USCG Teacher

3 minutes ago, Biaggio said:

UDP & DBP? Translation please

Unlimited Dining Package and Deluxe Beverage Package. 

3 hours ago, dustfsu said:

You could just do it in the live blog thread and just title it, my cruise review and name the ship you were on. I love reading along live with peoples cruise, but I know that is a lot of work while on your vacation. Just write down notes on your phone or whatever and come back and tell us how great it was (or wasn’t).

This is exactly what I did.  I had a few rough notes and used my photos to prompt my narrative.

Okay, I totally read this as "Hilton Molino Sucky" and thought, "Wow!  @tonyfsu21 is normally much more eloquent than that, even when he's criticizing something.  This place must have been awful!"  

6 hours ago, asquared17 said:

probably the higher end of the bunch from a cost perspective, but i swear by away luggage. they have an excellent warranty and i have had my suitcases for years. we are fortunate enough to cruise a few times a year but also have other travel that we attend to and my away luggage has held up beautifully.

they occasionally run sales (most notably for black friday) but i think there is a $100 off if you buy a set at this time. 

they have both hard and soft side luggage but my hard shell luggage has been outstanding. 15/10 would recommend!!

I have the Away expandable soft side large bag and the soft side larger carry-on.  Have loved them both for years.  I've never had an issue, but a co-worker of mine had a zipper go while on vacation, and they ended up sending a replacement bag to her hotel.  That was several years ago, so who knows if customer service is still that good, but it definitely impressed me at the time.

I certainly waited till the last minute on this one, but we'll be setting sail from Bayonne on the 13th.  If you see a tall and slightly haggard man in a Coast Guard hat on board, say hi.  I'm friendlier than I look! 

1 minute ago, SeaSunnedTraveler said:

Is it wrong if you "wanna go where everybody knows your name?"

This was very strange timing.  Just got a notification on my phone that George Wendt passed away. RIP, Norm. 

On 4/26/2025 at 6:17 PM, Pooch said:

Are there sides?  Anyone have pictures for reference?

Not the best picture, but at least it will give you a bit of a feel for what to expect. This was our "gaucho," who brought our never-ending parade of meat to the table.  You'll also have a more traditional server who will handle drinks, clearing plates, etc.  They work as a team, and it really makes for a fun experience.  My son, who we have to practically force protein into his diet, loved it!IMG_9402.heic

3 hours ago, BigKarl said:

You wouldn't have something against Attorneys would you ?

Not ones working for Legal Aid Society.  (Seriously, thank you for what you do!)

I'm neither terribly religious nor superstitious, but I wouldn't be thrilled to be assigned cabin XX666. 

4 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Also important to note (and this goes for coffee machine across the board in hotel room or ship cabin) they are never cleaned. Yuck 

This is very true.  I drink at least 2 cups of coffee from the machine in the suite daily, so I bring a cleaning pod with me and use it day one.  Worth the few $s IMHO!

Oddly enough, Rising Tide is one of my kids' favorite things to do to wrap the day up.  They loved hopping on in Central Park with us, grabbing a Shirley Temple on the way down, then grabbing a slice at Sorrento's before heading up to bed.  Something about people watching as they're slowing riding down into the promenade just really tickled them. 

Enchantment of the Seas, 1999 (pre-stretch).  Got engaged on stage of the Orpheum Theater on formal night.  Not a bad 1st cruise!

Adding to the overwhelming endorsement for Poo-Pourri. Wonder product, goes on EVERY cruise with us!

While no school district is perfect by any means, mine is excellent in this regard.  Our 2025-2026 calendar was Board Approved LAST February. I definitely count myself lucky.

Got the 3 night dining package for $109 for July 13-20 during the Black Friday sale.

Lots of great choices at 150.  Big fan of the Wellington and the tenderloin.  An absolute can't miss is the Garden Martini, made table side. I loved it, but it was my wife's absolute hands-down favorite drink on the ship.

IMG_9118 (2).heic

2 hours ago, Brian Burlington said:

Are there any other pickleballers on this ship tomorrow?

Welcome, @Brian Burlington!  You'd probably have better luck checking out Facebook to see if there's a group for tomorrow's sailing for this kind of question, especially given the timing.  Good luck to you, hope you find someone to get a few games in with!

8 minutes ago, Southern Dan said:

 

"This itinerary change is totally inappropriate. It's lewd, lascivious, salacious and outrageous.  I am shocked, chagrined, mortified and stupefied"

We did this YEARS ago, and had a similar experience as @smokeybandit.  We had a good time, got to try some alligator tail after the tour, and got dropped off right at the terminal door with our luggage with time to spare.  Beat hanging out at the airport by a wide margin!

On 1/17/2025 at 6:48 AM, teddy said:

Finally!!

The cold gets harder on me every year…and I used to love winter backpacking /camping  

On Odyssey heading to St Maarten, St Kitts, Barbados, and St Lucia. 

Picked the right week to get out of here then. Well done and bon voyage!

4 hours ago, SweetPea said:

But i do. I really, really do!

 

Okay, it totally wasn't my idea, and it took a few clarifying statements (SweetPea is a woman's nickname, SweetPea is NOT the source of the sea of farts), but I was curious and this is what my AI gave me...

3 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

We're starting the re-application (since you can't renew) a kid's passport next Saturday. I'll be curious to see if kids passports are just as quick.

Same here.  It'll be interesting to compare speeds from different regions.

3 hours ago, ScottD said:

Going back and forth- help me out. 

3k for three of us on Odyssey Thanksgiving 2025, Interior with the fake window thingee.  From NJ, so no flight neeeded

4k for three of us, neighborhood view room on Icon August 2026.. flight\hotel involved- Much better itinerary. 

 

Was leaning toward the Icon cruise in '26 since we have the B2B cruise on MSC in August of this year, but that Thanksgiving deal with no flying involved on a ship\class we haven't done, does sound tempting.   

Personally I've always wanted to try a holiday cruise, so add in no flying, less time off required and a ship class I haven't done and it's a no-brainer for me!  After reading about your family's adventures, there's also a decent shot your (not so) little might like Odyssey's sports deck as much as or more than anything Icon has for him. Just one Philly-area guy's opinion to another. 

On 12/31/2024 at 10:12 AM, CHart said:

Recording the next podcast.

Why does @Matt look like he's about to take a request for Piano Man in this shot? 

6 hours ago, ScottD said:

Why not? At least that cruise line can still go, even with its bigger ships (just went to San Juan on MSC this month) 

MSC out there playing 3D chess while everyone else is still playing checkers.