SaltyNavyCruiser15

Nahhh it’s not something worth complaining about now... it happened yesterday so it would be silly if I mentioned something about it now ? thank you for the advice!! If I encounter anymore issues I’ll make sure to bring it up :)

Hello everyone! Shoutout to @twangster and his VERY extensive live blog he’s got going on. Here’s a very brief rundown from my first time sailing with RCL: Days at Sea (31 MAR-01 APR) - Two Words: Very Relaxing ?. Much deserved R&R after a long 6 months of being away from home on a deployment. My wife and I used these two days to explore the ship and all that it has to offer. First timer recommendation: BUY THE DRINK PACKAGE BEFORE YOU SAIL! I paid a hard lesson my first day when I had to drop a G+ on drinks, but I can assure you, it’s WELL worth the money! St Thomas, USVI (02 APR) - AWESOME diving excursion spent with Underwater Adventures. For anyone reading this who is open water diver certified or higher, HIGHLY recommend this port for diving. We dove on Rye Reef & Cartanza Seniora, which was about a 20 minute charter boat ride to the dive site (video to come after returning home). My wife and I were unable to head into town as we didn’t have cash at the time for a taxi. Another rookie mistake - make sure to bring cash! St. Croix, USVI (03 APR) - We pulled into St Croix and it rained ALL afternoon. Others who are sailing with us said that there was a side of the island that they went to with their excursions and didn’t get the rain, however, my wife and I were not able to attend our catamaran excursion due to severe weather. Fort de France, Martinique (TODAY, 04 APR) - Allllllright, here’s where it begins to turn sour. Our morning started out fantastic with a breakfast on our balcony and sun beating down on us with 80+*F. We got off the ship and decided to head into town. We encountered very unfriendly locals in a lot of the locations that we went to (I.e - shops, the library, etc). On the elevator ride back to the room, this was a common complaint from many of the other folks sailing with us. My dive buddy I had in St Thomas got so infuriated with the unfriendliness of the locals that she swore to never book another cruise with Fort De France as part of the itinerary. After what we encountered, I can’t say as though I blame her... Speaking of unhappy attitudes, I do have to mention at least two instances where ive been incredibly uncomfortable with bartenders. Situation 1.) Im in the solarium while docked in St Croix, and it’s POURING down raining. The solarium top is open, while it’s pouring, and lots of people begin to start scurrying like ants because of the rain. I was really confused with the top being open while it’s pouring, and not while it’s sunny out? Well, the solarium closes, and the bartender finally arrives. I walk up to order a drink and shoot the s*** with him since I was the only person standing there. I decide to ask, “hey, why doesn’t the solarium open up when it’s sunny out?” His response? “I don’t know, why don’t you ask the Captain?” Situation 2.) same day, in the casino. As we begin to pull away from the USVI, the bar and casino open up. I can’t really tell if the bar is open yet or not (because I couldn’t tell if he had just arrived or not), so I ask if he was open? His response, “idk, you tell me?” After getting this response, a second bartender in a row, I snapped a response like, “well I didn’t know because I didn’t want to get in the way of you opening and setting up the bar, so I’ll ask again, are you open?” He served me a drink, and away I went on my merry way. I have wanted to make a complaint but I have no idea who to talk to, or if anything would come of it. Overall, we are very happy with this cruise. We’ve had a blast so far, and are very pleased. I will make a second half of my blog for the remaining 5 nights we have at sea and will score our cruise based on others we’ve been on, between 1-5 point scale. (hopefully we won’t have anymore issues with bartenders??)

I’d like to wish a safe travel to everyone converging towards Fort Lauderdale today and tomorrow to catch a ride on the Serenade of the Seas! Looking forward to meeting new friends!

Thank you!!

Ugh I was that way this week too.... WITH a flippin cold that both my wife and I caught. Luckily though with a bit of sudafed, we kicked it right out of us! Heading to the in laws now to catch a flight out of Asheville to FLL.

Aww thank you very much!! We are very excited!

awesome! thanks for the reply!

@twangster hard to believe how fast time flies! Here we are, vacation upon us

My wife and I will be sailing out this Friday (on Serenade) and I was wondering if RC does any sort of events for Easter Sunday? Thanks in advance!

FRI 30 MAR FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA SAT 31 MAR CRUISING SUN 01 APR CRUISING MON 02 APR CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS - Scuba Diving Excursion TUE 03 APR ST. CROIX, U.S.V.I. - The Palms at Pelican Cove Beach Break WED 04 APR FORT-DE-FRANCE, MARTINIQUE THU 05 APR BASSETERRE, ST KITTS & NEVIS FRI 06 APR PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - Maho Beach Airplane Experience SAT 07 APR CRUISING SUN 08 APR CRUISING MON 09 APR FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA Needless to say, we are STOKED!

Excellent dive report, bobroo. I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for sure. Very good information.

Great observation ??

Bobroo still there?! ? just trying to gauge what to expect from the dive in St Thomas

Hello all! Id like to go ahead and get the thread started for those sailing on Serenade of the Seas between 30 MAR and 09 APR. This will be our third cruise (2xdisney, 1xRCL) with this being our first on RCL. We are stoked!! Will be flying in from Asheville NC to Ft Lauderdale, and will spend a night on the 28th. From there on the 29th, we will embark! The Wife and I hope to meet new friends! Bon Voyage, Shipmates!

Oh yeah my wife and I are doing the exact same thing lol! Don’t want to look like a huge cow when taking photos

Awesome!! Thank you!

Rjac, Thank you for letting me know. We are actually pulling into Charlotte Amalie. I'm a healthy US Navy Sailor, so I SHOULDN'T encounter any issues :P if I do, I'll be surprised. -Salty

Hello All! My Wife and I are leaving for our cruise on Serenade of the Seas in 13 days (woot woot, FINALLY!) and I’m trying to get dive information about the diving excursion in St Thomas. Has anyone ever did the diving excursion in St Thomas? If so, was it a good dive? Any information helps! Thanks in advance!

Can't go wrong with Margaritaville....

No, I don’t, but I’m trying to know all the things!! Haha

I drink, and I know things!

perfection. I'm set up perfectly then. Thanks!

Trust me, I feel your pain friend!

Push through champ!!! I'd get that Nyquil and have that boat just rock-a-bye-baby me to sleep for the nights! Get some nose-strips as well... those tend to help out tremendously. You make look silly, but who cares!? You're on vacation!!

Really good to know. The wife and I are very thrilled about our trip coming up. Funny question, but do they by chance have a hot tub to relax in? I haven't noticed any pictures really of the pool deck.