Iluv4n6

Lady Boaty??
 
🤔

I STILL WANT BMcBFOTS!!! 😆

Wow!  great to see the kudos pouring in for @Sharla!  She gets our vote as well. 
Just riding out this season's Artic blast here in the upper Midwest...nothing like taking the dog out in 30 below wind chills to motivate me into checking back in on cruise news and itineraries!   

Wow!  great to see the kudos pouring in for @Sharla!  She gets our vote as well. 
Just riding out this season's Artic blast here in the upper Midwest...nothing like taking the dog out in 30 below wind chills to motivate me into checking back in on cruise news and itineraries!   

Wow!  great to see the kudos pouring in for @Sharla!  She gets our vote as well. 
Just riding out this season's Artic blast here in the upper Midwest...nothing like taking the dog out in 30 below wind chills to motivate me into checking back in on cruise news and itineraries!   

Wow!  great to see the kudos pouring in for @Sharla!  She gets our vote as well. 
Just riding out this season's Artic blast here in the upper Midwest...nothing like taking the dog out in 30 below wind chills to motivate me into checking back in on cruise news and itineraries!   

Thanks, Twangster!  I got through on the Captain's Club phone line this afternoon (844-418-6824), and Mr. Josh Gray with Celebrity (who said I should use his name on these boards) indicated the loyalty level match between CAS and Captains Club is not a one-time event. So if we cruise on Celebrity while Emerald in CAS, we will translate to Select Level on Celebrity on that cruise. But (in our case) after we do another cruise on Royal and are Diamond and then go back to Celebrity, we will translate to Elite Level for the next Celebrity cruise.  My concern was possibly having to build up from the bottom rung of Select Level and could only do so when cruising on Celebrity, because no future higher loyalty level on CAS would ever translate again to Captain's Club.
Perhaps this clarification will help others interpret information they find on the reciprocity between CAS and Captains Club.   Of course, nothing is static in the cruise industry, so this would be worth confirming as future sail dates approach.

Thanks, Twangster!  I got through on the Captain's Club phone line this afternoon (844-418-6824), and Mr. Josh Gray with Celebrity (who said I should use his name on these boards) indicated the loyalty level match between CAS and Captains Club is not a one-time event. So if we cruise on Celebrity while Emerald in CAS, we will translate to Select Level on Celebrity on that cruise. But (in our case) after we do another cruise on Royal and are Diamond and then go back to Celebrity, we will translate to Elite Level for the next Celebrity cruise.  My concern was possibly having to build up from the bottom rung of Select Level and could only do so when cruising on Celebrity, because no future higher loyalty level on CAS would ever translate again to Captain's Club.
Perhaps this clarification will help others interpret information they find on the reciprocity between CAS and Captains Club.   Of course, nothing is static in the cruise industry, so this would be worth confirming as future sail dates approach.

The one and only time that we strayed from our normal hotel (Best Western Plus), we stayed at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor.   101 S. President Street Baltimore, MD  410-837-9500.  It is right across the street from Camden Yards.  I wasn't particularly impressed but it was close to a few good restaurants.
Is Empress replacing Grandeur ?  I thought it was going to be Enchantment again.

I try to find an airport hotel with a free hotel shuttle then take a ride share to the port in the morning.  Plenty of hotels near BWI, all the major chains represented.   

It's Enchantment .... that was an error.
As for hotels .... especially in the Inner Harbor area .... I'd say the two most popular ones are the Hyatt on Light Street (right across from Harborplace) and the Sheraton, which sits behind the Hyatt.  As for the free shuttle ones, there are two Best Westerns that I see are very popular, Dorsey Road (near BWI) and O'Donnell St (on the other side of the Ft. McHenry Tunnel from the Cruise Port) --- I know that there is a nice Pub right by the Dorsey RD location (Stained Glass Pub I think it's called)

Freedom 12/29/19 Group Cruise!
Symphony 2/8/20
Grandeur 5/1/20
Rhapsody 1/23/21
Harmony 11/21/21 Group Cruise!
 

AshleyDillo -- Appreciate you filling in some blanks for me on group meet-ups on the islands!  Madero Beach Club and Bonaire Blond Brewery are definitely on the list.  Glad to be trying some craft brews after the tastings on Curacao!

No double points for a balcony to suite upgrade obtained through RoyalUp.  If you really need those extra points call now and look into the cost to upgrade conventionally outside of RoyalUp.

It is a new practice and it's run by a third party.  They don't necessarily hold back rooms, but by setting up a blind bidding system they are able to capitalize when there are last minute cancellations.  The offer to bid has little to nothing to do with actual availability.  It's also a way for them to collect even more data as to what people would be willing to pay.

Freedom 12/29/19 Group Cruise!
Symphony 2/8/20
Grandeur 5/1/20
Rhapsody 1/23/21
Harmony 11/21/21 Group Cruise!
 

Hi -- Wife and I are excited to visit the ABC islands next week as part of the Freedom group cruise.  Based on the helpful info on these boards, we're planning:
Curacao - RC Fascinating Curacao excursion -  hope we can get up on 1/1 for the 11:15 AM curacao tasting tour, LOL.  Hit Mambo beach area and group event.
Aruba - Head up to the Eagle beach area--no formal excursion.  Group event in the evening.
Bonaire - RC Mangrove and Beach excursion - looking forward to seeing lots of exotic (for us) sea birds and especially flamingos.  
Besides the ABCs:
St Martin - Taxi up to the French side and probably hang out at Grand Case beach.  Will also want to see how Orient Beach area might be recovering some.  We've visited this great island a couple times previously and will see about heading up to the French side along the east shore instead of the longer loop through Maho Beach/airport area.
Also looking forward to meeting other bloggers!
 

Hi -- Wife and I are excited to visit the ABC islands next week as part of the Freedom group cruise.  Based on the helpful info on these boards, we're planning:
Curacao - RC Fascinating Curacao excursion -  hope we can get up on 1/1 for the 11:15 AM curacao tasting tour, LOL.  Hit Mambo beach area and group event.
Aruba - Head up to the Eagle beach area--no formal excursion.  Group event in the evening.
Bonaire - RC Mangrove and Beach excursion - looking forward to seeing lots of exotic (for us) sea birds and especially flamingos.  
Besides the ABCs:
St Martin - Taxi up to the French side and probably hang out at Grand Case beach.  Will also want to see how Orient Beach area might be recovering some.  We've visited this great island a couple times previously and will see about heading up to the French side along the east shore instead of the longer loop through Maho Beach/airport area.
Also looking forward to meeting other bloggers!
 

Freedom 12/29/19 Group Cruise!
Symphony 2/8/20
Grandeur 5/1/20
Rhapsody 1/23/21
Harmony 11/21/21 Group Cruise!
 

Hi -- Wife and I are excited to visit the ABC islands next week as part of the Freedom group cruise.  Based on the helpful info on these boards, we're planning:
Curacao - RC Fascinating Curacao excursion -  hope we can get up on 1/1 for the 11:15 AM curacao tasting tour, LOL.  Hit Mambo beach area and group event.
Aruba - Head up to the Eagle beach area--no formal excursion.  Group event in the evening.
Bonaire - RC Mangrove and Beach excursion - looking forward to seeing lots of exotic (for us) sea birds and especially flamingos.  
Besides the ABCs:
St Martin - Taxi up to the French side and probably hang out at Grand Case beach.  Will also want to see how Orient Beach area might be recovering some.  We've visited this great island a couple times previously and will see about heading up to the French side along the east shore instead of the longer loop through Maho Beach/airport area.
Also looking forward to meeting other bloggers!
 

Hi -- Wife and I are excited to visit the ABC islands next week as part of the Freedom group cruise.  Based on the helpful info on these boards, we're planning:
Curacao - RC Fascinating Curacao excursion -  hope we can get up on 1/1 for the 11:15 AM curacao tasting tour, LOL.  Hit Mambo beach area and group event.
Aruba - Head up to the Eagle beach area--no formal excursion.  Group event in the evening.
Bonaire - RC Mangrove and Beach excursion - looking forward to seeing lots of exotic (for us) sea birds and especially flamingos.  
Besides the ABCs:
St Martin - Taxi up to the French side and probably hang out at Grand Case beach.  Will also want to see how Orient Beach area might be recovering some.  We've visited this great island a couple times previously and will see about heading up to the French side along the east shore instead of the longer loop through Maho Beach/airport area.
Also looking forward to meeting other bloggers!
 

We enjoyed the Mystery Dinner on Adventure OTS on the the Aug 31 NE and Eastern Canada cruise.  While the Mystery Dinner menu is limited compared to the regular Giovanni's menu, the food was great.  The filet was our favorite dish on this cruise. 
They rearranged the dinning room into seating at six long tables to maximize the number of patrons for the event, while maintaining an aisle in the middle of the dinning room for the actors.  So I can understand that a limited menu would facilitate efficient food preparation and serving for a densely-packed room--and provide a few breaks for between courses for the show. 
 
Giovanni's Mystery Dinner Menu.pdf

I second having magnetic hooks and also suggest bringing a magnetic clip or two.  These are great for hanging my fold-out dopp kit, hats, sunglasses, etc...and we like to use the clip for hanging cruise compasses and any messages for our room steward.
We made the mistake of bringing a short (3 ft) extension cord -- not a power strip -- on our last cruise (Oasis).  I figured it would be OK to bring because it does not generate heat and appears similar, at least conceptually, to a USB hub with a built-in extension cord that also splits power from one outlet into several USB ports.   But I learned the hard way, through a trip to the naughty room on deck 2 to access my luggage, that any extension cord is prohibited.  Probably because it would enable you to draw a potentially unacceptable/unsafe(?) amount of power from one stateroom outlet.
Great question -- we tapped into the brain trust of these boards ahead of our last cruise which greatly enhanced our cruising experience.
 

You guys sound very flexible -- thanks for your willingness to share a visit to the island with our crew.  I also sent you a private message with more info on our group.  Might also be good to know what new van Leo's got to gauge if we would all comfortably all fit -- probably, but might be worth checking out anyway! 😁

I saw many other threads recommending Bernard's Tours (https://www.bernardstours.com/) for a day trip around St. Maarten, and thought I'd chime in that I highly recommend them.  Below are some details about our experience, which I haven't seen posted elsewhere and hopefully well help answer other people's questions similar to the ones I had prior to visiting.
 
I was with a family group of 8 people in total, ranging from my son (8 years old) to my father-in-law (80 years old).  Everyone is generally mobile and doesn't require anything like a stroller or walker, although I could see the tour easily accommodating those if we had needed them. We were on Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas with a port call in St. Maarten on Thursday Jan 3rd, 2019.  There were 2 other ships in port that day as well.  We were there from 7AM until 5PM. I made the reservation via their website about 45 days in advance.  We decided to do the private customized tour for 8 people, total cost $495, with a deposit of $100 required in advance.  I paid the remaining $395 onsite as we were starting the tour via a credit card. We had decided not to rush off the boat, so asked for a 10AM - 4PM tour time.  This worked well as it allowed us to eat breakfast and walk off the ship at a leisurely pace.  I got a phone call directly from Bernard at about 9:30AM on my cell phone just to confirm we were still planning on coming. It was a little hard to find the tour lot.  You have to walk past all the small vendor kiosks, through a chain link fence gate, and there are some white tent canopies setup in a gravel parking lot.  It's to the left of the main taxi parking lot, just past the big sign that says welcome to St. Maarten. We asked a random vendor on the pier which way to go and they easily pointed it out to us.  There isn't any clear signage at the tent that it's Bernard's Tours, but all the drivers had shirts with the logo on it. After paying, we were assigned a driver, David, and a 10-12 person passenger van (3-4 rows of seats in it).  The van was very clean and modern and Brian had a small step stool to help my inlaws step into an out of the van.  In between the front seats was a cooler with bottle of water, coke, diet coke, beer, and a bottle of rum.  Brian regularly encouraged us to take whatever we wanted from the coolor over the course of the day.  David had a headset microphone he wore the whole time that was hooked up to the speakers in the van.  Whenever he spoke it was broadcast over the speakers and made it easy for anyone in the van to hear him without blasting us out in the front row. The first thing he asked us was what we wanted to do / see.  We had some general desires, such as some beach time, the french-dutch border, and the airplanes at maho beach.  He then provided us with some maps of the island and suggested we do a route around the whole island with certain specific stops detailed below.  He suggested NOT going to Orient Beach due to us having kids and it being clothing optional.  We readily agreed to his suggestions. We then set of, and were pleasantly surprised to find that he was able to narrate the whole time all about the island, the various major buildings, sites, history, and in particular the impact of the recent hurricanes.  He quickly learned all our names and was quick to address us by them and try to gauge what each of us were interested in. The some of the stops we didn't get out of the van, and were for things like the oldest building on the island, the East Dutch/French border monument, and the big new flagpole on the mountainside. Other tops we generally got out for a while and included: An overlook of Oyster Bay, which gave a view of all the boats still sunk in the harbor due to the hurricane Rotary Lookout Point, an elevated platform with an amazing view of some undeveloped beaches and islands.  Normally there is a guy there that brings in sea urchins for tourists to see, but he wasn't there that day.  We were able to find one or two to pick up close to the shore. The Iguana 'farm', which is just a small roadside stall with 2 ladies near some iguana nesting sites.  The ladies threw out some lettuce and gave the kids sticks with lettuce on them to attract the iguanas and feed them, which was pretty cool to see Lunch at Rainbow Cafe Beach bar (http://rainbowcafe.fr/) on Grand Case Beach.  That area was hit hard by the hurricanes and there are only a few beach establishments open still.  We had about 75 minutes here and it was exactly like something out of the movies, with a perfect beach and water (85 degree weather that day!).  It cost $15 for 2 beach chairs with an umbrella and waiter service, only a few feet from the water.  Altogether we spent about $120 for 8 people to have chairs, some drinks and food and just bask in the environment. A stop in 'downtown' at Marigot Market, to visit a bakery and various street market stalls for some shopping.  We had about 30 minutes to walk around and see the sights and wares available. A stop at the West Dutch/French board monument while crossing over the border to find a geocache for my daughter (David mentioned that he once had somebody hire him to just drive around the island looking for geocaches) A stop at Maho Beach at the airport to see the planes land and take off.  We had about 30 minutes here, and were there at the perfect time to see lots of big jets both coming in for a landing and taking off.  
Altogether, all 8 of us were extremely impressed and happy with the experience, ranging from the myrid of things David told us while driving around about the island and it's people, to the wide range of stops we made and time available to enjoy them.  I'd highly recommend Bernard's tours to anyone going to Sint Maarten / Saint Martin