JLMoran

I just had to re-check the official FAQ to make sure, but yes indeed-y these sailings will qualify! (emphasis added) I was already going to exactly hit the 30 points for Platinum with a 7-night sailing on Vision, but now I'll be 7 points toward Emerald to boot. ?

And of those two, I would guess Harmony is the more-limited ship in that regard (required draft, docks that can handle her length / size / height, etc). But IIRC, Harmony would be "new" for the UK where Anthem has already been sailing from there for a few years. So I'd wager on Royal drumming up higher interest through putting Harmony in Southampton and finding another place (if any right now) for Anthem.

You think that's strict? You should see what their rules are on becoming a non-native resident! ?

While that's true, Vision doesn't have nearly as much to offer on board as Adventure does. Those sea days will mostly be lounging by the pool or in the Solarium, or hanging out in the Schooner Bar or another venue and enjoying live music / trivia / other activities. Adventure has much more of the bells and whistles to make her a "ship is the destination" kind of trip. For sure, I think far more families with younger kids will book Adventure than Vision for the amenities reason, rather than the ports. And the ports Adventure is visiting are ones that I suspect many of the die-hard cruisers who will be booking these sailings have already visited several times. So they won't have a problem skipping one or two of the ports they've seen and gotten tired of, and spend the day enjoying the ship's amenities.

OK, that makes more sense. I don't mind, really. We just plan on lounging / making it a beach day anyway, so having a second day doesn't bring any value for us. Cathy might decide last minute to get a ticket to the water park, but that would be it.

I was reading through Bermuda's current Covid protocols for immunized visitors, and much of what I saw jibes with what I'd expect. On the flight in you have to be masked the whole time, proof of negative PCR test required, etc. But there's one part that I'm trying to reconcile in terms of how it will work in conjunction with being on a Vision sailing. From those protocols (emphasis added): I'm trying to figure out how this would square with arriving the day of sailing, or even just a day before with a hotel stay, and then not being back on the island for the overnight until the final 2 days of the cruise. I'm hoping that it's going to be something like the following: Proof of negative covid PCR test on arrival Ship passengers must transport directly from airport to ship on embarkation day, no travel within the country allowed at that time; they will be in "quarantine" on the ship until it returns to Bermuda The time spent on Perfect Day will be counted as a violation of quarantine since only passengers from the ship and vaccinated island staff will be there On-board tests will be administered on the Bermuda-prescribed days to satisfy both the post-arrival and Day 4 testing, so that passengers will be allowed to disembark and be free to go anywhere on the island (hopefully without having to take a ship-hosted excursion) While on the island, all other protocols remain in effect as far as mask-wearing requirements, social distancing, etc. This is one detail that I do wish was spelled out and clear now, just to have an expectation of what we'll need to do / what our experience will be. If not spelled out before booking, then I sincerely hope it's spelled out before final payment date (which on a late July sailing will be Real Soon Now -- somewhere around mid- or late April). I know we have at least a couple Bermuda residents here who've answered some specific questions about life there before. Hoping they might have some knowledge about this.

Hi @CHRIS WONG, glad to hear you’ll be back on board in a relatively short time! For me, Vision is the better sailing. But purely from a ports perspective. My wife and I love Bermuda and have been itching to get back since our last visit in late 2019. Having the overnight in Coco Key is kind of icing on the cake, since neither of us have been there. And flying to/from Bermuda is very easy and short for us since we live in NJ and have plenty of airports close by.

I'm trying to understand how the Vision cruise is an overnight at Perfect Day, but the schedule shows just one day with Sea Day after that. Just a really late night at Perfect Day, and departing around 6 AM? A half-day before departure, maybe noon all-aboard?

Think of the on-board T-Shirt sales they'll get! "I survived crossing the Bermuda Triangle. TWICE!", with RCI logo splashed on it and map showing Bermuda and Coco Cay. Heck, assuming I do get a booking, I might make one of those before we leave.

IMO, the Adventure itinerary is more about the ship while the Vision itinerary is more about the destinations. Bermuda and Coco Cay is a great pairing, especially with an overnight in both; but Vision as a ship is definitely more-limited in what it has to offer (though hardly a slouch). So I'd suggest to pick which is more important to you and go from there.

Your booking is right in the time window I'm looking at for Vision, so I think I'll be good. Asked my TA yesterday to put a hold on whatever 2B/4B cabin she can get the day the bookings open up, so I'll get a lock on the opening-day pricing.

Have your kids had meals at specialty venues and tried some of the more "adult-oriented" options without complaints? A lot of what they serve is strongly flavored or unusual to many kids -- scallops carpaccio, a lobster salad with hearts of palm, and smoked tomato soup were on my menu and they were all strong flavors that might not appeal to younger kids. The entrees are typically choice of steak or fish, I don't recall seeing blogs from folks here who did Chef's Table and reported having a chicken entree. Also, Chef's Table is a lot of food (and wine, for the adults). It's spread out over a long time so I never felt like I really over-ate, but I was definitely quite full by the end of it. Might be good to have your kids just have a bit of each course / share plates, instead of trying to get through it all. Oh, and regarding your concern about attention span and manners -- I've heard enough stories from others here about adults who embarrassed themselves at Chef's Table due to overindulging that I wouldn't necessarily be concerned about how they handle themselves. If they've been to a nicer sit-down restaurant for someone's big anniversary or birthday, or they've gone with you to a wedding reception type event, and handled a 2-hour or longer meal without any blow-ups, they should be fine at Chef's Table. It's truly not a hoity-toity experience. ?

These prices are... surprisingly reasonable for 7-night sailings. I'll keep in mind the fact that many likely include C&A discounts, but this is making me really hopeful for a Bermuda booking on Vision.

Yeah, Cathy said that she'd deal with an OV or inside if the premium on balcony was so high that it put a squeeze on us. We have the Med cruise next year to pay for, so she doesn't want us to get into a hole. Have to see (a) if they are in fact selling OV and/or Inside cabins, and (b) what the balcony premium really is. As for the available dates, I'd assume June, July, and August will be on the table. If it's fair to assume that the cruises will always depart on a Saturday, we're locked into either July 17th or 24th and nothing else. If they depart on a Monday, we'll be limited to the 12th, 19th, or 26th.

Spoke to the missus, her response was a very firm, "YES!" Well, as far as getting a hold on a cabin and seeing what the prices come out to. We're really constrained on what dates we can sail. Basically a 2-week window between when our younger daughter leaves for Japan and comes back home, right in mid/late July. So it's probably gonna be expensive. But after such a long vacation drought I'm hoping we can just say, "YOLO!!!! YOLO!!!! A thousand times, YOLO!!!" Email sent to our TA requesting a hold on a 2B / 4B balcony cabin. Yeah, that's probably gonna have a premium with balconies in such short supply, but I want that sea air and cobalt blue water up for view.

OK, remember how I said I had a bunch of expenses to deal with and didn't think I could swing a Caribbean sailing on Adventure? Well, this might change that equation. Vision may be the smallest, oldest, and least-equipped ship in the fleet after Empress; but if the price is more reasonable this could be a lot more workable. A flight from EWR to Bermuda should be cheap! And because it's Bermuda, my wife is no longer guaranteed to say "NO!" the second I say, "new cruise itinerary to..." ?

My company has formally announced that all employees in IT, such as myself, now have the option of being 100% remote for work. Not a couple of days per week, not "remote primary" -- truly 100% remote every day of the year, never to set foot in an office building again. I don't know a single person in my department who hasn't taken that option, except for some of the director-level staff who just prefer to be in an office building a few days a week. I was almost literally singing hallelujah when the survey asking for general interest in that idea went out to all IT staff. There are still people who work the trading desks who will be in the office, but I think that's mainly because there are still clients who insist on real face-to-face meetings. If the pandemic has done one positive thing, it's utterly transformed the work landscape for IT. I know tons of people who've been clamoring for this for years as broadband became commonplace in pretty much all of suburbia, but management never accepted the idea because they believed the only way to stay productive was to be in a building where you could directly collaborate with your teammates (maybe with a manager breathing down your neck and/or watching over you from a high perch). This last year has finally taught many companies that the cubicle farm, and the office building as a whole, has become an outdated concept. I hope we never go back, because the amount of money I'm saving by not traveling and not buying breakfast and lunch every day, never mind gas expenses and car maintenance, has been mind-blowing. I'm saving almost $200 $100 a month just on the elimination of Starbucks; with the side benefit that I've found a local store that sells way better coffee beans at a lower price per pound, so I'm actually enjoying good coffee every day for way less. EDIT -- Changed the SBUX savings, because I realized I didn't factor in the replacement coffee beans expenses or the fact that I'm still buying groceries to replace the breakfast items I was buying every morning. But still... I mean, the overall reduction in sodium, preservatives, sugar, and other things is probably saving me more money over the long haul in medical expenses related to all those things I'm not putting into myself in anywhere near as large volumes. Oh, and instead of spending $50+ a week on gas, I'm spending about $40 a month because I'm basically not driving anywhere any more. That'll probably go up again when things become a bit more normal, but by that point I'll be in a hybrid car and monthly gas will likely be no higher.

Only comment I'll make on the St. Maarten departure is that it means flying into the airport at Maho Beach. With its scarily short runway. I know, I know. Dozens of flights in and out every day, going back decades. Doesn't make it any less nerve-wracking for me if I knew I was on one of those flights actually taking off from or landing on that little thing in a jumbo jet.

Born and raised, although I don't live in that county any more. That job wouldn't happen to have been at (Class) Action Park, by any chance? Only place I know of from back in the day that had go-karts (although I think those were regular gas-powered and not propane), but I don't remember them also having paintball or an arcade in the adult section. For those unfamiliar with it, there was a documentary about the place just recently on HBO, actually titled "Class Action Park". That place is one of the surest ways to confirm your street cred as a certified northern NJ (and to some extent, tri-state area) child of the 80s. Even more so if you actually worked there. I never got the chance, my parents heard the horror stories before I could even think of trying to apply. And I think I'm kind of glad for that.

And at a certain point, an expletive. ?

I'd happily sail out of the Bahamas if I could afford it. Sadly, the more I think about how much Royal is likely to be charging for these Adventure sailings with pent-up demand driving it, the less I think I'll be able to go. Just too many factors working against me -- most expensive time of the year (July/August), I have a second surgery to pay for, plus some way overdue home maintenance work, and I have to get a new (used) car this year before the current one gets any more problematic than it already is.

But I’d counter that with, “Well, why not Summit in that case?” Summit is newer, also Revitalized, and equally screwed for any US sailings this year. Remember that she’s the ship they use for Bermuda / Charlotte / Nantucket sailings. Plus the Iceland & Greenland TA that I’m confident saying is definitely not happening this year (Aug sail dates).

So they are not tiling all the way down? I’ve only ever seen pools that have the tile applied all the way down to the floor; looks like your design will leave the exposed gunite along the walls as well as the floor, and tile is really only above / even with the water line?

But per your own quote here, your son can still sail -- just needs a negative COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours prior to sailing. Being vaccinated doesn't mean he'll fail a Covid-19 test -- that test is looking for evidence of the virus (the viral RNA) not evidence of antibodies or immune response to the virus (which the vaccine stimulates production of). There is now way Royal is going to exclude younger passengers who've been vaccinated from these sailings. Not when families are their bread and butter, and they already know quite well that one of the current vaccines is approved for age 16 and up.

Fares are already sky high for all 2021 sailings open to book right now. Don't see why this would be any different, especially being the first ones that will be real and certain to go.