CarolSW

I pack my own little bags of chips and pretzels to have as snacks. It’s a sickness I know 🥹 lol. And for those salty snack lovers like me, who sometimes have the dreaded swollen ankles on a cruise (wonder why??? 😣), may I kindly direct you to THIS thread…. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2915941-cruise-ankles/page/3/#comment-64854783 🙄😳

Ship - Breeze Deck 9 Stateroom 9475 Corner aft cabin Category Starboard Wraparound balcony Unusually shaped room, not a lot of walking room when moving around the cabin. Bathroom was tucked away around a corner of the room. No room for a couch, only a small coffee table. The balcony was a very skinny wraparound, with the door set in the middle. 2 lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs, 2 small end tables. Again, not much room for 2 people to pass by each other on this thin balcony. Difficult to squeeze past the chairs, especially the loungers, to go to another area of the balcony. I believe the corner afts below us were a bit wider. This one was also very shaded by the overhang from the lido deck above. No soot. Only one deck up to to Lido pools, buffet. Long walk to the Serenity deck & spa at the front of the ship. Convenient to go 4 decks down to the piano bar, & comedy club.

This interview with the man who miraculously survived last week’s fall off the Valor does not remember falling off, but claims he was not drunk. I know it’s possible perhaps, but this does not convince me it really happened as reported. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11495013/Passenger-28-reveals-PASSED-treading-water-20-HOURS.html “I had taken off my socks and everything waving them around my head trying to do something where they would see me and when that light finally hit me, I heard it, we got him and seen a guy coming down from the helicopter and it was coming towards me and right there I thought, man, I see the light. ‘Well, the first thing I actually told him, I don't have any clothes on because I didn't. I stripped out of everything. ‘He said that's fine. I was like, okay, he told me to hold on to this life vest and I was just thinking, thank you, you are like a guardian angel.” I just don’t know about this. Had taken off his socks to wave them around his head to get the rescuers to see him? He still had his socks on after 20 hours in the water? I want to believe in this miracle, but it’s a stretch for me.

IMHO this is bordering on truly unbelievable. CNN https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/man-rescued-carnival-cruise-gulf-of-mexico/index.html Passenger Missing from going to the bathroom while at the bar 11:00 pm day before Thanksgiving Reported missing to ship authorities noon Thanksgiving day 2:00 pm final call for the missing man in the ship Ship turned around to retrace route 2:30 pm Coast Guard notified and informed ships within 200 miles 8:25 pm man spotted in water by a bulk carrier Coast Guard helipcopter rescued the man at some point after that So, theoretically he could have been in the water as long as 22 hours? So much of this story is really difficult to believe. But I cannot imagine what anyone would gain from making this up.

I have learned that all piano bars are not equal. I too was sorely disappointed on Vista….several times, the most recent being last summer. It really does depend on the energy, engagement and sense of humor of the pianist I think. We are at their mercy. And you’re right that you don’t have to be a stellar musician, just highly engaged with the crowd and being comfortable ‘on stage’ ! A fun piano bar experience makes ALL the difference in my cruise enjoyment. The first time I went to a piano bar on a ship I had a blast, and made sure to go there on every cruise since. When they sometimes didn’t compare, I thought it was ME, that I just wasn’t the fun person I was that first time. 😒 But I finally realized it has everything to do with the entertainer, because I re-discover the fun person I AM when the talent is energetic, engaging and funny! 😃

I think this might belong in the “how to save money on a drink package” or “is is worth it to buy a drink package” discussions LOL 🙄

I am hoping/assuming the new terminal debarkation will be the similar to the excellent improved debark experience at Terminals 1 & 2. Since RCI is an established line in Galveston, should be an easy transition to new digs, technically called Terminal 10 I think. But I would also guess, like anything, there will be a few glitches the first days in an unfamiliar setting. However, I am DELIGHTED with this new addition to our home port! Can’t wait to try it in Feb. 2023!

So sorry for the loss of your husband to CoVid. That is devastating. Bless you for planning a cruise. May it help you cope with this terrible loss. I have been on 2 previous NYE cruises on Carnival, one before the pandemic, and the most recent was last year. Our 3rd NYE cruise is planned for this year on the Breeze. That’s how much I enjoy this holiday on a cruise! Carnival will have free champagne on the lido deck available on sailaway, and on the NYE’s party on the deck. There will be other venues hosting parties as well I think - the lobby,, where there may be a balloon drop, the Red Frog pub, piano bar, etc., and they may also have the free champagne too. I have always been on the Lido deck for the countdown. My experience is that you should scope out where the waiters are coming from when they bring out the trays of champagne glasses so you can place yourself strategically to get one before the tray is empty and they have to go back for more. That works best for me because those small glasses of champagne go fast lol! There may be one or 2 other times during the cruise when there is another opportunity for the free champagne (other than the art auctions which I avoid). I believe they serve Wycliffe champagne which is very inexpensive at my liquor store, but I think it is quite tasty. I learned about Wycliffe at several restaurants local to me that use that brand for their bottomless champagne brunches. I often carryon 2 bottles of Wycliffe as our wine allowance to bring on board. The atmosphere and energy of a NYE cruise is IMHO a bit ramped up, which I enjoy, even though I am at 67 considered “elderly”. I DO like a fun celebration on NYE, and on a Carnival cruise, I don’t have to worry about driving home afterwards! Many people will also dress up for NYE, and it will probably be designated as elegant night, but dressing up is not mandatory. I hope you have a wonderful NYE cruise, though this first one without your spouse will be bittersweet I’m sure. Best wishes on making it a positive celebration for more good things to come in the new year!

I applaud the effort to improve the internet experience for us, but I also recognize it will probably never be enough. Kinda like getting a raise in pay…..it will never be enough.

Saw this today in the Houston, and checked it online. Says no out-of-pocket cost for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. https://curative.com/covid-testing

To clarify, AS OF JULY, WALGREENS AND CVS ARE NO LONGER OFFERING FREE COVID TESTS FOR TRAVEL. You can still do testing there, for a fee, of upwards of $100 per person.

eMed multi-pack (6) if you have a family to test. Cost is $150 for 6, $25 per test. We bought a multi-pack to have on hand in case we couldn’t get free testing for the 2 cruises we had scheduled back in the fall. We did find free testing so we kept them in reserve. Unfortunately they expired in Feb., so we ended up wasting that cost. Once I found out Walgreens was no longer doing free testing for travel, I have now purchased only 2 eMed tests to use on our next cruise in a week. I bought them online on Thursday June 30. $70 for 2, $35 per test. Have not been delivered yet, but the notification says they have been shipped. Either pack is significantly less than the $100 fee for one test most places are charging now for asymptomatic and travel testing.

7.5.22 I thought it would be a good idea to have a running list of where members are CURRENTLY finding the type of CoVid testing Carnival CURRENTLY requires for boarding their ships. https://www.carnival.com/legal/covid-19-legal-notices/covid-19-guest-protocols On this link below, the CDC specifies what type of test is required. Scroll down to TESTING. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/cruise-travel-during-covid19.html#before-you-board It was relatively easy to get these required tests FREE prior to the end of June 2022. Now, my go-tos - Walgreens & CVS - have no longer offer the FREE testing for travel and asymptomatic folks unless you have been exposed. Each of those pharmacies is now charging over $100 for the test for asymptomatic travel testing. While there is currently a debate on a thread here regarding how to fudge the answers on the screening to qualify for FREE testing, let’s not bring that discussion here, and instead keep this one for where members are getting testing - FREE or for a FEE. Let us know where you have found testing, and please include FREE or FEE in your post. In my Houston area - https://www.randalls.com/vaccinations/test/Cue COVID-19 Test FEE NAAT. $99 https://rapidcovidclinic.com/covid-19-testing FEE Rapid Anigen test. $145 ($75 for first responders/teachers/health care workers/children 17 and under) ($100 group rate 4+) PCR $200 PCR expedited 4-6 hours $350 https://covidcheck.hctx.net/ FREE testing at specific locations in the Harris County area with a Harris County address. I was able to sign up, BUT I do have the pre-existing condition high blood pressure. HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL! I am still searching for a source of FREE testing, but am collecting the sites for testing fir a fee, which may or may not be reimbursed by insurance. Here is what I have found so far - no free sites discovered yet.

IMHO Limiting the availability of free CoVid testing at the popular drug stores is going to be challenging, both pre- and post-cruise. Cruiselines will have to take that into consideration regarding their requirement for boarding. I know that testing does not guarantee a CoVid-free cruise. On my last cruise a month ago, about 10% of my FB group for that cruise self-reported positive tests within a week of debarkation. And yes, we probably ALL unknowingly come in contact with positive cases on a daily basis in our normal life. My next cruise is July 16, and my go-to testing location, Walgreens, has just changed their policies for free testing. But according this, my Medicare Part B will still cover free testing there. https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/community-based-testing-sites/index.html

I like the idea, and I may just be insane enough to agree with the OP that it might happen!