would likely gain better input for you and be more accessible for anybody searching the internet for such info.

I think we can agree either us possible; we should not assume the worst of either the poster or the phone reps, as we just do not know. I think we can also agree that the info was available on the website had the OP really looked for it. Also multiple people (myself included) can attest to getting emails about cruise requirements. So the OP did have other info sources. Plus unofficial info sources like this one.

What if, hypothetically, we have a caller who knows the answer but wants to shift the blame to the call center? Perhaps they had received the email and knew the kid needed to be vaccinated but time was too short (or they just did not want to vaccinate the kid). When asked for a reservation number they do not give one, instead making it sound like a general planning inquiry about a European cruise (rather than transatlantic). I’m not saying it happened in this case, I’m suggesting there are sneaky people in this world

If the sea pass shows the deck and muster station in the app, there is almost certainly more info hidden in the bar code. The info does not show on the bar code in the app; you must go further. If you are an apple user, put the sea pass into your apple wallet. Look at the string of characters below the bar code. The numbers to the right of the - is the cabin they expect to eventually assign you. Non apple users use a barcode reader to do the same thing.

FYI: Sometimes check in does not open at the stroke of Midnight. It was a few minutes after for me this week. Others have reported longer delays. Don’t feel you are doing something wrong.

Yeah, three weeks in Europe before the cruise sounds nice, though the timing is interesting. Is this a US family? At least with US vaccines, 2 shots are required for kids 5-11 with at least 3 weeks between Pfizer (4 weeks Moderna, so if that was the available shot, it would be worse; J&J is for adults). So, for the kiddo to get two shots before leaving for Europe, the first shot would have to have been administered a bit more than 6 weeks before the cruise (yet the date given for the phone call to customer service was 31 days before the cruise, so the call was way too late). That would be cutting it close, long flight with a kid you just got the second shot. Not ideal. Even if they wanted to get that 2nd shot while actually traveling in Europe, to have both shots plus the required 14 days, they needed to start at least 5 weeks before the cruise. So, that Oct 8 phone call was made too late to get family in ship; all they could have done is change their plans. There is a chance the phone calls were an effort to shift blame when it was too late.

Also, it is a reminder of the value of cruise critic in general and of joining your roll call. Had the poster mentioned unvax kiddo on a roll call, you can bet somebody would linked the FAQ.

No stupid questions. We are here to help each other. I’m doing this from memory, but I think I remember it correctly. Fortunately if not another poster will helpfully correct me. After you check in, there should be an option to view set sail pass. When you have the set sail pass on the screen of your apple device, there should be an option at the bottom right corner “add to apple wallet”. Tapping that brings up a menu. Either reviewing or adding the pass should get the info you need.

For me, knowing my gty assignment is sometimes helpful in formulating my Royal bids. For example, had I been assigned a better gty category as a free upgrade (I didn’t), I’d reassess my bids, immediately canceling any bid I might have made for that category or lower (don’t pay for something you got free or pay for a downgrade!). If I’d been given the worst cabin on the ship (I wasn’t), I might be more motivated to upgrade, so I might consider increasing my bids.

I found this post on another thread. It suggests JS are receiving priority boarding at PC along with the full suites. As substantial numbers are often in the suite/PC line/boarding group, it seemed likely that some are JS guests.

Are you sure it is only full suites? As JS says “suite” on the boarding pass, I suspect they also are able to go in the suite/ PC line.

If you are curious about your gty cabin assignment, @RobinKS, give that a try. I am also sailing in a gty in 45 days. On the app, my cabin still says gty yet I have a clue. After checking in, my set sail pass has a floor and muster station…that’s a clue there is info hidden in the barcode. After putting my set sail pass in my apple wallet, I saw numbers to the right of the dash (-). That almost certainly will be my cabin assignment…unless I win a RoyalUp bid sooner. If you are an android user, use a bar code reader rather than apple wallet. If it says gty after the dash, you are still waiting.

Are you asking when gty cabins are usually assigned? Or RoyalUp cabins?

We mostly drink wine. We were at the pub on a recent Mariner cruise, when a nice older lady approached, called a bartender by name, chatted and cooed; she walked away with a larger pour of white wine than DH or I ever got at the pub (we tip). It is not that we need generous pours; we generally rarely use all our vouchers (unless I use extras to stock the cabin with soft drinks/water). On Harmony in DL a waiter once gave me a more generous pour of wine. I don’t know why…maybe the end if the bottle. The couple at the next table noticed, laughed and asked the waiter if they could get a pour like that. The four of us reminisced about generous pours in DL in by gone days while waiter got them generous pours, too. The DL was not busy then or he’d have needed to nip that in the bud.

That’s what I’d think as well. Also I would think over tipping and befriending a bartender might be more likely to garner more generous pours and exceptional service rather than free drinks.

I have bid on RoyalUp several times from gty bookings.

Over the years we have had several mystery charges on our bill…Drinks and bottles of wine when we were elsewhere or asleep. I would guess that some charges were entered by cabin number and the digits were transposed. Perhaps in a busy venue like the MDR the staff just inadvertently put a drink on the wrong tab.

Typically of late the assistant waiter takes my drink order and looks at my card, asking what floor to complete the cabin number. As we have traditional dining, many assistant waiters may ask to see to card only once or twice early in the cruise, referring to notes. Often a bar waiter brings the drinks. As others have noted, the charges from the MDR are not always entered promptly (or properly). I suspect this is an area that receipts could prevent billing issues, though the waitstaff might not enjoy it. Also, increasing the number of bar waiters in the MDR would probably help.

Hmm, perhaps they want to put the numbers on the receipts, but, well, Royal IT….

The tips may be part if the reasoning, but the receipt shows both parties understanding at that moment of whether a voucher was to be used or not. That saves time and frustration at guest services later.

I am still having trouble with the app, too. Sometimes (not always) I can temporarily recover my full list of cruises by tapping “Don’t see your cruise? Let’s add it now”. Fill in the blanks for one if your missing cruises. System says cruise is already linked. (Hit continue a couple more times if you wish and maybe cross your fingers). Hit the back arrow. Sometimes my list is there; sometimes it isn’t. If it didn’t work, try again. When it does work, the problem has recurred for me, but maybe you’ll get through check in. Another option that may help temporarily is to delete and reinstall the app. Your list may be there when you sign in. Again, the problem recurs for me.