StayFrosty

The escape room pics that @Matt posted on the blog look awesome. Great production values. I am a huge escape room and space history fan. I might have to book the ship just for the escape room. Most expensive escape room ever!

Hit the slides while in port. Don’t miss the piano player in the Schooner Bar. I love the movies by the pool (the Lime and the Coconut Bar is open late!). Book the escape room. Don’t miss iSkate, the drones are amazing! Here is my live blog from June.

That escape room looks amazing!!!!! Is it bad that I want to book a sailing just for that?

No worries there. The Virgin Pendolino trains, like almost all British trains, have a narrower loading gauge (the trains are narrower). US lines can take wider trains so using a UK train set here would unnecessarily squeeze passengers. Those trains are electric and use a tilting technology that is not really needed on the Florida route which is very straight and non-electrified. Lastly those trains wouldn't meet US crash worthiness standards. I haven't heard any complaints about the new trains that Brightline purchased but they will need more once service expands to Orlando. Hopefully Virgin will make better choices than they did for their British franchises.

I think that the staff member running the escape room on Navigator said it had around a 30%ish success rate. It was not the hardest room I have done but it was a lot of fun. We only barely finished in time mainly due to not being able to fine something at one point.

It is my understanding the Virgin Trains bought out Brightline and will be changing the branding to Virgin sometime next year. That is how I read it as well. If it was the same train, it would need to do a fairly significant reverse move to access the Miami terminal and the port. Everything that I have read about this previously sounds like it will just be a single station at the port near the current trans-loading facility. So you still have the problem of the "last mile" to the terminal. Seems like a waste if you have to take the train to the Miami terminal, transfer to the train to the port, then transfer to the bus to the terminal. Might as well just get on a bus to the port at the Miami Terminal. Now if they the do a time-separated light rail and do a loop to all of the terminals via a combination of private right-of-way and street running, that might be worth it but it would be more difficult and costly to construct.

Enchantment of the Seas (988ft) has been in Baltimore previously and will be again and it is longer than a Radiance Class ship (962 ft).

They have added stuff other then specialty restaurants to the smaller ships over the year just not on the same scale as the Amplification Program. Most of the smaller ships have had kids splash pads installed, rock walls were added. The most significant renovation to a smaller ship was when they cut Enchantment in half and lengthened her. That added an additional pool and pool bar, more shops, Boleros and obviously more cabins. At some point they also added the trampoline thing to the front of the ship (not that it ever seemed to be open when I was on in 2015). All that said, I don't think you will see any big changes anymore. The ships are paid for, just keep them in good shape and make the money.

This is where Mariner got its Izumi and they got hibachi as well.

Where did you dock in Tokyo?

Try this instagram link.

You might have to be a member of the group. I’ll see if he posted it anywhere else.

I found this on Facebook from Rob Stone Photography. He brought a drone to Coco Cay (he was initially told he could use it before someone else told him no). You can see a tiny bit of what is going on behind the construction walls. Unfortunately is is not very much. But hey, something is better than nothing. Edit: new link as the last one was private.

Out of curiosity, what about sea days do you like that would be unavailable while parked at CocoCay?

Is that a ISS module being the 747 tail? Looks like maybe a mock up of the Destiny Lab?

Nice! I loved Jamie’s on Navigator.

I will gladly take two days at CocoCay. We were just there in June. I think my wife would kill me if I booked another one, but she might forgive me if there were two days at CocoCay.

That’s kind of ironic because they were originally built for the Navy! Heck of a plane.

Team @Lovetocruise2002! Earlier the better!

I’ve slept great on all three ship I’ve been on, including Navigator earlier this summer.

Classic Lounge works. I am not sure it is the best but I can't think of anything better. While it does have a bar, you would only ever go in there for the entertainment. Since it is entertainment first, bar second, I would keep in in entertainment.

Thanks for all of the work. Possible suggestion. Maybe combine venues that differ in name only. The biggest example I saw was the classic lounge. On Majesty it is called the Spectrum, you have all of the vision class lumped together, and on Navigator has the Star Lounge, but they are all pretty much the same venue. Just a thought. Thanks again.

This!

From my experience in local theater, rights holders are also very hesitant to allow changes to the content. And correct me if I am wrong but aren’t royal’s production trimmed for time.

Chicago you could most likely get but not very family friendly. Wicked is still too popular (pun intended) as is Hamilton. Selling rights for cruise ship productions is only done after you milked all the money you can elsewhere. Shows that have left broadway in the last few years and no longer have 1st tier touring companies are your best bet. A few shows off the top of my head that meet those criteria and would fit a cruise ship: 1. Legally Blonde 2. Waitress (leaves broadway in January) 3. In the Heights (though there is a movie coming out next year so...) 4. Once (would be great for small ships) 5. Kinky Boots 6. The Drowsy Chaperone (it would kill but no one would go to it because they have never heard of it.) 7. Next to Normal and Spring Awaking are fabulous but probably too dark for a cruise ship. In other words, anything but Cats...