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Poolside

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Posts posted by Poolside

  1. 24 minutes ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

    Not likely. The percentage of people looking to attend mass on a cruise ship is too small. A previous poster mentioned 200 people attending a mass on enchantment, that is less than 1% of passengers.

    Closer to 10%. There are not 20,000 passengers on Enchantment. 😆

  2. On 9/5/2022 at 9:27 AM, Adriana said:

    Thank you so much! The longest cruise I have done is a 9 night to NE and Canada on Anthem (loooved it). I am hesitant about days 1-4 at sea and then again on the way back, particularly because of the size. Did you feel motion sickness? Right now, I can get an inside cabin (not thrilled about that, but gosh, the price) for a bit over $1K, so that is pretty amazing. I just do not know if just lounging around will be enough. I hear the crew is fantastic and the food is good. If I was traveling with someone else, I would do it. I can entertain myself, but twelve days is a long time…and over Thanksgiving. Ugh, so torn! … Thank you for the feedback! 

    On Enchantment, you will definitely feel the ship moving. Usually it's minimal. Sometimes, it's a lot. It is rarely nothing.

    Enjoy whatever cruise you go on.

     

  3. 4 hours ago, Adriana said:

    How did you like the 12 night Southern Caribbean cruise? I am considering it, but not sure if too long for that ship. I don’t mind doing nothing for a bit, but need some entertainment and things to do. Do they have a thermal suite or something similar? Thank you!!

    We loved the 12 night Southern Caribbean itinerary. The ports are great. Southern Caribbean is fabulous for weather. For the 5 ports, we island hop. We travel at night while we sleep and are in a new port every day. 

    No thermal suite on Enchantment.

    If you can enjoy 6 sea days (3 down, 3 back) with limited activities, you will love the ports.

  4. 23 hours ago, Tmsmith said:

    We did Enchantment earlier this year and I would switch ships in a heartbeat!  The boat is in need of refurbishing. There where two days when we had no hot water to shower before dinner.

    The Grand suite is nothing spectacular and the ship has literally nothing to do other than karaoke and games that are played at children's birthday parties.  It was our 3rd time on Enchantment and my husband was emphatic that we are done with that boat.

    I've sailed the Enchantment twice this year (12 night Southern Caribbean and 9 night Bermuda/Bahamas). I'm sailing again in October. 

    @Tmsmith is right on. If you want activities to do, you will be very disappointed sailing the Enchantment. I actually cruise to do nothing and rest. I read, play games and do puzzles. I love hanging out on the outdoor pool deck and by the indoor Solarium pool. I don't eat Specialty restaurants. So... the Enchantment is perfect for my wife and I, plus usually cheaper.

     

    Cruising is all about expectations and what you personally want to experience.

  5. I've sailed on Enchantment from Baltimore twice so far this year.

    1. Currently Bermuda is requiring a BTA (Bermuda Travel Authorization) that costs $40 per person. You must provide basically the same information that Royal requires (proof of vaccine, passport info, negative test before arriving)

    2. No outbreaks on Enchantment that I've heard about or seen

    3. You will test up to 2 days before embarkation. You should know if you are negative or positive before arriving at the port of Baltimore. No other testing is required for vaccinated guests unless you have symptoms or close contact with someone who has symptoms or tests positive

    4. There have been many reports of various venues and entertainment being shut down across the fleet because they can't be staffed because of Covid quarantine by crew. It didn't seem to affect much on my March and May cruises on Enchantment

    5. There is not a lot of action on Enchantment late in the evening. You should check the "cruise compasses" from itineraries that are similar to yours. (available on this site)

    6. Like everything on land, nothing is working quite as well since pre-Covid, even on the ships. But, I enjoyed the cruises and adjusted my expectations accordingly.

    7. Parking is $15/day. They only charge you for each night on the ship, not partial days. (e.g. 9 night cruise was $135, 12 night cruise was $180)

  6. I am on the Enchantment, May 5, 2022 sailing to Bermuda and the Bahamas as well.

     

    My DW and I just received our Bermuda Travel Authorizations today (May 4). Here's how the process and timing worked for us.

    1. About 30 days out, we applied for our BTA and entered Passport  info and picture of Vaccine card.

    2. Two days out from the cruise, we both did the proctored eMed tests and got negative results at 7:30 a.m. (required by Royal)

    3. At 7:30 a.m. two days before the cruise we finished our BTA applications by uploading a "pdf" of our negative tests.

    4. DW got her approval the next day (one day before the cruise) in the morning. I got mine the day before in the late afternoon. We had to electronically sign and initial the form before it was completed.

     

    YMMV

     

     

  7. The Bermuda Travel Authorization has to be completed or you will not be allowed to board the ship. If your ship is sailing to Bermuda, you must show your approved Bermuda Travel Authorization on embarkation day before you are allowed to board.

    You can start your application up to 30 days out from your cruise. You must pay the $40 when you first apply (non-refundable) to the government of Bermuda. Your application includes Passport info, Vaccine card image, and negative test. You can enter all of this information 30 days out... except for the negative test results.

    I plan to complete my application by uploading my negative test results before I get on the ship (on May 5). I will use the same test results that Royal requires me to bring with me on embarkation day. 

    You will not need Voom, since you can't board the ship without having completed your application.

  8. I have sailed on Grandeur in a forward cabin many times, usually on decks 2 or 3. Sailing from Baltimore, the seas can be rough. We often experienced "banging" of the ship into the waves. Sometimes the drawers would move in and out or the "ajar" bathroom door would open and close some.

    This didn't bother us. We love sleeping to the moving of the ship. However, it did make things challenging when trying to shower, dress, or whatever else we did in the room.

    Once in the Caribbean, the movement was much less.

    YMMV

     

  9. I have made 3 final payments for cruises that have been cancelled shortly after due to the pandemic. I was confident they would be cancelled when I made the final payments. I have requested refunds for each of them when Royal cancelled. (I've received everything back from the first 2. The third cancelation just happened.)

    I just figure it's part of the game. I'm using the refunds to pay off the next cruises. (Next final payment is in February.)

    I understand why Royal is doing it this way. They are coming up on a year with no cruises. 

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