JLMoran

I've emailed my TA to book my wife and me a cabin on an early September to mid-October 2018 5-night Bermuda cruise out of Cape Liberty as soon as she sees the itineraries. Hoping a good balcony will be within my budget (yes, I set one this time ;) ).

I was looking at an ECV rental for our 2018 cruise, as I typically book one for big trips like this where I expect to be walking a lot, and was pointed to the site referenced by FloatMe -- SpecialNeedsAtSea.com. Something to keep in mind with electric scooters: If you are at a port that requires a tender, you may not be able to bring your scooter onto the tender. It all depends on whether there is any type of stair-free gangway onto and off of the tender, whether that tender is large enough / designed properly to support having a scooter on board, and/or if the crew is willing to manhandle the scooter on/off at either end if there's no stair-free option. Those caveats initially led me to decide against renting one, but it looks like all of our ports have piers and I might be able to swing it. Will be reevaluating as the cruise gets closer.

Yeah, I'm half-expecting that any attempt I make will fail, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway. It's just my iPhone (whatever this fall's version will be), which I was just figuring to mount on a gorillapod or something similar and make a few tries while enjoying the view. It'll definitely be a bummer if even a 30-second shot doesn't work, but at least I'm going in with eyes wide open. I wonder if using something like a Steadicam Smoothie or other gimbal-type mount in combination with the Gorillapod would be enough to stabilize the shot?

Two bottles of wine in your carry-on bag / backpack is the way to do it. They will visually inspect your bag, see the unopened bottles and verify they're not over 750ml each, and you're good. If it's in the checked suitcase the porters take onboard, the bottles show up on X-ray scan and the bag gets flagged / put in security storage. Then you get a "nastygram" message to go to security, where you'll open the bag and show them it's valid bottles of wine, at which point they release the bag and you can take it up to your room. Definitely best to have it in the carry-on! ;)

I was warned by others that the ship's movement will make taking star pictures very difficult if not impossible, so keep that in mind. My personal hope is that a 30-second exposure will be enough, and have little enough movement, that at least one or two will come out.

With most "basic" rolls (tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, etc), the pieces are small enough to fit in your mouth. There are some specialty rolls, like the dragon roll (tuna, salmon, and yellowtail, plus thin-sliced avocado wrapping the rice), that are going to make you think you're playing "chubby bunnies" after popping a piece. And then there are "giant rolls" like tempura shrimp that have slices around an inch and a half across and half an inch thick that really require two bites to eat. Typical number of slices per roll, as already said, is six or eight. Seems to depend on the chef and how he was trained. But the total length before slicing is always around 8". I range between 190 and 210 depending on how badly I'm doing with dessert management (😉), and if I'm just doing rolls I usually have 3 (18-24 pieces). If I'm combining rolls and nigiri, then I usually have just one roll and get around 12-15 pieces of nigiri. Do be aware sushi is similar in rep to Chinese food, at least for me. It's really good and leaves you feeling full, but an hour or two later you may find yourself feeling hungry again. I recommend reducing that risk by accompanying the meal with a generous portion of sake. ðŸ˜

Great recommendations, Matt! Pretty much what I was planning to put until I saw your reply, and not just for Izumi but any sushi restaurant. :) One minor correction -- Nigiri is the thin sliced fish on top of a small ball of rice. The hand rolls are maki. Both, as Marti noted, are "finger food". I honestly prefer nigiri to rolls, as you are getting a good-sized piece of fish per piece and not just filling up on rice. That lets you really pick up on the flavor of the fish and decide what you like and what you don't. But it's a lot more expensive to get 18 pieces of nigiri as opposed to a typical 3 maki rolls (6 pieces per roll) for one person. Some other nigiri I'd recommend for a beginner are: shrimp -- not served raw, but cooked to meet US health regulations flying fish roe -- a small clump of tiny fish eggs (about the size of grains of sand), served on a ball of rice that's wrapped in a small piece of seaweed to keep the eggs in place. The flavor is very mild, with a slightly spicy finish salmon roe -- larger fish eggs (about the size of small peas), served the same way as flying fish roe. No heat, another delicate flavor to enjoy without an overwhelming texture. Once you're feeling more adventurous, mackerel and eel are both good choices. Both are cooked, like the shrimp, and the eel is actually reheated before serving. I know it's a cliche, but I always find that eel tastes like slightly soft, seasoned chicken. Mackerel is somewhat oily, but has a good strong flavor. If you're really feeling bold, and the restaurant serves it, I find the best nigiri of all is Uni (sea urchin). I won't lie -- it looks digusting! It's this blob of brownish goo served like the fish roe, and the only real option is to pop the whole piece into your mouth. Chew it slowly so the texture doesn't overwhelm you, and you'll find it's some seriously great-tasing sushi! Considering it tends to go for upwards of $5 or $6 a piece, it's a good thing it's so tasty! It's a lot, I know, but I'm a serious sushi lover and like getting new folks into this really different cuisine. The best meal I ever had, bar none, was the deluxe sushi platter served at the sushi and hibachi restaurant (Taka?) in the Japan section of Epcot. It was about 15 pieces of assorted nigiri and two maki rolls, and it was heaven on a plate! My daughters had the same thing and we all couldn't stop talking about it, even weeks after we got home!

I will say that email does seem to be the preferred means of communication, most likely because it's the most common now and also the simplest. No chance of a missed call, the other person can reply at their leisure and be sure that the TA will see the reply when they get back. That said, not getting back to you for 3 days isn't right, especially if that only happened because you called them again. I'd have ditched the agent as well. If you do decide to give Heather a try, I'd suggest letting her know up front that you prefer that "personal touch" of a direct phone call for all correspondence and that email really doesn't work for you. She does call back quickly the times I've had to leave a message for her, and if she's going to be away for a while she makes that clear on her outgoing voice mail message. Even if you go with another agent, I'd advise making that request up front. I'm sad to say, but the days of people calling everyone are basically done with unless you ask for it. If the agent is someone who really prefers email, they should tell you that up front and you can make an easy decision to look for another agent. Regarding not hearing anything from the TA about a particular sale, I will relay my own experience for comparison (some of the details around timings might be off, but the key points are all true): Made the initial booking with Heather at the end of December last year RCI announced a new sale in January; called Heather and asked if she could check on that Heard back from Heather by phone, told me the sale only shaved about a hundred bucks off the total cost. She also reassured me that she would be checking each sale as it came out and would let me know if that particular one saved us some more February WOW sale came out at the start of the month; I decided to "test it out" and didn't email or call Heather No contact from her through the first half of February New sale after President's Day weekend came out that Tuesday, which further boosted the current WOW sale; I wasn't even aware this had happened yet Got an email from Heather at like 9:30 or 10:00 AM, telling me the new sale had just started and she checked it out, saw it would save me a ton on our current reservation She had already rebooked us, and included in the email was an updated invoice showing the new price of our cruise -- to the tune of $1600 less than before, plus the $200 in OBC available for our two balcony rooms! I called her on the phone to thank her, happened to catch her while she was still in the office. She said she has never seen a promotion that saved so much off the original booking, especially when we had originally booked 18 months out. So they absolutely do that legwork for you, but you shouldn't expect a contact for every single new promotion that comes along. They'll just reach out when there's actual news to report. :) I hope this is reassuring, and makes you feel more comfortable with using a TA / finding one who "fits" with you.

I just read that in the middle of summer the heat index there gets really bad, mainly because of the high humidity (temps stay in the 80s). So general recommendation is go in spring or early summer, or else September / October.

Thanks, Mark. That definitely helps! And your comment reminded me that in the case of the 5-night itinerary, the trip satisfies my desire for 50/50 balance on sea and land time. :) For some reason, I was inflating the sea time and thought it was two days going out, two days on land, and two sea days going back.

Which of the beaches in Labadee did you go to? I've heard from multiple sources (here, YouTube reviews, etc.) that the very first beach you come across after leaving the ship is always very crowded, but that if you make your way all the way down to the trail to the last beach in the line it's actually very nice, tranquil, and not at all crowded. I'll be in Nellie's Beach for my 2018 cruise, as we've reserved an over-the-water cabana, and I'm hoping that won't be too crowded. (although the private stairway from cabana to ocean will definitely help ease that up!)

Hi Mark, Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much, and that the island is so pleasant to visit. I did a quick lookup on Wikipedia and I see that there are a fair number of sights to see, and that it's not just a "beach island". I'd definitely want to spend one day (probably the second one, since it's shorter) just lounging on the beach and maybe wandering around Hamilton (assuming that's the port location), but the other day I'd like to spend seeing some of the island's sights, maybe through a Private Journey option so we can take our time and also have a guide to tell us about the things we're seeing. Seems like there are enough historical and cultural places to see that I'd need a few trips to the island to see it all, and that would be totally fine by me. ;) What's typical to do in the two days there as far as taking breaks for meals? Did you and other passengers tend to return to the ship for lunch and dinner, or did you mostly eat on the island? I've heard that it's pretty expensive there, and I'd imagine that dining on the island could cost a lot vs. getting the meals that are included in your cruise fare. If you did dine on the island, what's typically served? My wife is NOT a fish fan, while I would fish every day if I could, so I'm hoping they have a decent variety that would leave both of us happy. Bearing in mind that Grandeur is a smaller ship than Anthem, how was it spending most of your trip at sea? That's probably my biggest concern about any trip like that, just going stir crazy from being on the ship all that time with land only available in the middle of the trip. Honestly, it's always been my biggest concern overall with cruising. Even picking our first cruise ever for next year, I really wanted a trip that had more port days than sea days, or at least a 50/50 mix (which is what we got). I know the newer ships have plenty to do and boredom is certainly not anything to worry about, and the ships are more than large enough that I doubt I'd ever feel confined or trapped; but I'm not sure I'm one of those people who will be happy with a trip that has most of the time at sea and much less in port. I probably have to do a few cruises (purely in the name of research :)), to find that out. I suppose it's the idea that I spent a ton of money just to spend my time in a floating city / hotel, instead of doing "real" vacation things like seeing sights and doing tours and experiencing the culture of a new place. Can't wait for the 2018-19 itineraries! :D

There are some I know who would say that Starbucks IS swamp water coffee. ;)

I'm looking at this 5-night sailing to Bermuda (and only Bermuda) as a possible "second cruise for the year" kind of thing. It gives you two days in Bermuda instead of just one, so it's not quite as much of a "the ship is the destination" kind of cruise as the 4-night option. It's also still pretty inexpensive, especially if I were to go before school lets out (May / June) or after the new school year starts (September / October). I was thinking more of a "long weekend" getaway for the wife and me, rather than a family cruise. Has anyone here done that particularly itinerary or have any feedback on Bermuda in general? It's on Anthem, so would be my first Q-class ship. There's also a 9-night "Bermuda and Caribbean" itinerary that sails on the dates in between the 5-night Bermuda-only trips that could be an option for a full-family cruise (albeit at peak times in the summer), along with some 12-night Southern Caribbean itineraries that seem to fall only very early in the year or very late; I'm assuming the 12-nighters are at those times because the weather in Bermuda is too iffy or cold to make cruising there worthwhile. Cape Liberty is only about an hour from where I live, so it would be nice to take a cruise or two from there and not have to spend money on airfare, just a car service or parking. Would let us afford the expense of sailing in peak season a little better, or getting a suite in an off-season sailing. Oh, and this is all in the context of when the 2018-19 itineraries come out, so there is NO hurry here with finding a booking or itinerary. ;)

I second DocLC's recommendation for Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, ME. I went to college in Maine and Bar Harbor is a nice, very friendly town, and Acadia is gorgeous!

I can help with this one. :) I asked a similar question for trying to do some night time star photography a couple of months ago. ( http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php/topic/3007-newbie-questions-about-ship-life ) Go to the helicopter deck, it's the darkest area on the ship at night (although according to the linked post's replies, there are still ocean view rooms there that could be shining light into the area from their windows). If I'm remembering right, should be reachable from a door in the front-most part of the Star Lounge on deck 5. Apparently they sometimes take passengers to the deck as a planned astronomy / stargazing event from time to time, would be in the Cruise Compass if planned for your trip. Hope this helps!

My agent, Heather Coursen, has been great. Very quick to follow up on issues and right on top of every promo that comes out where rebooking can save me some cash. Saved me a ton with the last promo (which I have been told by here as well as others here is the exception, not the rule). And very good at answering questions. Her phone # is (818) 748-8308

Something I haven't seen suggested here, and which definitely work, are "Sea Bands". These are elastic cloth bands that go around your wrists, and which have a small round plastic bead that you place on the inside of the band, so it presses on the inside of each wrist. The idea is that it triggers an acupressure point which has actually been demonstrated to relieve nausea. I heard about these when my wife was pregnant for the first time. She had horrible morning sickness, and we saw Sea Bands promoted by many moms to relieve it. She tried them out and they worked amazingly well, even though their original intent was (as their name implies) to help with seasickness. Give those a try along with the other options people have mentioned, especially ginger. If you can find candied ginger in your supermarket, that's another great option as you're getting actual ginger root and the full effect of the compounds in it, vs the tiny amount in your typical ginger ale (although there are natural ginger beers in a lot of organic stores that have a much higher concentration of ginger in them).

Those photos of the mosque are absolutely stunning! And the trip report overall is really great, too. No way I can go there any time soon, but I'm definitely adding it to my bucket list for when I'm retired!

It's 6 people total. As I recall reading, whoever purchased the reservation is given a wristband and designates who else will be sharing the cabana, and the other guests can be from the same room or other rooms. It kind of has to allow people from other rooms, really. Otherwise families that are split across multiple rooms would be in a real bind. :)

Matt will tell you not to hesitate and just get a cabana. ;) I'll do the same. I've actually reserved one for my family already (an over the water unit), even though our trip isn't until next year. Having the personal attendant, the golf cart service to get around, the provided float mats and water, etc. just makes it a no brained in my book. Especially since that's a definite "lazy day" without any real excursions apart from the zip line and alpine coaster. Only one person actually buys / reserves it, and then the rest of your family gets to join you. If you want beach in front of you then be sure to get one marked as beachfront and not over the water (which has no beach). The bungalow is certainly an option to save some money, but the difference in price is so small that it just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Yup, we are absolutely using a TA (Heather from MEI). I had actually told her, albeit half-jokingly, that we'd love if a sale brought the price of that room pairing within reach for us. Her response at that time was, "If that happened, I'd be coming with you guys." So I figured it's pretty much a snowball's chance in Hell. :) But given how much money was lopped off of our original booking when the WOW sale came along at the beginning of the month, I maybe should have asked her at the time to check and see if ( a ) there was a connecting JS and superior balcony available right then, and ( b ) if the price of that pairing was close enough to our original booking price that we were already prepared to pay that it might have been worth it. I'm not really sure what you meant by "those bookings aren't available for connecting rooms since you don't get your room assignment until very late in the process". Did you mean that upgrades are only given to people who book a "Guaranteed X room", where they get at least that category but could get higher for the price they paid? And that because that assignment doesn't typically come until very close to sailing, that's where the connecting rooms become impossible? [Edited at 6:28 PM] Well, I took a look on Royal Caribbean's site and did a mock booking, just to see if there even were any JS rooms with a connecting balcony still available. And while there are exactly two such room pairs on the entire ship (both on deck 9, port and starboard at the very front of the hump), neither was available. And in fact, there is only one JS available at all now for my sailing. So we will be keeping our two connecting balconies at the front of Deck 8 and just looking out for alerts from our TA about any further price cuts.

rjac, we keep getting these Russian spam postings. Usually they come up as new threads that we can report and just delete. I'm reporting this individual post so it can also be pulled.

If taking a screen shot on your computer isn't too troublesome, you could always try viewing the Compass, magnified enough to be readable, and then take a screen shot and print that. Probably won't be super-sharp text, but could do in a pinch. Just don't try taking a picture of your screen with your camera / smartphone and printing that; between screen glare, probable shake while taking the pic, etc., it'll be even less clear than a screen shot.

That's good to know about the upgrades. Personally, I'm wishing on a star that as our cruise gets closer (still a little over 400 days away!) we'll be told that a JS with connecting balcony has magically opened up and that we could switch to that for just a couple hundred more than our current booking in two connecting Superior Balcony rooms. Or they magically moved us to that because they saw on our reservations that it's our 20th wedding anniversary and older daughter's HS graduation. (and hadn't booked the room anyway, or had a last-minute cancellation ;)) Of course, I'd be happy to just get bumped up from the "steerage" line for boarding, given it's our first cruise and we have no loyalty buildup yet. After hearing Matt say how he got that surprise perk for one of his earlier cruises after the line attendant saw his wife's "Just Married" shirt, I had my wife order us a pair of custom "20th Wedding Anniversary" shirts. Cause hey, you never know! ;)