WAAAYTOOO

Congrats on making D+. Very nice milestone !

Somewhat disappointed in our new [balcony] room. It is significantly smaller than our balcony on the first leg. It has only a love seat size couch (1 person) and the closet is half the size of the closet in the old room. What’s really stunning about this room is that this room claims to have quad capacity ! There is a drop-down bed over the main bed and this half sofa definitely pulls out. Why in the world would they take a SMALLER room and try and cram twice the number of people in there ? Also, the bed frame is one of the old, low ones and our big suitcase will not fit under it, so it’s sitting in the corner blocking access to the balcony. Super disappointing. At least the bed is by the balcony. The only redeeming quality to this room is its location. It is very close to the midship elevators and therefore less of a walk. Oh well…it’s 5 nights. We will survive. B2B lunch was the standard B2 B menu (no Key steaks this time !). I had scallops, short rib and cheesecake. Dan had split pea soup, spaghetti and cheesecake. Dinner tonite at Chops (thereby avoiding the crappy welcome aboard menu).

I’m with your wife on this one. Don’t like most Indian food and the smell of curry makes me nauseous. Dan loves it so I’m super happy when he can get it and I can ignore it !

The numbers for B2B were conflicting. I heard 63 and I heard 75. I do know that there are a whole bunch of contractors onboard working on pre-dry dock projects so my guess is they are responsible for the different numbers quoted. My guess is they won’t be included in the B2B luncheon. At any rate, there was a $hit-pot of people in the B2B conga line this morning. On some cruises I am noticing that the B2B’ers are dumped in with the Key lunch (which is fine with me ! Cream of mushroom soup !) and sometimes there is a separate B2B event. I’m betting on option #2 today since the numbers are so high. I can’t recall being on a B2B recently where there wasn’t any kind of luncheon. Maybe we’ve just been lucky !

This kinda worked against me on this turnaround. Because we were back onboard SO soon and new cruisers weren’t boarding yet, I had a heck of a time finding someone to do my BOGO for tomorrow night. I had done tonite’s BOGO at breakfast this morning but didn’t know when I wanted to do our other BOGO so only made the one reservation. Once back on the ship we decided we want to do Giovanni’s tomorrow night (French night. ~yawn~) BUT I couldn’t find anyone at either of the specialty restaurants or in the MDR to help me so I grumbled to Guest Services and they ferreted out someone to help me in the MDR. I guess they really weren’t ready for dining rezzies since new guests weren’t boarding yet. Since there’s nothing that will pi$$ me off faster than the “runaround” my Karen was beginning to emerge but they tamped it down just in time ! All set !

So, back onboard by 9:45 which is awesome ! They even scanned our new Seapass cards for our muster drill requirement so that was a new one that I haven’t experienced before. I’ve made both of our BOGO rezzies so we’re now just waiting in the SL/CL for our B2B luncheon at 11:30. @OCSC Mike, your prayers worked ! Thanks.

Yes, we are grateful that they reconsidered SL/CL access. I really don’t used the lounge except for morning coffee (which I can certainly get in the DL/CL) but it’s nice to have an option to go wherever I want. Thanks for the turnaround prayers.

It’s been a while, but I seem to recall an additional savings being applied to my cruise fare that had not yet been PIF when our status upgraded….but that was probably 10 years or more ago. I feel sure that with todays cutbacks they have cut that out.

lol. I love screwing with words that end in a vowel (particularly an “a”) sound. I usually add an “er” to it. E.g, Florider. I have a sister (Rhonda) that my grandmother always called Rhonder. I guess it just stuck with me ! We try not to change rooms w/a B2B but it was unavoidable this time. This cruise (5 night) was actually [a casino comp] booked first and then we added the first leg [also a casino comp] in front of it, later. Our original room wasn’t available (drats !) so we had to book a different one. I did put in a RU bid on this leg but it failed. . This leg has been sold out for some time, probably b/c it’s a 5 night vs a 4 night. Also, update on the SL/CL access drama. Yesterday, Gavin (Suites Concierge) told me that b/c there are 46 Pinns on this sailing, CL/SL access would be limited to the top 20 Pinns. Last night, Dan came back to the room with the news that they changed their minds (no explanation provided) that all Pinns would be welcome. So it looks like we’re “on” again. We had our b’fast in Chops and now we’re waiting in the CL/SL. At 9:00 we have to move down to the MDR, deck 5, port side, for the B2B shenanigans to begin. Our wonderful cabin attendant, Jonel, will move our things from our old room to our new room. Woohoo ! So nice not to have lug that $hit around.

Quick review of Samba Grill. It was ok, not great, not terrible. We used a BOGO so it was a good value. No WAY would I ever pay full price for it ($39.99 + 18% grat.). We already knew to skip the first few “courses” (chicken, sausage, pork etc) and skip str8 to the pinaha and filet. The sides were very lame and the “buffet” was pretty pathetic. The pinaha and filet were very good but not “melt-in-your-mouth” good like they used to be on Allure at the beginning. Dan also had lamb chops, which he enjoyed. As I have always maintained about any Brazilian steak house, if you’re not a big meat eater, (as I am not), this is not the place for you. I left full but not stuffed. We will not be going back on the next leg and as far as I know, the Samba Grill on both Allure and Radiance will be replaced during their upcoming dry docks. I think they’re both going bye-bye. That’s my impression, anyway. Today is day 4, so tomorrow is back to Tamper for turnaround day. The next leg is 5 nights and will be going back to COZ with an additional stop in Costa Maya, which one of our favorite ports of call. We’re going to Mahahual to get massages on the beach ! Dan is going to the casino to spend his points. If I have any points, it would be too few to worry with so I’m staying in the room to pack up for our room change tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Fiona !

On Allure a couple of weeks ago I had no trouble figuring out how to pull the grounds drawer out….i had more trouble finding a place to dump them without creating a hazardous waste site ! . Finally opened a lower cabinet door and found a trash bin underneath.

Awful. I gave up after night #2. Dan went for a bit last night but I stayed in the room. The casino was SO crammed and smoky plus I lost so....not a good combination. I wish I could enjoy the video poker but I get bored after about 10 minutes. Dan is constantly changing his bet and changing games it makes my head swim. Maybe things will be better on the second half of the B2B but I'm not counting on it. I think these shorty small ship cruises are just jam packed with casino players. A bit of apprehension (not really...)...Gavin, the SL (or CL as they have never changed the name of it on this ship) said that there are 46 Pinns on next week and that only the top 20 will be allowed in the SL. So I'm sure that will eliminate us. I guess we'll see if my Seapass will unlock the door on turnaround day !

I empty the grounds all the time ! The only thing I've found that you cannot do is add milk to the milk container. They usually lock up the milk, which is wise.

I will drink an occasional margarita but NO to the shot !

If this was today, then that was not Radiance in port with you, We are on Radiance and we were in COZ today.

The pulled pork “enchilada” (Dan insists that it’s a chimichanga. I claim it’s a burrito. In any case, it is NOT an enchilada) was surprisingly good tonite. It’s usually a bit dry and tough but tonite it was moist and not too chewy. Dan had his usual carne asada. Both of us were happy with our meals. In addition, I ordered a second entree (fried tofu “taco” which certainly was not a taco. Go figure…). I usually enjoy dishes with tofu but this was as tasteless as anything I’ve ever tried. My point in even mentioning this is that they brought all of our entrees at the same time without a question, so I think the prohibition against multiple entrees at the same time has been lifted. I predicted this from the very beginning. I must be psycho…I mean psychic. The internet has returned to its awesome self now that we are back at sea. I was a bit apprehensive about the internet on this older, smaller ship but my concerns were unfounded - with the exception our of time in port…and I don’t blame the ship for that crappy reception. I seem to recall some technical explanation as to why port reception, in general, sucks. Back up and running and surprisingly dependable. Dan decided to saunter up to the SL to catch the tail end of Happy Hour. I wasn’t feeling it so I came back to the room. He is now back after downing a shot of Avion, some new and wonderful tequila that the “court” was raving about last night. I had a life-changing encounter with tequila years ago and learned a powerful (and painful) lesson. I steer clear. Had a similar encounter with some limoncello in Italy a number of years ago and avoid that as well. So, we’re on our way back to Tamper, where we will turn around for another go. Sea day tomorrow.

In COZ today. Beautiful weather. We didn’t get off - of course. Nice, relaxing day. There is only one other ship docked at our pier today - Carnival Breeze, I believe. I have NEVER been to COZ with this few ships in port. One gripe. The internet has been horrible since we got to port. I know there is some blah-blah explanation for this. Pretty sure it’s not the fault of the ship. Still pi$$in me off though. Dinner last night (and again tonite) in the MDR. No priority seating for Pinns. Not a big deal, just thought I would mention it. Last night was Italian night and I had the chick Parmesan sans the Parmesan. I know….my weirdo love-hate with certain cheese. I think tonite is Mexican night. Not one of my fave menus but it is what it is. Sounds like they are getting the pool sail away party started so we should be getting close to All Aboard time. I believe All Aboard is 5:30 so sail away should be 6-ish.

Soooo agree with both of these.

Agree with @Ampurp85. If you let your servers know that you have a show they will work very hard to get out quickly.

We've only been to Progresso once so we took advantage of that stop to go to Chichen Itza (WELL worth the trip) but it appeared to me that the port area at Progresso was pretty unimpressive. IMO unless you are planning to do the ruins, I would probably stick to Costa Maya.

I guess I didn't realize that you COULD book a refundable deposit cruise with NC. Thanks for this !

Good morning from the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. We are on our way to COZ (our only PoC on this leg) and the weather and ocean are beautiful. I felt absolutely no motion whatsoever until this morning, where there is a bit of "sway" but in a good way. This kind of motion makes me sleep like a baby. ..not that it's time for a nap quite yet ! Just a bit of an update on the ship's condition. I have to admit that our balcony furniture is in very BAD shape. It looks pretty rough. The metal on the surface of the table is peeling and it looks...bad. The chairs are ok but the glass on the balcony is so pock-marked that it is opaque. I really don't think there is anything that can be done about the balcony glass except to replace it but I know that is NOT going to happen. It's unfortunate. Otherwise, I am still not seeing any horrible signs of age. The elevator buttons are in pretty bad shape but appear to be working. Breakfast this morning in Chops. Very good as is typical. We met the Suites Concierge this morning. Gavin. VERY nice and friendly guy. He chided us for not coming to the Happy Hour last night. We almost never go into the SL in the evenings. But it's nice b/c they have their own bar, which is very unusual for a SL. Maybe we will muster the courage to go tonite. Happy Hours are just not my "thing". I'm really REALLY bad at small talk. I am on Deck 5 in the Voom area where there is a small semi-circle of maybe 8 computers. There are -0- computers in the Crown Lounge (I checked yesterday) and there is 1 sad computer station in the Concierge Lounge which is in a TERRIBLE location and sure to be traffic impedance if a chair were to be pulled up there. I will not be THAT guy. We briefly stopped by the casino last night. OMG I have NEVER been in a casino that was THAT full. I'm sure there was some kind of safety [occupancy] violation occurring (something that I automatically think about, given my profession). You literally could NOT walk anywhere. I am not prone to claustrophobia, but that was BAD. If we are going to do ANY gambling on this cruise it will have to be during the day. I suppose there are probably a lot of casino comp-ers (a group of which we are definitely a part, BTW) on these shorty cruises. They were ALL in the casino last night ! While in the SL this morning we met an officer (I'm embarrassed that I did not get her name) who is in charge of the upcoming dry dock. She told us that, as we suspected, there would be very little cosmetic/guest area work that would be completed....mostly it will be engineering and operational stuff. This is, of course, standard for dry docks. Apparently there will be some work done in the SL area as she was there to discuss this with the Concierge. We didn't stay for the tech-talk. I guess I did not realize that the second half of our B2B (2-26-24) will be the last cruise prior to dry dock ! They will be going to Freeport, which will be a pretty easy trip....compared to the big ships that have to go to Europe or Asia.

Every now and then we visit our new house ! LOL