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Maybe cruising every month makes it harder to just enjoy being on a ship no matter what the little disappointments might be. Our first cruise since the shutdown is coming up this month, and I would be happy to help serve meals or clean stairwells, just to not be doing it alone in my own house!

Maybe cruising every month makes it harder to just enjoy being on a ship no matter what the little disappointments might be. Our first cruise since the shutdown is coming up this month, and I would be happy to help serve meals or clean stairwells, just to not be doing it alone in my own house!

Maybe cruising every month makes it harder to just enjoy being on a ship no matter what the little disappointments might be. Our first cruise since the shutdown is coming up this month, and I would be happy to help serve meals or clean stairwells, just to not be doing it alone in my own house!

Maybe cruising every month makes it harder to just enjoy being on a ship no matter what the little disappointments might be. Our first cruise since the shutdown is coming up this month, and I would be happy to help serve meals or clean stairwells, just to not be doing it alone in my own house!

Maybe cruising every month makes it harder to just enjoy being on a ship no matter what the little disappointments might be. Our first cruise since the shutdown is coming up this month, and I would be happy to help serve meals or clean stairwells, just to not be doing it alone in my own house!

Maybe cruising every month makes it harder to just enjoy being on a ship no matter what the little disappointments might be. Our first cruise since the shutdown is coming up this month, and I would be happy to help serve meals or clean stairwells, just to not be doing it alone in my own house!

Maybe cruising every month makes it harder to just enjoy being on a ship no matter what the little disappointments might be. Our first cruise since the shutdown is coming up this month, and I would be happy to help serve meals or clean stairwells, just to not be doing it alone in my own house!

International flights: noise cancel headphones are your friends
cruising out of Europe from the US: if you can swing it, two days early is so much better than one, so you are over jet lag by the time you embark. Getting over jet lag - get outside and walk! Nothing resets your internal clock like sunshine. And make yourself stay awake til after dinner. 
 
Denmark: Copenhagen was so lovely. Rick Steves has a cruise guidebook that includes going out of Denmark and it includes some great restaurants and good sight seeing/self guided walking tour suggestions 

Maybe cruising every month makes it harder to just enjoy being on a ship no matter what the little disappointments might be. Our first cruise since the shutdown is coming up this month, and I would be happy to help serve meals or clean stairwells, just to not be doing it alone in my own house!

Maybe cruising every month makes it harder to just enjoy being on a ship no matter what the little disappointments might be. Our first cruise since the shutdown is coming up this month, and I would be happy to help serve meals or clean stairwells, just to not be doing it alone in my own house!

Won't be a charge until you actually show up and dine with them. They might frown upon you making multiple reservations and not showing up though.

Concierge can make reservations without a package or requiring pre-payment.

Great work!

Great work!

Great work!

Its been Amplified

My MEI agent Michelle can also book all sorts of European trips and add ons. In addition to her own extensive travel experience, she has a huge network she can reach out to for answers. You are not charged for a TA’s services, they are paid on the other side through commissions 

So...I actually proposed on a Royal Caribbean ship. Enchantment in '99.  My biggest advice?  Talk to the Cruise Director.  They LOVE doing this kind of stuff!  He talked me through several options, but to keep the story down to non-novel length, essentially he and the assistant cruise director schemed to get her on stage between the opening act and the main show in the theater on the 2nd formal night.  I intentionally got a big drink so I could "excuse myself to the bathroom" just as the opening act was ending (helped for nerves, too!).  While I was out, the director came on stage doing the normal how's everyone doing shtick, then said someone had dropped their SeaPass card.  He called her by name and brought her on stage.  "How's the service been?  Enjoying table 153?"  So on and so forth.  Finally gets to how important it is to take care of your SeaPass because it's like losing money.  Asks her how she'd feel if he bought everyone in the theater a drink?  "I wouldn't care," she replies, deadpan as can be.  "It's linked to my boyfriend's credit card."  Crowd loses it.  Has to look like she's a plant at this point.  Until he says, "Well, I'd bet he'd have something to say about that!" At which point, I come on stage left after the assistant director lead me through the back of the house and proceed to propose.  She never saw it coming, and I know that for a fact because another benefit of using the Cruise Director as an accomplice is that I have the whole thing professionally videotaped, and can see the look of shock on her face.  Big or small, very public or private and quiet, they can make it happen.  They'll be able to share ideas and experience about what has worked, what hasn't, and how they can make it more likely to match your desires.  My biggest regret is that I did it on the 2nd formal night and not the 1st, because neither of us could buy a drink the rest of the cruise!  😂. Whatever you do, best of luck!

I agree. Central Park is pretty busy on formal night. The reverse thinking on this is that there will more than likely be a ship photographer near by that you can take pictures with. You could even speak with the photo people to see if they would be in on it with you. There is an option to buy a private photo session with a photographer. You could tell you're girlfriend you won a free session and you thought pictures together in Central Park would be nice. You could do the whole, "Oops, I dropped my seapass card" drop to your knee to it pick up trick, all while the photographer is snapping away. 

What My husband and I are on Wonder on April 8th we live in Chicago which together with the state of Illinois finally some weeks ago dropped all covid restrictions.  However on Tuesday March 22rd we put our masks back on when ever we go out grocery shopping or other things, we stopped dinning in at restaurants if we don't feel like cooking we order and pick up our food to go with our mask on. We stopped having people come over to our house, we've limited our interactions to phone calls or FaceTime with family and friends. The reason we are doing this is because our goal is to pass that test get on Wonder of the Seas on April 8th.  In my opinion this is what I'v been asking for since the beginning of the pandemic.  The government give me the information but let me make my own decision on what mitigation and precautions I want to to take.   When people post on here that they've tested positive and had to cancel their cruise last minute I do feel for them but I also wonder if they took the necessary precautions in the weeks leading up to their cruise to protect themselves to make sure they pass the test.  Learning to live with covid as we are now doing does not mean covid no longer exists and as long as cruise line require pre-cruise testing each person has to make an individual choice leading up to their cruise.  
What I ask myself is this what is more important to me? Not wearing a mask while grocery shopping over the next 2.5 weeks?  Hanging out with friends and family,  dinning out and sitting down inside at a restaurant in this cool dreary Chicago weather?  Or not wearing a mask while cruising stacking up the sun and dinning at Mason's on Wonder of the Seas in the warm waters of the Caribbean?  It a no brainer the Caribbean wins every time so I do what I must to make sure I pass that test.

On the covid front, I pretty much agree with what everyone else is saying - limit time with folks outside your circle, strong masking when you can't help but be around others, frequent hand washing/sanitizing.
But I also want to just toss in regular wellness tips I've done before any large gathering: at least a week or 2 before I do daily doses of emergen-c on top of my daily vitamins and supplements. Upgrading to an antiseptic mouthwash twice daily. And I carry this through the trip/event.
If I'm traveling, wiping down travel surfaces to my location (when possible - ie airplane armrests, tables and seatbelts or hotel remotes, handles and phones)
 

Serenade is a lovely ship, and imo a great size for a first cruise!
You can definitely bring a euro plug converter.  Your iphone and ipad (if you have these) will be fine as they are dual voltage.  If you'll be brining a hair dryer or flat iron, you can get ones that toggle between voltages.  I do this because there will be a small vanity for getting ready, and this is where the Euro plug is located.  
On Alaska cruises, you may be close enough to land to get AT&T coverage even when you are technically "at sea."  However, you may want to get their travel pass ($10 a day for first device, $5 for others, IF you take it out of airplane mode while abroad) so you don't accidentally get dinged with roaming charges while you are off the coast of Canada.  As others have said, WhatsApp works great too. 
You can always use a pants hanger from the closet to clip your drapes closed.  
Finally, you didn't ask for tips, but I strongly encourage you to bring a pair of good binoculars.  There are some great wildlife sightings to be had.  Enjoy!

My MEI agent Michelle can also book all sorts of European trips and add ons. In addition to her own extensive travel experience, she has a huge network she can reach out to for answers. You are not charged for a TA’s services, they are paid on the other side through commissions 

My MEI agent Michelle can also book all sorts of European trips and add ons. In addition to her own extensive travel experience, she has a huge network she can reach out to for answers. You are not charged for a TA’s services, they are paid on the other side through commissions 

My MEI agent Michelle can also book all sorts of European trips and add ons. In addition to her own extensive travel experience, she has a huge network she can reach out to for answers. You are not charged for a TA’s services, they are paid on the other side through commissions