Just back from 9 day Bermuda & Carib on EOS, any ?

[Deidre427]

Just back from the EOS, I would be happy to answer any question?

[Sweetspot]

What did you do in Bermuda on Sunday and how bad was the transportation? I have read so many times that Bermuda is closed on Sunday so I am worried we will have a difficult time getting around there. What did you do in San Juan since the hours are so short there. Was the new bedding in place?

 

Sorry for so many questions, we were on the 9 night last year but this year some things are different.

[cruisingsaw]

Thanks for posting. Hope you had a good time. What did you do in Bermuda on Sunday? I heard just about everything is closed. What kind of cabin did you have? I want to know so much that my head is spinning. I can't believe it's almost here.

 

Thanks for your help

[andsail]

Hi. Would you mind writing a mini review of the highlights of your trip? Things like service, food, ports etc. are always nice to hear about. :)

[Sue L]

What did you do in Bermuda on Sunday and how bad was the transportation? I have read so many times that Bermuda is closed on Sunday so I am worried we will have a difficult time getting around there. What did you do in San Juan since the hours are so short there. Was the new bedding in place?

 

Sorry for so many questions, we were on the 9 night last year but this year some things are different.

 

 

The bedding was changed last fall so you are all set there.

[Sweetspot]

Thank you Sue! We were in the RS last year and now of us slept last year. The pull out couch was horrible, with almost every spring coming through the mattress. The roll away was just as bad. This year we are in the RFS and with so little info about the room out there just knowing the bedding is different is enough.

[knots4crewzing]

Hi Deidre427,

I was wondering what nite you think would be best to book Portofinos,so it doesn't conflict with formal nites and the ice shows?We were on the 9 nite a couple of years ago and didn't go for one reason or the other but we would like to try it this summer.I know the formal nites when we went were on Saturday and the following Thursday.Have they changed? BTW did you have a chance to go to Portofinos if so was the experience worth the extra $20pp?Also are you able to load the compasses, would love to see whats going on so we can plan better.

Sorry for all the ?'s .

 

Thanx, Liz

[knots4crewzing]

I knew I forgot one thing did you or anyone you know receive the new C&A youth program perks? :D If so do you know what they are and for what age group?I have a sixteen yo DD ,haven't told her about it want it to be a suprise when we get on board.Would also love to hear all about your trip.we were on Explorer and absolutely love her.

 

Thanx again Liz

[Deidre427]

I will try to write a review while things are still fresh in my head and as soon as the mountains of laundry are almost done.

 

Bermuda was ok, transportation is rough, things were closed on Sunday, i would say do an excursion if you want to see anything besides the Naval museum.

 

San Juan is too short of a port, I have been there before many times and have done the Rain Forest tours, not with the ship, just the guys who stand at the end of the pier with mini buses. This time we just shopped, We did not want to feel rushed and since it was the third port in a row, we were tired.

 

New bedding is amazing, so soft and fresh feeling, where can I buy these? The Suite attendent did not know.

 

We were in the Owner's Suite 1308. Big room, Small Balcony, besides the bedding, the room is starting to show wear and tear.

 

Formal nights are Saturday and Friday.

 

I would book Portofinos on a Sea Day, gives you something to look foward to at night. We did not eat there this time, we have a 2 year old with us and did not trust the babysitting service, we have eaten the on other ships and it was very good.

[knots4crewzing]

Thank you so much for your reply.Can't wait for your review:eek:

 

 

Liz

[Maxima81]

Thanks for the information. We're on the next 9-day this Friday, so hopefully everything will go smoothly.

 

Port Questions:

What was "closed" on Sunday in Bermuda? The shops? attractions? We plan to head right over to the caves (ferry to Hamilton, bus to caves) and then split the rest of our time between St. Georges & Hamilton. I assume the buses run less frequently?

 

How did the 12PM - 9PM time in St. Martin affect things? Were the shops in Philipsburg open later than usual?

 

Same question for San Juan? Was anything open that early the morning (7AM)? We plan to walk Old San Juan, explore the forts, and do some shopping.

 

 

Ship questions:

Were the rock-climbing wall and ice skating rink open often during sea days?

 

How was boarding / disembarking at Cape Liberty in general? What time were you allowed to board and when were you off the ship by when you returned?

 

I'm sure I'll have more questions over the next few days. Thanks again and look forward to your review.

[SuiteLiving]

Last year on the 9 night in June they ran out of a lot of things (e.g. iced tea). One humorous moment was when one of the crew members stated that they would stop at the store (on a sea day) and pick up more at the store.

 

Did you notice any supplies running out or have they fixed this problem.

 

Thanks and glad you had a good time.

[The Big Booper]

Thanks for the information. We're on the next 9-day this Friday, so hopefully everything will go smoothly.

 

Port Questions:

What was "closed" on Sunday in Bermuda? The shops? attractions? We plan to head right over to the caves (ferry to Hamilton, bus to caves) and then split the rest of our time between St. Georges & Hamilton. I assume the buses run less frequently?

 

How did the 12PM - 9PM time in St. Martin affect things? Were the shops in Philipsburg open later than usual?

 

Same question for San Juan? Was anything open that early the morning (7AM)? We plan to walk Old San Juan, explore the forts, and do some shopping.

 

Ship questions:

Were the rock-climbing wall and ice skating rink open often during sea days?

 

How was boarding / disembarking at Cape Liberty in general? What time were you allowed to board and when were you off the ship by when you returned?

 

I'm sure I'll have more questions over the next few days. Thanks again and look forward to your review.

 

We have never been to Bermuda. Considering that the stop will be Sunday, what is the best thing for first timers to do?

 

Re: San Juan, does the ship offer a tour of the rum factory?

 

Re: St Martin, the stores in P-Burg usually close at 6 PM. Did they stay open later? Our sailing will meet the Liberty on it's maiden official voyage so downtown should be zooey.

 

Is Alan Brooks the CD?

 

Thanks

[mrchips14]

In addition to the 2 formal nights were there smart casual 1 or 2(semi formal)?

 

When are the Ice shows, are there different shows or just one repeated?

 

What is the weather like sailing from NJ and coming back ( first and last day)?

 

What time did you get on the ship and what time did they start to get off the ship back home?

 

What was the highlight of the entertainment?

 

Thanks for any info. Glad you had a good time. Can't wait till Friday for my turn.

[AspiringCindy]

Just back from the EOS, I would be happy to answer any question?

 

Last summer's 9 night dinner rotation was:

Fri. Bon Voyage

Sat. Captain's Gala

Sun. Dinner 6

Mon. Caribbean Colors

Tues. Crown and Anchor

Wed. Dinner 1

Thur. Venetian Feast

Fri. Chef's Dinner

Sat. Feast of Nations

 

Is the order the same? Nothing appeals to us on tuesday and Wednesday's menu...and would like to book Portofino on those days if the rotation is the same!

I know they have changed the name of the Caribbean Colors too!

 

Also, did concierge contact you before the sailing? What perks did you receive?

[KillaFee]

My question is more about the overall experience - we live in Connecticut so leaving from NJ would be awesome, but I'm worried that it would just have a different feel than a cruise leaving out of FL or SJ because it takes a bit to get down there - did you notice much of a difference? Did it still have the same caribbean vibe to it?

Laura

[Sweetspot]

My question is more about the overall experience - we live in Connecticut so leaving from NJ would be awesome, but I'm worried that it would just have a different feel than a cruise leaving out of FL or SJ because it takes a bit to get down there - did you notice much of a difference? Did it still have the same caribbean vibe to it?

Laura

 

We live in NJ and have gone on 5 cruises out of Port Canaveral and one out of Cape Liberty. Same feeling, but less stressed going out of NJ. Just a short drive and you are there. No worrying about flights, hotels, etc. Once you are on the ship you are on vacation. Never missed the Caribbean vibe, just enjoyed every second onboard.

[aqhacruiser]

Thank you Sue! We were in the RS last year and now of us slept last year. The pull out couch was horrible, with almost every spring coming through the mattress. The roll away was just as bad. This year we are in the RFS and with so little info about the room out there just knowing the bedding is different is enough.

 

All the bedding was completed in the fall of 06 and it is WONDERFUL! :)

[Poohb]

Killafee. Make sure to check out the buses sponsered by RC. The one we took stopped in New London, New Haven & Bridgeport. I know there's another one for the Hartford area. They also have them for PA and RI. They started out at ~$75pp but they changed the price to (TADAAA) "FREE". It was excellent. We used the New Haven stop. Had a movie on it, both ways and the driver knew how to avoid GWBridge traffic. We left about 11:15, arrived about 1:30 to the pier. We had no worries of leaving a car, hitting bad traffic or weather, stress or handling suitcases once the bus showed. Our vaca started on the bus. I agree the bedding if Fantastic.

[cantwait2cruise926]

Killafee. Make sure to check out the buses sponsered by RC. The one we took stopped in New London, New Haven & Bridgeport. I know there's another one for the Hartford area. They also have them for PA and RI. They started out at ~$75pp but they changed the price to (TADAAA) "FREE". It was excellent. We used the New Haven stop. Had a movie on it, both ways and the driver knew how to avoid GWBridge traffic. We left about 11:15, arrived about 1:30 to the pier. We had no worries of leaving a car, hitting bad traffic or weather, stress or handling suitcases once the bus showed. Our vaca started on the bus. I agree the bedding if Fantastic.

 

Where can i go to find info for the buses sponsored by RC

[Deidre427]

EOS Bermuda & Caribbean May 11

 

Embarkation

 

We arrived at Cape Liberty around noon, thinking we were early and that it would be a breeze getting on the ship. Boy was I wrong. When we arrived there were so many people, we had to wait in the security holding area while they filtered the hundred or so people who had been there even earlier. Cape Liberty and RCL staff were not too sure about what to do, seemed like they were all new, we were in an Owners Suite and were told we would have a Special embarkation line, with the Crown & Anchor Diamond members, no one knew what we talking about. How is it possible to maintain a job and not know simple answers to questions? I know I would be fired.

When finally made it to the “Special” check in thing moved a little faster. The shuttle bus to the ship is quick and easy, I know a lot of people have complained about this but it must be because they bring too many carry-ons.

 

Cabin

 

We were in Owner’s Suite 1308. The room is big and spacious; the balcony is small, same size as a balcony stateroom. The room is starting to show wear. I know it is 7 years old, but I think people just abuse what is not theirs and so it ages faster than normal.

The bathroom was nice as well, big Jacuzzi tub, stand up shower, double sinks, plenty of drawer space, a toilet and a bidet. Do people really use these things?

Location of the cabin is horrible, during the nights, deck chairs were never tied down and they screeched along the floor, the noise woke us up every night and then the night of the pool buffet, the crew made the most noise I have every heard taking the tables apart. The banging went on for 2 hours. I called Gust Relations and asked why the most expensive room were in the worst location and they had no answer for me. They did say they were going to talk to the night crew and ask them to be more quiet. Which brings me to my next point.

 

Guest Relations

 

I have never been treated so badly by any staff ever, on any vacation, cruise or resort, in my life. I consider myself a very lucky person and have the ability to vacation 3-4 times a year, so I deal with a lot of Guest Relations staff. I would have to say RCL has the worst.

 

Windjammer

 

Food was pretty good but pretty much the same everyday, Salad bar, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, sandwiches, and a few specials that changes daily, i.e. Chinese, Indian, Moroccan, Fried Chicken. And plenty of desserts as well as 2 soft serve yogurt machines. The food is good, we still not starve but we did get sick of it for lunch everyday.

Had breakfast here also and it is definitely better than the lunch menu.

Also at 3 pm they have afternoon snacks (small sandwiches, scones and cookies).

 

Johnny Rockets

 

Ate here once and did take out once. The food is yummy, the service is slow.

 

Main Dining Room

 

We had requested a table of three with a high chair. When we got onboard the first thing we did was head right for the Maitre’d. We were put at a table for 8. We asked to change and there was very little problem doing so, with a big tip of course.

The food again is good; I would say 3 star restaurant quality. The presentation is better than the food itself which is the disappointing part, everything looks so good, you expect it to taste as good and when it doesn’t you are disappointed. Again you will not starve and even if you don’t like the menu for the evening there are daily choices like salmon & pasta everyday.

 

Room Service

 

Used almost everyday for breakfast, I am not a big breakfast person so we mainly had continental breakfast and a big pot of coffee. It was fresh and always on time.

We also had dinner one night in the room, we ordered from the Dining Room menu, it was hot and presentation was nice.

 

Spa

 

Spoiled myself as a Mother’s Day present and booked a spa treatment everyday!

It is smaller than some cruise ship spas I have been to but the staff was amazing.

 

Passengers

 

A lot of mean old people if you want my opinion. In no way am I ageist but why to elderly people think they can push and shove their way through lines? We are in our early 30’s and traveled with our 21 month old daughter. We tried to keep her in the stroller as mush as possible when we in lines so that we could keep her contained. I ALWAYS say “excuse me” when I am walking by someone, why do old people think they can push anyone down to get in front of people? Also why is it the people who are in wheelchairs and scooters that need assistance and special treatment from crew are the first people to start smoking the minute they get into fresh air? If they are so handicapped or disabled, should they be smoking?

We also received a few rude comments from older passengers. Ie “why did you bring your daughter?”, “she won’t remember it, what a waste of money”, and “couldn’t her grandparents watch her for the week?” It took every ounce of my being to not tell them where to stick their canes. Oh well. For as many rude people there were also so many sweet people, who said they wished they could vacation with their grandchildren and the table of people behind us in the Dining Room who didn’t know we had a toddler with us until on the last night when we said goodbye to our Head Waiter and my daughter started screaming “BYE BYE Caesar”.

 

Going Home

 

Disembarkation is explained in a lengthy video they plan on TV and in the Cruise Compass they leave in your room. We had Light Blue tags which meant we were the 3rd color to be called off the ship. Concierge said we would be called around 10, we were not called until 10:30 and when we were called we were with 2 other colors. It was chaos! And all the talk they give you about not standing near the gangway is BS; they were so many people congregating, it was almost impossible to get through. And of course it was elderly people, pretending they didn’t know. Please, these people have been on more than enough cruises to know the rules and are just trying to get away with bad behavior old. Waiting to get on a shuttle was long, too many people with carry-ons that caused the shuttles to be ½ full with people. Once at the terminal we found our luggage, cleared customs, found our driver and were on our way home. All in all we were home by 2 pm.

Moral of the story, unless you are old or don’t mind rude people, RCL is not the cruise line for you. I am going back to Norwegian.

[Sweetspot]

Unfortunately, we had many of the same experiences last year and I was really hoping you would report things had changed. I found guest relations the week I was on last June to be rude, short or arrogant the times I was there to me and to others but I attributed my take to my experiences with DCL which was the opposite. Ricky the Concierge was amazing though (is he still there?) We were in the RS and found many of the electronics not working and much of the room looking worn but we were told by the room steward that week the bedding was to be changed and other upgrades to be made. We were given light blue and changed to white and still didn't get off until around 10:30 (with 2 other colors like you) but were told that it was due to people not going to customs as the should have. I was really hoping that had changed because you have to be out of your room early so you just sit around and wait for a couple of hours to be called. Very frustrating. We also had several scooter incidents with the same older man. Sad that we had so many similar takes on the ship a year apart. Kinda scary considering I am going again in a couple weeks.

 

They ran out of several staples on our cruise last year was it better on your cruise? Entertainment staff got off of the ship early in the cruise to do shows somewhere else so we had a lot of Las Vegas lounge acts. If I hadn't grown up with my grandmother in the house I wouldn't have known who some of the impressions being done were suppose to be. Was the entertainment decent?

 

I really appreciate you taking the time to offer then answer questions.

[Deidre427]

Ricky was still there and Alan Brooks was the CD.

Ricky was always nice and helpful and even let me take some choc covered strawberries to my room, when I was too full for dessert at dinner. Wish all staff was like him.

 

The ice show was ok. There is a girl who does an amazing routine on a hoop in mid air.

 

The nightly shows were ok but nothing Wow!

The Love and Marraige show was funny as always, a newleywed couple and 2 cute older couples married for 50ish years.

The poolside entertainment was always fun to watch, ie Bellyflop contest.

My husband always love the Sports trivias in the sports bar.

 

I didn't notice anything running out or missing except the NY Times fax, which my husband and I love to read. They said they were having transmition problems. It was for the last 4 days.

 

I am happy to help, so please ask more.

[crisp1]

Has anything changed at all at Cape Liberty? For those driving, do you still have to drop off your luggage and then drive around again to park? Is there any type of refreshments available while waiting in the 'holding' area? Do you still board the ship on deck 1?

Thanks

[Deidre427]

We used a car service, but I heard people saying they were dropping off family with the luggage and then parking the car and going back to meet up with them again.

 

I did not see any refreshments, there were a few chairs for you to sit in while the shuttle came back.

 

Yes, all boarding was on Deck 1 and Port days too.