MichaelCMTX

We've done 5 round trips from Galveston (a 6th happening in September) as well as a repositioning departure. If we weren't driving from Fort Worth and relying on our own car it's unlikely we'd sail from there. If you're expecting the experience of flying into Ft. Lauderdale or Miami - not happening.

We live in Fort Worth and several times have done the "day of" drive. For the love of all that is holy, though : START EARLY. If we see sunlight before we hit I-45 we're behind schedule. This still leaves us a chance at a restroom break at Buc-ee's in Madisonville and lunch right about when we hit the Woodlands. Essentially, first thing once we get to G-Town is we unload the big luggage with the porter and still have a couple hours cushion (even more if there was fog and the ship's arrival was delayed). Point being, you don't have to be on that ship soon as boarding starts. You will almost always have time.

From personal experience, absolutely nothing stopping anyone from dropping your luggage with the porter and then taking the car back to Enterprise. Makes that shuttle ride a lot less troublesome (and you take up a good deal less space).

The only thing that keeps cropping up (mainly in Diamond Lounge discussions) is a new tier between D+ and P - but that and a soda package will buy @nolegirl01 a Coke. We just decided at the start we could only take a few days off each year-- still being far away from retirement-- bit the bullet, opened the wallet and went with suites. Double points. We spoke to other veteran cruisers about the long-since gone promotions during the slower months for double points. Was how many of them got to Pinnacle. Of course, you always need to be able to take advantage of opportunities so post-pandemic when they DID do a double points promo we did 13 nights in a GS on a repositioning cruise and scored 52 points to take us from the entryway to D to the doorstep of D+, but that's not at all an everyday thing. Only time in 15 years of sailing we'd seen it. Welcome to the club - and happy sailing

Our first trip post-COVID was on Adventure and it was the first sighting of the actual sinks and soap in the Windjammer entrance. That was a good idea.

anxiously awaiting for some vodka snob to start ranting about "Kettle one."

Too bad. On our 2013 Hawaii cruise it was one of our tables couple's anniversary so we all went that night to Rita's. As we're from Texas we frequently approach unfamiliar Mexican with skepticism but it was a pleasant surprise. Was also introduced to a twist on the usual procedure and went salt, tequila shot and an orange slice - and it worked a lot better - but on top of everything else from the Concierge Lounge I knew that 3rd shot had to be my last. I will miss Rita's - good times.

The word "unicorn" comes to mind. There's seeing a comment and thinking "this person doesn't know what they're talking about" , and there's making sure to imply it for all the Forum to see. The current policy of choice from Travel Guard covers 1) Benefits ONLY for an injury or sickness that occurs on your trip and 2) only expenses within 365 days of that injury or sickness. Not unreasonable, and does the job. If you've been the one who has to help your loved one recover from an injury that snapped their humerus bone just below the joint into a bunch of trail-mix sized pieces AND dealt with all the paperwork, payment, insurance and lawyer aspects of it - you gain a little too much perspective on what you expect of the insurance and what the fine print says. From Cruise #1 my folks literally said "you're fools if you don't get the insurance" but more lessons were to be learned. Painfully. Go cheap on insurance and it'll bite you. Be an Allstate driver and get rear-ended by an Allstate driver. Been there.

I do not get why the need is so impossible to grasp. If you receive an injury or illness, it pays for treatment of that illness or injury without running out the clock when your cruise was supposed to end. The point of buying insurance is greatly reduced if they have to evacuate you to a foreign land someplace on Day 6 and then the insurer leaves you hanging after day 7. Everyone assuming "your major medical kicks in after that", you realize your major medical will also have your deductible and copays and whatnot. After what happened, happened; we had the pleasure of running up a few grand in expenses that would've been 100% covered if, all treatment had occurred prior to Day 7. I wouldn't call a "unicorn hunt" but more like finding the car you want with the features you want. Just have your T/A earn that commission and do a little more research - and our T/A was definitely grateful to get some real-world education on what happens when insurance doesn't.

Not true, the policy our T/A gets now will cover treatment and recovery of an injury sustained during the trip. Literally, we'd have had $100K coverage if they'd flown her off the ship and performed the repair prior to the end of the policy term. Our now-former T/A sure had a "wow" moment when she found out about this.

My $0.02 is make sure you check carefully on your insurance. Allianz has been mentioned, and we had a policy with them on a cruise where DW fell and ended up needing a shoulder replacement. Coverage on the policy ended the day the trip ended; but you can't exactly roll into the ER on your first day back and magically miraculously get a shoulder replaced - so they covered the return-day ER visit - nothing more, no Ortho doctor, consultations, imaging, surgery, hospital, etc. Not to bad-mouth Allianz completely as they may have policies that offer better coverage for an injury sustained during the dates on the cruise - but get your T/A to do the research and make sure you don't have to wade through additional pain and suffering caused by the pain and suffering. I know it's ages ago since my parents have retired from the cruise pursuit, but once my Dad "tried to have a heart attack" the week before departure (what can I say - his radar for knowing "this ain't right" had him in a hospital bed maybe three or four times before things get truly dicey - probably why he still walks the Earth). Their insurance covered everything.

Haven't seen a dividend since 2020, my RC win isn't OBC but rather all the shares I sold just before things took a dive in early 2022 - in conjunction with buying most of them back when the price was in the $40s and $50s.

It's a little weirder now. Adding an Oasis-class ship essentially means no tender ports, but also not many tender ports for the non-Oasis G-Town ships. DW loves GC but wasn't happening on Voyager or Mariner. Not sure where you're originating from @GJustice, we drive from Dallas and decided to try the Serenade out of New Orleans a few years back. It was the only way for us to get to Key West and Coco Cay without a plane ride or an overnight drive - thought it was 8 hours on the road vs 3. RC's sailing from NoLA again so it might be worth a look.

We've been in suites from the start and in the concierge or suite lounge ever since. I wouldn't say this is always how it happens, but I have seen it happen. Suite people... not welcome.

Would not be shocked to see this. It's a LONG way from D+ to Pinnacle. What I often wonder about, and I'm sure folks here have some numbers, I know a great many Pins we've met have been... let's euphemistically say "folks my parents age"... (I am at the middle ground of my 50s) and I know at their age they've long since hung up their sea pass lanyards. Getting to the ship alone is just too much hassle. And I know we spoke to many Pins who remembered with enthusiasm RC's long-ago since-ended double-points for December sailings. Many saying that specifically was what got them to Pinnacle. Is there enough of a flow of new Pins to replace those no longer cruising (Or, sadly, walking the Earth in general)?

When we started, DW was working "on production" so she don't work she don't get paid, so it was one a year. Now she gets more PTO than me and has a 7-on / 7-off schedule, so it's my lack of vacation holding us back. But we'd also rather do one in a suite than a bunch in a smaller cabin. Mariner is going to take us to D+, and we're eagerly awaiting the NE/Canada sailings for 2025.

We were last on her Jan 2011 - this was our first RC repeat (funny enough, going on Mariner in September and were on her in Jan 2012). Yeah, some are gonna roll their eyes because they've been on the same ship several times in a year... or month...

It's a lot easier to say you're gonna charge for it but offer freebies and specials as needed to boost traffic. When you have a packed venue and have to figure out how to limit the crowd size.... ask a D+ who used to have access to the Concierge/Suite lounge and doesn't anymore. We've never been, not one time, Just something about the ease of getting a decent burger on shore. And funny enough @BecciBoo- no more JR on Voyager (were on it last month). I think that's part of where they moved the spa to.

We're batting .500. On our 13-night Adventure we bid $550ea to go from a GS to an OS and got accepted. Yes, that was considerably less than the difference at booking between a GS and OS. Last trip on Voyager we basically bid just over the min (basically in case nobody else did) to go from OS to RS. Not shockingly, that one failed. But you have to realize it's not a simple "high bid wins" math problem, because I'm sure their algorithm takes into account "if we do this upgrade, then what can we get our of their old cabin, and can we get something for their old cabin..." So it's a situation where maybe someone's bidding $xxxx to go from a JS to an OS, but there could be more money to be had from someone bidding $xxx for GS to OS and someone else bidding $xxx for JS to GS, etc.

A friend who travels for work almost constantly turned me onto this and even before I fly I do it. With the convenience of a smartphone it's too easy. And if something does happen to your luggage, there are few joys in life like showing the photo to the person asking what it looked like (and that person really liked that I'd planned ahead and tried to make her job easier).

Adventure had one on the Promenade and one on either side of the Windjammer. I don't care so long as they're on board, it gives me an excuse to get in a few steps and stair climbs. Plenty of times I went from the Solarium to Deck 5 for refills. Thanks for the assist. 👍

We did one of those in Newark., That big hockey-bag we use for all the dirties came in at 49.4 lbs. 👌

Just the buffet, though also in other bars around the ship. Casino... Promenade... Hey, it was a 13-nighter. It'd be mean to tell the story how during a slow late-lunch time in the Jammer when many tables were available, she got up for another round and while she was gone, someone cleaned up her area and another family sat there; resulting in a big "you took my spot" hysteria, so I'm going to pass. 😇

Purple!! Always purple bags for us. And always a photo so if it's lost I whip out the phone "It looked like this." And we have a massive hockey equipment bag for the used clothes - not gonna spend time folding up the dirties so they fit. I was at the baggage claim one time and I swear it was Milton from "Office Space" "This black bag is not my black bag, my black bag is a different black bag..." Sorry folks, I'm at the diametric opposite end of this thread. Relaxing on a cruise is having the porters get the luggage to the ship, and having enough clothes that we don't have to have each outfit planned for the entire week (or more!!!). The only time I worry is if there's a flight involved, and even then only if we're in danger of more than two bags each. When we were on a 13-nighter there was a woman who I don't think brought any other clothing than her swimsuit. Not even a coverup. Wore that same one everywhere. No prizes were awarded for the lack of luggage she brought.

We're on Mariner in September. Can you confirm they have the Coke Freestyle machines? If you do the soda package, once you have them and then don't.... it irritates just that little bit.