Essiesmom

The sea morning sales are setting up (we don’t get to Nassau until noon.). Maserati watches do not come with a car.

All for now.

Menu from last night. Tiny print does say extra entree is $5

The theater…it’s very cold there. I’m tempted to take a beach towel to wrap up in. The beach towels are quite large, not like the thin, skimpy ones on Princess.

Salad from lunch yesterday; chicken croquettes, lasagna and apple crumble from last night; omelet, cottage cheese and fruit from breakfast:

Yesterday there was an SUV sized scooter parked in the corner outside the HC cabin at the bend of the corridor. Last evening there was an officer standing next to it and on his phone. When I came back to the cabin it was gone, still gone this morning.

My cabin. I posted several places that I booked this 4 day and the following 3 day separately. Booked inside fantastica gty as I seldom use a balcony when I have it. For both bookings I was assigned fantastica balconies. I was offered the chance to bid for upgrade on both, so I bid on Aurea balcony and YC inside. For both I got the Aurea but not the same cabin… they are four cabins apart. This is 9029, port side.

It looks like I will have to add pics from my phone. I never do forums on it because screen is so small and typing a trial. I get tha smallest phone I can, just upgraded my iPhone to the SE 3rd gen. I’ll also be breaking them is as I haven’t managed to master spacing with text between. first, my luggage

Just boarded Seaside yesterday. Dining times are for today…Monday

Aarrgh, what an exhausting day. I was on the road from St. Augustine shortly after 9am. Made a short stop,in a rest area to get up and walk around. I was in the parking garage by 1130. Got a space on the first level, so car won’t be like an oven when I get back. Had to pay for each cruise separately. It’s a long walk (in my aged opinion) from the parking garage to the terminal. The far end of the terminal. One problem is I am carryon only, so I was dragging a rollaboard with a backpack. Once inside, the line to security snaked around, up the escalator. After security I could get in the Diamond line, which was a bit faster. Then it was a long walk to the gangway. I was onboard before noon, with checkin time 1230. I went straight to my cabin, prying open the doors. It was open, the steward not finished yet. I dumped my bags and left. There was a housekeeping cart in the hallway and I begged a washcloth for it…I was sweating heavily and needed something to wipe with. I went up to 16 to go to the buffet there, but found I was forward, the buffet was aft, and I couldn’t get through on that level. So up to 18, go aft, and back down. I had some salads and a tiny sandwich and iced tea. I really wanted ice cream, but the soft serve machine on,y had lime flavor. My memory is fuzzy, back in 2019 I would go there for breakfast (we were on deck 14), never did lunch there, but it seems much smaller as far as food areas. Lots of tables, though. I went down to the Marketplace Buffet on 8 and wandered around. It is organized a lot like Celebrity Summit, with different ethnic areas, etc. I went down to 7 and checked out the gelato stand. Everything costs $7! That would be okay if they had what i wanted, but no, lots of odd flavors, no stracciatella, just two strengths of chocolate. So no ice cream for me. They finally announced we could go to our cabins at 1:30, but they weren’t completely finished. My stewardess had to come back and do the bathroom. I was napping on the sofa. Trying to do the muster thingy was frustrating. You are supposed to watch the video, then call a number at the end. But I must have watched all the way through five or six times, and no number. Apparently the video they announced for 4pm had the code. By then I had been down and had my card scanned. I went down to deck 8 to see some of the sail away, but not much to see if you are the last ship out. And through plexiglas. I’ve sailed from PC several times. I came back and pretty much unpacked. My closet only has wire hangers. Hmmm… I went to dinner, My Choice dining for Aurea. Had the chicken croquettes, lasagna, and apple crumble. Wasn’t that hungry. I got the bracelet, then had to go back because it didn’t work. Made reservation for the show Peter Punk. After supper I wandered through the shops, stopped in the Sports Bar and watched the Braves for a time, then went to the theater to get a good seat. I should be there now, but I walked out before the show started. I had a good seat until a really tall guy sat in front of me. So I mover left a seat. Another tall guy sat next to the first tall guy. Plus the CD had come out to a really loud intro, and some introductory nonsense wa going on. So I left. Too tired. Put in three miles today. Nassau tomorrow. I’m sure I am forgetting things. I’ll tuck them in as I remember. Pics tomorrow when they populate from my phone. EM

I believe @JamieLogicalhad one on Meraviglia. Different ship, but her experience might help…EM

We visited Costa Maya twice on the same cruise on Armonia. Cruise was 7 days, but hurricane Dorian closed Florida so on the way back to stop at Key West, we did a 180 and went back to Costa Maya, and then Cozumel again. EM

It’s off I95 at the St Augustine exit where the outlet mall is. It’s on the east side of 95, on Outlet Blvd, except that mall no longer exists. Lots of hotels and car dealers now. EM

I’ve had my hotel breakfast of OJ, biscuit and gravy, peach yogurt. Took a ten minute walk around the hotel to satisfy my Fitbit, and to collect license plates. Two GA, including me. UTAH, CO, AL, AZ, TN, KY, NY, NJ, SC, lots of FL (imagine that…must all be rentals…), Ontario, MI(pure…),DE, and one Diplomat. Comfortable, just 80. People complain about their ankles swelling when they are on a cruise. This had never happened to me until a cruise in March. But just the left ankle, and it swelled during the day for many years after a bad sprain. But that stopped a few years ago when I lost weight. Cruise in June to Bermuda on Summit and both swelled, and continued through my 3 day drive home. So I may take daily pics as the cruise progresses. Starting today:

It’s a lovely morning, and I am up way too early, but that’s normal for me. I have arthritis in my back and don’t sleep well. Five hours is a very good night. Thus the naps… Pictures finally populated, so here is Fords Garage. The round clamp was the napkin ring.

I’ve never done a ‘live from’ on CC, although I have kept live journals on other cruise forums. Keeping a journal helps me to remember, distinguish one cruise from another. A bit about me. My non-username is Carolyn, when there are multiple Carolyn’s I can be Carolyn Jane, or CJ. I am a little old lady, turned 79 earlier this year. I have over 50 cruises, the earliest in 1972/73. Then there was a gap until 1999. I am a retired registered nurse, specialized in maternal child health. Also retired military. I mixed sailing solo with sailing with my sister, and after she retired we always sailed together. I lost her early last year, so I am slowly easing back into sailing solo. One of the problems I have encountered is that lines are reluctant to book solos. I also prefer to be able to drive to the port. Living about 35 miles SW of Savannah, that means Jacksonville or Port Canaveral. So, this morning I left my house a few minutes after 9am. I drove the back roads until I got onto I95. I hate the interstate and take the back roads when I can. I have at times driven all the way to JAX on US17. I pulled off at the Florida welcome center to check the texts that had been coming, then continued to JAX and took the east I295 bypass. Traffic was pretty good, just one non-sensical slowdown when two Sheriff vehicles had a truck pulled over. I always drive a day early (except to JAX, which is only two hours) so I had a reservation at a Hampton Inn I95 at St. Augustine. There is a large outlet mall here. There used to be two, but one died. I was earlier that I had expected, so I walked the mall all the way and back. About 1.5 miles. In 93 degree heat. I am in a study on atrial fib, monitoring exercise with an Apple Watch. This walk got all 30 minutes I needed. I drove to the hotel, checked in, and took a nap. Old ladies need several naps a day, and I was behind. Then I took a bath, and headed out for dinner. I asked at the desk for recommendations, and ended up at Ford’s Garage. It is a restaurant in one of the service bays of the old Ford dealership…which is still there in newer buildings. Actually it is connected to the Lincoln showroom. I would post pics but they haven’t migrated over from my iPhone to this iPad. But you can check it out at fordsgarageusa dot com. Anyway, I had a patty melt with fries. I am back in my room, having watched the Braves win their second game today. Bedtime soon, not too long a drive tomorrow. EM

I would keep an eye on what it would cost to book YC now. Keep checking. And if you get the invite, decide what it might be worth to you to be in the YC with less space but different ambiance. And it’s only a bargain if the bid you are comfortable, if accepted, would still be less than if you had booked it outright. EM

See post #115.

Go to the board here for Celebrity. There is a pinned topic at the top of the board for S (Solstice) class cabins. People submit their cabin reviews and they are compiled on a spreadsheet. Link to the spreadsheet is in the first post on the thread. That cabin will be the same on any of the S class ships. it is a quad cabin with a convertible sofa and upper bunk. The bed will be by the bath. It is a connecting cabin but the connection is by a vestibule, no interior connecting door. EM

Cruisedeckplans has two pics of 12118. Pic of cabin and of the long, narrow balcony. EM

How many are in your party? The bed for the 3/4 persons is a double sofa bed. It appears you are Fantastica experience. So you will have assigned dining time and table. Seaside often has three seatings, 5:00-7:30 means you have one of the early seatings. Your dining time and dining room will be printed on your cruise card. If it is not satisfactory, see the Maitre’d to see if it can be changed. EM.

Did anyone READ post #10? The OP wants to go fishing in ALASKA. Easily done if he books two cruises with a gap between. EM

There are multiple ships/lines that sail between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier. They are one week cruises. You could sail to Whittier (Princess or HAL), get off and spend a week or more in Alaska, then take another ship from Seward or Whittier back to Vancouver. Or you could take the slow boat up and/or back on Alaska Marine Highway ferries. Consult cruisetimetables.com for cruises from Vancouver/Seward/Whittier and see what you might hook together. EM

There is a website cruisetransatlantic.com that currently lists all TA cruises for 2023-2024. It is not a travel agent website. It shows the date, start and end ports, and cruise line, but not the name of the ship. Use it as a planning tool. Note that QM2 leaves on her annual world cruise in Jan. and does not resume crossings until mid to late May. EM

I’ve viewed everything I found on cruisedeckplans for inside HC cabins. It appears there is an entry ‘hall’ , the bathroom door opens on one side facing a full length mirror, and if you walk further you can see the foot of the bed. It seems not all cabin arrangements are the same, especially if there are upper bunks. I suggest you go to cruisedeckplans.com, choose Princess, then select each ship in the Royal class (no pics on Royal or Discovery). When you have selected the ships, scroll down the left side to Interior, then click on HC cabins. If there are any pictures, there will be a tiny camera icon. Click on that to see the pics or videos. I borrowed some pictures from the site. The first and last are from Enchanted P E321. The middle pic is from Regal D419.