Ditchdoc

Well ... I guess it just depends. There are several variables. Time of year, sunrise, sunset etc. It is 160 miles down the Chesapeake from Baltimore to the Bay Bridge. The Chesapeake is busy all the time with cargo ships and pleasure/fishing boats as well as military. Ship speed is limited near the mouth of the Chesapeake to 10knots due to Wright Whales. There are as many as a dozen course changes to stay in the shipping lanes and most all of this is done in darkness. Point being, 15 knots is probably the best a cruise ship can do in the Chesapeake and then only for some legs. This means the trip from Baltimore to the Bay Bridge takes about 12 hours, maybe a bit less, possibly a bit more. So, again, depending on sun rise, sun set, departure time etc.....maybe you exit the bay in daylight, maybe in the dark. Maybe you have the views on departure, maybe on return.

Did not find this to be the case. With about a 4-5 pm departure, it takes all night to traverse the Chesapeake and passing through the junction of the James and York Rivers, Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean takes place the morning of the second day.

Did New England and Nova Scotia out of Baltimore. The port is well marked off I95 and just a couple blocks off the exit. Sailing from here means traveling down the Chesapeake Bay to get to the Atlantic but going past the Norfolk navel yard, Newport News shipyard and the Bay bridge tunnel was just part of the adventure and kinda neat.

We get up early and are out and about so morning is a good time for room to be serviced. Stop by Guest Services and tell them you want a Cruise Compass delivered each day. They document it in your preferences and you will get one each evening for the next day. We tell our attendant we want fresh towels each day. They can provide extra towels if you need them. As for towel animals, that is entirely up the room attendant, their skills and time.

When we started with Royal, guests were a bit older, more subdued, respectful. Food was better, service was better, things were a slower pace and relaxed. We liked it. Since, Royal marketing has turned the ships into amusement parks, people are brash, many are inconsiderate not only with other people but with the crew and ship. On our last cruise kids (I think), on two occasions, kicked room service trays down the hall, strowing food and ketchup down the passage. There were reports of door decorations stolen. People are just inconsiderate. One showed up at the Chefs Table, the high end meal on RC, looking like he just walked in off the beach. Others would show up at the MDR 30 and 45 minutes late while others were being served entrees, expecting to start their meal. Now, we feel like we are simply obligated in ways since our loyalty perks are important and we would hate to start over with another brand. I understand the marketing but cruising is turning into a floating state fair amusement park. Civility is on the decline in favor of loud wiz bang and colors.

Depends on the length of the cruise(s) and how much you packed. I'd have the bag ready to pick up two days before turn around day so it comes back the day before turn around day. I would generally plan to just have small clothes done, underwear, T shirts, socks, etc. Roll them tightly and carefully pack the paper sack you get. A couple can easily get a weeks worth in the bag and probably have a bit of room left over for anything you feel safe washing. If you hang your nicer clothes, only wear them for a couple hours for dinner, change and rehang them, you can get at least two wearings out of them if not more. For a longer cruise, 3 or 4 tops and 2 bottoms should do. Shoes take a lot of space, don't get too crazy with them. A dark pair walking/tennis shoes, even nice sandals can sub for evening wear. I know most women will bring what they gotta bring Reserve proper shorts for after dinner wear and shore excursions. Light weight gym clothes are great to hang out in on sea days, slip on for the morning coffee run/ breakfast or an alternate to hanging out in a swim suit all day and you can wear them to the gym. These same light weight gym clothes can also fit well in the laundry bag if needed.

You might count different ways but Mariner has at least 8 bars, 10 restaurants, 3 pools, several shows, A solarium, A promenade, ice skating rink, flow rider, gym, spa........

I see, makes sense.

My first passport was done by mail. Had to send my birth certificate but it was returned with the passport. Granted, its been a few years. I would think these newer drivers license with "real ID" would be good. I'm not so sure about driving around while your license is in the mail though.

Never had to do it at a post office. Its all on-line. Instructions, forms to fill out etc. Recommend someone that does passport photos (drug stores etc.) to get it just right. Your application will be rejected if the photo is not right. Once your forms, photo, ID (birth certificate, check are all together, package it in a proper envelope or mailer, send it to the passport office, certified. If everything is correct, you will get your passport and birth certificate back. Usually quicker than they advertise. Make sure you get all your info from a dot gov website. There are fakes out there and many sites that want to charge you for filing for a passport. These are called 'Couriers'. You do not need them. DonR posted the link above. Also on the government site, they offer expedited service but there may be an additional fee.

You rent the ship. If you want someone to drive it, thats extra.

If you are Diamond you can use your drink perks for bottles of water.

Gotta agree. Old design is like crystal, it can be displayed most anywhere and look sheik and classic. The new design, adding color makes it a decorating issue and looks more like a post card. Just as I was getting excited about collecting, now I don't really care. I think all of RC has gone from elegance to Six Flags over the Ocean.

Like most things .... Different strokes etc.....in the past we have met really nice people and staff we enjoyed sharing time with each evening. On the other hand, we have dined with individuals who, by the third night, caused us to consider alternative dining arrangements. Lately, post COVID, (dang COVID has changed so many things) the tables in the MDR are mostly arranged for two persons instead of 4, 6 or 8.

The standard (250 lbs.) and heavy duty (350 lbs.) scooters and wheelchairs fit through the door of a regular stateroom. A large scooter rated for 400 lbs. will probably require an room rated as accessible. These rooms have wider doors and more space for the same price but are limited. At ports, staff can help get scooters on and off if ramps are steep but if you have to tender, you may not be able to leave the ship, at least not on a scooter. Finally, most standard doors are between 23 and 24 inches wide.

I have see a helicopter evacuation and been on board when a non scheduled stop was made to transfer a patient. Just depends on how critical the situation is, how close to port, etc.

Yes you can smoke a cigar in designated areas. I do miss the Connoisseur club on board.

Royal does not have to know. There are many variables including what kind of issue you are having, severity, weather, distance, time and so on. That decision rests with medical professionals, and maybe weather. First in line is the ships doctor who decides if you are dead or alive. If you are alive, where do you need to go and how soon. If your situation is urgent and life threatening, and you are at sea, A helicopter is your fried. Now more medical professionals will decide what is the appropriate facility. It maybe the appropriate facility is just a place to stabilize you until you can get to specialized facility. So you see, Royal basically calls 911, the rest is in the hands of medical professionals.

Worst case....boarding time might span a couple of hours. A minor inconvenience. Glad it was worked out.

The wine package. Seems like it was around $75 for 5 bottles and the waiter would bring it to your table and pour.

I don't drink soda. Until this very day, I had no idea what a Freestyle machine was.

Labadee is about 6 hours by car from Port an Prince across a pretty remote and mountainous area. Labadee is about as far as you can get from civilization in Haiti. There are a few resorts along the same north shore along with what looks like some substantial police stations. I'd say its kind of like Cancun in Mexico. The government just don't tolerate bad behavior around tourist areas.

Just search Amazon for ...cruising door decorations..... There are a few hundred decorative magnets in packages of various quantities. Usually for 10 to $20. It easy and cheap.

Bid a couple of times, haven't won. Most recently, had a back to back or two part cruise. Got a Royal Up email for the second half, didn't really want to change rooms if I won so I didn't bid. Of course about two weeks later, I got a Royal Up email for the first half. Well, doh!!! Didn't bid on that one either since it was too late to bid on the second half or risk winning one and not the other. The system is just not very cognizant of consecutive cruises.

Did a SCUBA dive excursion. In the pre-digital age. I had purchased one of the small water proof film cameras and used it to take some pictures during the dive. Once I shot the entire roll, thinking I had gotten some pretty good photos, I stuck the camera in a Velcro pouch of the BC I had rented. When I got back to the ship I realized I had forgotten the camera.. I did what I could to see if I could get it back with no luck. Always hated I never got to see how those photos turned out.