Royal Caribbean Blog

Once again, Royal Caribbean is giving its customers more time to take advantage of its flexible cancellation program.

Cruise with Confidence has been extended again for bookings made through March 31, 2022 on sailings departing on or before September 30, 2022.

What this means is you can cancel a booked Royal Caribbean cruise for any reason for a 100% future cruise credit.

In an email travel agents, Royal Caribbean explains the Omicron variant impact to its business, "With the rise of the Omicron variant, we have strengthened some of our health protocols to ensure that we mitigate the spread of COVID-19 onboard. We are confident in our approach as Royal Caribbean Group has carried 1.1 million guests since the restart of cruising from the US in June of 2021. We remain in constant communication with various government health authorities and will continue to work collaboratively with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."

"At the end of the day, we want to ensure that planning your clients' vacations is as worry-free as possible. Therefore, we've made the decision to extend our popular Cruise with Confidence program to reservations confirmed on or before March 31, 2022 on sailings departing through September 30, 2022."

Prior to this extension, the Cruise with Confidence program was set to expire on January 31, 2022.

When a guest cancels their cruise past the final payment date, they can get a future cruise credit worth 100% of the cruise fare paid as long as they cancel at least 48 hours before the sail date.

It was originally introduced right before cruises began shutting down due to Covid-19 as a mechanism to give guests piece of mind they could change their plans after the final payment date.

Without the Cruise with Confidence program, there would be a penalty if you cancelled a cruise after the final payment date.

Included with the ability to cancel a cruise under Cruise with Confidence is the Best Price Guarantee, which allows guests to reprice their sailing up to 48-hours prior to the sail date if the price drops.

If you have a cruise booked already, then you qualify automatically for Cruise with Confidence. Going forward, you have until at least March 31, 2022 to qualify for Cruise with Confidence.

Do all sailings qualify for Cruise with Confidence?

Cruise with Confidence is applicable to all sailings.

It is not available to guests booked on chartered sailings or residents of mainland China.

You simply need to book a cruise before March 31, 2022. Existing bookings automatically qualify for Cruise with Confidence.

Why are they extending Cruise with Confidence?

The reason Royal Caribbean has extended this flexible cancellation program again is to give consumers more time to change their mind if they are worried about going on a cruise during the pandemic.

Traditionally, the final payment date would be the point in time when you would have to cancel without incurring a penalty fee.

At the onset of Covid-19, people were uncertain what to expect and cancelled their bookings early out of concern they could not predict if they would want to sail or not.

As a result, Cruise with Confidence was introduced so that anyone who has a cruise booked could wait longer to make a decision if they want to sail or not.

I spent today exploring Nassau, our first port of call. My first port day in Nassau last August was a bit of a mess due to lack of planning and rain, so I felt more prepared today.

Prior to my cruise, I purchased a day pass to the Warwick Paradise Island from Resortforaday.com. Resort For A Day allows you to purchase day passes to hotels and resorts in popular Caribbean, Mexican, and American destinations.

The Warwick is an all-inclusive, adults-only hotel located on the harbor side of Paradise Island. A full, in-depth review of my experience there will be published next week, but here is a brief overview:

I got off the ship around 10AM and grabbed a taxi to Paradise Island. The taxi ride to the Warwick was around 10 minutes long and I paid $12. Once I checked in as a day pass guest, I began to explore the resort.

The first thing you will notice at the Warwick is the huge pool area. There is one large pool, a small hot tub, and ample seating areas throughout the property.

As the Warwick is located in the harbor, it does not have open ocean views like you would get on the other side of the island. It does have a small beach, though, as well as hammocks and a volleyball net on the sand.

Unfortunately, today's weather in Nassau was less than ideal. The wind was intense and with temperatures of around 70 degrees, I was pretty cold. Unsurprisingly, the pool remained empty throughout the day!

One benefit of the Warwick is that it is all-inclusive, so there was no need to worry about choosing food or drink options under a certain amount of money.

There are two lunch options at the resort: the food near the pool and the buffet located inside. However, the buffet was closed for lunch today, so I went to lunch at the pool and ordered quinoa salad and conch fritters. The food was quite good and I liked how they had options to fit many different diets.

After lunchtime, I grabbed a piña colada and swung in a hammock on the beach for a few minutes before the rain came back. Shivering in the hammock as raindrops fell on me, I concluded that while the resort was really nice, today was simply not a beach day. 

I took a taxi back to downtown Nassau. Last time I was in Nassau was in August and it was way too hot to comfortably walk around the city. So even though today was not the best day to go to the beach, it was a perfect day to walk around Nassau.

First up was a trip to see the Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle. This historical staircase is located in the fort's complex in Nassau and consists of 66 steps in a lush walkway. The stairs lead directly to the Fort, which is the highest point in Nassau. There were local guides available at the fort and staircase. While I walked there myself, Royal Caribbean offers shore excursions that visit these two places if you would prefer to be on an organized tour.

I also grabbed a coconut from two friendly Bahamians on the side of the road near the top of the Queen's Staircase. One of my favorite parts of traveling is chatting with locals to get to know them and their culture, so we chatted for a few minutes before I continued on with my walk.

If you have never tried fresh coconut water or are dehydrated from walking around Nassau in the summer, be sure to grab a coconut from these guys!

Overall, I much preferred exploring the staircase and fort to walking around the touristy streets right outside the cruise port. I headed back to the ship in the late afternoon.

Dinner tonight was at Izumi Hibachi. This is one of my favorite things to do while on a cruise because of the energy it brings to a dining experience. I also love how it brings the whole table of passengers together. It is much more social than dining at separate tables!

Today our hibachi chef was funny, upbeat, and had excellent talent at building a "volcano" out of onions. Yes, an onion volcano. Whenever I order vegetable hibachi, I always get a different type of dish (I guess each chef has a different 'go to' for a vegetarian option). Today our chef cooked vegetable and tofu udon which definitely hit the spot.

Also, shout out to our waiter Dan for being a Royal Caribbean Blog fan!

After dinner I went to Studio B to watch Freeze Frame, the ice skating show on Independence of the Seas. The ice shows are my favorite type of performance to watch onboard. Due to an injury, though, the entertainment was altered.

Instead of the regular show, several cast members were brought to the ice and briefly interviewed about their background and skating experience by the Cruise Director. Following their "get to know you" session, the cast member skated for the audience. At the end of the show, five cast members performed together.

While it was not the normal show, I really enjoyed the revised production they performed tonight and it was fascinating to learn more about the cast.

I ended my day at Star Lounge for a Big Band jazz performance. It was a relaxing way to end a busy day in Nassau and onboard.

Tomorrow is the last day of our cruise and we will be at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Stray Observations:

Many cruise passengers stay on the ship while in Nassau, but I think New Providence Island has a lot to offer beyond jewelry shops and Atlantis. I am looking forward to finding more authentic experiences there for my next cruise. If anyone has any recommendations, please leave a comment below!

Izumi Hibachi/Teppanyaki is an excellent dining option for a solo cruiser. The tables seat eight people, so you will be seated with other passengers who also may not know each other. Tonight there were four different groups of people and we chatted the whole dinner!

Royal Caribbean Group's new CEO Jason Liberty talked on a webinar for the first time in his new role about a variety of topics, such as becoming CEO and the short-term impact Omicron variant is having on business.

Mr. Liberty took over for Richard Fain as CEO of Royal Caribbean Group on January 3, and he was invited to speak to travel agents during a Royal Caribbean International webinar.

Here are a few of the intriguing topics covered during his talk.

100 Day Goal

Mr. Liberty was asked what he wanted to do in his first 100 days as the CEO, and he is starting off by listening more

"Most of my time is going to be around learning and listening from others," he explained. "Spending time with our travel partners, I'm spending time with our customers and spending time with our employees, and I'm spending time with many of our partners ...to make sure that I have the kind of firm understanding of of what everybody is looking for."

He also said continuing the company's return to service is a priority, "we have about 80 percent of our fleet up and running, making sure that we continue to execute on that successfully is certainly a priority."

When will bounce back from Omicron

Mr. Liberty also asked about the effects of Omicron on the business, and his view on the rebound.

He indicated that the good news is people want to cruise, but consistency is the key, "[it's] really, really clear that there's really strong demand for cruise and I think people are just looking for consistency."

Mr. Liberty leaned in the direction of the second quarter for things to feel better overall, "I think to you as we get into Q2 and beyond, we're going to see a much more global state of things based off of where the experts believe the disease will be, as it relates to Covid, and us getting our fleet back up and running."

He later said he thinks the second quarter should look more like the first quarter was supposed to before Omicron, "as it relates to our expectations, when we look at kind of Q2 and beyond, it's very much in line with what we expected in Q1 because of some of the cancelled sailings impact."

No compromise on guest experience

Despite the challenges of Covid, Mr. Liberty was adamant about not allowing it to compromise what passengers can look forward to onboard its ships.

"I think it's very important to note that even through this entire journey, we have not, and we will not, compromise our guest experience."

"We have a strong long-term business. This is an exceptional business that does very well financially."

'This is a meteor that hit our industry'

Mr. Liberty used a few different metaphors to describe the hit cruise lines have taken during the last two years due to Covid-19.

"This is a meteor that hit our industry and we have survived that hit," he said later in the interview. The silver lining, as he describes, is that it demonstrates they can adjust and overcome challenges by working together.

"I think that that comes through the innovation and continuous improvement oriented mentality that we have."

"These are good businesses that have just had to deal with a black swan event."

Is he a "bean counter"?

Since being named Richard Fain's successor, some have pointed out the fact Mr. Liberty comes from a financial background as a negative to choosing him to lead the company.

In response to such questions, Mr. Liberty explained he is not what you may think, "I know sometimes there are things that come along with, 'Hey, he was a finance guy, he's a CFO guy', but you really should understand and appreciate... that's actually the opposite of how I am."

He pointed to the fact he was a major proponent of the company providing commissions and loans to travel agents during the pandemic, as an example of putting the collective industry ahead of the company's bottom line.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the manner for cruise lines to transition away from the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) once it expires.

The CDC promised its CSO will move to a voluntary program when it expires on January 15, 2022.  When it does, cruise lines can continue being part of the program if they so choose.

As reported first by Seatrade Cruise News, by volunteering to be a part of the program, cruise lines will follow all the CDC recommendations and guidance, and cruise ships will continue to receive a color status from the CDC.

Cruise lines that do not opt-in will have their color status to gray on the CDC website, which means the agency has neither reviewed nor confirmed their health and safety protocols. These gray-color coded ships will be subject to other CDC orders and regulations to the same extent as other vessels subject to US jurisdiction.

The CDC is asking cruise lines to opt in by January 21, 2022.

Changes to the voluntary program

Under the voluntary program, the CDC is relaxing certain aspects of its monitoring.

The threshold for CDC investigation will go from 0.1% passenger cases or one or more crew cases to 0.3% of passengers and/or crew. The definition of yellow, orange, and red status will be updated to reflect the higher threshold.

The CDC will also eliminate the need to conduct test cruises (simulated voyages), along with the conditional sailing certificate application process.

Other changes the CDC has made include:

• Testing requirements will continue, and ships with at least 95% of fully vaccinated crew and passengers may continue to reduce or eliminate certain public health measures onboard, such as mask use and physical distancing.
• Self-service beverage stations will continue to be allowed regardless of onboard vaccination status
• Self-service food operations will begin to be allowed
• Negative air pressure for quarantine cabins will not be required — these cabins must still be in a separate HVAC zone.
• Isolation cabins must still have negative air pressure.
• Port agreements between US port and local health authorities will still be needed.
• CDC will continue to conduct routine unannounced inspections and announced outbreak investigations.

Seatrade reports the CDC will update their website on January 14 with the new program details.

Masks

The CDC will still require cruise ships to wear masks onboard ships, regardless of if the lines opt-into the voluntary program or not.

CDC Director: 'the industry has stepped up'

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Congress yesterday she was pleased with what the cruise lines are doing under the CSO.

"I think the Conditional Sailing Order and the fact that the industry has stepped up and is now interested in doing and exceeding... the the compliance with the sail order without the order even necessarily needing to be in place, as is a real testimony to how well that has worked and how we've worked collaboratively with the industry."

Moreover, Dr. Walensky believes cruise lines will opt-into this voluntary program, "the cruise ship industries will continue to understand that this is a really safe practice for those industries."

Cruise industry reaction

Following the CDC's announcement, here is the official statement by the the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA):

Today’s announcement by the CDC regarding the planned transition of the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) to a voluntary program recognizes the cruise industry’s unwavering commitment to providing some of the highest levels of COVID-19 mitigation found in any industry. Cruise is the only segment of travel and tourism that requires, prior to embarkation for both passengers and crew, exceedingly high levels of vaccination (approaching 100% compared to only 63% of the U.S. population) and 100% testing of every individual (21 times the rate of the U.S. on land).

When cases are identified as a result of the high-frequency of testing onboard, cruise ship protocols help to maximize onboard containment with rapid response procedures designed to safeguard all other guests and crew as well as the communities that the ships visit.

Further, cruise is the only sector that continuously monitors, collects, and reports case information directly to the CDC.

Given this oversight and the uniquely high vaccination rate required on board, the incidence of serious illness is dramatically lower than on land, and hospitalizations have been extraordinarily rare even during a time landside hospitalizations are peaking. CLIA ocean-going cruise line members will continue to be guided by the science and the principle of putting people first, with proven measures that are adapted as conditions warrant to protect the health of cruise passengers, crewmembers, and destinations.

Today is a sea day and my second day onboard Independence of the Seas. We were originally supposed to be at Perfect Day at CocoCay today, but will be there on Thursday instead due to weather conditions.

I woke up early this morning hoping to catch some sun on the pool deck, but unfortunately it was wet and windy! This is the Caribbean, though, so I was hopeful that the weather would improve as the day went on.

For breakfast this morning I decided to go to the Main Dining Room. I had never eaten in the Main Dining Room for breakfast, so I was excited to try it out. I love the ambiance of the Main Dining Room on Voyager and Freedom-class ships. The architecture and decor is elegant and ornate, and it reminds me of a movie set!

The woman at the table next to me was traveling solo and we chatted with each other throughout breakfast. 

This is my first solo cruise and, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous beforehand. Would I be bored? Will I not talk to anyone for days? What will dining be like?

Now that I am on my second day, though, I realize I had nothing to worry about. It is easy to be social when cruising solo, and I’ve found that both passengers and crew are eager to strike up a conversation.

The weather seemed to be improving after breakfast, so I took a walk around the outdoor Promenade deck and Helipad. One of my favorite parts of Independence of the Seas is the huge amount of outdoor deck space. The Promenade deck spans the entire length of the ship and is a calmer area to walk around compared to the pool deck.

I spent a couple hours before lunch editing videos for the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel. Lunch today was in the Windjammer. As soon as I sat down, though, I realized the weather outside was beautiful, so I quickly ate and went out to the pool deck.

Ice cream in one hand and camera in the other, I explored the pool deck and Sports Court for a while as I filmed the full ship tour of Independence of the Seas, which will appear on our YouTube channel in a few weeks.

As a Freedom-class ship, the pool deck on Independence is long and has a full kids area including Splashaway Bay, two main pools, and five whirlpools. That’s not even counting the Solarium, which has its own pool and two large whirlpools that stick out over the side of the ship.

While still windy, it turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon, and I was delighted to finally have a sunny day at sea! My previous two sailings were to Alaska in October and a foggy sailing from Los Angeles in November, so I fully appreciated the sunshine today. It’s definitely more comfortable than the snowstorms we had a few weeks ago at home!

After hanging out on the pool deck, I went to Schooner Bar for “Where in the World” trivia. Being a geography nerd, I expected to do better than 10 answers right out of 15, but it was still a fun way to break up the afternoon outside.

Following trivia, I relaxed in my stateroom before heading to the Royal Theater to watch Grease: The Broadway Musical. Independence is my first cruise that offers a Broadway show, so I was looking forward to checking it out as I have heard a lot about the Broadway shows onboard.

Once the show started, though, I was quite confused! While there were a few lines of acting and dance moves here and there, the cast was mostly stationed at the microphones singing a concert. Where was the dancing? The acting? The Broadway aspect of the show? Why was it over after 45 minutes?

Little did I know that, due to unforeseen circumstances, Grease got changed to Grease: In Concert instead of the full-length performance. In the Cruise Planner, the show was listed as Grease: The Musical with a length of 90 minutes, so it must have been a recent change. I also admit that I had not been paying attention to the Entertainment Director at the beginning of the show, so he may have mentioned this to the audience beforehand.

Nonetheless, I still really enjoyed the performance and energy the cast brought to the stage! The performers were super talented and the set designs and costumes were well done. I am hoping that the full Broadway show is being performed when I sail on Harmony of the Seas next week.

Walking up, down, and around the ship all day while filming wore me out, so I had a small dinner at the Windjammer before going back to my stateroom for an early night.

Tomorrow we will be in Nassau, our first port of call. I will be spending the day at a resort on an all-inclusive day pass, and I am excited to share my experience there with you all tomorrow!

Stray observations:

All passengers are following the mask protocols and distancing well. I feel safer onboard than I thought I would. That being said, I am still trying to avoid crowded indoor areas. I also sat far away from most passengers today in the Royal Theater as an extra precaution.

While I didn’t end up seeing the full Broadway show, I love how Royal Caribbean offers Broadway musicals onboard its ships. Sometimes I find the regular shows to lack an easy-to-follow storyline, although the dancing and singing is always great.

After five cruises, my conclusion is that the best food venue Royal Caribbean offers on the pool deck is El Loco Fresh.

Live Blog Index

• Independence of the Seas Live Blog - Day 1 - Embarkation
• Independence of the Seas Live Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day

It looks like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will follow through on its promise to allow the Conditional Sailing Order to expire next week.

At a U.S. Senate Hearing on Tuesday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Congress the Covid-19 regulations will move from mandatory to voluntary on January 15.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked the Dr. Walensky what the cruise industry can expect, citing the enormous lengths they have gone to in order to adhere to Covid-19 protocols.

Senator Murkowski wanted "assurance" that the CDC recognizes the work cruise lines have done to protect passengers, crew members, and the communities their ships visit, is what is necessary to allow the Conditional Sail Order to expire, "I understand the conditional sail order is is set to expire in a few days in recognition that the companies have practices that adhere to or even exceed the guidance in the order."

"I'd like some assurance from you that that they can count on that, that this is clear guidance and messaging to those within the industries and to those who are counting on being able to to have a season this coming summer."

Dr. Walensky confirmed the CSO will not be renewed, "We anticipate that this order will not be renewed and that the cruise ship industries will continue to understand that this is a really safe practice for those industries."

Dr. Walensky pointed out how impressive the cruise lines have been with their dedication to these protocols, "I think the Conditional Sailing Order and the fact that the industry has stepped up and is now interested in doing and exceeding, as you know, the the compliance with the sail order without the order even necessarily needing to be in place, as is a real testimony to how well that has worked and how we've worked collaboratively with the industry."

Senator Murkwoski wanted some insight into the summer, since it greatly affects Alaska cruises.  Dr. Walensky was not ready to make any predictions about what to expect in five to six months from now.

Walensky: "What I can't predict is what the summer will bring."

Murkowski: "I understand that, but for right now, you expect this guidance to stay in place."

Walensky: "That's my anticipation."

The Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) began as the No Sail order in March 2020, when the entire cruise industry shutdown due to Covid-19. 

Since then, the CDC and cruise lines worked together to craft new health protocols that would keep everyone onboard safe from spreading the disease unchecked.

All the cruise lines operating from the United States have since adopted this framework so that they can safely operate during the pandemic.

The CSO was extended on October 25, 2021 with the understanding it would expire on January 15.  Cruise lines had said they intend to follow the CSO regardless of if it's required or not.

Since then, the Omicron variant shot up Covid numbers around the world, including cruise ships. There was concern that Omicron would change the CDC's minds.

Dr. Walensky pointed out the up tick in cases, "just over the last two weeks with Omicron, we've seen a 30 fold increase in cases on ships during this season because of Omicron."

Senator Murkowski pointed out the work cruise lines have put in over the last two years, "in fairness, the industry itself has undertaken extraordinary precautions as one industry, to make sure that people are protected from from this virus."

When the CSO ends on January 15th, it will transition to a voluntary program where the CDC will continue to oversee the industry as it always has in the past.

What does this mean for cruise ships?

The CSO transitioning to a recommendation may or may result in any noticeable changes in the short term.

Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines have already committed to follow the CSO regardless of if it's required or not. Cruise lines first indicated they would follow the CSO following Florida's legal victory against the CDC in summer 2021.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said in July 2021, "We will continue to voluntarily follow all CDC guidelines and recommendations."

Some cruise fans were hoping the end of the CSO would mean a relaxing of certain health protocols, but there's been indication yet that is going to happen.  Certainly not while the Omicron variant is driving up case counts and capturing the attention of the world.

Showing its dedication to assisting crew members, one of the Royal Caribbean cruise ships that was taken out of service will be used to house crew members from other ships that have tested positive for Covid-19.

Serenade of the Seas was one of the ships that had her cruises in January through April cancelled last week. Instead of operating cruises with paying passengers, she will join two other Royal Caribbean ships in a support role.

Almost since the onset of the Omicron variant, Royal Caribbean has done its best to care for crew members that are sick.

Unlike land-based companies that just send their workers home with little to no support, Royal Caribbean has taken the extraordinary step of taking two of its ships out of service to serve as Covid wards, where these crew members can rest and get the care they need in order to be healthy and return to work.

Serenade of the Seas is one of three ships operating in this role, alongside Rhapsody of the Seas and Vision of the Seas.

Assisting crew members across the fleet

A Royal Caribbean crew member, Martina, talked about Serenade's new role in a YouTube video she posted shortly after Serenade of the Seas stopped sailing with passengers.

"In order to relieve the pressures of the amount of Covid cases around the fleet, Serenade will perform a supporting role," Martina explained.

"We will be what they call a quarantine or a hospital ship for Royal Caribbean crew members that are Covid positive."

She said they would accept the non-serious cases among crew members, "They will be embarked on the Serenade of the Seas in order to get better, be well taken care off, be able to recuperate in a healthy and more isolated environment without putting pressure on the other ships still trying to sail."

Why move crew members off the ship? A Royal Caribbean spokesperson recently said the idea is to keep crew healthy crew members away from the sick ones, while simultaneously caring for all of them.

According to Royal Caribbean, transferred crew members, who are all fully vaccinated, are in isolation and are being monitored by an onboard medical team. After each crew member completes their 10-day quarantine, they return to their assigned ships.

Besides helping the crew, having less crew members on operational vessels means a better chance of cruise ships not being denied entry into a port of call due to exceeding the threshold of people onboard with Covid-19.

Martina sees this as an opportunity, and not bad news, "I don't see it as bad news. I see it as a role that I'm proud that the Serenade can take, because as you can see, it doesn't mean that cruises are stopping, not at all. We're just using our resources, I think, in a smarter way."

Why was Serenade picked to help?

Martina thinks perhaps the reason Serenade of the Seas had her cruises cancelled is because the timing works well for an upcoming refurbishment.

Serenade of the Seas is scheduled in a few months to take a break from cruises in order to undergo a multi-week refurbishment.  These refurbishments typically occur once every few years, and is a front to back maintenance visit to a shipyard.

Martina speculates that since Serenade had to leave the fleet anyway, taking her out of service a little earlier made more sense, "Since this date was coming up so soon and we were anyways just eight cruises away to stopping operations regardless for the dry dock, we're just pausing before."

Martina also points out that since Serenade started up in Alaska last summer, a lot of crew member contracts were about to expire around this time.

People that cruise a lot have been the steady base for the cruise industry throughout Covid-19, and some are going over and over again because of how much they are enjoying it.

Greg Brockman lives in Iowa, but is sailing on his fourth Freedom of the Seas cruise in a row, with number five coming up next weekend.

What's it like to go on consecutive cruises during the height of the Omicron wave, and has anything changed in his approach to being on a cruise? Given that Greg is one of thousands of loyal cruise passengers that loves being on a ship, his thoughts on getting onboard today seem intriguing to consider.

From his stateroom on his Royal Caribbean ship, Greg talked about what it's like to stay onboard a cruise ship right now.

Booking five cruises in a row

Even before the pandemic, booking more than one cruise at a time may have seemed eccentric to someone that has not been on a cruise. In today's hyper focused media attention of cruise ships, the decision to sail over and over again can do more than raise an eyebrow.

Greg is sailing on Freedom of the Seas from Miami for a total of 17 nights starting December 31 to January 17. 

He first booked cruises only in January, but decided to add more, "As time went on, I was able to add the three night on to the end extending my time until the 17th. Then, in November when there were many price drops, I added the New Year’s Eve sailing ."

What's the atmosphere on the ship right now?

What does it feel like to be on a cruise ship, and what are passengers and crew members saying?

Greg says he's seeing people having fun, "For the most part, the general vibe on board the ship is that of relaxation and enjoying the cruise."

Greg thinks the key to a fun cruise despite all the changes recently is having the right view, "From what I have seen, the passengers having the best time on each of the sailings have been those coming on board who are happy with any perks or benefits they receive but they are not coming on board expecting to be waited on every moment of the day."

"The frustrations tend to happen when people come on board with expectations of everything being just like it was two years ago and being disappointed and frustrated."

Read more: Why you need to be flexible if you want to go on a cruise right now

Greg was impressed by how upbeat the crew members are given that they are short staffed, "The crew all seem to be maintaining a very positive and energetic outgoing attitude."

"You can tell some of them are very exhausted working longer shifts and covering for other crewmembers who have tested positive and are no longer on board."

"But they are always smiles and happy to see you when you pass by."

Speaking of the crew, I wanted to know more about how the crew members are doing, and he indicated a lot of the senior officers seem to be stepping in to help out, "They all are maintaining excitement, enthusiasm and passion for what they do."

"Ivan, the Food and Beverage manager, oversees the largest department on board the ship and has been hit the hardest with crew members testing positive. I frequently see him all over the ship chipping in and picking up duties whenever some thing is needed."

Greg was impressed by how Freedom's Guest Services manager, Dolly, took extra care of his experience, "She just spoke with me last night knowing that I was a consecutive cruiser and staying in the same cabin for multiple cruises. She asked if I would be interested in a complementary cabin upgrade for the next sailing but wasn’t sure if I would be interested in moving multiple times between each sailing."

"This is something I absolutely did not expect but was very appreciative of. Just one more way the crew is trying to go above and beyond whenever they can with the resources available."

How does the back-to-back process work?

Given all the protocol changes onboard, what changes have been made to going on more than one cruise in a row?

All of the consecutive cruisers have an antigen test done on the day prior to debarkation, which is complimentary.

On the morning the test is scheduled, consecutive cruisers meet around 7:30 am and wait in the Star Lounge until the negative test result has been received. At that point, they are allowed to leave the lounge and go on with your day.

On the turnaround day, everyone again meets in the Star Lounge at 9:30 AM waiting for all other passengers to disembark. At that point the cruisers are escorted through the security checkpoint to officially depart the ship and proceed into the cruise terminal.

The passengers then complete the facial recognition process (required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and then get back in line to re-board the ship.

Greg said extra Royal Caribbean delayed the back-to-back cruisers from returning immediately in order to conduct sanitization, "On the last two sailings, the ship did additional cleaning and sanitizing and we were asked to wait in the terminal about 20 minutes before we were allowed to proceed back on board the ship."

Read more: Back-to-back cruises tips and advice

How many people are going on these cruises?

Across Greg's four sailings, he's had a good chance to look at trends among passengers, including how many are on each sailing.

According to Greg, there have been less passengers on each cruise since the New Year's Eve holiday sailing.

"Passenger count has been decreasing on each of the sailings since New Year’s Eve. The December 31 sailing had approximately 2000 passengers on board, this was down from the 2400 they initially expected."

"The next sailing was expecting around 2100 passengers and ended up with 1850 actually boarding. The third sailing was expecting 1800 passengers and ended up sailing with about 1450.  We are expecting 1800 for the current sailing."

Freedom of the Seas has a capacity of just under 4400 passengers. 

It's also worth noting January is also a traditionally slow month for cruises, since the holidays are over and school is back in session.  Plus, many people just took a vacation at the end of December.

On December 30, Royal Caribbean Group told investors the company "experienced a decline in bookings and increased cancellations for near-term sailings but to a lesser degree than that experienced with the Delta variant. "

Load factors for sailings in the first half of 2022 remain below historical levels, as expected.

Advice for anyone going on a cruise ship right now

I asked Greg what advice would he give someone going on a cruise today while the Omicron variant is on the top of everyone's mind.

His primary suggestion was for everyone to pack patience, "be prepared to be flexible, and do not board with expectations of benefits or perks because of past cruises."

"Follow the rules and don’t argue with the messenger. They are following their instructions. Just know the crew is doing everything they can to ensure you're having an amazing vacation and a safe and healthy environment for you, your family and their family (fellow crew members)."

"I absolutely feel safer onboard a Royal Caribbean ship that almost anywhere right now. "

Today is my first day onboard Independence of the Seas for a 4-night Bahamas and Perfect Day cruise. This is also my first time on a Freedom-class ship, so I woke up this morning especially eager to get onboard!

I was able to snag an early check-in time by monitoring when my sailing would open for check-in on the Royal Caribbean app. I boarded quickly at 11:30AM and headed to the Windjammer.

After a delicious lunch of Indian curry, I was off to explore Independence of the Seas.

Independence was recently amplified in 2018 and is fit with many of Royal Caribbean’s newest venues and activities. Recent additions to the ship include waterslides, a Sky Pad, Escape Room, large Splashaway Bay, Playmakers, Izumi hibachi, and Sugar Beach.

Cabins were ready at 2PM. I am staying in an interior cabin on this cruise. I did not select my own stateroom when I booked and was assigned to a studio cabin. Studio cabins are slightly smaller than a regular interior room, but offer enough space for a solo traveler.

I caught up on work at Cafe Promenade before heading to the pool deck for sailaway. The weather was on and off throughout the afternoon, and around sailaway the wind was quite intense. However, I still managed to get some nice views of Independence of the Seas sailing out of Port Canaveral.

This is my fifth cruise, and my goal for this sailing is to try activities that I have not done so far on a cruise ship. Today's activity of choice was ice skating in Studio B.

Sign ups for ice skating begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the activity. I went to Studio B as soon as sign ups began and there was no line, so I signed up for the first spot available.

Time slots for ice skating were in twenty minute chunks. They did not appear to be allowing many people to sign up for each slot due to limited capacity, so the ice rink was nearly empty for my turn.

It was really enjoyable and, despite a few close calls, I didn't wipe out on the ice! I think I have a new appreciation for the talented figure skaters that perform onboard. I cannot even imagine doing a triple axel or backflip on the ice!

Dinner tonight was at Playmakers. The Playmakers on Independence of the Seas is huge! It must be nearly double the size of Playmakers on other ships I have sailed on. There is ample seating, a ton of TVs, and arcade games.

Because it is so large, the venue feels more like its own restaurant and bar on land as opposed to a small venue like on Mariner of the Seas. And while Playmakers is a specialty restaurant, I think the prices are more than reasonable.

I ordered the Pile on Nachos, which is one of my favorite appetizers at Playmakers. Loaded with guacamole, tomatoes, jalapeños, and cheese, it was delightful!  I will most certainly be back at Playmakers this week for one of the best desserts on any Royal Caribbean cruise, the Campfire Cookie.

After dinner, I walked around the Royal Promenade. As a Freedom-class ship, Independence of the Seas is similar to a Voyager-class ship, but is longer, thus allowing for more space and venue options. I’m not sure if it is because the ship has limited capacity or because it was still dinnertime, but the Promenade was pretty empty this evening.

I do feel that while the Promenade on Independence of the Seas is longer than on a ship like Navigator of the Seas, it has a more relaxed atmosphere. I think this is because, unlike on Navigator, the venues within the Promenade on Independence are quieter. Since Playmakers is not located in the Promenade and Vintages is in place of The Bamboo Room’s spot on Navigator, it definitely feels more tranquil.

After walking around and filming for the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel, I decided to call it a night in order to get some rest for another fun-filled day onboard tomorrow.

Perfect Day at CocoCay and our sea day got flip-flopped due to weather, so tomorrow will be a sea day.

Stray observations:

Independence of the Seas is sailing with a capacity of around 1700. It does not feel crowded and everyone seems to be adhering to protocols well. I have been avoiding really crowded areas as a precaution.

There do not seem to be any cancellations in entertainment offerings onboard. Both Grease and the ice skating show will be happening this week, and I am excited to check the two shows out.

I am really craving my favorite drink onboard, the Banana Colada, but there is no Bamboo Room on this ship! However, there is a Vintages wine bar, so that will suffice!

A Freedom-class ship feels almost identical to a Voyager-class ship. In fact, I may not have even noticed anything was different if I hadn’t known ahead of time!

As someone who enjoys learning languages, I love the global environment that crew and passengers create on a cruise. Getting a chance to practice my Portuguese skills with a crew member from Brazil is always fun!

Outlets can be hard to find in public areas onboard. There is a set of outlets in the corner of Cafe Promenade if you need to charge a device or get some work done.

I should be on a cruise heading towards Mexico right now. I’d probably be sipping a drink on the pool deck watching the gorgeous sunset on the sea.

But fate had other plans for me and I had to cancel my cruise because I caught Covid before my cruise began. 

I was scheduled to sail on the Brilliance of the Seas on January 8 for a 5 night sailing to Mexico. I snagged a super cheap cabin last month. My bags were packed and I was ready to go.

‘Tis the Season

I was happy to spend my Christmas back home in South Dakota with my family. My husband is deployed and this cruise was giving me something exciting to look forward to, which I was desperately needing after my husband deployed.  My dad was nice enough to fly down to me in Florida to help me drive 20 hours back with our pups. 

I couldn't watch TV or look at my phone without seeing news about rising Covid cases and the new Omicron variant. However, after 2 years of not catching Covid, I was starting to feel kind of invincible. 

I went to multiple weddings, bachelorette parties, concerts and music festivals last year. My husband and I traveled to Ireland in October and we cruised to Alaska over the summer. With a combination of vaccines, some precautions and a little luck, we had avoided getting Covid throughout the entire pandemic. 

With cases in the Midwest remaining fairly low, I felt pretty safe with our holiday gatherings. Almost everyone in our family was vaccinated and most had received their booster. I still wanted to lay low and avoid unnecessarily risk leading up to our cruise, just to be extra safe. 

Cruises in the Media

With the rising cases of Covid across the US, I read many stories of vaccinated people getting Covid. The media started blowing up with stories about cruises getting denied in ports, returning early and sailings getting canceled. 

Some family members asked if my sister and I were still planning to cruise. We both agreed that we were comfortable cruising. With vaccine requirements and health protocols, we agreed that being on a cruise is not more dangerous than living our normal lives. 

We reviewed Royal Caribbean’s current cruise protocols and felt that the cruise line was doing everything they could to mitigate the spread of the virus. They also had great policies and procedures in place if you test positive onboard. 

I made lots of cruise and travel plans over the next few months to keep myself busy while my husband is deployed. At this point, I was more worried about testing positive unexpectedly during my travels than I was about getting super sick. 

Just a cold?

The holidays come and go - we’ve been busy with dinners, brunches and even a pretend royal tea party with my cousin’s three little girls. 

My mom tells us one morning that she has a stuffy nose and scratchy throat. After a few days though, she is quickly on the mend; so that truly didn’t seem to be more than a cold. 

Shortly after New Year's Eve, my sister wakes up with a mild sore throat. This isn’t surprising, as my cousin’s kids are always sick with colds because they’re little. My sister takes a rapid test at home before we see my grandparents for brunch. 

Her test comes back clearly negative, so it must just be a cold.

A few days later, I woke up feeling more tired than normal. I hadn’t slept well so I figured that was why. I napped over my lunch break and went to bed early. 

The next morning I woke up feeling a tad stuffy with some light congestion. I have allergies, so this isn’t unusual. Being tired for me isn’t unusual either, as I never sleep that great - and the holidays were exhausting. 

My sister tested negative so I figured if anything, I had what she had. We’d been sharing some food and drinks before she got her cold. 

It’s Tuesday morning. We planned to leave on Thursday to start making our way to Tampa from the Midwest. Our upcoming trek involved a quick visit with friends before flying down to the sunshine state and boarding our ship.

Around 2pm, I started to feel a tad achy in my legs and lower back. It was nothing major, but I have become hyper aware of any symptoms at this point.

I started to get conflicting thoughts about whether I should take a home test or not. 

My Internal Conflict

I’ve tested myself for Covid numerous times over the last year. Some of these tests were needed for travel; other tests were ones that I did at home when I didn’t feel well.

I thought back to all the other home tests that I’ve done last year. Honestly, I felt way more sick every other time I took a home test than I did today with these very mild aches. My nose wasn’t even stuffy this time. 

I started to feel conflicted. 

Was I being overactive? Should I waste a home test that I diligently searched around town trying to find? My sister didn’t have Covid, so why would I have it?

If it was Covid, that meant I couldn’t go on the cruise. Royal Caribbean’s policy is currently that you can’t board any of their ships if you’ve tested positive in the last 14 days. 

Part of me just wanted to wait until Thursday when we would start our trip. I would probably feel better by then anyway. I work from home so I could easily lay low and get rest. 

Honestly, I was scared to get confirmation of what I feared. 

My legs were unusually sore. It’s been blistering cold in the Midwest so it certainly isn’t from being active outside or taking the dogs on their 5-minute walk around the block. I had influenza a few years back, and my legs had a similar achy sensation (although this was much more mild).

I started to think about the worst case scenario. If it was positive, at least I have a few days to cancel everything. I am at my parent’s home where it’s comfortable to be isolated.

I also knew in my heart that it would be best to find out now rather than hope whatever I had would run through me before on the cruise. I didn’t want to risk spreading anything to friends or family. It would be better to find out now at home than potentially find out on the cruise ship. 

Home Test Results

Before taking the dogs for a brisk walk, I took out one of my home tests. Luckily, I had stocked up before Christmas in anticipation of the spike in cases.

I swabbed my nose as instructed and also swabbed my throat since that’s where my congestion was.

Every time I’ve hyped up myself that I probably had Covid, the tests always came back negative. I dropped my sample into a rapid test and ran downstairs to change before taking the dogs out.

In the midst of getting the pups ready to go, I glimpse over at the test on the counter. My mom jokes to me that I am not even sick, so why would I take the test?

I looked down to see 2 red lines on the rapid test. 

I literally gasped. My heart sank.

It was positive.

I had a flurry of emotions. First I am surprised, as I really didn’t feel that sick. Then again, I guess I am not super surprised, the case rates around the US are rising like crazy. My mind is all over. 

Even though I may feel fine now, my symptoms might worsen. I have no idea how long I’ve actually been sick.

Cancellation

I quickly realized there was no way we could cruise. Royal Caribbean’s Covid policy is clear: If you test positive within 2 weeks of your cruise, you aren’t able to sail. 

I told my sister to take another rapid test, as I am sure she will test positive too. She takes another test and it comes up negative, again! I had her take a second one; that also comes back negative. 

This was very confusing, as she had more respiratory, classic Covid symptoms than I did. Regardless, we wouldn’t be cruising with my positive test. 

Luckily, canceling the cruise was very easy. I alerted our travel agent of the unfortunate news. She asks if I prefer a refund or cruise credit. Since this is Covid related, and per Royal Caribbean’s Cruising with Confidence program, we are eligible for a full refund so I opt for that. 

The Right Choice

Obviously, it was a huge bummer that we caught Covid and couldn’t go on the cruise. In the end, it was the right choice to take the home test when I started to question if I was showing Covid symptoms. 

In the grand scheme of life, we are lucky to have very mild cases, which I am confident is because we’ve had our vaccines and boosters. 

My sister’s symptoms have lingered a bit longer than mine. Today, the day we should have been boarding our ship, she tested positive for Covid as well. I am feeling almost 100% today, although I was fatigued most of the week.

But, it was better to be safe and proactive than sorry. Testing positive at home is much more comfortable and easy than having Covid while traveling.