WAAAYTOOO

Thanks for the correction. I didn't catch that.

^^Totally agree^^

We never carry our phones around on the ship but carrying a phone around would be a small price to pay if that's what it takes. I also agree that having brave souls go before us is very helpful...and from what I can see/hear, it seems to be going well. I was very VERY happy to read that they were only requiring masks on land. That is a HUGE deal, if you ask me !

Thanks, Sabrina. We are looking forward to the fun parts but not so much, the hard work that’s in front of us. This community is very much like you described. Everything is just getting started so the Clubhouse, Sports & Rec centers, etc are still being built....but hopefully, getting in on the “ground floor” will pay off. The only thing this community won’t have is golf courses, but we intentionally steered clear of communities with golf courses since neither of us plays golf and we didn’t want to pay for their upkeep. You've got your own building project going on right now !

To quote the famous @twangster, to do more cruising, duh ! I retired on my birthday (July 31) and Dan will be retiring next spring so we said, “why not ?”. We are tired of paying to fly to cruises. Now we’ll be able to take advantage of more casino comps (primarily in the form of “shorties”). Of course this is all predicted on the cruise lines actually remaining in business ! What’s the worst that can happen ? We end up confined to the land in beautiful Florida !

Holy cow ! That’s insane. I guess it’s a good problem to have (selling your home so quickly). Throw me into that briar patch !

You have really helped ease my anxiety with the encouraging real estate news. We put ourselves at a slight risk by making the offer here before selling our place, but I think the risk of not selling the house is far outweighed by the hot market and the value of locking in the outrageously low interest rate. Even though we could pay cash for the new house, we are keeping our cash secure since it’s nearly free money to take out a mortgage. We went round and around about this and the realtor helped us decide. She said it would be silly to pay cash when money is so cheap right now. I hope we made the right decision. Wow ! On the excellent FC upgrade. That is an awesome upgrade rate. No-brainer ! Yippee !!!

Well, we did it ! Put down a down payment to get started. Picked out a house and lot. Should be ready in just a bit more than a year. Meanwhile, we must return to VA and sell our house. We will move into something temp locally and move to FL when our new house is ready. We will be in a brand new phase of the development so right now, there is nothing but dirt and sand there. So, flying back early tomorrow. Upgraded to FC so happy about that. What a whirlwind ! It might sound like an impulse buy to some, but truthfully, this is our fourth trip to FL house-hunting. We tried the west coast. Nope...the drive from Tampa to the Port of Miami was horrific. Tried central Florida but only Port Canaveral was really convenient. I knew that we would not be able to afford the Miami area, so after just 1 perusal in south Florida, we moved on. Not only was it expensive, but they didn’t really have the type of “Active 55+ community” that we were looking for. We finally tried the south-central east coast (Port St Lucie) and it was Juuuust right. Almost exactly half way between Port Canaveral and Miami. Dan kept saying that when we found the right place, we’d “know it”. I guess he was right. I have bought and sold many homes in my life but this will be the first brand new/build home for me. Very excited !

Negative....but look for us on America’s Most Wanted b/c someone is likely to die before it’s over. ????

The house-hunting has been a mixed bag. It’s extremely stressful and let’s just say, Dan and I have each had our limits tested with each other. I know that relocation rates right up there with divorce and death in the “stress-level” events. I can vouch. The builders are very strict about keeping the masks on at all times. Sometimes it’s very hard to hear when we’re discussing details and breathing outside in a mask when it’s as hot as the surface of the sun out there, is not particularly enjoyable but we learned to pace ourselves better on day 2 than we did on day 1. Coping. We learned a new “living with COVID life lesson” on the first night. We were both SO tired and exhausted from traipsing about looking at what seemed to be 10,000 model homes which all looked exactly the same inside, that we decided that a back and foot massage was just what we needed. Note to self: Do NOT plan on any more face-down massages while masks are required ! It’s hard enough to breathe lying face down on one of those massage tables when you aren’t wearing a mask, but add that mask, and you are now gasping feverishly to breathe the entire time. The only way to breathe is through your gaping mouth and that puts tremendous pressure on your jaws. It was probably the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been. I couldn’t wait for the back massage to end. At least I was lying on my back for the foot massage ! Last day of house-hunting tomorrow. Fly home on Monday. I guess we’re making progress. As with all of the previous recon events, we are determining where we DON’T want to live, which is something, I guess. Hopefully we will head back to Virginia with a basic plan in place. Either that or divorce is in our immediate future. ??

Yes, we did use the HOV but honestly it wasn’t necessary. We chose Port St Lucie precisely b/c of it’s equidistant between the 3 major cruise ports. We literally looked on a map and picked it by geographical position. Turns out to be a nice place, luckily !

I am bored and tired of not having any live blogs to read, so I’m going to create a live blog about coming to Florida on a house-hunting recon. While no one is interested in my house-hunting per se, I will devote this blog to discussions on travel and public discourse.... I mean, being out and about ...during the plague. We left Virginia on Thursday morning. Uber to the airport - Uneventful. This was the first time we had gone north (in, towards DC) since the lockdown, so we had no idea what rush hour traffic would be like. We gave ourselves plenty of time, but it was unnecessary. Traffic was a breeze (for NoVa). Part of that could have been b/c it is a holiday weekend, but primarily I just think people are still working mostly from home. Airport - This is the first time I have EVER seen zero-zilch-nobody in line at TSA. There was not a soul waiting to go through security. It’s the first time I have not needed Cleared to breeze though. The bad news...since I now have a fake knee, I can no longer go through the Pre Check scanner. I have to go through the regular line, therefore negating my TSAPre Check advantage. Not happy about this. Had to take off my shoes and everything. Major bummer. The good news is, the AA Admirals Club in Terminal C was open. The bad news is, it’s pretty meager. No more buffet breakfast (we got a breakfast “box” with some stale crackers and nasty cheese). No avocado toast ! What is this world coming to ?! It was still better than waiting at the gate but not like the good ol’ days. Flight - so much for social distancing ! Completely sold out flight. Uneventful...had to wear a mask the entire time but nothing untoward happened. One of the smoothest flights I’ve ever taken. DCA-PBI. First time flying into West Palm. Very nice airport. Must be b/c Trump moved to FL. Just kiddin’ Hotel - Residence Inn in Port St. Lucie. Very nice. Must wear a mask in the lobby and when in the elevator. No food service at all. They also subscribe to the box meal philosophy. No idea what’s in their box. We declined. No housekeeping service unless you give them 24 hours notice and you must vacate the room at least 3 hours prior to service (not sure how you’re supposed to know when they’re coming...). I can get replacement towels at any time. This works for us, just fine. I don’t care for housekeeping bustin’ in on us anyway. I can make my own bed ! Restaurants and other public spaces - Honestly, if it weren’t for the masks, you would not even know there was a plague. It’s pretty much business as usual, as far as I can tell. The restaurants seem to be blocking off every-other table, but basically, that’s it. People are extremely compliant with the whole mask thing. I’ve been very pleasantly surprised that I have seen NO one out in public without a mask. As far as I can tell, everything is open....except for the cruise terminals. More on the first day of house hunting later. It was a long day. It’s hot in Florida. Why am I moving here again ?

Here’s another one. https://seekingalpha.com/news/3611466-cruise-line-stocks-higher-after-carnival-takes-baby-steps-in-europe-cruise-resumption?utm_medium=email&utm_source=seeking_alpha&mail_subject=rcl-cruise-line-stocks-higher-after-carnival-takes-baby-steps-in-europe-with-cruise-resumption&utm_campaign=rta-stock-news&utm_content=link-3

Very funny though !

YES ! Sorry to hear about the trouble. I fear it is an agent issue and the only way to solve it is to get a GOOD agent. Anyone at MEI will fill that bill

Bad cookies, no bueno

When I did my daily mock bookings to check prices about half of my cruises were missing from the website. I am assuming they are performing some kind of maintenance this morning. Either that or they're cutting a whole bunch of my cruises from the lineup !!!

It looks like American and a Delta have joined United in cancelling change fees. The bad news is, it is only for new purchases...which shouldn’t surprise anyone, I guess. It’s unclear (to me) what will happen after Dec 31. Originally, I understood that United’s policy was permanent. “ The new policy will impact First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Main Cabin tickets for all domestic and short-haul international flights to the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and will be extended to tickets for any new travel purchased by Dec. 31, 2020.”

So, I read something very exciting this morning and I wanted to share it. United has announced that they have permanently suspended change fees on all but the cheapest fares for US flights. They will also allow same-day changes and standby at no cost. These are huge changes, IMO. I sure hope American is forced to follow suit. https://www.today.com/money/ceo-announces-united-airlines-dropping-ticket-change-fees-t190517

It has been my experience that the DBP covers 99% of the drinks that I want. The exceptions seem to be pricey wines and some of the top shelf liquors. When I say "top shelf", I mean WAAAY up top. The package includes most of the top shelf brands...it's only the really, really expensive stuff that they don't include. We ordered a couple of glasses of a Caymus wine once and that was extra...a LOT extra ! In fact, that time with the Caymus is the one and only time I have ever been charged extra for any drink I've ordered...but that's not really saying much. We aren't big drinkers anyway and my tastes are fairly pedestrian so I don't push the envelope much. Krakken lava flow is about as exotic as I am likely to get. I do love a good amaretto pina colada though....yumm

You are a VERY brave man ! Good luck.

I will add my voice to this. The L&S program has morphed recently and they aren't as strict as they used to be. We had 1 very easy L&S and one that was quite painful, but in the end, the painful one netted me a Star Class suite so it was worth the suffering. I'm not sure @michelle would say the same thing (it was far more painful for her than it was for me !!) but it's because of her that I have had 2 great successes. A great agent makes ALL the difference.

The cabanas at Barefoot are very nice. We have enjoyed them both times we have gotten them. We, however, do not get enough out of the cabanas to make it worth the expense. Since it's just the 2 of us, it is not really worth it. All we seem to do is nap there ! I can do that back on the ship ! If you really enjoy the beach then maybe, but we're not big beach people. I do recommend it though, if there are a few of you and you enjoy swimming. We've done over the water and beach front. Both are very nice.

Did I just get punked ? ?

You got a RoyalUp offer ? I haven't seen one in months !! Good luck !!!