WAAAYTOOO

Welcome to the blog, LisaMc

We just got off Grandeur and I will say that there was a lot of rust visible.

That's very interesting. Wonder why they are waiting until May 2021 ? Won't they be ready when she comes out of dry dock ?

Sounds reasonable to me ! I think maybe the reasoning goes something like this: "Enchantment was very popular when she sailed from Baltimore before. Maybe we can sneak her into Baltimore again and nobody will notice".

I have not rented a cabana in many years - certainly not since they started Perfect Day so I really do not know what the Genies can and cannot do for you regarding cabanas. While I have read that Star Class no longer have "first dibs" on cabanas at Coco Cay, I suspect they still have some ability to influence activities....but who knows ? Here's my guess. I think that they would give you 8 wrist bans to be distributed in any way that you wish. Then the other 3 people will have to purchase the day pass for South Beach. Since I have never even SEEN a South Beach cabana (as no one else has either) I can only guess that once you have the wrist bands, they probably really do not care who comes and goes from the cabanas themselves. This is all just a SWAG at this point but I do NOT believe that they will allow all 11 of you into South Beach for the purchase of the cabana. I believe that 3 will have to pay. For my upcoming Anthem cruise in Feb., day passes to SB are $64.99 each.

Didn't Royal also have a "king and queen" ad ? Dan still calls himself the king when he is on a cruise !

I was a skeptic, too...and it has only been very recently that I decided to try Uber. It's so easy. They send you a fare, up front, you pay with a CC that has already been attached to the app and they track the vehicle to your location, give you a description and license plate number of the vehicle and a picture and name of the driver. It really couldn't be easier. There are still times when we choose to use a taxi or a shuttle but we now choose Uber some of the time. Even Dan uses it occasionally !!

UGH

Me too. I still can't figure out what they're doing !

44 days for us. I'm a bit nouvous.

Last year Royal tried to change it to where casino comps did NOT receive double points for suites but there was a huge uprising against that decision and they changed it back. So for now, casino comp upgrades to suites still get double points. I look for them to try and change it again at some point but for now, all is well....

Welcome to the blog, jlb335

1. Sorry. Can't help you on this one. Never been in a RLS even for a visit. 2. This is a very sensitive subject. The Genie is technically only supposed to provide service to Star Class passengers. Having said that, I have never had a Genie fail to accommodate any other friend (never taken any family with me) that I happened to be traveling with. I would expect for the Genie to tell you that all non-SC passengers will be charged. This may or may not actually happen. It's really a toss-up. Technically, however, non-SC pax would be charged. Just be prepared for that. 3. I always make sure that at LEAST embarkation day rezzies are made prior to sail date although it would not be a problem for the Genie to get you reservations anywhere you want to eat. It's up to you. I always like knowing that at least my first night's plans are set.

So excited for you !! Forgive me. I've forgotten which ship you are on. Whether or not you can get into the CK immediately will depend on whether your ship gives you your seapass card immediately upon checkin or if it is one of the ships where you do not receive your seapass card until later (when you access your suite). You need a seapass card to get into the CK/SL. Even if you are on one of the ships that does not give you a seapass card up front you probably can still get into the CK on embarkation day. There will almost certainly be someone up there to let you in. As you noted, you will be able to get beer, wine, soda and water in the SL from 11-11 daily so if you are content with going to the SL to get your wine, you will be just fine. I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to get wine with your lunch since you could simply get your wine first and then walk over to the restaurant and sit down and drink it with your meal. I would also recommend that if you plan on eating evening meals in the CK, make those reservations on embarkation day OR you can make them before you board when your Concierge contacts you before the cruise. Staterooms should be ready between 1:00 - 1:30. If you have a nice, leisurely lunch in the CK then your room will most likely be ready very soon after you finish lunch. I have never found the CK to be remarkably crowded on embarkation day but the size of the lounge crowd has a lot to do with how many Pinnies will be on your cruise and you generally will not know that until it's too late. You will just have to go up there and check it out ! 36 days is both a short and a long time. Time will DRAG by when you are looking forward to it so much but it will really go by quickly relative to the amount of time you have already waited !

Yippee ! Glad to have you back.

That’s an excellent question. Seemingly, we got back on schedule so it doesn’t make sense that we would be late to return but the casino manager just told me that they won’t be closing the casino until 11:00 which would indicate to me that they are behind schedule. I will ask.

I will see if the crew has heard of this yet. Heading back to the casino now. I’m slightly concerned about Enchantment after Twangster’s review from last year. Not sure where we will turn as an option. I guess we will be retired and living in FLA by then anyway...

We are on Grandeur now on the 5 night Bermuda itin so I guess you will be on the next Bermuda run after us ! Our Concierge is Dudley but I think I heard him telling one of the guests that he’s leaving after this cruise so I don’t know who will be taking his place. I will try and find out for you. Whoever it is, you will most likely hear from him/her at 5 days out. That seems to be the magic number these days. I love Grandeur but I am not overly in love with the location of the full suites on the Vision class ships. They are all bunched up at the very front of the ship and are directly beneath the Windjammer so it’s very noisy. But a noisy suite is better than no suite so I still book them. I didn’t understand from your post whether you chose the GS or the OS. Unfortunately, the OS are even MORE up front. We are in a balcony room on this cruise and it seems incredibly small - especially the bathroom. Can’t wait to get back into a suite ! There is quite a bit of remodeling going on in and around the Centrum. Hopefully it will be completed by the time you board. It isn’t particularly problematic but is somewhat unsightly and a bit of a traffic impediment. I believe it has something to do with flooring but Dan said they were welding yesterday which doesn’t seem like a flooring activity. Whatever... The weather in Bermuda was as close to perfect as it gets. Simply beautiful. We did not go in the water (matter of fact, we never left the ship) but those who did said that the water was warm and enjoyable. I think it will still be nice when you get there. Enjoy your cruise. This is a very common cruise for us as it’s driving distance and with a a Federal holiday incorporated, we gets the biggest bang for our vacation buck.

I don’t know that I will have the opportunity to see any of the ATS but if I do, I will let you know. I can certainly ask.

Yes, the Solarium would be quiet but it can sometimes be hot in there. The Centrum had SOME music playing but was reasonably quiet. It can get busy and noisy in there though.

The bar was closed

I guess maybe I will be next “up”. We are in the Grand Panoramic Suite on Oasis Dec 1. We have already received our [useless] questionnaire but have not yet heard from our Genie. I am a terrible live blogger b/c I don’t take pictures and I only have an iPad so I try and minimize the narratives (to everyone’s relief, I’m sure). Since it seems that we will be the first to experience the newly amped Oasis is SC, I will make more of an effort than I have in the past. So excited for you, Pookie (I love both your names !). The first SC is so amazing. Just wait until you do your first B2B SC. Then you will really understand decadence ! ???

Don’t go to the Schooner Bar if you want quiet ! I tried going there today b/c the internet was SO bad on Grandeur while we were in port. We got blasted out of there with loud and obnoxious music.

I’m SO with you about Papa Johns. Their sauce is horrific.

I’m somewhat concerned after reading accounts of Genies who would not coordinate the Cabin Crawls without a fee. Maybe the days of gala Cabin Crawl parties is over. I sure hope not. It was a wonderful service. I’m not saying it isn’t a lot of work for the Genies. It is. Maybe the new strategy should be NOT to mention Cabin Crawl at all. Just request food and drinks without mentioning the reason.