deep1

It just got there... Lot of the things to make ready need to be done on that side...

Ok, Senator Murray just got an earful from me. https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/mobile/contactme?p=ContactMe who's next? I simply pointed out that her assessment is well behind the times and doesn't take into account the steps the lines have taken to ensure safety. I'm on the warpath and you should be too. Enough of this %^&*.... I do use firm language but always respectful when dealing with the elected. Its important for all of us , that they work for us. Not the other way around. When they do a bad job they need to be leaned on...

I just read through and in a few places I see "dems have torpedoed". I do not see specifics nor a vote count. I do see that some raised objections and that nothing is settled yet? These "sky is falling" articles are a dime a dozen... Lets wait til a formal negotiation and vote. Right now despite the title the last line says a lot more. "it seems that Republicans and Democrats have not yet reached an agreement on whether or not the cruise industry should resume operation."

I'm just trying to think of ways to stretch their time in there. In my day, my "stake was $100" but always had couple rolls of quarters if I crapped out quick... Didn't play those five coin multi line things. One quarter at a time. My ex wife won a hundred a couple times. I think I maxed at like $50. Fiance last trip had a weird one where she won like a hundred "spins" she was about $30 a head when she cashed out and couldn't be happier. Spent some time and actually came out ahead. The daughter two trips ago found a $25 chip and had me play it on roulette, it doubled and yes I paid her out... That coin pusher might be fun???

In a casino I dabble at most... Sometimes I'll set a $250 one night "stake". Other times $100 a night for 3 nights. If I lose I lose. If I get to double my stake I cash out. Discipline. That gets played on Craps, Roulette, and on rare occasions Black jack... My Fiance is a little more timid. Likes the slots. Like me though she is a bit confused and even put off that they no longer take coins. Do any still do? I think I remember seeing a coin pusher in the last casino I was in (Indy). Do they take coins or do they require some kind of tokens? Do they have them aboard most ships? The reason I ask is I have a mountain of quarters saved up and would love to hand a big bag of them to Fiance' and her Daughter who will be first time in casino on our November Symphony trip... Not being cheap but that would keep them occupied for a while as opposed to burning a hole in the sea pass card for a few minutes of fun... Daughter too old for teen club and too young to drink. She could hang in bar but that would be awkward ...

Its been a while but I added two years ago with zero problem. More recently (2018) I added my Fiance's daughter yo a reservation just a few days before going... Again no problem. What I am curious about though is "changing" guests . My next four were booked well in advance. I tried to guess school dates as well... Not sure how easy it will be substituting if the situation arises. Matt in one of his live shows seemed to say it was pretty easy? I hope so...

A lot will depend on how my meeting with "loyalty desk" goes on my November sailing (I do hope it happens). After three years of tossing bits and pieces of proof at them they have finally started to listen. They even "found me" in a couple missing cruises but as yet haven't adjusted the points. If we get my points status relatively close to where it should be it will go a long way to reinforcing my loyalty and cementing a pile of bookings. My Fiance' is relatively new to cruising but loves it to death> She's a bit "refined" while I can be a tad "earthy"... Still I want to run her through a lot of itineraries. Some I have done : Western/ Bahamas (she and I have done a few times) Eastern, Southern, Alaskan (I've done without here) Canal, Trans A+ P, Med, northern Europe neither of us has done. We want to get serious and knock those ones off our bucket lists then make a plan based on what we find we like, spend as much time as humanly possible on board.

There are dozens attached to each... I've only seen Blumenthal and that whack from Arizona opposed...

IF C+A loses more of my records again tho, all bets are off...

I don't even drink (anymore)... The more I look the more I like the idea of going "Mario" (a little bit) with b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b

Gotta start somewhere... ?

Venturing off the normal topics of when will we sail, whats the latest from CDC... With more and more time available as I nudge closer to retirement, I and my Fiance' have a hunger for long duration trips. We are fired up to do trans Atlantic and trans Pacific trips. RCCL has good pricing. Lets use inside cabin for even playing field on pricing. Throughout their cruises it seems that 70-100 per night seems to be the common range be it 3 or 18 night. We are loyal to Royal but they end at 18 nights. So...... We look at brand XY and Z. On similar length 12-18nights they seem to price in roughly with RCL. The when we get to 25 and up the prices per night start sky rocketing. If we get up toward a 100 night cruise that same inside cabin that was 70-100 a night is suddenly looking at close to 500. Ok I get some of these little ships are the champagne and caviar crowd . Lets set them aside. Take something a little more like RCL. Say Holland America. I have sailed them before. Nothing spectacular or special. Not up to RCL standards even. How do they command insane prices on the long stuff? We often discuss supply and demand here when RCL prices go up some. In their case though its 5X normal. There can't be that much demand. Thoughts???

I believe Jill to be right. They are having a tantrum they can't control the whole world. Today the Congress added a bill to the Senate one trying to bring this to an end. It doesn't bod well to have multiple states suing then bills from both house and senate looking to clip their wings. Bahama numbers very low. Their peak came in October with five times as many active cases as they have now (2500 vs 450). Most days have no deaths. About 40 new cases a day nation wide... CDC are behaving like spoiled children who's toys are being taken away...

Hmmm... In 9 cancellations the only problems I had was a long wait on the very first. Refunds and FCC's after that went smooth. Re- bookings haven't been as smooth. Not the bookings them selves, Little mystery fees, terribly sloppy at getting me my receipts.. Asking for more and more deposits and those same deposits being paid back a little questionably. Still nothing "bad" that phone calls couldn't quickly fix and at this time all is caught up and as it should be...

Its (Vitamin D) being pushed in several areas including getting out in direct sunlight where we manufacture our own and UVB rays wreak havoc on the VIRUS it self. Studies being done several places indicate that it does help. Yes reputable. Anecdotally, I had several hundred aboard my boat last year. Not one of those people got the virus. In the neighboring marina their numbers involved several thousand who could make the same claim. The only "outdoorsman" I know of that caught COVID was a police officer who was taken from his horse back to a squad car for a couple weeks and caught a mild dose of it.

Blumenthal is a kidney stone... Useless, a royal pain, doesn't have a cruise port, soaked in ... well you know. Matsui even more clueless as her state is in the dog gone desert... Thats two did anybody read the dozens on the signature page of Rick Scotts bill? These two are not in position except to try and sound important to their voter base... Pandering, clueless, baseless... I wouldn't worry about them...

Rick Scott office sent an email today . In it, it outlined the proposal and I found that it really falls short of what is needed. Lots of loopholes and "outs" for the CDC.. Opens the door to them to block ships individually the way they are blocking the industry... That loophole needs to be closed... A few do. There are enough signatures on the bill that it should raise eyebrows and possibly draw some Presidential intervention...

The heat getting turned up from multiple angles as it is something they can't ignore much longer... CDC recognizes that senators hold purse strings and they also understand that a sympathetic judge in the suits could ruin their future authority even if the "act" does not get passed... On the subject of ports letting us in... Some of them are begging. Cruises represent substantial portions of their economies...

I have it available on my November booking but way expensive for what it is at $26 a day...

Florida's per capita rate is low. We rank 28th in per capita cases and deaths both. Roughly half to two-thirds the death rate in New Jersey again PER CAPITA. The total count is high due to our population being third largest in the country...

His load has to be brutal... Couldn't imagine... Crews, Passengers, Lenders, Vendors, Shareholders all on his back...

He really wasn't taking a side. He got into this wordy way of saying "There is a CSO and attached statement from the CDC ". Clear he had not read or had a synopsis forwarded to him. He seemed to think this was the quick fix we want, not the spinning wheels we have seen since October...

I recently did a campaign of my own attempting to reach out to my politicians along with the CLIA one. A couple canned responses in return. Then I got one from Congressman Brian Mast that bugged me a bit. Its clear that he had received knowledge that a CSO and follow up exist but I'm of firm belief after reading his response that he nor his staff had any clue what is contained within. I pointed out that he really needs to revisit the topic and at least have a staffer give him a synopsis of the contents. I feel that it is draconian in nature and unfairly singles out an industry for punishment that is not deserved. I did receive receipt that he or at least his office has received my most recent reply to his reply... Keep the pressure on gang. We are at a tipping point...

1/2 the per capita death rate of places like NY, NJ, Ma. Ranked 28th in per capita overall cases as a whole. Florida #1 or 2 in vaccine per capita and allowed all the way to 18. No mask mandates but more mask wearing than most states. High over all numbers but to be expected as it is the 3rd largest population. The state is not locked down and is in better shape than those that are... The highest death rates during this thing occurred during the hardest lock downs. I could see Cape Liberty not opening for the reasons you suggest but not Florida... Protocols have changed more times than we can count because CDC themselves have no clue what does or doesn't work. So they try different approaches.

Time too make the wheel squeak.. a CDC is playing games that need to end NOW!