coneyraven

Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia have all lifted their mask mandates. The Cruise Maryland Terminal in Baltimore is technically open, just waiting for cruises to resume.

Done and Done .... with my customary can of Old Bay at the ready.

Here's a link to what Hogan said yesterday. https://www.times-news.com/coronavirus/gov-hogan-covid-19-restrictions-to-be-lifted-saturday-for-maryland-businesses/article_81394be2-b362-11eb-88a2-6b8cafcc8147.html

At a Press Conference, Governor Hogan said he's lifting all capacity restrictions on Saturday. The indoor mask requirement will stay in place till the state hits 70% of adults getting at least 1 shot (we're currently at 65%). Also, the Cruise Maryland Terminal is opening back up while industry leaders work with the CDC for a restart. In other words, Baltimore is ready, which should make those booked on Enchantment very happy.

While I can't speak on the shipwreck excursion .... in regards to Horseshoe Bay .. yes, if you're forced to do a ship sponsored excursion, I guess this will work. During normal times, there are many easy ways to get to HB without having to pay for an excursion (taxi, van, Pink Bus) --- all very easy to use. Now, to answer your question, yes, they do rent umbrellas & chairs at the beach. There's also a nice little gift chop and a place to grab a drink and snacks. The fries were really good IMO. @JLMoran and I both love taking our wives to Bermuda. I think I can speak for Joe when I say, Bermuda is, by far, our favorite island. I know our wives love it there.

The fact that this was going on should surprise nobody

And while all the back & forth is going on with the CDC --- Ops Crews are quietly getting their vaccines ... Mariner's was in yesterday afternoon .... Oasis is in this morning .... I'm hearing that Enchantment will be this afternoon with Rhapsody getting theirs over the weekend .... This and mixing in the Celebrity Crews too.

Another great restaurant that we love is called Squid Lips waterside grill. It's in Cocoa Beach (the south side of town)

Nice --- did not see that one....

Looks like Rhapsody & Celebrity Silhouette are headed to Miami (currently out near St. Maarten) --- Celebrity Summit just arrived in MIA

Just noticed that Mariner just arrived in Miami w/ Oasis coming in later .... hopefully that is good news in regards to getting the crews vaccinated.

Just saw that the Ops Crew from Independence is getting their shots this morning. #progress

One thing that IS keeping me positive is the number of photos that Michael Bayley is posting ..... just over the last few days, he's been posting pics of Operational Crews from Explorer, Navigator, Freedom, Liberty & the Celebrity Equinox getting their vaccines #progress

I hope you can go .... then I'll know we're good with our September 19th Oasis Cruise.

One of the things I found interesting when I was in Florida last week was the number of people wearing masks, not because they had to, but because it was what they chose to do. When I was in a Winn-Dixie, I'd say it was about 50/50 mask vs no-mask. I think government, in general, doesn't give the general population enough credit to make the right decisions that are right for them.

And to follow up on what @JLMoran was saying about the waters ..... our experiences were on Grandeur when it came to heading to Bermuda..... could we feel slight rocking at times? Yes. My wife is def. more sensitive to the motion than I. She found that wearing those patches (that go behind the ears) worked tremendously...... In 2017, for our second trip out there, we ended up having to go AROUND Hurricane Jose --- Jose was just meandering in the ocean while Irma and Maria were laying waste in the Caribbean. Was it rough? Yes? --- As Jose was moving north, we went further north as we exited the Chesapeake Bay to go around the storm, then, on the way back, we went way south below the storm as it was moving northward. The ship def. rocked. A lot of events were canceled due to the weather (belly flop contest for example, and, on the island, pretty much all snorkeling excursion were canceled) --- but hey, we were on a cruise vacation .... we ended up going to the Crystal Caves and still had an amazing time.... you just need to flexible with your plans and "go with the flow" --- makes for more stories when you get back home. Below are a photo from the caves, the route that we took going out and coming back that year -- and a shot of Lady G - the weather you see was pretty much what we had the whole time there, but, at the end of the day, we had an amazing time. The island is gorgeous beyond anything we've ever experienced, and the people are the friendliest you'll ever meet.... Can't wait to get back there.

@Andrew72681 --- Just out of curiosity, where in Central Florida are you? My entire family has moved down there --- Some in Kissimmee, some outside St. Cloud..... I know we'll end up down there one of these days. The housing BOOM is insane, especially in and around St. Cloud and up through Narcoossee up towards 417. I was down there last week and all the construction along 192 and south towards an area called Nolte Rd just had my jaw hanging open.

Bermuda is still our favorite island. Tyna says she loves it more than when she went to Hawaii. We've been there 3 times so far, there are more plans on the horizon. Plus, one of these days, I'm going to go into work sportin those Bermuda Shorts with Tie and a sport coat. If they can do it, I can do it. It's an image that you'll never forget. The photo attached is from 2016 when we went there for the first time on Grandeur. He was there greeting passengers as they were getting off the ship. I could work that look here..... just not in January.

I had #2 for Moderna on Friday (right after lunch) ---- for the remainder of the day, I was fine. My arm was a little sore, but the crazy thing was that I was incredibly thirsty later in the evening. I was downing the bottled water like crazy. Then on Saturday, I felt ok, arm was still a little sore. I ended up going outside to do some yard work up on the mountain.... ...... then it hit ...... At around 3:00 in the afternoon -- I crashed --- No Energy .... I was whipped. Tyna comes outside, takes one look at me and says, "You look like shit" -- well suffice it to say, I was beat up .... sore back, sore knees..... sore joints in general. So, I went in, took a shower, put on some sweats and a T-shirt and planted my arse on the sofa. By 5:00, I was out like a light...... woke up later in the evening, only to go upstairs to bed and crash till morning .... When Sunday rolled around..... still a sore arm, but other than that, all good

Welcome Aboard .....

In fact, here's one of the things you would pass on the walk to Tobacco Bay .... the Church Ruins...

Be careful with this one .... at the present time, only Royal Sponsored Excursions are allowed. While, in a normal situation, I would agree with you 100%, but these are not normal times.

As of right now, there ARE Grandeur sailing scheduled after her run in Barbados ..... for a while, she's supposed to sail out of Galveston, then, for the 2022 - 2023 season, go out of Miami on 5-nighters that are supposed to include Key West AND labadee..... but with all the hub-bub coming out of KW regarding Cruise Ships.... that may be altered. Heck, Personally, I'd be happy with a 5-nighter that only went to Labadee and/or Coco Cay.