Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[bobmacliberty]

I've had a prescription for Shingrix sitting on my desk since my last doctor visit about 10 months ago.  I've just never gotten around to getting the shot.  After all of this Shingles talk, I think I'll make it a priority.  😬

[A&L_Ont]

5 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

She is just always on my mind.....😑

 

Check out her ticket prices on Stub Hub, they are "economical" compared to a RC cruise.😂

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Check out her ticket prices on Stub Hub, they are "economical" compared to a RC cruise.😂

The folks in Miami should realize that their pricing is out of control when they make Taylor's tickets look like a bargain. 

[brillohead]

45 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

The CDC recommends Shingrix for older adults whether they recall (or know) if they had chicken pox.  Believe it or not!

In my case, a blood test confirmed that I've never had chicken pox. 

 

There is literally no way to get shingles without having previously had chicken pox (shingles is a reactivation of the dormant virus in the body), so there is no need for a Shingrix vaccine for someone who has never had the virus in their body.  

For people who "can't remember" whether or not they had chicken pox as a child, getting the vaccine is the "better safe than sorry" route, because the VAST majority of adults over the age of 50 in the USA had chicken pox as a child because they used to have "chicken pox parties" when it came to the neighborhood to make sure all the kids got it out of the way at once. 

 

I would guess that 95-98% of people my age had chicken pox as a child, so most people who think they didn't have it as a child probably DID get it when they were too young to remember, or they had a mild case.  That's where the recommendation for "everyone" to get the shingles vaccine comes from.  But since me not having had it was confirmed via titer blood test, there is no need for me to get the shot to be better safe than sorry.

[Ocean Boy]

I just saw on the Today Show that Taylor is Time Magazine's person of the year.

[sgmn]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

It is sad that he can't do a live thread on CC. It is a great loss for all of us and everyone else on this site.

Agree, just pushing people to sign up to other sites 

Edited December 6, 2023 by sgmn

[sgmn]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

It would be interesting to know how they came up with 70 as a cut off age. I would say that the vast majority of shingles cases that I've treated have been in people younger than that.

No idea, think its historic.  As I said it's being lowered from 01Sept 23 to 65, but us guys who are over 65 but below 70 will have to wait till over 70 which is a bit frustrating 

[brillohead]

3 minutes ago, sgmn said:

No idea, think its historic.  As I said it's being lowered from 01Sept 23 to 65, but us guys who are over 65 but below 70 will have to wait till over 70 which is a bit frustrating 

 
Pretty silly, since the cost of treating shingles is so much more than the cost of the vaccine!!!

[brillohead]

So, I was wondering about the Canada Kangaroo, so I googled it and found this:

 

[bobmacliberty]

Anyone considering Mint or Visible (or any of the other Mobile Virtual Network Operators...MVNOs) should be aware of how they work and what restrictions you might face.  They don't own their own network and instead pay to use the cellular networks of T-Mobile and Verizon respectively.  This keeps the cost down for Mint/Visible and gives T-Mobile/Verizon an extra revenue stream.  That's not typically a problem unless the main company is experiencing peak usage, in which case Mint/Visible customers would be restricted, not the main company's customers.  You might see slower data speeds at peak times, or have a capped amount of high speed data per month forcing you into slower speeds for the rest of the month once exceeded.  You may also not have access to some features like tethering, or the ability to get the latest and greatest phones.  This is how they can afford to offer cheaper plans.

 

I've been a Verizon customer forever (who has threatened to leave several times) so I don't have personal experience with an MVNO.  I don't know how much these restrictions are a problem in real life.  I would assume that most people who do not need much high speed data on their phone wouldn't know the difference.  It would probably mostly impact gaming and video streaming.  I'm not saying that you should not use Mint or Visible...only that you should be aware of the implications.  Talk with the company to understand any restrictions before committing to anything.  Both companies certainly seem to be doing well and must have many happy customers who appreciate the monthly savings.

 

More info on MVNOs here, or a slightly deeper technical dive here.

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

It is sad that he can't do a live thread on CC. It is a great loss for all of us and everyone else on this site.

I think we will get by. There will surely be enough other reporting on the cruise either daily or

weekly anyway.

[Keksie]

@Ocean Boy Why is the one dose shingles shot not good enough?  Did it not work at all or just not as well as the 2 dose version?

[Ocean Boy]

17 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I think we will get by. There will surely be enough other reporting on the cruise either daily or

weekly anyway.

Maybe. I hope that we don't lose the convenience factor of having a thread on CC especially since this is a rather unique cruise. There is certainly no shortage of live threads and reviews of the same ships and itineraries over and over.

[h20skibum]

36 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Anyone considering Mint or Visible (or any of the other Mobile Virtual Network Operators...MVNOs) should be aware of how they work and what restrictions you might face. 

I experienced some of those restrictions. Before we consolidated plans, my wife was on Verizon, and I was on a low rate carrier that used their towers.  There was one place, when we were traveling, where she had service, and I had none.  There were times it was noticeably slower for most things.  We could easily compare, because we had the same iPhones and were in the same area. 

[Ocean Boy]

20 minutes ago, Keksie said:

@Ocean Boy Why is the one dose shingles shot not good enough?  Did it not work at all or just not as well as the 2 dose version?

There were a lot of break through cases with the older vaccine. Hopefully, the new vaccine, which is a two shot series, will prove more efficacious in the long run.

[h20skibum]

Found someone guarding the elf this morning. 

 

[akcruz]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

I've had a prescription for Shingrix sitting on my desk since my last doctor visit about 10 months ago.  I've just never gotten around to getting the shot.  After all of this Shingles talk, I think I'll make it a priority.  😬

 

That's me too, keep hearing the 1st shot isn't too bad but the 2nd can really knock you out.  Trying to find a time frame that works.  After these discussions may have to get more serious about it.

 

54 minutes ago, sgmn said:

No idea, think its historic.  As I said it's being lowered from 01Sept 23 to 65, but us guys who are over 65 but below 70 will have to wait till over 70 which is a bit frustrating 

 

Well that makes no sense.  So 65 year olds can get the vaccine now but you have wait?  Guess they don't want to worry about supply issues but still, crazy.

[Ocean Boy]

49 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Anyone considering Mint or Visible (or any of the other Mobile Virtual Network Operators...MVNOs) should be aware of how they work and what restrictions you might face.  They don't own their own network and instead pay to use the cellular networks of T-Mobile and Verizon respectively.  This keeps the cost down for Mint/Visible and gives T-Mobile/Verizon an extra revenue stream.  That's not typically a problem unless the main company is experiencing peak usage, in which case Mint/Visible customers would be restricted, not the main company's customers.  You might see slower data speeds at peak times, or have a capped amount of high speed data per month forcing you into slower speeds for the rest of the month once exceeded.  You may also not have access to some features like tethering, or the ability to get the latest and greatest phones.  This is how they can afford to offer cheaper plans.

 

I've been a Verizon customer forever (who has threatened to leave several times) so I don't have personal experience with an MVNO.  I don't know how much these restrictions are a problem in real life.  I would assume that most people who do not need much high speed data on their phone wouldn't know the difference.  It would probably mostly impact gaming and video streaming.  I'm not saying that you should not use Mint or Visible...only that you should be aware of the implications.  Talk with the company to understand any restrictions before committing to anything.  Both companies certainly seem to be doing well and must have many happy customers who appreciate the monthly savings.

 

More info on MVNOs here, or a slightly deeper technical dive here.

Besides the fact that I tend to not make changes easily, which I am sure companies love, I feel more comfortable being with a major provider. I don't have issues with service and I'm not willing to risk that reliability. Coupled with the discounts that they offer certain groups the amount I might save by switching is not large enough to make the risk worthwhile.

[aussielozzie18]

Never a good sign when after making an online booking and the cruise line (Virgin Voyages) has taken full payment  from your bank account - you don’t get a confirmation email.  Instead,  you get “this is your last payment warning” email and “you need to pay xxx immediately”.  Spent  all day on hold trying to reach them via phone to no avail.  Stayed awake tonight  to call them at midnight my time and they could not  find the booking - despite repeatedly spelling my name, stating booking number & cabin number listed on warning notice. After 30mins of searching, they finally find the booking.  Phew!  

Edited December 6, 2023 by aussielozzie18

[Ocean Boy]

22 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Never a good sign when after making an online booking and the cruise line (Virgin Voyages) has taken full payment  from your bank account - you don’t get a confirmation email.  Instead,  you get “this is your last payment warning” email and “you need to pay xxx immediately”.  Spent  all day on hold trying to reach them via phone to no avail.  Stayed awake tonight  to call them at midnight my time and they could not  find the booking - despite repeatedly spelling my name, stating booking number & cabin number listed on warning notice. After 30mins of searching, they finally find the booking.  Phew!  

What was their explanation for the screw up? If it was not a very good one then I would have been very tempted to cancel. I would probably be more tolerant of a company that I have had years of dealing with but not so much with a " Virgin" company.

[Keksie]

39 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

There were a lot of break through cases with the older vaccine. Hopefully, the new vaccine, which is a two shot series, will prove more efficacious in the long run.

Hmmm.  Have to think about maybe getting the 2 shots, maybe.

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, Keksie said:

Hmmm.  Have to think about maybe getting the 2 shots, maybe.

Then you can think about it again when the next three shot series vaccine is invented.😉😊

[aussielozzie18]

6 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

What was their explanation for the screw up? If it was not a very good one then I would have been very tempted to cancel. I would probably be more tolerant of a company that I have had years of dealing with but not so much with " Virgin" company.

No explanation.  The booking wasn’t there and then suddenly it was.  Bizarre.  I did get a generous amount of loot (OBC),in writing thankfully.
 

I wouldn’t cancel because I don’t want to be chasing a refund but I will be very cautious if I book again down the track, starting with using a credit card for payment.
 

 

[CSHS1979]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Check out her ticket prices on Stub Hub, they are "economical" compared to a RC cruise.😂

 

You should see what I paid for Stones tickets this summer

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Great idea at a great price too!   I just put in my Amazon cart.   Thank you. We will have stealing when we do our White Elephant at our holiday luncheon next week.  

 

Have fun and enjoy your luncheon on Monday.  😊 That's nice they invite the retirees too

 

I miss the Christmas season at my long time job.It is now 27 years since I left after working there 25 years..I enjoyed buying presents for all the employees and the in house parties as well as out of office parties.At one time they invited those who retired but that stopped in 2000.