Gadget Hackwrench

I have booked three junior suite cabins on this cruise for my extended family. There are 8 of us. We reside in MD.

Glad I have decided not to cruise at this time of the year. Remember when everyone was talking about quiet August was for tropical development?

People on Twitter are very, very unhappy.

24 minutes ago, Dan Curtis said:

We was on a cruise a few years ago, everyone back home was worried, it was the smoothest cruise we had, we kind of trailed it, did a reserve stop on two islands, they was concerned we might have to stay at see one day as it was headed to our port, we was even allowed to make a phone call on the Royal phones from stateroom, as it turned out, it missed Florida , thank goodness. Royal is usually on top of things come hurricane season.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/blog/what-to-know-about-cruising-this-hurricane-season/

Here is an article detailing Royal Caribbean's hurricane team.

The only hurricane worth experiencing comes from Royal Caribbean.

13 hours ago, lakeland said:

any word on Bermuda, we sail Oct. 8th on Mariner

Poor Bermuda, ever since my cruise left King's Landing it's been poor weather for this country. Also the queen died right after we returned to port. I know the country desperately needs the water, but not the high winds. A resilient people, I wish them the best. Also hopefully no dragons.

Very small number of active COVID cases there currently. No changes to policies regarding Travel Authorization.

https://www.royalgazette.com/tourism/news/article/20220917/government-defends-cruise-ship-covid-policy-in-wake-of-cancellations/

And yes people on the island would like to see increased tourism, especially people near the port.

I know a really cool dedicated Royal Caribbean fan and passionate cruiser who created this article showing pictures of the ship under construction.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/08/26/aerial-photos-show-icon-of-the-seas-cruise-ship-construction-progress

The US Congress has attempted numerous times to mandate changes for cruise ships, they will again be trying this year. The name of the proposed legislation is usually called the Cruise Passenger Protection Act. Cruise companies would be required to retain surveillance footage for 20 days, and they have five years to comply with the camera rule.  As of now, I am not aware of any US law mandating the time that a cruise ship company must retain records.

If it makes you feel any better about Florida's weather, dense fog in Germany resulted in a Viking ship ramming another ship. The kitchen ended up in a real mess.

I just pray they don't learn to adapt to fresh pool water. No one wants the shock of their life to be at the end of a giant waterslide.

I have not heard anything about these webcams since they went offline a few years ago. No news when or if they will ever be reactivated. I checked the links for various ships and news articles and they are all offline.

"Escape Room" (submarine-themed, located on Boardwalk Deck 6) provides puzzle-breaking team gaming experience

As far as I know earlier this year in May the room was still being constructed, and the room was basically empty. It was expected to be completed sometime in the fall of this year. I couldn't find any other news about it for this ship.

Bermuda for my cruise REQUIRED me to bring the negative test certified by a reputable laboratory to the front counter in Baltimore for check-in. I was NOT required to upload that test result to the Bermuda Travel Authorization document. There will be an automatic email requesting this test result to be added to your application from the Bermudan government. Which you can ignore. But you need to have a negative test result until such time as the government of Bermuda changes this policy.

52 minutes ago, Terry Newsom said:

I am going on a 5 day cruise on the Mariner in October, then staying on the ship for an 8 day Bermuda cruise. So B2B. Is Royal giving the covid test for B2B cruises as they did last October 2021?

I have an article for you. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/05/06/royal-caribbean-doesnt-require-back-back-cruisers-do-covid-test-anymore

There are some exceptions: If your subsequent cruise visits Canada or Bermuda, you will need to complete a test before that sailing commences. Guest Services will contact your before the sailing to arrange for that testing.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/can-i-book-back-to-back-cruises-at-this-time

I found this person who had this issue. It's quite possible you might have heard of him. He's an extremely popular and attractive YouTuber.

Also please check out this part of the Royal Caribbean Website https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked

This excursion is offered several times a day with slightly different descriptions based on the time of day, but they take you to the same destination. For night time there was a 8 pm and a 10 pm scheduled for the first night my ship was in port. 

This was an extremely easy cruise excursion to walk to from King's Wharf where your ship is docked. We walked through the cruise terminal after disembarking the ship and immediately encountered a Royal Caribbean employee and a member of the Bermudan company Fantasea, Fantasea operates all of the all the Bermudan excursions offered by Royal Caribbean in Bermuda. I believe that they subcontract out with the various smaller companies that actually operate the various boats, scuba diving, snorkeling, etc. The Royal Caribbean employee was holding the sign that showed the name of the excursion and the designation for that particular tour time. I have attached a ticket stub to this post.

From there it was only a 2-3 minute walk across the parking lot to the place where the boat was located. A word of caution for Bermuda, gangplanks which are common in the United States for moving between the pier and the boat are not common. You will have to take a very minor step across into the boat, which means people in wheelchairs who cannot take a few steps should NOT take this excursion.

Once onboard there are 2 levels of the boat. The top level was covered by a tarp but you would be exposed to the elements if it rains. The lower level is completely covered. Once underway the bartender will constantly make you rum swizzlers, a very popular tourist drink that many regard as the national drink. I thought they were weak, but please consider I drink over 12 of the special mixed alcoholic beverages per day. 

You will be provided with typical Bermudian information including how Bermuda has one of the highest costs of living in the world because they have to import much of their produce and goods from the United States. The glass bottom of the boat was not opened until you reach a designated location, and then it will travel slowly with lights on to attract the various fish and other creatures. A story will be told about a ship that was purposely sunk in the area to aid in the formation of coral reefs and you can take pictures of it. 

Overall I thought the cruise excursion was average. I enjoyed it and I think someone who has never experienced a glass bottom boat ride before will find it exciting. I would not recommend it for people looking for a thrill seeking experience or those who do not like crowds, because the boat is quite packed.

Here is the casino brochure for Enchantment of the Seas.

I consider one of the types of biggest cruise mistakes to avoid is any action that results in you having a stay in the special Royal Caribbean accommodation called the Brig.

Not every ship has a Coastal Kitchen for suite guests. On Enchantment of the Seas, you instead get a free breakfast at their only specialty restaurant which is Chops. Breakfast is not served there to anyone except Suite guests at Grand Suite, Owners Suite, or Royal Suite. We had a great view of the ocean and excellent service.

On Enchantment of the Seas earlier this week I attended our ship's international parade of flags where they listed every nation represented on the ship. There was some silence when the 1 Russian crew member was announced and a loud applaud for the 7 Ukrainians. Personally I just clap for everyone regardless of nationality because every single worker deserves appreciation for their hard work. The three most populous nations on the ship were from the Philippines, Malaysia, and India in that order. The Philippines was ahead of the other two by a significant amount.

On Enchantment of the Seas every guest was given between 2 dollars and 200 dollars in credits for the casino that had to be redeemed by the end of the second night of sailing that the casino was open. It's in my documents here somewhere. When I find it I will upload the document.

On my last cruise which ended this morning for Enchantment of the Seas, we had a drunk guest on our first night in the dining room who loudly proclaimed that he would buy drinks for everyone in the room even after being reminded of the drink package rules. We never saw him again after that night....

It's very important you only disembark with your own luggage. Royal Caribbean and the port authority tend to frown upon those who also take other's luggage with them home from a cruise.

As a suite member for our last cruise on Enchantment of the Seas which ended today, we were escorted to the main dining room upper floor starboard side and waited with the Pinaccle loyalty members to be the first group off the ship. We disembarked the ship at 8 AM.

At the Baltimore port, they will kindly remind you that the passport book is technically not a legal document until you endorse it with your signature.