Curt From Canada

Got them all now ... thanks to all. Curt from Canada

You have me "pegged"... I am a data zealot. Let me have a weekend ( of dancing, a woman and songs ) and I will determine the best way to put out a call to those who thirst for the knowledge that the sciences, math and data brings. 😉 Curt from Canada

I "buried" the lead on my previous post. We never ate in the Windjammer once. We were just passing through to go to iFly. Curt from Canada

Anthem of the Seas boarding on FEB 23 had the three questions that everyone was required to be asked: 1) Been to China, Hong Kong or Macau in the past 14 days? ... No 2) Have you (to your knowledge) been exposed to anyone from those 3 countries? ... No 3) Do you have any cold/flu like symptoms? ... No All passengers were being funneled through these quick and easy questions. After that, facial recognition pushed us quickly on board (no need to show passports ... you have to be set up through the APP to do this). The bigger issue for us was a number of idiots not washing their hands when it was required. Walking through the Windjammer wash station to avoid both the sanitizer "spritz" and the wash station requirement (there was lots of room) was the gold medal of stupidity. Curt from Canada

For those who have booked GTY cabins, they have sending me the "days to sailing" when they get assigned their cabins. To be clear, the "scientific method" is minimal, and I am only measuring one dimension (time to sail when room is assigned). The "data" has been fairly consistent: Almost everyone gets their assignment at least 10 days before sailing. There is another inflection point at 30 to 50 days where they become available. And there are a few (just under 20%) that get them well in advance of sailing. Any and all data is gladly accepted. Curt from Canada

What better way to get ready to jump on a ship than to send out the "latest, greatest" update of the GTY Assignment Timing Graph. Thanks to all that keep posting their data. If you are cruising this week and see someone with a "scorch the floor" Swing or a "somewhat competent" Foxtrot that will be my soulmate and I. 😉 Curt from Canada

If I had to guess on the way assignments are assigned, I would say it is a combination of: Harry Potter on a Colorado "high" Keith Richards on any day that ends in "y" (I know "children" from the 60s and 70s got that one) I was going to say Timothy Leary, but man that is one wack-job ... Let's go for Spaceman Bill Lee (before, during and after any basebal game). 😉 Curt from Canada

Thank you ... added

Sounds about right. Flu vaccines have a few drawbacks: 1). They take about two weeks to be fully effective. 2). They do not cover all strains. The researchers each year have to make estimates on which strains will be the most prevalent. There are always strains out there that we are not protected from. Don't get me going about overeating. My Dr. put me on a crazy diet. In less than a month it will face the biggest test yet ... Cruising On A Diet. 😉 Sounds like a horror movie title. Curt from Canada

Below is the only pattern I can see for room assignments (for GTY). There are definitely 3 infection points (100+, 30-39 & 10-19). We just did a GTY Balcony on a future Anthem cruise (1st time). We received our assignment 13 days from sailing (10-19 is the last big chunk of assignments). Not sure about noise for this GTY assignment. We have not been on the cruise yet, but it is on Deck 12 (close to forward elevators - Starboard side). Curt from Canada

Ooops ... just saw John and Katrina Blair are now on Vision of the Seas (as of FEB 01). Neil Diamond fans will have to follow John there. Curt from Canada

100% ... this is a few bells and whistles cruise ship. However, it has a big heart. More importantly, you should take advantage of: 1). Its connection with the sea. Like the Radiance class you always see the water. On a large number of ships you can go for very long periods of time without seeing water ... on Grandeur the sea is always there. 2). The Centrum. There is always something happening there. We always get to know the R-Bar staff real quick. We would start there at 4:30ish and dance, drink and talk with people up until the shows or dinner. 3). If John Blair is the cruise director, do not miss his Neil Diamond Tribute Show. We first saw the show in 2006 and saw in 2017, 2018 and 2019. It is quite good (I do not remember any other Cruise Directors doing something similar). 4). Charleston ... It was amazing; we really need to go back now. 5). Chops ... We always had good meals at Chops ... Giovanni's was 50% great and 50% bad (really weird this lack of consistency). We are booked through until the end of 2021, so no more Grandeur ... we always had fun on Lady G. Curt from Canada

Certainly, you should be most concerned about the flu virus ... it kills approximately 25,000 to 65,000 people in the US each year. for 2020 (in less than two months it has already claimed 14,000 people). Your best preparation for any high capacity "event" (public transportation, shopping, entertainment, flying, cruising, etc) is to get a flu shot immediately. Especially, if you are young or old. Curt from Canada

One of our best Diamond Club experiences was on Oasis in Blaze (our 1st cruise as "Diamonds" ... in 2006). We had a great time with our Bartender (Sheldon). We talked Martinis all week and he made a perfect modification to a Deani Martini that still stands today. Any Diamond Lounge with a bar is a great Diamond Lounge. Curt from Canada

Thank you ... added

PRS ... Thank you, I have added this data. The 3 days before is rare ... just under 3 weeks is very normal. All ... As you get GTY assignments let me know and I will add to the database. Thanks, Curt from Canada

Currently, the trend "says" 96% of people get their assignment 10 days or more from sail date. Your assignment will be soon. 😉 Use the "Apple Hack" detailed in this thread to determine where your stateroom probably will be. Curt from Canada

I have only done the "Apple Hack" once. You need to have your Sea Pass (preliminary) that does not show a room number (I think it shows either "REPRINT" or "GTY"). There is an option to transfer the Seas Pass to Apple Wallet. Take that option and underneath the bar code in Apple Wallet the last 5 digits could be the room that they had tentatively placed you in. I have seen others explain that due to Royal Up, other upgrades, and new reservations they must reserve a spot, but have the option to move you (probably if they can make more money). I have only done the GTY option once, but is was definitely much cheaper (in my case), kinda' fun to track the "progress" and a little scary that we would end up somewhere far from where we wanted to be. We will continue to decide cruise by cruise if we GTY or choose our room. Curt from Canada

@WAAAYTOOO... There is a Broadway show about people stranded waiting for their trip to continue. They have no idea when or where they will be going next. 3PM show tomorrow on Broadway. (Maybe only premium sheets) The only problem it is about being stranded in the middle of nowhere Newfoundland (Come From Away) ... my Canadian is showing. Still a great show. Curt from Canada

BROADWAY SHOWS!!! Come From Away and Ain't To Proud To Beg would be top of my list. This must be a pain for tons, but I always recommend a Broadway Show when life deals you lemons. 😉

Here is the "routine" we started about 2 years ago: I do not like going the day of the cruise. So we either fly or drive in the day before. We want to be well rested. We are in Canada, so driving in the day of the cruise is impossible. ~8 hours away is our closest cruise port. Now we drive the day before for about 5 or 6 hours, take a cheap hotel in the middle of nowhere USA, and drive the last 1.5 to 2.5 hours early the next day. We are rarely tired on the first day, and I kinda' like driving so a few hours is not a big deal. For Florida we always fly. Of course, this is best for retired people of weekend start/stop cruises. Our next cruise is out of Cape Liberty ... Is Scranton a real place??? 😉 Curt from Canada

100% ... the Flu shot choice each year is a very interesting process. Not perfect, just a lot better than the "good 'ol days" when we had nothing. Glad to hear your daughter is bouncing back. Children are "human petri dishes" that can grow lots of stuff. They also have fantastic recuperative powers. Curt from Canada

Thank you ... I will add for the next update.

Got it ... Thanks

The last thing I want to do is start a debate/discussion/argument on healthcare. This is not my intent. This is genuine question: Please forgive my ignorance, but are Flu shots not paid for in the United States? I think children can receive them very early on (not sure, but potentially after they are over the age of 1). My Father-in-law lives with us (90 years young) and we (me, my soulmate and even our children who have flown the nest) always get one. We assume it is the best way to defend against the Flu Curt from Canada