mbk999

My TA actually raved about Rose Island when we booked our April trip and looked at us a little funny when we said we weren't doing a Nassau excursion. Since we didn't have a sea day on the itinerary, we treated Nassau as a pseudo sea day. I had printed out a Frommer's walking guide for Nassau and we did that for a couple of hours in the AM and then spent the afternoon on the ship. The Fort was pretty cool and the architecture (and colors) of the government buildings were nice. For a beach day, I know others have had good experiences at the British Colonial Hilton, which is walking distance from the port.

Welcome back and congrats! Thanks for the stray thoughts on the Allure (we are sailing in Oct for our 25th). I had read and listened to lots of posts about being disconnected to the sea so we booked an ocean facing balcony as one of my favorite stress releases is watching the ocean water go by on the sea days. I'm curious about comment #2 on not booking again for just a week. I'm guessing that's because there's just too much to do and you can't fit it all in.

Pretty nice pictures. Even when I have business in Miami I try to fly to FLL, hate the Miami airport...

Thanks for the info. Sorry to make you search, I should have looked at the schedule from the start. Since we'll be flying Southwest or Jet Blue, it's a lot simpler going in and out of FLL than it is Miami.

When is that move? I'm booked on an Oct 18 sailing on the Allure. Not that it's a huge distance between Miami and FLL but it would definitely alter travel and hotel plans.

I was going to say do a Frommer's type walking tour until I read the whole post and saw the mobility issues. Stay on the ship, or at least, wait for the initial wave of people to disembark, then head out for a walk around the shops, maybe grab some ice cream. I'd treat it like a sea day (hopefully there will be a breeze). We did that same cruise back in April and the only thing missing was a sea day.

And low and behold there is a psuedo-chartered event, a book signing/convention with meet the author events. At first glance a series of gothic romance novellas (http://www.1001darknights.com/events/) not my cup of tea but clearly someone's....

worked out fine in April. If I broke out the spreadsheet and looked at it per drink, might save $50 for the week by not getting it. But then I'd just be keeping a mental calculation going in my head and I'm trying to purge as much stress as possible while on-board.

Thanks Matt. That posting predates my discovery of your blog.

Non-alcoholic drinks. lots of bottled water, fresh squeezed oj every day. I pretty much break even (couple pool drinks, pre-dinner cocktail, glass of wine, after dinner drink). I know RCI makes a little money off of her but i just look at it as a convenience factor of not having an additional bill at the end.

When we were dating, my wife worked at an office where I knew most of the co-workers and significant others. Half the fun of sending flowers to the office was getting the other guys in trouble.... Back to cruising, I am the vacation planner (with input and lots of interest from my wife). As such, it always amazes me, talking with people on the trip or after other trips, they don't know/can't remember the name of the ship (often it's just Royal Caribbean or Carnival), don't know the ports they will go to, or even the basic geography. We were sailing from Grand Cayman to Cozumel once and I was listening to a group on the pool deck talking about how excited they were to finally see Acapulco. All they knew was that they were going to Mexico and just assumed it would be Acapulco.

As I listened to the podcast on the morning commute, i was mentally calculating the options as to how best to work it, but then I heard Matt mention the exemption. My plan was the deluxe for me and the refreshment package for my wife anyway so it sounds like I can still do that. Bit of a pain to have to call and get the exemption but not unlike mailing in a rebate check after a purchase.

Interesting point on the charter issue, how does one check that?

Thanks for the input!

I'm in the midst of looking at a quick trip on the Brilliance of the Seas out of Tampa in Jan or Feb, depending on if schedules can align. It would be a first on the Radiance class but my question is more geared towards the Brilliance herself as I think she is due for drydock later in 2018. Has anyone had any recent experience sailing her? I'd imagine the ship needs a refresh but I'd be surprised if it didn't still look great. Also, it would be a first sail out of Tampa for us. I'm assuming Port to Airport is about a 30-40 minute trip but I was looking to confirm that assumption and if the port was notorious for being slow on disembarkation. Thanks, Brian

I agree that 12:30 is doable but likely stressful. You'd almost for sure need to self carry your luggage, then there's the transportation to MCO (uber? shuttle? rental). For a mid-morning weekend at MCO, security could be 45-60 minutes.

That's exactly when I remember it starting, about the same time I started to embrace Southwest Airlines.

Thank you for the updates Kansas Cruiser, it seems like you've certainly made the best of a stressful situation. IMO RCI appears to have handled this as well as can be expected. I hope things work out/worked out for you departing the ship but I have a feeling the 2000 fellow passengers will take a "me first" attitude. We were delayed nearly 5 hours getting to Canaveral once due to a medical emergency and I thought RCI handled it well then too. Ship to shore charges were cancelled and internet was free, allowing people to re-book travel arrangements as necessary. The next day was a different matter, lots of people jostling to be the first off the ship, frustrations running high, verbal altercations, as if they were the only ones of the 4000 who were inconvenienced. Actually very sad to watch people act like that but sadly I wasn't surprised. I hope things aren't/weren't like that for you.

While I have not done Atlantis, from everything I've heard from people who have done that on either with an excursion, I wouldn't do it for the short amount of time. My co-worker stood in line for 45 min just to get the waterpark pass. Plus, if the ship is leaving at 1300, you'll probably have to leave by 1130-1200. That's a lot of $$ for a few hours. Self guided walking tour around Nassau instead? A poor substitute for a fun waterpark but the Queen's Staircase and the Fort is kind of cool if you've never seen it. Sorry for the itinerary change, hope you're able to come up with some alternative activities.

Was on the Enchantment in April, good ship for a quick getaway. She's older and a little rusty in spots (outside) but clean and comfortable. Nice pool deck and it shouldn't be crowded during the day since a lot / most will be off ship. We loved Coco Cay, and since the Enchantment is on the smaller side, Coco Cay shouldn't be crowded at all. Snorkeling equipment rentals will run around $30. The MDR was decent, WIndjammer actually very good, and Chops was okay. Someone mentioned the Schooner Bar, I really liked the Sidecar there. You also mentioned something to do in Miami. While we stayed in Fort Lauderdale, my co-worker had a port stop in Miami and visited Vizcaya Museum & Gardens and they really enjoyed that. Have fun.

I second the bike idea. There's also a lot to do within walking distance. Bars, shops, museums... El Siboney Restaurant has good Cuban food, it's a few blocks off Duval.

That's what they said they'd do next time, rent from Enterprise. The bus sounded nightmarish as people were apparently waiting over an hour to "hop back on" Then the bus driver threw the current passengers under the bus by blaming them for not hopping off.

Spoke with my neighbors yesterday and they just got off the 9 Day New England/Canada cruise on the Grandeur and they loved it. The ship was in good shape and looked nice, the staff was really good. The MDR food was good not great. Their comment was that the descriptions don't always match the actual product but it was good none the less. Said it was a mix of 60+ couples and younger families (they are in their late 40s with a high school and college junior). The kids did not participate in any of the clubs or get togethers but they are book worms and are happy relaxing with a book, watching the ocean go by. Their least favorite port was Boston. They did the hop on/hop off tour bus but never got off because the "hop back on" lines were too long and they didn't want to get stuck. Loved Bar Harbor. One of the Canadian stops (can't remember which) they had rented a car from Hertz and did a self driving tour but said don't do Hertz. While it's the closest to the port, it's a one man band seasonal office and the one man was woefully inefficient. At one of the Canadian ports (sorry can't remember which) there was a popular beach/bay that was mobbed with people and off road parking was over a mile away. But the scenery at each were great (according to them). They did say to bring a jacket as they weren't quite prepared for how chilly it could be. One thing they wouldn't do again is get inside cabins. Clean and efficient but very small (older ship). Side note: I thought the oceanview on the Enchantment (same class) was ample for two people. Hope this helps. As with anything, there was good and bad but their first comment to us was "you have to go on this cruise". And they absolutely loved going under the bridges. They actually didn't do the MDR the first night in order to stay on deck and watch as they sailed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

My wife tends to bring plastic bags to keep the dirty clothes and I'll use one just to separate my "casino clothes". She won't set foot in there due to just the lingering smell so if I go one night, I'll have to stick the clothes in the separate bag and shower to get rid of the smoke smell. Though I guess in the end I wind up saving $ since because of all that, I don't go as much as I normally would. I'd love a 100% smoke-free environment but I can't see this taking hold any time soon. So for now, I'm happy to have a smoke free room and balcony and we just avoid the smoking areas.

Agreed.... I don't have first hand knowledge so this is a bit like an on-line review but my co-worker and his family went on the Grandeur in April (pre-refurb) and had nothing but good things to say. They have two middle school age girls and all have multiple cruises under their belts. They did all the family activities: shows, trivia, scavenger hunts, etc and indicated that they were never wanting for things to do. I know it's second hand but the best I've got. We are actually pet sitting for some neighbors next week as they depart on the Grandeur for what sounds like the same itinerary you are looking at. I'll see what they have to say when they return.