twangster

Plans for this Cruise
Only one excursion booked so far.  A day trip to Jost Van Dyke in the BVI from Tortola.
My last visit to Jost Van Dyke occurred when I lived on St Thomas.  It's one of the smaller islands of the Virgin Island chain but she has a beautiful beach and is home to the Soggy Dollar Bar right on the beach.  Boats anchor off the beach and visitors swim to land hence they have soggy dollars. 
The hurricanes that impacted San Juan and the US Virgin Islands did a number on Jost Van Dyke but I understand they've rebuilt.  Time to contribute to the local economy again.  
I brought my snorkel gear this time and hope to snorkel at CocoCay if the weather is good.  Then I'll jump in Oasis Lagoon to enjoy the fresh water and swim up pool bar.  No CocoCay excursions purchased (so far).  Lunch at the Snack Shack for another Shack Crispy Chicken Sandwich.   Yum.
With our late arrival in San Juan the plan is to wander around and take pictures during golden hour assuming there is no more civil unrest.
St Thomas will be a boring work day for me.  

Following and also Cruising along with Twangster on the Empress compliments of Casino Royale. Also JS on Deck 9.

Be careful to separate rumor from speculation from facts.  
Until the White House announces it, it's not going to happen.  Even if it did, the cruise lines lost so much money on the abrupt short notice changes they will be a lot more careful going back absent of anything that doesn't confirm another whimsical change couldn't occur a month later.  The current administration isn't very business friendly towards the cruise industry.
Even if a new administration were to allow it, the cruise industry would be cautious.  Most cruises are booked over a year in advance.  The cruise industry will always struggle with a flip flop government policy that allows it for a few years then changes it's mind with zero notice. It's challenging to build a business model when nothing is certain and the government can rip the rug out from under you tomorrow.
In the past there were grandfathering clauses that provided some stability.  Those were not offered this time where they could have been. 
Once bitten, twice shy.  

In the words as sung by Britney Spears...  ? Oops, I Did it Again ?
For those who are wondering what is he talking about?  (or thinking I've enjoyed one too many happy hour drinks)  I just finished 14 nights on this little beauty last week.  You can read about that B2B experience here:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14213-empress-b2b-14-nights-on-the-biggest-little-ship-july-2019/
Those cruises were great but they were Western Caribbean and this 8 night cruise is Eastern Caribbean including a stop at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.  Royal hasn't visited the BVI very much in recent years so when I saw the BVI added to the itinerary in the wake of the Cuba cancellations I knew I had to do it.  Icing on my cake comes courtesy of another visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay. 
Itinerary
Miami Perfect Day at CocoCay Sea Day San Juan Tortola St Thomas Sea Day Sea Day Miami Our Perfect Day ends at 2pm so we can make it to San Juan for a 3pm arrival after a day at sea.  We stay until midnight in San Juan so if all goes well I hope to get some evening and night pictures around San Juan.
Sailing in a Junior Suite I have scored one of the most forward deck 9 JS cabins this time.
I love this small ship and her big heart.  It's a good thing I love this ship because this will be my fourth cruise on her.  My Crown and Anchor points haven't been posted yet from my last cruise on her so with the "paint still wet", I'm heading back to the love of my life, or at least the love of my life right now. 
Because I'm flying I don't like taking just one cruise so with a night off the water in between, I'm doing a side-to-side over to Majesty right after this cruise.  A few years ago I started dreaming about a tour of the small ships and this marks another step towards completing that goal.  
I think I set a record this time having packed my suitcase a full two days before the cruise.  Basically I took my cruise clothes from the dryer and put them right back into my suitcase.  
      " You see my problem is this
       I'm dreaming away
       Wishing that heroes, they truly exist
       I cry, watching the days
       Can't you see I'm a fool in so many ways
       But to lose all my senses
       That is just so typically me
       Oh baby, oh "
Okay that doesn't make total sense but it's the only part of the lyrics that somewhat fit so I'm going with it.  

Actually I received triple points because I was solo in a Junior Suite.  When not occupied by a solo guest a Junior Suite would give you double points.  

Since I nearly went overboard with pictures of Empress in my previous live blog I'm going to skip all the basics about Empress in my pictures this time around.  Take a look in my previous thread if you want to see the ship (link included in first post).
If you do reply to posts with pictures please take the time to remove the pictures in your reply to keep this thread a lot easier to read. 

August 10, 2019
You know what that means?
IT'S CRUISE DAY!
Like a kid on Christmas morning it's 6am, I'm awake and ready to go.  It looks like the C&A team has been busy putting presents in my account.  Overnight my points from last week have posted, including the solo-in-a-suite gift.

When cruising in hurricane season I always keep an eye on the tropics.  While only early August this is a great thing to see.  Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 5 days.

Looking at the MarineTraffic.com app I've caught Empress gliding past Symphony as she arrives into the Port of Miami this morning.

I'm here.  The ship is here.  There are no tropical storms on the radar screen.  Phew!
Can you tell I'm bored with nothing to do?  Tick tock.  Tick tock.  Is it time yet?

Since I nearly went overboard with pictures of Empress in my previous live blog I'm going to skip all the basics about Empress in my pictures this time around.  Take a look in my previous thread if you want to see the ship (link included in first post).
If you do reply to posts with pictures please take the time to remove the pictures in your reply to keep this thread a lot easier to read. 

August 10, 2019
You know what that means?
IT'S CRUISE DAY!
Like a kid on Christmas morning it's 6am, I'm awake and ready to go.  It looks like the C&A team has been busy putting presents in my account.  Overnight my points from last week have posted, including the solo-in-a-suite gift.

When cruising in hurricane season I always keep an eye on the tropics.  While only early August this is a great thing to see.  Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 5 days.

Looking at the MarineTraffic.com app I've caught Empress gliding past Symphony as she arrives into the Port of Miami this morning.

I'm here.  The ship is here.  There are no tropical storms on the radar screen.  Phew!
Can you tell I'm bored with nothing to do?  Tick tock.  Tick tock.  Is it time yet?

August 10, 2019
You know what that means?
IT'S CRUISE DAY!
Like a kid on Christmas morning it's 6am, I'm awake and ready to go.  It looks like the C&A team has been busy putting presents in my account.  Overnight my points from last week have posted, including the solo-in-a-suite gift.

When cruising in hurricane season I always keep an eye on the tropics.  While only early August this is a great thing to see.  Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 5 days.

Looking at the MarineTraffic.com app I've caught Empress gliding past Symphony as she arrives into the Port of Miami this morning.

I'm here.  The ship is here.  There are no tropical storms on the radar screen.  Phew!
Can you tell I'm bored with nothing to do?  Tick tock.  Tick tock.  Is it time yet?

Thanks!
I have an app called "Hurricane" that I use but it draws many of it's graphics from the National Hurricane Center offered ny NOAA.  nhc.noaa.gov

Since I nearly went overboard with pictures of Empress in my previous live blog I'm going to skip all the basics about Empress in my pictures this time around.  Take a look in my previous thread if you want to see the ship (link included in first post).
If you do reply to posts with pictures please take the time to remove the pictures in your reply to keep this thread a lot easier to read. 

August 10, 2019
You know what that means?
IT'S CRUISE DAY!
Like a kid on Christmas morning it's 6am, I'm awake and ready to go.  It looks like the C&A team has been busy putting presents in my account.  Overnight my points from last week have posted, including the solo-in-a-suite gift.

When cruising in hurricane season I always keep an eye on the tropics.  While only early August this is a great thing to see.  Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 5 days.

Looking at the MarineTraffic.com app I've caught Empress gliding past Symphony as she arrives into the Port of Miami this morning.

I'm here.  The ship is here.  There are no tropical storms on the radar screen.  Phew!
Can you tell I'm bored with nothing to do?  Tick tock.  Tick tock.  Is it time yet?

My flight was supposed to be early but with storms in the South Florida area they had us slow down and we landed on time.  Woohoo, my suitcase was the very first bag on the carousel.  
With ample time to spare I took the Tri-Rail from FLL airport down to MIA airport.  I was just going to sit in my hotel room anyways so I figured I'd take the slower but cheaper way to my hotel.  From MIA I picked up the free hotel shuttle to my hotel.
My Tri-Rail timing was pretty good.  A short wait for the bus to the train station.  The train pulled up as I bought my ticket at the station.  
Total cost $3.75.  Uber/Lyft were both just under $50.  
Safely in my hotel near MIA airport I used my savings to pay for a hotel dinner and drinks which make on board ship prices seem like a bargain.

My flight was supposed to be early but with storms in the South Florida area they had us slow down and we landed on time.  Woohoo, my suitcase was the very first bag on the carousel.  
With ample time to spare I took the Tri-Rail from FLL airport down to MIA airport.  I was just going to sit in my hotel room anyways so I figured I'd take the slower but cheaper way to my hotel.  From MIA I picked up the free hotel shuttle to my hotel.
My Tri-Rail timing was pretty good.  A short wait for the bus to the train station.  The train pulled up as I bought my ticket at the station.  
Total cost $3.75.  Uber/Lyft were both just under $50.  
Safely in my hotel near MIA airport I used my savings to pay for a hotel dinner and drinks which make on board ship prices seem like a bargain.

Plans for this Cruise
Only one excursion booked so far.  A day trip to Jost Van Dyke in the BVI from Tortola.
My last visit to Jost Van Dyke occurred when I lived on St Thomas.  It's one of the smaller islands of the Virgin Island chain but she has a beautiful beach and is home to the Soggy Dollar Bar right on the beach.  Boats anchor off the beach and visitors swim to land hence they have soggy dollars. 
The hurricanes that impacted San Juan and the US Virgin Islands did a number on Jost Van Dyke but I understand they've rebuilt.  Time to contribute to the local economy again.  
I brought my snorkel gear this time and hope to snorkel at CocoCay if the weather is good.  Then I'll jump in Oasis Lagoon to enjoy the fresh water and swim up pool bar.  No CocoCay excursions purchased (so far).  Lunch at the Snack Shack for another Shack Crispy Chicken Sandwich.   Yum.
With our late arrival in San Juan the plan is to wander around and take pictures during golden hour assuming there is no more civil unrest.
St Thomas will be a boring work day for me.  

Try 108 days at sea in 2018 with 128 days at sea booked in 2019.  

In the words as sung by Britney Spears...  ? Oops, I Did it Again ?
For those who are wondering what is he talking about?  (or thinking I've enjoyed one too many happy hour drinks)  I just finished 14 nights on this little beauty last week.  You can read about that B2B experience here:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14213-empress-b2b-14-nights-on-the-biggest-little-ship-july-2019/
Those cruises were great but they were Western Caribbean and this 8 night cruise is Eastern Caribbean including a stop at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.  Royal hasn't visited the BVI very much in recent years so when I saw the BVI added to the itinerary in the wake of the Cuba cancellations I knew I had to do it.  Icing on my cake comes courtesy of another visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay. 
Itinerary
Miami Perfect Day at CocoCay Sea Day San Juan Tortola St Thomas Sea Day Sea Day Miami Our Perfect Day ends at 2pm so we can make it to San Juan for a 3pm arrival after a day at sea.  We stay until midnight in San Juan so if all goes well I hope to get some evening and night pictures around San Juan.
Sailing in a Junior Suite I have scored one of the most forward deck 9 JS cabins this time.
I love this small ship and her big heart.  It's a good thing I love this ship because this will be my fourth cruise on her.  My Crown and Anchor points haven't been posted yet from my last cruise on her so with the "paint still wet", I'm heading back to the love of my life, or at least the love of my life right now. 
Because I'm flying I don't like taking just one cruise so with a night off the water in between, I'm doing a side-to-side over to Majesty right after this cruise.  A few years ago I started dreaming about a tour of the small ships and this marks another step towards completing that goal.  
I think I set a record this time having packed my suitcase a full two days before the cruise.  Basically I took my cruise clothes from the dryer and put them right back into my suitcase.  
      " You see my problem is this
       I'm dreaming away
       Wishing that heroes, they truly exist
       I cry, watching the days
       Can't you see I'm a fool in so many ways
       But to lose all my senses
       That is just so typically me
       Oh baby, oh "
Okay that doesn't make total sense but it's the only part of the lyrics that somewhat fit so I'm going with it.  

Interesting story from the previous 8 night Eastern Caribbean Empress cruise.  
A guest on my Empress B2B last week had been on for a month and she told me this story.  Empress has a 2pm departure from CocoCay in order to make San Juan a day after a sea day.  On the last run of this route, several guests missed the ship in CocoCay.  Apparently they didn't note the 2pm departure.
In one case a couple were enjoying CocoCay.  Oblivious to the ship's whistle the woman went to get something to eat while the man went to a bar for a drink.  When he presented his Empress SeaPass card they informed he was about to miss the ship and whisked him away in a golf cart.  Unsure where the woman had gone he got back on board, she missed the ship and it left (late now) towards San Juan.  
Once she figured out she missed the ship, they put her on Mariner and she was taken to Port Canaveral.  She then had to make her own arrangements to get to San Juan which she did at her expense.  The problem is San Juan had some civil unrest and Empress skipped San Juan as a result.  So she missed the ship again.  This time, since Royal cancelled the call on San Juan they paid for her hotel and airfare to Tortola.  Tortola doesn't have an airport so she flew to a neighboring island and had to take a water taxi over to Tortola where she finally re-joined the cruise. 
From what was explained to me they stated the excursion they booked said it ended at 3pm so they thought they were good until 3pm.  
A total of five guests missed the ship at CocoCay.  Unsure what happened to the rest other than being put on Mariner for the ride over to Port Canaveral.  
Lesson learned.  Even at CocoCay, don't miss the ship!
Side note - when Empress skipped San Juan they had already taken on the San Juan pilot when Miami decided they should skip San Juan.  Because the pilot had already boarded they were on the hook for the ~$10k pilot fee.
Hoping we don't skip San Juan but an overnight in Tortola does sound very tempting.
 

My flight was supposed to be early but with storms in the South Florida area they had us slow down and we landed on time.  Woohoo, my suitcase was the very first bag on the carousel.  
With ample time to spare I took the Tri-Rail from FLL airport down to MIA airport.  I was just going to sit in my hotel room anyways so I figured I'd take the slower but cheaper way to my hotel.  From MIA I picked up the free hotel shuttle to my hotel.
My Tri-Rail timing was pretty good.  A short wait for the bus to the train station.  The train pulled up as I bought my ticket at the station.  
Total cost $3.75.  Uber/Lyft were both just under $50.  
Safely in my hotel near MIA airport I used my savings to pay for a hotel dinner and drinks which make on board ship prices seem like a bargain.

I thought I'd post this since I often see a question about transfers in South Florida specifically between Port of Miami and Ft Lauderdale.  
The Port of Miami is the busiest cruise port in the world.  Yet sometimes the Miami International Airport is not the best or least expensive airport to access South Florida.  Some airlines like Southwest don't fly there but they do fly to Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport approximately 30 miles up the coast.  Often airfare and hotels are less expensive in Ft. Lauderdale which is great but then the challenge becomes how do you get down the coast to the Port of Miami when sailing from there?
My Miami area hotel offered a hotel-airport shuttle but only to the Miami airport.  My options were a cab ($80), ride-share like Uber or Lyft ($40) or... another option that cost just $3.75.  
Enter a local transportation option called "Tri Rail" http://www.tri-rail.com/
Tri Rail operates a train service from as far North as the West Palm Beach area South to Miami.  In my case I planned on taking it from the Ft. Lauderdale airport down to Miami where my hotel for the night was located before I boarded a cruise departing from the Port of Miami.   For the train stations involved the fare was really just $3.75.
Landing in Ft. Lauderdale I picked up my checked luggage and headed out to the transportation area.   Signs led me to the waiting area for the shuttle bus that would take me to the closest train station.  The shuttle buses are similar to the type of car rental shuttle buses many airports use.  What I wasn't expecting was the flash mob crowd that let no one off the bus before trying to board the bus.  
Once on the bus we stopped at a few more airport terminal before leaving the airport for the train station. At each terminal the flash mob returned and let no one off the bus before trying to board themselves.

The Tri-Rail shuttle to the train station.
After a 20 minute ride we arrived at the train station.  With no one manning the ticket both we all discovered one ticket kiosk was down leaving just one kiosk open.

With many new users it took about 15 minutes for my turn.  The shuttle bus is timed to the trains and around the time I was 3rd in line the train pulled up.  Five minutes later after the lady in front of me had her credit card declined three times before she attempted cash I finally had my ticket.


A Northbound train as I was waiting in line for my ticket.
The train was waiting and I made a dash for it given the alternative of waiting another 30-40 minutes for the next train.  Phew.
Safely inside my Southbound train I opted for seating close to my luggage.  Additional seating was available upstairs.


The ride itself was pretty painless and we flew past the interstate with bumper-to-bumper traffic.  
The ride ends after several stops near the rental car facility at Miami International Airport.  From here you take the rental car train to the main terminal.

Once aboard the rental car train we began our ride to the main airport area.  If anyone has rented a car at the Miami airport and rode that train you'll know it it quite the walk from the rental car train to any given terminal where in my case the hotel shuttle for my hotel would pick me up.    
In the end this option took twice as long as Uber/Lyft would have but cost me just $3.75.  
I had lots of time with an evening of just nothing but me alone in my hotel room so I took the Tri-Rail just to see what it's like.  There is no question a cab or ride-share would be much more convenient but also cost much more money.
In the end this was a very affordable way to get from Ft Lauderdale down to Miami.  It's isn't fast but it is low cost.  
I'd have no problem using it again if I had plenty of time to spare.
Tri-Rail does not operate 24 x 7 and weekend service is different compared to weekday service.  Review their website to learn more about schedules and other stations that are available along the Tri-Rail service corridor.  
Tri-Rail service ends on the Southern end at Miami International Airport.  From there you can grab a hotel shuttle, cab or ride-share to your final destination.  

On the plane now, live from 37,000' and 586 mph.  
Landing around 6pm in Ft Lauderdale.  I have lots of time tonight so I might do the Tri-Rail thing again to get down to my Miami hotel.  
South Florida rush hour traffic in a $50 ride-share or $3.75 on Tri-Rail?  I think I'll save the $45 and use it to pay for drinks on CocoCay.
Here is a bit on my last Tri-Rail experience:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/11517-south-florida-tri-rail-ft-lauderdale-miami 
 

For cruises in North America Royal is a family oriented cruise line.  Revealing swimwear will likely be called out and frowned upon.  Cruises in Europe may follow different trends.
I'm over the Speedo limit.  As Johnny Carson said, "If you look down and can't see your Speedo, you're over the Speedo limit".
That being said I did see some younger guys wearing a Speedo on Empress.  Some things can't be unseen.
 

Interesting story from the previous 8 night Eastern Caribbean Empress cruise.  
A guest on my Empress B2B last week had been on for a month and she told me this story.  Empress has a 2pm departure from CocoCay in order to make San Juan a day after a sea day.  On the last run of this route, several guests missed the ship in CocoCay.  Apparently they didn't note the 2pm departure.
In one case a couple were enjoying CocoCay.  Oblivious to the ship's whistle the woman went to get something to eat while the man went to a bar for a drink.  When he presented his Empress SeaPass card they informed he was about to miss the ship and whisked him away in a golf cart.  Unsure where the woman had gone he got back on board, she missed the ship and it left (late now) towards San Juan.  
Once she figured out she missed the ship, they put her on Mariner and she was taken to Port Canaveral.  She then had to make her own arrangements to get to San Juan which she did at her expense.  The problem is San Juan had some civil unrest and Empress skipped San Juan as a result.  So she missed the ship again.  This time, since Royal cancelled the call on San Juan they paid for her hotel and airfare to Tortola.  Tortola doesn't have an airport so she flew to a neighboring island and had to take a water taxi over to Tortola where she finally re-joined the cruise. 
From what was explained to me they stated the excursion they booked said it ended at 3pm so they thought they were good until 3pm.  
A total of five guests missed the ship at CocoCay.  Unsure what happened to the rest other than being put on Mariner for the ride over to Port Canaveral.  
Lesson learned.  Even at CocoCay, don't miss the ship!
Side note - when Empress skipped San Juan they had already taken on the San Juan pilot when Miami decided they should skip San Juan.  Because the pilot had already boarded they were on the hook for the ~$10k pilot fee.
Hoping we don't skip San Juan but an overnight in Tortola does sound very tempting.
 

In the words as sung by Britney Spears...  ? Oops, I Did it Again ?
For those who are wondering what is he talking about?  (or thinking I've enjoyed one too many happy hour drinks)  I just finished 14 nights on this little beauty last week.  You can read about that B2B experience here:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14213-empress-b2b-14-nights-on-the-biggest-little-ship-july-2019/
Those cruises were great but they were Western Caribbean and this 8 night cruise is Eastern Caribbean including a stop at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.  Royal hasn't visited the BVI very much in recent years so when I saw the BVI added to the itinerary in the wake of the Cuba cancellations I knew I had to do it.  Icing on my cake comes courtesy of another visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay. 
Itinerary
Miami Perfect Day at CocoCay Sea Day San Juan Tortola St Thomas Sea Day Sea Day Miami Our Perfect Day ends at 2pm so we can make it to San Juan for a 3pm arrival after a day at sea.  We stay until midnight in San Juan so if all goes well I hope to get some evening and night pictures around San Juan.
Sailing in a Junior Suite I have scored one of the most forward deck 9 JS cabins this time.
I love this small ship and her big heart.  It's a good thing I love this ship because this will be my fourth cruise on her.  My Crown and Anchor points haven't been posted yet from my last cruise on her so with the "paint still wet", I'm heading back to the love of my life, or at least the love of my life right now. 
Because I'm flying I don't like taking just one cruise so with a night off the water in between, I'm doing a side-to-side over to Majesty right after this cruise.  A few years ago I started dreaming about a tour of the small ships and this marks another step towards completing that goal.  
I think I set a record this time having packed my suitcase a full two days before the cruise.  Basically I took my cruise clothes from the dryer and put them right back into my suitcase.  
      " You see my problem is this
       I'm dreaming away
       Wishing that heroes, they truly exist
       I cry, watching the days
       Can't you see I'm a fool in so many ways
       But to lose all my senses
       That is just so typically me
       Oh baby, oh "
Okay that doesn't make total sense but it's the only part of the lyrics that somewhat fit so I'm going with it.