Dock B

Mrs B here again regarding the rhinestones: some rhinestones are not actually clear all the way through like a real gemstone is. Take special care as many rhinestones have a metallic backing that could be removed if using anything abrasive like a brush…and keep in mind that toothpaste can be abrasive.

See this thread:

On 11/4/2023 at 8:06 AM, Mark_T said:

There will be MSC staff near the elevators, just approach them and explain the problem and you will be accommodated.

Yes, thank you! I too will need some accommodation and cannot do the stairs, even down, for more than maybe 1 flight and that’s kinda iffy.

DW and I are also on the 3 + 7 in the YC…not too long left to wait!

Mrs. B replying here!!

I use a small container that’s big enough to hold the piece. I’ll squirt a bit of glass cleaner (without ammonia) into the container (I tend to use a small lid from a bottle…think size of Worcestershire bottle) then put in my diamonds or other sturdy stones into the liquid to soak a minute or two. Then brush with a small brush or even a clean, old toothbrush. Rinse well and dry. I also blow through the prongs to help remove any excess water.

NOTE: don’t do this on pearls, turquoise or likely any other opaque semi-precious gem, or opals!! Be gentle with emeralds and any stones that may have been treated to make them look better than the stone would be in its natural state as use of chemicals could change the look of the stone.

I will occasionally use silver polish on my sterling pieces, being careful to avoid any gems as the polish gunks up the setting. But once polished (and for pieces with the softer stones as mentioned above) you can keep sterling shiny & tarnish free with a jewelers rouge cloth. I also keep anti-tarnish strips in my jewelry boxes; it’s the air that causes tarnish.

The jewelers rouge cloth also will shine up gold & platinum metal.

I think for other metals and rhinestones, maybe only use water and a gentle brushing. Be aware that our costume jewelry may have parts that were glued…if that glue is water based…well, you might end up with stones getting loose and falling out.

When in doubt (especially with softer stones, rhinestones, and non-precious metals), less is more and maybe doing nothing is better. And if you have a trusted jeweler, then have them clean pieces you are unsure of (pay attention to what they do so you can do it the next time).

You also might do an internet search regarding the metal or stone you want to clean and read several ideas about how others do this. I’m betting there are jewelers and/or manufacturers who have put instructions out there.

I’ve only said what I do; I’m not a jeweler or an expert on this. 

Try this thread:

We also disembark Seashore on 12/17. We originally had a 1235 flight that day that we changed to the morning of 12/18 for the very reasons mentioned above. Someone else had asked a similar question regarding flights from MCO after returning to PC; the responses given above were the same, which is why we changed our flight.

Another point that had been made in that other thread was that 12/17 is a Sunday so MCO is likely even busier due to folks returning home from doing theme parks.

Hopefully someone will be able to let you know if a 6y/o is able to join in. I think on another cruise line where we took their behind the scenes tour had an age limit.

We now include waterproof band aids after an incident on a cruise: getting off a tender, a lady with long fingernails was jostled and accidentally cut my hand with her nail. I was on blood thinners at the time so bleeding was more than would normally occur.

My DW had a little first aid hit with her so we had items to patch me up however, it was steamy in the Caribbean along with a light shower, and a regular band aid wouldn’t stay on. Fortunately, my SIL happened to have a waterproof one, which then stayed on perfectly.

My DW would love to see the prices of haircuts in the salon, please, if you have them.

We’ve enjoyed your perspectives on your cruise; we sail Seashore in December.

Thank you!

@JamieLogical was the “casual/flower glory” night a 70’s night?

Showed my DW the showertini picture and she’s planning on doing that on our MSC cruise this December!

If my DW was replying to this, she’d tell you how much she loves her Reliefband!! I love it too because now she rarely has any motion sickness. The scopolamine patch made her dizzy, which doesn’t play well with motion sickness! She does continue to bring Bonine (and maybe some natural motion sickness products) when we cruise but rarely uses them as Reliefband does the trick.

I’ve also successfully used it when a medication I was on would upset my stomach and the band helped with that.
 

As an aside: DW just informed me she forgot to bring her Reliefband with her to have after her surgery tomorrow (we’re staying at a hotel tonight to avoid a long and early drive for her arrival at surgery center); now she’s hoping she has no problem with anesthesia as then she’d have to take a pill for it that has its own set of side effects.

If you have some FSA or HSA monies to use up, I’m pretty sure we used it when we got her band.

@awhfy what is grated honey zest?

Am guessing this is probably orange zest but want to be certain.

Thank you!

Since you are on Princess, pack as you would for a 7 day cruise…at least that’s what we do when on a lengthy Princess cruise.

Princess has passenger laundromats where you can wash a load or 2 of clothes. We will get snacks from the buffet, take clothes to the washer, come back and start one of free movies to watch until it’s time to move the clothes to the dryer.

We bring detergent pods & dryer sheets though there are laundry supply vending machines in each laundromat. There is a cost to wash & dry but you just use your medallion to make the purchase of supplies and/or the tokens needed to use the machines. We don’t mind doing a bit of laundry as it gives us time to catch up on a movie we haven’t seen or to just spend time on the balcony together. Other folks do not want to wash their clothes while on vacation and will either bring plenty of clothes, rewear items, hand wash a minimum of items, or have the ship do their laundry (we get free ship’s laundry but prefer to do our own). It’s up to you on how you want to spend your time, of course!

We’ve found port days the easiest day to use the laundromat as few are using it. Late at night is also an option, while folks are at dinner and the shows but we want to be at dinner and the shows too!

Tip: If you decide to do your own laundry, stop by one of the laundromats early in your cruise, before folks start using it. Buy the number of washer & dryer tokens you’ll need; sometimes the vending machines run out of tokens resulting in you having to try other floors or going down to guest services.

Have a wonderful cruise!!

My DW used a sterling chain she already had, added what she called a figure 8 double clasp, and then clipped the clear medallion holder to it. She wore it doubled like the photo and long with other necklaces around it. 

Good to know that the card holder is something we can have. On our 1st Celebrity cruise last January, we were in a Sky suite and wondered if we could have them. We decided they weren’t for us to take because they looked so worn, as if they had been in the cabin for quite some time.

We’re sailing Beyond in a couple of months, again in a Sky suite, so if the card holders are in better condition, I think I’d like one this time!

Since you have a “very early morning flight,” might want to keep in mind that a free breakfast might not even be available as early as you need to leave for the airport.

If that’s the case, see if a hotel you select is near a coffee shop or bakery (we’ve done this) and walk there the afternoon prior to grab a pastry; a grocery would allow you to get yogurt and/or juice too.

We live about 30 minutes north of you. When sailing from Galveston, we prefer to go the day before and stay the night somewhere around League City or a bit further south to get lower hotel rates. We drive down early enough the day before to miss the southbound “going home from work” drivers on a weekday. This allows us to be more rested.

But with all that said, it is doable to drive same day. If doing that, I would suggest you start looking at a phone app map to see what the traffic is like in the Houston area on Saturday mornings, around the time you think you’ll arrive there. This can give you a general idea of Saturday traffic patterns and alternate routes.

Make sure you get your vehicle thoroughly checked out prior to the trip to help assure it might not break down. If you don’t know how to change a tire, now is a good time to learn. I think you get the idea: car trouble on cruise day is something to avoid and to be prepared for should it occur.

And you’ve probably already planned that you’ll depart town even earlier if rain is forecasted, as that can add time to the drive.

Enjoy your cruise! Just plan ahead for how you’ll handle any potential delays so you won’t be stressed!

And here is the port side, though it also may not show what you’re wanting to see.

Princess has been doing their version of Luggage Valet (EZ Check) in Fort Lauderdale since early in 2022. We used it 2/12/22 at PE.

19 hours ago, cruisegal415 said:

where do you get the shareholder request form from?

A specific OBC request form is not required. Scroll up to post #57 and zoom in. The 3rd paragraph after the list of amounts of OBC for various lengths of cruises, begins “Please provide by email, fax, …” and you’ll see what information Princess will need in order to apply the stockholder OBC.

I make a copy of my shareholder statement, cross out account number and any other non-pertinent and/or private information. I then hand write the required  information as well as the fax phone number (which you can also see on post #57 above) and number of pages I’m sending.

I fax the page(s) and keep the fax confirmation page. Even though the shareholder OBC gets applied, we always bring all these pages with us on the cruise…just in case!

—Princess calls it EZ Check

—cost is $25 per person (we only had one bag each to check so I don’t know if price changes with more bags per person)

—It was available on our early February cruise

—sometimes you’ll get the paperwork for it in your cabin but not always therefore inquire at Guest Services early in your cruise to get the paperwork

—complete paperwork and turn in quickly as the service has the possibility of being limited.

Even though you sign up, it’s very likely you’ll still receive regular bag tags for disembarkation however, there will also be instructions saying that EZ Check confirmation doesn’t get back to the ship until late and those bag tags will get to you later.

On 4/18/2022 at 10:10 AM, Moochi said:

Fast forward to day 3, I ordered a Black Forest cake during lunch and was thrilled to find out that they have amarena cherries in the dessert, the dark, tart, sweet, firm kind! I immediately figured out that I got 3/4 of the Manhattan ingredients covered! If I ask for a few cherries to go, and ask for a Manhattan made with tawny port, I can get a decent drink that is pretty close to my preference. I asked my lovely server Edwin and he brought me a small bowl of cherries.

 

For the entire day, I was carrying the precious bowl of cherries wherever I go, and hope to get a tasty Manhattan.

Thank you for the great review: much appreciated!

Our waiter called that dessert a Deconstructed  Black Forest cake! It was DW’s favorite and the only dessert she took a photo of so I’ll share it here:

On 4/12/2022 at 6:03 PM, esper10 said:

Will they give it to me on the ship? The cruise in 10 day’s I only booked it Sunday 

We had a recent cruise refared only 4 days before we sailed and the stock OBC dropped off. Our Princess TA said to re-fax it, which we did, and he also contacted (via email I think) the same folks to tell them to reinstate the OBC.

Of course, it never appeared however, my DW took the stock statement and the 2 fax confirmations with us and went to Guest Services once we were aboard.

GS took care of it for us almost immediately.

So YES, the stock OBC can be applied by the ship if you have the stock proof AND the fax confirmation…at least that’s our experience on Sky in February.