Comin’ at you LIVE from Horizon 3/7-3/15

[Organized Chaos]

Breakfast briefing

7:30am and hardly anyone at the buffet, but we aren’t scheduled to go ashore until 9:45, so everyone must still be asleep. Last night and this morning, the tile floors all around the buffet area are insanely slick. They have “wet floor” signs out, but it’s not that they’ve just been cleaned. It’s almost like they’ve been waxed. My shoes are practically new, lots of tread, and I’ve almost busted my rear multiple times. On the bright side, with a little effort, I can slide down the walkway to get to where I’m going faster. I’ve heard a couple people complain to the servers. It’s manageable if you’re careful, but probably should be addressed before someone falls.

 

The “orange cocktail” is gross. That’s all I have to say about that.

 

No breakfast at Guy’s Burgers. Are they still trying that out on some ships?

 

On a more silly note, I’m pretty sure I witnessed a young lady doing the “walk of shame” out by the pool earlier. Hair disheveled, makeup a mess, and obviously just woke up. What tipped me off more than anything was that she was still wearing her elegant night dress from last night.

 

Remember kids, what happens on the ship stays on the ship...unless it’s an STD. Be safe out there. **This has been a free public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood OC.**

[DenaInWyo]

On 3/8/2020 at 11:03 PM, Organized Chaos said:

The R rated comic was very raunchy tonight. I’m no prude and I don’t get offended by that kinda thing, but I appreciate good comedy and you don’t need to be filthy to achieve it. He’s psaid he’ll be even worse on Tues. night when he has what he claims is the dirtiest comedy show Carnival’s ever approved. I didn’t find him funny so I doubt I find out.
 

 

I felt the same way about the last R show I went to.  I'm no prude either, but I'm too old to giggle just because something is nasty..the humor has to be there too.  

 

Enjoying your review!  Thanks for taking the time away from your cruise to post it!

[Organized Chaos]

Vintage Pop was last night. At first, I thought it was just some older pop music. I didn’t realize how much older, though. It’s supposed to be roaring 20’s with some modern pop mixed in with a 20’s flare. Well, since the seas were rough, they had to do their “slightly modified” show. For those who don’t know, that translates to completely modified. They sit on stools and sing. CD Donkey tried telling everyone that it was going to be cancelled, but “the performers really wanted to give us the best show possible.” Having been through it before, I knew they had a contingency for rough seas, so I don’t believe it was all thanks to the generosity of the performers. I just don’t appreciate people yankin’ my chain to make themselves look virtuous.

I decided to stick around even though I’m not too terribly interested in the genre. When they sang the more modern pop songs (with the 20’s flair), it wasn’t half bad, but when they sang the much much older stuff that I didn’t really know, it was painful. But the longer we listened, the more depressing it got. They sang a lot of slow, sad songs. We thought it was supposed to be ROARING 20’s...it was more like Great Depression era 20’s. We were in the mood for something upbeat, so we finally left. As did many people.

With that said, I must say that what little I’ve heard of them so far, I do like these Playlist performers. I wish I could’ve seen what the full Vintage Pop show was like. If it was more upbeat, it would’ve been better. Tonight is Amor Cubano, which I don’t like, so I’m eager to see what they can do another night.

[Organized Chaos]

Still cloudy today so not much to look at in regards to the sunrise.



There’s a 47% chance of rain. I heard that several excursions have been cancelled, I’m assuming because of the rain. My wife’s aunt & uncle had their river cruise excursion cancelled, but apparently her cousins’ zip line excursion is still a go. We might get off and stretch our sea legs after days of rough seas, but we’re not doing anything special.

Here’s a look down the starboard side from the forward observation on deck 9. I didn’t catch anyone out on the balcony in their skivvies.



Full steam ahead!

[chadci]

One of our cruises had rough seas the first few days and the last few days. One port was cancelled, it was dark and dreary for a while, totally disappointed we sprung for a balcony... and then one morning we woke up and went out side. Sky was clear, sea was calm and we were porting ( St. Thomas iirc) and it was beautiful and made it all worth it. Hope things get better.

[estillcrew]

Will you keep us updated in regards to Covit 19 affecting your port stops or cruise in general? I’m not scared of the virus, but am scared about how all this media hype might affect my cruise that departs in 12 days! Hope you have a wonderful cruise and that nothing interferes with your itinerary!

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, estillcrew said:

Will you keep us updated in regards to Covit 19 affecting your port stops or cruise in general? I’m not scared of the virus, but am scared about how all this media hype might affect my cruise that departs in 12 days! Hope you have a wonderful cruise and that nothing interferes with your itinerary!

 

It looks like Grand Turk getting cancelled is our only port change. Hoping it stays that way. Not much else is different. The crew in the buffet have been busy little bees cleaning & mopping. And they’re serving everyone the food & ice cream to prevent masses of people touching things.  They aren’t posting crew at the hand sanitizer stations anymore, but they’re still there to use. And people have been. I’ve barely heard any talk of corona from passengers, other than the few of us who have joked about it. It doesn’t appear to be having an impact. Will post if anything changes.

Edited March 10, 2020 by Organized Chaos

[Organized Chaos]

We love the scenery of the Dominican Republic. Well, the forests and rocky shoreline. The rundown cities, not so much. We were in Amber Cove a couple years ago and absolutely loved the forested hills and mountainous scenery.

For your viewing pleasure...docking at La Romana.

*You spin me right round baby, right round. Like a record, baby, right round, round round.*
Making out spin to approach booty first.







[mention]Joe817 [/mention] is this your summer home?





Havana pool...



Port shops...

[chadci]

Scheduled there on our next cruise. Have been once before and may stay on the ship this time. We've been doing that on some ports we've visited before and have just as nice of time with a nearly empty ship and it's "free".

[Joe817]

Shhhhhhhh, O.C.! That's supposed to be a secret!  

It sounds like your cruise is turning into an adventure! I hope you all are having a good time, despite the rocky ship. Have one on me, mate! 🥂

[Organized Chaos]

The hand sanitizer pep squad is back in action today.

[DB2VA]

On 3/8/2020 at 1:16 AM, Organized Chaos said:

 

Not for us. Guests go ashore at 8:15 and back on board at 4:30.

 

We’re not going to bother doing much. Our son has never wanted to do elegant night, so as usual, we didn’t bring his khaki pants. Well now he likes the menu for our first elegant night and wants to go. He has nice enough shirts, but not the pants. Does anyone know if there’s a store nearby in Nassau that might sell khakis? I know it’s a long shot because it’s all souvenirs and T-shirts, things like that. If not, no big deal. He’ll learn to prepare for it next time. 

I did goggle men's shops in Nassau and a few came up that you could check out. But really, even on elegant night , I have seen men in collared shirts  and dress type shorts. Enjoy!

[Banditswife]

Loving your take on things.  Thanks

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, Banditswife said:

Loving your take on things.  Thanks

 

Thank you for the kind words. I know my thoughts probably seem sporadic at times. For one, that’s just the way my crazy mind works. 😜 I’m trying to post as things come to me, and as things happen, as opposed to a long write-up afterwards. If I waited until after the cruise, I’d never remember everything without taking notes, and I don’t want to take too much time away from our cruise.

[FloridaGirl1972]

9 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

Vintage Pop was last night. At first, I thought it was just some older pop music. I didn’t realize how much older, though. It’s supposed to be roaring 20’s with some modern pop mixed in with a 20’s flare. Well, since the seas were rough, they had to do their “slightly modified” show. For those who don’t know, that translates to completely modified. They sit on stools and sing. CD Donkey tried telling everyone that it was going to be cancelled, but “the performers really wanted to give us the best show possible.” Having been through it before, I knew they had a contingency for rough seas, so I don’t believe it was all thanks to the generosity of the performers. I just don’t appreciate people yankin’ my chain to make themselves look virtuous.

I decided to stick around even though I’m not too terribly interested in the genre. When they sang the more modern pop songs (with the 20’s flair), it wasn’t half bad, but when they sang the much much older stuff that I didn’t really know, it was painful. But the longer we listened, the more depressing it got. They sang a lot of slow, sad songs. We thought it was supposed to be ROARING 20’s...it was more like Great Depression era 20’s. We were in the mood for something upbeat, so we finally left. As did many people.

With that said, I must say that what little I’ve heard of them so far, I do like these Playlist performers. I wish I could’ve seen what the full Vintage Pop show was like. If it was more upbeat, it would’ve been better. Tonight is Amor Cubano, which I don’t like, so I’m eager to see what they can do another night.

Awwwww that is my friend Perri singing!!! This cast just got on the ship recently.  I want to see them perform Celestial Strings which he assured me is not to be missed!!! If you happen to see the cast hanging out and see Perri, tell him Patti says hello!  Thanks for the updates, I look forward to reading and seeing more! I hope to sail on Horizon late May early June!

[beshears]

So are you saying The Dominion Republic took the place of Grand Turk for you?

 

My two sons/wives arrived in Miami early this afternoon, and seemed to be very HAPPY with the warmer weather, as we here in KC, still have the 30's. 😞  As you can guess, we are looking/wanting warmer weather too, but hopefully we won't have the big waves that you have been having, as my children are not used to that!

[Organized Chaos]

13 hours ago, beshears said:

So are you saying The Dominion Republic took the place of Grand Turk for you?

 

My two sons/wives arrived in Miami early this afternoon, and seemed to be very HAPPY with the warmer weather, as we here in KC, still have the 30's. 😞  As you can guess, we are looking/wanting warmer weather too, but hopefully we won't have the big waves that you have been having, as my children are not used to that!

 

No, La Romana, DR was a scheduled stop. They replaced Grand Turk with Nassau.

 

We left temps in the 30’s back home, too. Miami was in the 60’s that Fri. & Sat, and windy. We sat next to a couple from Miami on elegant night and they said a cold front had just came through. Day 1 & 2 were quite cool & very windy, as I noted before. Hardly anyone outside (when they let us) and only people in the hot tubs. Day 3 was a little better and day 4 was cloudy but warm enough to get everyone outside and in the pools.

[thesmiths]

Have big fun, On the Horizon May 2nd.

 

[amyjoy202697]

Have you been to Alchemy bar? Curious on who the alchemists are...love that spot and will be on Horizon next week. Sorry to hear you have had rough weather and seas! Enjoy the rest of your cruise and thank you for the live review, its really helped me prepare for mine.

[beshears]

I don't know if you will be able to answer this or not, or maybe someone else who is reading your postings, may have heard/seen the answer. Normally when I open my CC, I go to the small bell sign at the top, on the right side and click to read responses to something i may have posted.  I tried this time, and I was blocked every time, I don't know why.  I see you had posted a little more here, and it did not show under the little bell, like it normally does, but here is my question. 

If you cannot find the answer, maybe someone else who is reading your postings, may have the answer.  I just seen where Royal Caribbean was not letting anyone by the age of 70 or older on the ship, as well as young children.  I do understand, if they have health issues, etc.  My question, have you or anyone else that might be reading this see where Carnival has posted an "age" of not being allowed on the ship because of the Coronaviris? I had posted a new question under Carnival, but when I looked to see (like I had to hunt to find yours)if it had been posted, I could not find where it had been posted.  I know Carnival sent out a general email stating that older people as well as children would be coming on at their own discretion, which I understand.  After all, some older people are very healthy, and young at heart as well! 🙂

[Theo1429]

We will be on the Horizon 4\18 thanks your post are 👍

[Organized Chaos]

I had this post ready Wed. morning, then got sidetracked and I lost it somehow, so here’s take two. Tuesday was La Romana, or “La Romania,” as I heard a woman  call it. 😀 Romania?  I think we took a wrong turn somewhere. We just got off for a short while to set foot on dry land. They have the typical port shops and some local vendor stands. Beyond that, you’ll have to travel. I don’t like the aggressive vendors at many of the ports, but these weren’t all that bad.

 

When we left port, it was rocking just a little bit, but not bad and nothing like the first few days. But when we went and peeked in at Amor Cubano, they were doing their modified show for rough seas again. So now we’re worried that we’re not going to get to see a full Playlist show.

 

We had a lot of fun at the White Party. I had watched a couple videos online and ours was missing a couple things. In the videos, they had turned the house lights down low to emphasize the black lights so everyone’s clothing would glow more. But for ours, the lights were barely turned down, if at all. I don’t know, maybe the video just made it look that way. We also didn’t get the white balloons dropping from the ceiling like I saw in the videos. That was a bummer because it looked like it really added to the experience. But we still had a lot of fun.

 

We finished the night off at Quest. It was held in the Liquid Lounge. We sat on the bottom level, a few rows from the back. CD Donkey had them do several things sitting/laying on the floor, so we couldn’t see that stuff. So if you go, try to get up closer to the front, either on the first or second level. Somewhere you can see the floor space good directly in front of the stage. I wish they had done it ON the stage, but there were several teams and a ton of players, so I can see why they didn’t. I have to tell you the funniest part. This is a possible spoiler alert for those of you going on this ship...if Donkey does the same one for you. Do you remember the diner scene from the movie, “When Harry Met Sally” when Meg Ryan shows Billy Crystal how women fake a umm...well you’re just going to have to watch it. Yeah, he had all of the oldest women from each team do it. It was hilarious. All but one did it. And some of those grandmas were very naughty. 🤣 We were behind one of them in the pizza line afterwards. I was casually mentioning that part of the show, but she wouldn’t acknowledge me at all. If I remember correctly, she should’ve been proud of herself. LMAO

 

I’ll write up some thoughts about Wednesday, Curaçao day, tomorrow (Thurs.), pics included. We’re doing the Atlantis Submarine excursion in the morning, so I need to get my butt to bed.

[AVE757]

6 hours ago, beshears said:

I don't know if you will be able to answer this or not, or maybe someone else who is reading your postings, may have heard/seen the answer. Normally when I open my CC, I go to the small bell sign at the top, on the right side and click to read responses to something i may have posted.  I tried this time, and I was blocked every time, I don't know why.  I see you had posted a little more here, and it did not show under the little bell, like it normally does, but here is my question. 

If you cannot find the answer, maybe someone else who is reading your postings, may have the answer.  I just seen where Royal Caribbean was not letting anyone by the age of 70 or older on the ship, as well as young children.  I do understand, if they have health issues, etc.  My question, have you or anyone else that might be reading this see where Carnival has posted an "age" of not being allowed on the ship because of the Coronaviris? I had posted a new question under Carnival, but when I looked to see (like I had to hunt to find yours)if it had been posted, I could not find where it had been posted.  I know Carnival sent out a general email stating that older people as well as children would be coming on at their own discretion, which I understand.  After all, some older people are very healthy, and young at heart as well! 🙂

Hi, I did read something in the Miami Herald regarding this topic. It stated that if passed, passengers over 70 would have to provide a doctor’s note clearing them for travel. Not sure where the proposal stands now, but industry reps were in DC on Weds. I’m cruising the Horizon on 3/21, and hoping that with all these new travel restrictions, they don’t decide to cancel or close more ports in the Caribbean 🙏🏽

Edited March 12, 2020 by AVE757
Typo

[thesmiths]

Enjoy Curacao. Looking forward to your report on the Submarine.

We are going to be there in May & Sept, Rented a car for May.

Sub sounds neat for Sept..

 

Also please do a recon on how many places and where to get omelettes for breakfast other then the MDR.

Love me an Omelette on vaca. 🙂

 

Thank you and enjoy the Sub and the rest of your cruise!

 

 

 

 

Edited March 12, 2020 by thesmiths

[Organized Chaos]

On 3/11/2020 at 11:27 AM, amyjoy202697 said:

Have you been to Alchemy bar? Curious on who the alchemists are...love that spot and will be on Horizon next week. Sorry to hear you have had rough weather and seas! Enjoy the rest of your cruise and thank you for the live review, its really helped me prepare for mine.

 

Not much help to you, sorry. We don’t do the bars.

 

The seas were finally pretty calm last night after our 10pm Curaçao departure. Hopefully all will be calm so they can do the full Celestial Strings show tomorrow night.