waxing witch

I am one of those being discouraged from traveling because I have a compromised immune system. I have a cruise booked in September 2020 and I'm excited to go. I'm taking the regular flu-season precautions and ramping them up a bit. 

I am avoiding other places that lots of people congregate - like concerts. I'm sad about that because two of my favorite bands are playing locally in May, but I don't think the COVID-19 thing will be over by then so I didn't buy tickets. 

I've only been to Freeport a couple of times, but I really enjoyed it. It was years ago - we went to Port Lucaya I think, there was a beach next to a resort that was public (of course, chairs and umbrellas for a cost) and a little marketplace. There were jewelry shops and trinket shops, a few bars and a Greek restaurant - am I remembering correctly? And a Subway where I bought some juice for a guy in a Junkanoo costume because I didn't have any cash for a tip after taking a photo with him! So this will be revamped into a new resort/destination for Royal? 

OP, I'm sorry you had this experience. I remember how horrible I was when I was drinking. You and your family did what you could, but no one can control another's drinking. I like the idea of bartenders and their managers being able to 'cut off' a customer for a few hours to sober up. I also like the idea of not inviting this person along on future cruises with you.

You can't change or control his behavior, only your behaviors and reactions - don't include him in things where his drinking could be a problem. One other poster mentioned Al-Anon - if this is a family member you will have close and regular contact with, a meeting or two might give you some insight. Good luck.

5 minutes ago, Cel_cruise said:

The $500 NRD means that you can’t get it back - but only $100 of that would not be transferred to a new cruise as a FCC!  So you would be able to move $400 worth and likely your original FCC would transfer as well based on the dates here.   
 

I think it’s a good idea to check prices on the dates you want to switch to - it might all work out for you!! 

Prices the cruise before (mid-September) and after (mid-October) are within about $20 of what I paid, so I'm perfectly happy to switch to either of those. 

Thanks for the info everyone. It was a non-refundable $500 deposit. The FCC was $300 that had to be used for a sailing by 12/2020 and it was from a 2019 cruise that I had to cancel for work reasons (and I did not have a policy with cancel for work - you know I do now). 

I'm in New York, which apparently does *not* allow travel insurance with 'cancel for any reason'. I travel with a basic policy due to chronic health issues.

I am booked on a cruise in October 2020 and found out last night that a friend's wedding is scheduled for the day we embark. What are the chances that I can have them switch to a cruise the week before or after (I'll pay the difference if it's a more expensive cabin)? I'm concerned for two reasons: obviously losing some of my original deposit, but I also had a Future Cruise Credit of $300 applied to my balance and I'm concerned that will not like transfer over to a new booking. Does anyone have any experience with this type of situation? I want to have as many of my ducks in a row as possible before I call.

5 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

Was the price drop calculated on your price before adding the $300 FCC? Then you got price drop and $300 applied again?

Yup, if I had realized that the FCC would have caused an issue, I would have waited until right before final payment to apply it. I'm happy that C&A was able to do this.

I remember seeing something about this a while ago, but I can't find the post. I had $300 in Future Cruise Credit that I applied to a reservation booked in December. When I saw the price of my cruise drop (only about $75 and a bit of OBC, but still) I called the regular RCI line and was told that my total charge was $300 LESS than my original receipt showed - because of the FCC. I argued back and forth with the rep for a few minutes, but he was adamant that nothing could be done. This morning I saw another drop on the price ($126) and thought I'd try again. This time I called Crown & Anchor (I'm fancy af - gold member lol) and after a couple of minutes on hold, boom - done. Invoice was emailed immediately so I could verify, and now I'm a happier clam. if you have any C&A points, it might be worth it to just call that line first, but like so many here say, sometimes it just takes a calling a couple of times to get it done.

Just now, Biker19 said:

On a 3x5 card by GS.

Excellent, thank you! 

Someone recently posted some dailies from a recent sailing on Adventure and I did not see any Friends of Bill/Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. I’ve seen them on numerous cruises with other lines listed in the daily literature. Are meetings offered on RCCL ships and if so, where are they listed?

4 hours ago, SRF said:

 

The question is, do they test every batch?  Like the drug companies have to do?  

 

Or did they test ONE batch, and rely on, well, we make it the same way, so it SHOULD be the same?

 

Many variables.

 

 

Many of the most reputable companies I’ve found test every batch. But unless you do your own research, it’s hard to know. Many smoke and vape shops sell CBD now and don’t always know what they’re talking about. They’re just shop employees, not experts. It’s a large and unregulated industry for now. 

Lots of good info on this post. I've done a lot of studying on CBD and am a credentialed drug and alcohol counselor in my state. I also work closely with law enforcement agencies and discuss this stuff regularly.

As pointed out, CBD technically can have up to 0.3% THC. There are companies that provide the information from testing by independent laboratories that can show the THC percentage. It is possible to get CBD that has 0% THC, but not foolproof.

Drug sniffing dogs typically smell marijuana because they're trained to hit on typical smells from marijuana, which are usually produced by terpenes. The terpenes are typically what people use certain types of CBD oil for - the terpenes are suspected to have medicinal properties. So yes, a drug sniffing dog could hit on CBD oil because of the terpenes.

Having said all of that, many police jurisdictions are working on training new drug detection dogs who will not hit on marijuana because of the changes in laws at state levels and the decriminalization of marijuana. Drug dogs on a federal level have not been replaced with non-marijuana-sniffing-dogs as far as I know. 

It is likely not worth the risk for most of us. If someone chooses to bring CBD on board, I would strongly suggest not taking it off the ship at ports or through customs. 

9 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Yes, they should be and FYI, the HDMI input may be on channel 3 using the provided remote. 

Awesome - thank you! 

Piggy backing on the TV question. On the Adventure, were the HDMI ports accessible? I’m sailing in October and want to know if we can connect a PlayStation. I know we’ll need a remote to change inputs. TIA!

Thank you so much for your detailed review. I haven't sailed in a couple of years and am really looking forward to being on the Anthem this March. Even more so after your review :)

OH MY GOD!!! Does NO ONE know how these surveys work? Yes, employees may have to average say a 9.2 or 9.4 in order to get their total tip share portion, or can lose some below that, but they are not in trouble for an 8 or a 9. The company is looking for an overall AVERAGE to meet. Once they have met or exceeded that number they can make more cuts in food, services, etc. As long as they can show top management that cruisers are still happy, they can and will continue to cut costs.

 

Giving 10's for the poor misbegotten workers is REALLY telling the company this was the most lavish, perfect, impressive experience ever. I am blown away. It can not be improved. So they cut a little bit and check to see if the scores remain. It's all a big smoke show and the only loser at the end is the guest. Is anyone REALLY rating RCI's MDR food a consistent 10 across the board?

This is not how they work in retail - like another poster mentioned, often anything lower than a 9 average is a huge problem. I worked for a large personal electronics retailer years ago, first as sales/service and then as a supervisor who's job was customer satisfaction. My entire job was looking at these stupid surveys and working with all employees who had low averages. If they did not get their numbers up in a specific period of time, their employment was terminated. Our scale was 1-5. Anything 1 or 2 was immediately flagged for review and we had to intervene immediately. Each employee was expected to maintain at least a 4.5 average. At least, this is how it affected the individual employee. I understand that an average high rating could be used by higher ups to make cuts in service/etc and see if scores remain the same, but that's not the waitstaff's concern when they ask us for 10s.

Having said that, if I fill out surveys like this, I fill them out honestly but if my problem was not with the specific person, I make sure to note that in the hope that the person will not get in trouble for something out of their control. If I have a significant enough problem that I would leave a low number, I grab a manager and discuss it with them on the spot to address the issue.

:o They don't have coffee makers in balconies, outside rooms or inside rooms?! Wow, that puts them behind. Even hotel rooms offer coffee makers - and at least some other cruise lines.

I don't remember if I had them on other cruise lines because I was drunk most of the time. Now that I'm in recovery I, like so many others, have turned to that bitter, life giving bean for sustenance. I've never been in a hotel room without a coffee maker... I'm guessing if I can't get one in room, we'll just order like 6 coffees for room service in the morning and then be on our way.

Room service of continental breakfast items is free in the morning. Other times, there is a charge of $7.95 + 18% gratuity for any order.

 

 

You will be spending a lot of time at La Patisserie on the Royal Esplanade on Deck 4. ;) :D

 

(coffeemakers are in Junior Suites and above. You can ask, but I would not expect them to give you one in another type of accommodation)

Thanks for the response! Does La Patisserie serve regular, included in the price of my cruise coffee, or only fancy pay-per-cup coffee?

I know basic coffee is included in our cruise fare. Does that include room service? Any way we can request an in room coffee maker? Aside from room service and dining rooms, is coffee easy to come by? SO drinks A LOT of coffee... I drink a little less. I'm considering the refreshment package because I also like fancy coffee drinks and fresh juice and might enjoy a mocktail. Thanks in advance!

Hmmm big balcony but very obstructed. I think I'll live :) I'm more interested in the fresh air but I might have been spoiled by the aft facing balcony I had on my last cruise.

Service Animals under ADA are animals that have been trained to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities in everyday life: think a service dog who is trained to open doors for someone in a wheelchair who is not capable of opening the door on their own, or who would struggle significantly doing so. The service animal must perform tasks directly related to the person's disability.

Emotional Support Animals are mainly crap. You can go online and get a 'doctor' to say you have emotional issues and need a support animal. Most of us could have any pet certified. These animals and their people may be issues ID cards and certificates but are typically not protected by the ADA.

However, it is important to remember two things: not all disabilities are VISIBLE, and the ADA does recognize psychiatric service animals. So this policy will hopefully help discourage people without legitimate disabilities from bringing emotional service animals on board, but please remember not to judge anyone who has an animal and looks 'normal' or 'typical' because you do not know what disability they may have.

I've just booked cabin 6660 on Anthem out of Cape Liberty 3/15/19, which is an obstructed view. I have a feeling it has the davits in front of it, but it looks like it has a bigger balcony. Anyone have any input on this cabin? I'd like to be able to see SOME water ;)

I think you mean turn LEFT, not right (we'd get the eye), so to distance the eye from us. The worst (and highest) winds are the eye's surround.

 

 

 

From http://www.weather.bm, closest approach will be 62 nm WNW of Bermuda at 9pm tonight. Also:

 

 

 

HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT

 

 

 

Sunday, October 04, 2015 07:40 (local)

 

Based on a slightly closer proximity forecast of

 

Hurricane Joaquin on its pass by the Island,

 

Bermuda is now under a Hurricane Warning.

 

Hurricane force winds expected to occur

 

especially in the west and over elevated and

 

exposed areas from this evening into tonight.

 

Stay abreast of continuing updates and Be Safe

 

Bermuda!

 

 

 

This said, we have a wedding to go to this afternoon. The bride (my colleague) says it's still on - it's at a clubhouse of Port Royal - so it'll be okay. There should be an open bar serving Dark 'n' Stormies!!!

 

 

 

Here on the home front, we have already had shower, the cat flap is shut tight, all 3 cats are indoors with kitty litter trays out, buckets filled up with water, air conditioners on high to make house icy and drier, etc. We might have power loss.

ergh, yes i suppose i did mean left. not very good with directions. good thing i'm not the captain! :D

yay! all packed, luggage tags on, cats' food and treats and whatnot prepped for our cat sitter. we dropped the puppy off last night and bought more dramamine. my doctor was out of the office last week and the other doctor wouldn't call in a script for the patch for me :mad:. hoping i won't really need it but we'll see :)

see everyone on board later today - no matter what happens, we'll have a great trip! it's what you make of it :p

seems like bermuda may take a direct hit :/ i'm hopeful that joaquin will suddenly turn right or at least weaken a bit.... we'll see. *finally* almost done packing - the car comes in about 2.5 hours :D :D :D