This cruise is now complete.

We hope you are as excited as we are about the upcoming Canada/New England cruise. When your friends are home playing poker and looking at the same four walls, you will be sailing the high seas, enjoying breathtaking views, making new friends, and playing poker! By now you should have received your eDocs from Royal Caribbean. If you have not received your eDocs or if there are any errors in your Docs, please let us know immediately. We want you to have the cruise of a lifetime, so please read this Deck Gazette for important information.

Things to do before your departure:

*Stop newspaper and mail delivery

*Arrange pet care

*Arrange lawn care

*Leave copy of your itinerary

*Set lamps on automatic timers

*Confirm your reservations

*Turn off appliances

*Get travelers checks

*Alert your neighbors

*Don’t forget your Passport

  • Please plan to be onboard the ship at least 90 minutes prior to departure time, as the ship will not wait for anyone!
  • Be sure that your flight lands in time for you to disembark, get to baggage claim, find your luggage and then locate a taxi or your shuttle to the departure dock.

Points of interest:
There are so many points of interest in this exciting part of the world that it would take page after page to highlight them. We suggest you spend some time exploring the Shore Excursions at https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/cruiseplanner to see what is available and plan ahead to fully enjoy your trip! Do yourself a favor and book your excursions online TODAY so you don't get shut out. The deadline to book online is October 14, 2014.

We are confident that you will enjoy your cruise with us and we extend our sincere appreciation for joining us on this poker cruise. Our staff is available to assist you, so please contact us if you have any questions.

ARE YOU READY TO SAIL?
On October 19th you will begin your exciting, fun-filled vacation to Canada and New England sailing on the beautiful Brilliance of the Seas! This Deck Gazette will give you valuable tips and information that will make your cruise more enjoyable.

WELCOME ABOARD!
Once you embark the vessel, please check in between 1-3 PM in the poker room to meet our staff and pick up your gift name badge. We will have a Welcome Aboard Party in the Colony Club on deck 6 from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. We hope you will come to the party and let us buy you a drink while listening to important announcements regarding the poker room and shipboard life. Please join us!

POKER ROOM
The poker room is located in the Conference Center on Deck 5. The poker room will be open for play at 9:00am on sea days and every evening after first-seating dinner on port days. The staff will be happy to spread any game and limit that enough players want to play. If the game you wish to play is full, give your name to the brush or board personnel and they will put you on the waiting list. If the game or limit you wish to play is not in progress, we will be glad to start an "interest" list.

You must wear your name badge at all times in the cardroom in order to be identified as a Card Player Cruises guest.

RULES

Our cardroom has the same rules as most poker rooms in a casino. Some specific rules to our cardroom at sea include the following:

  • A no-abuse policy is strictly enforced in the cardroom.
  • Smoking is not permitted in the cardroom.
  • When re-opening the cardroom after dinner, names will not be put on the board until the games are full. Please take a seat in the game you wish to play; a waiting list will be started if the game you wish to play in is full.
  • In order to accommodate everyone, players will only be allowed to be away from their table for 15 minutes. Please pick your chips up when going to eat or to attend a ship activity.
  • No personal checks will be cashed in the cardroom.

Important: You must wear your name badge at all times in the cardroom in order to be identified as a Card Player Cruises guest.

IDENTIFICATION

All passengers are required to carry a passport valid for six months after disembarking the ship. Expired passports are not acceptable. In addition, non-US citizens who have previously been admitted to the United States for permanent residence must carry their Permanent Resident Card, commonly known as a Green Card. Aliens should contact the appropriate consulate to inquire about necessary travel documentation. Each passenger will need a photo I.D.

MONEY

It is important to know that while U.S. currency and travelers checks are accepted in most ports of call, Royal Caribbean employs a sign and sail format. In order to purchase beverages, photos, shore excursions, or other incidentals on board, you will need a shipboard account. You will be asked to register your credit card or make a cash deposit with the ship’s personnel on sailing day, at which time you will be issued a shipboard account card. Please note: Foreign currencies cannot be accepted or exchanged by the Front Office. U.S. dollars and U.S. travelers checks are the only forms of currency accepted.
*Card Player Cruises is unable to cash personal checks*

SEASICKNESS

We have found Bonine to be very helpful in combating seasickness, and it does not make most people sleepy. Bonine can be purchased without a prescription at most drug stores. Free seasick pills are available onboard at the Front Office. Note: If you suffer from motion sickness, in order to be effective, it is important to take the seasick pills before you feel sick.

GRATUITIES ONBOARD

To simplify the service recognition process, Royal Caribbean automatically adds a $12.00 USD gratuity ($14.25 USD for Suite Guests) to each guest’s SeaPass® account on a daily basis. This gratuity is shared by the dining services staff, the stateroom attendants, and other housekeeping services personnel who work to enhance your cruise. The daily automatic gratuity amounts are based on customary industry standards. These gratuities CANNOT be reversed so please be sure to let Rita, Mark, Lisa, Jan, or me know immediately if you have any service issues. A 15% service charge is automatically added to bar charges and dining room wine purchases. You are encouraged to leave extra gratuities at the end of the week.

FOOD

The poker room will be closed during first-seating dinner. Unless you requested otherwise, you will have early seating at 6:00pm for dinner in Minstrel dining room on deck 4. If you have requested late seating or have been assigned late seating and are waitlisted for early seating, the 8:00pm dining is also in the Minstrel dining room on deck 4. Card Player Cruises uses open seating. Please note that although your ship card will have an assigned dining table, you may sit at any table that has a "Reserved for Card Player Cruises" table tent on it. If you want to sit at the same table each night, simply write the table number and your name on the table tent so that others will know the table is reserved for specific people. You will be able to eat at virtually any time of the day on this cruise.

Dining options:

  • Main Dining Room with complimentary, multi-course dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner
  • More complimentary options including the Windjammer Café, pizzeria, Seaview Café with sandwiches, soups, and snacks, and room service*
  • Complimentary Park Café - NEW
  • Specialty restaurant Chops Grille steakhouse
  • Café Latté-tudes,SM a specialty coffee house
  • Chef's Table intimate dining experience - NEW
  • Giovanni's Table Italian restaurant - NEW
  • Izumi Asian-fusion cuisine, featuring a la carte sushi selections - NEW
  • Rita’s Cantina featuring Mexican fare and margaritas - NEW
ROOM SERVICE

Room service is complimentary except between the hours of midnight and 5:00am during which a late night service charge of $3.95 per delivery will apply. A full breakfast menu with egg dishes is offered between 7:00am and 10:00am. Full dining room menus are available for in-stateroom service during lunch and dinner times. You may choose to tip room service personnel.

BEVERAGES BROUGHT ONBOARD

Guests are not allowed to bring beer, hard liquor, or non-alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use. Guests may bring personal wine and champagne onboard only on boarding day, limited to two (2) 750 ml bottles per stateroom. When consumed in any public area, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00. Additional bottles of wine beyond two (2) bottles that are brought onboard or any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports-of-call or from Shops On Board will be stored by the ship and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the sailing. Alcoholic beverages seized on embarkation day will not be returned.

SPECIAL NOTES

You may bring a hair dryer, electric razor, hot curlers, and other small electrical appliances that require 110 volts AC. You may bring radios, MP3 players, DVD players, etc., but are requested to use headphones out of respect for the other passengers.

DRESS
Evening dress falls into two distinct categories: formal or smart casual. Smart casual can be defined as slacks and collared shirts for men and casual dresses, slacks and informal evening wear for women. T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the restaurants or public areas during the evening hours. On festive formal evenings, ladies usually wear a fancy pantsuit, cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week. Alternative restaurants are available for those who do not wish to dress up.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has a wide variety of activities in each port that can fit every budget. I STRONGLY urge you to prebook your excursions online because many of them sell out before you get on the ship. I recommend that you book your trips through the ship since that takes away any potential problems such as delays causing you to miss the ship. They use top companies that are both experienced and always concerned about your safety. Please note that Online Shore Excursions reservations for your sailing will be available up until a week prior to the cruise.

Guests are requested to complete Online Check-In no later than 3 days prior to the cruise in order to expedite the pier check-in process. You won't have to fill out any forms at the pier. When you and your party arrive, you'll just need your signed SetSail pass, identification documents, and credit card that you registered online.
First, gather the following information for all the guests you're checking in:
* Ship, sailing date, and Royal Caribbean reservation number
* Passport or appropriate proof of citizenship and identification
* Home address
* Emergency contact name with phone number
* Travel plans before and after your cruise
* Credit card for the Onboard Expense Account

WHAT TO DO AT THE PIER

For the first day of your cruise, pack a small carry-on bag with your travel documents, a change of clothes, bathing suit, workout clothes and any medications you may need. It may take until 8pm for your luggage to be delivered to your room. If you've never been to the departure port before, you can find and print directions here - http://tiny.cc/cpcboston
Boston, MA Cruise Port Boston
1 Black Falcon Avenue, South Boston, MA 02210

Guests are requested to complete Online Check-In no later than three days prior to the cruise in order to expedite the pier check-in process.

Royal Caribbean International requires guests to be checked in no later than 90 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time*. Guests arriving late will not be permitted to sail. This supports government regulations in some ports that require cruise lines to submit a departure manifest 90 minutes prior to sailing.
*Some sailings may require an earlier check-in time. Please refer to your Guest Vacation Documents for specific information.

Friends and relatives are welcome to come to the pier to see you off. However, for security reasons, they will not be allowed to board the ship at any port or enter the terminal in some ports.

If you're a Platinum, Diamond or Diamond Plus member of Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society, be sure to take advantage of priority check-in.

Wi-Fi Bring your laptop onboard and enjoy 24/7 internet connectivity throughout the ship or visit the Internet Café/Workstation on deck 7. Per minute rate applies. The cost for Wi-Fi access varies and is subject to change. Visit guest services once onboard for more information. SMOKING POLICY

Smoking cigarettes, cigars, electronic cigarettes, and pipes is permitted only in designated outdoor areas.

Smoking is not permitted inside staterooms or balconies, Central Park or Boardwalk neighborhoods, dining venues, theaters, bars, lounges, hallways, pools, elevators, or jogging tracks

The casino allows smoking and has a designated area for non-smoking on most cruises.

WHEN DO WE SAIL?

The suggested arrival time at the cruise ship terminal is generally 3 to 4 hours prior to the ship's scheduled sailing time. Please refer to your Guest Ticket for more details.

The Brilliance of the Seas gets underway at 5:00pm, but you must check in by 3:30pm. Curbside porters are available at the pier to take your luggage to the ship. From there, it will be delivered to your cabin by the ship's personnel.

I look forward to seeing you soon.
Please feel free to write to me with any questions you may have.

Safe travels,
Linda Johnson
Card Player Cruises