Whizbank

When I was in terminal a earlier this summer with my hubby in wheelchair the porter took him and the rest of my party, who weren't on my reservation, together in elevator, through security and right onto ship. I bet we were all in terminal less than 10 minutes. Took longer to get an elevator to the WJ. But, I agree, your mileage my vary.

I totally agree that the attorney is trying to frame the narrative as this big rich corporation couldn't bother to make a safe playing area and they should suffer. I'm certainly not saying I agree with the attorney or his tactics of twisting public opinion. But I'm not surprised that this is how he's going to play it. It's likely to be pretty successful unfortunately.

If I was speculating, I would say someone immediately called home to tell about the tragedy and that person contacted a lawyer on their behalf, most likely a local attorney who said this was beyond his scope, but Winkelman is well known for suing rcl, call him. It's highly unlikely the family on the ship called him direct Do I think rcl should be liable-based on info as I have heard it, no. I was on navigator and had no issue figuring out which windows were open, and, obviously heights=danger of accident. As a libertarian I think there should be a lot more personal responsibility. However, if I was the one at home that got called, I would find a lawyer for my family or friends and make sure that they had the same caliber of lawyer as rcl has. Because the point of the court system is to get to the truth and that only works if both sides are represented by competent legal counsel.

I can understand why they would get an attorney. 1000's of news outlets and people have already weighed in and tried and convicted the grandfather based on 2 line news articles. The only chance they have of controlling the narrative is to have someone present their side to the media and public. And, this way they can grieve out of spotlight while he deals with public and media for them. No matter the blame or fault its a tragic death that wasn't intentional but has probably destroyed this whole family's lives.

My wife and I had trouble figuring out the best way to eat the tiger shrimp. I did Too! one of the wait staff actually offered to help me but I was too embarrassed. I'm glad to hear I wasn't alone.

I was on navigator earlier this summer. I also have anxiety about crowds and figured I wouldn't really enjoy a cruise. But, actually, you never feel like there are that many people around unless you are at a planned activity. The viking lounge was empty earlier in day and was a great inside spot for piece and quiet, as was the card room. Port day was wonderful, the ship was empty and everywhere was peaceful. I also liked deck 4 after muster, no one was around. It turned out that I like cruising much more than I thought I would. Have fun on your adventure and know that the fear of the unknown is much worse than the actual reality. Good luck!

@Skid no problem with the hijack I love it. You are giving me such great ideas!

@RTripp thanks for that info. We ended up going to our station, getting our passes scanned immediately and then they directed us to sit outside dining room. No video. Other people on the boards have said we were supposed to check in with guest services so that they knew we would need help in an emergency, but no one mentioned that to us on the ship.

Plus on NOTS the last night was a sundae bar. My hubby ate no food but did eat 6 scoops of chocolate ice cream

@JLMoran thank you for the suggestion. Google says that's about 10 hrs away so it might be an option and I wouldn't have thought of it. When I'm ready to cruise I'll definitely check them both out.

So, in conclusion (maybe), I decided that I do like cruising and that it does work well for my husband. However, I hate airports and being tied to a schedule, since Dave often has bad days that result in things taking significantly longer than usual. So, I will cruise again, but out of Baltimore so that I can drive to the port. That's about 8 hrs from Cincinnati which is doable, especially since we need to be in town the day before the cruise anyway. And I will definitely do a longer sailing. That said, I doubt I can get on a ship before next May at the earliest, between work and taxes and rebuilding the vacation fund. So, I'll keep lurking around here but won't have anything exciting to add. And the 50th birthday cruise was for all 4 of us, but only 3 of us actually hit 50 before the cruise. I still have until September until I hit the big 50. Also, as an FYI, I don't remember if I said that I had applied for a Royal Caribbean credit card while it was being pushed in Cruise Planner. There were 10,000 points with 1 purchase, which translates to $100 OBC. Alas, I did not read the fine print, (which I think actually doesn't show up until you are all the way through the transaction) which said that I wouldn't get my points until about 6 weeks after purchase, and I paid for the cruise planner items about 3 weeks before sailing. So, I have the points but did not get to take advantage of them on this sailing. They are good for 24 months so it's not tragic, but having the extra $100 OBC would have been nice. @KristenM thanks for your kind words.

I don't think of it as a faux pas so much as I just drug a bunch of stuff I didn't really need for miles. I had enough trouble keeping track of my husband and my paperwork and my stuff, that having less of it would have made my life easier. If I was doing a driving vacation I wouldn't care at all about overpacking.

Epic fail update. My TA contacted special needs at sea for me. They said the o2 tubing should have been in a bag with the concentrator. They also said I should have gone to guest services by 2pm and they would have had the SNAS representative fix any problems. Since I didn't notice a problem until that night didn't really work for me. Plus, I didn't know that I could have done that. I suggested they give a better explanation letter so you would know to do that. Now I know for next time, as does everyone who reads the blog.

4 night bahamas excursions.pdf

Oops

@mom2mybugs thanks for mentioning my blog. I too packed more for unexpected than expected. 4 night cruise with 2 hotel nights before and I ended up wearing: Same shirt and jeans days 1+2 including on plane. Wore sneakers since they take up most room. Those I should have left at home. Love my rothy"s and they would have worked everywhere for every occasion. Never even got out the pool sandles. Ended up wearing shorts on way home instead of jeans. So really the jeans could have stayed home. Took 2 pairs of shorts, wore 1 Took 2 dresses, did actually wear both in main dining room. They were casual enough to wear during day or during travel too so that could have cut out some other clothes Took a skirt to pair with shirts but ended up wearing only dresses. Took a shrug to wear in case cold and also to make dress look different each day. Took too many shirts since I ended up either wearing the dresses or my swimsuit and cover up. Took too many undergarments. I could have washed these in sink if necessary Wire socks with gym shoes and if I didn't have the shoes I could forgo the socks Took jewelry I never put on. Did good with family toiletries though, that was not an overpak. Toothpaste toothbrush some spray in conditioner a small shampoo and conditioner and deodorant. No makeup since I never wear it anyway. It was a good learning experience and I'll do better next time. And, since we aren't going deep into the jungle, I can buy stuff if I forget something that I can't live without (deodorant, I'm talking about you) Didn't try packing cubes, but I did pack my leaving outfit in my carryon when I unpacked everything else because of a deep fear of leaving ship in my nightgown

Love your blog too. You did significantly better with pictures than I did. Glad you got to spend so much family time together.

Special needs at sea brochures. Company where we rented oxygen concentrator and wheelchair

Coco cay info

Boarding day brochure

First day brochure

First day letter and voom letter

Mini bar menu

Departure instruction letter

Room service menu