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Getting there:  We do not like to fly when there is no pandemic, so we packed up the car with our luggage and plenty of snacks for the road and were on the road by 7:05am Sunday morning.  This is what it looks like when you get a teenager up that early!

I am being paged to talk about dinner plans.  More to come.  Stay tuned!

Testing: Even though I had read a few scary stories about CVS testing, we have a lot of locations nearby and we got our vaccines there, so I booked all of us for Saturday, 11/20 at a nearby CVS Minute Clinic.  My appt was for 10:05, hubby was 10:20 and kiddo was 10:35.  We pulled up to the designated area at 9:55 and in just a few seconds our tester was at the window.  She confirmed who we were and said, “Let me grab another swab.”  She was back in a jiffy and proceeded to do all our tests at once.  They were self-swabs while she counted down for us.  We were done and back home before 10:20. *Note – this process may vary by CVS locations. 

 Now, I had signed us all up individually and had used our individual cell phone #s to register, but for the kid, I had used my email, since she is just shy of 18.  Hubby and I both got confirmation texts and shortly after 11:00, we had instructions for setting up our My Health accounts, then had our results.  Both negative.  Yay!  However, kiddo had nothing. Boo! So, I called the CVS Minute clinic #.  After talking to 2 people and confirming my email, etc. I got someone to send me her results.  Also negative!  We are cruising, people!!  *I think that because she was a minor, their system would not allow them to text her.  Some HIPPA thing, maybe.  Anyway, just a heads up for any parents who plan to use CVS. Use your info for minors.

Prologue:  Once upon a time (it was April 1995), I married a wonderful man who surprised me with a honeymoon cruise on the Ecstasy.  We were hooked and went again the following April for our anniversary.  We were young and not quite affluent, so took a break for a couple years then broke into a routine of 2 cruises per year, anniversary month and 2^nd week of December (my b-day month).  Sometimes, when we were lucky and got some last-minute deals, we could even squeeze in 4 a year.  Life was good.

Fast forward to December 2019.  We just got off the Ecstasy and were scheduled to turn Diamond on our 25^th anniversary cruise on the Pride, April 2020.   We had booked an Ocean Suite and had been counting down the days. D’oh!

Ok. We all know what happened then.  When they tentatively thought this was a temporary shutdown, we rebooked an April 2021 cruise.  No Ocean Suite, of course.  But still, we’ll try for our 26^th anniversary.  Nope.

Come springtime when vaccinations started, we got them as early as we could and were poised and ready for cruising to recommence.  First opportunity to rebook, we opted for our typical 2^nd week in December and booked 12/11 on the Elation.  Then we started getting offers like crazy.  The best one was the Plan Now, Play Later.  Hubby had a free balcony and I had a free interior.  Cool!  Let’s take the kid (17) and go over Thanksgiving.  So, we booked the Elation 11/22/21 sailing.  We started counting down and getting back onto CC to stay up-to-date, learning tips and tricks about testing, QR codes and all the other changes we were facing.

I am going to jump in to the party and post a review for our recent Elation Thanksgiving cruise.  I have enjoyed reading a lot of the recent reviews (live and later) and @CeleBrat is doing a really nice Elation one from the week before our cruise, but I figured if there can be 47 Mardi Gras reviews going, why not 2 Elations!  😎  So follow along if you will.  We just turned Diamond on this cruise, so I will be trying to answer some recent questions I have seen.  We are casino folks, so there will be some content about that as well.  Grab a snack and beverage of choice and settle in.  Here we go...

Wonderful start to your review!  We are boarding Elation on Monday and so excited to be returning after 700+ days!!!😎

22 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Mine at the top said like sunday, Monday etc. You could arrow thru by the day of the week. Maybe it was different on a 5 day cruise.,

Well, it's been a while seen I've seen it, so maybe it did say the weekday.😎  Just wanted the OP to know what to look for since they don't appear to be familiar with the app.

Yes, when you go into the app you will see Day 1, Day 2, etc near the top.  Clicking on each day, then in Dining Options clicking on the MDR will allow you to see each day's menus.

We're booked on our first Elite for an 8 day partial Panama Cruise in February on the Pride out of Tampa.  I plan to do a review and will be sure to cover when we get emails asking preferences, etc.  If there are any other specific questions, let me know.

Happy Birthday @KmomChicago and thank you for taking us along with you!

32 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

And while I'm at it... what's the least expensive individual spin slot machine in the casino - if I was just passing by and wanted to score a "free" drink?  🙂

 

This question is a total opposite of "max/bonus bets" !

 

Tom

It used to be possible on the penny slots to actually bet one penny per spin.  You had to go in and deselect the # of lines you were betting, etc.  Might still be a possibility if you really want to sit and spin minimally for a "free" drink.  🙂

Quick note for folks needing a passport...

If you are in a city environment, don't forget to check your rural post office locations!   For our daughter's last in-person renewal, it was impossible to get an appt anywhere near the city, but I looked up a smaller post office just outside the county we are in but only 20 minutes away.  They had appointments and were so pleasant and easy to deal with.  I just checked and they have free appointments starting about 4 weeks out from today.   

Good luck!

Hubby and I had booked an Ocean Suite on the Pride for our 25th anniversary in April 2020.  Our honeymoon was a cruise, so this was going to be extra special.  We booked it very far out for us and I had a countdown on my office cube wall.  Right before we left the office for the pandemic, I erased the numbers and put in question marks.  

We rebooked another April 2021 cruise, which of course didn't happen.  Currently booked on Mardi Gras, April 2022, among a few others, so fingers crossed, third times a charm! 😊

3 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Here's the biggies:

 

STEAKHOUSE

 

GUY'S PIG & ANCHOR SMOKEHOUSE - BREWHOUSE

 

JI JI ASIAN KITCHEN

 

EMERIL’S BISTRO 1396

 

RUDI'S SEAGRILL

 

Tom

Awesome!  Thanks for posting these!   Some amazing choices!

Of course, I started laughing when thinking of how the servers will pronouce some of the items. Like this one from Emeril's - NATCHITOCHES MEAT PIES😂😂😂

1 minute ago, pirate4me2 said:

Is it in all the aft balcony rooms on Fantasy class ships? I mean...it’s not a deal breaker, but it did almost break me a few times! 

I was lead to believe it was just the ones on the ends, so not the corner balconies and not the middle ones.  We had the opposite side (and our pole was on the opposite side from your pic) and it was also an Upper cabin.  I would guess it's all of those, but maybe someone else can confirm.  

Looking forward to the rest!

19 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

See the dangerous pole there on the left??!!

😄  We stayed in one of these aft balconys on the Elation last May!  And we made the same comments (running into it drunk and why not put it right in the middle.  LOL   

Has anyone else been doing the slot spins in the 20 cruises in 2020 promotion?  Just curious if anyone has won a gift card yet. 

Hubby and I have been spinning everyday, but alas no winners.  However, I do seem to keep getting 3 symbols on the line with 2 of them the same.  So close!!  Shouldn't the whale tail be a wild card? 😏

On the Elation, the Gatsy's Great Bar, outside of the Cole Porter lounge should have the games on.  That is the default sports area of the Fantasy class ships.  Good luck!

5 hours ago, Crusin Karen said:

I was all excited to get $50/pp for play in casino and now I see so many better offers.  How do you get that?  I was researching to book from CCL website.  

You put more money into the casino to get the higher offers.  Doesn't necessarily mean you lose more, just that you are betting more.  Accumulating more points on the slots, etc. = more $ in your offers.

Yes.  There should be an area at check-in for the Getaway cruisers and you will board after Diamond and Platinum,. Not sure if before FTTF or with them.

They could buy your husband or you a drink.  That would be free to you and would not count against your 15 drinks/day.  They may also send a gift to your room: cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, a voucher for the Steakhouse (or 2 Steakhouse selections in the MDR), or a voucher for a bottle of wine.  It would completely depend on the host.

Yes, it should say Free Drinks On Us, then while playing in the casino in smaller print.  if it includes a companion, it would say, Free Drinks On Us for You and one travel companion.

15 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Isn't "sea glass" just trash tossed into the water and worn down?  It isn't natural to the ocean.

Yes, which is why I don't have a problem taking it with me.

We're frequently at the Outer Banks, NC where lots of folks collect sea glass.  This May, we took our first trip to Grand Turk and on the way back from Jack's Shack, we were walking along the water line and I saw a bright green object and stopped!  It was sea glass!!  We got all excited and started picking up piece after piece.  I joked with hubby that folks were looking at us, thinking "Why are those people so happy to be picking up trash?"  😃  

We don't pick up sand or shells, but honestly, this was just cleaning up the beach!😎

Had to make a short trip to the infirmary on our recent Ecstasy cruise - non-emergency issue, but not a band-aid either.  It was such a clean, welcoming place.  The doctor and receptionist were so friendly and helpful with my questions.  It was at a time when we were docked in port and I am sure that if there had been multiple emergencies occurring it would have been more of an ER vibe, but overall, I was very pleased with my visit.  To each his own.