Seadragon555

I still find it hard to believe that Rich and I may be the only two gay men on this cruise.  It's only 134 days until we sail so I would think that others would have already made plans for this trip.  If so please feel free to join in on the conversation.

John

On 8/15/2022 at 9:53 AM, 9tee2Sea said:

Jan 2024 will be my first time on the bliss ( or any BIG ship)  I usually sail on the smaller ships ( about 2400-2900 passengers).

I am like you in that I like the smaller ships, usually Celebrity, but this was an opportunity to view the new locks for the Panama Canal that can accommodate the larger ships so went for it.  The mechanics of the Canal have always fascinated me.

3 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

I am not on this cruise, but Ncl always posts in the Daily Program where the Friends of Dorothy group will be meeting.  Sometimes they are in a very loud lounge, or tucked into a back bar area.  Usually go the first few nights to meet everyone, then make arraignments to meet up for drinks somewhere else.  

When I was on the Epic for a TA the first meeting was in a quiet lounge area but then moved to a bar.  We basically took over the bar every night after that.  It was a lot of fun and got to meet a lot of people.

Have you sailed on the Bliss before?

John

I am hoping that with 69 views so far that some of you are planning on being on this cruise.  Please feel free to introduce yourself (selves).  Thanks!

John

I didn't see a thread posted on Gay and Lesbian for this cruise so I am starting one. We are booked on this cruise and was wondering if there are other LGBTQ+ sailors on this cruise. I am John and am traveling with a friend of mine, Rich.  We are already booked for this cruise and it will be wonderful to get out of the cold for 2 weeks in January.

In just three days I will start my journey to Singapore to join the Mariner of the Seas. First I will travel to London Gatwick for a one night stay' date=' then fly with Emirates via Dubai to Singapore for a two night stay at the Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. All my documentation is in order :confused:.

 

So, hopefully I will get to meet the rest of our thread at the RCCL organised gathering or at our own gathering or in the sauna or steamroom ........ Anyway, I look forward to meeting you all.:')

 

Not long now!

 

Kevin[/color']

Kevin,

We leave on 4/5/18 and arrive on 4/7/18 in Singapore. I hope you have good flights and, like you, I am looking forward to meeting everyone as well.

John (and Rich in absentia)

I want to thank you for posting your experience with RCL. It lead me to wonder about my own medications so I did some research and was surprised that one of mine is listed in the Appendix A of the HSA Singapore website! BTW, it is not just medications containing opium or other narcotics...there is a 7 page (printed) listing of a variety of medications both prescription and over-the-counter. I was really surprised that one of mine showed on the list. I would highly suggest that you cross-check any medications...even non-prescription...against the list.

It gets further complicated in what you have to provide in advance to HSA before arriving in Singapore if one or more medications/products appears on the list as they (HSA) have to receive the information at least 10 working days in advance of your arrival.

Here is a link to the website: http://www.hsa.gov.sg/content/hsa/en...Singapore.html

I am not trying to scare folks at the last minute. I just thought others might want to know if any of their medications or over-the-counter products are included in the Appendix A listing (within the link above will be another link to Appendix A).

Also, if others that have been to Singapore before can relay any experiences they may have had pertaining to unknowingly bringing something that was on Appendix A that would be helpful. Thanks!

John

P.S. In case you were not aware of this I copied and pasted the info from the Str8 thread over to this thread. It took me 2 days to receive the "license" (term used to allow me to bring the medication into Singapore) via email after submitting all of the documentation.

Two weeks from this coming Thursday we will be leaving for Singapore. We are staying at the Parkroyal on Beach Road in case anyone else is staying there. The Marina Sands would have been nice but not for $642 a night...personally I will be so tired after flying 20-some hours that any bed will feel wonderful.

Hope everyone is doing well and getting excited about the trip. Take care and we will see you on the ship!

John (and Rich in absentia)

Hi John!

 

I am so pleased that you posted that information regarding Oman and the visa requirement. Basically' date=' what you have said is what I understood from past research.

[/b']

 

:mad:I am fuming angry with Royal Caribbean at the moment for sending out mixed and false information. I submitted my application for the eVisa yesterday only to receive an email this morning from ROP (Royal Omani Police) saying that my application had been returned due to 'unclear document' with instructions of how to correct the error. When I follow the instructions there is no information of what is 'unclear' or what I need to do to put the error right. I have sent an email to ROP requesting clarification but no reply so far. Having read your post I then sent an online message to RCCL asking for a definitive answer as to whether a visa is required or not, no answer of course. I then contacted our agent to see if they could contact RCCL which they did with the answer that 'no eVisa is required and a visa will be granted on arrival'.

 

My travelling companions are also not very happy despite their visas having been granted, they have spent money that they need not have spent.

 

I really do not know why I continue to cruise with RCCL because I have had nothing but problems with them over the years and their customer care is terrible.

 

Once again, thanks John for your post. It turned out to be far more useful than going to RCCL.

 

Kevin

Kevin,

Even after reading all of the info on the Str8 thread I ended up doing the same as you in contacting my travel agent who, in turn, contacted RCCL and verified the same thing that your agent stated. I am sorry that your traveling companions spent $$$ for visas that are not necessary...the money could have been spent on the ship and RCCL would have gotten more of everyone's $$$ (like RCCL needs it).

Personally, I like Celebrity which is owned by RCCL. They have great ships and all of my experience on them have been great. Never ran into anything like we have experienced in booking this cruise. Oh, well, just a few more days (I don't want to think in terms of weeks) and everything will be forgotten and hopefully a wonderful adventure will begin.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! It is freezing here with freezing rain that should be changing to snow soon...sigh...won't it ever end? Rhonda and Al, you are probably cold, too. Just keep thinking 80+ degrees in Singapore!

John

Three weeks today and I will start my journey to Singapore. I had a bit of a surprise this morning when I received an email from RCCL which amongst other things informed me that I needed a visa to enter Oman. It was an even bigger surprise to the lead name on our reservation as he had not received the email from RCCL:eek:.

 

I am sure I had checked an age ago that we did not need a visa in advance for Oman and that it was granted on arrival. Never mind' date=' I have now made the application online and I am waiting for it to be granted. Fingers crossed!

 

See you all soon![/color']

Kevin,

This has been quite a discussion on the Str8 threads for this cruise. Two of the people contacted RCL pertaining to the email and were told that the ship will take care of the visas for both Oman and Dubai; however, both of those people were from the USA. RCL indicated to these people that the visa in Oman would be granted on arrival and that for Dubai that USA citizens do not need a visa as long as they have a valid passport. One person contacted the Omani Consulate and they were told that cruise passengers would be granted a temporary visa, but for those arriving by plane or land must have a visa in hand.

There is still tons of confusion over it but personally I am just blowing it off until we get there. If worse comes to worse we can just stay on the ship and enjoy the pools, bar, and food! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

John

Hello ! Just booked this cruise for myself and my Indian bf, Sabu. From Florida, but now living in Kerala, the Indian state south of Goa, Cochin is in Kerala, about a 4 hour train ride north of here, Kolavan Beach.

I did the reverse of this cruise last year on Celebrity and enjoyed it. This will be Sabus first cruise.

Spending 3 nights pre cruise, haven't booked hotel yet. last time stayed at Holiday Inn Express on Orchard Road. Also, will spend 2 extra nights in Dubai post cruise.

As for India, it will be HOT, it is always hot in south India, plus it is the rainy season. But at least it will be in the tourists off season so fewer people, maybe only 18 billion :) .

Have been to Cochin a few times and spent 2 months in Goa. Forget the beach in Cochin, if you want beach, hit Goa. This time of the year many beaches are closed to swimming due to strong rip tides.

If I can be of any help, ask away, Ill try, except if you want a good Indian meal, I hate Indian food.

See you on board

ron

Ron and Sabu,

Welcome to our little group! Sorry to be so late in writing that "welcome" but I am not on here that often. It is nice to see that there will be other family on board. You will have to put up with 2 older guys (Rich is 76 and I am headed to 71), but we still like to talk.

I hope Rhonda's plan for all of to meet works out. Just a little over a month to go...yea!! I want SO much to get out of the cold of Iowa in the USA and be warm for a change. Winter here has been brutal.

John

:cool: Good Morning John, Kevin, Ron and all the respective traveling companions! With just over a month away I'm sure we are all looking forward to our upcoming adventure. I know Al & I sure are! I was wondering if anyone is interested in an informal get-together? I thought maybe anyone who's interested that we meet for happy hour at the Wig & Gavel Pub (or Gavel & Wig) on our second night.....Say 6:00? If anyone has other thoughts or ideas let us all know :)

-Rhonda

Rhonda,

Sounds good to me but Rich and I would have to be late since we are scheduled for the early dining (Rich can't miss a meal...LOL...he would kill me if he knew I wrote that). It would definitely be a good time for all to get together since it will be the evening before Phuket and after a day of relaxation. We are in cabin 6584 (doubt that we will get upgraded like some are getting on the Str8 thread to Junior Suites and Grand Suites). :eek::eek:

Sounds like a good plan if everyone else is interested! :cool:

John (and Rich in absentia)

Happy New Year Mariner Cruisers!

 

Finally I have been able to log into my Cruise Critic account after weeks of not being able to.

 

I have successfully applied for my India e-Visa and printed it out. The application was not too difficult but a little time consuming' date=' the successful response took less than 24 hours.:D The final payment for the cruise was made weeks ago and a couple of RCCL excursions have been booked for Thailand and Dubai.

 

So, I think I am all set to go. In just over 3 months we will be boarding and I cannot wait to be honest.

 

Kevin:*[/quote']

 

Kevin,

As you can see there hasn't been much activity on this site so you didn't miss much while being unable to access Cruise Critic. We have less than 90 days to go before boarding and I am looking forward to it! It has been very cold here in the States so have been dreaming of warmth for weeks...now to make it to 4/7/18.

 

We have booked tours in India, Muscat, Oman, and Dubai but none of them are through RCCL. We made arrangements with outside vendors. Since we are going on to Barcelona after Dubai we also have a tour of Petra and Wadi Rum in Jordan arranged. Thailand is the only one we haven't arranged yet...may just walk around Phuket instead of a formal tour.

 

Glad you got your e-Visa for India arranged. You will still have to go through the biometric process before getting off of the ship...but, then again, you may not have to do it because of being from England. I hope Rhonda and Al are still going on this trip. Have you added more friends since you last indicated how many were going?

 

John

I didn't see a thread for this sailing...Carnival's first transatlantic for the new ship "Horizon" from Barcelona to New York...so I thought I would start one.

 

Would be nice if folks join in the conversation and possibly arrange for an LBGTQ Party once the ship is under way. :D

 

John & Rich

I am very surprised that with 112 views as of this writing that none of the viewers are going on this cruise. We have done several transatlantic cruises and they have always been very popular among the gay & Lesbian crowd...especially when it involves the inaugural TA sailing for the ship.

Come on, folks! Roll up! Roll up!

John

I didn't see a thread for this sailing...Carnival's first transatlantic for the new ship "Horizon" from Barcelona to New York...so I thought I would start one.

Would be nice if folks join in the conversation and possibly arrange for an LBGTQ Party once the ship is under way. :D

John & Rich

Thanks, John.... We booked an excursion through Shorex for Phuket..... I think the island hopping adventure...... That was before we found out about all cool stuff going on here on Cruise Critic. I know we could cancel, but this was one excursion that piqued both our interest..... Also, the culinary themed excursion looks good on Crete..... I know that there is the danger of being "herded" around, but we'll just have to adapt, lol. I'm really looking forward to learning a few tricks of the cruising gurus for our next adventures! I did find the thread where the Ashdod/Jerusalem tour was being discussed, but a 2 hour bus ride each way was a little off-putting (at least to me).... I really like time to poke around & I know Phuket & Petra are going to be full days..... I will pass on info to Al as he may want to do the trip into Jerusalem. I think I'll do a little research into Asdod.....that might be a port to stick close to the ship, or maybe see what comes up as we meet & make new friends ��

-Rhonda

Ronda,

Do you have anything planned for India? Oman? Dubai? Apparently RCCL is providing the visas needed for countries with the exception of India. If you have a tour booked in India just remember that an eVisa requires that you go through a biometric process in Cochin and tour companies have indicated they are not willing to wait for that process to be completed for their customers.

John

Thanks John.... That's great advice, I didn't think of checking travel advisor, and I will spend some time going through the st8 thread(s). So looking forward to some great social times and meeting new friends 😎

-Rhonda

Rhonda,

You are more than welcome!

There is one trip in Phuket that is being advertised on the Str8 thread. If you and your friend are interested, it includes a visit to an elephant sanctuary and an opportunity to ride an elephant for roughly 1/2 hour (it includes other sites to be visited besides this). If you want info on it just let me know and I will research it for you. I think it costs $216, but not sure.

John

Hi there, I will be traveling B2B Singapore to Barcelona..... My traveling partner is gay and I'm str8 ( he's male, I'm female aged 58 at time of cruise). We look forward to making lots of new friends onboard! I see there have been some people organizing smaller, more intimate tours & was just wondering if anyone has seen anything for Israel. We like 1/2 day tours, with time left over for wandering the local streets and markets. I agree that often times it's wonderful to just stay on the ship when it's in port, but since neither of us have been to this part of the world, we would like to explore. The other thing I would like to ask is, if there is an FOD party would it be ok for us to attend together? I would hate to offend anyone.Thanks for any and all input ��

Rhonda,

I echo Kevin's sentiment of welcoming you to our little thread. I agree that you would be more than welcome to join any FOD parties...whether ship sponsored or group sponsored...the more the merrier!

As for small groups touring Israel, there are some being arranged on the St8 thread for the Mariner originally doing all 3 legs of Singapore to Miami. We have been to Israel before and did extensive touring so we will probably stay on the ship for that port. You can also check Trip Advisor for tour providers in Israel and what the reviews have been of their businesses -- good resource for reliable businesses. Just a suggestion....

John (and Rich in absentia)

I can imagine a lot of unhappy people as a result of this! I hope it does not mean the ship is in a worse state than originally thought.:eek:

 

Totally seperate from this' date=' the Singapore to Dubai leg with our agent is now not available so I assume it sold out already.[/quote']

 

There has been a lot of speculation on the St8 threads for this cruise that RCL will fill any empty cabins with "demo crew" members to start working on the ship before it goes into dry-dock in Cadiz, Spain after docking in Barcelona. I hope that isn't the case as it will mean a lot of noise and obstructions in areas...but RCL is giving, at least to those that booked all 3 legs, a 50% reduction on the cost of the first 2 legs, a refund for the 3rd canceled leg, and additional OBC for those people due to the cancellation of the 3rd leg but it could also be to compensate for the inconvenience of the demo crews. Will have to wait until the ship is underway before finding out for sure.

 

We were able to book a balcony on Carnival's Horizon for its first transatlantic cruise in place of the 3rd leg for Mariner. It leaves Barcelona 2 days after we dock there and goes to New York instead of Miami. RCL is paying up to $500 for having to rebook air due to canceling the 3rd leg, so our flight out of Miami to home is being changed to New York to home.

 

All in all it has been a confusing mess for a few weeks since the announcement but RCL is trying to work with customers in getting things refunded, changed, etc. They have been hampered by the number of cruise cancellations due to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on top of the Mariner 3rd leg cancellation.

 

John

Important Information: RCL has canceled the 3rd leg (transatlantic) of the Mariner of the Seas Global Odyssey so the Mariner can go into dry-dock earlier to renovations. Below is a notice that was emailed to those booked for all 3 legs of the trip and those only booked for the transatlantic part. Unfortunately it appears that the discounts being offered do not affect those booked on the first 2 legs of the trip (Singapore to Barcelona). Just wanting folks to be aware of the change as there apparently are many people canceling due to the change.

LEG 3 IS CANCELLED! Here's an official letter from Royal Caribbean.

August 30, 2017

Dear Guest,

We are reaching out to let you know that, regrettably, we have to cancel the last portion of our Mariner of the Seas Global Odyssey sailing from Barcelona to Miami, May 7 through May 20, 2018. While planning for Mariner’s upcoming modernization, it became apparent that logistics will require us to arrive at the shipyard to start the work sooner than previously thought. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

We realize how disappointing this change is and please know we explored all options before making the decision. In an effort to appropriately compensate you for this change, we are offering the following:

50% off your April 9, 2018 cruise fare

50% off your April 22, 2018 cruise fare

A full refund of your May 7, 2018 cruise fare

Reimbursement on airfare or any air change fees of up to $500 per guest*

If you choose to cancel your sailing on April 9 and 22, 2018, a full refund for amounts paid will be processed to the original form of payment and you will receive a 25% Future Cruise Credit in addition to reimbursement on flight changes up to $500 per guest*. Should you decide to sail, a new invoice reflecting the discounted pricing will be emailed to you.

We will call you personally to ensure we reach the best possible solution for you. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us at 1(888) 281-9344. In order to give you ample time to make your decision, we will not need to finalize your travel plans until September 13, 2017.

Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

*For airfare change fee reimbursement, please email (RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com) or fax (800-886-6485) us your receipts by September 13, 2017. Please note that your air reservation needs to be in the same cabin class as originally booked.

E-Visa or No E-Visa?

 

My group and I have been getting quite a lot of mixed messages regarding the type of Tourist Visa we require for the two stops in India. The last time we did a similar itinerary to this us Brits had to go through quite a difficult and expensive process to get a full tourist visa. Since then things have changed and now it is possible to apply for a cheaper much simpler e-visa but if you follow the Royal Caribbean website Visa information it says you still have to get the full expensive tourist visa. So' date=' in the end I wrote to the Consolate General of India & India High Commission in London. I received the following response.

'[b']e-Visa is valid for entry through 3 designated seaports (i.e. Cochin, Goa, Mangalore)[/b]

​

Electronic Tourist Visa:The procedure for an Electronic Tourist Visa is as follows:

• Fill the application form online for E - visa. Please refer the link https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html for the same.
  
• Upload the photograph and passport pages as per the specifications.
  
• Do the online payment. You get a visa confirmation and the visa is endorsed on your passport on arrival in India. Fee is $75.
  
• Please refer the link https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html for information on the eligibility criteria, procedure and documents required.​
  
• ​For queries related to E -Tourist visa, please contact the E-TV Support Center and clarify the same.
  

Tel No: 0091-11-24300666

Email: indiatvoa@gov.in​

 

 

Kind Regards,

 

Public Response Unit

Consulate General of India

You may find the following link of use.

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

Here is some information that was posted on another thread for this same trip regarding Visas for India:

Originally posted by SaraPoo From Royal Caribbean:

All guests must have proper Indian Visas at check in. We have not been provided with any additional information regarding e-Visa’s. Guests can contact https://visacentral.com/visas for further Visa assistance. We do apologize for the inconvenience.

From VisaCentral:

Obtaining a traditional tourist visa to India is a cumbersome and laborious process. It is also a document that many travelers do not need. If you anticipate making two or fewer entries to India in the next 60 days then VisaCentral recommends strongly that you consider the Electronic Tourist visa. It is easier and faster to obtain.

- - - - - - - - - -

Please Note that paper visas will be required by some excursions because of the potential delays from the biometrics that eVisa holders will have to get upon entry into India.

India Paper Visa: https://www.in.ckgs.us/visa/

India eVisa: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

It is also a requirement that you have either the e-Visa or a regular Visa for India BEFORE boarding the ship in Singapore...otherwise you will not be allowed to board. Even if you do not plan to get off of the ship in either Cochin or Goa, you still must have at least the e-Visa and go through the biometrics process in Cochin.

Fortunately for Rich and I our Visas have already arrived, so we are good to go....

John

Oops! I meant Roll up! Roll up!

John

Kevin,

We have to do the regular Visa vs. the E-Visa. The reason is that with the E-Visa once we dock in Cochin those with an E-Visa have to go in groups of 50 to a processing center for biometrics (photograph & fingerprinting), then return to the ship to wait until everyone with an E-Visa has completed this process. The regular Visa allows us to disembark immediately and go to the airport for the flight to Delhi for the tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra. The tour company we are using in India recommended that we not go the E-Visa route as they are not willing to wait for the biometric process.

Further, on another thread for this same trip, cruisers were commenting about the need to get an E-Visa even if your plan is to not leave the ship in either port. They stated that the Indian Government requires a Visa (regular of E-Visa) of everyone on the ship. Whether this is true or not I don't know...there can be so much misinformation on these threads...but for our purposes a regular Visa was the only option.

As for other stops (especially since we are doing all 3 segments), RCCL and the ship take care of any required Visas and charge the cost to our on-board account.

BTW, I liked your posting of Roll on! Roll on! There HAS to be more family making this trip than just our two groups!

John

One would think that with 303 views on this thread that there must be others going on this cruise. Come on folks! Join in on the conversation if you are on this segment of Mariner's Global Odyssey...even if you are on the subsequent segments there are some people doing all 3 segments, so let's get talking!

John

Like you' date=' I prefer the time spent aboard the ship and sometimes I think the ports of call to be an interruption of my cruise. Quite often if it is a port I know or does not interest me then I will stay aboard and make the most of having the facilities to myself, such as the sauna/spa ;). I spend quite a lot of time in the sauna or steam room as I find you get to know so many interesting people :evilsmile:.

 

There is now 7 in our group. All gay apart from one straight couple. I live in a small village called Xaló in Spain most of the year but I also have a tiny home near Southampton in the UK. My cabin mate also lives in Spain, but in the Canary Islands. The rest of our group all live in the UK. We are all flying to Singapore on the 6th April with Emirates from London Gatwick with a change in Dubai. We will have 2 nights in the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel in Singapore ahead of the cruise.

 

Kevin[/quote']

 

Our travel agent hasn't informed us yet where they are booking us for our stay in Singapore (going through a travel agent that we have used many times before...if history proves true then we will end up in some 4 or 5 star place). Neither of us have been to Singapore before so it will be an adventure...the downside is that we only have 2 days before boarding the ship and given the length of the flight, time changes, etc., we both may be too wasted to do sightseeing.

 

I understand what you are saying about already knowing the ports, but for us these ports are all new. Once we go on to Israel and the Med in general we have already seen those ports. Rich and another friend did a driving trip of Spain several years ago so he has far more experience in Spain than I do (I have just done Barcelona and the Canary Islands on a transatlantic a few years back).

 

Sounds like you have a diverse group going with you on this cruise! Plus the fact that you have 2 homes! Several of my neighbors have multiple homes so I feel out-of-place just having one. At least the one I have I can just lock it & leave to go someplace and rent...seems like far less hassle than trying to maintain multiple places.

 

Ah, yes, meeting interesting people in the sauna and steam rooms...invariably it always creates for an interesting time. Rich will probably spend more time there than I will as he is a workout addict whereas I prefer to read books. It will be nice to meet everyone at the FOD parties...interesting to see the "wanna be's" wandering around the fringes of the parties but can't bring themselves to join (admit?).

 

John (and Rich in absentia)