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BrianB

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  1. Haha
    BrianB got a reaction from foxrunner in Insomnia on a cruise ship   
    Threads live forever!🤣
    My issue is I have sleeping difficulties at home. But onboard I sleep much better. Even in very heavy seas when I’m getting pushed around, I still seem to sleep a lot better while on a ship.
    I asked my doctor, solely in the interest of my health and wellbeing, to write a prescription for me to cruise as much as possible…but my cheapskate insurance company still won’t pay for my cruises. Ba$t@rds!😡
  2. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from fireclan in Insomnia on a cruise ship   
    Threads live forever!🤣
    My issue is I have sleeping difficulties at home. But onboard I sleep much better. Even in very heavy seas when I’m getting pushed around, I still seem to sleep a lot better while on a ship.
    I asked my doctor, solely in the interest of my health and wellbeing, to write a prescription for me to cruise as much as possible…but my cheapskate insurance company still won’t pay for my cruises. Ba$t@rds!😡
  3. Haha
    BrianB got a reaction from Butters530 in Insomnia on a cruise ship   
    Threads live forever!🤣
    My issue is I have sleeping difficulties at home. But onboard I sleep much better. Even in very heavy seas when I’m getting pushed around, I still seem to sleep a lot better while on a ship.
    I asked my doctor, solely in the interest of my health and wellbeing, to write a prescription for me to cruise as much as possible…but my cheapskate insurance company still won’t pay for my cruises. Ba$t@rds!😡
  4. Haha
    BrianB got a reaction from DoomSlayer in Insomnia on a cruise ship   
    Threads live forever!🤣
    My issue is I have sleeping difficulties at home. But onboard I sleep much better. Even in very heavy seas when I’m getting pushed around, I still seem to sleep a lot better while on a ship.
    I asked my doctor, solely in the interest of my health and wellbeing, to write a prescription for me to cruise as much as possible…but my cheapskate insurance company still won’t pay for my cruises. Ba$t@rds!😡
  5. Haha
    BrianB got a reaction from WAAAYTOOO in Insomnia on a cruise ship   
    Threads live forever!🤣
    My issue is I have sleeping difficulties at home. But onboard I sleep much better. Even in very heavy seas when I’m getting pushed around, I still seem to sleep a lot better while on a ship.
    I asked my doctor, solely in the interest of my health and wellbeing, to write a prescription for me to cruise as much as possible…but my cheapskate insurance company still won’t pay for my cruises. Ba$t@rds!😡
  6. Haha
    BrianB got a reaction from OCSC Mike in Insomnia on a cruise ship   
    Threads live forever!🤣
    My issue is I have sleeping difficulties at home. But onboard I sleep much better. Even in very heavy seas when I’m getting pushed around, I still seem to sleep a lot better while on a ship.
    I asked my doctor, solely in the interest of my health and wellbeing, to write a prescription for me to cruise as much as possible…but my cheapskate insurance company still won’t pay for my cruises. Ba$t@rds!😡
  7. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from RCIfan1912 in Baltimore Bridge collapse   
    Prayers to all of those affected by this horrible tragedy.
    I’m sure the investigation will be federally led and include the Coast Guard, NTSB and other federal investigative agencies.
    The loss of commerce due to the stoppage of container vessels and also the interstate road system used by trucking will be substantial. Although rerouting vessels and vehicles to other ports and roads will quickly take precedence. 
    As for replacement cruise ports…Bayonne is a good possibility. There are many days each week where there are no ships in port. Right now it’s only the Anthem on Sundays. In May it will be the Liberty and Symphony. There’s also the possibility of the Manhattan Cruise Terminals which consist of piers 88, 89 and 90. Pier 88 is the one most used at this time…primarily by NCL. There is also the Brooklyn cruise port used primarily by MSC and Cunard.
  8. Love
    BrianB got a reaction from RCIfan1912 in Arrival Time Choice Delayed During Check-in?   
    Bayonne has been pretty loose as far as arrival times are concerned. Lots of people show up early and as long as the security lines don’t get too backed up, they just keep waving you into the terminal without checking SeaPasses. Just keep in mind the garage doesn’t usually open for new passengers until approximately 10am…to allow disembarking passengers to leave first.
    Even after checking in, the seating is first come-first serve for general passengers. Suites have their own seating area. When general boarding does commence, they have each row stand one at a time and they board.
    Hopefully they don’t change this as the weather gets nicer and being forced to stand outside isn’t the issue that it is during the winter in NJ.
  9. Thanks
    BrianB got a reaction from TXCoastPatriot in Slot Machine Player’s Points Issue on Anthem   
    Onboard the Anthem sailing from Bayonne NJ…
    Last night (day 1) in the casino there was an issue with the player card recognition system on the slot machines. Only the machines…not the tables.
    When players tapped their cards, the receiver turned green and screen said ‘Welcome Guest’ instead of ‘Welcome (players name)’. Because the receiver turned green, many players thought their card was accepted and the points would count.
    However, although the points played would count on the display…they would not be applicable to the player. The casino host had to keep making announcements over and over as the casino became more crowded after dinner.
    Apparently, there was an IT issue resulting in all of the player’s information being deleted from the system. The onboard technical members were working with shoreside to manually enter each player’s information into the program and that was taking quite a bit of time.
    The casino host kept telling people to take a photo of their points before leaving a machine. Otherwise, there would be no way for them to post the points to the player’s account when things got back to normal.
    As time went on, the host kept announcing how many more players had their information restored and kept asking for patience from those still in the queue.
    Wondering if this was just on the Anthem or were other ships affected.
  10. Wow
    BrianB got a reaction from WAAAYTOOO in Slot Machine Player’s Points Issue on Anthem   
    Onboard the Anthem sailing from Bayonne NJ…
    Last night (day 1) in the casino there was an issue with the player card recognition system on the slot machines. Only the machines…not the tables.
    When players tapped their cards, the receiver turned green and screen said ‘Welcome Guest’ instead of ‘Welcome (players name)’. Because the receiver turned green, many players thought their card was accepted and the points would count.
    However, although the points played would count on the display…they would not be applicable to the player. The casino host had to keep making announcements over and over as the casino became more crowded after dinner.
    Apparently, there was an IT issue resulting in all of the player’s information being deleted from the system. The onboard technical members were working with shoreside to manually enter each player’s information into the program and that was taking quite a bit of time.
    The casino host kept telling people to take a photo of their points before leaving a machine. Otherwise, there would be no way for them to post the points to the player’s account when things got back to normal.
    As time went on, the host kept announcing how many more players had their information restored and kept asking for patience from those still in the queue.
    Wondering if this was just on the Anthem or were other ships affected.
  11. Wow
    BrianB got a reaction from Ampurp85 in Slot Machine Player’s Points Issue on Anthem   
    Onboard the Anthem sailing from Bayonne NJ…
    Last night (day 1) in the casino there was an issue with the player card recognition system on the slot machines. Only the machines…not the tables.
    When players tapped their cards, the receiver turned green and screen said ‘Welcome Guest’ instead of ‘Welcome (players name)’. Because the receiver turned green, many players thought their card was accepted and the points would count.
    However, although the points played would count on the display…they would not be applicable to the player. The casino host had to keep making announcements over and over as the casino became more crowded after dinner.
    Apparently, there was an IT issue resulting in all of the player’s information being deleted from the system. The onboard technical members were working with shoreside to manually enter each player’s information into the program and that was taking quite a bit of time.
    The casino host kept telling people to take a photo of their points before leaving a machine. Otherwise, there would be no way for them to post the points to the player’s account when things got back to normal.
    As time went on, the host kept announcing how many more players had their information restored and kept asking for patience from those still in the queue.
    Wondering if this was just on the Anthem or were other ships affected.
  12. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from RCIfan1912 in Arrival Time Choice Delayed During Check-in?   
    @RCIfan1912 Agree…strange and concerning. I commented on both sailing’s Roll Call pages to see if anyone else had any different experiences…waiting.
  13. Wow
    BrianB got a reaction from RCIfan1912 in Arrival Time Choice Delayed During Check-in?   
    Update….
    I just checked in for the next cruise on this back to back. On the Liberty May 9.
    Because it is a b2b, I didn’t check in at midnight.
    But, when I checked in at 9am, the earliest arrival time was 12 noon.
  14. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from RCIfan1912 in Arrival Time Choice Delayed During Check-in?   
    Having 11:30 as the earliest arrival time is one thing.
    But not being able to choose an arrival time until a few days later after checking in at midnight is what I’m wondering about.
    Strange.
  15. Like
    BrianB reacted to twangster in Arrival Time Choice Delayed During Check-in?   
    Keep checking.  Sometimes they open up earlier times later.
  16. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from RCIfan1912 in Arrival Time Choice Delayed During Check-in?   
    Don’t know if this is happening to others, but…
    I always make sure I’m up at midnight when check-in opens for my cruises. As @Matt mentioned in his story, it’s a good strategy to make sure to get an early arrival time before they’re all taken.
    But, when I checked in as soon as it opened for my cruise from Bayonne NJ on the Liberty of the Seas sailing May 5th…it allowed me to do everything except choose an arrival time. There was a message on top of the last page advising me to ‘check back closer to the sail date to pick an arrival time’.
    So, I kept checking back…several times a day…until finally the times were available to choose. This happened two and half days later…so not much closer to sailing day.
    Usually sailing on the Anthem out of Port Liberty…the earliest arrival time offered is 10 or 10:30am. This time, the first available time listed was 11:30am.
    I’m thinking this is just something regarding the Liberty coming back to Bayonne…or it’s to blunt the onslaught to the system when too many users try to check in at once. There have been times when it seemed the system crashed just after midnight…especially when it’s a popular cruise with lots of ‘in the know’ guests vying for an earlier arrival time.
    Curious.🤔
  17. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from warrenz1963 in Dress Code Question   
    Agree with everyone else. Formal and Dress Your Best are for those who look forward to having the formal onboard experience and also to have their photos taken by the ship’s professional photographers.
    They will be at areas throughout the ship with nice backgrounds, like marble staircases and the car on the Promenade…also they will erect photo backdrops.
    But they don’t just snap a photo and you move on…they will take time to take multiple photos with many different poses. The idea is to give you lots of photos to choose from…hopefully you’ll purchase more than one. Meanwhile, the line waiting for their photos can get pretty long.
    But the most important thing to know, in my opinion, is there are many cruisers who do not dress formal or ‘best’…they just stay resort casual like every other night. Also, that makes packing quite a bit easier.
    Either way, you’ll blend in!
  18. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from DoomSlayer in Casino Points   
    @Julanna Some machines have bets as low as twenty five cents a spin, or even lower. You still need to bet five dollars to get one point. So you would need to spin twenty times at twenty five cents a spin to earn one point. Some machines have a maximum bet of twenty dollars a spin…so each spin will earn four points. Each five dollars equals one point.
    You can earn thousands of points by playing over a long period of time even on penny slots. It takes a lot of time to do it. For instance, betting .88 cents a spin a on a penny machine will take nearly six spins to earn one point. But, if you’re lucky, you may find yourself on a machine that gives lots of play for your money. Otherwise, you would need to keep feeding the machine to keep playing. I like to find what I call a ‘points’ machine. Those are machines that I know have a history of good play. They may not have as many jackpots, but they win just enough to keep playing…and keep earning points.
    Jackpots have no effect on points. Someone can put in twenty dollars, and on their last spin win a thousand dollar jackpot. They still earned only four points. One point for each five dollars. 
  19. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from DoomSlayer in Casino Points   
    Casino loyalty points on board are earned similar to many land-based casinos. For regular slot machines, every five dollars bet equals one point. For poker machines it’s usually every ten dollars bet equals one point. That’s because the player has more control to affect the outcome on the poker machine. 

    Keep in mind…it’s not how much you put into the machine, but how much play you get. For instance, putting in ten dollars should give you two points…five dollars a point. But, if you put in ten dollars and are lucky enough to hit for twenty dollars and keep playing, you can earn six points. Your total bets equal thirty dollars even though you only put in ten. Many machines can give you quite a bit of play…win some lose some…over an extended period and your ten dollars can result in you earning many more points. It’s not the amount you put in…but how many times you bet five dollars.
    Table games have different rules. Based on the type of game, the amount bet and the total time played. Many players change their bet amounts while they play. Those rules are not as clear as the slot machines and it can be difficult to keep track of what you are earning while you’re playing. You can always ask the pit boss.
  20. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from PhillyLady in Port Rumors and Travel Insurance   
    I understand that some travel insurance policies do offer ‘Missed Port’ coverage for cruisers. It is an additional cost and allows a one-time set reimbursement per person covered. Usually $100.
    There are some restrictions and conditions…such as the missed port was not replaced with another. The missed port had to be replaced by a sea day.
    Even if port fees and excursions were refunded by the cruise line, and no loss occurred, the insurance would still pay out for the inconvenience of missing a planned port and not having a replacement.
    But, again…it is a rider to the policy and incurs an additional cost. So you have to weigh the risk versus the cost…as with all insurance policies.
    I never considered it so I didn’t really research it completely…but it’s always a good idea to check it out if that’s something that interests you.
  21. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from PhillyLady in Dress Code Question   
    Agree with everyone else. Formal and Dress Your Best are for those who look forward to having the formal onboard experience and also to have their photos taken by the ship’s professional photographers.
    They will be at areas throughout the ship with nice backgrounds, like marble staircases and the car on the Promenade…also they will erect photo backdrops.
    But they don’t just snap a photo and you move on…they will take time to take multiple photos with many different poses. The idea is to give you lots of photos to choose from…hopefully you’ll purchase more than one. Meanwhile, the line waiting for their photos can get pretty long.
    But the most important thing to know, in my opinion, is there are many cruisers who do not dress formal or ‘best’…they just stay resort casual like every other night. Also, that makes packing quite a bit easier.
    Either way, you’ll blend in!
  22. Like
    BrianB got a reaction from Pattycruise in Cruise check in unavailable onboard in Bahamas   
    I sail from Bayonne virtually all of the time.  I always arrive a little past 10 to make sure the garage is open for incoming guests. So I’m usually at the door to the terminal before 10:30. So far, there has never been anyone checking boarding passes. I go right in and get on one of the security lines.
    The only time I had my boarding pass checked was right after the restart when they would announce the times over a bull horn and then allow us in. But that quickly went away…at least in the morning. I heard as it became more crowded during the afternoon, they would check for arrival times.
    Since then, I always made sure I was up when check in opened to get the earliest time…even though I’m Pinn. I also thought that ‘one hour before or after’ referred to the arrival time. I worry that the one time I don’t get the early arrival time…That’s when they’re going to check!
    **By the way…I was up last night at midnight and checked in for my May 5th cruise on the Liberty from Bayonne. It allowed me to do everything but choose a time. There was a message saying ‘check back closer to the cruise date to choose an arrival time.’ That’s new.
  23. Sad
    BrianB got a reaction from WAAAYTOOO in Cruise check in unavailable onboard in Bahamas   
    I sail from Bayonne virtually all of the time.  I always arrive a little past 10 to make sure the garage is open for incoming guests. So I’m usually at the door to the terminal before 10:30. So far, there has never been anyone checking boarding passes. I go right in and get on one of the security lines.
    The only time I had my boarding pass checked was right after the restart when they would announce the times over a bull horn and then allow us in. But that quickly went away…at least in the morning. I heard as it became more crowded during the afternoon, they would check for arrival times.
    Since then, I always made sure I was up when check in opened to get the earliest time…even though I’m Pinn. I also thought that ‘one hour before or after’ referred to the arrival time. I worry that the one time I don’t get the early arrival time…That’s when they’re going to check!
    **By the way…I was up last night at midnight and checked in for my May 5th cruise on the Liberty from Bayonne. It allowed me to do everything but choose a time. There was a message saying ‘check back closer to the cruise date to choose an arrival time.’ That’s new.
  24. Like
    BrianB reacted to HeWhoWaits in Dress Code Question   
    If the "best" you brought is khakis and a polo shirt for him (my default for dinner) and a sundress for her - that's your best
    If the "best" you brought is cargo shorts and a Metallica tee-shirt for him and a skort with a breezy top for her - that's your best
    If one wishes to dress up (we used to do so, not anymore) - the suit and tie (or more) for him and cocktail dress (or more) for her - that's your best
  25. Wow
    BrianB got a reaction from PPPJJ-GCVAB in Cruise check in unavailable onboard in Bahamas   
    I sail from Bayonne virtually all of the time.  I always arrive a little past 10 to make sure the garage is open for incoming guests. So I’m usually at the door to the terminal before 10:30. So far, there has never been anyone checking boarding passes. I go right in and get on one of the security lines.
    The only time I had my boarding pass checked was right after the restart when they would announce the times over a bull horn and then allow us in. But that quickly went away…at least in the morning. I heard as it became more crowded during the afternoon, they would check for arrival times.
    Since then, I always made sure I was up when check in opened to get the earliest time…even though I’m Pinn. I also thought that ‘one hour before or after’ referred to the arrival time. I worry that the one time I don’t get the early arrival time…That’s when they’re going to check!
    **By the way…I was up last night at midnight and checked in for my May 5th cruise on the Liberty from Bayonne. It allowed me to do everything but choose a time. There was a message saying ‘check back closer to the cruise date to choose an arrival time.’ That’s new.
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