Jerel

Thanks for the heads up, I'm watching it now. 5 parts, 45 minutes each, they must really go into detail. Hard to believe the Sovereign was the biggest ship at one point.

Don't forget to try some drinks you normally wouldn't, I think that will be the big benefit of the package. You could even man-up and drink some Caesars instead of those Bloody Mary's :).

I don't know where to begin. I know the schedule of the ships that come to my city and make a point to go watch sail aways if it's a big one. I work across the harbour from the pier and watch the ships come in, all ways telling co-workers what ship it is and what features it has (today was the Liberty and a Holland America). I like to correct people and say 'actually that's a small ship'. It drives me nuts when people say the Queen Mary 2 is the biggest cruise ship, it happens often. Also me and my wife lay in bed watching cruise videos, we used to stick to ships we are going on but now we will watch any Royal ship videos. But my biggest nerd trait has to be coming on this forum and discussing trivial things as if they were important :).

Nice! We'll want the full scoop on the water slides. Pics are a must, maybe a video if we're lucky. Either way I'm looking forward to hearing about it.

Iv heard of the sewer smell complaint on ships before, normally on the lower decks. Not sure the cause but it can happen. Hopefully they fix the other issues, people notice details like that. My guess is its on some maintaince guys list and just haven't got done yet. My only hope is that you filled out your online review through Royal and mentioned what you saw. IMO it's important to let them know. Glad you enjoyed your trip though, I'm tackling that class of ship for the first time on the Independence next month. Good thing I didn't choose the run down Freedom :) :).

One tip would be to get to the ship early, even if they ask you to show up later. They tend to send out emails and phone calls assigning you a boarding time. They are just hoping to control the crowds, you can show up when you want. Getting onboard early will give you time to explore the ship before it gets crowded. Plus, for us the more time onboard the better. Also keep in mind you won't get your room or luggage till later, so it's good to bring a change of clothes (swimsuit) in your carry-on.

I could be totally wrong on this but maybe popcorn makes too much of a mess. At least that's what my wife says every time I eat it.

Sounds like you had a good time on a awesome ship, can't beat that. Glad to see they were able to accommodate your diet, many vegetarians worry about that. Iv read that they do try and make special meals for people if asked, I guess it's true. I agree about the games, I really enjoy them too. I kinda wish they would do more 'game shows' and less song and dance shows. But that's just me, a little bit of everything for everyone I guess. Also agree about the movies outside. I would never normally watch a movie on vacation but there's something about relaxing on the pool deck that makes it worth while.

Glad you enjoyed your trip. It rained on and off for a week and has been nice since, just the luck of the draw I guess. There is quite a bit of construction on the go, even outside of downtown there is many high rise condos going up. Growth is good. I work in construction so they keep me busy, it's been this way for the past 15 years or more. Glad you liked the Citadel though, I like the forts. We got a few around. Your ship may have done a U-turn around Georges Island across from the pier, it's fortified too, has some tunnels with cannons sticking out of windows. I read about you making platinum, sounds like you had a good trip.

I can definitely relate, as time goes by it just makes it that much harder. Lesson learned I guess.

I like Bing, mainly for the cool daily pic :)

Others would know better than I, but I'll jump in anyways. I think there is many head waiters per floor, on my ships they dressed differently than the other waiters with their vests and bow ties, I noticed a few of them running around. That said, I'm sure there is a head head waiter for the floor. I think just about anybody would be happy to help you with your request though. Also, just an idea but a birthday might be a good reason to try a specialty restaurant, maybe even present her with a gift at the table. I'm going to try it next year myself. Although I must say listening to the waiters try and sing happy birthday in the MDR has been hilarious, English is not their first language and they arnt the best with the words. But that's my twisted sence of humor speaking. Best of luck

This bothers me, charging too much is one thing, selling a fake is another.Especially considering they are a authorised dealer, I'm assuming they are, iv seen Tissot sold on the ships. Did you get papers with a serial number? I'm not sure if parts of the movement were replaced or if the whole watch is a fake, either way it's bad. I'd get a hold of Tissot and say WTF, they would be furious to know that. Maybe a RC employee did a switch, not sure, but it's a very big deal. Being a big watch nut I chuckle to myself when I see them peddle weak brands as high end, and they definitely do. Cheaply made watches marked down to high prices. Selling Chinese watches as high end Swiss happens. The US has relaxed laws towards this, put in a small Swiss part on a Chinese watch and it's 'Swiss made'. That's one thing, pushing replicas as original is another. Tissot is a quality brand, not top of the line but very respectable. Good choice for a affordable well made watch. Selling fakes would be a whole new low for RC, assuming it's true. I'd definitely let Tissot know of this.

I noticed they have a decent roll call and forum on my Shipmates app, may be worth a look. I would expect CC would be the largest though.

Bearfoot beach is nice, its mentioned at end of this video...

I'm super excited to get on the ship, but by the end of the sailing I really want to go home. Works out that way with every vacation, not sure why. Probably the liquor (only drink on vacation), and missing my dog. There's a line of a song I always end up singing, 'this so called vacation will soon be my death, I'm so sick from the drink I need home for a rest'. Seems to sum up my experience nicely.

Sorry to hear. I live in Halifax and love the Canadian east coast, but when ones expecting Bermuda its gotta be a disapointment comming here. We've seen a few ships in lately avoiding the storm, to bad its been a rainy week here.

Oh, ok, I thought someone you were talking to (maybe Michael Pool) said you were on the ship at that moment, he must of meant the time of airing. Also my memory isn't the best.

I'd be frantically trying to find a tv to watch the Blue Jays kick some butt. But other than that I'd be half lit wearing a Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned with my new belly sticking out, and probably rocking a bit of a sunburn. I'd also be very full and eating anyways.

I remember when you were on the Freedom I thought 'no podcast this week, maybe something pre recorded'. Then I was surprised to see you broadcasted from the ship, now that's hard core :).

I think it would be pretty cool to experience though. Maybe some formal costumes in the MDR, that would be a sight.

One good tip is to check out Matt's blog and podcast, links can be found at top of page. Countless topics with great tips, I'm sure you'll find an episode on the Explorer or one of its sister ships.

For sure, I find it pretty surrealistic too. I'm watching tube videos of cruises way down the line when I'm setting sail in just over a month on the Indy. In Feb I'll be on the same sailing as the group cruise, looking forward to that. First time on a ship that big and doing a central park balcony (drink package too!). Then it's the Nav out of Miami with a virtual balcony, from what iv seen the Nav looks like a great ship. And then it's the Harmony with a central park balcony again. Really really looking forward to that, it'll be the coolest ship going. So many different cruises with different things to look forward too, I tend to overlook our next cruise :).

I'll tackle numbers 3 and 7. There is no cash on board, your set sail pass acts as a credit card and room key, it's all you need. At the end of the cruise they will bill your real credit card with any charges, or you can pay your bill down with cash during the cruise at the guest relations desk. At any time you can check the ballance of your setsail pass on the tv in your room.

If a restaurant is slow don't they give discounts to try and get people in? I thought I heard of them offering deals to people heading into the windjammer.