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Rewind

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About Me

  • Location
    Columbus, OH
  • Interests
    Data, TA as a hobby
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Royal Caribbean
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Not Ohio

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  1. I'm crossing my fingers that they will reimburse a hotel night for after the cruise. Now just need to find out what to do in Norfolk.
  2. Also noticed our Apr 12 sailing is now only a 7 night sailing and not an 8 night.
  3. Just got the email - it has moved to Norfolk.
  4. There is a news station reporting that Royal will also use Norfolk for Vision of the Seas: https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/cruise-chaos-royal-caribbean-carnival-cruises-from-baltimore-will-now-port-in-norfolk-ginny-maurer-cruise-planners-talks-travel-insurance-for-cruisers/83-2f8cc024-f92c-4133-9205-bce513f63ef3 I wish Royal would release a statement to those who have cruises booked directly.
  5. Just wanted to drop in - my full review was posted here: https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=710287 Super condensed summary - we would sail Virgin again as long as the price is right.
  6. Unless it's raining... 🙂 Our first two days were rain so everyone was inside and decks 15 & 16 had nobody there (unless they were working out or in the Galley). Deck 6 has the shops and the Casino and the bar under the stairs, but I'd say most people were on 7 either in the games area, the dock house, or the Sip lounge. But yes, I do think inside spaces are a bit lacking on sea days.
  7. I'm going to write up a summary of thoughts in the next couple days - I've got some notes to sort through but also have a couple last minute gifts to wrap and family events to attend. But the quick highlights: Virgin has amazing food. Entertainment is outstanding. Venues on the ship are great. Not a fan of the overall layout of the ship - I think public space is lacking. There are a LOT of daybeds but not many loungers. More later!
  8. And now that it is X-mas eve day and the next set of cruisers are on-board, here is the surprise that was left in our cabin:
  9. We made it home - but I need to finish up the last day at Bimini. We booked the Cultural Heritage tour of Bimini through Virgin. You meet the tour at the end of the pier right across the street. They want you to be there 15 minutes early but also note that it takes 15 minutes to walk to the end of the pier - possibly more if you stop and look at the sharks in the water. Our first stop was at Joe's Conch Shack. Nice place to learn a bit about Conch, how they get them out of the shell, and a bit of info on how they use it. The next stop was a small craft market, probably the best place we saw to pick up any souvenirs. Next was the Gallant Lady shipwreck from 1997 (the driver kept saying 1993, but all data says 1997 including our guides on our half of the tram). Then was a stop at the Dolphin House built by Sir Ashley Saunders, Poet Laureate. We got to meet him and he loves to show people around the house (he lives on the first floor but tours the 2nd, 3rd, and roof). Quick rest stop with a snack, and then back to the initial meeting point. We walked back to the ship, ate lunch, and then went back out to catch the tram to the Bimini Beach Club. It's maybe a 7 minute ride and they pickup on the dock and drop you at the front door of the club. By the time we arrived around 3pm, they had run out of clean towels but we did find a pile of 5-6 left that were clean. We found some available loungers - there were plenty at that time but we spaced ourselves out from others a bit. Don't expect a real relaxing beach day here as the music from the pool area is quite loud. The music did end around 4pm and we just lazed around for a bit. We dipped our toes in the water but it was a high of 72F that day and the water was cooler so we didn't feel like getting completely in. Around 4:30 we decided to head back and it did seem like the staff were starting to close up. Back on the ship, we got cleaned up and headed to the bar at Razzle Dazzle as that is where my DW had her favorite drink of the trip, "The Old Sport". After chatting with the bar tender a bit, we went to get in line for the Ship Show. Annoying comment - we are ok if you are holding a place in line for one or two people, but when there are two of you and you are holding spots for your party of NINE, let the rest of them get in the back of the line! The show is a variety show with a set dinner menu (you pick chicken or fish). There is a small band, a host, four dancers, and five other performing acts. The food is good but portions are small (head to the galley after if you are still hungry) and the show is a great time. Then it was back to the room to pack. Shark:
  10. Went to Extra Virgin for dinner and had meatballs, a couple pasta dishes, and a couple desserts - couldn't actually tell you the names of them without looking them up. The pasta was very fresh and the desserts were good, but nothing really stood out. And I don't know if they were short a server and/or a bar staff person but our service was slower than other venues (not our server's fault, he was working hard). Do give you an idea of timing, we sat down just after 8pm and we're walking out at 9:50pm - just in time to make it to Duel Reality. Duel Reality was a great acrobatic show. It has a bit of a Romeo & Juliet / West Side Story thinly veiled storyline to it but really it is just about the acrobatic performances. We haven't seen a bad show yet.
  11. Not much going on today as it is a sea day. We are just hanging out in our room relaxing, on deck chairs relaxing, and trying not to eat too much. The Galley did have a decent Chicken Tikka Masala at lunch.
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