DandA

Freeport cruise port is in an industrial area so not a lot close to port; however they do have a small area with a Senior Frogs, and little huts where you can purchase Souvenirs.

Glad to see another Governor is ready to drop the mask mandate. Looks like soon the CDC will be the only ones left holding the mask.

There has been a lot of good advice given, My #1 advice is don't be late getting back to the ship! I like to study the deck plans so I know where everything is especially my favorite places (i.e. Schooner Bar, Cafe Latitudes). I also recommend watching some you tube videos of the ship tours, I'm the kind of person that likes to walk out of my cabin and know that I need to walk aft and go up 3 decks to get to point A. I saw a video once of a couple on embarkation day who had no clue where anything was and spent several hours wondering the ship first up then down the fwd then aft. They began to get frustrated before they found what they were looking for.

I'm hoping that by the time I cruise in August, masks are but a distant memory or at least masks won't be required outside. I'm fully vaccinated and according to the vaccine mfgs, i only have a 5% chance of catching Covid and a 0% chance of being hospitalized from it so I don't see the need for a mask unless I'm in close quarters with unvaccinated people. Here in WV the governor is lifting the mask mandate effective Jun 20th. In the stores I'm seeing an increasing number of unmasked shoppers; I say that it's risen to a 2-1 ratio. The people are tiring from the mask requirement and starting to revolt, in our area there is no shortage of vaccines and they have become available at local pharmacy's or at a twice weekly mass vaccination clinic.

I don't have a problem with wearing the mask. My concern is will i be able find a seat to enjoy the Schooner Bar and other night clubs.

We had room 6668 on Harmony before the covid shutdown. I was concerned about the noises to, but we never heard a thing from the elevator lobby.

I've got an 8 night in March and a 9 night in September booked was going to change the 8 night to a 12 night but was hoping it's easier to modify and 8 night to 7 than a 12 night to 7. I've been pretty positive for cruises to start back up again so I can take the 3 that i have booked for next year, but with the latest from the CDC I'm not as optimistic as I have been. Starting to look at a land based all-inclusive resort.

RANT ON: This is just another example of entrenched bureaucrats that have lost touch with reality. They know nothing beyond the little bubble they live in. Here is another news flash for them. Pedestrians who cross streets are more likely to be struck by cars, than pedestrians that never cross the street. Live is a series of calculated risks, let individuals weigh the risks and let them make their own decision. Its easy for these government employees to advocate for businesses to shut down, they still are getting paid. RANT OFF

We live on the boarder of WV/VA. Our doctors are in VA and my mother, myself and my wife have had the nasal swabs for COVID testing done in VA prior to a scheduled medical procedure and the results have been back in 48 hours. In WV they have rotated testing on demand around the various counties, I do not know how long it has taken to get those results. Will be seeing my GP doctor next month and I will try to ask her about scheduling a test prior to a cruise and see what she says.

Matt looks good, nice and clean looking.

Labadee, Haiti and Falmouth, Jamaica were two of our first cruise ports also. As has been said, Labadee is Royal's private resort, we went hog wild and booked the Dragons Breath Zip line and a parasailing excursion. I highly recommend both it was a great experience. One word of caution, there is an artesian village market that has various types of souvenirs, the vendors are pretty aggressive and if you’re not used to high pressure and intimidating salesmen it can be a very unpleasant experience. At the time of our visit, Jamaica was experiencing a lot of crime involving rival gangs and the drug trade so we didn’t venture from the port. There was one excursion we were looking at that visited several sites, we decided not to go as two of the neighborhoods that were on the list to avoid was right in the middle of a couple historic buildings that were on the tour. The port itself is pretty nice so we just visited the shops and had lunch at the Margaritaville.

twangster: I see what you mean, sailing west does sound like a better deal. I had't realized that the time would change every day, but it makes sense. I wanted to take a baltic cruise in 2022 and taking a eastbound TA before it sounded good, but now I gotta look about the the TA after a baltic cruise. Thanks for you wealth of knowledge and experience.

What do you mean by a different vibe? or is just the time change?

more seafood like oysters and scallops

For years, I resisted the wife's suggestion that we should take a cruise. I thought it was to expensive; that I'd be bored trapped on a boat, then a coworker told me how much fun they had (this is a person who loves work and has to be made to vacation) I decided to give it a try. Our first ship was Oasis in April 2018, and we fell in love with cruising. Love that we could be as busy or relaxing as we wanted, explore ports we had never been, pampered by the crew, more food than one person can eat and sitting on the balcony with a nite cap listening to the ship cut a path thru the ocean, Since then we have been on 4 cruises, had to cancel my summer cruise to Alaska and fall cruise to NE/Canada and move them to 2021. God willing we have 3 scheduled for next year, if they get a handle on the Covid problem I would consider a winter cruise if I can. So yeah I guess it is an addition or obsession.

Sunrise on our last cruise Feb 2020.

Check out the Duval Street Loop Bus, it's free and easy to get on. Some good sites are Mallory Square, Truman Whitehouse, Hemingway House, The Butteryfly and Nature Conservancy. Stop in Sloppy Joe's for a drink, the Southern most point had a long line when we were there last year and wasn't worth the wait to us.

They have umbrellas all over, it was like 1 umbrella for every two chairs when I was there in February 2020. We were at chill island and oasis lagoon both had plenty of chairs and umbrellas.

03/26/21 Grandeur of the Seas 09/09/21 Enchantment of the Seas

Was there in February , plenty of umbrellas and chairs for the shade. Coco Cay was great, we took up loungers at chill island for half a day and then half a day around the pool.

I can see the WJ changing to a cafeteria style eatery, grab a tray and silverware and have servers place the food on you plate as it moves down the line. I wouldn't mind a food court station, breakfast and lunch serving fast food type options. A combination of the two would be great. Also to maximize use of the MDR for lunch and dinner have one of the dining rooms with a limited menu that could be served quickly for those who would want a full meal, this would ease the crowding of the WJ.

I assume you have made final payments since it is so close, if you anticipate cruising in the future wait for it to possibly cancel and get 125% FCC or do the Lift and Shift. If my money was already spent i would wait for the 125% FCC. If you won't cruise again take the refund if they cancel. I lift and shifted a September cruise last week because i wasn't certain that the cruise would happen or that they would change the itinerary . With Americans tiring of the lock down and more states relaxing the lock down, the next two-three weeks will tell how soon cruises will resume. If the infection rate increases i doubt cruises will start in the near future; if infection rates continue to decrease and large venues begin to open the cruise lines will resume full sailings. JMO

I voted yes, although I did lift and shift my September cruise to next year. I did this for several reasons; not sure it will actually go or go to the scheduled ports (it's a NE/Canada cruise) and it's a first cruise for my son and dil. The dil has a fear of flying and ships and we picked this one because it's very port intensive, and while we would be happy sailing in circles i know they wouldn't enjoy it. Now I have three cruises scheduled for next year and the wife says "we have to wait till March to cruise, i won't make it that long". LOL Told her if they start cruising this fall maybe we can sneak in a last minute sailing if the price is right. We both are immune compromised and will take the vaccine as soon as it's available. I'm a cancer survivor and when I was first diagnosed my oncologist said the question everyone has is "Will i die from this cancer, he said maybe but you could also get hit by a bus when you leave here". My take on this is live your life don't worry what may happen tomorrow. I have had extensive training on the use of masks both for chemical warfare, painting and toxic chemicals. The CDC, Surgeon General and others have lied to us about the use of masks, there are many types of mask and they all work to a certain degree or no one would be wearing them. Some masks are better than others, the SN95 masks filters 95% of particles larger than 0.3 microns other masks including the homemade ones are not as effective with surgical masks better than cloth ones. The other lie is they don't protect you from getting covid-19 but prevent you from transmitting it to others, to believe that you have to believe that the filter only filters one way. Any mask is better than no mask if you are in contact with someone that has it, the problem is they haven't told us how easy it is to catch it. There have been some saying that you won't catch it just walking by someone unless they cough or sneeze. I wear my mask when I have to go out to the store or dr and will continue until the positive test results drop to zero or close to zero. Avoid touching your face and wash your hands frequently.

Here is whats in it, a little sweet for me. Its served in a martini glass. It's a Schooner Bar specialty, but we have been able to get it at other places around the ship (i.e. theater) Brandy Alexander: Remy Martin VSOP and creme de cocoa dark shaken hard with half-and-half and double-strained and dusted with fresh nutmeg: $12

Usually head to the Schooner Bar, Sandy Collins for me and Brandy Alexandra for the misses. If still in the MDR maybe an Irish Coffee.