Floski

Hmmmmm..... So, instead of driving 6 hours (plus the one obligatory hour at Bucees for the wife) to Port Canaveral, I can drive downtown, park, and be walking inside in 15 minutes?? Okay, so Google maps says it will take me 16 minutes, but I know I can make it faster! Where do I sign?

I've noticed a serious dearth of top (and medium, even) shelf liquors on our last 3 cruises (2 Harmony, 1 Wonder). There used to be Trace, 4 Roses, and other good choices. Blame the supply chain or whatever, but I think it's just another example of Royal going cheap. I have become a cruise fanatic, but RC is not too far from losing me, at least for a couple of cruises. Get some danm bourbon!

Something is whack with mine, too. After 7 whole cruises, mine should be showing Pinnacle. Or is that Cinnacle?

There are two issues that kind of make bar recommendations tough - Crewmembers usually stay on for what, 6 months? So there is a constant turnover of bartenders. Relatedly - the bartenders only stay at one bar for two weeks and then move to another. Today's Bolero's staff could be tomorrow's Wonderland guys/gals.

What I did on Harmony this spring was to find a convenient bar with a good vibe. I ended up choosing Bolero's. Once I decided this was my bar, I gave them a $10 or $20 (hard to recollect!) and they took fabulous care of us throughout the cruise. We had so much fun - I continually busted on them for the lack of Zacapa (I know they have nothing to do with it, and I'm not holding out hope that there will be any on Wonder in 3 weeks) and we all had a great time! I'd tip 'em every night because they were just awesome dudes and I was very happy there.

Yeah, but your reputation precedes you!!! They know better!

How in the hell does this even happen in this day and age?

I just saw that for our Wonder sailing next month......how can they sell out the Voom? It appears that no one told IT that there was going to be a huge amount of activity on their site.

dammit Man, I'm so sorry for y'all. That feeling you described when you literally felt the stress leave your body - my first cruise, too. Not sure when it happened, either just hanging with friends on Orient Beach (not literally hanging; y'all get yer heads out of the gutter!) or as simple as the first time I literally saw the ocean and just how incredibly gorgeous and cobalt blue it was. Miles above any vacation I've ever had. So when you say you're going to miss this one, and all the crap that's happened to you this year, I feel your pain. It would kill me. As a late cruiser (53 for my first), I live for being on a RC sailing. Only 6 so far, but hoping for more. Stay strong. Book a replacement just as soon as you can. Just like when Covid slapped us right in the mouth, you just have to put it out of your mind and stay patient. I'd love to share one with ya on a future cruise!

OUR DBP!!!!!

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. rjac!

We have always done Bernard's on St. Maarten, but in the spring we opted to do our first RC Excursion - a driveabout and a super fun water tour of Simpson Bay.

Awesome, ellcee!! Bravissimo! So, forgive me if I'm obtuse, but I'm curious about wearing a mask being a sensitive topic. When we sailed on Harmony this spring, I felt a little "off" (it was not covid!), so unfortunately spent more time in our cabin, and when I did go anywhere onboard, I wore my mask. I don't recall feeling uncomfortable or feeling like people were staring at me. It sucked, and I wanted to go maskless, but I try to be a responsible person. So, I applaud you and A2 for doing the right thing!! Thanks again for the outstanding blog!

At those prices, they had better get some premium brands back onboard.

So happy you're sailing again!! I'm interested in where you guys end up and the route(s) you sailed to get there, thanks to Ian. Very sorry for you and your friend's losses.

I guarantee he will be overwhelmed at first. Let him just take it in for a while. The beauty, the smell, the enormity. Dec will be my 7th and I still get goose bumps when I first board.

Nachi is super cool. NOT a party atmosphere like Sancho's. Nice pool, restaurant, and loungers all over. You are assigned a waiter upon arrival and he/she will take care of you the entire time (food, too). I love it there.

How ironic. Joe, I've always enjoyed your posts (I thought it was like 25,000 before your first cruise!) and am very sorry about the crappy experience and, worse still, your poor cat. A little while ago, I was wondering where you had gone, so I actually did a search of your name and found this thread. Talk about irony. I agree with you about the blog family - it seems to have grown a lot, even since CV. There was always the same folks contributing and replying, but I guess the virus caused a big pause for all of us. I kind of miss having familiar names to converse with and seemingly get to know. Anyway, it's good to see you're still around; I hope you post more.

The Real Taxi Drivers of St. Thomas When we went a coupla years ago, we saw how mean these dudes can be. I think that would be a fabulous idea for a show. St. Thomas is great, but it certainly isn't known as The Friendly Island like St. Maarten. Enjoying your blog...

I've been on 6 cruises (2 Freedom, 2 Oasis, 2 Harmony) and the best beer I've ever seen was La Fin du Monde. I also prefer my beer from the tap, but never, ever, ever in a frosted mug. Before Covid, when we had an Allure cruise (missed the $18/day DBP ) scheduled, RC announced that they were collabing with Funky Buddha for a special Coco Cay beer, but I'm not sure it ever got off the ground. I love some FB. I do agree with the poster that they should open a craft beer bar (how about ditch the waste of space called the Bionic Bar?). Since the beer choices basically suck, and I get the DBP, it's all liquor, all week for me.

I'd like a deluxe Hochberg special, please. With a Kraken floater. And a shot of Kraken.

Okay, so if I was to test positive on the Friday before a Sunday sail, can't I go to another place and re-test? I'm not 100% confident in the results of these tests.

$72.99/day for Wonder in Dec, but Josh Crothers will be on there so I had to bite the bullet. There may be some drankin' goin' on. Hoping for a better sale to come along. You'd think that the dearth of high-end liquor aboard would make the price go down.