KJ1231

We booked a cruise via next cruise on Sunday and I went back to my cabin and redeemed 50K points for $100 OBC, forwarded the email to Casino Royale and the $100 OBC was there on Tuesday. Now if I could just get my wife to play....

I just checked flights for the end of January next year and I could get R/T for 25K points per person to Orlando, Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. Will probably stick with Mariner (Port Canaveral) for a little later arrival at Nassau and 12 hours in port versus earlier arrival and 10 hours on Navigator. We liked arriving in Nassau at noon last weekend as we could sleep in a little and still have 12 hours in port.

Another factor for me would be flying from Philly to Orlando vs. Philly to Miami. Flights on American Airlines should be available in a couple weeks, definitely within the 30 days that I can make changes to our Next Cruise reservation. By the way - we got no extra perks with Next Cruise. Exact same deal could have been gotten online, just lower deposit ($100/pp).

I have a Live Blog on here but quick summary: Juneau: we did whale watching tour and Mendenhall Glacier combo. We did see two whales. Recommend! Skagway: we did the train ride up to the Yukon. I would do this again. Recommend Icy Strait: I did the birdwatching tour. A young school teacher led the tour for 3 of us. We stopped at a few different spots and we did see birds (including Rufus hummingbirds at her home!). Birding in Alaska, I found, was difficult because of all the Sitka pine trees. They are thick and trying to catch sight of a smaller bird in or near them I found difficult. Recommend Ketchikan: we did the duckboat ride. Based on safety reports of these things I would hesitate doing it again since it is enclosed and if something goes wrong I'm not sure that everyone gets out. One of the biggest highlights of our trip was the afternoon train ride from Anchorage to Seward. The trip was narrated with food and beverage available for a price. Others have taken the early morning train so they would have time in Seward before the ship pulls out. If you aren't scheduled for a land tour before the cruise, be sure to contact RC to get on the afternoon train or make arrangements on your own with Alaska Railroad for the morning train!

I was interested in this, too! While on Enchantment this past weekend we booked Mariner next February as part of next cruise. Looking today I saw the Navigator cruise. The stops are reversed - Mariner does Nassau on Day 2, CCC on Day 3; Navigator does CCC on Day 2 and Nassau Day 3. The other difference I noticed was that Mariner is in Nassau 9:30 AM - 9:30 PM where Navigator was 7 AM - 5 PM. I will talk to my wife this evening to see if she wants to switch....

Like @coneyraven, I have a daytime picture of Grandeur that I took in Freeport on Sunday. Will post later...

While we were having our embarkation lunch as part of The Key benefits 2 or 3 different crew came to us asking if we would like to make a dinner reservation. It became obvious that one of the primary purposes of the lunch was to generate dinner business. We had dinner New Year's Eve in Chops on Brilliance and decided that since we got about $300 back on this cruise in OBC because of the CocoCay->Freeport switch that we would do the dinner. The young lady with a clipboard took our cabin number and day/time (Sunday @ 6:00) and told us we would have a reservation. When we called at 5:00 on Sunday (on a whim as we were getting dressed for dinner) to verify they had a table for us at 6:00, we were told that we had no reservation and that we could make one for anytime after 8:00 that same night. We set our eating schedule for the day based on the 6:00 reservation as we wanted to get our money's worth so waiting til 8:00 at that point was not an option. We went to the MDR where we had our "regular" table scheduled for 6:00. So I'm assuming the young lady who took our information for the reservation "dropped the ball". Interesting side note - we talked to a couple crew and this was their first stint with RC. The one's we talked to said they start with the smaller ships and graduate to the larger ships. For example, the young lady that was watching the seats set aside for The Key folks in the theater said this was her first tour with RC and that she would be on Anthem this summer. So I don't know if the missed reservation was due to an oversight - there was a list on her clipboard by the time she signed us up - due to her being new OR a breakdown somewhere else in the process.

Message me if you go - can give you a couple ideas on where to go since the place is huge. My main goal was the Florida Scrub Jay and someone I found online let me know where to find it

See you are also from PA and headed to Bermuda on Anthem. We sail Anthem on 7/13 to Bermuda....

Just back from a 3-night cruise to the Bahamas on Enchantment OTS. Some highlights and lowlights... Highlights The Key has it's benefits. We got from the car to Chops in record time for a great lunch. I had the branzino (Friday in Lent) and my wife had the filet. It was excellent! We were asked 3 separate times to make reservations for dinner at 20% off and since it was a special weekend we went for it. Nassau - we booked a TruBahamian food tour (not an RC excursion) that was great! You get lots of cultural information and stop at 6 different spots for food and drink. We had a great time! When we got back on the ship and to our cabin we had a nice bowl of fruit waiting for us with The Key logo with it. An unexpected perk. We ate in the MDR twice and had Aries and Mark as our waiter and assistant. They were excellent. They gave my wife a discount on the surf & turf without an explanation.... Disappointed that we wouldn't make it to CocoCay, we booked the "Family Beach Escapeause we wanted a beach and chairs. This was the only excursion that listed chairs and was all my wife wanted for this cruise was a beach and a chair. Food was okay... fruity drinks (non-alcoholic) were refreshing. There was plenty to do (jet-ski's, parasail, floating mats, etc.) It was Bahamas Adventures over near Lucaya Lowlights When we called Chops on Sunday around 5:00 to confirm our dinner reservation we learned it was never recorded. Turn out we had no reservation and couldn't get one before 8:00. We passed on dinner and ate in the MDR. On the beach adventure we were told we had to be back on the bus at 1:30. Apparently there were later buses going back to Freeport since there was another ship (Grand Celebration - Bahamas Paradise) that had an excursion here. We could have stayed at the beach another hour or two. Only issue we had with The Key was with our luggage. You get special tags to put your luggage out the night before. We got up early and had our breakfast in the MDR (complimets of The Key). We got off the ship and to where the luggage should have been a little before 8:00. I re-read the fine print on the letter that was with the tags and it did say luggage would be available at 8:15 - my bad! Luggage was there around 8:25. Windjammer on Enchantment was subpar. Maybe we were spoiled with WJ on Brilliance and Radiance. It was smaller, more cramped and the layout made it hard to maneuver. Update: and food not nearly as good as Brilliance and Radiance. All-in-all we had a great trip. Good enough that my wife booked another junior suite on Mariner next February going to Nassau and CocoCay! Another non-cruise highlight was a short trip to Merritt Island where I went bird watching. It was absolutely incredible So many birds, so little time! Couple Updates: The RC "Family Beach Escape" was with Bahamas Adventure. Trip Advisor has this page for all of their excursions (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147420-d8728057-Reviews-Bahamas_Adventures-Freeport_Grand_Bahama_Island_Bahamas.html ) and only 3 reviews, including mine when it gets approved (https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductDetail-g147420-d12939450-Family_Beach_Escape-Freeport_Grand_Bahama_Island_Bahamas.html?from_tpa=true ) Here is the Trip Advisor link for the TruBahamian Food Tours: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147416-d3701058-Reviews-Tru_Bahamian_Food_Tours-Nassau_New_Providence_Island_Bahamas.html

Just an FYI - we went with RC's beach excursion in Freeport. Having never been there and the State Department's recent travel advisory for Grand Bahama we thought it safer to go with RC.

Just FYI - I was also supposed to go to CocoCay this coming weekend on Enchantment. The email stated that we would get reimbursed credit for 1 day as On Board Credit when we boarded. Any unused OBC will get refunded to the credit card on file.

Doh! Was not thinking 2 people.... thanks again!

Thanks, Matt! How much of a hassle, then, is it to bring back 4 liters? Believe it or not, he offered me $500 to bring back 4 bottles (I would never take that much!) so he is willing to pay costs and I guess for my time. I'm assuming there is some form I'll have to fill out an declare them? Do I have to produce them? i.e. open the luggage and show them? If it's too much of a hassle I may just give him the 2.

Cruising this weekend on Enchantment to Nassau and Freeport (replaced CocoCay). My son-in-law's father asked me to get him some liquor that he can't get in the states. I've not had a drink in years and have never purchased liquor and brought it home. That said: He's asked for 4 1-litre bottles of a Ricardo Coconut Rum. I know I will have to "turn it in" when we reboard the ship. They will return it on the last day and we have to carry it off? Or the evening before so we can pack it? I am clueless when it comes to declaring alcohol for customs. I believe I can bring back up to 5 litres duty-free? Does that mean I don't have to document it? Or document it and don't have to pay? I'm assuming there are no issues (other than weight) of packing the bottles in our luggage for the flight back from Florida to PA? Any help or suggestions (including a store near the port in Nassau) would be greatly appreciated! Ken

So we can get there, park and be on the ship in 30 minutes...cool! When I saw 1:00 I thought it was to be seated.... Thanks again!!

Thanks, all! For question 2 - if we need to be in Chops by 1:00 what time would you suggest we arrive at the port. We'll be parking at the port.

So this cruise (Enchantment - 3/8 - Bahamas) is a special one for my wife and I. I purchased the Key because it's only a 3-night and not much more than WiFi package and we get the Chops lunch. As an anniversary gift my wife is willing to get up early (they open at 7:00 AM) on Friday morning and go to Merritt Island Nat'l Wildlife Refuge and go birding with me. This is huge since in 20 years she has never wanted to go with me. That said, I want to make sure we get our lunch at Chops. 1st Question: On the planner it says the seating for the lunch is 11:30-1:30. Does that mean we can still get seated at 1:30? Or do we need to be done by 1:30? 2nd Question: What time do we need to arrive at the port to get checked-in and be onboard in time for the latest Chops seating? We're renting a car and parking at the port.

Dear Travel Partner, We are looking forward to welcoming your clients onboard Enchantment of the Seas for their March 8th, 2019 sailing. Please share the below update to their itinerary, so they can plan their vacation accordingly. Dear Guest, We have an itinerary change for our Enchantment of the Seas sailing on March 8th, 2019. Over the past year, we've been making enhancements to our private destination, CocoCay. Unfortunately, we're going to need more time than expected to finish construction of a bridge between two areas on the island. This needs to take place during this cruise and for your safety and comfort, it is best to not have anyone on the island. So, instead of sailing to CocoCay, we'll now visit Grand Bahama Island, which offers the opportunity to explore caves, swim with the dolphins at Lucaya Beach, or sightsee underwater on a glass bottom boat tour. We are sorry for this last-minute change and while we were able to add a new destination for you to discover, to help make up further for this inconvenience, we're providing you with a refund valued at 1 day, based on the cruise fare paid. This refund will be posted to your onboard account. If your total onboard spend doesn't reach this amount, the remaining balance will be refunded to your card on file once onboard. Below, please find our updated itinerary. Day Port of Call Arrive Depart Fri Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida 4:00 PM Sat Nassau, Bahamas 12:00 PM 11:59 PM Sun Grand Bahama Island 9:00 AM 6:00 PM Mon Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida 7:00 AM Lastly, any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursion scheduled for CocoCaywill be refunded to your original form of payment. Within the next 3 business days, you'll receive an email from our Shore Excursion Department advising of your refund details. Then, feel free to browse through our Cruise Planner for additional excursions in Grand Bahama Island that may interest you. We look forward to welcoming you onboard! Sincerely, Aurora Yera-Rodriguez Director of Guest Services Royal Caribbean International Ship Sail Date Group ID Booking ID EN 08-MAR-19 4324427

Never cruised before last June and after a great experience in Alaska I booked 3 more cruises. Over New Years we skipped Grand Cayman due to getting fogged in in Tamp. Now this. We’ll see how Bermuda goes befor almaking anymore reservations. Currently looking to return to Alaska next year but just make it a land tour.

13 days before we sail we get notified that CocoCay is out and Grand Bahama is in. We’re being credited with 1 day reimbursement as OBC. Need a beach recommendation. I had a a cabana reserved at CocoCay. Is there a good “Resort for a day” option in GB?

Thanks @SpeedNoodles! We're on Enchantment to Nassau and CocoKey next month and have the Key. My wife probably be first in line for the tender as she loves the beach!

We did exactly what others prescribed. We flew down the night before and stayed at the Marriott at the port. I had points for a free night so you may want to look for a cheaper spot. We took Lyft from the airport to the hotel and it was about 20 minutes. Lyft the next morning from hotel to port was 15 minutes due to traffic. You coul probably walk it but we had my wife and daughter, i.e. too much luggage!

Just to follow up with our plans.... My son-in-law did a "discover" dive a few years ago and definitely wants to get certified. A local PADI dive shop (~12 miles from me, Philadelphia area) I was looking into sent me an email with Valentine's Day offers that included BOGO on a discover class ($89 for 2!). and $100 off a second person going for the certification. So my daughter and I are doing the "discover" on 2/16 and I fully expect to register for the certification that day and get $100 off to split with my son-in-law. If my daughter wants to continue I'll pay for her, too! We'll do certification dives before we go and hope t odo a 2-tank dive in Bermuda in July. @rjac any interest in joining us? $169 with Fantasea that is located right at the Navy Dockyard?

on our last cruise we spotted the location where all the luggage for our deck was - doors were open so while we had most of the luggage outside our cabin doors, there were a couple pieces in that area and we were able to snag them. BUT - would not count on that if you really need something.