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Ditchdoc

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Posts posted by Ditchdoc

  1. I spent 10 years in the two way communication industry. Police, Fire, Business radios and during the CB radio hey day.

    One of the things we had to teach people over and over was about the push to talk button. That it took half a second for the transmitter to come up and make a connection and to NOT start talking before the radio had a chance to connect. And not to yell.

  2. Probability off topic but, websites in general.....

    Back in the day, HTML was king. Sites were far simpler. Then cam audo, then video, cookies, dynamic HTML and Java script. Now every company in the world knows what you ate for breakfast. Yet....developers can not seem to make an intuitive interface for the end user.

    One of my pet peeves, entering your state in an address block. Everyone knows the two letter abbreviation for their state and it is so easy to type AK or NY or TX. But noooooo....you have to navigate a drop down box, scroll and find your state. Sometimes, even your country. Yet......advertisers seem to know exactly where you are with no questions asked.

    OK...I'm done.

  3. Too many IFs or MAYBEs ..... communication is hard .... Contacting RC, explaining, hoping that one of a hundred 'cruise specialist' trying to manage tens of thousands of rooms gets their notes right and its understood by whoever and risking the loss of the room when you may need it ..... nah .... I would not try to be accommodating, though it is a nice gesture. Keep the room. There are several on a ship. If RC really needs one, they will figure out how to make it work.

    Enjoy your cruise.

     

     

  4. 20 minutes ago, rjweber3 said:

    I remember tendering to Labadee. Somewhere I have a photo of the beach with waiters in swim trunks and Tuxedo shirts and coats wading out to serve drinks. I wouldn't expect that today. The changes there have been amazing since 2000! But even than the vendors were a pain.

     

    Vendors can be obnoxious. Back then they were not in the nice building they are now. There was just a line of of 15-20 stalls lined up next to some trees near the 'back' away from the beaches.

  5. Just looking at maps:

    Labadee is a 6 hour drive from Port-au-Prince.

    The road looks pretty good all the way to Cap-Haitien where the road turns into a twisty, narrow path that goes over and around a 2000 foot mountain range.

    There are additional beaches and resorts before reaching Labadee that you would presume also want security.

    Actual information on security measures are scarce other than "armed" and "fenced". One picture that states it is the security fence for Labadee shows what appears to be about a 12 foot concrete wall with Concertina wire around the top.

    Access to Labadee is limited. Guests cannot leave and only authorized employees and vendors are allowed to enter. Food and supplies come from the ship.

    Some information, as you might expect, indicates Royal Caribbean monitors the situation in Haiti closely and have on occasion refused to port in Labadee if security was compromised.

    In general, security measures are out of sight of cruise visitors and the area around Labadee is very natural and serene.

     

    20230522_112700.jpg

  6. 1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

    So with the actual subject line in mind

    -Magnetic hooks

    -Bands for towels on beach chars (we like them better than the clips)

    -Luggage tag holders

    -Mini battery operated night lights

    -A European USB charger to free up one of the few outlets

    -Collapsible silicone buckets for the kids on the beach

     

    Ah....the mini, battery operated night light. I found some that were magnetic AND motion sensing. They were great to stick on the wall outside the bathroom. Especially for people of a certain age that have to get up a couple of times at night.

  7. Magnetic hooks....

     

    About magnetic hooks....

    They are extremely powerful. If two connect to each other, it about takes a vice and a pair of pliers to separate them. They can snap together extremely fast and if a bit of skin is between them, they can tear the skin.

    With that safety message, buy small plastic, screw top containers and keep one magnet in each. With care to always keep the magnets away from each other, these stick to the metal walls of your cabin and make a great place to hang all kinds of things like hats, day packs, jackets and so on.

  8. The luggage tag holders are a great addition to your 'cruise stuff'.

    I keep large travel document wallet that lives in my home safe.  The wallet is made of nylon, has larger, credit card type pockets and a zippered compartment that folds and snaps closed. This same document wallet is kept handy while traveling and in the ships safe once on board.

    Inside I keep:

    • Passports
    • Vaccine cards
    • SCUBA certification cards
    • Paper copy of travel documents including airline tickets, paper copy of Set Sail Pass, copies of hotel reservations, info on destinations and so on. Papers are folded in thirds and slipped into the credit card type pockets.
    • There is room to keep the luggage tag holders in between trips.

     

    There are lots of styles and designs. Just search Amazon for 'travel wallets' to see availability.

    This very similar to what I carry:

    https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Travel-Passport-Wallet-Organizer/dp/B01C7UO2N6/ref=sr_1_30?crid=1X81DC7R6KY5N&keywords=travel+wallet&qid=1706545817&sprefix=travell+walle%2Caps%2C214&sr=8-30

    Capture.JPG.5d07b7ca2579d4dd6dce440909081e68.JPG

  9. 17 hours ago, happy cruisers 2 said:

     

    I thought it was FL to CA in April and CA to FL in November.  No?

    I realize it depends on which ships are involved and where they're repositioning from and to.

    Please forgive my ignorance on this.  I do appreciate your help.

    Its been 10 years since we did the canal. Itineraries change. I am not sure about the schedule of current sailings. It seems there are fewer Panama Canal trips currently. But.....if you find one in November, its a good time of year and if San Diego is a choice, I would take it. Its a great place to spend a few days on its own.

  10. Ah ... the age old question ... can I drink a thousand dollars worth of booze in a week?

    Yeah ... maybe ...

    Or will you just be so hung over trying to get your monies worth the trip is not that much fun?

    The only way I would get my monies worth is if I focused on specialty drinks the entire cruise. This includes coffees, fresh squeezed juices, many bottles of water, bloody Mary for breakfast, drinks by the pool in the afternoon, wine  or Scotch at dinner, a drink at the evening show and probably a night cap.

    Then I think, what could I put in my home bar for a thousand bucks?

    Many Diamond member's that already get 4 or 5 drinks a day, it is probably not going to be worth it.

    Nah .... maybe ....

    You gotta decide for yourself.

  11. Nice clothes ... wear sparingly and rehang ... wear 2 or three times.

    Small clothes .... the laundry bag in your room ... pack it as full as you can get it with undies, Ts, shorts, socks ... free for D+ ... usually a 'special' at least once a week .... a full bag for a fixed amount ... maybe 20-25 bucks.

  12. Well ... that is a boatload of questions.

     

    Will you get lost? Probably. Even though the ship is huge, its still a confined space and you can not go but so far in any direction. There are signs every where. There is an acrylic model of the ship on every level near the elevators that show where you are and where all the major venues on the ship are. I think everyone gets 'lost'. Most common is looking for your cabin. It can be easy to to go to the wrong side of the ship. On some decks, the hall or passageway runs the entire length of the ship with cabin doors on both sides. It is kind of a long walk from one end of the ship to the other, especially if you are looking for your room on the wrong side. However, again, there are signs in the 'foyer' of each deck with the room numbers much like any hotel.  Rest assured that after a day or two, you will be pretty comfortable navigating the ship. When you first board, you will be amazed .... and clueless. Board as early as you can and use the 4 or 5 hours before the ship sets sail to familiarized yourself with where your cabin is, where the main dining room is, the pools and so on. Get a bite to eat and just wander around. You will figure out the basic layout and enjoy all the things offered from the auditorium to central park and everything in-between.

    Lines ... yes, sometimes there will be lines. Mostly at the elevator during busy times or major activities like dinner time or just before shows start and when they end. There are always stairs that are less used and help to burn off some of those deserts you will have. Be patient. Any crowded areas are usually short term and disperse pretty quickly.

    CoCo Cay ... its a large area with lots of nooks and crannies. The water park is an additional cost and I do not care for them that much. My view from out side is they are not very crowded. I would offer the same advise for most every big activity's, scope out the venue early in person or with a map so you know where you are going. Get there early, stake out your spot and enjoy.

    I think 'Hairspray' is the main theater show. I would definitely catch the Aqua show on the back of the ship as well as the ice skating show. It can vary but be aware some shows may require a reservation. Make them on line early if you can or make it part of your to do list when you first board.

    Is 7 days enough time .... well ... you can do a lot. With a bit of planning, you can pretty much do it all. Is it enough time? Very rarely do I leave the ship without wishing  we were spending another week on board.

    Don't stress over anything. Enjoy. It will be and experience you will remember. Keep in mind that every crew member will help you with any questions along the way.

     

  13. 6 hours ago, Minuet888 said:

    What is a sail pass?

    Sorry if that's a dumb question but I'm new to this.

    Basically ... your ticket to get on board ... your ticket to ride that contains your basic cruise info like ship, date and so on as well as a bar code that gets scanned when you are going through the boarding process. It is either mailed to you (old school), sent to you as an electronic document in e-mail that you can either print at home or display on your electronic device (phone) or via the RC app. Across the top of the document is printed "Set Sail Pass". At some point in the boarding process you receive a "Sea Pass" card (typically in a pocket beside your cabin door). This card is all you will need to get off and on the ship during the cruise, open your cabin door and It is often tied to a credit card and can be used to purchase anything on board during the cruise.

    So ... Set Sail Pass is your ticket to get onboard and the Sea Pass is your key to everything once you are onboard.

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