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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
 

Love you r review and your attitudes. Lemonade for all, maybe with a little vodka!

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

Wife and I just upgraded to a Balcony room on Vav of the seas for January 18. Our 4th cruise and the first balcony, can't wait. 

With everything that goes on in everybody's busy lives, sometimes the best thing that can happen is doing nothing.
I told my wife, we spend all year taking care of others. Whether it's our kids, other family members, friends or work responsibilities . This week is ours and ours alone.
We are going to concentrate on us as a couple. Shut out the outside world. And celebrate 27yrs of being married to our best friends.
All the best to you and yours.

Honestly, in between the stresses of work, planning a wedding, and losing my brother two months ago I'm really just going to be happy to be sitting on our balcony quietly with a beer and reading a book or just talking. I'd be fine if it was 7 sea days... just need to get away at this point. 

The best thing you can do is try any drink until you hit upon the one in the pic...

That seems like a big hassle. I've just decided to bring a sun dial.

They just announced  on the news that the Key West  ship port is now open.  Hopefully the other ports that  were affected by the hurricanes will be able to re open at some point and time.  Obviously not as fast as Key West.   Mother nature has been very unkind this year.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those that were affected both here and abroad.   Just saw the itinerary update page and the next 3 RC cruises are going to Nassau instead of Key West..  

Last night on the Harmony of the Seas!

I think this thread was supposed to be posted on Cruise Critic. 

Hey dj.  I wanted to respond to your post.  I know I did earlier in the week.  I know you know that RCCL is doing the best they can with a terrible situation.  Nobody can help the fact that 3 terrible storms, 2 of which hit the same area, have wreaked havoc on the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and SW Atlantic Ocean in the past 3 weeks.  It seems the major cruise lines that serve these areas have really stepped up to help save lives and to do the best they can for their passengers. If it were me, I'd be bummed too.  I've had one vacation rescheduled by a hurricane, and the replacement turned out to be one of the best trips of my life.  I hope you can work out to take full advantage of the discounted cruise they've offered.

That's if you can find an open hotel...

Really hoping it dies down following Maria. We've been planning our B2B honeymoon on Allure for over a year now, and while we've had our ports change a couple times we're pretty much excited to get there and just sit quietly on board with a book and a cocktail. As long as we can get on the ship, they'll take care of us from there even if we have to circle around a storm a bit. 

A foggy day on vacation is better than a sunny day at home, yes? ?

Our experience with Enchantment and IRMA - To the one that did the report above, you should have stayed on. It was awesome!
http://www.cimorelli.com/cruises/2017-evacuation-cruise/2017-evacuation-cruise.html

POUTINE! French fries with cheese curd and gravy.
Sorry, I got excited for a second. I went to school in upstate NY right near Canada and that was as popular as pizza for late night food. I miss it a little.

Did a similar trip with Adventure last year with friends who did their research. We didn't do an excursion - we walked from the ship to the Boatyard (I think the walk was 2 miles each way but I can't be counted on for that...a taxi would work, I'm sure. )and rented some chairs on the beach. We walked a little until we found an area with prices we were okay with.
It was one of my best experiences of the entire trip. It was a low-key day and the water was the warmest and bluest of all the beaches I'd have ever been. Just an idea.

Good thought. We will check email once or twice during the week. But honestly, my workaholic hubby needs to be incommunicado for all but the most dire of emergencies ? no worky-worky! Lol!! Can I get an amen?
Dina ?
 

ha...I was defn going to suggest poutine!!..SO many different varations and flavors/toppings you can get on it as well.
 
I would also suggest trying Donair or a slice of donair pizza with donair dipping sauce on the side.
 

Hi Everyone!  My name is Rhonda.  My husband Mark and I are brand spanking new to cruising.  We are from western PA, have a sassy cat, love traveling, napping, and restoring/pinteresting furniture in our free time.  The message boards here are wonderful & I've been reading them daily so we don't appear as newbies once on board!  Although I'm sure one look at the perma-smile once there will give it away!  We are looking forward to (read: talking non stop the past month) sailing on the Oasis of the Seas, Eastern Caribbean, December 2018 in an Aquatheater suite with my sister and newly retired parents.  Keeping my fingers crossed at maybe talking the hubby into a short 3 day bahamas trip much sooner, and per everyone's advice on here have already mentally planned out a multitude of options for 2019 & 20!  Looking forward to getting to know everyone better!

Asking God to have mercy on them and all in this hurricane's path.

Yes I retired from the Irving Texas Fire Department after almost 35 years. I loved my job but I felt it was time to let younger people take over.
I have worked a part time job for two years but they frowned on me taking off once a month for 7 days to take a cruise, (I just don't understand that)!!
I now work from home picking the hours I want to work and when I can take time off.
I cruise about 6 to 8 times a year, although Harvey and Irma have managed to ruin two of this years cruises.
Candie

I've only been on this board for a short time but this is the second Rush quote I've seen... ;)