Going on a cruise is still a really fun family vacation, even during a pandemic, but it's important you understand the nature of cruising right now and be okay with changes.

If the idea of last-minute changes to rules and protocols bother you, perhaps putting off your cruise a bit longer might be prudent.

Over the last two weeks, cruise ships have been back in the focus of the media following higher-than-usual Covid cases onboard, which felt like perhaps things were regressing backwards instead of moving forward.

The cruise line appear ready to deal with the threat of the Omicron variant and continue forward, but these last two weeks have been a good reminder to anyone thinking of going on a cruise that changes are not only likely, they should be expected.

If you are going to sail on a cruise ship while Covid-19 is a major threat, be prepared and flexible.

Ports refusing ships, new mask rules, vaccine requirements, and who knows what else could affect an upcoming sailing, so it is vital that you not only stay up-to-date with these policy revisions, but not allow them to get in the way of enjoying your cruise.

Early on this summer when the first ships were back in service, I think many cruisers recognized protocol changes were likely and expected them.

Soon thereafter, we got lucky over the summer and fall with relatively few Covid cases onboard and protocols not changing much.  If you went on a cruise ship in October or November, you probably saw the most lax view by guests and crew towards certain requirements.

Covid cases on Symphony of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas served as a wake-up call for the cruise lines, and Royal Caribbean implemented tighter mask requirements along with a renewed emphasis on ensuring passengers follow the rules.

It suddenly felt like I was cruising again in June 2021, as rules were changing often and some cruisers clearly were not pleased with so many last-minute changes.

On the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards, there were quite a few comments on rule changes and what to expect. Some positive, and some negative. The bottom line is we got lucky with how smooth things went over the mid-part of 2021, but we're not out of the woods.

What to think about if you have a cruise booked

If you have a cruise booked, or are thinking of booking one, I can tell you I love being onboard and would go again and again because of the blend of a fun vacation with unrivaled health protocols.

I cannot emphasize enough the high likelihood of changes to protocols, rules, and requirements.

If you plan on taking a cruise, you should be open to many changes, even just days before you sail. Royal Caribbean is doing its best to navigate all of the new recommendations and best practices, but it can come at the expense of hitting guests with a new update.

If the idea of seeing an email a few days before you sail with a new testing requirements, or policy shift irks you, you should defer your cruise until a later date. Or even hold back all together for cruises to restart and see a semblance of regularity resume to them.

It's also equally important to keep up with the different rules and requirements. Being unaware of a change isn't going to cut it, and it's only going to lead to frustration on your part.

For some people, the opportunity to go on a cruise ship again is the most important consideration, and change is a way of life, so embracing it means getting back to the vacation they have always enjoyed in the past or want to give a try now.

Others may find the changes, uncertainty, or restrictions, simply too much for now.  In that case, postponing your trip to a later date when there is more predictability to going on a cruise may be the best course of action.

Next up in our Mexican Riviera cruise is a visit to Mazatlan. Unlike Cabo San Lucas yesterday, we have a full day here.

We woke up to the ship already docked and cleared for passengers to disembark. Our tour didn't begin until a little later in the morning, so we got everyone up and ready for breakfast.

After the usual family morning routine of wake up, get dressed, wake up again, wait, wake up one more time, and then up to the Windjammer for breakfast, we disembarked the ship.

The ship docks in a shipping port, so there's nothing but shipping containers to see.  Passengers take a very short tram ride to the other side of the port facility, where there is a typical shopping area to walk through before being able to exit the port.

We did a little bit of window shopping before it was time to meet our tour.

We booked an ATV tour through MazatlanTours.org. Royal Caribbean had very few tours here, so we booked on our own.

The tour guide met us in the port area parking lot and after waiting for one other group, took us on an open air truck ride to the ATV spot.

Navigator docks in "old Mazatlan", and the ride to "new Mazatlan" is about 15-20 minutes.  There is a stark contrast between the two areas, with the ATV location right in the heart of shopping, dining, and things to do. 

We had booked a private ATV tour for the four of us in a 4-seater ATV. Things did not get off to a great start, as the guy working there had to check in everyone that was arriving, as well as set everyone up in their vehicle. Eventually other help arrived, but it was slow going.

Compounding the problem was they didn't know we had a private tour. After realizing the issue, they quickly took one of the guide's out (I think he was going to stay at the shop) and he was our guide.

We got going at this point, and took a ride through Mazatlan to the countryside, where we found off-road trails.

The trails took us through cactus fields, up and down steep "jungle" hills, and eventually to the ocean.

Unfortunately halfway through, our vehicle stopped working.  The guide looked it over, tried a few things, but it would not start back up.  He called in the problem, and we switched to his vehicle while he took a scooter to finish the tour.

We made three (scheduled) stops: at the top of a mountain overlook, at a horse farm for the kids to ride a horse, and at a scenic beach stop.

Overall, I enjoyed the tour, and the kids liked our pit stops more than the ride itself. There wasn't any narration or anything, just an opportunity to drive ATVs and see some of Mazatlan.

After the tour was over, we were ready to eat lunch and I wanted something more authentic than El Loco Fresh. We walked down the main road and found an outdoor restaurant serving tacos, quesadillas, burritos, fish and more.

Everything was prepared on the spot, and it tasted great. Twenty dollars for 5 quesadillas, 3 tacos, a beer, and a few sodas.

We hailed a taxi, which resembles the Hanna-Barbera Speed Buggy animated series vehicle.

On the drive back, our taxi driver pointed out a few sights, including cliff divers.

We got back on Navigator of the Seas and decided to put on bathing suits and take the kids down the water slides.

Navigator of the Seas has two water slides you wont find on any other Royal Caribbean ship: a mat racer slide and a water coaster slide.

My kids liked both slides, but preferred the water coaster.

Back in the room, we took showers and got ready for dinner.

Dinner brought us back to the main dining room.

After dinner, we dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean and then went to the casino where once again, the Blackjack gods did not smile upon me. I've never seen so many hands where I have 12 and the dealer has a face card showing.

I stopped by the Bamboo Room for a drink before taking a walk outside. The evening weather is so comfortable out, with low humidity and a warm breeze.

We weren't sure what to do next, so we went back to the cabin to do something different: binge a few episodes of Hawkeye. To my surprise, the ship's internet was able to handle the stream without an issue.

To round out our evening, we headed back to the pub for a few drinks and music.

Tomorrow we will be in Puerto Vallarta.

Stray Observations

I'm not the bah humbug type, but the non-stop Christmas music everywhere on the ship is starting to reach a point where I'm getting sick of it. 

I did a speed test of the ship's wifi and as I said earlier, it performs quite well.

Our dining room waiters gave us a belated Christmas card they make every year for the people at their table. It's incredible!

NextCruise has not been staffed/open at all this cruise (or at least, never staffed/open when I've been near).

In the Captain's daily announcement, he commended guests for the very good adherence to the mask protocol onboard. Halfway through the cruise, I have seen nearly every guest following the rules about mask wearing, even wearing masks outdoors in large quantities. It's good to see passengers who understand not only is it the cruise line rules, but the importance for everyone's health.

Denise and her family sailed on Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas this past week, and celebrated the strict protocols on the ship that limited the spread of Covid-19 to just a minute percentage of passengers.

Like all of society, cruise ships are dealing with an increase in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant that spreads easier, although is far milder.

While an increase in Covid cases on land is seen largely as another chapter in the current saga of Covid, the media has taken to focusing again on cruise ships. Cruise lines have among the most stringent health protocols and report their Covid cases to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which makes reporting on new cases easy.

While the media has been busy highlighting new cases that affect a mere 1-2% of passengers, many cruise fans shared how much they are enjoying their cruise and appreciate what Royal Caribbean is trying to do during this time.

Passengers from Odyssey of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and others shared the health protocols onboard make them feel far safer onboard than at home.

CruiseGus is onboard Allure of the Seas and despite Covid cases onboard, is happy to have taken his family on a cruise, "glad we decided to stay on this cruise."

"I'm still enjoying myself, crew are fantastic."

Denise appreciated the fact on Odyssey of the Seas the crew members were working hard to ensure things were being taken care of, "Captain was always communicating, every day. Felt well cared for and safe. Security mingling through out in addition to staff gently reinforcing proper mask wearing to make sure that protocol was followed. "

Liz007 is also on Odyssey of the Seas and shared her admiration for the Captain and crew, "The staff and captain handled it well. We all know what we are getting into sailing in these times so it was not shocking what happened. Overall, a pleasant cruise to nowhere."

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared on social media over the weekend that while there have been Covid cases on ships like Odyssey of the Seas, investigations by the CDC revealed mild or asymptomatic cases.

"All cases appear to be mild or asymptomatic. Additionally, there have been no COVID-19 related hospitalizations, medical evacuations, ventilator use, or deaths from this ship."

"This new variant rapidly transmits yet no one (vaccinated) appears to get very sick."

gomammoth22 shared the result of Royal Caribbean's new stricter mask policy has been far better mask wearing on Oasis of the Seas, "Everyone wearing masks where needed."

"I hate wearing a mask more than most, but I will not complain once on this cruise."

Jax was also on Oasis this past week and thinks Royal Caribbean is doing a good job of balancing protocols with the guest experience, "I felt completely safe and my onboard experience wasn’t impacted."

Beyond just negative media attention, some ports in the Caribbean have denied entry to cruise ships because of the handful of passengers that are quarantined and treated for Covid. These same countries and territories have not curbed air travel at all.

The negative press has not changed BrianB's mind about going on a cruise again, "Eight cruises since September. Four on Oasis and four on Anthem. Leaving again on Friday."

Our first port of call is Cabo San Lucas, although we don't get there until noon.

My morning routine was the same as yesterday. Wake up before the kids, head up to the pool deck and enjoy some fresh air while I catch up on blog posts.

I noticed immediately the temperature had warmed up significantly from the last two days, and it was comfortable to be outdoors wearing shorts.

Once the kids did get up, we had breakfast in the Windjammer. We decided to go to brainbuster trivia after. Here's one question: What starts with "e", ends with "e", and has one letter?

The answer is envelope.

Navigator of the Seas made her way along the coast of Mexico as we drew closer to Cabo.

Cabo San Lucas is not a port you dock at. Instead, guests take tender boats to shore.

We booked the Deluxe Coastal Cruise for today, which is a 2-hour tour by water of the surrounding area.

We met in the Royal Theater and took a tender to shore before boarding a large boat for our tour. The tour listed it as a catamaran, but it looked like a giant tender boat.

There were 3 stops: Land's End cliff-side beaches, Lovers Beach, and then wildlife viewing.

We started off heading out of the harbor and made our way right to Land's End.

The rock formation is beautiful, although we basically saw it from our ship on the voyage in.  Still, this was a closer look and included a view of sea lions barking up a storm.

Around the rocks are beaches, including Lover's Beach. If I were to come back again, I think taking a water taxi here would be fun.

At this point, it was whale watching time. In the winter months, humpback whales migrate to Mexico from Alaska to mate.

The crew passed out complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including pre-packaged snacks like potato chips.

The drinks included mai tais, tequila sunrises, and even shots. Kids could have sodas, shirley temples and any drink that doesn't need a blender.

I was less than optimistic that we'd see any whales, but after a half hour we spotted our first pod.

It was pretty far, but I saw two whales come up a few times.  By the time our boat got there, they had gone away.

I would have been pretty content with just that, but then we found the pod two more times, including one time where they came up directly in front of us.

It was amazing to see these whales up-close, and my kids loved it.

The crew did a great job of keeping drinks and snacks handy, and played fun music along the way.

It was a great tour, and I really liked it.  The fact we saw whales a few times was incredible, and made the tour fantastic.

When the tour was over, we were dropped off at the pier. I took a brief walk around the port, but it looked a lot like Cozumel, so we headed back.

The tender ride back was pretty quick, and no lines to contend with.

Back on the ship, we showered quickly before heading to dinner.

Dinner brought us back to Izumi.  My phone was charging in the room, so no dinner photos, but the poke bowl and sushi chef sampler were great.

Tomorrow we are in Mazatlan.

Stray Observations

I found another weird Royal Caribbean food in the Windjammer today, bangers!

Managed to get the kids into Adventure Ocean today without a reservation.  Got there when they opened, and after a few kids with reservations entered, we were admitted.

Royal Caribbean will help with the financial burden of international visitors that need a Covid-19 test to return home.

Last week, the cruise line said it would stop offering complimentary Covid-19 tests for passengers that need a test to get back to their home country onboard the ship.

Instead, they would be referred to shoreside options for testing at an additional cost.

That rule was announced to go into effect beginning with sailings that depart on January 5, but Royal Caribbean has changed their mind.

If you are sailing between January 5th through January 31st, Royal Caribbean will cover the cost of this test for international guests on sailings through January 31st, 2022.

Once a passenger debarks, vendors outside the terminal will be waiting to provide either a PCR or antigen test based on your home country's testing requirement.

Guests are still able to test at other locations outside the terminal, such as at the airport or a local pharmacy - the arrangement and cost for tests outside the terminal will be the guest's expense and responsibility.

Starting on February 1st, 2022, guests who require a re-entry test to travel back home will be responsible for the cost of testing.

The cost of testing in the terminal varies by port and test, starting at $105 per antigen test and $210 per PCR test. You can also take advantage of other testing options, like airport testing or testing at a local pharmacy. The arrangement and cost of these tests are the guest's responsibility and should be paid directly to the test provider.

The new rules can be found on Royal Caribbean's website.

Countries, such as Canada, require a negative Covid-19 test in order for their citizens to return home following international travel.

Royal Caribbean had been offering such tests onboard its ships for no additional charge.

Our first full day on Navigator is a sea day as we head south to Mexico.

Of course, it's also Christmas, which means a ship-wide celebration throughout the day. Being on a cruise ship for Christmas doesn't mean you have to put off your family's celebrations. Lots of families do the pajama thing, take photos, and even decorate.

I started off my morning heading up to the Windjammer for breakfast. There was a gingerbread village just as you walk in.

Behind the village is complimentary eggnog and hot chocolate, conveniently located right near the Windjammer bar. A little Kraken rum and eggnog go a long way.

All around the ship, you will find crew members wearing different Christmas hats and clothing to join in the celebrations.

In case you're wondering, Royal Caribbean provides a midnight mass, as well as Christmas day mass.

While the sun was shining today, it was not warm out.  The high temperature was somewhere in the 60s, and with the ocean breeze, it felt brisk.

Of the many Christmas events, there was a "Holiday gift distribution", where Royal Caribbean provided a wrapped gift to all the kids from Adventure Ocean.

The gift was an Adventure Ocean themed pop it, which is a fidget toy consisting of a silicone tray with pokable bubbles. School aged children love these things.

With the weather not warm enough for the usual pool deck activities, we hit up the mini-golf course and then grabbed some towels to sit by the pool. The towels were for a blanket, rather than to soak up water.

We tried to hit up the ice skating, but the line was enormous, so ditched the line. This is one time I wish I had a Royal Genie again.

Royal Caribbean also held a Christmas day brunch from 9:30am to 1pm in the main dining room.

It is quite unusual to have the main dining room open for so long, and it was nice that you could choose between breakfast, lunch, or both.

After lunch, I decided to head back to the room for a nap. Isn't that a Christmas tradition too?

Having been on the ship for 24 hours, I thought it would make sense to talk about the mask rules and how it's working so far.

Many readers have been curious how the stricter mask rules "feel", and what it's like.

In general, the revised mask protocols means the change is wearing your mask in vaccinated-only zones. 

My experience has been if you are seated in a bar, restaurant, or lounge, as long as there was food or drink in front of you, you were fine without masks and not asked to put the mask on between bites or sips.

I've noticed nearly everyone compliant with the mask rules indoors.  I can think of perhaps one person that didn't have the mask on indoors when I saw them. 

There are definitely a few masks worn by guests that I don't think qualify as masks that do anything helpful, such as face shields alone or the one person had what looked like a coffee filter-inspired mask.

But I cannot recall seeing so many masks being worn on a ship since the early days of cruising's return.

There have also been many more people than I can recall seeing wearing masks outdoors as well.

I don't think Royal Caribbean wants to be in a situation where there are crew members every 10 feet looking to correct mask wearing, but I do know they want guests following the rules, and overall it feels like they've done a good job of focusing on the guest experience, while balancing mask enforcement.

The one rule no one seems to follow or enforce is the elevator rule. Elevators are supposed to be up to 5 people or your travel party, but those things get jam packed repeatedly. 

I'll keep an eye on the mask situation onboard, but so far, I'm very pleased with how the rule has been implemented and how well-received it has been from guests.

Back to the cruise day fun!

Dinner tonight took us to Izumi. We bought the 3-night dining package, and since Chops and Jamie's were blacked out due to the holiday, Izumi made sense. Plus, we'd probably be eating Asian cuisine on Christmas if we were at home!

The one change I noticed is the absence of the hot rock option from the menu.  During the shutdown, Royal Caribbean standardized Izumi's menu across the fleet, and the hot rocks are gone from Navigator, at the very least.

Nonetheless, we found great options and I enjoyed the various sushi options we had.

After dinner, we took the kids to Adventure Ocean. We had a reservation for this evening.  One tip is to ask daily if there's any reservations you can make. The staff member said tomorrow was pretty open, but there were a few spots for the next day.  So we booked that day, and will roll the dice on space for tomorrow.

With the kids gone, my wife and I headed down to the casino to try our luck. The Blackjack gods did not smile upon me, but at least they let me play for a while.

Following our "contribution" to the Royal Caribbean bottom line, we enjoyed drinks and music at the Schooner Bar and Pub.

Tomorrow is our first port stop in Cabo San Lucas.

Stray Observations

One of the weird foods you can eat on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship: three different varieties of gravlax.

I did an internet test today and the speeds were nothing special, but for email, social media, and text messaging, it's more than sufficient. My attempts to watch TNT live so I could catch the Christmas Story marathon failed every single time because of the low speeds and high lag.

I think the casitas on Navigator are complimentary, and do not cost extra. 

In his daily update, the Captain said on Navigator's last 7-night run, they saw a pod of humpback whales, so everyone should look for them as we arrive in Mexico tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I slept on my right shoulder last night and woke up with a strained muscle. Ibuprofen and laying down helps a lot. I'm hoping it gets better quickly.

I ran across the Diamond Lounge set up in the Cosmopolitan Club for their evening happy hour.

Printed Cruise Compasses are a rare breed on this cruise.

Here's a look at the main dining room Christmas menu

Our cruise is here, and we're ready to board Navigator of the Seas for a 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise.

My family and I flew from Orlando to Los Angeles earlier this week, so we could spend a few extra days in Los Angeles and take the kids to Disneyland.

The flight over was great, and we stayed at the Residence Inn Anaheim near the Convention Center. It was walkable to Disneyland, and a 40 minute Lyft ride to the port.

Our embarkation time was 12:30pm, so we hung out at the hotel before requesting a Lyft to take us to the port.

When we arrived at the terminal, no one checked anyone's boarding times and was just allowing anyone to check-in.  This was disappointing, because not only is it the opposite of what Royal Caribbean has been preaching about the importance of check-in times, but it made for a much more crowded and slow check-in procedure.

Be sure to print out your luggage tags before the cruise, because there was a huge line for people who needed luggage tags. It seems the porters in Los Angeles do not have extra luggage tags on them like the porters in Florida or New York do.

Our kids (6 and 11 years old) are fully vaccinated, so I knew we'd have to still jump through a few hurdles to prove they are vaccinated. Royal Caribbean's check-in system has no mechanism yet to distinguish between vaccinated kids and unvaccinated kids.

We had to first go to the testing area to prove they were vaccinated and skip the test. Then, we had to wait in another (longer) line at check-in for them to once again prove the kids were vaccinated.

The rest of the check-in procedure was easy enough, and we made it onboard the ship.

Navigator looks great, and it's my first time back onboard since 2019.

We knocked out the emuster drill as soon as we could. So easy and fast!

The cabins were not ready until 1pm, so we went up to the pool deck to relax.  Kids ate ice cream, while I enjoyed the very comfortable outdoor temperatures.  It was partially sunny with highs in the upper 60s.

My wife went to the spa for a pre-booked massage.

The rooms opened up at 1pm. We have two connecting balcony cabins on this cruise, right near the elevator. I'm a big fan of two connecting rooms rather than one cabin with kids. The extra space and bathroom make a big difference.

Next stop was Adventure Ocean to register the kids. I'm disappointed with the Covid restrictions Adventure Ocean has currently. Families are limited to one reservation for the entire 7-night cruise.

If Royal Caribbean feels good about increasing the ship's capacity, Adventure Ocean has to scale up proportionally to match. 

I'm hopeful there will be more space available later in the sailing, but the staff gave no indication to expect more times other than to luck out with extra spots. Alas, I know we'll have a good time, but it makes planning for families more of a challenge.

For lunch, we stopped by the Windjammer. Like much of the ship, there's plenty of Christmas decorations, including a gingerbread village.

Speaking of decorations, there is the large tree on the Royal Promenade too.

I also noticed a mailbox for letters to Santa near Guest Services.

Back in the room, it was time to get ready for our evening activities.

As you may know, Royal Caribbean announced last week stricter face mask rules. Those new rules are in place for this sailing, which basically mean you cannot take your mask off for being vaccinated in a vaccinated-zone.

Likewise, you cannot walk around with a drink or piece of food without a mask. So far on the first day, mask compliance has been pretty good across the ship.

I ran up to the pool deck to catch the evening sunset.  Too many clouds to make for a great sunset, but the colors in the sky were nice.

While on the top deck, there was a hot chocolate station set up, where you could optionally get liquor added to it for the adults.

Dinner tonight was in the main dining room. I had gone down earlier to check with the head waiter about our table assignment to ensure we weren't in the unvaccinated deck, and sure enough we were not.

The dining room was pretty full, and decorated for Christmas.

After dinner, we took a stroll down the Royal Promenade and checked out the Bamboo Room.

At about 8:30 I called Adventure Ocean to see if there were any spots (they opened at 8pm on the first day) and sure enough there were! I dropped the kids off, and then met my wife back in the English style pub.

I love the music of the pub, which always has a guitarist playing.

On this ship, some friends that had sailed a few times on Navigator since the restart had "warned" the pub staff to expect me, and we had a nice laugh together.

Tomorrow is a sea day, as we sail south to Mexico.

Stray Observations

Guest services told me on two separate occasions we have about 2600 passengers onboard. They did not yet have a final count, but said we are at about 60% capacity on this sailing.

We have the new cans of water on Navigator (instead of the bottles).

The Windjammer is open for dinner on this sailing.

Live Blog Index

• Introduction
• Day 1

While Covid-19 cases on a cruise ship are never good news, the findings thus far show little concern.

Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas made headlines this week when just 1% of fully vaccinated crew members and passengers tested positive for Covid-19. 

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared a quote from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that indicates the cases onboard are all either mild or asymptomatic.

"The CDC is investigating the recent increase in COVID-19 cases identified on Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) Odyssey of the Seas," CDC spokesperson David Daigle told members of the media.

"All cases appear to be mild or asymptomatic. Additionally, there have been no COVID-19 related hospitalizations, medical evacuations, ventilator use, or deaths from this ship."

Mr. Bayley touted this as a positive turn of events, "Bad news Good news!"

"Thought this statement by the CDC is helpful and supports what we are seeing with the mainly crew covid positive cases."

Mr. Bayley feels the fact the cases were very mild demonstrates that while Omicron spreads easier and faster than other Covid-19 variants, its effects appear to be milder, "More and more reports are confirming what we are seeing onboard! This new variant rapidly transmits yet no one (vaccinated) appears to get very sick."

Mr. Bayley has gone on the offense in recent days with social media posts following two Royal Caribbean cruise ships reporting between 40 and 50 cases of Covid-19.

In the case of Odyssey of the Seas, she was prevented from visiting Curacao and Aruba because of the cases onboard.

Last week, Symphony of the Seas had just 0.78% of the passengers onboard test positive for Covid-19.

While the mainstream media jumped on the story of another cruise ship with Covid, Mr. Bayley took the time to explain yesterday why things are not nearly as bad as they may seem in certain reports.

"We are seeing increases in positivity rates with some ships currently close to 1 percent (please note Florida positivity rate is 5 percent, which is pretty good relative to others)."

"Recently Symphony of the Seas was in the media spotlight with 48 positive cases (mainly guests) which was less than 1 percent of the onboard population."

"My hope is this really is the beginning of the end of this virus and what we are seeing is its morphing to fast spread and less harmful like the common cold!  (If vaccinated)."

Royal Caribbean's restart process has reached Baltimore, Maryland.

Enchantment of the Seas restarted cruises on Thursday when she departed from the Port of Baltimore to resume passenger operations.

Enchantment of the Seas will sail south to The Bahamas, and offer a 8-night cruise over the Christmas holiday.

Royal Caribbean will offer 8-night Bahamas sailings, and select 12-night cruises to the Southern Caribbean from Baltimore.

Port Executive Director William P. Doyle is joined by Cruise Maryland General Manager Cindy Burman, Deputy Executive Director Brian Miller, Operations Director Ryan Barry, and Operations General Manager Rockye Truelove

“The return of Royal Caribbean to the Port of Baltimore is great way to celebrate the holiday season!” said Maryland Port Administration Executive Director William P. Doyle.

“People love to cruise from Baltimore for so many reasons starting with our location. Our cruise terminal is directly off Interstate 95 and BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport is only 15 minutes away. We’re located right alongside Baltimore’s world-famous Inner Harbor, as well as Federal Hill, Fort McHenry, and Fells Point with plenty of sightseeing, dining, and shopping options. Come cruise from Baltimore, enjoy our great city, and sail to some of the most incredible tropical paradises in the world.”

Enchantment's 2022-2023 schedule has her offering cruises to Bermuda, including longer sailings that visit Bermuda and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

In August 2022, Enchantment will transition to offer Canada & New England cruises through October.

She will then spend winter 2022 into 2023 going back south to offer 7- to 12-night Southern Caribbean cruises.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has sailed from Baltimore since 2004.

What's next for the restart

Enchantment will be the last Royal Caribbean cruise ship to restart cruises in 2021. Vision of the Seas is next on the schedule, with a restart on January 24th.

That will leave just three more Royal Caribbean cruise ships to restart operations in the first half of 2022.

You can see Royal Caribbean's cruise ship restart plans for more deployment information leading into 2022.

Royal Caribbean International's top executive took to Facebook on Thursday to address the recent news of Covid cases on his cruise ships.

In the wake of two Royal Caribbean cruise ships making headline news for having around 50 positive Covid cases on each ship, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO posted on his Facebook page a new update about where things stand, and why cruise ships are out performing everywhere else in terms of the positivity rate.

Mr. Bayley is no stranger to posting on social media to talk about the progress being made by Royal Caribbean.

Here is a breakdown of what Mr. Bayley said from his Facebook post.

Positivity rate on cruise ships

Mr. Bayley touted the fact cruise ships are doing better than the average across the United States for Covid-19 positive cases.

"We now have a “positivity” rate way below the national rate and way below our big home port states such as Florida, California, Texas etc, and way below Broward and Miami Dade in Florida the two counties that are home to of our biggest home ports of Miami and Port Everglades."

Mr. Bayley then shared his opinion on the omicron variant, noting that he is not a public health official.

"We are seeing increases in positivity rates with some ships currently close to 1 percent (please note Florida positivity rate is 5 percent, which is pretty good relative to others).

"Recently Symphony of the Seas was in the media spotlight with 48 positive cases (mainly guests) which was less than 1 percent of the onboard population.

"Also Odyssey of the Seas has 50 positive cases mainly crew with a onboard population of over 5,000 plus, so approx 1 percent positivity rate."

He then went on to talk about the reality of the cases onboard the ships as being quite mild.

"98 percent plus of positive cases are with the fully vaccinated and 99 per cent plus are asymptomatic or with very mild symptoms often surprised they are positive at all.    

"It really does seem as though the virus (if vaccinated) has morphed to something more like a mild cold !   (Second notice this is not in anyway a statement based on science but simply what we are seeing and hearing from our operations in this environment). "

He went on to say that he hopes Omicron variant is the start of a milder form of Covid-19, "my hope is this really is the beginning of the end of this virus and what we are seeing is its morphing to fast spread and less harmful like the common cold !  (If vaccinated)."

Good news

He started off by highlighting the tremendous progress Royal Caribbean has had with getting the restart process moving, "We now have 21 ships back in operation, 40,000 crew back to work all fully vaccinated and all now receiving their booster shots and over 50,000 to 60,000 guests a week sailing with us all fully vaccinated (over 12) and increasingly the 5 to 12 year olds are getting vaccinated."

Mr. Bayley also shared how well-received cruises have been by the public.

"Guest satisfaction is sky high ! Lots of very happy guests enjoying wonderful cruise vacations in a safe (relative to any other options) and fun way."

"The crew (God bless them all) have been through all kinds of obstacles and difficulties and are now back doing what they love to do do and are now able to care for and support their families back home."

Vaccinations on cruise ships

Mr. Bayley said on a typical sailing, there are between 95% - 98% fully vaccinated guests onboard, with everyone getting a pre-cruise test for Covid-19.

In addition, crew members are tested every week, with front of house staff (crew members who deal directly with passengers) now being tested every three days, and everyone wearing masks the vast majority of the time, along with social distancing, sanitizing, etc.

Ship capacity

Royal Caribbean has slowly been increasing ship capacity since the summer, and Royal Caribbean is now approaching 70 to 80% in December 2021.

"We have also been managing capacity from our start up in July with 20 to 30 per cent average load factors increasing approx 10 per cent a month to approx 70 to 80 per cent in December."

"Our normal year full year load factor is approx 110 per cent. (3rd and 4th berth occupancy which is normally kids)."

Read Bayley's entire message