Day 10, Saturday, May 28, Disembark and home

I set the alarm this time for 4:45, and was up on deck about 5. By that
time we had already passed the William Preston Lane (Bay) bridge, about
15 miles from the port. I walked about 3 miles on deck 10, finishing
just after 6 as the sun rose over Sparrows Point and we passed under the
Francis Scott Bridge. We docked at 6:30 and Captain Gus gave his
"Welcome to Baltimore" message at 7. His final words of wisdom were
"Don't think outside the box, think with no box".

I was scheduled for departure from Boleros between 8:45 and 9, and
returned to my cabin for the last time after breakfast near 8.

I have been using Firefox as my browser of choice, and found it a little
awkward when working with the ship's internet and had an unfortunate
final encounter. Although the logout screens were showing I had 2 hours
left of my 500 purchased internet minutes, my final bill charged me at
the per-minute rate for my last 2 days of use. A visit to guest
relations was able to rectify that situation.

We actually left Boleros just past 9, and my transfer to BWI airport
left the port about 10. My final link was my county's transit system
which left BWI at 11 and got me to my door just after 12. The afternoon
was quite busy with mail pickup and grocery shopping for my several
weeks coping with the real world.

For my final parting shot, the cruise ended much as it started. We
approached and sailed past Fort McHenry, home of our National Anthem by
"The Dawn's Early Light". While this National Treasure is not tall like
the statue of Liberty, it is still a privilege to in some way trace the
footsteps of Francis Scott Key.

Roy

Day 9, Friday, May 27, At Sea, Casual

Photos from top: Cakeoff, Pastry Chef's entry, Hotel Mgr entry, Captain's entry. Carly's new stripes.

It was another pleasant but cloudy morning, and I finished a good walk
about 7:15, off the North Carolina coast. After returning to my cabin
for Carly and Paul's final morning show I went up to the My Fair Lady
dining room for breakfast.

At 10 we had a cake decorating challenge between Captain Gus and the
Hotel Manager, and the head pastry chef in Centrum. Things started well
with all 3 expertly slicing the cake into 3 layers, but then the
differences came out. The pastry chef did a fantastic job at each step,
creating a truly superb Black Forest Cake. The Hotel Manager was a step
behind creating a truly professional end product but sometimes having to
redo some imperfections. Captain Gus went wild, starting with a "thin
coating" of sherry that became a thick soaking, using 2/3 of the bottle,
then enormous gobs of whipped cream and cherries and chocolates thrown
helter skelter on the creation. At each step the Captain got the most
applause, but in the end Cruise Director Carly (on pretty even final
voting) awarded the title to the pastry chef. The 2 losers responded by
putting messy whipped cream "stripes" on Carly's shoulders. The Master
is in charge of everything but it is a good thing they leave some things
to the experts in their fields. At 11 we had a backstage tour in the
Orpheum Theater, an excellent opportunity to understand all the
complexity that goes into putting on the wonderful stage shows.

For lunch today I went for pizza in the Solarium and spent much of the
afternoon with the sad task of packing.

Our final dinner in the My Fair Lady dining room was a bit of a sad
affair. I enjoyed a tasty Strawberry Bisque, Chicken Marsela, and
Tiramisu, and then we all said goodbye to our dining staff.

The evening Farewell Show had several parts. Starting with a video of
highlights of the cruise, we next went to a performance by "Gotta
Dance", a group modeled after the senior cheerleader program of an NFL
team. The main attraction was the comedy of Michael Ester, and the
program concluded with a number by the Royal Caribbean Singers and
Dancers. The singers also performed a jazz Cabaret in Boleros.

Today's parting shot is a followup to yesterday's. People more
knowledgeable than me about RCI say their next class of ships will be
able to make the trip to Baltimore, very good news. I think with regard
to cities like Montreal and I'm sure many others, the growing size of
cruise ships will still have some unfortunate implications.

Roy

Day 8, Thursday, May 26, At Sea, Formal

The first of 2 days at sea was blessed with rather nice weather. When I
first went up to deck 10 their seemed to be quite a brisk wind on my
back walking towards the stern, but surprisingly it the wind was not bad
on the return towards the bow. The overall wind is about the same as it
was headed south but it is now a tailwind. During the walk there was a
pleasant if not spectacular sunrise and there was a respite from the
heat we had further South. I spent the rest of the morning on internet,
reading, and generally catching up on things. In his noon address
Captain Gus reported we are exceeding the progress needed for our on
time arrival.

I had lunch today in the My Fair Lady Dining Room I was seated at a
large table with a wide variety of people, including a young Air Force
couple, and had an excellent Chicken Caesar Salad. In mid-afternoon we
had an event called "Captain's Corner". The Captain, Hotel Manager, and
Chief Engineer assembled on the Orpheum Theater for a Question and
Answer session, with Cruise Director Carly Boileau mostly taking a mike
to the questioners but also fielding a few queries. The session lasted
just over an hour with all sorts of questions. Captain Gus said this is
his first appointment as master and he is 7 weeks into a 10-week
contract. Carly reported being anchored off Maui with most guests ashore
and a sudden Tsunami warning. She was assigned to go ashore and herd the
guests to a Walmart on high ground while the ship moved to a safe
location, although the warning was lifted before the plan became necessary.

It was our second Formal night of the cruise. Many of the guests seemed
to be dressed well below the guidelines, although the general level of
attire was rather nice. The evening show was The Unexpected Boys vocal
quartet producing a show based on the music of the Four Seasons.

Today's parting shot comes from the Captain's Corner discussion. The
Enchantment is in the only class of ships capable of passing under the
bridges leading to Baltimore. Although these cruises sell very well, it
is unclear what will happen when the Enchantment, Carnival Pride, and
their sister ships are retired. Other ports like Montreal are facing
similar restrictions. When these ships are retired in a few years there
are no clear replacements. If the trend towards bigger and taller ships
continues, tomorrow's cruising grounds may become much more restricted.

Roy

Day 7, Wednesday, May 25, Labadee, Haiti

The day started and stayed overcast and I rarely saw the sun, but
thankfully there was little or no rain, although there apparently was
heavy rain overnight. Somehow, I had the impression that Labadee was a
tender port, so I was delighted when Captain Gus indicated yesterday
that we would be docking. We pulled into the dock about 6:45 and Captain
Gus announced we could go ashore about 7:15. His words of wisdom today
with a suggestion to keep them in mind when we talk to the vendors at
the resort: "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the
cheese".

Labadee is on the North shore of Hati (by Lamy's pointer), about 85
miles from Port au Prince. It sits on the island of Hispanola, but the
private enclave has little access to the rest of the island. The village
of Labadee is about 3 miles across the bay; the resort is on former
farmland leased by RCI about 25 years ago. There are several beaches
(both open and sheltered, coasters, ziplines, water activities, and a
space where a number of local vendors exhibit their wares.

I had a tour this morning, "Labadee Historic Walking Tour". There are
very few actual historic places in the resort, but as our guide Lamy
took us around the property he spoke on the history of Hati from the
first peoples to the arrival of Columbus in 1492, the colonial times,
and up to the present. Hati shares the island of Hispanola with the
Dominican Republic, with the 2 countries devided by rivers. Mostly a
French Colony, Hati secured it's independence in 1804, making it the
second independent country in the Western hemisphere. We did visit one
spot with some history, Nelli's tower, the ruins of an ancient Bucaneer
fortress.

Lamy also shared a bit about the Hatian education system. School starts
at age 3 with 3 years of kindergarten, followed by 7 years of primary
school. Secondary school is also 7 years, but all secondary schools are
private and out of reach of most Hatians. University is 4 years for
those who are able to go. After the tour I explored the resort some more
and took a brief swim in Columbus Cove.

There are several pavilions around the resort where the ships staff
prepared a barbecue lunch to be enjoyed in the great outdoors, and I
finished off the afternoon on a deck chair on the beach finishing off
"Why Geography matters". I returned to the ship around 2:30 and spent
some time in the hot tub and at afternoon tea. We pulled away from
Labadee just before 4, and not all that remains is the long (but not
long enough) return to Baltimore.

My table in the My Fair Lady dining room is on the port side. With us
now heading North, the sun set today as we were finishing desert. After
a cloudy day, it had cleared just enough so the sunset was spectacular.

The evening entertainment was puppeteer David Morgan and Chucky. There
was also a Big Band performance by the orchestra so I stayed up a little
past it's 11PM start.

My parting shot today is ship's security. We have had to go through
quite sensitive metal detectors and have our belongs exrayed in detail
at each port. Labadee is a closed environment with everything that comes
in under RCI control. Lamy confirmed that we are not permitted to leave
the complex. There is little to no chance of contraband, but there were
still significant lines at the scanners returning to the ship. FDR once
said "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". There seems to be an
ample supply of that.

Roy

Day 6, Tuesday, May 24, Samana, Dominican Republic

I changed the order of things a bit by going on the internet first thing
but got up for coffee about 5:45. The day was again warm and humid but
comfortable for about 2 miles on deck 10. Most of the time until our
arrival we were sailing close to land, much of it the Island of
Hispanola. Samana is apparently relatively new as a port of call and
there isn't much right in town. The tours offered didn't look
particularly attractive to me, but I ended up regretting not booking
one. The town was very close to the tender pier but seemed to have very
little to offer.

We were told tender tickets would be available at 8:45, and there was no
line to get them. Despite warnings that we should get a ticket and wait
in a lounge for our number to be called, I was told to go straight down
to the boats. I had also expected to be using the ships' tenders, but
there were a number of local catamarans, loading from 2 points on the
ship with additional boats standing by. The 2-mile shuttle was completed
and I was on shore about 9:00. The center of town was quite near but I
didn't find much of interest. There was one section of street along the
waterfront that was well maintained and had a stretch of nice looking,
freshly painted buildings, but the rest of town was quite ramshackle. I
walked for probably 2 hours before returning to the ship for lunch (my
one time on one of the ship's tenders and it was more comfortable than
most), and then back for a bit longer in a different direction. There
were a couple of tours that looked interesting but I just overestimated
what would be close by.

The last tender was listed as 5:30 but it actually arrived at that time
and we closed up the ship (presumably knowing everyone was on board).

Tonight's entertainment is "Stage to Screen" by the Royal Caribbean
Singers and Dancers featuring songs from Broadway hits that have made
the transition to the silver screen. I am a bit surprised that the
troupe does only 2 shows since more would seem like a winner for
everyone. The cast is already onboard, the shows are very good, and it
seems it would be cheaper than bringing on extra entertainers for
several nights.

Today's parting shot is a bit of a downer. It was clear from my visit to
Samana that the area is fighting deep poverty despite having some very
beautiful locations nearby. I deeply hope that what appears to be a
tourist industry in it's infancy can give a shot to this area that needs
it quite deeply.

Roy

Day 5, Monday, May 23, St. Thomas, USVI, Casual

When I arrived on Deck 10 about 5:30 the western tip of St. Thomas was
visible in the distance. I walked about 2 miles, but it was strictly 1
lap at a time, pausing at the bow each time to take in a new view. There
were clouds on the horizon but still a very nice sunrise through them.
We picked up our pilot about 6:30 for our final entrance while deckhands
on the bow were setting up a maze of mooring lines. We pulled up to the
pier about 7 and were cleared by customs 15 minutes later, docked at the
front end of the pier with a Carnival ship behind us.

I had booked a tour, "Volunteering at Virgin Islands National Park" but
recieved word Sunday evening that the tour had been cancelled. This is
the one port I have previously visited, on the Crystal Symphony in 2002
and the Grande Caribe in 2008. I must say I prefer St. Thomas in
December to March rather than late May but that was when I was available
to make this trip. I had a leisurely breakfast on the ship and left for
a walk about 9:30 spending a little time in Charlotte Amalie and riding
the tram to Paradise Point. I was unsuccessful in shopping or finding
internet better than what the ship offered. The walk to the center of
town is about a mile and a half and runs uncomfortably close to the busy
street. The downtown area is very commercial but still quaint and
pleasant. For my return I used a shortcut which followed the water and
led to a shopping center but it was easy to get out to the street and
the tramway. The ride up the tram was about 5 minutes each way and led
to a short pathway and spectacular views, but was not quite at the
summit (it would have been nice to have views over to St. John). I
returned to the ship about 2 for lunch and remained onboard. One of the
oddities of life in St. Thomas is that people drive on the left hand
side of the road but all the vehicles are left hand drive. I think it's
the only place I've seen that system used (I must admit, I don't
remember any 2-way streets in San Juan, so it could be the same).

All aboard today was 4:30 for a 5PM departure. The Carnival Glory behind
us was on the same schedule but did not pull up the gangway until a few
minutes past 5, apparently due to some no show passengers), and we could
not leave until they did. I would not want to be one of those who missed
the Glory, their next port is Barbados.

Dinner in Chops was excellent. I had the Petite Fillet Mignon with roast
potatoes and green beans, followed up by Passionberry Duo.

The evening show was the action comedy of Rick Novell. Novell was mostly
a juggler, working from a freestanding ladder and unicycle and using a
lot of humor and audience participation, quite a unique experience.

Today's parting shot comes from tonight's show. Seating is at a premium
in the Orpheum Theater and saving of seats is quite strongly
discouraged/prohibited. I arrived early and was at the end of a row of 5
seats. A lady came in and asked if the seats are saved I said no and the
response was "save these for me". I sure wish I had 20-20 ESP and knew
what was coming so I could tell her "yes, they are, you can't have
these". Go figure.

Roy

Day 4, Sunday, May 22, San Juan, PR, Casual

I received a comment today on my blog:

"I've always enjoyed following you on the Cunard forum of Cruise Critic
and I'm enjoying this blog. I'd be interested in what you think of RCI.
The one time we sailed on Royal Caribbean there were so many
announcements during the day interrupting anything we were doing that we
decided not to take them again until they limited it to the one noon day
talk by the Captain. Has that aspect improved?"

I think there are typically about 3 announcements per day,
mid-morning(10:30), noonish (perhaps 15 minutes before or after the
Captain's update), and mid-afternoon. That doesn't really strike me as
excessive but I do find it a minor annoyance that really wouldn't affect
my future booking of RCI. What I do miss more is the lack of an
equivalent to the Cunard Insights/Crystal Visions programs, although
I've been able to compensate for that by catching up on my reading.

While we have a port call in San Juan, PR, today, it is so late (3PM)
that it feels much like a sea day. I did only walk 3 miles on deck 10
due to the opportunities for further walking in San Juan. The wind was
still quite strong and making my way forward was becoming a bit tedious
in the last few laps. I did look at deck 5 but it was roped off in the
early morning hours, possibly due to early morning crew drills today.

There was an interdenominational worship service at 9 in the Spotlight
lounge, something I hadn't expected. It was led by a couple of volunteer
passengers (this is the 5th cruise where they've done it). I get a bit
concerned when volunteers handle this kind of event because it can
become a forum to promote one's personal philosophy. The leaders handled
their part well but devoted a large part of the service to "sharing",
which included a number of people promoting their personal theology
beyond what I thought an interdenominational event suggested.

At his noon update Captain Gus told us we were 40 miles from San Juan.
His words of wisdom were "If you speak in anger, it will be the greatest
speech you ever regret". After lunch I spent much of my time making
reservations. I frankly don't see RCI as a major part of my cruising
future but there will be times when it will be part of the picture. A
group of Maryland cruisers is working on a winter break in January and I
stopped by and made a booking. I am not certain that it will happen as I
have an Asia cruise in February which will take my passport out of
service for some time for visa processing (Vietnam, China) but I think I
can work it out. I also have a reservation for Chops Monday evening.

We had been told to be out on deck for a spectacular arrival into San
Juan. As it turns out, the weather didn't cooperate and it was steamy
almost to the point of fog and some rain. I retreated to the Viking
Crown Lounge and my pictures don't do the place justice but the arrival
was still beautiful. Captain Gus got us here a bit early and we were
cleared to go ashore about 15 minutes before our published 3PM arrival.

San is one of the 3 ports on this cruise that is new to me. It's western
discovery was on Columbus' 2nd voyage in 1493 and for most of it's
history has been Spanish territory. I spent my time exploring old town
on foot with it's narrow streets and quait buildings going as far as the
San Felipe El Morrow Castle. This imposing fort guards the San Juan
harbor and is matched by a smaller fort on the opposite side of the
harbor placing invading vessels in a crossfire. The fort stands high
above the harbor and offers excellent views. I also did a bit of
shopping before returning to the ship.

The My Fair Lady dining room was quiet tonight as a lot of people were
in San Juan but I enjoyed the raspberry and pineapple soup, Vitality
turkey and Key lime pie, then a short walk in town.

This evening's show was Joey Van. He is a singer who does vocal
impressions of other artists and the ease with which he moves from the
styles of Michael Jackson to Sinatra to Tom Jones and others is amazing
and often hilarious.

For today's parting shot I found myself annoyed at the hot steamy
weather here is San Juan. It is almost summer far South of Florida. What
was I thinking. We want everything to be perfect but we live in the real
world. I am just getting to San Juan for the first time after 60+ years
and seeing things I've never seen before. A little heat and humidity is
a small price to pay.

Roy