Sushitex

What does everyone think of this?
Cruise ships set to return to Galveston this weekend in hopes to welcome passengers this summer - ABC13 Houston
I find it very surprising, but encouraging as well.

Wow! Hubby received  an offer for a comped cruise with Carnival, so we booked a 5-nighter on the Breeze for late October, going out of Galveston. I hope that this is a sign of good things coming  for all the cruise lines sailing out of the U. S . 

This is surprising news!
According to this story, Carnival will bring ships in to Galveston on Sunday.  Their intent is to crew up and get ready to go.
Cruise ships set to return to Galveston this weekend in hopes to welcome passengers this summer - ABC13 Houston
 

It's coming.  The restart will soon be upon us...

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24513-carnival-is-crewing-up-its-cruise-fleet.html 

Two steamboat companies  in the U.S.A. will be requiring both passengers and crew to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 shot, beginning in July, 2021: 
https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24304-american-queen-and-victory-to-mandate-covid-19-vaccine-for-guests-and-crew.html 
 
 

So far, we've sailed on the Liberty, Enchantment and Majesty. Although she wasn't perfect, for some reason, I think that dh and I favor the Enchantment. Don't get me wrong: each ship has its own pluses and minuses (the ice show and Johnny Rocket's on the Liberty were great) but I think that the friendliness of the crew endeared us to the Enchantment the most. We also liked the Compass Deli on the Majesty, so much that we never made it to the Johnny Rocket's on that ship. I am hoping that RC will deem it necessary to finally address the rust problem on the hull of the Enchantment; we saw no rust issues on the ship's interiors. 
My goal is to cruise on one of the "big girls" - we have cruises booked on the Oasis and Allure for later on this year. I am so hoping that we will be able to sail!

So far, we've sailed on the Liberty, Enchantment and Majesty. Although she wasn't perfect, for some reason, I think that dh and I favor the Enchantment. Don't get me wrong: each ship has its own pluses and minuses (the ice show and Johnny Rocket's on the Liberty were great) but I think that the friendliness of the crew endeared us to the Enchantment the most. We also liked the Compass Deli on the Majesty, so much that we never made it to the Johnny Rocket's on that ship. I am hoping that RC will deem it necessary to finally address the rust problem on the hull of the Enchantment; we saw no rust issues on the ship's interiors. 
My goal is to cruise on one of the "big girls" - we have cruises booked on the Oasis and Allure for later on this year. I am so hoping that we will be able to sail!

Would you say this also applies to Med sailings? I believe they will considering nothing is moving over there. And rumor has it that NCL will be testing their first cruise out of Montenegro, sometime in May. Of course this is tentative.

Yes, as far as I know. We've only been on 4 comped or discounted (through Club Royale) cruises, but we've also collected Crown and Anchor points for going on those cruises.
 

This is from a blog from November, but perhaps it is still valid:
https://cruisesimulationform.questionpro.com/  Good luck!
There is also an active FB group that you can join, it is called Volunteers of the Seas. Only 63.3 k members, lol. 
 
Husband and I are in Group 1B, and today, we are going to attempt to sign up online for a "mega" vaccination drive-up clinic in our region of Texas. This would be for the first dose of Moderna. Because we are in that Group, we aren't interested in volunteering (too many health hazards for us, and we probably wouldn't be chosen anyway.) We just want to get vaccinated!

On the other hand, this far more recent study (November 20, 2020)  shows how effective cloth face masks are: 
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html
 
 

On the other hand, this far more recent study (November 20, 2020)  shows how effective cloth face masks are: 
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html
 
 

On the other hand, this far more recent study (November 20, 2020)  shows how effective cloth face masks are: 
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html
 
 

On the other hand, this far more recent study (November 20, 2020)  shows how effective cloth face masks are: 
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html
 
 

Yes, they still check IDs at the register. If one does self-checkout, you have to scan your military ID card before you can scan the groceries. 

My daughter gave me a set of packing cubes for Christmas @ 2 years ago, and at first, I was rather leery about using them. Two cruises later, I am sold! I roll my “like “ clothes ( t-shirts, for example) before putting them into the cubes. The best part is when I unpack, by simply taking the cubes out of my suitcase and placing them into the drawers of our stateroom. It takes just a few moments, then all that’s left to do is to tuck our suitcases under the bed or in a closet. 
Dh had a small set of cubes that we  received for renewing a membership this past spring, which he used during our June/July cruise.  After  the cruise ended, I realized that he needed more cubes, so during Amazon Prime Days I ordered him another set. 
 My tip is to try using packing cubes. If you don’t like them, somebody you know may gladly take them off your hands.?

My daughter gave me a set of packing cubes for Christmas @ 2 years ago, and at first, I was rather leery about using them. Two cruises later, I am sold! I roll my “like “ clothes ( t-shirts, for example) before putting them into the cubes. The best part is when I unpack, by simply taking the cubes out of my suitcase and placing them into the drawers of our stateroom. It takes just a few moments, then all that’s left to do is to tuck our suitcases under the bed or in a closet. 
Dh had a small set of cubes that we  received for renewing a membership this past spring, which he used during our June/July cruise.  After  the cruise ended, I realized that he needed more cubes, so during Amazon Prime Days I ordered him another set. 
 My tip is to try using packing cubes. If you don’t like them, somebody you know may gladly take them off your hands.?

My daughter gave me a set of packing cubes for Christmas @ 2 years ago, and at first, I was rather leery about using them. Two cruises later, I am sold! I roll my “like “ clothes ( t-shirts, for example) before putting them into the cubes. The best part is when I unpack, by simply taking the cubes out of my suitcase and placing them into the drawers of our stateroom. It takes just a few moments, then all that’s left to do is to tuck our suitcases under the bed or in a closet. 
Dh had a small set of cubes that we  received for renewing a membership this past spring, which he used during our June/July cruise.  After  the cruise ended, I realized that he needed more cubes, so during Amazon Prime Days I ordered him another set. 
 My tip is to try using packing cubes. If you don’t like them, somebody you know may gladly take them off your hands.?

Husband and I went on our one and only Royal cruise in late June - early July and he earned Prime status on the last night of the cruise. He  left the casino in the wee hours of that night  (morning, really) with the cruise certificate in his hand. On the back of the certificate is a list of cruises - some as short as 4 nights (I believe) and some as long as 7 nights. There may have been 1 8-night cruise as well. In any case, you have 30 days to call Casino Royale to book one of the listed cruises. If none of them will work for you, the certificate is redeemable for $500 off the price of a cruise of your choosing. The cruise that you reserve must sail within a year's time. 
We weren't picky and one date/ship worked out for us. From what I recall, the cruises offered were starting in September 2019 and went to April 2020, and I have read that they are updated every quarter. So maybe in October, another list will be available, but I don't believe that you can use any list but the one that is on the certificate, or the trade-in value. 
2400 points earned will gain you a cruise for 2 for an interior stateroom. If you have better luck, you may earn a comped OV stateroom (3600 points) or balcony (4800 points.) I think that some people earn suites as well, of course, by racking up even more points. I believe that these certificates are always for 2 people, but I am sure that someone here will correct me if I am mistaken. I understand that these higher-level certificate will have a higher trade-in value, but again, that factoid was gleaned from reading message boards and Facebook group posts. 
Don't stop at 2499 points - that will earn you the interior cruise certificate, but you will need 2500 points to earn Prime tier. If you earn Prime status on your January cruise, in April, 2020, you should receive a "code" for your free annual Prime cruise (not the same one as the certificate cruise!) This can be a cruise of your own choosing, up to 8 nights, I believe,  but no holiday cruises. Husband hasn't received this code yet, obviously, so we haven't experienced this yet, but we received the information about the annual cruise in an email from a Casino Royale rep. 

Husband and I went on our one and only Royal cruise in late June - early July and he earned Prime status on the last night of the cruise. He  left the casino in the wee hours of that night  (morning, really) with the cruise certificate in his hand. On the back of the certificate is a list of cruises - some as short as 4 nights (I believe) and some as long as 7 nights. There may have been 1 8-night cruise as well. In any case, you have 30 days to call Casino Royale to book one of the listed cruises. If none of them will work for you, the certificate is redeemable for $500 off the price of a cruise of your choosing. The cruise that you reserve must sail within a year's time. 
We weren't picky and one date/ship worked out for us. From what I recall, the cruises offered were starting in September 2019 and went to April 2020, and I have read that they are updated every quarter. So maybe in October, another list will be available, but I don't believe that you can use any list but the one that is on the certificate, or the trade-in value. 
2400 points earned will gain you a cruise for 2 for an interior stateroom. If you have better luck, you may earn a comped OV stateroom (3600 points) or balcony (4800 points.) I think that some people earn suites as well, of course, by racking up even more points. I believe that these certificates are always for 2 people, but I am sure that someone here will correct me if I am mistaken. I understand that these higher-level certificate will have a higher trade-in value, but again, that factoid was gleaned from reading message boards and Facebook group posts. 
Don't stop at 2499 points - that will earn you the interior cruise certificate, but you will need 2500 points to earn Prime tier. If you earn Prime status on your January cruise, in April, 2020, you should receive a "code" for your free annual Prime cruise (not the same one as the certificate cruise!) This can be a cruise of your own choosing, up to 8 nights, I believe,  but no holiday cruises. Husband hasn't received this code yet, obviously, so we haven't experienced this yet, but we received the information about the annual cruise in an email from a Casino Royale rep. 

The night that we received the birthday cake, I had ordered 2 other desserts because I couldn’t decide between the Baked Alaska and the dessert that looks like Carnival ‘s Chocolate Melting Cake. So, imagine our surprise when our waiter brought us the birthday cake as well...and it was a table for two! After trying the other 2 desserts, I gave hubby the rest of the Baked Alaska and the chocolate cake just sat there. I then tasted the birthday cake, and devoured what I could manage to eat. I don’t remember what else I ordered that evening, but I definitely recall the 3 desserts. I am going to miss that little birthday cake on our next cruise; I don’t believe it will be available because it will be in January 2020. ?

It's a closed FB group and you will need to ask to join (and possibly answer a few questions and read their rules. Stuff about being nice and keeping on topic.) 
The group is called Royal Caribbean Club Royale Casino Patrons Forum (long title) but the people there are usually friendly and very active with their messages, etc. 
So I think that I just searched on FB and found it; asked to join, was accepted several hours later, then invited husband to join, who is actually the prime member of their casino rewards program (Casino Royale.)
I find it addicting, because there are so many mysteries concerning onboard casino gambling, and I don't even gamble! I DO enjoy hubby receiving comped or heavily discounted cruises, ha ha!

We sailed to Key West and the Bahamas several years ago, only it was on a big Carnival ship (the Magic, I believe) and we sailed from either New Orleans or Galveston.  I enjoyed the change-of-pace from Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize, and since then, I have been rather hoping to set sail to visit Key West again, without having to fly to Florida.  We will also get to see Coco Cay - I doubt that we will pay extra for the water park (we are 2 ole fogies, lol) but it will be fun to explore the island, having never been there before.
So, yesterday I booked a cabin for myself and hubby on the Majesty of the Seas.Technically not a new ship, but definitely new to us, and we have enjoyed cruises on smaller, older ships. 
We are set to sail from New Orleans in December 2020. 
 

We sailed to Key West and the Bahamas several years ago, only it was on a big Carnival ship (the Magic, I believe) and we sailed from either New Orleans or Galveston.  I enjoyed the change-of-pace from Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize, and since then, I have been rather hoping to set sail to visit Key West again, without having to fly to Florida.  We will also get to see Coco Cay - I doubt that we will pay extra for the water park (we are 2 ole fogies, lol) but it will be fun to explore the island, having never been there before.
So, yesterday I booked a cabin for myself and hubby on the Majesty of the Seas.Technically not a new ship, but definitely new to us, and we have enjoyed cruises on smaller, older ships. 
We are set to sail from New Orleans in December 2020.