Seafarer

1 hour ago, SuzanneM said:

I was on a writing cruise a few years ago and one of the activities was to write something short (story, poem, etc.) inspired by a piece in the ship's weird art collection.

Here's my contribution with a (not ready for prime-time) Limerick

I once closed the Schooner bar 'round 1:30

by downing my last shot of whiskey,

I felt the urge to go

then opened the bathroom door

and shouted

AUNT MILDRED, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!!!

5 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Oh the Bier Haus and that song!!! Haha 

I love to play at Heidi's! There are 5 lined up on the Symphony. It's the next best thing to Oktoberfest when all are being played.

Was onboard last Feb. I'm an early riser and like to walk the decks. One morning I was greeted by SOOOO CUTE and LMAO while taking a leak!

Will be back on Symphony next winter and will seek out the other seven images.

On 9/3/2022 at 2:34 PM, ScooterScott22 said:

The thread is referring to the coffee maker and pods in the suites. 

All I have to say is it is not the most user friendly device.

But it's worth the effort, especially if you enjoy a crema on top of your freshly brewed coffee.

How about driving? DCA to Port Canaveral is about 13 hours. We've had success often renting vehicles one-way to FL during Christmas. If you leave sharply at 6pm, you can get to Florence SC around midnight, which is roughly the halfway point. There are several hotels along I-95, or take turns driving if that's an option.

After a few hours of sleep, travel the remaining six or so hours to Port Canaveral. Weather of course plays a role, whether or not you fly or drive. Might want to check into getting insurance that would cover those kind of delays. Good Luck

55 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

@Seafarer Playmaker's is playing ESPN 1 to whatever. So it's a collection of college, NFL, and MLB games. The guy also said if they have the channels you can request a game. 

Appreciate you checking it out. GO BEARS!

17 hours ago, JasonOasis said:

They can't please everybody and play all the sports customers want to see.

My suggestion is bring your own devise with you and watch Formula 1 on it.  I know it isn't the same things as watching it on a large screen TV but if it is your own devise then at least you have control over what is playing.

The FSU/LSU game was the only college game on last Sunday. It should have been on. If it's due to the feed, then alternatives should be evaluated for future implementation. Afterall, it's a sports bar.

After playing on the Symphony and Odyssey for the first time last winter, I recently bought a birthday present for Ms. Seafarer--a set of paddles and balls for cruising.

Doing an 11-day B2B next month on this ship. As you sail into the weekend, I'd like to know if a large selection of MLB, NCAA and NFL games are on at Playmakers.

Our last two cruises on Odyssey and Symphony had mostly international soccer and basketball. Hoping it's not the case on the Navigator.

Ms. Seafarer and I also enjoyed taking the train to Vernazza during a May 2019 trip. We planned to hike over to Monterosso al Mare but turned back half-way, as there were many people on the trail. Similar to the Grand Canyon, there are places along the trail with no fences and sometimes not much room to maneuver when someone is coming from the opposite direction. So we ended up going back to Vernazza and went up to the trail leading to the Corniglia. However, we were turned back at the guard station due to the trail being closed. Undaunted, we headed back down to Vernazza, enjoyed the stellar views and had lunch.

I found this last year. Good reviews, but ended up using the free RC shuttle from Port Miami to Port Everglades (B2B on Symphony/Odyssey).

https://www.ride099.com/

Interesting.

My initial thought is that there may be too much capacity, due to many new ships introduced in the past year, along with a softening of the economy.

Or perhaps maintenance.

Or perhaps a change-over in crew, as a result of the new initiative to recruit employees from Barbados.

14 hours ago, Bonnen said:

 

which part of the ship is best to book a balcony front, middle or back of the ship?

The part that faces the water

Sailing on the Navigator in October. I will be content spending the day on the ship watching the MLB playoffs and Da Bears at Playmakers.

2 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

This topic was very helpful.  We will be there in September and plan to do the walk around town ourselves.  Looking forward to this!  Any suggestions on a place to stop for a drink and small bites?

About 10-15 minute walk from the ship, en-route to the Queen Emma Bridge, there is a courtyard with a few restaurants and shops. Since we were in Curacao until 10 pm, we went back for an evening stroll and had cocktails outside in the courtyard. I don't recall the name of restaurant, but it served pizzas. Less crowded at night than during the day.

Ditto, for a 7 day in October. Any advice is welcomed.

Knock-Knock--the '70s are calling again.

https://exploretravel.acg.aaa.com/rockin-the-caribbeanfeb-12-2023/

I remember watching Sha Na Na on WGN in the late 70's. It was like watching American Graffiti and Grease every Saturday afternoon for 30 minutes. Bowzer was the greaser in a black shirt who led the group proclaiming "Grease for Peace". Sha Na Na was also in the movie Grease.

You'll have to book through AAA in order to see Bowzer and many other performers onboard.

In any case, hoping someone will sing the Monotones hit "Book Of Love" (Oh, I Wonder, Wonder who, mmbadoo-ooh, WHO) (Who wrote the Book Of Love?)

South Beach has a floating bar. Careful on the the ladder, as I found it slippery.

23 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

 

"It’s massive – over 500 feet wide and 300 feet tall"

 

It didn't look like the one on Icon was big enough for more than a few people (if it was an entertainment venue)

Interpolate

Another possibility: https://www.cbs17.com/news/national-news/whats-that-giant-sphere-being-built-in-las-vegas/

21 hours ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

It's funny - when my mom and I were debating our next cruise, St.  Maarten was a stop at one of iten. we were looking at and the NExt Cruise agent just kept talking about how you can watch the planes take off and land.

And I just politely nodded like "okay lady, I've been to an airport before."

I had no idea until I saw an unrelated video that they passed THIS crazy close. There is certainly a thrill to it though I think the noise would drive me away fairly quickly, it does seem like a cool think experience at least once.

12 hours ago, cdixon22 said:

Awesome. Added to bucket list. Thanks for sharing. 

Add a 6 bottle Corona bucket, to your bucket list. The pizzas are pretty good too.

3 hours ago, Hharris1997 said:

We are going June too. Any advice on where to stay. We land and day leaving (I know not advised..schedule does allow for us to come day earlier). We are staying 1 night in Rome when we are done with cruise. Any advice on hotels would be great!

Hotel Cesari--close to the Trevi Fountain, Colesseum, Roman Forum & Pantheon. Vatican is about a half hour walk--recommended as you absorb many aspects of the beauty of Rome.

1 hour ago, AndrewPunch said:

Hi All,

Going on my 2nd Royal Cruise here in a few months on Symphony.  I was on Harmony pre-pandemic and was kinda shocked how hard it was to find an early morning Bloody Mary.  We are one of those early riser families, sleeping in is 7AM, typically all up by 530-6AM.  One of my annoyances on the last cruise was finding a place to get a bloody before 11AM.  Any tips where you can find one?

Perhaps the casino. They also had early am $2 mimosas on our Indy 2019 TA.

30 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said:

Thanks for sharing this.  Now we can tell others in a similar situation about it.  
 

From what I understand, it’s a complimentary service.  I hope someone can confirm this.

That will be helpful, as I just connected with our TA. She called RC and the agent stated that there was no service between points (contrary to my earlier post).

We'll get this sorted out next week, as there are several options available.