btregoning

Can you tell me which cruise terminal they were using?

4 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

I understand. I just didn't want anyone to expect a manslaughter or murder conviction since it won't happen.

 

The PR prosecutor isn't pushing for much and even offered a (verbal) plea deal which would have been little more than a slap on the wrist.

I cannot fathom why the GF doesn't take the offer if it is the no jail offer that I read about.  After seeing the video I don't think it looks good for the GF.

3 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Anello has been charged with negligent homicide.

I will edit my post, however my statement stands that if he is convicted of any responsibility toward the death of the child, it will severely undermine the family's case against RCI.

On 2/10/2020 at 9:32 PM, brillohead said:

I don't think Royal is going to back down at this late date -- if they were going to settle with the family to make it go away, they would have done it at the very beginning.  

I sincerely hope they take this all the way to the end -- these ships are NOT unsafe, and the world needs to hear about it after the outrageous accusations this family has spewed. 

I work for a PI Attorney and RCI may still settle.  We don't know how much the family is demanding, nor how much RCI would be willing to settle for.  They will be weighing nuisance value v. perception, etc.  There may still be negotiations going on behind the scenes.  I hope they don't settle because I don't believe RCI was liable.  I believe the GF made an extremely poor decision. 

The lawyers for RCI will probably continue the case until the criminal trial is finished.  If the GF is found guilty of any degree of homicide/manslaughter/murder, it will bode well for RCI, and against the family, thus bolstering RCI's case.

3 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

I asked about the coffee cards and was told they (Celebrity) had tried them out but they were not a success so were discontinued.  Pity, if they had included the speciality teas also, they would have been a winner for us when we had them last year.

Thanks so much for checking for me.  I guess it is still cheaper to bring a couple cases of water and buy my one iced coffee per day.

AirBnB takes a certain amount of trust. That is one reason I always look for a superhost and a lot of reviews. 
 

We have stayed in AirBNB/VRBOs in Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, etc and always had good luck. But we are always looking for a self contained unit. 

7 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

I noticed that another poster said they do not have coffee cards.  We definitely purchased one on our Silhouette Iceland cruise last August.  It was a last minute cruise for us and only the 2nd X cruise we have taken without a drinks package.  I also had a card for a certain number of glasses of wine, but don’t remember the details.  I do remember that the coffee card was not good for tea (which is often a similar cost) and so was disappointing for us.

 

We get on the Reflection as the OP gets off (10-20 January) and will check on the coffee card situation.

Thank you very much. I will be looking for your supply. 

If you are comfortable, I would suggest looking into an AirBnB.

We have a lovely place booked for 2 couples in a 2BR 1BA for the night before our cruise (Jan. 29 - Jan. 30), weekend of Superbowl.  I think we paid about $100 total.  I just look or a superhost with a lot of good reviews.

Great pics from your phone in low light conditions.  

There is always the old-fashioned portable radios.  

11 hours ago, whitshel said:

They definitely have iced coffees, I'll see if I can get a picture of the menu for you

Thanks so much!

I will be following along.  We are on our first Celebrity cruise, on the Reflection on January 31st.  We are looking forward to trying something new.

If you go by Café al Bacio, could you see if they offer iced coffees, and how much they cost?  I am thinking about picking up a coffee card to used for my much beloved iced coffee.

Ship:  Reflection

Length of Cruise:  10 

Cruise Sail Date: 1/31/2020

Date email offer received: 11/17/19; follow-up 1/1/2020

Captain’s Club Tier: Preview (1st Celebrity Cruise)

Booked through Celebrity or TA: Booked onboard RCI; transferred to TA

Current Cabin: 1A

Bid?  Yes/No:  No

If YES -  Bidding Details:

Cabin Category: 

Bid Offer:

Notification Date:

Accepted / Rejected:  

General Comments (offer details, etc.):  Offer:

Royal Suite:  $1500/person

Signature Suite: $1200/person

Celebrity Suite: $1000/person

Sky Suite: $750/person

AquaClass:  $200/person

Concierge Class:  $100/person

Family Verandah: $100/person

We are traveling with friends and have connecting cabins, so that was a consideration.  In addition, our cruise appears to be completely sold out and not even showing on the Celebrity website, so it seemed a waste of time also.

Saint Greg,

Thanks for your update on the Hilton Riverside.

My BF and I did end up staying there and had a nice stay for the night.  When we checked in the desk agent asked why we were staying and when I indicated we were on a joint 55th birthday trip, he gave us a $75 credit to use in the restaurant.  We had a lovely dinner and it only cost $6 plus tip.

Our only problem was that none of the employees we encountered could explain to us how to walk to the cruise ship.  We just ended up having the bellman grab a taxi for us who charged $8 flat rate to get to check in.

I would definitely stay again.

On 9/23/2019 at 9:06 PM, red-dragon said:

Thanks for taking the time from your cruise vacation to post.  Your cabana at CocoCay sounded dreamy! I hope you can enjoy the excursions offered in Costa Maya and Cozumel!

 

If you get a chance, would you let me know what type of tea bags they have available at Park Cafe, Cafe Promenade and/or WJ?  Perhaps a picture would be easier?

 

I hope Harmony isn't too rocky!
 

Much appreciated!

I hope this helps. 

23 hours ago, red-dragon said:

Thanks for taking the time from your cruise vacation to post.  Your cabana at CocoCay sounded dreamy! I hope you can enjoy the excursions offered in Costa Maya and Cozumel!

 

If you get a chance, would you let me know what type of tea bags they have available at Park Cafe, Cafe Promenade and/or WJ?  Perhaps a picture would be easier?

 

I hope Harmony isn't too rocky!
 

Much appreciated!

I will try to get a pic tomorrow. I have had a terrible time today trying to text pics to the family, so if it won’t post, I will include a list. I have had a couple of cups of tea so far and I remember they have a nice selection. 

Today was a great day at sea. Once again we slept in and had breakfast at Park Cafe prior to our FB skit pull. We each put in $20 and after 3 pulls each we walked out with $10 each. It was a lot of fun. 

We did the escape room this afternoon and had a great time. Luckily we survived and made it out in time. My only complaint would be the staff member gave us clues when we didn’t ask for them. I got the impression he was in a hurry. We finished in 44 minutes, so it isn’t like we were in danger of not finishing. 

We spent the afternoon playing games games on the boardwalk outside Starbucks and then played a little trivia. Tonight was “Formal night”. I had heard that they were phasing out formal night, but our Cruise Compass indicates it was “Formal.”  Needless to say we saw everything from shorts to tuxedos in the dining room. Food was nice, the tenderloin lived up to its name. 

The adult comedy show is getting ready to start. 

As many of you may have heard, Karen is keeping us away from St. Thomas and St. Maarten on this cruise. We knew it was hurricane season and it might happen. 

The Captain informed us yesterday at the end of the muster drill that we would still do Coco Cay on Monday (today) but we would then be heading west. At that time he didn’t know what ports we would go to, or what days, but promised to keep us informed. 

About 6:30 pm he let us know that we would be stopping at Costa Maya on Wednesday and Cozumel on Thursday. 

These wouldn’t be be my first choice of ports, but better safe than sorry and we can enjoy ourselves wherever we go.  We are having some trouble picking new excursions and the weather looks a little iffy on port days. My husband and I would be content to stay on board, but I don’t think our 20 year old would be quite as excited. She was really looking forward to flyboarding in St Thomas. 

It was gorgeous today in Coco Cay and we had a great water park cabana, #54. The furthest one, and very quiet. Don and Evita were our cabana attendants and they were the best. At about 3:15 they brought us food containers with 6 fruit skewers and a funnel cake. They like to make sure all their guests try the funnel cake. It was pretty good, but I live in the Midwest so funnel cakes are fair food, and ours are hard to beat. 

I will try to check back back in and let you know how it all pans out. I know some people are grousing that the western itinerary is cheaper than the eastern and passengers should get some $ back. I am just glad to be safe from the storm. 

It is time to go get dressed for dinner at Jamie’s and the show in the aqua theater. 

Have a a nice night!

Has anyone done this recently?

I have signed my daughter up for St. Thomas Flyboarding.  I went online this weekend to try to confirm address, etc., and their website is not available.  I called and left a message and have not received a call, nor have they responded to my email. I am getting a bit concerned.  RCI shows their excursion as "sold out," so I hope they are still in business.

Does anyone know? 

We did the Amazing Race excursion in St. Maarten a couple of years ago and had a blast.  It was myself, my husband and our then 17 year old daughter.  She really enjoyed herself.  My husband enjoyed it so much he suggested we do it again this year.

Thanks for letting us tag along.  We will board the HOS in 2 weeks.  DH is fervently hoping it isn't extended to 11 nights.  Me, I would be excited.

One questions, does HOS offer luggage service to MCO?  If so, do you remember the cut off time for flights?

Have a safe trip home!

7 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Us too, West side.

We are southeast (Lake).

Just now, Host Clarea said:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2691499-hurricane-dorian-talk/?do=findComment&comment=58275633

Thanks Bob.

Where in Central IL is home for you?  I am in Springfield.

15 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Looks like from pictures did not get Damage that thought it would have. Few pictures have been posted

Where have you seen pictures?  I didn't think it reopened until at least tomorrow.

I have enjoyed reading your TR so far.  We will be on your original itinerary on 9/22.  

We also have a thrill island cabana booked.  Did you find it to be overly loud with music playing?  Someone made a reference to this, but I have not seen any actual reports.

My BF and I were in Cozumel last Saturday and did an excursion to save baby sea turtles.  If you could get hooked up with one of these excursions, it was amazing.  It was my 12th cruise and the best excursion I have ever done.  

We dug up sea turtle nests that had hatched the night before to help get the little guys who hadn't made it out.