rafinmd

You're both right. We all got our ArriveCan approvals the same day. Roy

One more thing done. I went into the ArriveCan website this morning and gave them my details. For those using the App version there is a warning to download the latest version as requirements have changed (test no longer required for fully vaxed). I thought all was going well until the end when it asked if I had been anywhere other than the USA the last 14 days. I had a sigh of relief when it gave me the approval anyway. Roy

We are in Bermuda. First aft line went ashore about 8:50: Estimated clearance time is 9:30 (830 Bayonne time). Roy

It's a very cloudy morning on Adventure of the Seas so today's sunrise goes back to my very first Royal Caribbean cruise on Enchantment of the Seas back in 2011. On May 23 we arrived in St. Thomas, USVI. Roy

It's a very cloudy morning on Adventure of the Seas so today's sunrise goes back to my very first Royal Caribbean cruise on Enchantment of the Seas back in 2011. On May 23 we arrived in St. Thomas, USVI. Roy

It's a very cloudy morning on Adventure of the Seas so today's sunrise goes back to my very first Royal Caribbean cruise on Enchantment of the Seas back in 2011. On May 23 we arrived in St. Thomas, USVI. Roy

OK, not as close as I thought. Today’s care list: msmayor DH with Covid Malinda with stage 4 cancer Cat in my lap DH surgery May 24 Heartgrove older sister in hospice nearing the end Heartgrove brother in hospital with pneumonia(but cleared of fever) Covid outbreak in Seasick Sailor neighborhood Buddy with continuing problems ad problematic bone scan From the rotation: 1Angelcat facing expensive medicines Strength, peace, and healing for kazu Cruzin Terri with continuing health problems oceansaway17 Celebrations and Shoutouts: Volendam housing refugees All but 1 BHB with guests Hawaii getaway forRowsby Great River Cruise for NextOne Surgery set for dfish 1 June Heartgrove SIL cleared of Covid StLouisSal family visit 5 days for Dismomx5 and lazey1 (Koningsdam 5/28 to 6/4) 3 days for StLouisCruisers and kb4683(Island Princess 5/26 to 6/29) rafinmd (Adventure OTS to May 31), Atexsix (Discovery Princess to 5/29), and kochleffel (NCL Jade to 5/29) at sea Koningsdan Staff Captain Sabine - Our first female Staff Captain and HAL’s likely first female Captain(I know this is a repeat but she’s worth it) Roy

Thank you for the Monday Daily, Rich. Wishing all our Canadian Dailyites a great Victoria Day although their pennies are now relics of the past. Turtles and Chrones and Colitis both need to be recognized but for very different reasons. I like the quote but have not been to Sasebo. The chicken strawberry cobb sounds interesting. My alternative is Orange and Radicchio Salad, Chicken Parmesan, and Strawberry ice cream. as served on Adventure of the Seas May 22, 2022. Back later with the lists. Bermuda is getting very close. https://www.portbermudawebcam.com/ Roy

Day 2, Sunday, May 22,2022, At sea, Adventure of the Seas I will start with something that is relatively new to me. It’s long been a tradition on Holland America but I have just recently seen it on Royal and I will verify that I’m starting this post on Sunday. Despite being in bed early, it was close to 6AM when I woke up. Once I was a little bit together I went up to deck 12 and walked for about a half hour although sometimes it was a bit of a struggle with quite a brisk wind. I did go up next to the flow rider aft for a view of the sunrise although I’m using a picture taken abut 5 minutes later which is a bit prettier. On the way back to my room I ran into my waiter Paul at Café Promenade where I got coffee and skim milk. I started breakfast in earnest a little after 7 with a ham omelet from the WJ. For the most part I am getting breakfast and lunch in the WJ running in for food and then taking it out to a table Al Fresco on the pool deck. https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/omelet.jpg The main event of the morning was the Crown and Anchor (past cruiser program) event held at 10 in the theater. I think Adventure of the Seas may be going a bit rogue. The invitation I got at checkin was “Top Tier Event” but it was listed in the Compass as simply “Exclusive Crown and Anchor Event” and attendance seemed unrestricted. Loyalty Ambassador Valentyna quite profusely welcomed EVERYBODY including the Gold Members who I think by current company policy. I may be in the minority but I was very pleased with the move. Most of the real “Top Tier” people who are almost guaranteed to continue to sail as long as they are able, and this is just one more perk. The second or third time cruiser just testing the water again and looking at many cruise lines I think is the one I would really want to make feel special. I know that is how I felt back in 2012 on my second Enchantment cruise when there was an official welcome back party for all repeat cruisers. As it was, also, there were included a number of awards for several real top cruisers. At home I do a combination of in person and more frequently online worship with my home church. Their services are at 10:30 which is now 11:30 ship time. I was getting JUST enough band width to pick up the service but my room steward Sails came by right at 11:30 to take care of my room. The service was well under way when I returned at 11:45 and I was distracted again when Captain Barry gave his noon update (closest land then still Hatteras Island although I placed us mostly south of Cape Cod) and I caught most of the service despite quite a bit of buffering. Lunch was in and out of the WJ, eclectic mix of hot dog, potato wedges, bread, and jello. https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/lunch22.jpg We are always told “Book your next cruise early, they get very busy towards the end”. I took it to somewhat the extreme and they were certainly not very busy. There were 3 people on duty when I arrived, and except for a very few minutes after my arrival there was always one waiting. From my very first port call on Enchantment OTS in 2011 I’ve loved the Vision Class from when I sat in the forward WJ eating lunch and watching the fortress at Old San Juan getting closer. To date all my Vision class cruises have been out of Baltimore. That will partially change. In a little less than a year I will board Vision of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale and visit all the ABC Islands, and then bring the Vision back to her new home port of Baltimore. I do hope I’m not a jinx, I was supposed to do much the same thing with Carnival Legend in 2020. I’m a bit unsure of how to account for the rest of the afternoon although much of it probably involved catching up on things. In fact I had lost track of time wondering what to do next when I realized it was after 5 and a rush to get ready for dinner, a little rushed really since it was the new term for formal, the “Dress to Impress” night. I arrived at the dining room unexpectedly as I have 7PM plans with my church which I thought would be 6 Bermuda time but finally realized they were actually 8, leaving me more than ample time for dinner. Tonight it was Orange and Radicchio Salad, Chicken Parmesan, and Strawberry ice cream. It looks like the internet is good during the day but may get bogged down when everyone is using in the evening. “Sundays at Seven” is my church’s post pandemic version of the usual social hour after services, and this week it was quite well attended including several regulars, another traveler on a birding mission out of town, and one family just recovered from covid. Things started out well but my band width kept dropping and after about a half hour I lost connectivity completely. The featured show was one of the production shows, I think “Can’t Stop the Rock” although I’m not sure. I think it was supposed to be “Invitation to Dance” but I believe the shows were to be switched due to technical issues. In any case it was the time of my involvement with “Sundays at Seven”. My parting shot will be a sad personal one. I learned at “Sundays at Seven” of the passing of a long time friend. Phil was a stalwart in my church for decades and I served with him on many projects and committees over the years. He was one of the people prepared to be up before dawn and drive me to the hospital when I had my heart valve repair just over a year ago. He had not been well lately but his final passing came pretty quickly with Phil entering hospice early this week and passing Friday or Saturday. Rest in Peace. Roy

The May 23 Compass has now been uploaded to the blog. Roy

Today the wifi is a lot better. I did watch much of my online church service from home with quite a bit of buffering but still possible to follow along. And I have added the officers bios and first 2 compasses to the blog: https://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com/advcompass/ Depending on your setup when you click one of the links it should either produce the document or offer to download a pdf to your device. We've had quite a variation of weather at times today with fog, sometimes chilly winds but so far no rain. I haven't spent much time on the pool deck but do try to be as covid safe as possible and for breakfast and lunch duck into the WJ for my food and then take it out to a table at the pool deck. At my age and with some health conditions I want to maximize my safety but also feel that if I wait until things are really back to normal I will likely be too old to cruise when that happens. Today the pool deck felt more comfortable with a fleece than without. Roy

Thank you. Not allowed in Concierge Lounge but I did visit the Diamond Lounge this morning, and @c-leg5 the coffee machine there is back in service. Early Bon Voyage @Luckynana. Roy

I have used the UPS store for almost 20 years now. Some glitches, especially since Maryland MVA will not accept it and most of the mail they send out is non-forwardable, but I solved that with having their communications also sent by email. My store is just a block from my fire house so it is very convenient for me and also for packages. Roy

Today's sunrise really is today, taken from Deck 12 Aft on Adventure of the Seas somewhat midway between Bayonne and Bermuda. Roy

Today's sunrise really is today, taken from Deck 12 Aft on Adventure of the Seas somewhat midway between Bayonne and Bermuda. Roy

Today's sunrise really is today, taken from Deck 12 Aft on Adventure of the Seas somewhat midway between Bayonne and Bermuda. Roy

Thanks. I should get a pretty good idea from doing it in the reverse, needing documentation for my Arrive Can clearance.' They did check my Bermuda Travel Authority. The only thing I saw that they didn't check was my arrival appointment time. Not sure what the continuing purpose of the BTA is now without a covid test required. Roy

Day 1, Saturday, May 21, 2022, Board Adventure of the Seas, Bayonne(Part 2). I started unpacking the 2 carryons. By about 2:30 I was wondering about the big bag and found it several cabins down the corridor. The crew came by about 3 to find out why I had not been to my muster station. I explained to the guy that I had and they wrote down my name and got another “you’re OK”. Sailaway was scheduled for 3:30 but when I looked out from my balcony the bunker barge was still loading fuel. When I first saw motion out the window it was actually the car carrier across from us leaving. https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/youfirst.jpg I had a false alarm around 4 when I had the illusion of moving but it was a container ship coming into the dock. We actually started moving abut 4:30 I went up to deck 12 to watch our departure to the Verrazano bridge. I was near the forward mast as we went under and watched as the funnels appeared to come very close. When I went to dinner there was a letter in my mail slot claiming I had missed the muster drill. My room steward left it on my bed when I returned to dinner. Mast Funnels I have early fixed dining, a 10-top on deck 3. My stewards are Paul and Virgilio. My choices for the evening were the kids fruit cup, roast prime rib, and key lime pie. The prime rib was delicious but I only ate about half. If it comes up on the menu on the next segment I’ll know to order a half portion. The scheduled entertainment was to be comedian Rick Corso. He missed his flight and instead one of the lead singers from the cast put on a one-woman show that she called “On the Radio” . Rechelle Sears was excellent! With the clocks moved forward, I did not get much done after the show. My parting shot will have a local flavor for me. Congratulations to Preakness winner Early Voting. Roy

Finally, my photo from my alternative menu selection, (kids) fruit salad, roast prime rib and potato croquette and Key Lime pie as served on Adventure of the Seas May 21, 2022: Roy

Day 1, Saturday, May 21, 2022, Board Adventure of the Seas, Bayonne(Part 1) I was up about 5 and took a half-hour walk around downtown New Brunswick. My Bermuda Travel Authority was time stamped 1:06AM and I saved it to my IPAD. I checked out of the hotel about 9:45, filled up my gas tank along the way (who knows what the price will be in 10 days and arrived at the port just before 10:30 and dropped off my big bag (49.6 pounds). The parking garage was marked “handicap only” and I was sent to the overflow lot. When I paid I told them I was on a B2B and they said I needed to go back to the garage and give them a code. After much negotiation between the 2 lots I finally ended up with a prime spot on the lower level. I have 2 carryons, a wheeled one and a small backpack that went into the hotel with me. I did my best to reshuffle the carryons to have all the heavy stuff in the wheeled bag (23.8 pounds) leaving the backpack lighter at 10.6 pounds, and set off for the terminal. I arrived almost exactly at my appointed time of 11AM but found that nobody actually cared about appointed time. Security was a pain as they made me take everything out of the bag with the computers and then I was left to repack. There also seemed to be only one line for checkin, but it moved quickly. At checkin they looked at my passport and paper copies of my boarding pass, vax record, and covid test report and seemed quite relieved when I pulled up my BTA on my IPAD. I found the emergency drill procedure a bit rough. The gangway led to deck 4 starboard and as soon as I stopped aboard they wanted me to go to my muster station and did not want to let me go inside. Problem is my cabin is port side and I don’t think I could have gotten to it on the outer deck. They finally agreed to direct me to a door to the interior. I did find my station finally, but my boarding pass refused to scan. A supervisor wrote down my name and cabin number and I headed up to the pool deck finding a table. I am anything but a foodie and my dining choices are nowhere near “food porn”. I will post the occasional picture and at dinner do a little collage of my choices for the day. There was a line at the WJ (Windjammer buffet) and I waited for it to go down a bit before entering around noon. There were no official restrictions but people were required to stop at the hand washing station as they entered which sort of limited the flow. Checking out the options I decided to start with a bit of comfort food, a couple scoops of macaroni and cheese, supplemented a bit later by a glass of skim milk and an ice cream cone once the station opened.. While waiting for cabins to open I did go through some of the muster procedure, watching the video and noting that my checkin at the muster station was still marked “incomplete”. I thought with the IPAD in hand they might be able to electronically account for me but the supervisor said “Mr. Roy, I have you, you’re good to go”. The announcement that cabins are open came at 1. I am in 6580, a port side balcony cabin more or less midway between the 2 staircases. Roy

Thank you for the Sunday Daily, Rich. I'm celebrating Maritime day live and in person, will pass on both buying an instrument and Goth Day. I like the Harper Lee quote. I've been to Fiji several times but I don't think today's port. Wondering about the meal suggestion, if there might be something missing after "whip". My alternative is (kids) Fruit Salad, potato croquette, prime rib, and Key Lime pie as served on Adventure OTS, May 29, 2022. Photo will come when I get more organized. @Lady Hudsonthe Bermuda Travel Authority is a pain but doable. It was kind of uneventful but seems to come at the last minute and I think could work better for you as you will be home the night before and could print it out when it finally does come. I won't be posting a lot here on my cruise due to being very busy (and not very good internet) but here's my thread from the Royal forum: Today’s care list: msmayor DH with Covid Malinda with stage 4 cancer Tiogacruiser losing second mom Heartgrove older sister in hospice nearing the end Heartgrove brother in hospital with pneumonia Cruzin Terri DH facing cancer surgery From the rotation: Strength, peace, and healing for kazu Cruzin Terri with continuing health problems oceansaway17 Ukraine St. Louis Sal with weakening legs and panic attacks Celebrations and Shoutouts: Volendam housing refugees All but 1 BHB with guests Hawaii getaway forRowsby Great River Cruise for NextOne Surgery set for dfish 1 June Lady Hudson SIL out of hospital New furbaby for StLouisCruisers family StLouisSal family visit Welcome home Sea Viewer and Lady Hudson 6 days for Dismomx5 and lazey1 (Koningsdam 5/28 to 6/4) 4 days for StLouisCruisers and kb4683(Island Princess 5/26 to 6/29) Bon Voyage Atexsix( Discovery Princess May 22-29) Bon Voyage kochleffel( NCL Jade May 22-29) rafinmd (Adventure OTS to May 31) at sea Koningsdan Staff Captain Sabine - Our first female Staff Captain and HAL’s likely first female Captain(I know this is a repeat but she’s worth it) Roy

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Settling in, mostly unpacked and trying to get organized. There have been some bumps along the way but dinner and show were fine. Sadly, so far the wifi is abysmal. We lose an hour tonight so I'll be headed off to bed soon. Roy

Me too. And checking out of my hotel now. Roy

Today's sunrise is from a 2016 Veendam Bermuda cruise. May 21 was the day we returned to Boston: Roy

Today's sunrise is from a 2016 Veendam Bermuda cruise. May 21 was the day we returned to Boston: Roy