sk8erguy1978

In my previous career the base pay wasn't all that great, but there was a lot of overtime which we never counted as main salary so it was extra income, plus I had a few weeks of vacation time (think 3 but forget). However, our vacations were restricted to January and Summers as both wife and I were pursuing degrees late in life, so we cruised most January's and took summer vacations to NJ or MD beaches.

Fast forward, we both finished degrees (Software Developer & RN) and have more disposable income, our vacation time is decent too, wife gets 4 weeks off and I get 3 weeks and 4 days. We try and do at least one cruise a year and some other week long vacation, in addition to weekend trips here and there. This year, I visited friends in FL and NC and had two guy weekends in LV, in addition to a 5-day cruise and land trip to London. Next year we have two 7-day cruises booked and a weekend LV trip, nothing else yet.

We are also 41 & 38 with no children, a low mortgage payment and average bills. Our only debt besides the mortgage are student loans (which I cannot wait to just tackle them) and they are not that horrible thanks to tuition reimbursement and family assistance.

I'll admit, outside of an emergency fund, our savings accounts aren't anything to brag about... BUT, we make sure to invest for retirement first. We also have a separate "fun" account where each check we put a few dollars ... it adds up quick.

3 hours ago, Momof4crazytocruise said:

So. This is tricky. We got into a sparkling clean, gloriously refreshing pool on Enchantment at about 10 am on the first sea day. We came back at 4pm, and OH MAN - between sunscreen, spilled drinks, and let's be real - urine - it was pretty cloudy and scummy. It was emptied and refilled over night. Again, gloriously clean water, and by the afternoon, eh, not so much. If I was post op, I wouldn't go anywhere near that pool after about 11am.

Exactly what I was going to say ... I don't notice 'cloudy and scummy' and it always seems clean to me, which I assume to be great filtration systems... Humans are leaky (not just on purpose) and disgusting. People forget to put footwear back on while outside of the pool entering bathrooms, standing at bar lines, and other areas where no shoes is allowed. That's in addition to some who might not shower before entering the pool in the AM or after a day sweating on an island.

We stayed at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach resort in 2010 &  the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach in 2012 (which Google is reporting closed) for 2 nights each, pre-cruise. We also stayed at the W for a few nights (no cruise just visiting FLL) in 2018 and loved it.

Obviously a hotel that's closed and one I stayed in 2010 aren't the best to recommend, it's the location I'm recommending. Sure, it's a bit more, but if you can swing it, really gets you into vacation mode!

On 11/4/2019 at 10:15 AM, CHRIS WONG said:

Today's topic! Do I get sea sick?

 

I'm one of the lucky few that never gets sick, even in the roughest of seas. I always assumed crew members had lead stomachs, guess not LOL. 

On the topic, how does sick time work on a ship? I'd assume you're encouraged to tough it out, but what if you're that bad?

On 11/4/2019 at 5:33 PM, cobra614 said:

Chris, I just wanted to know if the sea sickness pills from the medical center is free for guests also?

On rough seas customer service will have them on the desk for guests to grab, so I'd say yes. I've also bought those meds on Amazon for cheap. 

14 hours ago, cobra614 said:

Take care of those who take care of you...

 

I'm talking tips. Works everywhere...

This is the point of my tip (pun?) ... Save singles and fives in an envelope at home, or go to the bank and ask. Having a stack of singles and fives makes tipping easier.

Also, if you're running low, the casino cashier has limited lines (no winners? LOL) and more than happy to break a bill.

We have passport wallets which hold a little cash and some cards. We keep everything secure and together in either my backpack or pocket. Everything gets put away properly before walking away from being checked in. As @Matt mentioned, once safe is available it gets locked away. 

On boarding day I have my passport wallet, usually holding my wife's passport wallet (no place for her to keep it), a wallet full of cards that might be needed (backup credit cards, debit cards, insurance cards, etc), and my everyday wallet (which is probably empty due to its contents being in the passport wallet but bring it just in case I want to use it) and never had an issue. 

As others have said, just be diligent and careful of your surroundings. If you're concerned get a tile for it so you can hopefully find it if lost.

36 minutes ago, 1978bucketlist said:

It’s now becoming real. I just had my 2 year cancer free scan. We will be in a 2 bedroom grand suite on adventure of seas on January 4, 2020. We are going to ABC islands. It’s myself, hubby, daughter and 5 year old granddaughter.. Only small issue, I can’t put in for my vacation time until November 15. It shouldn’t be an issue I hope, I told them I booked it in May 2018.

 

Congratulations! My attitude has always been, I'm going, we can discuss my punishment when I return. Sailed Adventure in a Grand Suite back in 2013 and loved it!

43 minutes ago, Pima1988 said:

I think we all do need to speak up more.  However society has become so PC impo that we live in fear of offending someone.

I do speak up when I see something, but I believe it is not only the Jersey in me, but I was a teacher and I have grandkids.  I am at an age that I have thick skin.  My DH otoh shutters when I do this.  He is from NJ too, but not confrontational.  I just look at him when he says something me after the fact and say...I will never see them again, and maybe, just maybe I made them think again before they do that another time.  

I don't watch the show, I have only seen the previews...it is on ABC, can't recall the actual name, but the premise is what would you do if you saw.... occurring?  They do things in a public space, and the scenarios range from seeing an employee stealing to verbal abuse and bullying.

 

This person claimed to be law enforcement (think retired), the way he spoke I believed him. That's probably why he had not issues speaking up, and drilling the guy a bit, it's what he did for a living!

5 hours ago, PG Cruiser said:

NBC is still pushing back on the ship's negligence based on the family's lawyer's statement.  The TODAY show was quoting the family as saying, "Royal Caribbean could have prevented the accident by taking additional safety precautions."

For those of us who have sailed on Royal Caribbean ships, what ADDITIONAL safety precautions could the company have take in this situation?  Do we want (more) signage on every open ledge, window, and balcony?  Do we want barriers to those areas? Do we want kids banned from those areas?

 

Nothing. You cannot safeguard against a momentary lack of judgment. On my last cruise, standing in the elevator an elderly gentleman (grandpa) used the stroller to stop the door from closing. Another gentleman inside the elevator spoke up - "it's not worth it, that was stupid" and a bit more. The man half acknowledged the error, mainly of making light of the situation (it was awkward all around) saying "yeah my daughter would kill me if anything happened to her..." The confronting gentleman repeated himself and spoke of this story. At the time it was awkward how much the confronting man was sort of drilling him. However, thinking back, sometimes you need to drill things into people's heads. It was a momentary lack of judgment that could have been a disaster if the safety mechanism failed. I bet he never does anything like that again - or any of us in the elevator for that matter - also makes me wonder, maybe we all need to speak up more when seeing stuff like this. Maybe someone (if a witness was present, no idea) speaking up could have saved her life.

6 minutes ago, CHRIS WONG said:

It's funny, because right now, I look forward to the day I am a guest onboard - and not a crew member.

Glad to hear/read that the work hasn't discouraged you from being a guest in the future.

Cozumel - we enjoyed the Mayan Ruins but it's an all day tour.

Neal deGrasse Tyson explains the Bermuda Triangle.

2 hours ago, teddy said:

I wish I had known about this whole thing 25 years ago.   

Early 2000's a friend was trying to get me to sign up with him for jobs. I never did, he never did, wish I did. Back then I had nothing to lose and could have used the opportunities presented. Oh well

Great video. Does Royal Caribbean encourage internal transfers and such? Is it up to you as an employee to seek out other opportunities for your career goals? 

On 10/22/2019 at 5:57 PM, CHRIS WONG said:

Hey guys!

So I have some exciting news!

I found out last night that I'm going to be transferred to Oasis Of The Seas in 3 weeks time. This is a big step up for me, and a lot more responsibility is going to be put on me - but I'm excited for this challenge.

I'll be flying out to Spain to join the ship, and then crossing back to America for the beginning of the Caribbean season.

Let me know if any of you will be on Oasis! I look forward to meeting you!

Congratulations! Booked for September 20th, 2020 if you're still on her (or back on for another contract?) I'll definitely say hi!

More responsibility? Too soon to share the news?

Many, many years ago we caught Matt Yee on two different cruises. YouTube is probably the best way to describe it. He gets the entire schooner bar singing, brings in props, it's hysterical and great fun.

On Anthem in September we saw Jeff Trachta (singing Trump from AGT) and really enjoyed it. His impersonation skills are way bigger than singing Trump. He was very entertaining, very talented, he made me laugh and almost cry. So glad I went. 

Royal does a great job of sourcing various headliner acts and comedians. 

I would have showed up at the port ... You said two days! :). 

53 minutes ago, Matt said:

Back in the day, annual fees were a lame thing the credit card companies used, but today there is value in one of the top tier cards if you can maximize it.

100%. With the $300 dollar travel credit the Sapphire Reserve has an effective yearly fee of $150, which I feel is modest for all the additional benefits that I utilize. 

All I was thinking was ... the other day, I misjudged how close I was to the ATM and hit it with my sideview mirror.  

Looks like you're having a great time @JLMoran, I am just catching up on all of this now! Really glad to see Royal's reaction when you weren't even complaining, just making them aware. They usually do a solid job of making it right, and that's what matters to me as a customer. Looking forward to the rest of your messages, maybe I'll even watch you sail away on the port cam!

On 10/20/2019 at 8:35 AM, WannaCruise said:

Great first day.  Wonderful you ended up with great table mates (minus one) as that can make or break your evening dinners. 

That is so true. Royal once matched us up with two other Russian couples (who were friends/family) who spoke English fine, but spoke Russian to each other. They did apologize but it was easier for them to communicate in Russian. They also would translate some of the jokes for us which was nice. While we weren't offended by any means, it was just uncomfortable, and we ended up seeking other dining venues on most of the 9 nights. We never went back to traditional dinning again, we are 100% team mytime. Sad because we met friends at traditional dining and we are very close still to this day.  

We just booked Oasis for September 2020, the Oceanview Balcony was a steal and less than both Boardwalk and Central Park balconies. We were able to pay more for midship and higher deck without breaking the budget. The large balcony Oceanview was the most. We sailed Oasis in 2010 and 2012 and loved the balcony cabin. 

If I recall, the cruise was a lot more just a few months ago, so I'll go with your assumption, lower price to bring in sales. Whatever it is, I jumped and couldn't be happier!

Yay! Enjoy!

Sailed out of Puerto Rico in 2013 on Adventure, flew JetBlue from SWF to FLL to SJU and it was a nice and easy flight, even with the layover. On the way back the bartender at FLL remembered us :).

Google Flights show nothing direct and a few flights with long layovers. Personally, from the airlines that seem to service routes to SJU from JAX, I'd choose JetBlue or Southwest. Good Luck!