Jump to content

RobertJaf

Members
  • Posts

    0
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation Activity

  1. Confused
    RobertJaf reacted to twangster in St Thomas Update and RCI Irma Response   
    Five years ago I had a contract on St Thomas that lasted almost two years.  In those two years I got to know all of the USVI.  There is nothing like living somewhere to really get to know the culture.  I've been communicating with a local resident I used to work with who lived through Irma and the struggles since.  This morning was the first sign of hope in his communication, they've been pretty bleak up to this point.  
    His message today read "Yesterday was a great day.  Tim Duncan, pro basketball player, also a virgin islander, distributed a lot of food at the Innovative parking lot.  I volunteered to assist giving bags of food away".  That's the most hopeful and positive message I've received so far.
    Up until today his messages have repeatedly discussed a lack of food and water.  Even after Majesty OTS visited there dropping off supplies earlier this week, its taken time for those and other supplies reaching the island to make it into the hands of the residents.  I understand that, it takes time for local authorities and relief organizations to triage the situation and with so many in need, to get more supplies flowing and distributed to the people in need.  Watching this unfold from both sides has been nerve racking and frustrating but in my heart I knew it would be a process that wouldn't happen overnight. 
    I'd like to personally thank any Royal Caribbean employees at all levels of the organization who might read this post.  
    In a natural disaster anywhere an immediate response is critical to saving lives.  With island factors involved that is even more so the case.  As first responders, relief organizations and governments began to mobilize their forces, Royal Caribbean employees worked to fulfill the gap in those critical first days after Hurricane Irma had passed bringing much needed supplies and evacuating stranded travelers, reducing the number of victims vying for limited food and water.
    Since 2016 I've been evaluating new cruise lines to sail with.  My upcoming Harmony cruise will mark the 5th with the Royal Caribbean family in support of that goal.  It had been my intention to continue to explore different cruise lines not because I was unhappy with any of those cruises,  more because I just wanted to be familiar with all my options before zeroing in on any line in particular.   My search is over.  Watching Royal Caribbean's response to Irma I know I found the right cruise line.  
    For me with my St Thomas connection this is personal.  I look forward to cruising back there one day when the time is right.  I'll find other ways to help when the time is appropriate, going there right now would just make me another mouth to feed.
    For those with cruises impacted I'm sorry and I know its upsetting, but Royal Caribbean made a real difference deploying their ships as they did.
    Before joining this forum, I posted in another forum shortly after talking to my friend earlier this week.  His call came in late one night and after I couldn't sleep so I started writing.  
    I apologize for making this post very long, but thought the context was important.  Things on island are improving.  There is a still a long way to go.  It will take months to get power back.  Recovery is a process and it has begun.   It's only going to get better from here.
     
    Here is my post, from 9-12-2017:
    I finally heard back from a former coworker and friend on St Thomas tonight.   
    Area code 340 appeared on my phone as I watched the evening news in Denver.  My heart skipped a beat, I know that area code, I know it's the USVI. It felt surreal having to mute my 70" big screen TV and look at my large glass of ice water beside me as he explained how things are on St Thomas.  I used to work there with him.  I know the islands well. 
    Now, no power, no water, little food.  Multiple check points.  Curfew 6pm to noon.  They can't open the supermarkets fully for fear of looting, so the National Guard allows 8-10 in at a time to pick from the small selection of food. Long lines waiting for your turn.  He seemed pleased to have a few items of food from his last visit.  He had found a working ATM and was able to get cash for food.  Small miracles.  Between getting there and waiting in line, it's an all day affair.  Curfew.  
    He was aware of the cruise ship visit today and why they were there - to pick up stranded travelers, but he knew nothing of the supplies being left by the ships.  "Where did they go?" was his question, meaning the supplies, not the travelers.  
    He still works for the same company where I was a contractor.  He explained how he works noon to six because that is when curfew is lifted.  He goes to the office building where I used to work from and tries to keep some of the equipment from over heating by moving fans around.  They have a generator, but not one to run the air conditioning for the building, a building which is damaged.  They all are. Today he tried to make it to the Home Depot to buy something for the office.  That took 2 1/2 hours.  It used to take 10 - 15 minutes from Tutu.   Lots of check points. VI police at one, National Guard at another, Marines at a 3rd.  He wasn't sure they were Marines, but some sort of military.  Turns out Home Depot was closed.  No power and damaged.  With no time to lose, he headed back.  He had to, curfew in 2 hours.  A work day lost.  Many of the company buildings are damaged.  Some of these are the central offices of the local Telco where we worked.  They were the backbone of island communication before Irma.  He was grateful to have cell signal tonight.  I felt guilty talking to him for so long knowing it was draining his battery, but it seemed like he wanted to talk, needed to talk. He can charge it in the office tomorrow he explained.  Our calls dropped numerous times but he promptly called me back each time. 
    "It's hard" he explained.  "Everything is hard".  I could hear it in his voice.  Even doing nothing all morning but laying in bed until noon.  Curfew.  Can't go outside, nothing to do inside.  His house damaged he is living with friends.  Even bathing is hard.  No water and it's hard to bathe in the ocean and be salty.  
    He was hoping to make it to St Croix soon.  The company has offices there.  He could keep his job.  That's really important in the VI, jobs are hard to come by and he is grateful to have one.   St Croix felt some effects from Irma but nothing like St Thomas and especially not like St John.  "I'm blessed" he told me.  "People on St John have it very bad".  He explained they are resettling anyone they can from St John over to St Croix.   For the moment that means he can't go to St Croix.  Maybe soon he hopes.  They have power, and water.  Some of St Croix does he heard.  He told me several times how fortunate he is.
    I felt silly asking if he needed anything, both of us knowing there would be no way for me to ship it to him.  Maybe soon. Until then I've got to find a way to help.  We all do.
    Since writing this late last night I woke to the news that Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas remains in the area and is doing runs between San Juan and St Thomas.  Shout out to the NCL Sky for her visit Monday, I was checking out her webcam while she was there.  Even bigger shout out to Royal Caribbean for keeping Majesty OTS in the area for a few days.  I know other lines are helping in other places too.  
     The biggest challenge in a natural disaster anywhere is surviving the first few weeks.   Add the island factor and the fact that there are two islands, St Thomas and St John and it becomes a massive challenge.  With more supplies continuing to arrive they will eventually make it to the people.  Looters won't feel the need to loot, curfews can be relaxed, people will shift focus to items like getting the power on and water running.  
     It won't happen overnight but don't underestimate the resolve of VI residents, these are American citizens after all.  St Thomas and St John will rebuild.  I look forward to returning on a cruise one day.  Until then donate if you can and thank the cruise lines for their role in this critical phase of surviving the next few weeks.   
     
  2. Confused
    RobertJaf reacted to rjac in St Thomas Update and RCI Irma Response   
    Don't worry about the length of your post, please keep the news/updates coming! All of those folks are in our thoughts and prayers. 
  3. Confused
    RobertJaf reacted to DaGunny in St Thomas Update and RCI Irma Response   
    I'll add this to RCCL's responsiveness.  We were on the Enchantment Evacuation Cruise. You can read about it here.  They overcame many obstacles and took care of those of us that had no power at home or way to get back.  Well done!
    Evacuation Cruise Synopsis
  4. Haha
    RobertJaf reacted to RestingBird in Allure Deck 14 noise   
    We have Oasis booked for 2019, and I asked the TA to not book anything higher than deck 12, to make sure we avoid any deck noise.  We ended up on 8, not quite on a hump.
  5. Confused
    RobertJaf reacted to JLMoran in Allure Deck 14 noise   
    No comments / warnings about noise for that cabin or any other cabin on deck 14 when I checked cruisedeckplans.com, so you should be good.
  6. Haha
    RobertJaf reacted to DocLC in Allure Deck 14 noise   
    I also looked on cruisedeckplans.com and didn't see any advisories. You'll be roughly under The Living Room, but given that your along that outside of the ship and the teens club is set back with a walkway between the rail and the club itself, I think you'll be fine. In addition, the Allure has been around long enough that noise reports would have been reported if they were truly a problem.
  7. Sad
    RobertJaf reacted to FManke in RC Excursion Priority?   
    If you have booked a shore excursion through RC, do they guarantee that you will be on time for your excursion?
    I'm really only concerned with Bar Harbor because of the tender situation. We dock at 8 and our excursion starts at 9.
    Our other excursions in Halifax and St John, start 30min after docking. I think those should be ok.
  8. Thanks
    RobertJaf reacted to ellcee in Excursions on Jewel of the Seas   
    Did a similar trip with Adventure last year with friends who did their research. We didn't do an excursion - we walked from the ship to the Boatyard (I think the walk was 2 miles each way but I can't be counted on for that...a taxi would work, I'm sure. )and rented some chairs on the beach. We walked a little until we found an area with prices we were okay with.
    It was one of my best experiences of the entire trip. It was a low-key day and the water was the warmest and bluest of all the beaches I'd have ever been. Just an idea.
  9. Thanks
    RobertJaf reacted to bcarney in AquaTheater Suite on the Allure   
    Wow.  All I can say is...wow.
  10. Haha
    RobertJaf reacted to DocLC in AquaTheater Suite on the Allure   
    Looks AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
  11. Haha
    RobertJaf reacted to arebee in AquaTheater Suite on the Allure   
    Never been in the suites but were on deck 11 room 725 on the Oasis.  Its three from the last on that deck.  It had a good view of the theater but the weather was too rough for them to perform.  We are going on the oasis again, on deck 11 room 329 which is above the aqua theater suite at the end of the row.  It should have a good view of the show and the boardwalk.  We didn't have little ones with us but once the door was closed the noise was low plus they don't usually run the show late in the evening..   It might be different in a suite but I doubt I'll get experience for a loooong time..  Unless you really want a aqua theater suite you can always look at one of the others on board.
  12. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to AGSLC5 in AquaTheater Suite on the Allure   
    Just got back from the same sailing as Waaaytooo and has room 12330.. The room was awesome and like Raye said even better than I thought it would be. I cant wait for Harmony I have room 10730!
  13. Confused
    RobertJaf reacted to WAAAYTOOO in AquaTheater Suite on the Allure   
    Thanks, everyone. We're having such a blast ! Voom is amazing !
  14. Thanks
    RobertJaf reacted to Jerel in AquaTheater Suite on the Allure   
    I got to visit AGSLC5's (Stephanie's) room yesterday on the Allure, it would be the one above WAAAYTOOO's suite. The balcony would be a bit smaller but was it ever awesome, I really liked it. I'd post some pics but they would just look like WAAAYTOOO's.
    I thought it was cool how the balcony stretched around to the side of the ship, on one courner you can see the theater/boardwalk and on the other you see down the entire port side!
    The only draw back for me is I'd spend allot of time in my room and not around the ship.
  15. Confused
    RobertJaf reacted to VacationShanna in AquaTheater Suite on the Allure   
    Thank you for your responses and pictures!!!  :)
  16. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to KLA in A perfect example of why you fly the day before...   
    Given that I have no choice to fly in to FLL the morning after my wedding, I'm going to pray to the weather gods that everything keeps quiet and we'll get there on time. Stories like this scare me and are why I normally fly in early. Scheduled departure at 8:00 AM from CVG and arrival in FLL at 10:30 AM. 
    Not ideal, but given that we will be wrapping up our wedding celebration at 11 PM the night before we don't have a huge choice in the matter. I guess the worst case scenario is that we'd fly to Jamaica and spend a couple days at a resort before meeting the ship in Falmouth.
  17. Thanks
    RobertJaf reacted to monctonguy in Hurricane Irma   
    latest update...seems like if anything its getting worse and headed in the direction of the ABC islands for now...
     
     
  18. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to RBRSKI in Pictures of Staterooms   
    Hello All,
     
    I am not sure who the person I would direct this idea to so I hope the correct person reads this topic.  So I was thinking it would be nice to have an area that post pictures of staterooms located on all RCCL ships.  Pictures of staterooms help me with the following:
     
    If bed is by window or slider The configuration of the bathroom Does it have a shower curtain or enclosure If it has a balcony does it have an obstructed view or the view it provides A way to confirm the "symbols" RCCL provides on deck plans match with picture (upper berths, sofa bed,connecting door, the location of the connecting door) I know the web has another site dedicated to this but it would be nice to just search RCCL.
     
    I have attached some photos that I  submitted to the other web site for examples.   I say the more photos out on the world wide web the better.
     





     
    Any Thoughts?
  19. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to Lyrical in Sunscreen & Mexico   
    I have heard that in some Mexico Resorts they require that people are using only "biodegradable" sunscreen.  I am wondering if some of you would mind recommending some different brands for us to pick up before our Cruise in April.  We are traveling with two children and they normally use Babyganics, and we use Hawaiian Tropic SPF 30/50.  Does anyone have any suggestions, or should we just use our normal sunscreen?  Heading to Maya Chan Beach for our Costa Maya excursion.  
     
  20. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to Hockeyman55 in Just Booked Harmony for May 2018   
    We just booked our first family cruise on the Harmony for May 2018 and super excited :D .  This is our first cruise as a family with my last cruise back in the mid 90s in my teens, my wife's in the early 2000s and our 3 kids (will be 7,6 and 5 at time of cruise) first all together. Western Caribbean itinerary, 2 boardwalk balcony rooms since we will have my mom and brother with us also. My previous cruise was back on the old Norwegian ship the SS Norway so this will be quite a different experience for me. Im sure ill have tons of questions before then so will post here when the time comes. 
     
     
     
     
    417 days to go but who's counting lol
  21. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to Drewmommy in St Thomas - Magens Bay Beach Getaway   
    I noticed in my Cruise Planner that this excursion is on sale for $21/adult and $13/kids.   How much would it cost approximately to take a taxi to Magens Bay Beach from the port and back for 3 people?  Trying to compare the cost.  If would cost us $55 total to book through the cruise line but we'd be covered in case something were to cause a delay in getting back to the ship.
  22. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to Huntley in Promenade Cabins   
    Who has stayed in a promenade cabin on a Freedom or Oasis class ship? Are there any noise issues? I can accept music intrusion during the parade. Can the background music they play on the promenade be heard in the room? Walking on the promenade it looks like the speakers are above and below the bay windows. I have the feeling that it must not be a big issue since i don't see comments about it. But, I thought I'd ask the questions hoping someone might have firsthand knowledge.
  23. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to JLMoran in Adventure Replacing Vision in Bayonne, NJ   
    So according to the image in Matt's blog post about the 2018/19 Caribbean, Alaska, and Northeast itineraries (http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/03/15/royal-caribbean-announces-2018-2019-caribbean-alaska-and-northeast-itineraries ), Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ is going to get Adventure of the Seas doing the New England and Canada run (among other trips), and Voyager is heading off to Galveston.
     
    Can anyone who's been on both give an idea of whether this is an improvement, a downgrade, or just a "lateral move" for those of us in the Bayonne area who would prefer to sail out of Cape Liberty and use the money not spent on a flight towards getting a better cabin or other upgrades? It certainly looks like it's quite an upgrade over Vision. Adventure is a much bigger ship, and I see in the brochure pages on the RCI web site that they put that larger size to use with things like a water park and racing slides, golf area, more specialty dining options, etc. Plus, it was recently refurbished, so it's got all the new shiny.
     
    But how is it in person, not on paper? Is the overall experience on there better than on Vision for a family of four, where the kids are becoming older teens, or for a middle-aged couple traveling on our own? It's scheduled for the same itineraries Vision ran out of Bayonne, but will it be able to manage the same ports? Or will it have to change to some maybe less desirable ports because it can't navigate the same places that Vision could?
     
    Looking forward to people's thoughts on this. Those New England and Canada itineraries on Vision looked really nice, especially for an alternative to a typical fall foliage tour. I'm hoping that Adventure ca hold up to that.
  24. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to Orange Crush in Refreshment Package   
    Hi all,
     
    My fiance and I are treating his parents to a Chistmas Cruise this year (Majesty 4-night out of Port Canaveral).  There was a medical scare last Christmas and we think a lot of it was brought on by how over-the-top they go throwing their big Christmas Eve party, so this year we want to take that off the table and just take them on a nice relaxing trip where they can be pampered and chill. We're basically living the setup to "Christmas with The Cranks."
     
    My gift is going to be covering their gratuity and drink packages.  Future Dad-in-Law will get the money's worth out of a drink package without question, but future Mom-in-Law might have two cocktails the whole trip.  I'm trying to decide whether to get her the non-alcoholic Refreshment Package or just put what I would've paid as a credit on their stateroom so she can use it for whatever she wants.
     
    So my decision here hinges on a few things I'm thinking about:
    We want this to be as stress-free for them (her in particular) as possible.  I don't want her to even think about charges she's accumulating and JUST RELAX She'll appreciate the sodas, fresh squeezed juices, fancy coffees and teas, but I'm not at all sure she'll appreciate $26 worth of them a day.  Is there anything else the package gets you that I'm not thinking about? If I get her no package at all, she's liable to stick to the free stuff because it's free rather than getting what she'd actually enjoy She *does* have a bit of a sweet tooth.  Outside of Johnny Rockets which charges you for milkshakes whether you have a package or not, are there milkshakes at Latitudes or elsewhere on the ship that would be covered? How much is a fresh squeezed juice ala carte?  Is it available outside of the MDR?
  25. Like
    RobertJaf reacted to laylasmom0819 in need help! New to cruising with my 11 yr old!   
    Hello! 
    Just curious because looking at web sites is OVERWHELMING..... I am looking to plan a 4-nighter with my family which now includes an 11yr old Which RCL ship is best and has the most stuff for her to do? Need honest opinions.... please 
×
×
  • Create New...