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jam19872016

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Posts posted by jam19872016

  1. 5 hours ago, tbmrt said:

    There is a standing joke in my family...They know how much I dislike Sweet Caroline song.  I think just too many events and happenings with this playing.  Oh well, one more won't hurt! 

    One more won't. It won't just be one more though 🤣 

     

    5 hours ago, tbmrt said:

    Can you request regular pasta??

    I did not ask but they were very accommodating so it is possible.

    • Thanks 1
  2. 8 hours ago, fla33023 said:

    Thank you for this write-up!  Independence is our favorite ship. Just came back from cruise #5 on her and we've been on Freedom as well. We did Symphony once and while that was fabulous, it's not in our budget nor does it always fit well with the school schedule. We just love the flow and ease of Indy. There's always good music and never too crowded anywhere. I like that Adventure itinerary and we're in Hollywood so PC is still a good choice. I think I'll leave it in the running. Thank you!

    I think you would enjoy Adventure then. It does not have the updates that those two ships have gotten, but it is even less crowded as it holds less passengers while most of the venues are still the same size. The only real difference I noticed was more crowding at café promenade since there was no Sorrento's.

     

    4 hours ago, #55worktoplay said:

    I’m too lazy to go back to original post but I’m sure you said your number to get off ship was 1 or 2 but your mom’s was 28. That doesn’t make sense if you were both in same cabin. Next time just get your cabin Steward to get you a tag to match yours.  I have never been in a cabin or even two where we all didn’t get the same numbers. Your Steward should be able to fix you up. 

    No we both received late tags. Which was not a problem, we had no need to fight the crowds getting off the ship. I did mention having priority tendering in Grand Cayman while being unsure if my mom had that option since she is not Elite. Perhaps that is what you were thinking of. I did not use the tags they gave me anyway as I do carry on only.

    • Like 1
  3. 21 hours ago, exlondoner said:

    Don’t you think also that drinking less booze than on board makes an easy difference? I suspect you don’t take your mobile bar to work.

    Definitely. My drinks alone take up almost 2,000 calories a day. 

     

     

    15 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

    I know! We need to do better at coordinating our sailings. 😂

    Seriously though, I don't think your followers can wait that long for another review. Hopefully, living Florida you'll catch a good deal soon. And please, please let me know! It's such a joy to sail along with you!

    I will be sure to post a link whenever I find myself setting sail again! Hopefully sooner than later 🙂

     

    • Like 4
  4. 5 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

    We'll be sailing on Harmony that same week but in a different direction. Hope you find something sooner. Don't work too hard. 

    Oh no, that means you won't be able to follow live. 

     

    I love Harmony, wonderful ship! My favorite of the three sisters I've sailed on. Sad to see her leave Florida. First Harmony, and now Mariner. Texas is getting all my favorites. 

     

    My boss reads my reviews, so of course I will be working very very hard 😂

    • Like 1
    • Haha 3
  5. 6 hours ago, fla33023 said:

    Have you been on Adventure before? I'm debating on a similar cruise but I've never sailed that class (only higher). I'd love your thoughts whenever you are rested from returning to work.

    I have not been on Adventure before. I have sailed two Voyager class ships before.

     

    Mariner I have sailed on more than any other ship, close to 50 days onboard. I love that ship. It shows its age here and there but it has been amped and has many wonderful features added to it such as Playmaker's, even though the venue isn't really big enough.

     

    Explorer I sailed once. I was honestly not a fan. The first three ships in the class had a slightly different design and while it is possible I was just used to things being laid out a certain way and perceived it negatively simply because it was not, I felt like the layout was clunky and they made great improvements on the later ships in the class. It was fresh out of dry dock (third sailing post) but it seemed very worn down and tired. It was not amped and did not receive any of the features present on Mariner or other new ships.

     

    The AC was not working well in most areas of the ship, including my stateroom. A talk with Guest Services, who acted like they did not know there was an obvious problem with the AC throughout the ship, did resolve the problem but by the end of the week my room was running hot again so whatever the did was a temporary fix.

     

    The internet was upgraded to starlink, but it did not matter as the ship was not capable of handling the speeds starlink was capable of. I had the slowest speeds I've ever had on an RCL ship, including before starlink, and had no service in my stateroom or the dining room of all places. It was just all around a ship that was past its prime. I could not walk from one part of the ship to another without having to reconnect to the wifi.

     

    Adventure will be more likely to be like Explorer than Mariner as a first generation Voyager ship. That said, for the right price or itinerary, I would still book it, which is exactly what I did 🙂

    Just be aware that it may not have the same level of upkeep as the newer classes of ships. Any smaller than Voyager class I would have to really be in love with where it is going, but Voyager class is still an easy sell, especially out of Port Canaveral.

     

    If you have sailed on Freedom class, it is basically a slightly smaller version of that. There are less people, but the venues are mostly the same size. Same number of elevators. The biggest difference is Sorrento's has it's own location which eases the crowds at Cafe Promenade slightly and there is a kids splash pad which does nothing for me personally as an inside person.

    • Like 1
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  6. 6 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

    Great!  Cruise/restaurant food is salty so some of the gain is water. I've had very good results from intermittent fasting combined with Keto.  Keto drastically reduces appetite after the first few days, which makes it very easy not to eat.  Although I suspect it will not work for emotional eaters because they will eat when they are not hungry.  BTW, I was very happy to see how small the portions are on Celebrity.  I like to try things but I don't want the calories or the waste if I don't like it.

    I can't do keto, I love my carbs too much 😆. But I get the same results, after a few days I find myself not hungry unless I'm sitting around the house then I get the munchies. 

     

    6 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

    That first day is rough.  You keep looking for the buffet and hoping someone will wait on you or at least bring you a drink 😞

    It's especially rough around my mom, she is a very bad influence 😀. She is also quickly taking off the weight she put on at least. She only gained 10 but has already taken off almost all of it. Water weight for sure but her sugar is back in a normal range too.

    • Like 2
  7. Well with all the stuff my mom needed, that I still did not finish, I did not get to wrap this up yesterday. 

     

    I'm back home now and heading into work but I will get this wrapped up in the next couple of days.

     

    I am officially booked again. That countdown though ouch 😫 😳.

     

    Screenshot_20240324-223856_Chrome.thumb.jpg.01ea6d705b5e7e54cff14d18e5694cd1.jpg

     

    Hopefully something will come up before then, that is an awfully long wait.

    • Like 7
  8. 19 hours ago, #55worktoplay said:

    Thank you. I hope you rested up some today. 
     

    All those delicious desserts were I’m sure worth the 18lbs. It seems like allot consider all the steps you get in each day. 

    No rest for me 😆.

     

    My mom had a lot of stuff she needed around the house and I had just one day to work on it since I could not come down early.

    • Like 3
  9. 6 hours ago, Salt Lifer said:

    What are your secrets for getting the cruise weight to quickly come off?  (Asking for a friend....)

     

    2 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

    I have friends that want to know too!

    Intermittent fasting and calorie counting. There are some great YouTube videos on it that explain how it works and why it works.

     

    Using my scale at home, which weights heavier than at my mom's, I've already taken off 5.4 lbs and I've been eating back into responsible eating.

    • Like 4
  10. On 3/24/2024 at 8:49 AM, bluewater1298 said:

    Yes! I'm interested in how the shuttle back to the hotel was. Would you recommend doing it that way instead of parking at the cruise terminal?

    And please let me know when you sail again! After our cruise in April, we have several land vacations scheduled so I probably won't be lurking on these boards until the fall.

    Thank you again for wonderful review and for all the food pictures...especially at Al Bacon!

    Take care!

    I will be sure to include my thoughts on the shuttle with my wrap up. There were some issues but overall I think I would use them again, especially on a longer cruise like this where it was cheaper than port parking.

     

    I will be sure to post a link next time I cruise.

     

    20 hours ago, Missusdubbya said:

    Wonderful review, thank you!

    Thanks for following along 😀 

    • Like 3
  11. On 3/23/2024 at 11:07 PM, cinderellen said:

    We’ve had Sue on a couple cruises and absolutely love her. I want to be her when I grow up 🤣

    I enjoyed her a lot unless she was the reason for the below average entertainment. She was quite a character though. 

     

    On 3/24/2024 at 7:48 AM, riredsox said:

    Thank you for this wonderful live report!  I was on for the 12 night Mardi Gras in February and was pleasantly surprised how good the MDR was.  Happy future sailing!

    I wanted to do that cruise! I did it in 2020 and it was so much fun! One of these years the stars will align for me to do that one again!

    • Like 1
  12. It was an exhausting travel day but we made it to my mom's around 330 so probably an easier day back than most people, especially as there seemed to be a lot of Canadians onboard.

     

    I plan to wrap this up tomorrow with our travel day as well as my final thoughts. I also have the pictures from Cartagena to share still. 

     

    Thanks again for following along!

    • Like 6
    • Thanks 2
  13. 3 hours ago, hcat said:

      Enjoyed the review..

     

    How long will it take to trim that weight down.? Was it worth it? What were your favorites?

     

    Elevator situation sounds very bad..hope you and your mom get off the ship OK..Safe trvls!

    Hopefully not too long. Once I get going again the weight comes back off pretty fast for at least the first several days.

     

    Totally worth it 😆

     

    The Brownie sundae and the red velvet cupcake from al bacon. None of the meals had enough to them to stand out even if I enjoyed them. The St. Patrick's day buffet was very good.

    • Like 3
  14. 5 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

    Thank you for a wonderful review and letting us sail along! Safe travels to your mom's house and then on to yours. Like I always tell my children (who are your age) "Let me know when you get there!" 

     

    Made it to my mom's 😀

     

    5 hours ago, SusieV said:

     

    Many years ago they used to sell the unlimited specialty dining package on Celebrity for $29pp/pd but you had to buy for the whole cruise. They were pretty limited. Of course specialty dining was cheaper then too.

     

    I was so excited to see the Fraisier dessert is back! It's my very favourite treat on Celebrity.

    That would be a much better than the current price. 

    • Like 3
  15. 1 minute ago, riredsox said:

    What is a UPD room on Royal?

    Sorry, it's the Unlimited Dining Plan. It allows unlimited specialty dining for one upfront cost with a few exclusions.

     

    I have seen it on the Celebrity cruise planner recently but not seen any discussion about it, likely as the price Celebrity wants nobody is buying it. Even for this 12 day cruise with almost no upcharge dining the cost was almost $50 pppd plus gratuities. That's insane.

    • Like 1
  16. 1 hour ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

    Sad to end a vacation but it’s always kind of nice to get home…

    I am looking forward to adult sized bed again 😆 

     

    1 hour ago, princess76021 said:

    Safe travels home!!

    Hugs from Texas!

    (And don't forget to let me know when we are cruising again please)

    Thank you! I will send out the bat signal (princess signal?) when I'm cruising again. 

    • Like 3
  17. 6 hours ago, perfect match said:

    Thank you for another great review! I’ve enjoyed following along with you and your mom on this cruise. Hope you’re sailing again soon! 🛳️

    I hope so too 😀. Thanks for following along. 

     

    2 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

    A good bananas foster takes the ick out of it too…sounds very similar.

    Guess I'm still waiting on a good one then 😆

    • Like 2
  18. 9 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

    Oh, what´s wrong with her elevators? Thx.

    They seem to be working again but had intermittent issues the first several days.

     

    The back set was the worse, with two out of three stuck. I heard one person say he got stuck. 

     

    The middle set seemed to malfunction just when getting heavy use, like port days, they would not open for certain floors even if the call button was lit up. Eventually it would come but you never knew how many times you would be skipped. Conversely, when you did get on, it was amusing zipping past all the waiting floors while people looked on at bewilderment.

     

    The front set did that one time but I witnessed no other issues.

     

    They seem to be working now but for how long is anyone's guess. 

    • Like 3
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