TracieABD

I could not imagine having stayed longer than the >2 days. They tried hard, but there is just no way to make it fun. Steve- I am glad you made it home safely and are well on the mend. It was nice to see you (again).

We were told, yes, I would receive the same benefits that Jon did- as I went through the quarantine process. Nothing has appeared in our Personalizers as of yet. As far as preload Ning for COVID- better ti have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

June 17, 2022 Still Home The Wrap-Up Hi friends- Thank you so much for all of your kind words. You have been so sweet and I have loved hearing from you. I may not get back to the past messages to respond to your comments (I am so sorry... there are a lot of comments), but I have read them all. And I appreciate every single one. I promised to come back and talk a little about the quarantine process.. Firstly, we only had to do it for 2 days, so when I say it wasn't bad- it also wasn't long. YMMV On our cruise, on the Caribbean Princess- once you enter quarantine- there you stay. The rooms all have these red "Hazmat" (not really hazmat- but warnings for sure). No one is allowed to enter the room. You are not allowed to leave the room. Everything happens through the door. There is a table that creates a barrier and is used for drop off and pick up. Even when they came to test me- it was through the door. They will pretty much bring you what you ask for... sheets, pillows, towels, tissue, etc... you put the old stuff in the hall and it magically disappears. For those on longer quarantine, they have clear bags with red tape on them for laundry. There is no charge for this. We did not use this service. We were told we could order any food and drink that we wanted- this included Specialty dining and alcoholic beverages. We did use Specialty dining (Sabatini's) and one round of mocktails. All of it appeared on our on board account as a charge... then at midnight before we disembarked, it all disappeared. On the morning we ported at Port Everglades- we waited for the disembarking passengers to go. They come to your cabin and give you a 5 min warning and collect your luggage. You are escorted off the ship. We were loaded into a very, very crowded van that would take us to the Car Rental Center. Even though we were all masked with KN95s, if you did not have a COVID before you got on the van, I don't see how you could avoid it. It was the closest I had been to other people in a couple of years. Be prepared. On the ship, there were three numbers to call: - room service- most times there was a 20 min to 1 hour hold time - medical center -#6000 for guest services- including all housekeeping requests A few tips for those who have to enter quarantine: - If you decide to separate from your party- take everything that you think you will need. It is hard to get personal stuff in there... but if you need something from a passenger on the "outside"- your room steward may be able to help you get it to them. - If you think you might get COVID, bring a box of GOOD Kleenex (the lotion-y kind). Their Kleenex is improved, but after a while it will tear up your nose. It is worth the luggage space. Just don't flush them. -Prepare to be a little bored. There is just not that much to do. Jon was sick and I was getting sick- we just slept a lot. It really did help us to make our world smaller. - Know your contingency plan BEFORE you cruise. Be ready to enact it. We live 10-11 hours from FLL. We flew down for the cruise. Once diagnosed, we knew we could not fly home. We were given 2 choices- We could go to a quarantine hotel for 10 days- 5 days in isolation and another 5 days before we could fly. OR we could rent a car and drive home. By the time Jon tested positive, the storm was coming and suddenly there were not so many one-way rentals available. If we had thought that we might test positive, we would have made a car rez in advance and cancelled it if we did not need it. - With or without insurance, you will need to pay in advance... hotel, food, car rental, etc... Then you will chase the $ with either travel insurance or through Princess. I don't know how long it takes. We are waiting... - You will get $100 per person per diem for food. This is to cover Uber Eats or Grub Hub deliveries and/or room service. - We were told to keep receipts for gas, car, incidentals. We will see what gets reimbursed. It actually was not that much, so I am not really sweating it right now. - Finally, be prepared to be sick. You can wish for the best case scenario, but it might not lean in your favour. While some people have no symptoms or mild symptoms. This was not my story. I actually got sick. I could not have driven home. I am not sure what I would have done without Jon. There is a span of about a week that I just don't remember. I think I slept a lot. That is so much. So I think I will cut here. I am happy to answer questions moving forward. Thank you so much for following along! Tracie-Lynn -

Day 9,482, 623 June 13, 2022 Home Hi Friends- I am so sorry that it has taken me a minute to get back to you all... today is the first day in a long time that have felt well enough to sit at my computer for a bit. So this is the news... COVID is no joke. I know for some that it is like a cold or the flu and that is a good thing. For us, it is like a Mac truck without breaks came steamrolling through our lives. And this is WITH the anti-virals (Paxlovid). I am so grateful we decided to drive home instead of stay in a quarantine hotel. It has been so nice to recover in our house, near our friends, with our dog... Honestly, I am not sure how Jon managed that 10 hour drive. It is heroic to me. I really appreciate the texts, IM's, CC messages, and emails. I have said it before, and this only reinforces the idea- you all are a sort of family to me. I am so grateful for the kind words. I want to get this posted, and at some point I will come back and talk about our experience in quarantine on the ship. The upshot is that they treated us great- but it was still isolation. In the meantime, we are cancelling all future cruises, which makes me really sad- but we are just not ready to go through this again. We shall see what the future holds. More later (I promise)- Tracie-Lynn

Hi friends. I promise to write more in a few days… here is the upshot. Jon feels much much better today. He attributes this to 4 vaccines. I can’t argue. I tested this morning. I was negative. We rented a car and drove home for 10 1/2 hours. Jon did all of the driving. With Covid. Uphill. Both ways. Bare foot. In the snow. He is my hero. As the day went on, I got more and more sick. Aches, headache, nausea, low grade fever, no appetite, and the cough. I tested again this evening- and that is that. No surprise. I am positive. I am so grateful that I am home and in our bed. When I feel a bit better, I will share about how quarantine worked. I pinky swear. For now, all I want to do is sleep. More later- TL

Yup. But that is the gamble these days. We knew it going in.

I saw that too. Fingers crossed they let us drive home. The plan it to be taken directly to the car rental, by Princess. I will keep you posted.

It was so nice to see you again! Stay well and healthy!

Jon is my person. I just do better when I am with my person. Without being totally judgy… I am worried when people don’t report. They will never get it managed if people go on about their business when they know they have Covid. I feel an obligation to protect the staff as much as we can. They have nowhere to go. PS. I got your other message. Thank you so much. We will def let you know. ❤️

I am so sorry that happened to you. They seem to be handling it well. I promise to update soon.

Seriously. Stupid Covid. Thank you. I will update soon. Not much to tell right now.

Thank you so much for your kindness d words. I hope you remain negative and that your husband’s case is super mild. I will keep you posted!

Thank you so much, T. Fingers crossed you stay healthy. I am actually sort of surprised. And sort of not. I guess it our turn. Jon is moving around pretty well… just a little slower.

Thank you, Julie. You just don’t know. This is our first foray… we have managed to stay healthy for the past 2 + years. Fingers crossed this is just a very mild case. I loved meeting you and spending time with you! I hope to see you soon!

Yep. I am actually treating it like I have it. That way I am super cautious not to infect anyone… if I do get it.

Day 6 June 2, 2022 Day at Sea How We Received an Upgrade- A Cautionary Tale Hi friends- Jon and I slept so late for us this morning. Jon finally went to forage for coffee around 10 am. We have been taking the stairs and wearing our masks a lot, but honestly, as the cruise has gone on, we forget some too. After I drank my delicious caffeinated beverage- I went to find Jon in the Sanctuary. He was absolutely dragging… telling me that he couldn’t walk fast because of his flip flops. I convinced him to return to the cabin with me- and I tested him. And that folks… is all she wrote. The second pink line only took a few minutes to appear. I tested me, and I was negative. I know that there are some people who have blatantly stated they would not report to medical if they tested positive or felt poorly… we are just not those people… We called and lovely Caroline came to our room with her basket of swabs. She told us to wait in the room until she called with our PCR results Exactly, 45 minutes later… the phone rang with he confirmation that Jon was positive and I am negative. She informed us that Jon would be moved to isolation forthwith. I had the choice of remaining in our cabin or going with him. Honestly, we vacillated between the two options, but in the end… we are a team. We are just to better together, so I packed up my gear too. It took several hours for the team to come to move us, which was fine. We ordered a room service pizza and packed stuff. When they did finally come, the move was very fast. So the upshot is we are now in a balcony room. It is lovely. Tonight is formal night for the healthy… So we called room service and they delivered a 5 course meal to us- apps (tofu ponzu and salmon), wedge salads, tomato bisque soup, and lobster for Jon- pumpkin crepes for me. They threw in dessert… Norman Love’s Pistachio Dome and cheese cake just to sweeten the deal. We were told it would take around an hour… and it took exactly one hour. We ate on our balcony while being serenaded by our upstairs neighbor’s reggae-ton. (Rolling my eyes here). We are fine. Jon is sick… but it is not serious. I am waiting. There is very little hope that I will escape this. We are newlyweds. We are joined at the hip. And truth be told, there is no one in the whole world I would rather do this with. I have always said, the best kind of problems you can have are the ones that you can throw some money at. As long as we both stay healthy… the rest will sort itself out. I will keep you posted on how quarantine is going… Anyone want to borrow one of our super duper KN95 masks? Thanks for following along- More later- Tracie-Lynn

Day 5 June 1, 2022 St. Kitts Our Last “Free Day”… Hi friends- Happy Pride Month! Another sunny day in Paradise, for sure. We both slept well- and long. Around 9:45, Jon headed up to Coffee and Cones for our morning bevvies. The baristas have gotten to know him- so now they prepare our coffees to order. Yay! I love this. It just gets the whole day off to a better start. I decided to go into port while Jon headed up to the Sanctuary. I have said it before, but when on a Caribbean cruise, the ship is the destination for us. We enjoy the quiet ship on port days. There is such a different feel on this ship on a sea day vs. a port day (just stating the obvious). St. Thomas and St. Kitts are both walk-off ports. I walked off and onto the relatively long pier. My guess is that it might be a little over a 1/4 of a mile to the shops. It is pretty much the same as all of the other ports. Effy and other jewelry stores. Souvenir shops (I never buy them- my blog is my souvenir) . Lots of restaurants. And Taxi tours. I have to say, this was the least aggressive taxi tour operators I can remember. Say no once- and all of the taxi tour operators within earshot honour that no. I did run into some new friends on the ship and they invited me to go on their shore excursion to the beach. I was unprepared so I had to turn down their gracious offer. Within an hour, I returned to the ship empty handed and met up with Jon in the Sanctuary. It is such a hot, hot day… I could not get into my swimsuit fast enough. I didn’t even drop my stuff at the lounger. I just jumped right into the pool. As we head closer to the equator, the pool water becomes more and more tepid. It was still cool enough to reduce my body temp. Today is definitely the day for lots of sunscreen and shade. We ordered the usual suspects for lunch (gazpacho, fruit, salad, cottage cheese/ pineapple)- except Jon threw a little pizza into the mix. Balance. It is all about balance. I headed over for an “ice cream” cone at Coffee and Cones. I feel a need to chat about this a bit. This is not really ice cream per se. Ice cream may be a bit of a stretch. It is soft serve ice milk. Not everybody’s cup of tea, but it sure is mine. I am not sure if it is a Scandinavian thing or not, but I prefer ice milk to ice cream any day (unless it it Jeni’s and that is a whole ‘nother story). My dad and I would often search tirelessly for ice milk… but to little avail. I am so happy to have it on the ship. It is like having a moment with my dad. We packed it in a little early. Jon went to meet with some friends and I took a nap. It was Italian Night. I really like this menu and was so happy to see it appear! As our usual, we headed down to the MDR early to be seated. We ordered a lot of food. I had the minestrone soup, a salad, and the prosciutto and melon to start. Jon had the same. He ordered a shrimp and scallop meal and I had the veal Marsala. All was delicious… Actually, the food in the MDR has been remarkably good on this ship. We had a little dessert and headed out for the evening festivities. I do want to note, with the change in dining to the Dine My Way, and the discontinuation of Traditional Dining, the dining staff seem much less engaged or engaging. We have chatted with a few of our dining staff, and they are not loving the change. We are not either. We get that Princess is trying to keep up with the current trends, but I miss getting to know our dedicated servers. It also makes leaving a bit “extra”- extra challenging. We tried our hand first at Facial Recognition Trivia. We scored 19/28. The winner was a solo woman who confessed she “just watches too much TV”. She had 27/28! The prizes have been “headache in a bottle”- so when we lose, we actually are winning! We tried to see the comedian/ magician but he just did not do it for us. He was a bit too edgy for our taste. And the theater was packed. And there were very few masks. So we left very early in the show. And with that we headed to bed early. For some reason, we were both tired. It was a good day on board a lovely ship… what’s to complain about? Anyone want to grade an ice milk? Thanks for following along- More later- Tracie-Lynn PS Stay tuned for the how this cruise took a turn… <insert ominous music here>

I will keep my fingers crossed for you. We are in an aft interior on Aloha.

Hi Norm and Maureen! It was so nice to meet you! I am glad that you are having a wonderful time and cannot wait to see all of your pictures, once you have the bandwidth to upload them! See you around! Tracie-Lynn

The Spa pool is called the Lotus pool. It is free for everyone, but designated as an adults only pool. It is one deck directly below the Sanctuary.

I definitely comes and goes. The researcher in me would love to know its origins… I am dealing with it by thinking of it as Cabbage Soup and using Vick’s when it becomes untenable. I do think they need to get to the source of it, though. I hope your people can convey that to the Princess people.

Day 4 May 31, 2022 St. Thomas Judy, Julie, and Meh! Hi friends- I keep getting more and more behind on the blog. I always say… the hardest part of blogging is blogging. But I keep trying. And managing my expectations. We ate lunch in the Sanctuary. I had delicious gazpacho, pineapple/ cottage cheese, and the chicken Fattoush salad. Jon had the shrimp and white beans. We ate every single bit of it. Shoot, we didn’t even leave the shiny on the Bento box. Eat. Swim, Nap. Eat. Swim. Nap. And then there is Afternoon Tea, with the scone pushers. I swear that I am absolutely powerless over those scones. And they come around tempting use for three to four laps. And they don’t always take no for an answer. It is tragic! After all that food and sun, we had to nap. The ship did not sail until 10 pm, so we figured the dining room would be pretty empty. We did not get up and moving until after 6 pm, so we sat down for dinner at 6:45. It is my favorite night of the cruise… TBGCS!!!!! For those of you who know- YOU KNOW! For those of you who might not have the gumption to don your thinking caps… TBGCS= Twice Baked Goat Cheese Soufflé! This may be one of my all time favorite foods EVER! I have written poems and songs about it. It is so stinking yummy. So along with charcuterie and chilled ginger carrot soup (I love it- many people- not so much), I had the TBGCS as my main. Dessert was salted Carmel pot du crème- which was good. We played cards in the Atrium for an hour or so. So here is my petty complaint of the day… what is up with people removing their shoes and putting their bare feet up on the furniture. Not one. Not two. But three different- non related people. So weird. I am completely open to possible responses that offer an explanation for how this is ok. We were really waiting around for the performance in the Princess Theater. We were scheduled to hear a soprano. If you know me or have read blogs in the past, I am a lover of opera… and I was so hoping for an operatic soprano- heck- best case scenario- a mezzo, even! Nope. The title of the one woman show was Judy, Julie, and Me. (As in Garland, Andrews, and said performer). Just not my thing. We made a fairly hasty exit and headed back to the room. And that is it for our day. We were just done. Still another great day on a ship! Any one want to hum along to Carmen? Thank you for following along- More later- Tracie-Lynn

Day 4 May 31, 2022 St Thomas Hi friends- We docked mid-morning in St Thomas. It is a lovely port- and actually one of my favorites, but we have decided to just enjoy the ship today. If you are looking for something to do, here is my big suggestion… Take the ferry from Red Hook to St. John. Once you get off of the ferry in St. John, find the little playground, there are a set of steps right behind the playground- take those to a trail and you can hike all the way to Caneel Bay. There are so many little offshoots on the trail, if you want to have a swim on your own private beach. It is a really fun way to spend a few hours. Jon grabbed coffees for us. The process went much smoother this morning. He has taken to ordering the component separately and then mixing them in the room. It seems to work well. Anything to keep the day running smoothly. He headed up to the Sanctuary, and I began the competitive sport known as Cruise Ship Laundry (CSL). Even though we have the elite laundry benefit, some things I just like to wash myself. I found a washer, but had to go to another floor for tokens. I typically set the alarm on my phone and hover near-by during laundry. Today was no exception. When I went to stand by my washer in the spin cycle, someone was bringing their laundry from a different floor to dry. Now here is the dilemma… Do a washer and dryer come together as a contiguous set or is it first come/ first served? She saw that my laundry was finished and conceded the dryer… However, these are the social issues stemming from CSL… So I am opening this up to an informal poll- Think of that show “What Would You Do?” Please, feel free to weigh in to this deeply philosophical question- And GO! We are back in the Sanctuary. And here we will stay. I am not sure if I will eat until dinner. I am still full from last night’s snack! Anyone have an extra laundry token? Thank you for following along- More later- Tracie-Lynn

Thank you for this! It is very helpful!!!