moposh

I enjoyed snorkeling at Coco Cay.  Some areas are better than others.  I saw fish and ray.

If you have a water pouch that goes around your neck, you could use that.  Put your camera in there.  That's what I thought I would do if I do the zipline.

I was there in August.  There were jellyfish, but they didn't sting.

I went to Chill Island and enjoyed it.  I didn't have a problem with kids being around.  They were well-behaved.  

A frequent cruise-goer is 'furious' after Royal Caribbean canceled her Alaska vacation once she'd already boarded the ship (msn.com)

It's based on nights, not days.  If you go on a 3 night cruise, you get 3 points.

That's what I was told.  Yes, there are a lot of options.  This is my review of the shore excursion I did and I thought it might be helpful for others.  I personally prefer to do shore excursions through the ship.

19 hours ago, 70sGringo said:

Open letter to RCCL company-

 

Hello. We delighted to know that you have now fixed the Radiance of the Seas propulsion issue and have restored its ability to be revenue-positive for the company again. Woohoo!

 

Now it is time for the company to step up and follow through on your promises to your cancellation-affected customers. We are still waiting for the "100% refund including taxes and fees, pre-paid packages and gratuities..." and Alaska-to-home return airfare that was promised by letter in our stateroom, on September 1, 2023. This would go a long way for your customers to feel better about a bad experience.

 

We understand that RCCL is still within the 14 business day window of refund, but this does not sit well with us (and other posters) who are waiting for some of the thousands of dollars to "go the other way", back to us, the customers. Thousands of dollars which RCCL has held for months. RCCL was perfectly punctual on charging for the two days of gratuities for the time we spent on board, going "0" knots in Seward. It only seems fair, that with a few more button pushes, RCCL could have issued the refunds while charging for those two days of gratuities. We also had problems initially, with submitting the charges for the return airfare. We had to resubmit because RCCL had problems with "the format" of the original Alaska Air email receipts. We have ZERO dollars in reimbursement, so far. 

 

With regard to the "100% Future Cruise Credit", it is going to take some time to decide if we even want to exercise these credits, based on the ordeal after we left Seward. We personally had a terrible night in Anchorage at an awful fleabag highrise hotel (I don't need to name it here. Just read enough Google reviews and you will find it!. My bad). Future cruise consideration will also include reading detailed reviews of the balance of the RCCL fleet. Perhaps due to our own recency bias, we will NEVER set foot on a Radiance-class ship again.

 

We feel that we are at a crossroads with RCCL. The next few days/weeks may determine whether we ever set foot on another RCCL ship (FCC credit or not). This is starting to "feel" like all of those Covid-19 era gripe stories of customers not getting any response from cruise companies that were on the brink of survival while their ships cut figure-eights in the ocean for months.

 

So, please consider our story. Future customers may read this letter.

 

Thank you- 70sgringo
 

I'm sorry you had a bad experience and have not received renumeration.  

I booked the excursion through Royal Caribbean.  I was on Vision of the Seas in August 2023.

I was a little worried about booking this tour because I wasn't quite sure what the transportation would be, but I worried for nothing.  Transportation was a taxi van.  There were 6 people per van plus driver.  My daughter and I were with a family of four.  It was comfortable.  I found out there aren't any buses on the island because of the roads.

As we drove, our driver provided information about the island and answered questions.  Our first stop was at Heydon Trust Chapel, the smallest church on the island--only 3 small pews!  We were able to go inside and our driver spoke to us about the church.  She showed us the cistern where the water is saved.  When the church was built, the cistern was built outside of the building.  Cisterns are now internal.  We had some time to walk around and enjoy the view.  (Pictures I took as portrait are not showing up properly.  Sorry!)

The cistern.

Look at that view!

Our next stop was at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.

We had time to walk around and visit the gift shop.  I could have gone up the lighthouse for a small fee, but I didn't feel like tackling 185 steps.

Gorgeous view.

I can see our ship!

We drove into Hamilton.  We had about 20 minutes here.  It was Sunday so a lot of things are closed, but we did find one store open.🛍️

We were supposed to visit Horseshoe Bay Beach, but our driver took us to Warwick Beach instead.  I was glad of the change because I've already been to Horseshoe Bay Beach.  Warwick Beach was beautiful.  There were a lot fewer people than at Horseshoe Bay.  I could have stayed there all day.  It was tranquil and peaceful.

Then we headed back to the ship.  The tour was at least 3 hours.  We also saw some other sights while driving.  Our driver was excellent.  I heartily recommend this tour.  My daughter and I had a great time.  It enhanced our visit to Bermuda.  Lighthouses ✔️ Pink Sand ✔️ and Shopping ✔️

@Jerseygirl1416 that he mentioned the lack of lobster.  At first I thought it was nice, but then I saw other people ordered it so I don't know what to make of it.

When we were on Vision, my daughter wanted to order the Lobster mac and cheese.  Our waiter told her it didn't have much lobster in it so he didn't recommend it.  I thought that was a little strange.

I really wish they would change up the menus.

They will not open up shore excursions on board.  It's best to book before the cruise because availability is greater.  You can email the shore excursions office at shoreex@rccl.com to ask about availability and getting on a waitlist.

I have sailed on both Enchantment and Vision, both out of Baltimore. It sounds like leaving from Baltimore will be easier for you.  I would choose this.  Vision is a nice ship. It's not too crowded, which sounds like might be hard for some of you, and it will introduce you to cruising.  Everyone on the crew is very friendly.

As I recall, Enchantment has two outside pools, while Vision only has one.  It got very crowded at the pool on Vision and I didn't use the pools at all because of this.  Other than that, I preferred Vision.

Have fun!

Day 1 does not seem to be a good day to have this service.  😄

There have been many cruises where I haven't bought any drinks.  I only eat at the included meal venues.  

Spoiler Alert:  I do not recommend this tour.

I booked this tour through Royal Caribbean.  I was on Vision of the Seas in August 2023.

The tour promises to show the highlights of Nassau from the comfort of an air conditioned coach.  Length:  2 hours

There were 21 of us on the tour.  We boarded a bus/van and the first stop was The Rum Cake Factory.  I was disappointed.  I thought we were going to an actual factory and would see rum cakes being made.  It should really be called The Rum Cake Store.  I got a sample, looked around, and returned to the coach.

We saw Sidney Poitier Bridge.  I heard someone on the van say, "I thought we were going to go on the bridge."  Nope, we drove by it.

We also saw The Atlantis in the distance (no picture).  Then we drove to a beach where we could tour Fort Montagu, where the Battle of Nassau was fought.  We had 20-30 minutes here.  There was food available to purchase, but it seemed a bit sketchy to me.  The Fort is free to enter and quite small, so it doesn't take long to look around.

I was in the van long before it was time to leave. 

We passed by Princess Margaret Hospital. Then we went to the Queen's Staircase.  (For some reason, photos that I took portrait are not posting properly.  Sorry.)  A fellow guest loudly expressed his disappointment with the tour.  I didn't hear anyone disagree.  😀

We drove past the Government House and Greycliff Hotel.  Not sure of the importance of the hotel.

We then drove to Fort Charlotte.  The driver asked if anyone wanted to get out.  We would be there for about 20 minutes--not enough time to tour the inside, so it would just be walking around outside.  It was unanimous that no one wanted to stop.  I think the only ones unhappy that we didn't get out were the people selling items in the parking lot.  At this point, I just wanted to get back to the pier.

Some other sights during the drive:

The driver did provide commentary while driving.  All stops were self-led.  This was my second time in Nassau.  The first time I walked around and I was able to see more.  In Nassau, I would recommend a walking tour or going out on your own.  You can walk to the Queen's Staircase and Government House from the pier.  And if you've already seen all this, just stay on the ship!  🛳️

I'd stay on the ship.

I'll be on Liberty in August.  I've never sailed out of NJ.  Will be cool to see the Statue of Liberty.  I was on Explorer, which I think is similar, and enjoyed it so I'm sure Liberty will be great.

Thanks for the review.

I don't understand the draw for this.

I saw some excursions for snorkeling and they say they walk to the beach so I figured I would save money and just walk there myself.  Is the beach pretty easy to get to?  Thanks.

I have six sea days on an upcoming cruise, but they are split into 3 at the beginning and 3 at the end.  I'm still not totally sure they'll be a lot to do.

I did do a transatlantic from NY to England on QE2, where I'm sure there were not any activities to speak of.  Don't remember, but do have stories from my mother.  There was a car showroom on board in case you wanted to buy a car 🚗 during the sailing.  Not calling it a cruise because it wasn't. 🙂

I was just on Vision with Activities Director Mey.  I don't know her last name.  She's from Peru.  She has been promoted to Cruise Director and will be on the Enchantment.  I'm not sure when she will start.  I know she'll do a great job.  Her social media handle is "heymeyoftheseas".

Doesn't do any good.  I requested 2 beds and it was still one when I boarded.

I don't think I would like this.  Plus, I have a dog so it wouldn't be doable.