OCSC Mike

14 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Last month when I boarded Allure, I was onboard and done with muster by 10:18

And that wasn't a fluke. I know you were just on all 3 ships at PC but as far back as last June, Terminal 1 ships have begun boarding well before the "earliest" time slot of 10:30.

2 minutes ago, Biaggio said:

no excuse not to get your steps in

Laziness? Allergic to exercise? I could go on...

6 minutes ago, ScottD said:

I haven't been yet, but is it true that the tracks on the freedom class ships incline a little toward the front? On liberty it looks like they gradually go up a deck when you get to the fwd section of the ship. 

I've never noticed that on Indy or Freedom but my wife would know better.

Check out the running track on Enchantment if you're bored. That ship was literally cut in half during a dry dock and they added a brand new middle section then put it back together. You can most easily tell the new section on the track up top b/c there's a big hump in the middle... that's the new part.

3 minutes ago, LandstromCruise said:

Yeah sitting in traffic around Orlando now. Mouse lovers need to learn the gas is on the right. 

Don't get me started... you may think it's tourists, and they don't help, but the locals are no better. At least it seems like you left plenty early. Embarkation at PC is a breeze and usually starts early and moves quickly.

1 minute ago, RCIfan1912 said:

I was going to say the Oasis class ships in my opinion have the better jogging track set up. It's lower and that's all it is, it's not where chairs are set up to sunbathe. 

I think my wife prefers the open upper deck (from Freedom class) so that she's more open to the sky and sea and not running under the life boats in that corridor. Different pros and cons I guess.

1 hour ago, RCIfan1912 said:

I have been waking up or getting out to the track at around 5:45/6:00 which seems to be a sweet spot. It feels awesome, just awesome getting in 10,000 or more steps before breakfast. Always holy cow is it beautiful when you get a good sunrise. I came around the very front of the ship one morning not even knowing the sunrise was coming and there it was, just stunning. 

My wife was an avid runner for many years and recently switched to walking. This has been her routine for a long time. I'm also an early riser but I head to the CL for coffee and then find a pre-breakfast snack to go with it, not exercise, lol.

I don't really have any tips for you (you already figured out to go early) and I've never been on Q-class, but on Oasis class there are usually chairs behind the aqua theater facing aft right by the track. I've brought my coffee there before and watched the sunrise and the wake of the ship while watching my wife pass by, lol. So I guess that's a tip for anyone who wants a nice quiet early morning spot and may have a cruise-mate on the track.

36 minutes ago, LandstromCruise said:

It’s cruise day!!! 

Safe drive across the state. Our drivers are… umm… yeah.

5 minutes ago, Cactus527 said:

free breakfast

I die a little inside every time someone mentions eating breakfast on embarkation morning.   At least it's free.

2 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I am worried about the food and pax though

Food - As you know, this is subjective. I survived a 3/4 on Indy with no "extra" included venues but that was my only complaint. If I had ELF like you will, I would have been much happier.

Pax - You're a shenanigans-magnet... does the length of cruise really matter? I could tell you they were also fine on that 3/4 but it was in July (lots of families with tiny humans) and we somehow stay in our own little shenanigans-free bubble.

In all seriousness, given all you've been through based on the last few live blogs I've read, I think you'll be fine.

8 minutes ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

Is there a place that shows the new MDR menus? I would love to get an idea of what will be available to show my parents. Then we can get an idea of where we will eat each night. TIA

The app has them.

9 minutes ago, GregD said:

Sabor and Mini Bites are out and Playmakers and El Loco Fresh are in. 

Big upgrades to me... and I actually like Sabor... but I like Playmakers more... and Mini Bites was my least favorite included food venue ever while I can always grab a taco at ELF.

11 minutes ago, GregD said:

crazy Canuck

Don't start spelling neighbor like her. I joke about that with my UK friends who use that same spelling... that extra U just doesn't need to be there.

25 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I looked at Wonder. a 3/4 b2b is a competitive price compared to any other 7 nighter on an Oasis ship.

Yep, my group rate comparison for Wonder 7N vs. Utopia B2B in June and July (both at PC) were very similar. Utopia was a bit cheaper in June, Wonder was a bit cheaper in July.

They're both high, of course, but between summer, PC, newest Oasis class, and general price inflation... that was to be expected.

17 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Agreed. Wonder for March 2026 I found to be decent pricing. Probably the best I have seen in two years. Wonder 8/17/2025 is awful, I think that has to do with Star inaugural cancellation. And Utopia is just bad all around. 

Got Utopia group rates this morning and they were very similar to Wonder for my dates (factoring in OBC and 7N vs. 3/4 B2B). And as I mentioned earlier, there are some monetary benefits to shorties as far as extra spending goes. No excursions and D+ will cover all of our internet on a 3/4 since we share one account so "all-in" it's probably a little less expensive than Wonder.

Still just have everything on hold until my better half is free to go over stuff but my guess is we'll be doing Utopia in June '25 and March '26. July was a bit higher and I'm not sure how many CocoCay B2B's we want to do so that one is more up in the air.

Wait… you’re prepping your stomach for a 4-nighter??? It’s 4N, go crazy! One of the few benefits to a shorter cruise… you don’t have to worry about that “uh oh, I’ve really been eating a ton” feeling by day 6 or 7. Maybe that’s just me though.

Congrats on the RU!

9 hours ago, Gilley said:

Does diamond get anything nice like that.  I will be Diamond on my Icon cruise this May.

No amenity gift for D besides the bottled water. The other stuff starts at D+.

4 minutes ago, Atlantix2000 said:

You're forgetting my time machine!

Sweet! Then you could just book weekend cruises and take hardly any time off. Just keep going back to embarkation day and make the cruise last however many days you want!

2 minutes ago, Atlantix2000 said:

For me, a 4 night weekday cruise means I can take a week vacation (M-F) and still have most of both weekends for yardwork, housework, and don't have to rush to pack/unpack.  If the cruise is M-Th, I can fly in a day early on Sunday (cheaper than F/Sat) and fly home later Thursday (also cheaper than Friday) and I can mow my lawn both weekends.

Not pointing this out to be a jerk, but 4N weekday cruises go from M-F. You can't fly home on Thursday.

57 minutes ago, Cactus527 said:

This "diet" you keep speaking of - your cruise is March 17th. Mine is March 11th. I'm packing it in to get to the point where I can eat everything. You shouldn't limit yourself, you should expand yourself, like I am! 

Everyone's body is different. Your method does have merit though. I think competitive eaters eat a bunch of lettuce or something leading up to a competition to expand their stomachs.

For those scoring at home, Saturday night's BBQ bacon cheeseburger with bottomless fries was my last bad meal before the cruise.

33 minutes ago, GregD said:

Food porn lovers enjoy!

This one did! Makes me want to go to our local BBQ place but I can't break my pre-cruise diet. Maybe I'll put BBQ sauce on my grilled chicken breast tonight and pretend it's the same thing.

13 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

I have our usual sail dates on hold while I wait for Wonder & Utopia group rates. My TA said he should have them tomorrow.

Got Wonder prices so far... rates are about 20% higher than the same exact Wonder dates I'll be on this June and July.

Not expecting Utopia to be any better but we save on some stuff there like no excursion $ spent if we're just doing Nassau/CocoCay so we'll see...

37 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Another ship that I have noticed is priced way beyond what it is worth is Liberty out of Bayonne. Not saying that Liberty is a bad ship, but like Navigator, the pricing is ridiculous for what it is, and what it doesn't come with compared to other ships.

I haven't looked at Liberty's prices but that's how I felt about Adventure when it was released for PC. Sure, it's cheaper than Wonder (not saying much there) and I never priced group rates, but even as a frugal cruiser, like you said, the drop off in what it comes with is pretty significant. I wish they had left Mariner here. Not only do we have a sentimental attachment but it has Playmakers, Bamboo Room, Dog House, etc. Adventure has... ummm... not much.

12 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

plan on getting off and getting some Azithromycin.  You can get it in Mexico without a prescription but you have to be careful that they actually give you the real deal.  I bought some once and it was fake.  Not sure exactly how to DO that (ensure that it is real) but I'm hoping that if I tell them I got some bogus stuff there once before, they will give me the good stuff.  It wouldn't be first time I ever wasted money on something I bought

Hope this works out for you!

13 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I love that. Parents, still being parents even when their kids are long past grown. Gotta love them.

+1 to that. The only time I gain weight besides a cruise is when we spend extended time visiting my wife's parents. And of course they even let us be Sky Class freeloaders a couple times despite our pre-vintage status.

29 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I still can't believe Navigator and Star have similar suite prices.

That’s pretty crazy.

1 hour ago, Historic said:

Question, does the sky class lounge still do free wine, beer, water and sparkling water for free from 11 AM to 11 PM? And do they have free cocktails from 5 to 8 PM?

Yes and yes. Also, other free 11-11 beverages include soda, hard cider, and hard seltzer. Enjoy your perks!