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Thank you @DocLC consider the invitation accepted! I am looking forward to the experience.

Enjoy. You've been added to the list. Are you on the group cruise aboard the Explorer or did you book independently? Have a great time. We had about 10 years between our Royal Caribbean cruises, too, with three Disney, three Holland American, a couple of NCL, and a Princess cruise during that hiatus. Added! It looks like you'll be onboard the Anthem with @JLMoran Have a safe and enjoyable trip. The Brilliance is a great ship.

Thanks for the update Spiegeje. Yes Kenny Chesney is doing the right thing. Also, former San Antonio Spurs center, Tim Duncan, has pledged to match $1 million for U.S. Virgin Islands relief. He grew up in the Virgin Islands before moving to the U.S for college in 1993.

The Dutch and French governments are sending aid according to some news articles I have seen. Since Sint Maarten is dealing with Jose right now, we won't know much for a few more days. The SXM government website has not been updated since Thursday. Quite a few YouTube videos have popped up. All of the Snapchat videos that were up yesterday except one near Marigot have expired as I write this. It shows what looks like some aid efforts. You can use the pinch to map feature and find it if you move the map to the Eastern Caribbean. There are no Periscopes from there. I found a Facebook tourism page that posted links to send money. I won't post it here because while I think it is legit, I am not certain how quickly the aid will get to those who need it. I am choosing to hold out until I see something more concrete. It's killing me, because my heart goes out to all on that island. FYI, as far as the USVI and British Virgin Islands, I saw that the country singer Kenny Chesney is putting together a big effort to send aid.

I have heard of people doing it in recent months, so it is still a valid option. I do think their standard rooms have a capacity of 4 and so only come with 4 passes. If you have more than that you need another room, so for a family of 5 the savings can be much lower.

Unless you had the drink package during your first time... Er, we might be talking about different things

Update: departure day was rainy and gloomy but it cleared up quickly once we got out of the Bay. The crossing to Bermuda was beautiful with warm weather and calm seas. Got into port today and the weather is partly cloudy but lovely. Hoping the nice weather holds as we have an evening excursion cruise. Really enjoying this nice holiday getaway. Will do a more complete review (including details of our AWESOME surprise cabin upgrade) once I get home. Then looking forward to the group cruise on the 16th. Got an email from our Genie today and it's the same Genie we had in Feb (Reyno) so we're very pleased.

I hate what this video shows, but it looks like the piers are completely gone. I can't imagine what it will take to rebuild that area, and the impact to their economy seems mind boggling.