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As Sunday quickly approaches and we are about to embark on our first cruise, I wanted to save my 1000th post to say a big thank you to all my new RCblog friends! You have eased our minds and answered so many of our questions that I know you have probably answered for others time and time again. But you did it without hesitation or bemoaning the fact that that question had already been answered. The one thing that became apparent on this site opposed to others that I had been on was how quickly there was a sense of friendship and family. Even though we are separated by thousands of miles and most of us have never met. We support each other. We rib on each other. And we are there for each other when the other person needs something. Just like a family. So, I will probably post some more before we leave for Boston on Saturday. Who am I kidding, of course I'm going to post some more! When we return, I will definitely post our impressions from our first RC cruise, but hopefully not our last. Thanks again for all your help! Fred and Leslie

You know what THEY say about being old (regardless of having an AARP card).....you're only as old as you feel and when you can't feel anymore, then you're old!

Never were truer words spoken than what I typed in the title ...... My wife, Tyna, and I did the exact same cruise last week, that we did last year --- A 5-nighter to Bermuda, in September, on Grandeur OTS out of Baltimore. Expecting the same experience as last year was our first mistake -- even though the ship, cabin, itinerary were identical, the cruise experience was completely different, yet, so much fun..... First off, I must give a "Shout Out" to the Cruise Maryland staff ...... We pulled in the parking lot at about 9:45 and were on the ship by 10:45 ..... had our first Bloody Mary in hand by 11:00 ---- The perfect way to start and enjoy our "Breakfast of Champions" Now mind you, we, along with others that we had made contact with, were watching The Weather Channel like a hawk..... we knew it wasn't going to be easy thanks to Jose, and we were right (I scoped the water splashing out of the swimming pool - who needs a Flowrider? Right?) ---- I must give a lot of credit to the Captain ..... normally, as you come out of the Chesapeake, you go south towards Cape Hatteras, then a track SE to Bermuda ---This time, we came out of the bay, we went due east to stay ABOVE the storm, then arrive at Bermuda from the north ---- Then, on the way back, we stayed to the south of the storm all the way west, then went north to the Bay...... as we were in Bermuda, Jose passed to our west ..... we did a sort of loop around it...... Perfect. NEVER DID WE EVER THINK OUR SAFETY, OR THE SHIPS STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY WAS IN ANY JEOPARDY!!! Fortunately, through all this planning, my wife bought every conceivable seasickness remedy she could find "Just in Case" --- People got sick on this cruise because of the motion (luckily, we weren't two of them) ---- I'd file that under the category "Proper Planning" .... Now, to get to the fun ---- the vision my wife had was to enjoy relaxing around the pool, enjoying some frosty beverages and listening to the calypso music ....... yeah, outside of Sail-Away in Baltimore and again as we left Bermuda --- that just didn't happen (in fact, they drained all pools and shut down the top outdoor deck AND the Promenade Deck that wraps around the ship under the life boats because of the wind and the rocking....Plus, in Bermuda, many excursions were canceled due to rough seas ..... Fortunately, again, knowing what the weather was going to be like - we rescheduled our snorkeling excursion to instead, visit the Crystal Caves (I highly recommend) For us, we took what many considered to be lemons, and turned them into lemonade..... We just let each day "happen" and see where it takes us ..... Tyna caught me on video ATTEMPTING to dance to Thriller on the Centrum Stage night one ..... It was as ugly as you can imagine (Thanks Bud Lite) --- even as I type this, I'm chuckling ...... so much fun. On another day, we did the Sushi Making Class in Izumi (I tolerate Sushi at best -- she loves it) --- it was so much fun, hers looked it was done by a professional, not to be gross, mine looked like a turd --- We laughed so hard for hours over that. One evening, we watched Beauty and the Beast (the new version) on the big screen ..... Yes, my "man card" got taken away on that one, but so did a lot of others ....incredibly peaceful. We met some amazing people, saw some people that were on with us last time, that not only joined us this time, but also will be sailing with is in April of 2019. Once again, I'm shown how, when you're on a cruise, you're amongst family. Here are a few pictures --- including Tyna during the Sushi making class .... and .... us doing a little smoochie, smoochie in one of Bermuda's famous Moongates (with Grandeur in the background) --- a stunning shot if you ask me. Anyhow, lessons learned .... be prepared for the weather, don't expect your next cruise to be anything like your prior cruises, and go with the flow and let yourself be stupid and have fun --- even if that includes attempting to dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (I'm laughing again as I type this) Oh, and next time we go to Bermuda -- and yes, we are, it'll be October of 2018 --- still in Hurricane season , just not at its prime. Mark

I'm really glad to hear you not only found helpful information, but enjoyed posting here and the folks that frequent these boards. I'm so proud of the wonderful community we have here.

Did you know that you can reserve a time for rides like Soarin''? I think you can do it online now. A few years ago my family and I went to Disney and my son-in-law went ahead of us and made reservations for a couple of hours later. We spent the time doing other Disney stuff and then showed up a little before the reservation time and went right in.....ahead of the very long line. Talk about dirty looks, but, I didn't really care. Check it out! This will definitely galvanize your reputation as a "vacation drill sergeant" and possibly get you promoted sergeant major!

Be careful. Canadian fares are higher than US fares. This is what we're discussing, right?

https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/69678-first-cruise-ship-back-on-nov-11

A few months ago I gave props to Mr. Moran for his huge post count, having not yet been on a cruise. So I would be remiss if I didn't do the same for y'all! I think it's uber cool to become an expert at something you haven't done yet. I thought y'all were cruisin' veterans! I hope you have the greatest vacation ever! ...and ease up, Sarge! Just enjoy the waves and easy rock of the ship.

Anthem --- The "Where's the Viking Crown Lounge?" Ship ----

I am a fairly new travel agent and I was calling for my own booking. I never understood why RCCL doesn't allow more than 4 guests on one booking. For instance, my one Grand Suite Stateroom (sleeps 8) is technically two bookings (4 and 2). That limitation is one of the reasons why you cannot see the inventory on their website. I as well could not see this stateroom using my portal. I needed to call and figure out what was best for myself. They also offered a 2 bedroom, Aquasuite room which was $5000 more than the Grand Suite 2 Bedroom. Again, not listed anywhere from the website or my portal. All can suggest is call your travel agent or call RCCL yourself and tell them how many people you have in one room, and they will come up with something for you.

On Harmony they seemed to be lax for breakfast and lunch but they were very stringent about bringing guests to dinner in CK.

...and yet, no picture of the turd. I am disappoint.

BRB booking a cruise to Bermuda.

Im far from an expert, I just like to give my opinion and advice about things, even if people havent asked for it! ?

Here ya go...... Crystal Caves ...... Here's what's really amazing.... the AVERAGE depth of the lake is 40 ft.

Being flexible is not a strong point of mine. Glad you had a great time but I believe there was a misquote in your post. You did mean to say, that you had your first Bloody Maryland in hand by 11:00, yes?

I've heard that they serve that on cruises out of the UK. Sounds pretty delicious.

How could you NOT have a good time when you're on a cruise ...... I believe the real trick is allowing yourself to be flexible with whatever comes down the pike. Those that are real rigid with their plans would've had a lousy time on this one ..... Nothing went according to plan, not even the belly-flop contest, (CANCELED!)

Just like the drink package, the value of the photo package is what you make of it.

Such a fun post! So glad to hear you guys had a great time!!! You guys look super happy in all of your pictures and like you had a blast.

And if you are like @rjacand myself, your AARP card!

Wow after this I’m more excited.

So glad you had an amazing time! Jane

Just being away and not planning a wedding will be awesome! I love being on a cruise and having some days where it's me, a book and my frosty adult beverage.... so different from my 55 hour work weeks for sure! You have a great attitude about all the changes...i hour you have a wonderful time!! Jane

They sure have!

Canadian bacon?

No Matt not Freeport Bahamas, please send me somewhere else. I had my September Eastern cancelled. My November Eastern is going to Key West, St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau. Guess I won't be seeing any of those ports. In February 2018 another Eastern, same ports. I don't want to go to Freeport. UGH, you ruined my day. Candie