On this subject- life is humdrum enough that I don't have to (or want to) wear my daily "rags" on a cruise. The daily uniform of t-shirt and jeans gets left at home for the duration of a multi-thousand dollar cruise, and the pretty things come out of the closet.  Sure, it's nice to be comfortable during the day- but it's also wise to take advantage of enjoying those beautiful backdrops you get at sea, whether it be a sunset on the aft or the ambiance of the main dining room outfitted with brass and crystal chandeliers. Photos aside, we get old soon enough, with few enough chances to enjoy the special treatment afforded a cruise passenger. Besides for that, the flicker of pleasure in my husband's eyes is worth the extra 10 minutes required.

We have a Fall cruise on the Pearl booked and it will be our first with NCL. I am wondering if there are some folks here who can tell me if this cruise attracts any party animals... reason being that our aft cabin is right over Bliss Ultra Lounge which has the bowling lanes and late night karaoke.  Looks like those activities shut down by midnight- but I know that these Fall cruises generally have fewer night owls/ young couples due to school being in session, pools being closed, etc. I'm thinking that folks in our age demographic (60s) will be a little more likely to have a few drinks and go back to their cabins. I really don't want to switch out cabins at this point because of potential noise, but would like to know if we need to bring earplugs.

I think that yes, we will cruise again-  Although my husband never was a big fan of the cruises we took out of Galveston, I think he would really like Canada and the Mediterranean.  We don't cruise to gamble or to chow down at the buffet, but to see things we haven't seen before.  With all that said, neither one of us would like to get stuck on the neverending sea voyage, even if we weren't ill.  Covid is going to have to burn out before I make another reservation, and I definitely need to get my deposit for the last cruise I booked (NCL Canada) prior to booking another.

That's it. That's what I have been expecting.  They are going to let the virus die on any and every surface of old age and hope that it burns it's way out of the public by summer.  What an age we live in.

The coronavirus is really like a forest fire.  I am not resigned to catching it, by no means. But, was talking with my sister the other day and told her it was like trying to hold back a wave with your body.  There are just too many variables and unknown contact points, both on and off ships and now, just in general life.  For example- I sing in a group where the leader was sick this past week.  He is married to a nurse who works in one of the biggest hospitals in Houston. There is also an active case in Conroe a few blocks away from where they live. If she is unknowingly exposed, then he is exposed.  He does setup for the band so his hands touch everything... mikes, keyboard, guitars, ipads, stands.  I started wiping down things that I touched frequently about two weeks ago, but CV is so contagious all it takes is a cough aimed in the wrong direction at the wrong time.  Add that to the fact that they are still practicing intinction at our local church for communion which is totally the wrong thing to do anyway, regardless of a pandemic.  (Intinction is the practice of dipping a piece of the communion bread in a common cup of wine/juice. Many people end up sticking their fingers into the cup accidentally). I am out of pocket for the next two weeks for Spring Break, stay-cationing with our grandkids here at the house.  We should, as a country- really know if this is escalating exponentially in 14 more days.  For all of our sakes, I hope it doesn't- and that warmer weather will put the Kabosh on it.  If not- we do what we can in the meantime, especially where it pertains to exposure.  Every person on these boards loves to cruise, me included.  I hope that the industry can survive this hit.

Early this morning I was reading about a number of Filipino crew (on DP)  that were infected along with a smaller number of Indian personnel. It is not hard to see how this spread quickly...food handling, cleaning... any personal services rendered had potential to transmit the virus.

I think it all comes down to reasonable customer service in the end.  Missing a port or even two on a voyage is part and parcel of the vaguaries of weather and chance... rough seas, hurricanes, dock strikes, men overboard, etc.  As cruisers, we know that every line is in existence to make money- but part of that ability to make money is based on the ability to secure passenger loyalty.  With regards to an absolutely demolished itinerary, good customer service should include offering pax a complete refund and/or cancelling the cruise until COVD-19 runs its course (which may be quite awhile).  So, I understand your chagrin and hope you find some resolution in all of this. I gave you some Twitter support👌  Hang in there.

14 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I'm not trying to argue, but rather understand (one negative of forums is not getting non-verbal communication).  How is weight creeping up not gaining the weight back?  I lost over 50# a few years ago by reducing calorie intake and increasing activity.  Where I fell apart was maintenance mode: eating "normally" (not paying attention 😉 ).  While I didn't gain it back overnight, the weight did come back.  My husband and I more found when people wanted to know our secret and found out it's the tried and true "exercise and eat less" they weren't interested since that's work.  Many people want a quick fix and no effort.

 

Do you have any tips for staying in maintenance mode?  I suspect for me I will always need to track my calories to avoid the creep up, but I also have a strong enough family history of diabetes that I will likely be tracking one way or another 🤷‍♀️

pacruise-  Weight "creep" is unfortunately a very normal part of life as most of us live it... from the mid 20th century to now.  If you look at photos from the 70s, you will see that people are much leaner in general.  This is even truer when you look at photos from the 40s and 50s, which we've been doing lately in an attempt to scan family pics into a digital format.  There are tons of reasons why- from hormones in meat to misinformation about fats and cholesterol- to a very high rate of antidepressant use which encourages weight gain, to disrupted sleep patterns, stress and cortisol, the wide availability of fast food and a culture which heavily promotes alcohol and soda.  What I have seen generally, is that people have a preset conception of how they can lose weight- (which is generally scientifically wrong), but they never implement their system for longer than a couple of weeks because a system that actually works involves prolonged effort and discipling.  

It is absolutely normal to gain weight back over a period of years of eating "normally".  I think that people feel guilty about it though, and that compounds the difficulty in the thought process about losing it again.  The rationale may be something like "I lost if before- I know I will just gain it back so why bother".  That's wrong thinking.  People don't feel that was when they put gas in their tank only to have it run out.  They go and refill it again.

In maintenance, I think what is important is that you set limits for how far you will let it go and then work at it for a period of time before it gets out of hand.  For example:  I had a friend who wanted to hire me several years back... very nice person.  She and her husband had allowed themselves to get to the point where it was hard to walk even and they were not disciplined in their eating habits.  They needed to attack the weight issue at least one way and since they didn't want to pursue cutting calories, they needed to exercise at least.  I suggested walking, light weight training and swimming- none of which struck a chord with them.  I've lost touch with them, but I would imagine they have probably pursued bariatric surgery by now- which ironically forces you to do (eat less) what you could have done earlier when  the weight hasn't caused peripheral issues that make it hard to move.

14 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

 

 

 

I think what I find most about people who insist that "diets don't work" is that when they see someone successfully losing weight by modifying their eating habits- say, "Oh, you'll just gain it back once you start to eat normally."  Well, no you don't.  Weight creeps up over a period of time unless you habitually gorge on high calorie food or alcohol.  I was down at my goal last Spring, but hosted a ton of parties where I cooked and took some nice vacations where I indulged myself.  I had a lot of fun and drank good wine with my spouse and our friends and family.  I don't begrudge that to myself or anyone- but as my husband and I laugh about it... if you do the crime you gotta pay the time.  I estimate being close to my personal goal around Easter, at which time I will just go into maintenance mode.   

5 hours ago, JenGi said:

I'm doing the same as you are.  Its been difficult for me to exercise lately,  too cold outside but still trying.  

Keep up the good work, Jen.

Well, dawg- since you seem to know it all, I guess you'll never be in that position.😊

3 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

I noticed the new process when I was checking prices last night. I declined the drinks package on my next cruise because the cost for 21 days was more than the cost of what I will drink. They have priced me out of the decent champagne, so I'll just buy lower cost drinks when I want one.  For my nine day in November I'll probably upgrade to the Premium package if the Veuve is still available. Birthday cruise!

Nothing like a little Veuve Cliquot on the balcony- Yellow label or Grande Dame:)

Since I have a certification in Personal Nutrition Counseling, I won't argue with you. Suffice it to say, it works for me and has worked for my clients.  Up the activity and cut out some calories. Since basal met is about 1300 for me, burning an extra 400 a day is no big deal.  

32 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

What determines a "normal" state?  Is this normal vs over/under weight or a different normal?  This doesn't make sense to me.

 

 

1200 calories plus exercise seems excessive for 1# per week loss.  I have had success tracking food (and regained when I stopped tracking and was less aware of intake).  A pound per week is should be healthy and doable and I wish you well - there is a weekly weigh-in thread that helps with accountability if you want to join.

 

Not to nitpick too much, but a pound of fat can't equal 3500 calories - one is a measure of weight and the other a measure of energy.  I have heard though that to lose a pound you need a 3500 calorie deficit (through diet, exercise, or a combination) from your base metabolic rate (what your body burns just to keep you alive), or a 3500 excess to gain weight (yes, some people have that issue too).  I am also aiming for around 1# per week loss, giving myself 2 grace weeks for holidays and rounding down to 50#/year.

So you can opt out then, at that point if you didn't realize what it cost before?

Have a great cruise!

It's just going to cause some chagrin to folks (couples) who have a daily cocktail together, thinking it's free... and then finding out it cost them about 40 bucks a day in gratuities at the end of the cruise. As the old saying goes- caveat emptor.  Pays to read the fine print, and the good old parental saying, "Honey, there ain't nuthin' for free."

10 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I was happy to wander up there just now after our excellent dinner in the Grand Pacific. As you suspected, it is all crew space. On each side in the corner is a “Crew Only” staircase (available to pax in the event of an emergency) as well a “Crew Only” store. Just forward of these spaces on each (interior) side is a “Crew Only” locker.  

Thanks for looking, Turtles. That makes sense, as that's the handiest place to put supplies for the stewards and the butlers who service those aft areas.  You probably know all the secret passageways after being on Gem so long!

I spoke to our TA for the first time yesterday.  It's our first time on NCL and I knew more about some things than she did.  She was very nice though.

Well, thinking about your caloric intake while you cruise is not really the approach I would take-  If you want to be at a certain weight after the cruise, lose about 2 to five pounds before you cruise, and enjoy the cuisine on board which you've paid for ahead of time. Five real pounds is about a month of easy dieting.

The other advice is very good.  I think that taking the stairs, limiting your alcohol and sharing desserts (if you are traveling with a spouse) are good ways to minimize weight gain. Another easy way to rev up your metabolism is to soak in a hot tub for 15-20 minutes.  It has the effect of raising the amount of calories you burn for a while after the soak.

This article talks about it-  I just copied the title author and date- but you can put that into a search engine and find it pretty easily.   

New Research Suggests Hot Baths Could Boost Your Metabolism

Hello everyone-  We have a cruise booked this Fall and I am joining you in shedding some pounds.  I have an August goal of being under 145 lbs. As a pound of body fat  equals about 3500 calories, I plan to do what I've done in the past and create a 500 calorie deficit each day and lose about a pound a week.  If I stay active, this is actually not all that painful- except for cutting out the nightly glass of wine:(

Eating about 1200 calories and exercising will do it for me.  How about you?  If you lost a pound a week, where would you be in June... or August... or October? A year has 52 weeks.  Where would you be if you lost 52 pounds this year?

Just a question for one of you folks on the Gem right now-  if you happen to meander to the aft on deck 9, could you let me know what is next to the corner cabins back there?  The deck schematics show it as white space but I suspect it is crew closets, electrical or crew staircases. Trying to figure out if it's noisy back there.

We pack differently- more dual purpose clothes and merino wool next to the skin for Fall and Winter trips. Fewer shoes and handbags than when we really used to dress up for formal night on cruises. Goal is to wear something twice on a 7 day trip, and use spinner suitcases that nest.

The years past have also given us some insight as to what we can do without in terms of excursions...  I am glad we did it, but I would never climb the falls in Jamaica again.  Would never go to Jamaica or Bahamas again, actually.  The islands we have enjoyed have been St. Thomas and the Caymans- Bermuda is quite nice as well, but not beachy.  Drinking at  Margaritaville and Senor Frog has never been our favorite thing to do. Now, if we drink, we bring our own good quality wine along with us in a carrier.  Rather than book a long bus excursion, we are more likely to rent a car locally and explore on our own and find a local eatery or historical attraction.  I will probably never book a 5 to seven hour excursion from a cruise ship ever again.  We read more.  We book better cabins with balconies, so we can have that precious private swish time while watching the waves sparkle.

We use vrbo properties in a much more relaxed way and some of our best stays have been in Bed and Breakfast properties.  We are flying more often in state rather than drive for a long time so we are not exhausted at the end of the trip.  Interesting fact: a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne on land can cost as little as $35.  As an add on for our upcoming cruise, it costs about $100.

Even with the corkage fees, it ends up being 50% less expensive. Nice to have while watching the porpoises:-)

We cruise in early October- and I have browsed the rates for several hotels, most in the $400 range (right now).  The way I am going to approach this is to find an acceptable hotel (it's our anniversary so no budgetel that night), make a cancellable reservation and watch for special rates coming up in late summer.   We are loyalty members at Hilton (Hilton Honors) and I have my eye on the Faneuil Hall Hilton right now, so I might book a standard there and see if they run a Fall promotion later on in the summer which they often do.  Then, I will book the lower priced (or better room) and cancel the previous reservation. Other loyalty program (Marriott, Accor) members get notifications when promotions are run... and invariably, at least 1 chain will run promotions around the time the kids go back to school-

It's worth joining the loyalty programs to get the notifications, even if you don't end up staying at the chain. 

FWIW-  the Holiday Inn Express is a cheaper option that is supposed to have a cruise shuttle.

We are seriously considering bringing 6-9 bottles of our mid priced wines on board and paying corkage as what I see in terms of the unlimited drink package tips far exceed that nominal cost, and the quality of the Viva Vino package doesn't hit the right notes for us.  Some of the wines are fine- but I am not familiar with many of them.  We just got a case of Vista Flores Catena Malbec which is fabulous.  So- unless I go down the list and get a few sample bottles of their list, I think we are going to pack our own. Too bad we can't bring Coke products on:)  I prefer the occasional Coke over Pepsi too.