Not quite LIVE but reporting regularly, Adventure of the Seas, May 21-31, 2022

[rafinmd]

2 minutes ago, 0106 said:

Would you mind sharing the dates of the reposting cruise.

Sorry to hear you lost a close friend.

Thanks for your trip report.

May 1 next year.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

4 hours ago, shof515 said:

Did you get any notification from royal about arrivecan? I find it strange they are not sending anything about this and the protocols for cape Liberty also does not have this

They seem to me to be largely falling down on this.  I dd get the info as today as part of my B2B letter but I don't remember anything from them before that.  It's also been discussed on our roll call and i've been aware of it from other sources.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

On 5/22/2022 at 1:10 PM, CGinMTL said:

We are on b2b. June 4th to 18. Looking forward to seeing your info on Bermuda and Halifax. 

Curious how royal will handle b2b since Bermuda no longer asks to upload negative test results. 

 

If you can find out, it would be amazing. 

 

Thanks Roy 

The letter I got today is attached and explains pretty much everything.  Unfortunately for you, dealing with the Bermuda ETA while at see looks to me like a lot more hassle than doing the ArriveCan.

 

 

consecutive.pdf

[StLouisCruisers]

2 hours ago, rafinmd said:

We are just a day apart.  I'm on Sunday, May 29.  You're starting in Fort Lauderdale, right?

 

Roy

 

Got it.  Today I finished up the ArriveCAN app and got the QR code.  Cruising used to be so much easier!

Have fun!

[erewhon]

Roy, 

So sorry to read of the loss of your friend Phil.

Sending our sympathy to you,  his family and friends.

[rafinmd]

7 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Got it.  Today I finished up the ArriveCAN app and got the QR code.  Cruising used to be so much easier!

Have fun!

Yes but I can see the other side as well.  26 months ago I  and many of my friends were thrown off our ships in Perth Australia and forced to fly home.  Despite the hassles I find cruising today a lot easier than that.  And today is the first full day in years that every one of Royal Caribbean's ships started the day with passengers onboard.

 

Roy

[Cruise a holic]

We will be on the Adventure on May 26   Today we will take our covid on line test.  Don't expect any surprises as we both tested ourselves and are negative.  Haven't been in contact with any covid positive people.  Filed out our ArriveCan form on line-  Getting exciting.  Hope that the ship isn't crowded!

[rafinmd]

4 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

We will be on the Adventure on May 26   Today we will take our covid on line test.  Don't expect any surprises as we both tested ourselves and are negative.  Haven't been in contact with any covid positive people.  Filed out our ArriveCan form on line-  Getting exciting.  Hope that the ship isn't crowded!

Good luck.  I don't remember an official count but things do seem to be getting back towards normal.

 

Roy

[shof515]

i noticed Halifax is like Bermuda with being 1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time(new jersey time). when the ship is in halifax will the clocks change like what it does when in bermuda?

[rafinmd]

27 minutes ago, shof515 said:

i noticed Halifax is like Bermuda with being 1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time(new jersey time). when the ship is in halifax will the clocks change like what it does when in bermuda?

I assume it will.  In fact, you will likely find the notice in the "activities" section of the app.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Day 3 Monday, May 23, 2022, Arrive Bermuda

 

I was up at 5 and when I went on deck we were about 20 miles away.  I went up to deck 12 and walked some, stopping at the aft deck to look for a sunrise and it was totally clouded over.  I got my first glimpse of Bermuda about 7:30 but it was the far end near St. George and we finally got to the dock about 8:30.  It was quite windy and pulling the stern close to the dock and getting lines out was a slow and careful process.

 

We were cleared at 9:30 and I ventured out about 11.  My plan for the stay had been to get a transit pass and do some exploring.  The passes (good for buses and ferries) are sold at the visitor center next to the ferry terminal.  Pass in hand I noticed that there was a ferry loading and enthusiasm overtook common sense and I got in line.  With 2 ships (NCL Pearl) in port the ferry was quite crowded but I found a seat on the upper level.  I did not get much of a view from that seat but did recognize one of the land marks, 2rocks Island which is extremely close to the channel.

I discovered once in Hamilton that it would be a bit of a wait for the next ferry even though I had not planned on staying long.  I did walk along the streets a bit and found a nice muffin for lunch at “Chatterbox Café”, across from City Hall.

I did have some things I forgot to bring with me and most of the stores did not seem appropriate but I did find “The Market Place” across Church Street from the Cathedral with what I needed, primarily dental supplies and batteries.  By then I was ready to return to the ferry dock for the 1:30 ferry.  I was early but found a bench to wait until the ferry was in sight and then got in line.  The ferry was some combination of busy and on Island Time and had just finished unloading passengers at 1:30 and then returned to it’s base for a crew change.  It was about 1:45 when we pulled away from the dock.  This time I pretty much had my choice of seats on the upper level and found a nice shaded one on the top deck.

 

It’s a high speed catamaran that cruises about 30 mph but for the first half of the trip (until roughly 2rocks) chugs along at 10.  As we approached the dockyard I got a nice view of the ship.  I did notice that all the boats are real lifeboats rather than tenders and am wondering how we will handle Bar Harbor.

I can feel my age creeping up on me.  I would have traditionally found my activities in Hamilton pretty tame but found myself pretty tired when I got back to the ship.  I don’t really nap daytimes but I did spend some time on my balcony and tried lying down on the bed for a while but not sleeping.

 

Dinner ran longer than I had hoped.  One of my tablemates showed up after 6.  I would normally be annoyed but he explained the situation.  Before the cruise a podiatrist had treated one of his toes removing some skin and today he found his sock soaked in blood.  He did some self treatment but was having difficulty walking.  He was unable to find a cane but his room steward found him a putter which he actually found quite helpful.  I hope he feels better soon.  My choices for the day were mostly classics, Garden Salad, Roasted Chicken Breast, and NSA Pineapple Sunshine Cake a la Mode.

The Lyric Theater had just a movie but “Cool Art, Hot Ice” had it’s first performance of the voyage in Studio B.  I was out of the dining room just in time.  I didn’t stay long; though the performance was well done it was not my cup of tea and I was getting chilled.  The Love and Marriage game was in the Theater at 9:45.

I did go up to deck 11 around what should have been sunset.  It was brighter than at the morning but still not much to see.

My parting shot will be a word of congratulations to Royal Caribbean for getting all it’s ships back in service.

 

Roy

 

[CGinMTL]

20 hours ago, rafinmd said:

They seem to me to be largely falling down on this.  I dd get the info as today as part of my B2B letter but I don't remember anything from them before that.  It's also been discussed on our roll call and i've been aware of it from other sources.

 

Roy

I have the info on my booking. Everytime.  My travel agent and the royal docs are informing me of this 

[rafinmd]

I had asked Guest Services on Day 1 about plans for the B2B.  The first confirmation I got that it was recognized was last night at dinner when my Head Waiter came by and asked about my wishes for the next cruise.  I've requested a table for 6 or 8 instead of the 10 I have now.  We'll see what happens there.

 

When I got back to my room there was a letter with the procedures.  Unfortunately, for me that includes a change of room.  I had booked the Canada cruise several months ago.  When I was on Enchantment in February I decided 8 days was too short so 5 days was WAY too short so I added my current cruise ahead of it  but at point there were no rooms in my category so I must move.

 

I do need to put everything back in my luggage.  Things I will not use on the next leg (like dirty clothes) will go back in my car.  It doesn't like there will be a trolley to move the things I have on hangers but they can be laid flat on the top of my big bag and do not need to be folded.  My bags must be ready at 8:45 am and my room steward will help me move them to the new  room.  We will meet at the Imperial Lounge at 9AM and be escorted off the ship for Immigration inspection and will get an in-transit card and new seapass in the terminal and then are eligible to return to the ship as soon as it is zeroed out.  If we linger ashore, we can reboard when new pax boarding starts, can access our rooms at 11:30, and can get an in-transit lunch in the dining room at noon.

 

If not changing rooms it is not required to attend the muster drill.  With a new room I will be required to visit my new muster station and be checked in.  I have already visited the location of my new room and explored the route to my new muster station.  I think that's about it.

 

Roy

 

 

[CGinMTL]

20 hours ago, rafinmd said:

The letter I got today is attached and explains pretty much everything.  Unfortunately for you, dealing with the Bermuda ETA while at see looks to me like a lot more hassle than doing the ArriveCan.

 

 

consecutive.pdf 300.23 kB · 21 downloads

Big thank you

[rafinmd]

22 hours ago, shof515 said:

i noticed Halifax is like Bermuda with being 1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time(new jersey time). when the ship is in halifax will the clocks change like what it does when in bermuda?

 

22 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I assume it will.  In fact, you will likely find the notice in the "activities" section of the app.

 

Roy

Correction to that.  I did check this morning at Guest Services and they tell me we will stay on ship's time.  At least if someone gets confused they'll be back an hour early.

 

Roy

[Cruise a holic]

Our cruise on the Adventure begins tomorrow.  We have filled out all necessary paper work and have done our covid tests.  All packed and ready to go!  

 

When we board, I assume we can reserve our entertainment.  We are in a Jr. suite- so I am sure reservations are necessary.  

 

Exciting!

[rafinmd]

 

3 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Our cruise on the Adventure begins tomorrow.  We have filled out all necessary paper work and have done our covid tests.  All packed and ready to go!  

 

When we board, I assume we can reserve our entertainment.  We are in a Jr. suite- so I am sure reservations are necessary.  

 

Exciting!

Not sure what you need to reserve.  Unlike Oasis class most entertainment you just walk right in.  Get there early if you want a seat at the Schooner Bar.  It was packed last night.

 

Roy

[Cruise a holic]

Packed?  Yuk

[rafinmd]

Day 4, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, Leave Bermuda(Part 1)

 

My morning coffee place has become the Café Promenade.  I’m not really a fan of the Royal Promenade concept (much prefer the centrum as on the Vision and Radiance class ships) but did stop to take a photo on the way back to my cabin.

 

 

We had a very nice sunrise over Hamilton which I was able catch from my balcony.

Breakfast was pretty early, french toast and chicken sausage from the WJ.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/breakfast24.jpg

My touring was interesting but far from what I had planned.  I thought I was going to catch the 9:30 ferry to Saint George, bus back to Hamilton, and ferry back to the ship but had not checked the schedule well enough and the Saint George ferry does not run every day.  So it was off to Hamilton for a bit of a walk.

 

I walked along the waterfront as far as Parliament street and the cruise terminal (Only smaller ships, I was due to be there on Empress but it looks like this year it will be mostly Oceania), and then up to the aptly named Church Street.  It also has “The Market Place” where I had my shopping success Monday.  I worship at an interfaith center as a part of a union congregation of Methodist and Presbyterian churches.  We share the center with a Catholic congregation and occasionally celebrate joint events with them.  The Cathedral is directly across from The Market Place.  One block down is Wesley Methodist church and one more block to St. Andrews Presbyterian.  These are not exactly affiliated with my home churches but Wesley Methodist is affiliated with the United Church of Canada and St. Andrews with the Presbyterian Church of Canada.  My family in the Montreal Area are members of these churches and I have worshiped with both.

Roy

[rafinmd]

Day 4, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, Leave Bermuda(Part 2)

 

I discovered to my chagrin that I had dropped my transit pass and needed to buy a token to get back to the ship ($4.60).  The Number 7 bus follows South Road back to Dockyard and on the 50-minute journey we had several nice views of the sea.  While the ferry staff barely looked at our transit pass the bus driver did and did all the validation punches quite diligently..

I strolled through the Clocktower mall after disembarking the bus and was back on the ship about 12:30.  I was tired when I got back to the ship but not as bad as Monday and did watch the Pearl sail out of the harbor from my balcony.  The Bermuda terminal has free wifi.  I could not connect from my seaside balcony but did from the pool deck above the terminal.

 

I am a big sailaway addict and did not want to let dinner interfere with watching our departure.  All aboard was 5:30 and I went down to Deck 4 aft and watched as the gangway was pulled in about 5:50.  Soon the last lines were pulled in and I walked across to the other side where a tug was standing by.  By 6 we had completed most of our turn towards the exit and I headed up to deck 12 to watch the rest of our departure which for the most part was some distance from land.

We got close to land about 7 near Fort St. Catherine and headed out to sea as I headed for dinner.  

I try to get to Chops once per cruise.  When I looked at the app there was nothing until 9PM but I had stopped by and they said “We can take you at 7:15.  I had the Caesar Salad, Petite Fillet, Mac & Cheese, and Red Velvet Cake.

There were 2 showings of the production show “Invitation to Dance”.  I went for the 9PM show and enjoyed what I saw of it but the show has been plagued with technical (lighting) problems and after the delay did not stay to the end.

We gained an hour moving back to Bayonne time so I was in bed later than usual, around 11:30.

My parting thought is one of horror for the events at Robb Elementary School.  We need to do better.

 

Roy

 

[Luckynana]

14 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Our cruise on the Adventure begins tomorrow.  We have filled out all necessary paper work and have done our covid tests.  All packed and ready to go!  

 

When we board, I assume we can reserve our entertainment.  We are in a Jr. suite- so I am sure reservations are necessary.  

 

Exciting!

Have a great cruise!  Bon Voyage!!🛳️

[rafinmd]

Day 5. Wednesday, May 25, 2022, At Sea, Adventure of the Seas

 

I was up right at 5.  Sunrise was officially 5:19 and I was on deck 4 early but did not really see decent evidence of it for almost another 20 minutes.  

I discovered that while you cannot walk around the ship on deck 4 it is possible to make a full loop by using stairs at the forward end and continuing around the bow on deck 5.

 

The main part of my breakfast was a ham omelet at the WJ.  I did briefly touch base with my new room steward.   I’m a slow packer so most of my day was spent organizing things for the transfer to my new room.  A number of things (like dirty clothes) will go out to my car and I will walk around the terminal area a bit before reboarding for the next leg.

 

My final lunch of the segment was spaghetti and jello taken on a rather windy pool deck.  There was a lot of noise from games going on.  I thought it was the sexy man contest but that began just as I was leaving.  I think it must have been Baggo.

All the regulars were present at Table 308 for our final dinner together.  The chap who had the toe problem still has foot pain but had a big win in the casino today.  At the end of the meal there was a staff recognition and parade of waiters but no napkin waving, a pretty dignified final presentation.  My choices were the (Kids) fruit cup, Braised Lamb Shank, and Apple Blossom A La Mode.

The meal ran longer than normal and I was just in time for the 7PM Farewell show with some numbers by the cast and band and featuring the comedy of Rick Corso including some numbers with his guitar and harmonica.  It’s the first time I have seen him perform and he was very good.

After the show I got back to my room just in time to capture the setting sun from my balcony.  I should be ready for bed with all but last minute items packed fairly early.

My parting shot today will be a bit of a complaint.  I am about to the point of hating the hand washing stations in the WJ with a passion.  The staff is there making everybody use them, often slowing the flow into the room.  All that is noble; it’s the machines themselves that drive me crazy.  There are sinks with 2"handlebars” at the end of the faucets and a soap dispenser to the right side.  The problem is everything is too close together.  Once I have my soap I go for the water but 99% of the time I get not water to wash but a flow of air out of the handlebars to dry the soap residue on my unwashed hands.  I’ve resorted to soaping my hands and awkwardly inserting one hand right at the back of the sink and slowly moving it forward.  It’s very awkward but I haven’t found anything better and even that doesn’t always work.  Sometimes I find I have slightly better luck moving to an adjacent sink but it is a Royal pain.  There must be a better way.  I know I’ve seen better options on other cruise lines.

Roy

 

[davidfx64]

Thanks for your posts and pictures. We’re boarding tomorrow for the New England/Canada cruise - looking forward to it!

[Cruise a holic]

6 hours ago, davidfx64 said:

Thanks for your posts and pictures. We’re boarding tomorrow for the New England/Canada cruise - looking forward to it!

We will be joining you!  Up early and getting ready for our cruise.  

[rafinmd]

Before I shutdown my laptop to prepare for the change in rooms:

 

 

 

Roy