CarpeCerevisi

Thanks, Radio, for the photos of your cabin. I have an SB booked on deck 7 so it is nice to see what it will look like, although I believe I'll have a deeper balcony (I hope) as it is one of the xx48 cabins. At 119 sq. ft. the SBs are actually 5 sq. ft. larger than interiors on the Majesty and only 1 sq. ft. smaller than outsides on Majesty. Having been in both types on Majesty I don't think I'll have any issue with the size.

I'm booked in one of the xx48 cabins on the 12/12 cruise. The deck plan shows a larger, i.e. deeper, balcony so I was curious about its actual size, too. There was a video taken as the ship was being moved down river from the yard that flew down the side of the ship. I was able to pause it as it went by those cabins and it definitely looks to match the deck plan.

For me, traveling solo, not having to pay a single supplement is worth the loss of some space. Besides, I've been in inside cabins on the Majesty and they are only around 10 square feet larger and with no balcony. I'm glad I was able to get one before they were all gone.

Information such as the daily three drinks, C&A coupons, security photo, etc. are stored in the ship's computer system, not on the card itself. The card or band is just a way of accessing the computer account which is why they are equivalent when used.

I am curious whether the band has any identifying writing on it as the card does, such as the passenger's name, ship name and sailing date, etc.

The new terminal is now complete, including newly paved roadways near the terminal and a new drop-off area. The parking lot is still the same as before, an open air lot a short walk to the terminal. There always has been ample parking although now the Quantum does carry more passengers than the Explorer, so I don't know if it will be the same. In the coming months they will be building a enclosed parking garage.

The new terminal eliminates the need for the old shuttle buses as there are now direct boarding bridges from the terminal to the ship.

Currently at 419, all as a single. If they had been giving double points for single supplements all along I'd be Pinnacle by now. I'll be around 500 by the end of next year and at the current pace (as long as they keep the single supplement double points) get to Pinnacle in about five more years.

Discussion with Hotel Director and a Pinnacle member onboard Quantum.

 

 

 

The overcrowding will be addressed in the best possible manner. Most D+ and Pinnacles were enjoying the D Lounge and Music Hall overflow on the TA. It was stated that the change would most likely take place in December, but it will be interesting to see how it progresses.

 

 

 

The Coastal Kitchen change was done mid-cruise on the TA to state that it is only for Gold Card holders, although reservations already made will be honored.

Thanks for the information. I do hope they take into account that the TA had an extreme number of higher level C&A members on board. As a D+ I just want a chance to see the CL as it looks wonderful.

MADFlyer, could you please state your source as to the accessibility of the CL on Quantum?

It was a cam to show the construction site. Now that the terminal has been completed the camera is off and will be moved to show the garage construction that appears to be taking place between the old and new terminals.

On Vision class ships, other than the Enchantment, I prefer the Diamond lounge as it is larger and in what I consider a better location.

I wouldn't take the 3:30UTC arrival estimate seriously. She's around 200 miles out and certainly can't travel that far in 3 hours.

It looks like a real cruise terminal now...vs. a military encampment. Wonder if there's any initiative to clean up the surrounding area? When we cruised from there for first time last month, my husband was convinced our cab driver was taking us somewhere to rob and kill us. The approach certainly doesn't say "welcome to your luxurious cruise vacation"....LOL

I don't know how much could be cleaned up. The first third of the peninsula (closest to mainland) is becoming residential, the next third is a working cargo dock, then you have active warehouses, some of which are now movie sound stages, then the cruise port and finally the active dry dock. At least the new terminal looks nice and is purpose built for the task.

I'm just wondering about the parking for the 11/18 cruise. I wonder if they will still have the shuttles to bring you from the old parking lot to the new terminal?

Parking should be in the current parking lot. The entrance to the new terminal is only a little farther than the old terminal, if at all. Also remember, only the driver needs to walk from the lot as anyone else in the car could be dropped off before parking. Besides, I haven't seen a parking lot shuttle since the original parking lot which was where the new terminal is.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as they haven't hit any icebergs the rest are minor details. I'm booked on the 12/12 sailing and am highly anticipating it.

Hi everyone - lots to catch up on!

 

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10. One funny thing that happened the other morning (related to being guinea pigs) was that the PA system came on when it shouldn't have, and the whole ship heard a conversation on the bridge that wasn't supposed to be heard. I don't remember the exact time, but it was before 7am.

I hope it didn't go something like this:

Should we alert the passengers?

No there's nothing we can do, let them enjoy their last ... WHO TURNED THAT INTERCOM ON???

You're welcome. It would make things a lot easier with debarkation if they did offer it.

Patti, having a real walk-off terminal will certainly make things easier, especially for those who do self carry.

I've been there a few times, I've always seen some turtles. You'll probably see somewhere between four and eight. There is also a reef nearby where other fish can be seen. My favorite excursion is the one that takes you to Turtle Bay and then to Honeymoon Beach.

Fifteen percent of zero is zero. I don't get it! Anyway, I tip $1 cash at bars on voucher drinks.

If I recall correctly, the receipt showed the price of the drink and then a negative amount of the same, thus making the total $0. If it is indeed true that the company pays the tip it would be based on the original price of the drink.

While I have no empirical evidence that the bartenders do receive a tip from the company it would not surprise me that they do. It would be fairly low cost and would keep their employees happy which in turn keeps their customers happy.

BTW, I'm not advising that everyone should not add any additional tip, as always, that is at the discretion of the guest and is generally will earned by the bartenders.

I believe the propellor blades were removed from the stationary pod to reduce drag. The Explorer is still able to make at least 20 knots, fast enough for most itineraries.

I was just looking at the Bermuda webcam. It looks like a beautiful day there. The Bermuda paper is reporting less damage than expected. The HMS Argyll is moored at the cruise dock. "The Navy's here"

The Explorer will be going to Halifax and St. John. Canada is the only real choice for a five night cruise. The hurricane will be well out to sea as it heads northeast and will be well past Newfoundland by Sunday. The official notice is on the Royal Caribbean web site.

Do get off at Coco Cay (weather permitting), if just to walk on the beach. You can get a tender back to the ship at any time and since they have the BBQ lunch on the island there is less option on board. I've had some perfect days on Coco Cay, just lolling in a hammock with a cooling sea breeze. Also, again weather permitting, watch a sunset at sea.

If they are unable to make Bermuda they would have to do a cruise to nowhere, i.e. no port stops at all, or go to another non-US port. Canada is the most likely due to the distance, either St.John or Halifax. They probably could do a short Nassau stay if they went to the Bahamas. That all said, you'll probably go to Bermuda unless they close their port due to damage as the storm should be well past by Sunday.

The best thing to use, besides naked eye, is a good set of wide field binoculars. The motion of the ship, even slight motion, would make anything but the widest field telescope views unmanageable. I would think that anything less than a one degree field, two lunar diameters, would make viewing difficult. If a telescope is used, it should be on an alt-azimuth mount that allows free movement in all directions.

While the Grandeur has a location called the Observatory, the truly best places to observe are on those ships that have helipads on the bow that are accessible by passengers. There is normally no lighting there so as to not impair the view from the bridge.

At least the aft most Boardwalk Balcony cabins remain untouched. I know a lot of people were worried about them on another thread.

Do as little or as much as you wish to, and don't forget the Coco Locos.

There does not seem to be any real policy of how to handle any benefit if they leave/miss a port. We were on the legend this past January. We were scheduled to dock at St Kitts and due to high cross winds, they could not dock safely and just left the harbor after about 2-3 times trying. The Captain came on around 11:00am and explained why we did not stop at St Kitts. Just basically said "Sorry". All you get back is the port charges. No OBC or any other benefit. We did not really expect anything, but there were a lot of unhappy people.

 

Why do some cruises get OBC or other benefit for missing a port or other problem while others get nothing?

I believe that in most cases OBC is given if the cruise line is at fault, i.e. there was a mechanical problem. Issues outside their control, such as the weather or political situations may not result in passengers getting any OBC.

A few years ago I was on the Enchantment when she had a problem with one of the electric propulsion motors. We sailed the morning after we were supposed to and we were first given OBC. When they realized they were going to miss two of our four ports they ended up refunding the entire cruise even though we were still sailing. Despite a free nine night cruise many people were still upset enough to leave the ship in Port Canaveral (the line ate the PVSA fines). I never understood why they'd want to do that.