Rogueperson's **Live** Adventure of the Seas B2B Bermuda (maybe) and Canada. September 24 - October 8, 2022

[Rogueperson]

Hey look, its cruise time again for me.  I'm back and not competing with @Radio on the same cruise.  I'm also tagging @FionaMG as I always tag her on my live threads.

Last time we left, we were on Enchantment.  I realize i'm becoming a regular here, so i'm just going to post this link so i can refer to my other links.  Its mostly so i myself can find these and relive my adventures.  They tend to disappear off the search engine after a while, but they're still there by link.

 

This time, it will be my very first B2B ever.  5 nights to Bermuda and then 9 nights.  @death_star is with me again and he's bringing his family this time, but only for the 1st leg.  We will be visiting Bermuda (hopefully), Boston, Bar Harbor, Portland, St. John and Halifax.

Story time.

The formation of this cruise plan actually started in 2019 way before we even knew what Covid was.  We @death_star and I were on Allure in December, 2019 (there's a live thread on that one too) where he booked the 5 night to Bermuda.  At this time, I had nothing planned.  He asked if i wanted to do it as well, but I didn't like going on cruises shorter than 7 nights.  It felt inefficient for leave planning.  Also, at the time, this 2021 cruise (planned) was way too expensive in my opinion, so I said no.  Fast forward to January 2020, another friend told us they were doing a Canada cruise, the September 29th 2021 leg.  Looking at the price, we decided to book that leg as it was a great price.  A couple weeks after booking, the price for the 5 night dropped significantly to the point we debated on booking it as well.  When we decided to book, we decided to NOT tell  @death_star and try and surprise him onboard.  As you can probably guess, that didn't work too well as I'm tagging him here.  So on another site we shall not mention, I said something about booking a b2b.  I had THOUGHT I was posting to a private forum, but instead, it was on another forum that he actually had access to.  I was hitting reply but failed to realize where i was replying to.  Like MINUTES after i hit send, he ims me "Hey, you booked a B2B?  why didn't you tell me, when is it".  So cat left the bag.  I was good for 6 months.  However, his wife did NOT know we were coming, so we decided to keep the secret for her.  We were very good.  We had other friends who also booked this cruise with us.  But during covid they were seriously thinking of just pulling the plug entirely.  So, @death_star told his friend that we were coming too.  Only his friend, not his wife, so the cat left the bag a little more, but not so much.  Secret was intact for his wife.  And then in June of 2021, we found out our cruises were cancelled and bumped to now.  Secret was still good.  We had some other friends book as well.  We all have the same agent.  You seeing the path now?  So fast forward to about 3 months ago.  @death_star sends me a message.  His wife found out.  My first thought was "ya messed up", but turns out it wasn't his fault, it was no one's fault.  Final payment came and our agent told the friend's wife we were coming, not knowing it was supposed to be a secret from her as well.  She told @death_star's wife and here we are.  Everyone knows everything.

At this time, we are obviously a little anxious about what Fiona is going to do to Bermuda on Thursday night/Friday morning.  We're hoping it passes far west enough to cause minimal damage to Bermuda.  We found that NCL Getaway is leaving on Thursday for a 5 night to call on Bermuda on Saturday morning.  We're keeping an eye on that cruise because if they leave as planned, we're golden.

Another first, We actually have the UDP for the first 5 night leg.  I'm actually more or less giving up my precious escargot for 5 nights.  Anyone who's followed along before would know that I regularly consume two orders/night while on a ship.  I *think* there are some on the menu at Chops, but not 100%.  I've done a live thread on Mariner and Navigator (the famous quarantine cruise) so I'm not a stranger to the Voyager class.  In fact, of all the classes, I'm finding that Voyager class is my favorite melding of the smaller class and larger class of Royal Caribbean ships.

 

So here's hoping everything goes off without a hitch.  Welcome aboard.

 

[Sunshine3601]

Happy to join you on your B2B.  fingers and toes crossed Fiona avoids Bermuda, prefer for the storm to go east of Bermuda and avoid the States and Canada.  

[Havin'fun]

Following.

I just did the 9 night Canada / New England on Sept 1st on Adventure. 

She is a great ship - have a wonderful time!

[Rogueperson]

Another first for me.  I am using Trinity Reservations to book a park and stay.  For $304.00, i'm getting a one night stay at Springhill Suites, 14 days of included parking and car service to and from the port.  Not bad, considering parking at the port would have costed me $350.00.  This is also the first time I've used any kind of service like this.  I found it a little more difficult than expected to find a stay/parking package like this.  If you try to go straight to the hotel, they say they have it, but its never available.  There were two main companies that seemed to do this.  Trinity and Park Sleep hotels.  Park Sleep, i read some not so flattering reviews and we had friends who used Trinity Reservations multiple times and were very happy with them.  So it was a no-brainer.

 

I ran into a slight snag on Friday.  I called to confirm our reservation and the hotel our reservation, but not parking.  Obviously i was concerned, I emailed Trinity and yesterday, spoke with Bruce who told me that they have a contract with Springhill Suites and central reservation is many times not aware of this.  But the parking is included and if I am charged, they will make it right.  This is refreshing as these days, trying to get a live person locally can be difficult.  

[FionaMG]

Hi @Rogueperson,  how are you doing? 😊

 

I will enjoy following along with you from onboard Anthem! Yes, we are sailing at the same time as you again but in different parts of the world. We are flying into the UK tomorrow and will board Anthem on Friday for a 12-night cruise to northern Spain and the Canary Islands 🇪🇸. We will also have stops in Lisbon and Madeira,  Portugal 🇵🇹.

 

I will possibly do a live too, so I will tag you if I do.

 

Your itinerary sounds amazing. Have fun! 😊

[Rogueperson]

@FionaMG Anthem is supposed to be in Cape Liberty!!  Bring her back!

Is that system that just formed in the Atlantic going to cause any issues.  I'm not sure how far out that system is from the UK.

[Rogueperson]

11 minutes ago, Rogueperson said:

@FionaMG Anthem is supposed to be in Cape Liberty!!  Bring her back!

Is that system that just formed in the Atlantic going to cause any issues.  I'm not sure how far out that system is from the UK.

I just looked, its going to come close to the Azores, but not you.  

[KATHYMAC68]

1 hour ago, Havin'fun said:

Following.

I just did the 9 night Canada / New England on Sept 1st on Adventure. 

She is a great ship - have a wonderful time!

Did you do anything fun in Boston?

My excursions was cancelled for Oct and I’m torn as to what to do there.

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, Rogueperson said:

@FionaMG Anthem is supposed to be in Cape Liberty!!  Bring her back!

Is that system that just formed in the Atlantic going to cause any issues.  I'm not sure how far out that system is from the UK.

Haha don't worry, she'll be back in Cape Liberty at the end of October. In fact, we are booked to sail on her from there at the end of April next year. 

 

I didn't realise there was another system forming in the Atlantic but I am glad to hear it's not coming near me! Similarly, I hope that my namesake storm will not mess things up for you! 🤞

[coaster]

Deleted. Just noticed Bermuda is a port, so my question is not too related regarding Covid test.

Edited September 20, 2022 by coaster

[Luckynana]

2 hours ago, Havin'fun said:

Following.

I just did the 9 night Canada / New England on Sept 1st on Adventure. 

She is a great ship - have a wonderful time!

Did you do MTD?  If so, did you have reservations?   and if so, how did it go?  TIA  (I'll be on Rogue's NE/Canada next week.

10 minutes ago, coaster said:

Is a Covid test required for vaccinated since this turns out to be a b2b for 14 nights? Royal healthy sail site just says any cruise over 9 nights. We are on a 9 night and 5 night b2b in November on Grandeur.

I'm only doing the NE/Canada cruise (9nights).  We are required to be tested.😕

[Havin'fun]

51 minutes ago, KATHYMAC68 said:

Did you do anything fun in Boston?

My excursions was cancelled for Oct and I’m torn as to what to do there.

I did the Boston land and sea excursion, which was interesting even though I am not a "big bus" fan.

 

[Havin'fun]

14 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Did you do MTD?  If so, did you have reservations?   and if so, how did it go?  TIA  (I'll be on Rogue's NE/Canada next week.

I'm only doing the NE/Canada cruise (9nights).  We are required to be tested.😕

I did not have reservations for MTD, I only used it twice towards the end of the cruise and had no issue getting right in at 6:30 / 7pm

Yes I had to be tested for the cruise because of the stops in Canada.

[Luckynana]

@Havin' Funthank you so much for your feedback on MTD!

[Rogueperson]

@KATHYMAC68 I'm glad you found this.  I was going to tag you because you're doing the exact b2b in a couple weeks.  I will specifically post info about the b2b process between cruises.  We have the same room for both, so we will not need pack (yay!).

[alohayall]

1 hour ago, KATHYMAC68 said:

Did you do anything fun in Boston?

My excursions was cancelled for Oct and I’m torn as to what to do there.

I had a day visit with my niece there years ago.  A lot of what we did was DIY.  We did one tour, led by a costumed guide (which can affect your experience - but ours was excellent).  
 

My photos of our day included the Old a North Church, Faneuil Hall, a ferry ride (probably to the USS Constitution).  
 

I also recommend checking this video for a more recent day in Boston by vloggers (it includes lunch at the Quincy Market Food Hall):

 

 

We used public transportation for our day visit (left the car south of the city and took train in to downtown).

[KATHYMAC68]

4 hours ago, Rogueperson said:

@KATHYMAC68 I'm glad you found this.  I was going to tag you because you're doing the exact b2b in a couple weeks.  I will specifically post info about the b2b process between cruises.  We have the same room for both, so we will not need pack (yay!).

Thank you!!  I would love any input on that.

I couldn’t get the same room. But close enough  6642 and 6650.

Hope you have an amazing time!

[joyandjerry]

@Rogueperson, when is your B2B? Jerry and I are doing our first B2B leaving Baltimore 30 September to Bermuda (just got TA today), then 6 October to Canada/NE. Major stress about the COVID testing the end of the first leg. Just my luck I picked the two destinations that require testing! Sailed in March this year, ship 65% capacity, and in May ship 75%+ capacity. Got COVID on the latter, but didn't test positive until home a few days.

 

Blessed cruises!

[Rogueperson]

Good morning everyone.  3 days to go.  We've started doing laundry and pulled out the suitcases.  We will probably finish packing tonight, or maybe tomorrow, but we have sorta plans tomorrow night, but since the plans don't involve leaving home, we maybe able to do some stuff.

 

Both my wife and I work on Friday but we plan to start heading out of the area at 5.  We have a stop to make in Timonium, I have reservations for dinner in Bel-Air and hopefully, we can be in New Jersey before 11.  That's my plan as of now.

 

Fiona is troublesome.  As of today, it appears the track will take Fiona about 100 miles east and north east of Bermuda.  If this track holds, we should be good because that means Bermuda is spared the worst of Fiona.  The warnings for bermuda have it expecting 2-4 inches of rain.  That's a lot of rain, but considering Dominican Republic got 20 inches, its a bit better.

[Jimbo]

22 hours ago, Rogueperson said:

Another first for me.  I am using Trinity Reservations to book a park and stay.  For $304.00, i'm getting a one night stay at Springhill Suites, 14 days of included parking and car service to and from the port.  Not bad, considering parking at the port would have costed me $350.00.  This is also the first time I've used any kind of service like this.  I found it a little more difficult than expected to find a stay/parking package like this.  If you try to go straight to the hotel, they say they have it, but its never available.  There were two main companies that seemed to do this.  Trinity and Park Sleep hotels.  Park Sleep, i read some not so flattering reviews and we had friends who used Trinity Reservations multiple times and were very happy with them.  So it was a no-brainer.

 

I ran into a slight snag on Friday.  I called to confirm our reservation and the hotel our reservation, but not parking.  Obviously i was concerned, I emailed Trinity and yesterday, spoke with Bruce who told me that they have a contract with Springhill Suites and central reservation is many times not aware of this.  But the parking is included and if I am charged, they will make it right.  This is refreshing as these days, trying to get a live person locally can be difficult.  

We have used Trinity many times when we lived in NJ sailing out of NYC and Bayonne. Never had an issue, you get exactly what you book.

 

Sounds like your back to back might be better sailing south then north..............Seas are suppose to be 20 to 40ft because of the hurricane on your second leg instead of staying out to sea. I believe I heard storm is now going to hit somewhere in Canada. Be a much smoother sail traveling south now.

Either way sounds like you are going to have a much different itinerary. If you are booking any private tours, be sure you can cancel if the ship doesn't port there and get a full refund in the event.

[Rogueperson]

9 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

We have used Trinity many times when we lived in NJ sailing out of NYC and Bayonne. Never had an issue, you get exactly what you book.

 

Sounds like your back to back might be better sailing south then north..............Seas are suppose to be 20 to 40ft because of the hurricane on your second leg instead of staying out to sea. I believe I heard storm is now going to hit somewhere in Canada. Be a much smoother sail traveling south now.

Either way sounds like you are going to have a much different itinerary. If you are booking any private tours, be sure you can cancel if the ship doesn't port there and get a full refund in the event.

 

One of the things we've never had to do was prepare for seasickness.  My wife and I have never really gotten seasick on a cruise ship.  Except for our Enchantment cruise last March.  We had royal upped to a Balcony from an interior which was great, especially on the Enchantment.  But we got the 2nd furthest forward room.  It was a rough ride both ways to begin with (it was a 12 night) and we felt the rocking way more up front to the point where my wife actually started feeling a little seasick.  First time in 13 cruises for her.

Another reason it took me so long to go to Bermuda (didn't try until my 16th cruise, but didn't make it until my 18th) was I heard a lot of stories of how generally rough it was crossing the Atlantic.

[Jimbo]

24 minutes ago, Rogueperson said:

 

One of the things we've never had to do was prepare for seasickness.  My wife and I have never really gotten seasick on a cruise ship.  Except for our Enchantment cruise last March.  We had royal upped to a Balcony from an interior which was great, especially on the Enchantment.  But we got the 2nd furthest forward room.  It was a rough ride both ways to begin with (it was a 12 night) and we felt the rocking way more up front to the point where my wife actually started feeling a little seasick.  First time in 13 cruises for her.

Another reason it took me so long to go to Bermuda (didn't try until my 16th cruise, but didn't make it until my 18th) was I heard a lot of stories of how generally rough it was crossing the Atlantic.

Yes, The Bermuda runs can run into some rough seas, this time of the year is usually when it is worse.

Where is your cabin this time? We like either midship or toward the back...........Never book a forward cabin past mid ship.

Look for Meclizine , it's kind of like Bonine but cheaper. You start taking it day before you leave.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Jimbo

[Rogueperson]

1 minute ago, Jimbo said:

Yes, The Bermuda runs can run into some rough seas, this time of the year is usually when it is worse.

Where is your cabin this time?

Look for Meclizine , it's kind of like Bonine but cheaper. You start taking it day before you leave.

We have a midship interior.  Its our favorite surprisingly.  We have the same room for both legs, which was why we did not do a royal up this time.  Also, because it will be colder, I suspect the interior will retain warmth a little better, but that's for my wife.  I like it cold.  She looked up the weather for Canada right now and saw that its a 65-70 degree high.  My response..."comfy".

[Jimbo]

Hansen, for your cruise to Bermuda, your trouble might be docking the ship in Heavy Seas, not so much as of the rainfall totals.

 

You have half a chance because you are probably docking at Kings Wharf, your ship would have no chance of docking in Hamilton because getting to the dock is a very narrow causeway. Ships are afraid to go in there with High Winds and Heavy Seas

[Another_Critic]

13 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Hansen, for your cruise to Bermuda, your trouble might be docking the ship in Heavy Seas, not so much as of the rainfall totals.

 

You have half a chance because you are probably docking at Kings Wharf, your ship would have no chance of docking in Hamilton because getting to the dock is a very narrow causeway. Ships are afraid to go in there with High Winds and Heavy Seas

All current Royal ships dock at the Dockyard.