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.

3 hours ago, SPS said:

Why do I imagine you setting up a a tent and a couple lawn chairs in front of the terminal this Saturday like you're waiting for a Ticketmaster to open? 

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

20 hours ago, Josh C said:

Enchantment is also on her way to Miami

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.

On 1/12/2021 at 6:15 PM, Pooch said:

Oops sorry, senior moment!! Yes 8 hours is a totally different story.  There’s a fabulous seafood restaurant right around the corner from the port- best fish tacos EVER!!  Gonna go google it & will add the name.

Its Grill’s!!!

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

8 minutes ago, Josh C said:

Enchantment is also on her way to Miami

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.

2 hours ago, teddy said:

I don't follow closely other than here, so this is great to read....especially since we have cruises booked on two of those ships.

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

4 hours ago, Loops said:

Oasis of the Seas,  August 22, 2021

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

1 hour ago, Jill said:

Ok so listening to our local news station this morning in north Florida, the lifting of all Covid mandates (mask mandates) pertains to government mandates: city/county mask mandates for example. Private businesses can still require masks to enter. 

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.

12 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

My wife and I had our first visit to Bermuda in 2018 and fell in love with it immediately, to the point that we have taken (or at least tried to take) a cruise there every year since. This August will mark our third year year going there.

@coneyraven and his wife are another couple who have been there multiple times and want to keep visiting it. And there are many more yet.

Search for live blogs mentioning Bermuda and show her the photos. You should have little trouble changing her mind.

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 .....

16 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

This is by far the biggest question mark with Royal’s Vision sailings, where every passenger and crew member (excluding kids under 16, if any on board) will be vaccinated. Bermuda’s own vaccinated traveler protocols (which are specific to land vacationers) say that after quarantining for 4 days and a second negative PCR test, a vaccinated visitor can travel freely and only has to follow current protocols for mask wearing in public spaces.

With Vision passengers being on the ship and effectively quarantined until day 7, one would hope that all passengers qualify to roam freely during the overnight port day. But that hasn’t been stated yet by either Bermuda or Royal. And once we get past these Vision sailings and into “normal” sailings on other ships that may have a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers, will protocols revert to requiring ship-hosted excursions?

 

To avoid a total thread hijack, I’ll say that in my opinion the best and most easily accessed beaches are Horseshoe Bay beach and Tobacco Bay beach. There are several others, but they usually require a lengthy ride on the bus line to get to them. Horseshoe Bay is easily reached via the shuttle vans constantly running at the port; but it is super-popular and you’re best off getting first thing in the morning, preferably on the second day if you have an overnight stay.

Getting to Tobacco Bay requires taking the ferry from the port to St. George’s, then walking about a mile out of town. Walk is a little strenuous in a couple of places, but you pass some nice sights and landmarks along the way. It’s much smaller than Horseshoe Bay but also much less well known, so it’s never crowded.

I can’t offer any advice on ship excursions as we’ve never done them. Always had the ability to go our own way and took full advantage.

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

On 3/13/2021 at 7:36 PM, GaryAA said:

We actually hired a tour guide for the day. Look for the taxis with blue flags, they are certified tour guides. The guide we used drove us around in a minivan and tailored the trip to our interests. They can get into areas the tour bus can’t go. We set up our tour guide in advance. He was there at the dock when we arrived. We usually do ship excursions but this was way better. 

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.

3 hours ago, Jill said:

@twangster do you think Grandeur would possibly end up with Pullmantur? Last I heard they were reorganizing and taking 2 Celebrity ships. Sailings to possibly start December of 2021. 
https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/23950-pullmantur-could-mount-comeback-with-two-celebrity-ships.html

 

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.