OCSC Mike

Took about 10-15 mins to pop into the terminal, use the customs facial recognition, & get right back on the ship. For those who have posted “I hope I can just stay on the ship”, it wasn’t a big deal whatsoever, but I know it may vary by port.

So far so good. Reported to Star Lounge at 8:45am as instructed. Sat here for a while. Eventually a crew member came by, asked for our old/new cabin numbers, saw we had already checked in on the app, and gave us our new sea pass cards. Apparently there are 400 or so people still showing as onboard as of 9:20ish. He said as soon the number is closer to zero, we’ll go into the terminal to see customs, then come back to the lounge for about 15 mins while they finish sanitizing the ship before having 90 mins or so alone. There are 24 B2Bers today and we were offered lunch in the MDR at 11:30. Not sure if we’ll go or not. May check it out if picky wife wants to but I’m a big fan of the day 1 paella in WJ (or day 4 in this case).

We’ve been experimenting with my non-drinking wife for years. The change is really nice for her. She’s mostly settled on virgin strawberry daiquiris but the point is she can now get free fun stuff instead of just sitting in the DL with me so I can drink (and be social). Vouchers are also great for kids. It was fun taking my 12 year old niece “to the bar” on Harmony.

Thanks. Waiting to meet in Star Lounge at 8:45 for turnaround. Just used the “extra” Diamond drinks on disembarkation morning for some bottled water for next week & iced coffee at Cafe Promenade mostly b/c I feel obligated to get free stuff, lol. Already had plenty of DL cappuccino. 🙈 Might be a little jittery this morning.

😳😳😳 Two main places to eat incuded food, the snack shacks & the grills (Chill Grill & Skippers Grill). Snack shack… crispy chicken sandwiches, mozz sticks, amazing funnel cake. One menu hack is to put mozz sticks & marinara on top of the chicken for a chicken parm sandwich. Grills… taco bar with freshly made flour tortillas, beef, chicken, pork, & all the usual fixins including guac, salsa, etc. It’s not gourmet obviously but it’s also not Taco Bell. They also have Cuban sandwiches, fake cheesesteaks (I’m from Philly, maybe their good, I wouldn’t know, lol), salad, burgers, & hot dogs. Gotta run as it’s turnaround day for our B2B but that’s the gist of it. My favs are the chicken, funnel cake, & taco bar. Good brownies in multiple locations too.

Well stated, IMO. The free drinks & socializing went hand in hand. We still stop by each night but we don’t stay long anymore.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Haven’t done any specialty or a la carte dining yet but going to Giovanni’s tomorrow night & likely Playmakers on Tuesday for burgers & the cookie. The included food has been the usual… some good, some bad. Still a big fan of the included food on Cococay.

Is that mustard? 😳

I’m definitely enjoying the vouchers although I was also happy with the happy hour drinks as well. The inclusion of frozen drinks & ability to try random stuff (like the unique drinks at Playmakers*) has changed my cruise drinking routine, I think for the better. I was content drinking vodka tonics each night in the DL but the variety that comes with the vouchers feels more like a vacation thing to me. JMO of course. *Playmakers note to John: Black & Gold wasn’t for me, I’m a clear liquor guy, but gave it a shot. The “Pitch” I got was crazy strong & I think I need a do-over. The bartender even asked if it needed more Sprite so I think he might have suspected he made it too strong. It was a pretty bright green but didn’t taste like Midori. I think we’re having dinner there Tuesday; will seek out Alex then.

On non-Oasis class ships you may find them in the WJ. Based on my experience on Indy the past few days… stay away!

Sorry to hear that but I wouldn’t let one bad experience influence you. Airlines lose luggage, accidents happen, etc, but the large majority of experiences will be positive.

I’ll try to update tomorrow or the next day but it should go as others have posted as far as packing, hanging clothes, etc.

Met the captain in the Indy DL last night… not sure there were more than 8-10 of us in there. I’m sure he was just making the rounds as the ship slowly drifted from Cococay to Nassau but we had a nice quick chat. It’s been very empty in there during both breakfast & happy hour but I don’t see them getting rid of it… or at least I hope they don’t. Maybe it’s b/c we’re used to going there from the open bar days but we still stop by nightly, though we don’t stay long. And there’s still the coffee machine of course.

You may want to try RapidTestAndTrace if you have free government tests lying around & the emed/Navica stuff sounds complicated (not passing judgment, truly offering an alternative you may prefer). You pay $20, make an appointment (available 8am-11:45pm et), then click on the link in the confirmation e-mail when it’s time for your test. No accounts to set up. You just need ID, any FDA authorized test kit & they ask for your first destination. Our proctor was also very friendly & asked repeatedly if we had any questions. She also stayed on after sending our result e-mails so we could verify the info was correct (no typos, right date, etc.)

Pretty sure it’s b/c they do some industrial sanitizing in the cabin hallways now. Something akin to fogging them with I’m not sure what. I’m currently on my 1st B2B (just a 3/4-nighter) on Indy & tomorrow is TAD. So far it’s gone smoothly. Received the expected instructions on day 2 to meet in a lounge. Told my cabin attendant on day 1 & he seemed prepared & ready to assist when the time comes as we’re moving cabins. Not expecting any issues but will try to post a quick update tomorrow for those interested. We’re just trying to decide how to spend our short time on an “empty ship”, lol. Sitting by the pool/Solarium seems like a boring idea but not sure there’s much else to do. (Yes I realize this is a good problem b/c we’re not going home).

Ironically, the DL coffee machine was in need of maintenance this morning. It looked cleaned & prepped but I got some error message about water pressure and of course no one was around as the little breakfast spread starts at 8 on Indy. Fortunately, I saw a crew member going into the SL on my way out so I tailgated him, apologized for the intrusion, told him the DL machine needed attention, and used the machine in there.

Spoke to the DL concierge on Indy about the coffee machines being turned off overnight & not available til 7am now. He said shoreside (corporate) made the change b/c kids (not sure how they knew it was specifically kids) were entering the DL when it wasn’t monitored, letting others in who weren’t Diamond, and too frequently breaking the machines. This doesn’t make a ton of sense to me b/c there’s no staff in the DL most of the day yet the machines are obviously on and available but that's what I was told so figured I’d pass it along. The concierge, Gavin, was very nice and I’m sure he was also just passing along what he was told. Anyway, since it’s almost 7am…

Yes. You can use any proctored FDA authorized test.

You’re good without a CLIA number at all (just boarded Indy without one from RT&T) but sure, print both, no downside. Whatever makes you most comfortable.

Speaking of drinks & gluttony, I didn’t forget about you. Waiting to board Indy now. Our muster station is near Playmakers & I plan to get a drink there after lunch. I’ll try to find Alex, if not today, sometime this week.

For anyone interested/concerned, as expected, no issues whatsoever at the port. They only look for name, DOB, & “negative.” Got to PC around 10am with a 10:30 check-in time & sitting in the terminal in less than 15 minutes.

Do you really not understand that it's simply a difference of opinion and that's OK? I find the cappuccino in the DL/SL quite good and enjoy drinking it every morning. Clearly you have a different opinion and there's nothing wrong with that. Not sure why you keep repeating your opinion as if it's fact. Tastes are subjective.

This this this! Leaving on a B2B tomorrow & going to Cococay twice in 7 days was one of the reasons.

It was nearly non-existent in my GS on Harmony and pretty bad all over the ship so who knows?

I’d rather enjoy what I find very enjoyable for free, lol.