karl_nj

Is this really any different then airlines asking their passengers to wear masks?  There have been a few news reports of people being banned from flying due to not wearing masks, but it seems like most people are following the guidelines.
 

Yes, another vote for the Kimpton Epic.  We stayed there August 2019, before our cruise on Symphony.  The room had a small balcony with a fun view of the Miami River; I enjoyed watching all the traffic on the river.  Whenever a drawbridge opened, it causes chaos on the roads. 
We got upgraded to a junior suite, so we had a nice sitting area to relax.
If you have an Amex Platinum card, they do participate in the FHR program, so we also got breakfast included and a $100 F&B credit.
 

The Kimpton Epic is right next to the Intercontinental, has rooms with a view of the  port, is beautiful, and doesn't command the price of the Intercontinental.  It may be worth checking out.  It's where we stay every time now.

I think you bring up some great points, but Holland America already does this, so it’s not completely unheard of. 
 
10 years ago most cruise line loyalty programs were based on cruises sailed (or sometimes either or cruises or nights.) Moving towards nights only is fairly recent, and still limited to the major brands.  I wouldn’t be surprised if a move to onboard spend being a factor was more widespread in the future. 
 
 

Thanks for the heads up on this.  Due to the pandemic, my commute to work now just involves walking to my basement, so I'm a bit behind on my podcast queue.  But when I saw the alert on this one being released, I knew to make sure to check it out immediately.
I really enjoyed the episode!
I totally agree that the staff on Anthem really go our of their way to make sure any issues are rectified.  Before one of my Anthem cruises I was a little annoyed because the pub beer menu looked like it changed for the worse.  Out of all the mass market lines RCL tends to have the worst selection of "interesting" beers, but Anthem was a bit of an exception when it was branded as Michaels Genuine.  Still not the best choices at sea, but better then the rest of the RCL ships.  Right before my cruise, they rebranded it to be more like the non "celebrity chef" pubs on the other ships, and early reports made it seem like the beer choices were pretty limited.  So I sent an email to corporate with some suggestions, got a reply thanking me for my comments and I figured that was it.  But no, one day onboard I get back to my room and I see they left me a bucket of several of the more interesting beers available onboard, which was a very nice surprise.  I really enjoyed them on my balcony, I thought it was a very nice gesture.  But, much like you found, that was not it.  Eventually my wife, daughter, and I decided to try the food at the pub and buy a couple of beers.  Once our card was scanned for our first round, it must have triggered an alert to the assistant food and beverage manager that ran the pub, since he appeared out of nowhere to come and chat for a bit.  We had a nice chat and I recommended some other beers and beer styles that might be good to stock onboard (I don't think anything ever came of that, but it was nice that he asked), and then he left.  But when we asked for our check for our food, it turns out that he comped our meal.
Sometimes enough little things go wrong in a row, and it can put a bit of a damper on ones enthusiasm.  It's nice that the staff on some ships try to do their best to turn those situations around.   It certainly helps to have the "right" attitude, but giving staff the power to also try to fix things can also go a long way.
 

Thanks for the heads up on this.  Due to the pandemic, my commute to work now just involves walking to my basement, so I'm a bit behind on my podcast queue.  But when I saw the alert on this one being released, I knew to make sure to check it out immediately.
I really enjoyed the episode!
I totally agree that the staff on Anthem really go our of their way to make sure any issues are rectified.  Before one of my Anthem cruises I was a little annoyed because the pub beer menu looked like it changed for the worse.  Out of all the mass market lines RCL tends to have the worst selection of "interesting" beers, but Anthem was a bit of an exception when it was branded as Michaels Genuine.  Still not the best choices at sea, but better then the rest of the RCL ships.  Right before my cruise, they rebranded it to be more like the non "celebrity chef" pubs on the other ships, and early reports made it seem like the beer choices were pretty limited.  So I sent an email to corporate with some suggestions, got a reply thanking me for my comments and I figured that was it.  But no, one day onboard I get back to my room and I see they left me a bucket of several of the more interesting beers available onboard, which was a very nice surprise.  I really enjoyed them on my balcony, I thought it was a very nice gesture.  But, much like you found, that was not it.  Eventually my wife, daughter, and I decided to try the food at the pub and buy a couple of beers.  Once our card was scanned for our first round, it must have triggered an alert to the assistant food and beverage manager that ran the pub, since he appeared out of nowhere to come and chat for a bit.  We had a nice chat and I recommended some other beers and beer styles that might be good to stock onboard (I don't think anything ever came of that, but it was nice that he asked), and then he left.  But when we asked for our check for our food, it turns out that he comped our meal.
Sometimes enough little things go wrong in a row, and it can put a bit of a damper on ones enthusiasm.  It's nice that the staff on some ships try to do their best to turn those situations around.   It certainly helps to have the "right" attitude, but giving staff the power to also try to fix things can also go a long way.
 

So....
Bringing this thread up again because just shy of a year after sailing, I just got a chance to recap this cruise with @Matt for this week's podcast episode. Not just my first time contributing to the podcast, it's actually the first time Matt and I have had a chance to talk to each other voice-to-voice! ?
If you want to hear about this sailing in a much more brief format, keep an eye on your podcast client. Episode #375 will be coming out soon.

The CityMD urgent care center in Teterboro offers the antibody test. My wife and I got tested last week. 

The CityMD urgent care center in Teterboro offers the antibody test. My wife and I got tested last week. 

The CityMD urgent care center in Teterboro offers the antibody test. My wife and I got tested last week. 

It does seem like they made a mistake in the calculations.  Based on your invoice, I would expect an amount closer to what you already calculated.  I'm sure your TA will get it resolved.

It does seem like they made a mistake in the calculations.  Based on your invoice, I would expect an amount closer to what you already calculated.  I'm sure your TA will get it resolved.

It does seem like they made a mistake in the calculations.  Based on your invoice, I would expect an amount closer to what you already calculated.  I'm sure your TA will get it resolved.

United, Delta and American Airlines have each gone through Chapter 11 twice, and everyone kept their frequent flyer miles.
 

Anything more about that bullet point re: Anthem?

I would just hold off on doing anything and revisit in late May.  It's quite possible Cruise With Confidence is extended at that point.

I would think opening the border between the US and Canada would be one of the first phases, even before cruising resumes.

I would think opening the border between the US and Canada would be one of the first phases, even before cruising resumes.

I would think opening the border between the US and Canada would be one of the first phases, even before cruising resumes.

The stock market is closed today, for Good Friday.
 

Slight mutations of the virus. The virus all over NYC is more similar to the one found in Europe, vs the west coast cases which are more similar to the ones found in China. 

Slight mutations of the virus. The virus all over NYC is more similar to the one found in Europe, vs the west coast cases which are more similar to the ones found in China. 

It’s sort of a weird day for the market to be closed. I think I only knew because i get the day off. They company I work for follows the NYSE holiday calendar. 

I doubt these companies have the ability to spend money on upgrading their ships and private islands when they aren't operating.  They are just trying to survive at the moment.

The stock market is closed today, for Good Friday.