Moonarino

Should also be advised to research for a reputable VPN service. Some operate with devious intent (or just don't care), and of course that kind of risk just grows and grows over time. But also over time, a reputable VPN service can be a growing plus. I recommend (1) checking reviews by experts like pcmag.com, maybe tomsguide.com (used to be some good folks working there, can't say for sure now); and (2) reading up on good advice, as is offered here: https://www.wired.com/story/best-vpn/

I've always loved that game. (Major sarcasm) Do you know for sure if the TV's HDMI port would be enabled? I've only tried it once, 10 or more years ago and the port was dead -- either disabled or broke, can't say which for sure. Cabin steward was no help, had never been asked about it before.

I just checked a speciality dining I purchased in June, and the emailed receipt shows a line item for gratutiies (and it calculates to 18%). The "advertised price" that I paid included the 18% gratuity, so I didn't even notice I was paying it. So @brockmom, I thank you for asking this question.

It very much depends on what you expect to use the Internet for. Basic would likely be okay for email and maybe social media. I don't do the latter so can't say with certainty, but I've often gone with basic and done fine with email, and even an occasional youtube video. But also as @Jeremiah1212mentioned, peak times can slow everything down. it might take 5 minutes just to check your email, no matter which package. I would not advise upgrading just to expect better overall performance.

Same here (without necessarily asking for anything). I've done this for the past 8-10 years and always get solid service with a smile.

Or just do what @judattdid, which refreshed the app's data for that particular ship and booking. Could also try (if you're inclined) to open the phone's Settings > Apps (or Applications or Manage Applications, it varies) > scroll down to the Celebrity app > tap "Storage" and find the button to "Clear Cache" (not Data, but see *** below). That would force the app to reload the data, without wiping your login or anything else important. This is actually good to know for any phone app that's misbehaving. Clearing cache just wipes "temporary" data, nothing actually important. *** Clearing "Data" is roughly equivalent to reinstalling the app. Also good to know for "worst case" misbehavior.

I'm guessing it's an issue of replicating data from one set of servers to another, i.e., the website probably runs on one bank of servers and the app's data is on another set of servers. Something like that. Hopefully the app's database will catch up with the website in a day or two. If that doesn't happen you can email the app's IT team -- should be able to find that email address in the app somewhere, or maybe on the Google Play or Apple istore page for the Celebrity app. I've actually emailed them before and got a fairly quick and very informative reply.

From the link that @CRUISEFAN0001provided just above: "Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test."

Thanks for the tip. Hopefully we won't see a repeat of that on our November cruise. We're in one of the angled-balcony rooms just aft of the elevators. Distance from the theater is certainly a downside, although my lady and I haven't traditionally been big show patrons. But she's curious about this on our upcoming 10-day cruise. At least Silhouette isn't Oasis class. 🤨

I have minor issues with vertigo (just enough to make me fill a wee bit "ill" during rough seas) and have always had great luck with Deck 7, not terribly far aft of the aft elevators. [Added: Behind the elevators gets us out of some of the heavier traffic.] I love Deck 7 mostly for my lady because it's often closest to our MDR. We don't do the theater a lot, so no matter on that. Deck 7 is also very typically two decks up from the "promenade" noise, bands etc, so it's always very quiet, yet we can walk down the stairs to where the action is on Deck 4 or 5, plus the MDR. Done that on 3 cruise lines and several different ships over the past many years and it's always worked fine for me and mine.

You can definitely buy policies through these brokers. That's what brokers do.

Yep, as I always shop for a specific policy by running the same criteria for quotes from either those two sites or insuremytrip. Just once I found a notable variation in pricing for a specific insurer's specific policy coverage level, but a few days later that policy was priced exactly the same on both sites. I haven't noticed any real differences in actually buying a policy from one broker versus the other (I've bought policies through at least two of the three mentioned in this post, if not all three). Then of course in a few hours I get an email directly from the insurer, after of course getting confirmation email from the broker. That said, I would always advise calling Steve if one is unsure, just because of all the good stuff I've read about him here on the various CC boards. I buy trip insurance for increasingly more reasons the older I get. At first it was just for cancellation coverage, but now I look at a lot more of what a policy covers, as well as the dollar limits.

And the only one that doesn't require verification is Past Guest.

No. I've gotten a state-of-residence discount at least once, for the state of North Carolina, and there are no cruise ports of any brand here.

One possibility it seems. I actually count four possible booking discounts in the wording. Military and Fire/Police are typically two different checkboxes (in the US at least), and then "age" is added in the second sentence. So it seems to me the phrasing is just a catch-all for four discount criteria -- senior citizen, state of residence. military, or fire/police, as also itemized in the second sentence. (Edited to remove "all" four, remembering "past guest" which makes it five.)

(Added) With this comment I'm assuming those European outlets are 240V. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong . . . Adapter versus converter. Has it been mentioned here (or in any conversation on this subject) that using a 110V adapter in the European outlets does NOT convert 240V to 110V? My HP laptop charger accepts 100-240V input, as some other electrical devices do. Cellphone chargers are also typically 100-240V. But many American devices must be used only with 110V. This pic shows a European and American cellphone charger (both made by Samsung) and both allow 100-240V input. This shows what to look for on electrical appliances or their chargers. (Click on image to magnify it.)

Not a definitive answer (sorry) but I've read reports of "renovated" X ships getting an additional outlet on one of the bedside nightstands. Infinity's full renovation was delayed due to covid but I did read that "some" work was done during her downtime. So maybe just maybe . . .

Love it. I've never exercised mine in exactly that fashion. Neither do we sail in hurricane season any more, and since I have a Celebrity sailing (November) before our next Royal, I'm curious as to what I'll see on Silhoutte. Playmakers? My last experience with RCI was Nov 2019, Indy, and I wonder if the huge bar/lounge just aft of the Casino was a Playmakers. I never noticed the name of it. In my experience there has never (or at least seldom) been just one source for NFL games. I'm sure your point is a big one.

Hair dryers generally use a bit less than15A (maybe close to that only at startup), curling irons typically 1/2-1 amp, which is why the fuse doesn't get tripped. Hair dryers are by far the highest-wattage device we're allowed to bring onboard. @canderson, a few years ago I stopped bringing my "extension cord" for fear it would automatically be ruled out (per the climate at the time). But since then I've had problems getting those little three-outlet plugs plugged in snugly on some ships, which itself becomes a sort of hazard because of lousy connection that might cause surges. Better a good quality straight-through extension cord (a short one) that plugs in securely. Hopefully I'll be able to get the one shown on page 1 of this thread through security on my November cruise. It's compact and includes USB, which is usually our biggest need (but not the only one).

That schedule looks like it always has under my subscription, all the dates/days of week for live games right down the line, Thursdays, 3 Sunday games, MNF, etc.. For 2-3 years I've been watching live NFL on the network channels included in my YT-TV subscription (pretty much all the major nets). I just think we're gonna have to wait till the dust settles to see what (if anything) is actually changing, i.e., live games disappearing from one source and only showing up somewhere else. The question I think: Does any deal between the NFL and DTV (or whoever) necessarily affect game availability elsewhere. Doing one new thing doesn't mean that some other old thing will go away completely. NFL of course will maximize profits however they can. Here's an article on Fox's upcoming NFL coverage. As long as Fox and CBS or NBC still show live games, I'll still see them under my subscription. It's not a complete list of games, but the page shows Week 1 Packers vs Vikings, so I expect to see that game live on Fox the day it gets played, as always. https://www.foxsports.com/presspass/blog/2022/05/12/fox-sports-unveils-2022-nfl-broadcast-schedule-featuring-robust-playoff-lineup-ever-roads-leading-super-bowl-lvii/ Edit to add: I did find a link for Fox's 2022-23 schedule in the article, a pdf file. My overall point being, it could very well be that nothing changes regarding NFL games on cruise ships this year.

I'm looking at weeks 1-18 on Youtube TV's "upcoming" sports listings and just about every week shows a Thursday night game. The channels are shown as "TBD", but Youtube (Google) doesn't do Amazon Prime, in fact they don't like each other very much, and YT-TV doesn't show "upcoming" games that it won't carry (AFAIK). Where did you see that NFL schedule? Was it from an actual NFL source or some net or mag that might have misrepresented? (Not off-topic because of course limiting sources can affect whether we'd even have a chance to see one game or another on a cruise.)

Unfortunately I have. Last cruise (May) it was some time after dinner before we got out bags. Was getting seriously concerned by then.

Yeah it does work (although our bags seem to take longer and longer to arrive and last cruise was particularly worrisome). I'm only wondering, why bother with a handful of colors (vs having to read thousands of SR numbers) to start with.

It would probably just be nice if baggage handler supervisors could actually work a system where a bag meant to go far aft is hauled aft in the first place instead of forward. But instead chaos is the built-in rule? LOT of steps. I was a manager for many years and hate time-and-energy-wasting chaos with a passion, just sayin'. PS: I also remembered that most of the time baggage carts are hauled up on one specific elevator (or two), but then rolled forward or aft from there. It's the "from there" that is the crux.

I understand "requirement" versus whether a system exists or not, a system that baggage handlers might at least try to adhere to (and therefore haul a specific luggage cart filled with one-color tags onto the right elevator so as to save time and trouble). Not wanting to belabor, just wondering out loud if printing in color is just possibly a good thing if one can do that.