“Suite!” Just Retired to be a pirate at sea with Sea Dog and Polly The Pirate Semi Live Explorer Nov. 7th

[bobmacliberty]

55 minutes ago, Sheal said:

What the limitation would be with an adapter (vs. convertor) is that if you tried using this while in Europe (or anywhere they use this "c" plug) in say, someone's home, and then tried plugging in an appliance like a curling iron,  you risk burning out the item within seconds, along with possibly blowing the fuses in the home.  My daughter's BF learned this the hard way.  The curling iron was toast but fortunately no other damage was done. 

 

So in that case the convertor would have been handy.  I had one on me but I arrived a couple days later to hear the story.

 

 

 

 

 

It depends on what you plug in an how well it can handle different electrical standards.  In the US, the electrical standard is 60 Hz and around 120 volts.  In Europe and many other parts of the world, it's 50 Hz and around 240 volts.  A simple adaptor will just adapt from one plug configuration to another, but will like the electricity as is, (e.g. in Europe, the electricity coming out of the adaptor will still be 50 Hz/240V, even though you can plug in something with a US style plug).  A converter will also modify the electricity, e.g. a US converter plugged into a Europe outlet will give you US style plugs AND will convert the electricity to 60Hz/120V.  Many devices like laptops and mobile phones can automatically adjust to whatever electric standard it is connected to, so you only need an adaptor that will fit the style of plug that you have.  I don't think many curling irons can adjust to a different electrical standard and almost certainly would cause problems if plugged into the wrong place thru an adaptor.

[Bronx12]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do this on your retirement, graduation, family cruise 😉

[mo&fran]

15 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

It depends on what you plug in an how well it can handle different electrical standards.  In the US, the electrical standard is 60 Hz and around 120 volts.  In Europe and many other parts of the world, it's 50 Hz and around 240 volts.  A simple adaptor will just adapt from one plug configuration to another, but will like the electricity as is, (e.g. in Europe, the electricity coming out of the adaptor will still be 50 Hz/240V, even though you can plug in something with a US style plug).  A converter will also modify the electricity, e.g. a US converter plugged into a Europe outlet will give you US style plugs AND will convert the electricity to 60Hz/120V.  Many devices like laptops and mobile phones can automatically adjust to whatever electric standard it is connected to, so you only need an adaptor that will fit the style of plug that you have.  I don't think many curling irons can adjust to a different electrical standard and almost certainly would cause problems if plugged into the wrong place thru an adaptor.

I don't think it will convert the frequency, just the voltage.

[ramja96]

1 hour ago, Sheal said:

What the limitation would be with an adapter (vs. convertor) is that if you tried using this while in Europe (or anywhere they use this "c" plug) in say, someone's home, and then tried plugging in an appliance like a curling iron,  you risk burning out the item within seconds, along with possibly blowing the fuses in the home.  My daughter's BF learned this the hard way.  The curling iron was toast but fortunately no other damage was done. 

 

So in that case the convertor would have been handy.  I had one on me but I arrived a couple days later to hear the story.

 

 

 

 

 

The way I understand it, is that anything I plug into this needs to be dual voltage.  Specifically, I am concerned about my C-Pap if I were to plug it into this. But I did some digging and my C-Pap is rated 100-240V, so I'm good.  Thanks!

[Fyrmdc]

Greg,

 

Finally getting around to posting saying it was great to meet you the first night. The internet is horrible on this ship versus our past experiences. 
 

Enjoy your retirement and hope to share a drink with you later this week. 
 

Here is the speed test I just did while sitting by the pool enjoying an drink.

 

Dave

 

 

[mo&fran]

8 minutes ago, Fyrmdc said:

Greg,

 

Finally getting around to posting saying it was great to meet you the first night. The internet is horrible on this ship versus our past experiences. 
 

Enjoy your retirement and hope to share a drink with you later this week. 
 

Here is the speed test I just did while sitting by the pool enjoying an drink.

 

Dave

 

 

At one point, RCI was going to retrofit the O3B system to the whole fleet. A key part of that project was additional antennas, which they seemed to be in a hurry to install, then the whole project seemed to just fizzle out.

[crewsweeper]

22 minutes ago, mo&fran said:

At one point, RCI was going to retrofit the O3B system to the whole fleet. A key part of that project was additional antennas, which they seemed to be in a hurry to install, then the whole project seemed to just fizzle out.

Antennas are probably stuck on a container ship in Long Beach.😃

[John&LaLa]

23 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Yes the kind of review I'm trying to do doesn't lend itself to doing it live. Some of my high resolution pictures and videos stall out when I try to upload. Also if I do not post or edit quick enough the post will stall out such as evidence of post #295. Even the Go Pro stuff that I upload to You tube takes forever.

 

I didn't do an Empress Live because it was so frustrating 

[John&LaLa]

23 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I will never forget the first time I set foot on the Royal Promenade, it was so different from any previous ship we had been on. Even though I had seen pictures, it was so exciting to finally be there.

 

My first time on the Promenade was Mariner in 2008. Joined Laura on leg 3 of a B3B. Near aft elevators as I recall. They let me on early and made a PA announcement to meet me on deck 5😇

Edited November 9, 2021 by John&LaLa

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

The food porn is killing me.  I might not make it 33 more days.

Dave the food this week has been outstanding. I’m really impressed. Tonight Giovanni’s with just breakfast no lunch. I’m going big!!!!

 

2 hours ago, KLMB said:

SeaDog - Your review, photos and just everything is amazing.  Proud that you are representing us KC people, lol.  Thanks so much for sharing.  Enjoy!! 

KC proud. Thanks for following along. I always say KC is one of the best big cities with a small town feel.

 

2 hours ago, Bronx12 said:

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do this on your retirement, graduation, family cruise 😉

 

Thank you. It’s been a complete blast.
 

1 hour ago, Fyrmdc said:

Greg,

 

Finally getting around to posting saying it was great to meet you the first night. The internet is horrible on this ship versus our past experiences. 
 

Enjoy your retirement and hope to share a drink with you later this week. 
 

Here is the speed test I just did while sitting by the pool enjoying an drink.

 

Dave

 

 

 

Pleasure is all mine Dave!  I do hope we can meet up again. Your speed test is better than mine. Talked with a gentleman today standing in 5 feet of water and drinking a rum punch who says AT&T has really good service in the Caribbean and doesn’t even buy the voom package. May need to look into that.

[Tree_skier]

1 hour ago, crewsweeper said:

Antennas are probably stuck on a container ship in Long Beach.😃

Alongs side my low calorie yoghurt that was out of stock in at Walmart today.  

[Chauncey Picklepants]

So happy you’re enjoying your retirement cruise with your family! Really enjoying your documentary. 

[Jimbo]

Appears the internet is crapping out.

[Coralc]

Just now, Jimbo said:

Appears the internet is crapping out.

He will have plenty to share when they return.  I am just happy that they are having a wonderful time onboard and on the cruise. Stressing about a live review is not something he should be worried about on this long awaited vacation. We can wait. 

[DMWT Cruiser]

6 hours ago, Coralc said:

He will have plenty to share when they return.  I am just happy that they are having a wonderful time onboard and on the cruise. Stressing about a live review is not something he should be worried about on this long awaited vacation. We can wait. 

Yep...for me, part of the enjoyment of cruising is being completely unplugged...no phone, no email, no internet, no distractions!  Just sun, fun, R&R!  😎

[Sea Dog]

 

Ok let’s try this. I’ve tried multiple times to

upload the video of our excursion in St. Croix. No luck at all . Even tried over night. Nothing stalls every time. So you will get a more in-depth post after I get back but I will say the Half Day Sail and Beach was a blast. More later but here are some pictures from it.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Sea Dog

[Sea Dog]

So for all you mooring fans these pics are for you and you know who you are. These lines are for you. And no I did it without getting yelled at. This Pirate is sneaky.

 

 

 

 

[Ocean Boy]

17 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

So for all you mooring fans these pics are for you and you know who you are. These lines are for you. And no I did it without getting yelled at. This Pirate is sneaky.

 

 

 

Getting a whistle blown at you gets you into the Pinnacle level of the Mooring Club.😊

[h20skibum]

54 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Ok let’s try this. I’ve tried multiple times to

upload the video of our excursion in St. Croix. No luck at all .

Don’t stress the videos.   That’s why I only did videos at the beginning and the end, and the days between were just photos.  
 

Take time to relax.  Those port intensive days are busy enough.  We are all enjoying the photos.

 

As someone once said….Every picture tells a story, don’t it. 

[Sea Dog]

New and Improved Giovanni’s 

 

Our first experience at Giovanni’s 

Was on Adventure 4 years ago . I was underwhelmed. It was good but did not have the wow factor.

 

This time Giovanni’s had the wow factor. We started out with 4 different appetizers.
 

 

 

 

The meat and cheese plank was still as good as it’s always been. We also had the Ahi Tuna Sashimi and pork belly along with mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes. But the wow factor came from the grilled octopus. Wow this was so tender and so full of flavor. Best octopus I’d ever eaten.

 

For the mains I had heard people say their filet was better than Chops so I had to see and taste for myself. This tasted just as good if not better. The key was the sauce that you could pour over the steak or dip. Now I’m normally a sauce guy for steak. Just some salt and pepper and let the meat speak for itself but this Broccolini Barolo Sauce was out of this world. It gave the steak a whole new flavor profile. I highly approved.

 

Jonathan had the Ossobuco and was really good and Linda had the same filet as I did. She loved it. I had a side of the Pasta Carbonara  with poached egg on top and lots of grated Parmesan on it.

 

We were so full that almost did not get dessert. We ordered Tiramisu to split but the waiter also brought  out a chocolate torte with chocolate ganache on top. Wow again. And the Tiramisu was a hit also.

 

Linda wanted to chill on the balcony and Jonathan went to on of pool deck to read. I went to headliner show to hear Paul Hughes a singer that sings the classics like Sinatra,Bobby Darin and Michael Buble. He was good. Not Sinatra but good. I was really impressed with the big band that had about a hour and half rehearsal with him to learn all the charts. They sounded great. I was very impressed.

 

After that back to schooner bar to drink with my new friends and had  my great bartender Norvo recreate the Baton Rouge Drink that used to be on Schooner menu but was taken off. It was Captain Morgan Spiced Rum with Hennessy Cognac and simple syrup. The original recipe called for rose syrup which he substituted another syrup for. Sorry my phone died and I did not get a photo. I will try again.

 

Lastly more Zoom woes. I stayed up past 1:30 trying to get my video of our excursion today to upload to you tube. No luck, stalked every time. Tried this morning at 6am again no luck. You will have wait till I get home. What a joke the surf and stream is on this ship. Very frustrating. I could complain but it would not help. I will mention it on my post survey. I have to wonder if it’s because Explorer was just supported in the app? Now you have all these people using the app might be clogging the pipeline. Just a thought.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Sea Dog

[crewsweeper]

Great tips on Giovanni's .   And hoping Norvo is on board in April , Baton Rouge would entice me back to the Schooner Bar for more than just a Vets group.

[Sea Dog]

I’m so sorry I can’t post any pictures. Every upload of a picture crashes. I’ll try later to see if I can get it to upload.

[mack44]

All these internet woes I'm really reconsidering getting the voom surf and stream package to stream a football game I didn't want to miss on our last night on the ship.  I'm a diehard fan and had to give up my tickets for the game.

 

I just want to verify you got that package and the speeds still suck.

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, mack44 said:

I just want to verify you got that package and the speeds still suck.

Sat based internet performance can and does vary wildly - you do have a better chance at better performance on a ship with O3B Voom, which Explorer does NOT have.

[Sea Dog]

I think it may vary on different ships. But everyone I’ve talked to Explorer says it’s horrible.