Harmony Live, August 25th to September 8th - A few more days drifting away...

[kidless]

2 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Lisa didn’t do well with the unknown, but when the plan was finalized it was all good. 

 

 

All depends on the individuals insurance and situation. Extending your holiday on your own doesn’t help in having insurance. In fact it would lapse unless you notified them of your extension.  I’m not even sure they would extend it as it was your choice to stay on board.  The cruise line doesn’t cover flight changes but if you can drive to port it’s not an issue.  Biggest thing about insurance is having the right coverage and reading it. 

We have a cruise in April we took Royal Caribbean Insurance because honestly it’s very confusing. I did look at others but they seem more expensive. We made decision to take insurance because so far away and lots can happen. Insurance is running around $500 for that cruise!! 😮 

 

We also just booked a cruise for September 23rd. We are debating need for insurance. So close we won’t be canceling.  We do drive to port. So given your situation, if we were on ship and due to storm ship not coming back on scheduled day we have flexibility so wouldn’t be issue for us. If cruise line cancels before sailing they reimburse. 

 

Any advice or pointers are welcome. I find the insurance stuff very overwhelming!  

[A&L_Ont]

Now who doesn’t like ice cream. I’m not sure if it was a one off for the extended cruise and who gets to normally attend but we were there. John, the hotel director was much more excited about this event.  We may have had a couple scoops. 

 

Hope it doesn't ruin dinner to night at Jamies. At least we will be among good company. 😉

 

 

 

[Pratique]

5 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

Now who doesn’t like ice cream. I’m not sure if it was a one off for the extended cruise and who gets to normally attend but we were there. John, the hotel director was much more excited about this event.  We may have had a couple scoops.

Things like this make cruising extra special compared to land vacations. Nice job on the treats.

[Milwaukee Eight]

Enough colors there to be a Gay Pride parade. 

 

No quoted pictures. 

Edited September 4, 2019 by Milwaukee Eight

[LuCruise]

My kids would go crazy with the ice cream, etc party.  Look at all those 50 year lollipops (i.e. looks like the things they put ontop of the celebration cakes)

[A&L_Ont]

The captain literally just announced that the Port is open for tomorrow morning and they will be putting in. The first guests will be getting off at 7 AM.  

 

Not all of us though. 😉

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by A&L_Ont

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

The captain literally just announced that the Port is open for tomorrow morning and they will be putting in. The first guests will be getting off at 7 AM.  

 

Not all of us though. 😉

 

 

Excellent!  The port inspection must have gone well.

[jagsfan]

Looking forward to seeing  what good stuff happens. 

Edited September 4, 2019 by jagsfan

[Racer26]

See you on board @A&L_Ont.  We've been waiting out Dorian in Land o Lakes, FL since Saturday 

[ipeeinthepool]

50 minutes ago, kidless said:

We have a cruise in April we took Royal Caribbean Insurance because honestly it’s very confusing. I did look at others but they seem more expensive. We made decision to take insurance because so far away and lots can happen. Insurance is running around $500 for that cruise!! 😮 

 

We also just booked a cruise for September 23rd. We are debating need for insurance. So close we won’t be canceling.  We do drive to port. So given your situation, if we were on ship and due to storm ship not coming back on scheduled day we have flexibility so wouldn’t be issue for us. If cruise line cancels before sailing they reimburse. 

 

Any advice or pointers are welcome. I find the insurance stuff very overwhelming!  

 

The cost and value of cruise insurance depends on your individual situation and what's important for you to insure.  We're in our 60's so 3rd party cruise insurance starts to get expensive, RCL insurance is independent of age.  We go with a couple of things to insure our vacation.  We use RCL insurance to insurance the cruise portion of our cruise.  It has the conventional protection for covered events prior to the cruise, but it also provides cancel for any reason insurance if the cruise credits are acceptable to you.  For us, it's fine.  We travel several times a year, so we have a year round GeoBlue plan for medical coverage and evacuation benefits. We self insure on the airline tickets accepting the $200 penalty for changes if necessary.

 

When I was younger and cruising with my daughter, I purchased 3rd party insurance because the rates were cheaper and the policy covered my daughter for no additional charge.

 

You need to determine what's important for you.

[A&L_Ont]

Just a handful of notifications that we received about the ship and possible and actual deviations. Thanks #teamnosleep  

 

 

 

 

[A&L_Ont]

46 minutes ago, Racer26 said:

See you on board @A&L_Ont.  We've been waiting out Dorian in Land o Lakes, FL since Saturday 

 

 

We will roll out the red carpet for you.

 

Just a heads up, it’s going to be a fast turn around. Quick and dirty IMO.  They want to sail by 3pm. I suspect Mariner is coming in after us.

 

If everyone arrives that says so, there will be approximately 5,500 guests. As of now there are approximately 800 that have not reported if they are showing up tomorrow or not. This ship might seem a little quieter for this short sailing. 

 

As for numbers, I might have better info tonight after dinner. 

[jaspercat]

8 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Bell regained her nerve

 

Awe Bella, good pic of her and your view. Thanks John for keeping all of us updated on things.

[Racer26]

7 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

 

We will roll out the red carpet for you.

 

Just a heads up, it’s going to be a fast turn around. Quick and dirty IMO.  They want to sail by 3pm. I suspect Mariner is coming in after us.

 

If everyone arrives that says so, there will be approximately 5,500 guests. As of now there are approximately 800 that have not reported if they are showing up tomorrow or not. This ship might seem a little quieter for this short sailing. 

 

As for numbers, I might have better info tonight after dinner. 

That many?  I expected it to be a very light load, given all the people who would've canceled rather than wait it out in FL.

[jaspercat]

4 hours ago, MalteseMama2 said:

I would love to be stuck on a ship but DH says he would be losing his mind stressing about getting home and his job responsibilities. 😉

 

4 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I'd be pretty stressed out too. It all seems more suited to the retirement years.... whenever that may be.

 

I'd at first love the idea of an extended cruise, but then would be stressing about the cat and if the cat-sitter could extend their stay, did I have enough food for both of them, etc.

[Pratique]

You're in good company. Missed opportunity for a three sisters meet.

 

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by Pratique

[thrifty99]

21 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

If everyone arrives that says so, there will be approximately 5,500 guests. As of now there are approximately 800 that have not reported if they are showing up tomorrow or not. This ship might seem a little quieter for this short sailing. 

 

As for numbers, I might have better info tonight after dinner. 

Surprised by that high of a number on the shortened cruise. Maybe a lot from the cancelled Mariner sailing may have taken the option to cruise on the shortened Harmony cruise for free. 

[jaspercat]

OMG -- that ice cream party would do me in. The ones that look like toasted marshmellows could use a bit more browning for my liking though 😄

 

Awesome sunset photos, a few pages back, Andrew.

[purduemom1]

2 hours ago, kidless said:

 

 

Any advice or pointers are welcome. I find the insurance stuff very overwhelming!  

 

My suggestion is to check the  Cruise Travel Insurance forum. I can also recommend TheTripInsuranceStore. com. Steve Dasseos does Q & A on the above mentioned forum. Go to the web site,  not only lots of info but there is a toll free number. Steve has helped us more than once to find the best policy for our needs. He was very helpful when we arranged a family cruise last May that included a land trip, different ages and different travel dates for our family members. They took care of everything and emailed us the policy details. I can’t comment on claim service because, fortunately, I have never had to file a claim.

 

There are other respected sites also such as Insuremytrip.com but I personally have not used them.  

Good luck!

[atush]

Looks at bit crowded out there lol

[SwimCarrie]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Now who doesn’t like ice cream. I’m not sure if it was a one off for the extended cruise and who gets to normally attend but we were there. John, the hotel director was much more excited about this event.  We may have had a couple scoops. 

 

Hope it doesn't ruin dinner to night at Jamies. At least we will be among good company. 😉

 

 

 

 

 

Please tell me this is available on all sailings for all passengers? My kids would freak out! LOL.

[Yorkvillain]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Now who doesn’t like ice cream. 

 

Some of us are raising our lactose-intolerant hands right now. 

[Clarea]

19 minutes ago, Yorkvillain said:

 

Some of us are raising our lactose-intolerant hands right now. 

 

+1

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Excellent!  The port inspection must have gone well.

 

Port Canaveral UPDATE Wed. Sept. 4, 2019 at 5:00 PM:
 
The U.S. Coast Guard has opened Port Canaveral's waterways with restrictions.

6 cruise ships will be arriving at Port Canaveral Thursday morning, Sept 5:

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Comes in late, not leaving till Friday
Carnival Elation
Carnival Ecstasy
Carnival Liberty
Disney Dream

The SR401 bridge will open on the hour beginning at 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM for vessel traffic.  No openings from 12 Noon to 2:00 PM.

 

[perfect match]

I heard on our local central FL news that there will be 6 ships in port tomorrow. They also said the port inspection went very well. Port restaurants, Grills, Fishlips in particular we’re getting everything back in place and are getting ready to reopen if they haven’t already done so.

 

Andrew, I heard there was a shore excursion planned to a condo near the port - somewhere on Cocoa Beach. I believe it’s being hosted by a cute little Westie! I guess her parents would have to be involved, too. Rumor has it that there may be vodka & cranberry juice and snacks being served.  🤣😂🤪😜