LIVE - Mariner of the Seas - May 28, 2022 Covid testing on-board for Bermuda!

[John&LaLa]

On 5/28/2022 at 12:50 PM, Rewind said:

Some random walking around pics:

 

 

 

Thanks for spacing the pictures. 😁

[Rewind]

We ate in the Windjammer last night for dinner and was some of the best food we have ever had on a Royal ship (and this cruise is #14).  The theme was "Flavor passport to China".  There was great jerk chicken, some "chicken patties" which were a curry dough with chicken filling (we think flavored with the jerk seasoning), fried plantains, and hot fresh donuts for dessert.  There was also this Coco Bread that was almost a pastry, just slightly sweet, a bit flaky but not too much - just excellent.

 

So this confirmed it for us - we will be eating in the Windjammer for dinner most of the time.

 

[Rewind]

Here is an oddity - we were checking our account statement this morning and for the last two days we have four sets of gratuities each.  We went to Guest Services and they said this is normal - "by the end of the cruise, you will each have 8 gratuity charges".

 

So for some reason they are front loading the gratuities on this cruise.  Maybe if this had happened to us on one of our previous 13 Royal cruises, we wouldn't have questioned it.  Or you know, if this would have been communicated to us in any way.

 

It is a minor issue but just want to let others know if they experience the same thing.

[Biker19]

9 minutes ago, Rewind said:

Or you know, if this would have been communicated to us in any way.

Having the grats show up at different times is normal - the last couple of days are also sometimes listed "early".

[Rewind]

Correction - last night was Caribbean night in the Windjammer (makes way more sense, and the app was updated today to show that).  Tonight is Passport of China.

 

Also we are not getting Covid tested before going into Bermuda due to Bermuda relaxing restrictions.

[Rewind]

I should also add that tonight is the first "Dress Your Best" night.

[Rewind]

Hard to get action shots but the ice show was great as always.  Plenty of twirls, overhead lifts, and a couple back flips.

 

 

[Rewind]

Let's talk elevators.  The ones on Mariner have added a new screen:

 

 

I really like this as it shows where the next stop will be.  It is also funny during peak times that you can watch the computer recalculate if it needs to stop on other floors, or then re-recalculate to skip a floor (as another elevator took those passengers).

 

The other thing added was new audio for "doors opening", "going up" or "going down", and "doors closing".  It is a nice add but also can get annoying quickly if you are on a full car that is making a lot of stops.

 

Lastly, we are heading into Bermuda today.  This was what our elevator date plate looked like:

 

 

Doesn't bode well for us...

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, Rewind said:

Lastly, we are heading into Bermuda today.  This was what our elevator date plate looked like:

 

 

Doesn't bode well for us...

 

Maybe you're stuck in a time loop and your cruise will never end.

[Rewind]

Different elevator:

 

 

I looked in another as we got off this one.  The one we didn't travel in had "Wednesday" displayed.  Must just be us.

[Rewind]

They announced that due to a hurricane heading this way, we won't have two nights in Bermuda, just one.  We will be arriving today around 6pm and departing tomorrow evening around 6pm.  All tomorrow's evening excursions have been canceled and will be automatically refunded.

[lola2013]

2 minutes ago, Rewind said:

They announced that due to a hurricane heading this way, we won't have two nights in Bermuda, just one.  We will be arriving today around 6pm and departing tomorrow evening around 6pm.  All tomorrow's evening excursions have been canceled and will be automatically refunded.

Bad news that you will miss time in Bermuda...good news that RCCL is doing their best to keep you safe.

[cruisegirl1]

I am enjoying your post. I am on board as well, but enjoy hearing things from your perspective and catching up on a few things I might’ve missed. 
 

Stay well, I know of two individuals who are in Covid quarantine. 
 

m

[Rewind]

Bermuda is in sight.

 

[Rewind]

Rounding the NE corner.

 

[Rewind]

We're here.

 

[Rewind]

Last night we caught the juggling act of Adam Kario.  Very entertaining and some high tech juggling pins (I'll have to post the vid when we get home).

 

 

Today we caught the ferry to Hamilton and then walked to the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.  It is an ASTC participating location so we got in free with our local science museum membership.

 

 

They have a very good Bermuda Triangle section a large collection of shells on display.

 

 

Then we walked around some more, popped into a few shops, took a very full ferry back to the Dockyard, walked through the craft market and the Clocktower mall (many empty shops there), then back to the ship for a late lunch.  The pizza is better than we remembered.

 

In total we walked 7 miles before getting back on the ship.  Now we are relaxing on deck 4 for the next while until it is time to watch for runners.

 

[cruizzing]

Thank you for ASTC reciprocity tip! Have utilized it before, but didn't think to check for Bermuda. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[Rewind]

Noon announcement - a few crew and 4 passengers have tested positive for Covid.

 

We left Bermuda early and are sailing south back through the Bahamas so that we can go around Tropical Storm Alex.

[mrpayroll]

Enjoying your review . Will be doing this cruise in October.

[Rewind]

We went to see The Alley Cats do-wop Acapella group.  Very entertaining and funny.

 

I do need to preface the accompanying picture.  The cruise director came out to do the introduction and informed us that two of the group JUST made it yesterday (all aboard was 5:30 and they made it to the ship at 5:25) but their luggage did not... same as another who joined a couple days ago.  So the outfits are a bit varied:

 

 

And yes, while we were waiting for runners yesterday, we saw two of them in what they are wearing in the pic (except for the gold jacket).

[Rewind]

We received a refundable credit for $5.33 each because we had to leave Bermuda a day early.

[cruise wizard]

23 minutes ago, Rewind said:

We received a refundable credit for $5.33 each because we had to leave Bermuda a day early.

 

Such a deal..............spend it wisely!!!!! Maybe at the Casino???

[Rewind]

An additional crew member and 6 more passengers have tested positive for Covid 19.

[molly361]

30 minutes ago, Rewind said:

An additional crew member and 6 more passengers have tested positive for Covid 19.

Someone in the FB group posted that the Capt has asked everyone to wear masks