Charles4515

3 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

Wouldn't you have your license on you anyways? I would never walk around a foreign country without some form of government issued photo ID.

That makes sense but maybe they are doing a water excursion like a Jet Ski tour or other tour that leaves from the Dockyard and returns to the Dockyard? Maybe they hope they don't need it. In any case this gives me a chance to add to my previous answer. When you return to the ship in Bermuda the government issued photo ID has to be shown to a Bermudian official so I suggest have both a photo ID and Sea Pass card out and ready. If it is in a pocket or purse you will have to take it out. 

16 minutes ago, beachcruiser2 said:

Do we need to bring our government approved license or passport to get back on the ship in Bermuda? Some islands 

only require our seapass card.

You need a government issued photo ID (I use my drivers license) and your sea-pass card. A sea pass card alone is not sufficient. 

2 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Anyone know what is the new cost of a taxi from the Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay?    And how many passengers fits in a taxi?   Leaving this weekend and want to have the exact amounts ready.   

There was an article this morning in the Royal Gazette that the taxi drivers are just starting to get their meters adjusted but the new rates are in effect. Taxis hold 7. There are 2 rates one for 1-4 passengers and a higher rate for 5-7 passengers. With the old rates our fare would run $32 - $34 overall total for 2 or 3 passengers plus tip. So add 15% for an estimate. I don't think an exact amount is ever possible as it is metered. 

4 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Yes, another great suggestion.

 

We personally prefer the taxis as we like to go and leave on our own timeline.      

I prefer the taxis too but sometimes I end up at the beach myself because my travel companions are sun sensitive red heads who leave early the beach early or decide to skip the beach. When I end up solo I take the minibus. 

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

If NCL charges $59 now, even with the NCL credit, I think it is worth the extra $5 for the mini bus transportation.   This allows you to leave the pier when you want and come back when you want.     

Or they can take the excursion and if they feel like staying longer they can skip the excursion return time and take a $7 minibus back. 

53 minutes ago, MommaBear55 said:

It's disappointing to hear what a hassle this was. Because my husband and I are "too old" for bike excursions, we were talking about buying folding bikes. Oh well, the money we saved will be another vacation 

You can book bike excursions or any excursion independent of the cruise line. You can also rent bikes in many ports. 

Folding bikes are not going to be that desirable for excursions.They are usually used by commuters. 

26 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

The issue appears to be taking the device off the ship in each port. Why should the cruise line be responsible for informing the passenger about local port authority and municipal regulations that would affect his use of a folding bike?

 

I think that is the issue. I believe that what was posted happened or something like it. Also probably someone bringing a folding bicycle is not an everyday issue and ship security can’t just wave them through. 
 

4 hours ago, grouchomarx said:

I know nobody wants those things, I already said that. My worry is someone sees an unattended bag and assumes there is good stuff in there and just takes the whole bag rather than standing there rifling through it in plain view of everyone.  A quick grab and walk off would be much less likely to draw attention.  I don’t want to budget for extra glasses right now.  I wear progressives and they cost over $1300 a pair.  I don’t wear them enough to warrant two pair as most of my time is spent in contact lenses outside of the home but in water situations like beach and pool I must have the glasses with me otherwise risk going blind from an eye infection.

I can’t promise you that it could not happen but I have been to Horseshoe Bay beach about 25 times and no one bothered my stuff on the beach and I never felt like they would. I have been there solo but even not solo we all went into the water together. No one was left to guard the bags. I have left my e-reader and phone in my beach bag. Probably not the smartest thing to do but the vibe is pretty safe. Also there are no venders walking around trying to sell stuff. There are also lifeguards patrolling the beach. Bermuda is not in the Caribbean and is a lot safer but there has been an increase in petty crime in Bermuda the last few years so minor precautions are prudent. 
 

You mention an excursion. I go there on my own. There are $7 a ride shuttles that run back and forth all day and you can go and leave whenever you feel like it. 

3 hours ago, bajathree said:

Why would you create a new username TODAY here on CC to post this? It's quite clear you aren't a stranger here....you admit yourself you looked it up on the forums.

I noticed a few people doing that lately. Sometimes they are making up the story to stir things up,  or they have been banned.  I do have a friend who has been on 40 cruises and when he has a booking he creates a new account because he does not post in between bookings and he forgets his username and password. He finds it asier to sign up for a new account. 

51 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

I don’t think you can make a blanket statement on the basis of one port.

 

Lots of ports offer cycling excursions or have cycle paths. 

Also a lot of ports also have places to rent bicycles. So why bring a folding bike? But if someone brings one it should be on them to find out if they can take it off/use it at any particular port not the cruise line. 

As for any private island unless there are specified bike trails it seems like a poor idea. I have been to Coco Cay and if that is the one in question if I was the Cruise line I would not allow it there. 

2 hours ago, grouchomarx said:

Taking a solo cruise next month with an excursion to this beach booked. I am unsure about safety.  I will leave my phone in the safe but I need to have a few things with me such as sunglasses, reading glasses, a paperback book, some water.  Cash and credit card will be in a waterproof pouch that I will take with me for swimming or walking.  Is it generally safe to leave my beach bag unattended just while I swim?  Like I said, nothing of value to anyone else will be inside but I’m concerned about the whole bag being swiped. I cannot afford to lose my glasses, they are essential and were very expensive.  I generally don’t go anywhere without them, I really need them. Any advice about somehow securing the bag to the chair and then locking it shut?    

No one is going to take the stuff you mention. If they are prescription glasses what value would they be to someone other than you? It is generally safe to leave your bag. I take a waterproof pouch like you are planning to take for my ID, a credit card and some cash. 

I wear glasses and never take my expensive glasses to the beach. Since glasses are essential to me I travel with backup glasses because glasses can break anywear and wear those to the beach. Backup sun glasses too. I get inexpensive glasses at Costco for backups. 

I don't think anyone should expect to be able to bring a bike into any foriegn port without permission. You gave an exampe of the countries security stopping you. I don't think that anyone should expect that Guest Services would be able to get permission or even try. If you want to bring your bike to port get permission from the local authorities in advance. As far as the private island that is still a foreign country but I could see why the cruise line would not want passengers bringing bikes and riding around; for example CoCo Cay. Every possibilty is not going to be written down because there would need to be hundreds of pages of rules. Many things require common sense. It seems like OP started out feeling entitled and continued that way even after encountering issues at the first port. Sorry, the world does not work that way. 

2 minutes ago, TPKeller said:

 

I toured one once.  IMHO, the word you are looking for is "gaudy!"  😉

 

Theron

The decor gave me a headache and there were no quiet spaces. In the MDR they divided passengers into teams and awarded points to the loudest team. That was quite a while ago so probably Miracle and Pride have had redos. 

7 minutes ago, TPKeller said:

 

That's one way to look at it, but here is another:

 

A 9-night cruise out of Baltimore can cover the same itinerary as a 7-night cruise out of Florida.  If you live anywhere in the mid-Atlantic region, that leaves you with "how do you get to Florida?"  You can drive or fly, each taking at least the better part of a day of "fun."

 

 

The long Celebrity cruises 10 and 11 days out of Baltimore were great for me. I would drive to the port about a 40 minute drive. The fares were pretty reasonablen too. As a bonus I liked Mercury and Galaxy. I hated the Carnival ship. The vibe and decor were not to my taste.

22 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Longer, one way cruises are less in demand than round trip cruises.

 

There seems to be plenty of demand for Vision from Baltimore.

I cruised once on Carnival Miracle out of Baltimore. It was a 7 day round trip to the Bahamas. It was definitely sold out. My travel agent took me on a ship inspection of Carnival Pride on turn around day which did 7 day cruises. Seemed to be a lot of passengers boarding. 
 

Radiance Class might theoretically be able to cruise out of Baltimore but it might be too close for comfort. If Radiance can then so can Millennium class as they are built on the same hull yet they have not sailed those either out of Baltimore. I guess it could simply be they make more revenue out of other ports. 
 

21 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Or maybe RCCL Grandeur, which was based out of Baltimore for a number of years and was a ship on which we sailed from there twice.  Summit for many years until this year was based out of Port Elizabeth, Bayonne.

RCI also sailed Enchantment of the Seas. Carnival also sails out of Baltimore. NCL has sailed it of Baltimore. 

1 minute ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

We sailed on the Mercury twice from Baltimore. If fact, we were on the second to the last voyage before they sold the ship. It was a smaller ship.  To my knowledge there have been no larger X ships sail from Baltimore. I check ship availability from Baltimore often.

I sailed on both Mercury and Galaxy out of Baltimore. If Summit had sailed out of Baltimore I would have been on it as I lived 35 miles from the port. 😀 I cruised on Summit 8 times the first time when she was in her first year of service, that was a southern Caribbean. I did Summit 5 times out of Bayonne. 

28 minutes ago, BND said:

It's been established that Radiance Class will fit under the bridges.  Tonnage isn't necessarily the issue, height is.  Radiance class is a bit wider than Vision class which is why it has a higher tonnage.

It has been said they can yet it has never happened. If there is a demand for bigger ships out of Baltimore why hasn’t RCI ever used that class out of Baltimore? 

24 minutes ago, robtulipe said:

We once sailed out of Baltimore on X Summit which is slightly larger at 91K gross tons than Radiance class ships that are 90 gross tons so I suspect the latter could sail out of that port.

I doubt you sailed out of Baltimore on Celebrity Summit. Celebrity has not sailed out of Baltimore for many years. As for Radiance class if they can sail out of Baltimore how come none ever have? If they can it does not seem like there is a need for larger ships out of Baltimore. 

6 hours ago, TPKeller said:

IMHO, the best option for getting a big ship in the area would be to start trying to influence the decisions coming up about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which has the same height as the Key Bridge.  There have been discussions and even some preliminary planning for increasing the capacity of that bridge.

They are planning to add a third span to the Bay Bridge and leave the other two spans. I think that decision has been made. No design yet for the third span. They need to look at the existing two spans in light of the Key Bridge catastrophe as they don’t have dolphins. I am guessing they will add dolphins. They could look at increasing the height of the two spans. Whatever they do will take many years. Currently they have been boring a second Bay tunnel parallel to the current tunnel. I believe that project is about five years late from when it was supposed to be completed. Increasing the capacity of the Bay Bridge is probably 10 to 20 years away. 

2 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

i believe  they thought lower 70s was cool and kept the doors open instead of turning on the mini splits. i noticed many, what appeared to be natives, wearing coats i would only wear in winter. so i guess 70 is cold for bermuda. humidity was very high so those lower 70s were somewhat miserable to walk around in. reinforced my plans to never take a summer cruise as im very heat averse. will be back end of september and hope it's cooler

 

 

August has the worst heat and humidity. I prefer mid June because the water has warmed up enough then for me to swim comfortably. Late September is like June, the humidity and heat are lower but there are increased chances for hurricanes in September. 

12 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

I believe swizzle inn opens at 11:00 and I love the nachos there so we ate there. Be warned there is really no air conditioning but being in the shade is better than nothing. And we just took the bus back into town and got back on the ferry.

The AC must have been on the blink as they had it the many times I was there but I prefer to sit on the second floor balcony outside if there is an empty table . Besides the nachos which are great the seasoned fries are a pretty good side. They also had a great fish chowder. 

3 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

We will be in Bermuda on Royal Caribbean Monday/Tuesday Sept 7/8 2024 from 10am.  Which ferry is best to get to the Crystal Caves, Hamilton or St. George?  I see on the schedule the only orange ferry for us is either 11:15am on Monday or 9:30am on Tuesday.  If we just do the ferry and one bus to the caves, does it pay to buy the one day pass or just pay the $5pp each?

 

Do you need to reserve the caves reservation in advance?  Not sure of exact time we will get there.

 

And what is Tom Moore's Jungle?  is it near the caves or do you have to take another bus. 

Reservations are recommended for the caves. You can take the ferry to either St. George or Hamilton. Really a matter of which is the most convienient schedule. You can wing it. You can ferry to Hamilton and ferry back from St. George. I usually wing it a lot in Bermuda. Ferry, taxi, bus whatever decide on the spur. If for sure you are going to take buses and ferries the transport pass would be convenient. Only about a dollar more than the $4.50 tokens for your plans. I don't get the pass because we prefer taxis to the busn so we do ferry and taxi combo. The pass is great if you want to hop on and off buses. For example you could also hop off at the Aquarium and Zoo going to and from the caves from Hamilton. 

Tom Moore's Jungle is a nickname for a nature reserve. It is near the caves. I walked there the Swizzle but I guess you could take a bus. 

2 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

Will the cruise ship (RCI) actually allow you to bring small sand beach chairs on board?

Probably but if you plan to take a bus I don't think the drivers will allow you to bring chairs. I don't know about the $7 shuttles.

39 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

If you could guarantee multiple ships year round, then the idea of building an Annapolis port could at least make it to a brainstorm session. Problem is there are only so many itineraries to run out of that area, which limits the number of ships, which limits the investment any cruise line would put into port facilities.

I think an Annapolis cruise ship port would likely meet with local resistance.