opensaysme
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Posts posted by opensaysme
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@Illbcruzn4life So sorry to here that! I will be getting keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers. And if you get to go on the cruise I pray you'll be able to take it easy and have the best time ever!
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23 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:
I already have transport scheduled so if we board later we’ll be sitting around the terminal for a little while. Let’s hope we board at the regular time.
I'm so hopeful! I'm also super excited! Are you getting pretty excited?!
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8 minutes ago, RockHoundTX said:
Almost every mid to large-size city has a Gem and Mineral Society. I would start with searching for one in your area. Most have meetings 2-4 times per month (with information sessions) as well as a monthy group rockhound outing. Within the group, you will find lots of specialization: some focussed on cabbing, others cutting, others mineral identification, others digging, etc. It is amazing the amount of specialized knowledge that some people have. If you have a particular interest, you will have no problems finding a mentor at one of these events. Average age is 50+ so younger blood is always welcome. My specialty is quartz (I own a famous quartz mine [unfortunately currently closed since government regulations are a PITA]). At one time, I could tell you where in the world a piece of quartz came from just by looking at it (and usually the name of the mine if it was from Oklahoma or Arkansas). I know others have this same abilty with certain gemstones (once you have seen enough of something, you can pick up on color, impurities, clarity, shine, etc. to quickly identify where it came from).
I'm in awe of your knowledge. That's so cool that you own a mine! And a famous one at that! 😍 A shame you can't operate it. Thanks a lot for your advice on finding a mentor. I am going to look into finding my local gem and mineral society. I love learning from my elders so I hope I can fit right in! I have been to the Indianapolis Gem Show. Ironically it's located outside of the city in a very small town. It was cool but a little underwhelming. We have another one coming up in a week. This time I go I will inquire about joining the society. Thanks so much!
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13 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:
us too! Never got an email though. We booked through a Carnival PVP
I've only heard a very few people got the email. It's so weird. But after my investigations I have determined that the 1pm boarding time, 12:30pm for priority, is, I believe, a standard boarding time but usually they board early. I have heard from some people that the cruise that went out this Sunday started boarding at 10:30am. I was also told that a lot of people were reporting that their rooms weren't ready by the time they were supposed to be because the crew was backed up for some reason.
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8 hours ago, cruiseguy56 said:
DW bought me my first Invicta on a ship because it came in the red motorcycle helmet case, rather than a standard yellow Invicta box and I've been riding motorcycles since I was about 6 and driving them since about 11. DW thought that while the watches might be a bit expensive, it was a very cool watch and case. After that cruise, we noticed a tv channel that sold them and started finding out that the ship prices were pretty much the same as the shopping channel which is actually Invicta selling them through their web site. Now she's hooked and we both have multiple Invictas.
Are you referring to ShopHQ? I believe that's the one we always watched simply for the INVICTA's. XFINITY just informed me that they are dropping ShopHQ starting May 12, 2023. But anyway, I think I will surprise him this cruise with an INVICTA to make up for my oopsy. 😅
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3 hours ago, RockHoundTX said:
The answer is "sometimes". Tanzanite is trichroic which means that it changes color if viewed from different angles. This is much more evident on larger pieces that have a vivid purple color. On smaller pieces (or ones that are a lighter lavendar) that are set in jewelry, you may not be able to easily see the color change even with real tanzanite. You can also view the tanzanite in different light sources. Depending on the light source (incandescent vs daylight), a good tanzanite should go from a pretty flat purple to more of a blue with deep red flashes. If the color stays the same no matter what the light-source, then likely a fake (or really low quality).
If someone is wanting to make a significant tanzanite purchase, then you would want a few tools with you. A loupe, two different color flashlights, and a dichroscope will quickly weed out the worst of the fakes. I have seen both good and bad fakes. The worst ones are where a colored foil backing are put on clear gemstone (likely lab grown topaz) to fake "the red flashes". The better ones are lab-grown stones that have the same dark purple color and shine of real tanzanite but do not show any of the color shift (or reds) when viewed under different light sources.
As for EFFY, I personally have no thoughts. I deal mainly with loose gemstones and mineral specimens.
So generous to share your knowledge. As one new to the gemstone and mineral industry I would love a mentor like you! Thanks a lot for all the details! I took it all in!
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3 hours ago, WhiteOptima said:
Boarding started at 10:30. Group A, B then G which was strange. We were K and on by 11:00am. FFTF was not in our sitting area.
A lot of kids but we have a Fwd balcony and also sat on Serenity today. Getting plenty of steps!
Great! Weird that FTTF was not in the same sitting area. I have FTTF!
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8 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:
So are you on the April 30th cruise?
I am!
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4 hours ago, Thad409 said:
I've always snooped at the jewelry shops while on board, Im always shopping for a watch while on board but never can pull the trigger because I don't know if the savings are better than I can do else were.
My husband wanted an INVICTA so badly on the ship one year and it was, to me, too expensive. I said to him, "we can find that on land for cheaper." And doggonit when we got back to land he searched for that watch and he did not fail to mention to me that he never did find that exact INVICTA. Oops. 🙊
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37 minutes ago, RockHoundTX said:
The jewelry store on the ship is almost never cheaper. The main reason to buy something in the islands is that they have more selection. If there is a specific, rare watch you want, likely easier to find it in the Bahamas than in your local jewelry dealer.
For watches specifically, shop ahead of time to get a baseline on pricing. Especially look at places such as Sam's Club and Costco before you go. My sister was on a cruise and wanted to by a Tag that has an MSRP of something like $2300. After a ton of negotiations, one dealer was willing to "sacrafice" and sell for $1800. She called me from the store in cozumel (via Internet) and I was able to find the exact same watch at Sam's Club for somewhere around $1550.
When it comes to gemstones, I would never buy outside the US or on the cruise ship. I am an expert in the "rock and gem" industry and I can't count the number of fraudulent and mis-represented gemstones I have seen. I am sure that if I had my tools with me, I would find even more. Even with things like tanzanite, at least 10% (and probably way more) of what is sold is not real (lots of lab-grown) and probably 30%+ of the "untreated" is absolutely treated. This is just based on what I can see with my eyes. There is at least another 30%-40% that I would call "questionable".
On a trip several years ago my mother wanted to buy a tanzanite necklace. It completely drove me crazy. Finally found one that I was "pretty sure" was real. I think the sticker price was something like $800 and the "asking price" was $500. I think we finally walked out with it for $140. I tested it when I got home and was happy to see that it was actually tanzanite 😉
On several trips, I have had someone show me the "great deal" they just got. In one case the stone was clearly a fake. In several others, all I could do is politely say "wow. That is really pretty" while knowing that they just spent 3x - 4x what they should have. I think there have only been one or two times where I went "wow. That is actually a fantastic deal".
One final point is that "duty free" does not mean "tax free". There are a ton of posts here on Cruise Critic where folks bought expensive items and then had to write a check to the government when they got back to port. I think I remember one post saying that if you spent over a certain amount that the ship is required to submit the purchase to customs prior to getting to the US port (the person was flagged when going through US customs).
Can you just by looking identify a lab created tanzanite? Also, what are your thoughts on EFFY gemstones?
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14 hours ago, WhiteOptima said:
We were dropped off at Terminal F by our Uber driver at 9:15. 3 lines outside Priority early and on time. We were in Priority and they checked boarding passes and moved people to where they should be. In bldg and sitting in Platinum area by 9:30. The A03 on our boarding pass doesn’t mean much. We were given a Priority K pass.
I will say as we were going through security people were still getting off the ship so we may not be getting on for a bit.
Thank so much for your kind comment about your boarding experience! So, when did you end up boarding after all? I am at the edge of my seat 🤣😇! Also have a wonderful cruise and I hope you are enjoying yourself so far!!!!!!!
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1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:
I own my own scooter.
This scooter was specifically designed for cruising. It folds down to 12 inches so that if you don't have a HC cabin, you can fold it down and keep it under the bed. The seat pops off and the rest folds up. Easy to fly with as well. The seat goes inside with you and the scooter goes down below as a gate check.
I'm realizing that I got you confused with rtfnl as your profile icons are the same color purple. I do thank you for the video and and the advice. That's a pretty cool scooter! My father realized he needed a scooter just recently and since we are unable to rebook our cruise we were told the transportable scooter can fold down pretty well. He has limited mobility.
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2 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:
The handicapped excel class cabins are not tiny at all. Does your father have a handicapped cabin reserved?
That's good to hear as they seem to be small in comparison to what we're used to and ppl say the cabins are kind of tight, especially the bathrooms. What time was your scooter ready for you at the terminal?
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10 hours ago, WhiteOptima said:
We board this Sunday and our time is 9:30. Doing a B2B and checked in for the 4/16 cruise and check in was 10:00 and I did it late on the second day
Please report back on when board the ship!
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22 minutes ago, opensaysme said:
I’m wondering the same. I don’t want to be there waiting for 2 hours before they let us board. I’m going to call and attempt to get an answer. I’ll report back.
So I called Carnival to inquire. The answer I got was she was able to check boarding times for this ship starting the beginning of April and onward and she was able to confirm that the boarding time is actually 1:00pm, boarding stops at 3pm and the ship leaves at 4pm. Priority boarding guests are given a boarding time of 12:30pm which explains why only diamond and platinum guests are reporting to have received the email and no one else has yet. I have fttf. She also assured me that there would be no way we’d board earlier than that. Idk if that part is true or not but I’m wondering if as of April they have started a new thing.
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So I called Carnival to inquire. The answer I got was she was able to check boarding times for this ship starting the beginning of April and onward and she was able to confirm that the boarding time is actually 1:00pm, boarding stops at 3pm and the ship leaves at 4pm. Priority boarding guests are given a boarding time of 12:30pm which explains why only diamond and platinum guests are reporting to have received the email and no one else has yet. I have fttf. She also assured me that there would be no way we’d board earlier than that. Idk if that part is true or not but I’m wondering if as of April they have started a new thing.
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6 hours ago, csm5986142 said:
This is exactly what we experienced on Celebration in January (I thought it was a very quick and efficient boarding process, especially compared to Mardi Gras).
Someone else posted about this recently and I believe the consensus was that the late embarkation time is unusual and nobody knows why for sure, but there were some guesses (link below).
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2924495-new-boarding-time/#comment-65027416
I actually found this post after I posted. I should have dug deeper before I posted. I searched first but not properly. Thank you!
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9 hours ago, orangeglitter said:
Thank you for replying. No one seemed to understand my question before. I wonder if I should still request the earliest checkin. I don’t need to wait for hours to board.
if I ask for a later checkin and the boarding starts at 10:45 as it did for my February cruise I would be disappointed.I’m wondering the same. I don’t want to be there waiting for 2 hours before they let us board. I’m going to call and attempt to get an answer. I’ll report back.
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32 minutes ago, CarnivalShips480 said:
For Celebration, we had an arrival of 10:30 to 11:00 but we were allowed into the terminal at 9:45. Boarding started at 10:45 and cabins were ready at 1:30. I don't know if that boarding time you got sent was wrong or if something is different from our cruise.
I sure hope it’s wrong.
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7 minutes ago, asalligo said:
I have an arrival time of 10am next week and this guy on YouTube claims he entered the Terminal at 9:10 a few weeks ago. Unfortunately that does not mean that your cruise will not be boarding late.
thank you for that info and for the video! I will check out the video just because I like to! I saw that the cruise before mine is sold out. Maybe it’s because of the amount of ppl on board the previous cruise 🤔. I’m perplexed.
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I know exactly what you are trying to say OP. I am on that cruise as well and received the same email and have the same question about boarding time at 12:30 seems late. I was wondering why I hadn't heard boarding that late was a thing. I just opened up a topic regarding this question before finding this thread. I see where someone mentioned a charter cruise debarking Celebration that day. I don't know how charter cruises work but I question why they need extra time to debark and will cabins still be ready at 1:30.
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I received an email for my end of April cruise saying boarding starts at 12:30. That is pretty late compared to what I remember pre-"C". I remember boarding as early as 10:30 - 11 o'clock. What has been people's experience with this? I have been hearing people getting arrival times at around 10am. That's a long time to wait to board. Are cabins still ready by 1:30pm?
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On 3/9/2023 at 11:46 PM, rtfnl said:
We had 2 balcony cabins in the Celebration with a scooter each. We were barely able to get the scooter through the door in the cabin where the sofa was near the door. There was hardly any room to get by. The other cabin where the sofa was nearest the balcony was a no go as far as getting the scooter through the door. We used scoot around as well and had their smallest scooter.
So, even with the scooter folded up it was hard to pass by it inside the cabin? My dad will be using one and I am a bit concerned as these new Excel class cabins are so tiny. Also, with Scootaround what time was your scooter at the terminal?
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1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:
If one has enough money in the checking account it probably won't be a concern, but as folks have pointed out it's real money that is being held and not a credit line.
OP, here's my personal experience. We put a debit card to hold our account one cruise and I knew that they would put a hold on the account so I planned for it (this wasn't Carnival, BTW, but the result would likely have been the same). I made sure that we had money in the account to meet our budget plus some. I also made sure that we kept within our budget. We disembarked after getting our final bill and stopped for gas just after leaving the port. I used the ATM to check our balance and to get a bit of cash for incidentals. Account overdrawn. What happened was the cruise line put a hold on our account for the balance of our bill the night before disembarkation and then the actual charge went through the next morning. While I had a little in reserve I didn't have twice the amount in reserve so it over drew the account. I was beside myself because that reserve was supposed to get us home (Miami to Vermont with 5 kids). We did have a credit card that we were gong to use for gas but it didn't have much of a limit and it wouldn't be enough to cover much else. The good news is that when we next stopped for gas the hold had been released and all was well in the world. Haven't used a debit card since then. The moral of the story is debit cards are okay to use but you have to be prepared by having enough money in the account to cover the holds and the final charge to keep from overdrawing. If you can manage that then using the debit card is a viable option.
Moral of the story is do not hand over your bank account to Carnival. Or anyone now that you mention it. Sheesh! 😅
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Celebration Boarding Time
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted
I’m looking forward to Big Chicken too! But yeah, I was told the same thing about the boarding times from Carnival agents but I have concluded that they are just standard times but they usually board early. People have reported to me that they boarded by 10:30am on the sailing that left on 4/9. It would be nice to get to board at that time as well!