USCG Teacher

1 hour ago, Atlantix2000 said:

Surely he gets a custom made red card!

10 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I truly don't know what it is about places and Thanksgiving dinner. I can honestly say I have only cruised once over Thanksgiving, CCL, and that dinner was the worst. It like they use cloned or fake turkey, the texture is just all kinds of wrong.

 

Sounds like it may have been "turkey loaf," which is a crime against humanity.  Crime against turkeys, too, now that I think about it...

5 hours ago, teddy said:

I still have two of my old ones from 30+ years ago  

I wonder what kind of looks I’d get boarding the ship with one of them on my shoulder?

My guess is security and the porters have both seen stranger things!

44 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

Do your clothes really not get wrinkled when you use these? I have some items that I never take away with me anywhere precisely because they wrinkle so badly in my suitcase. 

They mostly don’t (certain dress pants & shirts always present a problem!), but I’m a roller, so I think that helps. I lay my pants or shorts down first, then take my shirt and fold in half longways and lay that on top of the pants just below the belt line.  Undergarments/socks lay lengthwise along the top of the shirt. Fold down the belt line over everything else and roll down as tightly as possible. Rinse and repeat. Saves spaces and cuts down on wrinkles. I have to thank Uncle Sam for this one, seabags aren’t the most forgiving pieces of luggage to pack!

So, no one has an opinion on the different beaches on Coco Cay?

While I can’t be helpful for what to take, some fellow users on this board have guided me on how to take it. 3 words: compression packing cubes. While it might be a bit hyperbolic to say it changed my life, it certainly changed the way I pack! I have this set and recommend them highly: https://www.amazon.com/LeanTravel-Compression-Packing-Luggage-Organizers/dp/B074KQ4C85/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ots=1&ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=tlcompressioncubesrcarhart0319-20&linkId=8bb91f103f8c64afe4bc7207cbf8e4d8&language=en_US&th=1

Easily lets  me pack way more than I used to be able to in the same amount of space.

Well, this summer’s cruise got L&S-ted to next July, so my $49 pp Beach Club passes on CocoCay are obviously gone. It doesn’t look like prices are going to trend back to “affordable” for the Beach Club next year, so we’ll probably just grab a Beach Bed and explore the island at our leisure. Now, I’m looking for experienced opinions! There’s three options: Breezy Bay, South Beach and just “Full Day Beach Bed Rental” (no specific location indicated).  For context, we’re a family of 4 with 2 elementary aged boys who will not be the LEAST bit interested in the water slides in the water park, but probably will want to spend some time in the pool. We’re really just looking for a good home base location that will let us explore, hang out and play on the beach and do a little swimming. So, with all of that said, any opinions? I fully understand that these will be very subjective, but I always appreciate all of your different viewpoints and experiences! Thanks in advance as always!

Enchantment of the Seas, Western Caribbean, 1999.  College graduation present to ourselves for my girlfriend and I. She had never been out of the NY tri-state area, and she missed her prom in high school due to a medical issue. I proposed to her on the stage of the Orpheum Theater (with a HUGE assist from the cruise director!) on formal night.  Next year will be our 20th anniversary.

15 hours ago, Jill said:

These are great floats too. I bought these for our May 2020 symphony that was cancelled and have moved it 3 times now. Hoping to use them now in October! 
 

BADIQI Swimming Inflatable Pool Float,4-in-1 Pool Hammock (Lounge Chair,Saddle, Hammock, Drifter), Portable Water Hammock,Pool Chair https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XZ7917K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_R1PC5H5W11G08A9GJ34T?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

We have a few of these for our pool.  Loved by kids and adults alike.

2 hours ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

Haha. I know that's that cruise life but man let me tell you I *struggle* to waste food like that lol.

No judgement - seriously- just a thing ingrained in me from a thing age that I can't quite shake. Lol

Oh boy do I feel this one.  The Clean Plate Club guilt is real.

Well done, good sir!

So, my Oasis of the Seas cruise out of Bayonne for the summer has been Lift & Shifted again, now into July 2022.  To be honest, I'm not disappointed.  I had a fully refundable "backup vacation" booked for this summer in case this happened, and I'm guessing (hoping?!?) that we'll see fewer restrictions and mitigation measures next summer.  In any event, my original cruise was Sunday to Sunday, but next summer it shifts to Friday to Friday, which means we arrive at Port Canaveral on a Sunday.  What's odd is that there are NO Shore Excursions listed for that day.  It doesn't even show up under the shore excursion tab.  I know it's still a year out, but it seems a bit odd to not have ANYTHING there.  Is anyone else seeing this?  Any insight beyond "they just haven't gotten to setting that up yet?"

Just out of curiosity, when a TA is initiating a Lift and Shift, do they have to actually call in like everyone else, or do they just use the Cruising Power site?  Hoping @Matt or one of our fabulous MEI-types like @Sharla might be able to drop a quick reply if they're free (or anyone else who knows!).  Trying to help a friend getting a run around.  Thanks!

3 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

ABC, BBD, The East Coast family

Damn it.   Now I want Geno's. 

24 minutes ago, coneyraven said:

Brooklyn Cruise Terminal?????  Cape Liberty is in BAYONNE!!!!!  Different Town, Different State

17 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

I think they were reporting on behalf of both here.  NCL and Carnival sail out of Brooklyn, I believe.  

Absolutely.  It was a PANYNJ Spokesman.  They're responsible for Cape Liberty, Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

I won't get into specifics, but in my time in the Coast Guard I was "behind the scenes" on three different Carnival ships.  That experience led me to never board one as a customer.  Granted, this was nearly twenty years ago, but my decision still stands.

21 hours ago, Jill said:

So why can’t they use the parallel runway? 4L-22R?

They will, which is why they're losing roughly 47% capacity instead of closer to 94% if they lost them both. Typically 4R-22L is used for landings (it is the only runway that is Cat. III certified as I understand it) and 4L-22R is for departures.  Now, 4L will handle just about all of the traffic, except for the crosswind runway.  The controllers are going to have their hands full.

21 hours ago, Jill said:

Who wants to fly into Newark anyways?

Couldn't agree more, one of my top 5 "avoid" airports.  Unfortunately, JFK & LGA are on that list, too. 

6 hours ago, Pooch said:

Wear your bulkiest outfit on the plane.  I bring several brushed cotton swing dresses.  They roll up to take up very little space, wrinkles fall out in a steamy bathroom, can be washed by hand and drip dry quickly.  I pair them with both flip flops and nice flats for day or night and add a light sweater for evenings.

Bulkiest outfit?  Amateur hour.  Bulkiest outfitS? Now you're talking!  In all seriousness though, I have a bag that is extremely similar to @sk8erguy1978's that came with packing cubes designed to fit it.  It has saved me tons of money on checked baggage over the years.

So, I'm well aware that the potential of summer cruises leaving from Bayonne is very much up in the air, this could pertain to many people in the community whether or not we are cruising.  Newark is shutting down runway 4R-22L from early July through October for repaving, refurbishment and upgrades.  That is EWR's main runway and handles almost half of the traffic for the entire airport.  There will be numerous flights cancelled going in, and you can probably count on significant delays and general unpleasantness for the flights that do remain on the schedule.  Just a heads-up to think about when planning any summer/fall travel to the NY Metro area...

https://simpleflying.com/newark-landing-runway-refurbishment/

On 4/18/2021 at 7:54 PM, esmoov said:

We booked Millennium this June out of St. Maarten. Decided to book through Flights By Celebrity (FBC).  Paid more for a direct flight to and from and also for leaving at reasonable times. Paid approximately $450 p/p. More specifically, the flights I purchased were leaving JFK at 11 a.m. the day before embarkation and 2:00 p.m. on the return.  Connecting flights and earlier times were significantly cheaper.  First, FBC changed the out bound flight to 7:00 a.m.  This is a problem since getting to JFK is always an issue and this adds $150 since Uber is a premium at 3:00 a.m. - Complained and they changed the flight to 8:30 out of Newark. Today they change the return flight to a connecting flight - now making this a 9 hour return flight and again adding an additional $100 Uber premium by the time we get out of the airport at 1:00 a.m.  If I had booked this flight originally it would have been $80 less p/p.  Now FBC wants $225 p/p to change the tickets. Really??  So I paid a premium for the direct flights that they were selling, they change them to the less expensive fairs and keep the difference...and want to charge $225 per ticket to change the tickets. Watch Out...

Not sure if it is part of the reason or not, but flying through EWR is going to be a mess this summer.  They're shutting down runway 4R-22L for most of the summer and part of the fall for maintenance/repaving work.  That runway handles almost half the traffic for the entire airport.  I'll post the information in a separate thread as it's probably relevant for others on the board (although cruising out of Bayonne this summer is still a potential no-go)...

https://simpleflying.com/newark-landing-runway-refurbishment/

31 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Hey all! Doc said the surgery went great, no problems at all. I’ve got one heck of a sore throat from being intubated for anesthesia for 2+ hours, and I’m only just now getting off my usual post-surgery nausea (or maybe not so much; sat up to help with doing the breathing exercise that helps clear the anesthesia and felt another wave hit me ). But foot is decently comfortable with meds; and doc said he wants to see me tomorrow to change the dressing and do an initial evaluation.

Glad to hear it, Joe!  Fingers crossed that the news continues to trend positive!

7 hours ago, Ray said:

No death penalty would not apply for giving that away! However it would apply for purchasing it in the 1st place

My knowledge of Scottish vigilante justice is admittedly limited, but there HAS to be an acceptable loophole here.  What if you purchased it with the EXPRESS intent of giving it away...to a chair hog?

I haven't been on an Oasis class ship yet to compare, but Voyager class ships have been my hands-down favorites so far, and that was pre-amplification!  I would love to do that itinerary on her!