henrysea13

went on a shore excursion in Jamaica that included lunch jerk chicken was on the menu I loved it I like food spicy and had thirds but I noticed most of the others opted for the pasta side including my son after we were done there was a herd of locals waiting to dig in to the leftovers oh by the way lunch was included but a can of coke was 5.00 it was the dune buggy ride out of fahlmouth not really in fahlmouth over 1 1/2 hour away by rocket propelled mini bus

hi Boston that is a little less then half don't forget as I while I did not use them there were quite a few liscensed locals that will gladly do the pushing for you the scooyer should work fine plenty of concrete walkways that picture does not do the distance justice in my many ports I have visited this is the longest pier I have encountered I could see this being a brutal walk on a summer calm day I was there in january

I found that CM was a delightful change from the same old port I have become accustomed to there are acrobats performing dolphins to swim with fresh baked cookies to eat chocolate makers lots of small to medium shops swimming pool water bar with swings little fishys that give pedicures if you look you will probably find it here when I was there another ship had star trek day there were enterprise crew everywhere if mobility is a problem there is concrete leading to the shops and as far as I remember everything at port yes the pier is incredibly long but they have locals with wheelchairs happy to take you from your ship to the entrance of the port area for a small fee now for a treat in mulhahaul forgive the spelling there is a beachside eatery called the crazy lobster great food and drink google it they have a website I for one despite my mobility concerns loved the walk to the port area beautiful breeze and taking in the sights was worth the walk as we re boarded the ship next to us had a full band (big)serenading the ship and us I would gladly go there over Cozumel even though on this sailing we went to both check out the crazy lobster it is well worth the very short trip look it up on line 

I read in an outside news report when this ban on 3 day dx drink package out of the uk was announced that it was in response to a worsening behavior issue on 3day or less booze cruises out of the uk but what I read said they were not available on the booze cruises at all not being sold on the ship I see no reason to even stop the sale on cruise planner if they are going to sell it on the ship I have seen articles of and on for sometime now describing the problems the uk royal is having with short sailings it is in my opinion only a matter of time till this comes home to roost

twangster you have outdone yourself the pictures and coverage of the hemingway house were for me a great achievement I have wanted to visit cuba since I was a boy growing up in Miami beach most of my friends were Cuban and I got to understand the culture I have always wanted to fish the isle of pines thank you for sharing these photographic works of art

the little indoor shops area of the port had at least 6 places to buy cigars and tequila but a word of caution the prices will vary wildly many shops are duplications of other shops in the tiny mall owned and operated by the same people and way different prices never pay there asking price bargain the worse they can do is say no when you turn to leave many times you will pay what you want this also depends on how many ships are in port many ships equals many people and much harder to bargain

I must say I am so happy to see those new sinks for hand washing hopefully all will use them you simply haven't lived the full experience till you get noro virus got it once at Disney and once on indy noyhing compares viva la handwashing!!!!!!!!!

I for one will be be happy to have the port put 29 back in mothballs I have sailed from there several times very inconvenient as a port person related to me when I asked him a question he said I don't know we rarely use this terminal and then there is the parking there is none at the terminal must use the central parking which gets busy very busy when freedom or indie is there so yea please as long as it is more conveniant

lets also remember that on almost every cruise I have been on the MDR waitstaff is also the staff in the windjammer 

ha ha ha I have sailed solo often since my first cruise and yes the questions are plentiful I love giovanis but only eat there when sailing with family when alone for me it usually starts with the head man at the door don't you want to make friends? I reply I spent my whole life with the govt fugitive task force and am working please just give me a table by myself if you watch over the following nites of the cruise you will see the eyes on you grow to alarming levels I guess the staff talks a lot oh and one side bene my service has always been impecable

10 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

If you look under the dining forum, @Matt posted earlier that it is part of the refreshment package too now. I was quite surprised when I saw this on FB a few days ago...

I too am surprised it is so rare that royal gives and not take away this is great and yes it is the refreshment package also according to royal corporate

awesome blog love the cruise stops I am trying to put one of these together I have family in London when I visit I would love to take this cruise but first I want to have my aunts cheesecake sonnys cheesecake simply the best

it has been 30 percent for the refreshment pkg for my sailing on the brilliance 10 percent is hardly a sale wait you have plenty of time 

Royal as a rule is great at accommodating your wishes I am one of those you see in the MDR  sitting by myself  I have spent my whole life dealing with people and there problems when I get on these magnificent ships I prefer to just enjoy the ambiance and having 4 children I am an expert at tuning out noise and superfluous chatter I love the ocean and every minute I can see it is a minute in life not wasted I sail alone a lot and cherish the time my children sail with me only once did I have a problem with my requests and that was on one of my favorites the Majesty but it is so rare to run into a maître d like that just stand firm and you will have what you wish Royal stands alone with me as the best at what they do and I consider sailing with another as a waste of my money please understand this is only my opinion go into any cruise with an open mind don't be afraid to ask for what you want treat every crew member with respect and you will have there total service and support for your requests and that will add up to the time of your life SAIL ON MY FRIENDS  

Michelle at Mei is also my TA after years of me doing my own thing I decided to give MEI a try She took an impossible situation to royal and after a weeks time solved a seemingly impossible exception to royals sacred rule book BRAVO Michelle you have my business from now on thank you for your hard work and being part of Matts fine blog 

1 hour ago, Sweety said:

How was the panoramic cabin? I am booked on Navigator and Marnier panoramic suites.

absolutely amazing so open the views are breathtaking the only down side still only 2 electrical outlets when I cruise I like to sit in the Viking crown lounge and watch the scenery these pics were taken from the room its like having a large balcony without the heat and humidity I have a pano booked on adventure in November 2018 I personally will book only these rooms whenever possible before Royal jacks up the fare on them

may I suggest that you try freedoms panoramic view rooms I was on it recently and she did not seem tired the pano rooms were added not to long ago they were fascinating and also you might try majesty  on a cuba itinerary 

twangster the quality of your pictures is in my opinion second to none I so look forward to your photo posts

On ‎5‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 3:58 PM, Lovetocruise2002 said:

What?! You have a Carnival cruise booked??

aah well much as we hate to go we all wind up at Walmart once in a while

this is so sad and for local officials to try to shift blame to the couple borders on criminal and even though I realize the government is just throwing one more block in the difficulty factor when it comes to the upcoming lawsuit I have yet to hear an apology from the government, operators of the tour or for that matter anyone just remember when you are out of the country (US) there safety standards are no where near ours you take responsibility like it or not for your own safety and can assume nothing cruise on my friends I hope ROYALS insurance is paid up there in for some stormy seas 

Michelle C she is the one what a pleasure to deal with

not to worry I was on the majesty late 2017 when a hurricane was chasing us heading for florida our port other then dead calm ocean and incredible heat and humidity which is common when a storm approaches you would never know it was looming also I have a lot of faith in Van Fleet I watched him on our local tv channel here in florida long before he went with royal his predictions were spot on most of the time and we here learned to trust what he says we did lose a day of our cruise the captain made the decision to head back to port because it was headed twords our home port and we may not have been able to get in after it hit we did have the option to remain on board after they went back to sea to ride it out not to worry this is not new to them

I have just finished reviewing the wonderful selection sent on the kosher menu sample from royal if I were you I would ask to speak to the hotel director immediately show him what happened someone dropped the ball to be offered chicken strips and soggy flounder when so many wonderful items would have been available is inexcusable also in many ports there is a minor resupply warehouse whjch may be able to offer some of the items you require not sure but it is worth a shot if not there are grocery stores near the ports that they can get you the food items you require I have a small understanding of your plight as my cousin was the head Rabbi in new York till his retirement this year  

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 3:14 PM, Keeves said:

I have been asking my fellow passengers, "If you wanted a candy bar or you needed a toothbrush, is there a place on board to get it?" And the answers have been uniformly No.

I would have asked customer service the questions you had concerning the toothbrush candy bar question every ship in the royal fleet I have been on have had a section a lot of times in the liquor store that carries many toiletries womens items chips candy headache remedies etc  asking the average cruiser is probably a great second choice but a lot of them are probably on there first cruise or at the least first timer on this particular ship but beware the price of the item you want will shock you it cost me 5.00 for a travel bottle of listerene I buy at wally world for 1.00 best to bring these items with you cruise on my friends 

1 minute ago, Tim B. said:

have one that is for September 2019 and it was way past the 60 days and MEI (Michelle) was able to do here vudoo magic and was able to take it over. As said above, it depends on who is asking I think. If I remember correctly, it was past 6 months since I booked and they were able to take it over.

my first one is oct 1 second one is nov 24 and Michelle at MEI is my agent she is wonderful I did not mention her name I don't know why but I was way past my 60 also it all depends on the experience Michelle has plenty of that and so nice and a great deal of confidence in her voice I look forward to seeing the world with her guidance