Saltdog

6 hours ago, nelblu said:

Disembarkation was a breeze.  Had tag # 33 for 8:15.  Got on line on ship at about 8 and at street in about 10-15 minutes,  Bags easily identified and Customs used facial recognition with no documents presentation or any questions asked what is the $ value of purchases.  Loved it.

Ditto on that. I had #55 for 9:30, I got up at 8:15 or so and noticed everything was running early, probably by 45 minutes. My number was the next group to be called. 

I haven't read through everything yet, but I thought the rule was people had to be seated in order to take off their mask? Or was that just in unvaxx'ed areas?

I had a fantastic time (first solo cruise in 30 years!), the smaller capacity was noticeable and delightful. Likewise, I heard numbers in the mid 2000's range for pax. It was GREAT to be on a real vacation again and socializing with new people, including the casino bar staff.

Between the 5 D+ drinks and Casino Prime status, the only bar tab I had was a couple of discounted (Ultimate Dining Pkg) bottles of wine, and now have a free cruise certificate. Might actually go back in  a month or two. 🙂

Lastly, as I sit here, just had that wonderful feeling I was still floating on the ship, despite this being one of the calmest water cruises I've been on (seas were actually near flat yesterday afternoon). 

I just saw the webcam, and I had quite a swell of emotion. I'm on the 9/5 cruise, and wasn't sure if I was going to go or not depending on protocols, but I'm definitely a go at this point. Cannot wait. 

Sea heights look to be around 1-2 meters right now in that area, no big whoop. 

Thanks for the info. Baowen. I just checked out the pub guitarist on there, so I'm happy with that. Looks like you have a fantastic entertainment lineup, I wish all of you an absolutely fantastic trip!

Sigh, a week already? How vacation flies so quickly. 

Thank you for all the humor (and guffaws) from sharing your very, very special cruise!

1 hour ago, Yorkvillain said:

Lots of European men on the beach today.

That's nothing compared to this Commie Pinko we saw in Nassau. He kept saying "Sexy Time" to my wife in some stupid accent. Note the crowds later in the day from your picture. There had to be 20, TWENTY!!! people on the beach! 

Sigh, I've been holding off on replying to this thread, because it all seems so ridiculous.

Everybody seems to be having such a great time, but I was on this ship last month, and had a totally different experience. My wife (Mabel) and I took our 6 teenagers (Mandy, Randy, Brandy (she's a fine girl), Candy, Tandy, and Fred) hoping for some quality family time (followed by even more quality bar time every evening). First off, despite the myriad of activities on board, I could not tear the kids away from staring at their books or playing Hungry Hungry Hippo. Evenings? The ship was playing that horrible new "music" called Disco. Blech. That's not real music! Remember Herman's Hermits and the 1910 Fruitgum Company? That was real music! I can't imagine songwriting ever getting worse.

Speaking of LSD, I was at least able to buy some Quaaludes from a nice police officer at one of the ports. Send me a private message (by letter of course, no postcards!) if you'd like his name. Take it from me, them 'ludes helped to make the sound of Hungry Hungry Hippos way more tolerable. Speaking of kids, thankfully, school vacation is off by a week in my state, so there were only two other children on board, one of them being a 10 year old! That's way too young! 

The kicker was the last dinner night. Being an engineer, I have to wear a tie all day at work, and now having to do it on the flight down, and then every evening was killing me! I was also out of clean slacks, so I threw on my best pair of Calvin Klein jeans (and the tightest! Them dudes in the swimsuit pictures would be soooo jealous!), put on a dress shirt and walked into the dining room.

It was if I was the guy to cause the oil embargo a few years ago! Hey folks, do me a solid and realize I'm not the one that made gas shoot up to 55 cents (wowie, I still can't get over that) a gallon. Well, there were gasps abound, scores of people outright fainted, many threw dinner rolls at me with the waiters standing by loaded with refills. Screams of "Scram!" "Buzz off!" and "Shoo!" filled the air. I gathered up as many dinner rolls as I could from the floor, and ate in my cabin, unsure if that's allowed, never mind if it's ever been done before.

If that wasn't enough, there was disembarkation day. The bars were, of course, open, so I pounded back a few Bloody Mary's and a couple shots to help ease the burden of driving the family home, but when we went to get off, there had to be at least 4 people in front of me for Customs. A long 5 minutes later, and perhaps a lie about not bringing Quaaludes back, we were finally free of this awful mess.

So laugh it up folks, I'm probably the first person to ever complain about a cruise, but I doubt I'll be the last!

On 2/18/2020 at 12:18 PM, kgelner said:

I disagree with the premise.  Virgin is not marketing towards millennials., they are marketing towards Bransonites.  That is to say, people similar to Richard Branson... there are a ton of middle aged or older people that enjoy a sense of style and fun.  Yes the people in the marketing images are young, also true of diamond or most other luxury advertising.

On 2/18/2020 at 3:57 PM, twodjs said:

Just go to Virgin Voyages and click on suites - the couple pictured in the header is certainly not thirty-something years old. "Bransonite" is a good description. Good for everyone with the right attitude.

Spot on, in my view. It's not an age, it's a mindset. It struck me as obvious from the ages of many of those posting here (55 yo myself!). I absolutely love the idea of no kids, no restaurant surcharges (with what looks to be upscale dining), more than reasonably priced booze, and a well-done sense of whimsy to it all. 

"My cruise was ruined by insufferable people on the ship telling me how their cruise was ruined." 😊

That being said, I can't say after 30 years that I've ever had a cruise ruined. Call it lucky or just rolling with whatever comes my way!

On 8/5/2019 at 1:39 PM, cruisin from vegas said:

They have awesome solo accommodations... much better than NCL and very price competitive.  They include, some drinks, WiFi, gratuities, all dining is included and a spa like no other.  Best of all is adults only!  As a solo traveling adult this is the best deal out there!!  Booking soon

Yes, yes, yes and yes!!! As a newly solo traveler, I was surprised to find I could sail for 5 days for just less than $1000. When the perks are added, including what appears to be very much upscale food, it works great for me. Needless to say, I just booked!

On 2/25/2019 at 5:24 PM, Eslader said:

They'd have travel insurance like every other responsible adult who goes on vacation, and insurance would cover it.

 

On 2/25/2019 at 6:41 PM, AlanF65 said:

I agree with this, unfortunately it seems like there are not many responsible adults any more.

I'll just expand on this a bit. Not buying insurance doesn't make you irresponsible per se, but someone who doesn't get it and is a responsible person will accept the consequences and not blame someone else. I don't buy the insurance usually, but again, that's my risk if something happens, and you'll never hear me complain about it if it does. 😎

My first response to the actions and reactions of these two in the article contains a few words that are unprintable in polite company. 

Having first been on CocoCay back in 1990 (anyone remember CocoCoins? I still have one!), this kinda reminds me of what the Chinese are doing to the islands in the South China Sea. 😎

SailorJack, this is the first review I've run across of yours (and as others have attested, I'm missing out!), and I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud (or downright gaffawed) reading your excellent trip report. You should think about professional comedy! No, never mind, let's keep you here. 

Off to find some other trips of yours.

On 12/17/2018 at 1:41 PM, stevea36 said:

RCI Just released the 2020 version of this trip.   It will be on Brilliance of the Seas, 15 nights, from Amsterdam to Boston, Leaving on September 2, 2020.

You will not regret the balcony. I took a similar transatlantic (and back!) cruise on Holland America and spent a lot of time enjoying the views. Gerainger is perhaps my favorite port of all time. Absolutely stunning. If they offer it, I highly recommend a trip up to Mt. Dalsnibba. Amazing views up top and on the way. Prins Christian Sound was another favorite.

As my wife and I are smokers, and with deep discounts on cigs on the ships, we routinely bring back 8-12 cartons a trip (and more than a few bottles over on booze as well). It is legal, just subject to duty/taxes. When the form was around, I always wrote down exactly what I truly had. More than half the time, the Customs agent wouldn't bother to look at the back of the form. Sometimes they'd notice it and say, "you're only allowed two cartons," to which I replied I know and I was fine with paying duty, since it still made the cigarettes cheaper than at home. To which I'd get waved through (like another poster said, seemed to be too much of a hassle). Only once in maybe 23 times did we get asked to come to a room and actually pay the duty. Wasn't a huge hassle, and overall through the years, I've made out well.

A few weeks ago was our first time through without the form. The agent asked the couple in front of us about excess amounts, and I was prepared to tell the truth. He never asked, so that was that. I will reiterate what others have said, just be honest. You do NOT want to get caught lying to Customs.

Another thing you don't want to do is bring back "Not for use in the US" cigs. Those are subject to confiscation, and this almost happened to us once. Since then, we've thankfully noticed the ship's cigarettes no longer have that stamped on there. Just be mindful.

Has anyone gotten off of Explorer recently who partook in the new alcohol packages they are offering? I was hoping to hear some people's experiences with it and whether the bartenders/waiters ignored you or whether you got a chance to tip them on top of the gratuity that is "included"? We were wondering if we should be bringing more cash than normal to tip people assuming we buy the package? We're on the Feb 24th sailing.

Since you got no answer, I'll give you a little answer. :)

Didn't get it, since we got a suite this time, and thus free drinks at night. From what I saw (and don't hold me to this), they took your card (swiped it?) and gave it back, so there's opportunity to tip then. If you prefer after you're finished, they're around and will usually check to see if you want another.

I don't know how they get tipped for the package (I would still assume it's per drink). I normally tip an extra buck per order (usually 2 drinks), as I get to know the bartenders well and they do a great job and work their butts off. Favorite 1 or 2 bartenders get something extra special at the end. Probably why Kathy and Avinash remembered us after a year. :rolleyes:

Of course, tipping is personal, so I wouldn't feel the need to tip extra just because you have the package.

Anyone know the price of a carton of cigarettes onboard the Explorer?

Got back this week, and most were in the neighborhood of $57 for 2. The selection diminished a bit by the end.