-
Posts
950 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
4
DunkelBierJay last won the day on June 17 2018
DunkelBierJay had the most liked content!
About DunkelBierJay
- Birthday 11/28/1964
Profile Information
-
Gender
Male
-
Location
Tennessee
Recent Profile Visitors
6,127 profile views
DunkelBierJay's Achievements
Pinnacle (7/7)
969
Reputation
-
RCIfan1912 reacted to a post in a topic: Sushi Class - is this the new normal?
-
Sushi Class - is this the new normal?
DunkelBierJay replied to Smokey79's topic in Royal Caribbean Dining
If the sushi making class is enjoyable, I would recommend the sushi and sake pairing. I did it on Serenade and on Mariner and had a blast on both. They were a little different on each ship...and I developed a taste for good sake, and not that heated up stuff. -
Snotarni reacted to a post in a topic: Brightline announces it will add train stop in Cocoa
-
Orlando to West Palm is $49 for Smart Class. First Class is $109. The fare to Cocoa Beach is probably comparable. I used the service from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and can't speak highly enough of it. Personally, I prefer this to Uber/Lyft the whole way even though you have to use Rideshare to/from FLL and to/from PortMiami.
-
CrimsonCruiser reacted to a post in a topic: Haiti News
-
I watched the whole series, but I think I recall it was his last video because he was nearing the end of his content. I may be wrong. He seemed pretty bummed about it.
-
I think that Hampton Inn is fairly new, so I looked at Google Maps. It brings it up just north of the Homewood Suites, so if this is correct, you're definitely within a 15 minute walk and you're on the right side of Astronaut Blvd to get the sidewalk to the little industrial area a couple of blocks below the port area. You would have to go around a small retention pond to avoid walking in the street to the port (all sidewalk/walking path). You may want to scout it out by going to dinner the night before at one of the three or four restaurants right next to the terminal, just to the west or left as you're walking up. I've been to Fishlips and Grills. I haven't been to the others. I like Grills a little better...in fact the bar is a great pace for breakfast and you're right next to the ship that you will be boarding. I highly recommend looking at the satellite view on Google Maps to get familiar with the turns. Note that the satellite view is not up to date as the terminal isn't in the pic, but it's there. I circled it in red below. The Map View shows it however and the current state is much more developed than this pic shows. If you're on an upper floor of your hotel with a north view, you will see the terminal and parking garage, and in the morning, you will see the ship on the other side after docking. Late May will be pretty hot and humid, so that would be a consideration. You may not have to exert yourself to break a sweat. If you're ok with that, it's very doable. I hope you have wheels on your luggage. Personally, I wouldn't do it otherwise. Walking Directions <-- link
-
PPPJJ-GCVAB reacted to a post in a topic: Brightline announces it will add train stop in Cocoa
-
Brightline has been pretty good at cutting through the red tape...how they do it, only they and the bureaucrat$ know...I bet it happens fairly quickly from land acquisition if they don't already have it to the time needed for construction. The line is already there, and that was the biggest hurdle. Looking further in the future, I would love to see hotel/train packages like GoPort offers....it would be great to have more hotel options pop up in Port Canaveral, or even a hotel attached to the Brightline station at MCO, which is another discussion. There are 5-6 hotels that are walkable to Terminal 1, but I'd love to see a couple more that are closer. The only drawback is how long you have to sweat. I've made the walk from the Residence Inn in 15 minutes and was soaking wet, so I dry off at the bar at Grills prior to boarding.
-
DunkelBierJay reacted to a post in a topic: Brightline announces it will add train stop in Cocoa
-
DDaley reacted to a post in a topic: Haiti News
-
tingtang reacted to a post in a topic: Found a cruise line website worse than RCL by far!
-
teddy reacted to a post in a topic: Found a cruise line website worse than RCL by far!
-
WAAAYTOOO reacted to a post in a topic: Found a cruise line website worse than RCL by far!
-
RCIfan1912 reacted to a post in a topic: Found a cruise line website worse than RCL by far!
-
CanHardlyWait reacted to a post in a topic: Found a cruise line website worse than RCL by far!
-
Found a cruise line website worse than RCL by far!
DunkelBierJay replied to RCIfan1912's topic in Other travel
MSC is having a bad day....they banned the Youtube channel Cruising with Ben and David from filming video on their ships and the word is spreading. I have my popcorn out. -
Voyager of The Seas Concern
DunkelBierJay replied to cruise2024's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
I may have missed something, but the videos I saw were of Serenade on its world cruise during some weather in the South Atlantic. Water from a storm penetrated through doors on the upper decks and soaked some carpets. I am not aware of anything like that on Voyager. You really don't have anything to worry about, however, because the deck crews on all ships are professional and efficient. If/when there is water damage, they mitigate it quickly, and that fresh clean Royal Caribbean smell is always present. Videos that make the internet are rare, but become viral easily because of the sensationalism. I have not been on Voyager yet, but I have been on two of her sister ships, and can attest that the experience will be wonderful, and yes, the ship is very safe, as are all RC ships. Matt has a tour of Voyager on YouTube at this link in case you want to envision being on board. -
A visit to Labadee is perfectly fine. To get a picture of the travel from Port au Prince to the north, a Youtuber, Indigo Traveller attempted to make the trip to Cape Hatien with a guide and was unsuccessful because of the quality of the road and demonstrations along the way. The odds of unrest moving as far as Labadee are pretty much nil because even without people on the road, the quality of it would make the trip much longer than six hours. Cape Hatien, is close to Labadee on the north coast and is known to be much much safer than Port au Prince which is currently in a state of virtual anarchy. Since 2015, I can only recall one instance that Royal suspended stops there, and I believe some striking workers were demonstrating outside the gate to the peninsula. I would have zero issues going to Labadee. The only thing to consider is that some travel insurance policies may not allow for medical claims to be made if the traveler is from a European country and they stopped at Labadee, but always check with the company first.
-
Hotel for Sailing from LA
DunkelBierJay replied to DunkelBierJay's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
I grew up there, and while I would miss new stuff...the been there done that thing makes me want to keep it simple. The only thing I might do is see if the Dodgers are in town. Thanks. -
Hotel for Sailing from LA
DunkelBierJay replied to DunkelBierJay's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
I checked it out actually, and while I would love to do it, the cost is high compared to other options, and I have been on board her in the past. -
I am weighing the option of staying at a hotel near LAX or in San Pedro for a cruise on Navi in September the night before embarkation. The rates in San Pedro are pretty reasonable, and its been many years since I have been in that area. In terms of my In N Out fix, it would be much easier by LAX because the one in San Pedro is 2.5 miles away from the Crowne Plaza where I am considering staying. Does anyone have any thoughts about either location?
-
Royal Caribbean Pricing
DunkelBierJay replied to DunkelBierJay's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
I hear I hear you...I don't think Icon's pricing will let up...I hope that when Star comes online, that somehow the rest of the fleet's pricing will become more reasonable. I don't think that $542 a night on Enchantment compared to $363 a night on Carnival Celebration for sailings in the same month makes a lot of sense in the market, and I think people will go elsewhere. I've seen some of this kind of chatter on Cruise Critic as well. I'm sure Royal is enjoying this wave, but for it's customers, the value proposition seems to be gone right now. -
Royal Caribbean Pricing
DunkelBierJay replied to DunkelBierJay's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
Did you see his speech at the Icon naming ceremony? Richard Fain he isn't. Liberty came up from being the CFO, and it is showing. If it wasn't for Michael Bayley, the creativity would be dying. -
DunkelBierJay reacted to a post in a topic: Royal Caribbean Pricing
-
DunkelBierJay reacted to a post in a topic: Royal Caribbean Pricing
-
Royal Caribbean Pricing
DunkelBierJay replied to DunkelBierJay's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
This speaks to my question about a correction...I have reasonably priced cruises booked through June 2025, and the likelihood I will book again with Royal is almost nil right now. I may cancel one of the sailings too....I have no problem booking elsewhere. I will keep an eye on it, but I think it will take some time for the market to figure it out and tell Royal that their product isn't worth it...once the honeymoon period with Icon wears off, we may have a milestone. The sooner people realize the product doesn't bring the kind of value they are used to and when the novelty wears off may be telling. Utopia probably won't sustain the momentum they are having for very much longer.