Floriduh

I am about to go on my 13th cruise and I don't own a pair of long pants. On regular nights I wear nice shorts and a button up short sleeve shirt. On elegant nights we eat somewhere else. Works for me.

1 hour ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

We've been to Nassau a ton too, this time we tried an excursion, otherwise we would have stayed on..  I was slightly bummed about the shops being closed.. As a newly minted harley owner, I was hoping to snag some merch from there 🙂

 

 

I'm curious as to why you guys don't care for HMC?  It's an amazing beach and one of the only ones I've been to that doesn't require water socks to get out into the water.. 

No city tours, no shops, no restaurants, no history, no locals hangouts to explore. 

My wife and I love to walk a quiet beach at sunrise or sunset, but haven't been to a hot crowded beach in 40 years. HMC is just blistering heat and sand. Nothing to see.

We just got off the same cruise. We did the Main Dining Room every meal but lunch. The crew were great and the service was FAST.

The crew throughout the sip were super friendly and in a great mood.

The crowd was typical of a Miami 4 day cruise. Loud groups every now and then, but just having fun.

According to our steward, the ship was around 50% capacity. No lines anywhere. Really nice. 

Everywhere you looked crew were cleaning handrails, door knobs, etc. We felt very safe.

I never encountered any air conditioning issues. It was cold everywhere I went.

We never left the ship. HMC is our least favorite port and been to Nassau enough times. Was originally booked as Cozumel and Key West. Kind of a bummer going from our two favorite ports to our least favorite. Next month is Bimini for the first time and Amber Cove. We might actually leave the ship.

Over all a great return to cruising. We had a blast.

When I sit down in my seat with a huge burrito from Blue Iguana. 

Pizza and deli are usually our choices. 

Then we go to where everyone is getting their pictures taken and watch all the couples fighting because the guys hated dressing up in the first place and want to go change and be comfortable. 

Dinner and a show.

We did American Queen Steamboat Co with a fully masked boat.

It wasn't that big of a deal. No one fought the rules. Everyone was happy to be there. 

If someone forgot (I did several times because the Grill was right next to our room and I would run out to fill me water bottle) it was a funny oops moment as they would get embarrassed and hustle back to their cabin. The passengers had a "We are all in this together" attitude.

Really, it wasn't an issue once we started to cruise. Just a fact of life.

I just booked Rapid Antigen tests for me and my wife at CVS two days before our cruise leaves. Was easy to do online and results come in an hour or two.

We have already done a fully masked cruise on American Queen Steamboats. Was no big deal and everyone had a blast. Don't really see what the problem is.

Value. Best deal means more cruising. We have 7 cruises planned right now. It adds up.

We always do the omelets station at Cucina del Capitano when it's available. Great food served fresh and fast. My favorite next to Blue Iguana for breakfast.

We get it for every cruise. Too good of a deal for the convenience. 

Dining room chairs aren't bad, but we usually ask for a booth or banquette when we get there. The request is usually noted and we never have to ask again.

On the other hand, seats around the Alchemy Bar and nearby stage area on many boats are hard for me to fit in. Hips are just too big. 

I am a big guy. Last time I cruised I was 6'5" 350 lbs. This morning I weighed in at 297. So, hopefully, everything I just wrote is a thing from my past.😁

38 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Probably around the same time in our cruising history as the fellow I mentioned initially, there was an onboard comedian (who I had never heard of before - nothing unusual about that).

 

He went by the name Geechy Guy. As I watched his show I felt more and more embarrassed for him, barely any of his jokes were landing and he was looking increasingly uncomfortable up there. Some people were booing and heckling him. ☹️

 

I didn't think another thing of it until several years later we were in Vegas and he opened for either Terry Fator or Jeff Dunham. Once I heard his name announced, I turned to Cheryl and expressed my concerns. Lo and behold he was practically the highlight of the show, I was in stitches, and wiping away the tears of laughter!

 

All is good with the world!

 

Tom

 

I loved reading this.

I was a pro comic for several years, back in the day. Probably 1988-1993??? 

Anyway, I knew Geech and loved working with him. I guess his style was pretty weird for some folks or maybe just a bit off that night. But, overall, one of my favorite comics and super nice guy.

On 7/7/2021 at 4:20 PM, 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

Usually, Hot Roll. Penny machine with only 3 reels. Min bet is 20 cents.

And that is where you will find me and my wife.

6 hours ago, CruzinKristin said:

Perhaps with the addition of these new ships, we will begin to see sailings out of San Juan again?   A girl can dream.  I miss that itinerary.

My first cruise on the Jubilee, long ago.

. 

Best itinerary I could ask for. A new island every morning. Only the Jounrneys cruise come close these days.

Lots of businesses are already using facial recognition everyday. It helps a lot with security.

When I worked main entrance at EPCOT we had to be strict about only letting people exit through the EXIT lanes. Why? They had to get pics coming in the park and compare them to those who have left the park. That way they have an idea of who is still in there.

Plus, if a guest gets away from security the "eyes in the sky" can find them pretty quickly. 

Hmm... we are Aug 19 and didn't get it.

Will check the website.

10 hours ago, JohnMI said:

I am booked on this in August (was on the Elation, now the Magic).  I haven't received an email previously about my new room assignment, but logged in today just to look and it does show the new room on the Magic.

 

My question is this: what is a reasonable deck change?  On the Elation, we were on the Upper deck.  The Elation looks like the bottom four decks are the primary room decks (with just some suites on Verandah and Grand, of course).  So, Upper deck on the Elation is the 3rd deck from the bottom.  I picked this room specifically so that it would be surrounded by other rooms and not right under a show/stage area.  Our reservation is for a "6C Oceanview."

 

On the Magic, we have been assigned to Deck 2 -- right below the Showtime Theater (which is Decks 3-5).  Now, based on the color, it appears to be a "6M Deluxe Ocean View" -- so maybe it is a proper/fair room change?

 

I guess I'm just a little bothered because it is such a low deck and right below the stage -- which I specifically tried to avoid on the Elation.  But, again, if it is the equivalent room and that is where they happen to be on the Magic, then I guess that is what I should have.  On the Magic, are all of the Oceanviews on Deck 6 and higher ones with balconies?  I'm trying to tell from the map, but I have trouble matching up some of the colors to know for sure.  🙂

 

Just thought I'd ask here to see if it was worth trying to make a change.  Or if it isn't even possible if no such room exists on a higher deck and I'd have to move to a balcony to be on a deck higher than 2.

From what we were told, final announcements would be posted by June 17th. If you have a problem you should call them immediately because after June 21 if any changes are made they will be charged normal fees for those changes.

Probably wouldn't hurt to call them. I think they are giving us those few days for this exact reason. They can't read our minds and are doing what looks good on paper. That might not be what looks good for us.

We got our new room assignments yesterday and they showed up on the website just now.

As I stated before, they are doing the accessible rooms first.

We are very happy with our room assignments. No upgrade in cabin, but a better deck. We are now on the Lido deck which makes cruising with a wheelchair a LOT easier. No elevators needed to eat or go out for a quick ice cream.

As stated above, they are supposed to have the new room assignments by June 17. 

If you have a wheelchair accessible room they are calling you sooner to talk about your exact needs. We got our call this morning. She just asked questions for now and said she would call us before 5:30 tonight with our new rooms. We need another, non accessible, room for my mother that we want close to us.

They are working on everything.

29 minutes ago, eaflorida said:

Reading some of these posts is very disheartening. Why are vaccinated individuals treating unvaccinated folks as having some kind of plague or something? If you received the experimental jabs then you are protected. If a vaccinated person does get Covid, then your risk of severe symptoms or death are extremely slim. In all likelihood you may be completely asymptomatic. So why the irrational fear towards the unvaccinated? Common sense would say you got the vaccine to protect you. PLEASE stop living in fear. Just my 2 cents.

To say it again...

The fear is not for ourselves. The fear is non vaxxers getting on the ship, testing positive, spreading to others and setting the cruise industry back to square one. These companies are hanging by a thread right now and one more set back may be the end for some.

It's called looking at the bigger picture.

We were on the Elation end of Sep. We called the Carnival Disability line. 

She said NO rooms will be assigned on the Magic till June 17. Before that we will get a call to talk about our room assignment. The Magic is limited in Fully Accessible rooms, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

We are on for August out of Miami and September, now on the Magic!!!

Feeling very lucky right now!!!

9 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

No, I am not aware of any federal statute that outlaws my printing up a spurious vaccination card for novelty use.  Do you have a US Code section to point me to?

From https://www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2021/PSA210330

Additionally, the unauthorized use of an official government agency's seal (such as HHS or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) is a crime, and may be punishable under Title 18 United States Code, Section 1017, and other applicable laws.

3 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

And I know someone who swears she had it in October '19 (before the first case was documented in the US). She has never followed up with testing to see if she did have it, and it's also a reason why she says she's not getting the vaccine - never mind her 88 year old mother who lives with her... Oh boy...

 

Tom

I've always wondered the same thing. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas of 2019 something hit our office hard. I work at a Disney call center in Central Florida. About 1/3 of the office was out at the same time. I got it and was out for 9 days. When asked, we all described it the same way. "Kind of like the flu, but different. And all in the chest." The following year was full of layoffs, furloughs, firings and quittings. Between self isolation, losing insurance, getting new insurance, etc. I never got tested to see if I had it. But in the back of my mind... I think I might have.

PS. Fully vaccinated family.

11 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Even if I were a multi-millionaire I would not spend $58k/pp for a week on a cruise ship - ANY cruise ship. That is so opposite my moral compass it almost seems offensive.

One of my best friends is a rock star. Two years ago, for his wife's 50th birthday, he got the Roy Disney suite on one of the Disney ships. It took a great deal of love for his family to splurge like this, but still made him uncomfortable. Something he would never do for himself, but a one time fantasy come true for the family. Don't know I I could.