WAAAYTOOO

21 days to go and heard some disturbing news.
There was some talk about the pit bosses in the casino not giving the points that are deserved to the craps players. Any confirmation on this?

Funnel cake? If it was actually a ball they screwed it up, lol. That sounds more like a munchkin from Dunkin or a messed up beignet.
EDIT: @Ampurp85 beat me to it. 🤣

Lol funnel cake????? I love this description🤣.

So things really did pick up at Hideaway after my last post. By the time we left the place was packed.  The music finally got to me….and I tagged out.
Will I go back ?  Probably not.  There is very little at Hideaway that I could not get elsewhere on the island for -0- $$.
1. Hideaway pool is heated.  I liked that…but I was still chilly when I got out of the water.
2.  Dan said the choice of alcohol was better at Hideaway.  E.g, he likes Grey Goose for his Bloody Mary and he said he couldn’t get that on the “regular” side.  I have no idea since I’ve never had a [alcohol] drink at PDCC
3.  Padded chairs and couches.  I don’t recall seeing that outside of the Beach Club.  Maybe they are somewhere that I haven’t seen.
4.  No kids
Other than these few things, the “regular “ side and Hideaway are the same (to me).
We each had a crispy chicken/mozz sticks sandwich and I had 1/2 of a fried dough ball with powdered sugar on it (can’t think of what it’s called).  Pretty tasty.

Lost $45 today but I won’t cry too much as I’m still “up” slightly for the first leg.  I just have keep this momentum going for 2 more weeks !  I earned enough points for a comp cert myself although it’s the lowest level comp cert so the pickin’s are pretty slim. Most likely I will still use the cash value to upgrade Dans comp but I purchased a Next Cruise future cert so I will have the choice to book from the very short list of offered cruises if we choose to do that.   We picked a 10 night EX in March 25 for Dans comp.   I won’t be able to book it until tomorrow so I hope there are still some of the pano ocean views left by the time I get around to booking.  I’ll take care of that while we’re in port on TAD.
Dan enjoyed his lamb shank and I had the spaghetti in the MDR.  I love that they put the Pinns at window tables (at least, whenever they can).  It’s a nice perk.  Also, on EX, Pinns have priority seating  for MTD so the waiting is minimal.  They told us to just go straight to the podium and that’s what we did.  I will say, the MTD lines have been longer on EX than they had been on some of the other cruises we’ve taken recently.  The priority seating was particularly nice on this cruise.
We have the same room for leg #2 so we don’t have to pack - thank goodness !  So nice to be staying on when you see everyone else’s luggage outside and you are still snuggled in your stateroom !  It’s a great feeling.
Stand by for Part II !

So things really did pick up at Hideaway after my last post. By the time we left the place was packed.  The music finally got to me….and I tagged out.
Will I go back ?  Probably not.  There is very little at Hideaway that I could not get elsewhere on the island for -0- $$.
1. Hideaway pool is heated.  I liked that…but I was still chilly when I got out of the water.
2.  Dan said the choice of alcohol was better at Hideaway.  E.g, he likes Grey Goose for his Bloody Mary and he said he couldn’t get that on the “regular” side.  I have no idea since I’ve never had a [alcohol] drink at PDCC
3.  Padded chairs and couches.  I don’t recall seeing that outside of the Beach Club.  Maybe they are somewhere that I haven’t seen.
4.  No kids
Other than these few things, the “regular “ side and Hideaway are the same (to me).
We each had a crispy chicken/mozz sticks sandwich and I had 1/2 of a fried dough ball with powdered sugar on it (can’t think of what it’s called).  Pretty tasty.

So things really did pick up at Hideaway after my last post. By the time we left the place was packed.  The music finally got to me….and I tagged out.
Will I go back ?  Probably not.  There is very little at Hideaway that I could not get elsewhere on the island for -0- $$.
1. Hideaway pool is heated.  I liked that…but I was still chilly when I got out of the water.
2.  Dan said the choice of alcohol was better at Hideaway.  E.g, he likes Grey Goose for his Bloody Mary and he said he couldn’t get that on the “regular” side.  I have no idea since I’ve never had a [alcohol] drink at PDCC
3.  Padded chairs and couches.  I don’t recall seeing that outside of the Beach Club.  Maybe they are somewhere that I haven’t seen.
4.  No kids
Other than these few things, the “regular “ side and Hideaway are the same (to me).
We each had a crispy chicken/mozz sticks sandwich and I had 1/2 of a fried dough ball with powdered sugar on it (can’t think of what it’s called).  Pretty tasty.

So things really did pick up at Hideaway after my last post. By the time we left the place was packed.  The music finally got to me….and I tagged out.
Will I go back ?  Probably not.  There is very little at Hideaway that I could not get elsewhere on the island for -0- $$.
1. Hideaway pool is heated.  I liked that…but I was still chilly when I got out of the water.
2.  Dan said the choice of alcohol was better at Hideaway.  E.g, he likes Grey Goose for his Bloody Mary and he said he couldn’t get that on the “regular” side.  I have no idea since I’ve never had a [alcohol] drink at PDCC
3.  Padded chairs and couches.  I don’t recall seeing that outside of the Beach Club.  Maybe they are somewhere that I haven’t seen.
4.  No kids
Other than these few things, the “regular “ side and Hideaway are the same (to me).
We each had a crispy chicken/mozz sticks sandwich and I had 1/2 of a fried dough ball with powdered sugar on it (can’t think of what it’s called).  Pretty tasty.

I am going to try Royal Up.

Can't wait!!! Less than a 100 days to go!!

half of my family is in south florida and october is my favorite month to visit.  snowbird season hasn't started yet, at the very tail end of hurricane season, weather is nice and warm everyday, ocean is very comfortable.  here's a table of nassau ocean temps, which is a good comp for PDCC and you can see october is 10 degrees warmer than feb (mid 80's vs mid 70's) mid 80s is perfect, but it has to be a very hot day to enjoy or even get into 70 degree water (that or i need to p** pretty badly) 
 

That’s exactly where I am right now !  I have to stay out of the sun and the loungers are not for me so I am in a nice comfy couch with cushions next to the bar.  I actually loathe toes in the sand so I’m happy to be missing out on that.   Agree that I’m not pleased with the loud music but my butt and back are thanking me for choosing this spot !  😂😂🤭   Dan abandoned me and found a lounger in the sun.
This place is much bigger than it looks from the ship.  The bar is huge !  So far the only disappointment (for Dan, not me) is that it doesn’t appear that there’s any real ocean access for snorkeling.  Maybe there is and we just haven’t found it yet.
We are here with Wonder and nowhere near capacity.  Maybe that will change later.  It’s a bit breezy but that will probably turn into a blessing as the day goes on.

That’s exactly where I am right now !  I have to stay out of the sun and the loungers are not for me so I am in a nice comfy couch with cushions next to the bar.  I actually loathe toes in the sand so I’m happy to be missing out on that.   Agree that I’m not pleased with the loud music but my butt and back are thanking me for choosing this spot !  😂😂🤭   Dan abandoned me and found a lounger in the sun.
This place is much bigger than it looks from the ship.  The bar is huge !  So far the only disappointment (for Dan, not me) is that it doesn’t appear that there’s any real ocean access for snorkeling.  Maybe there is and we just haven’t found it yet.
We are here with Wonder and nowhere near capacity.  Maybe that will change later.  It’s a bit breezy but that will probably turn into a blessing as the day goes on.

...but then again it is Club Royale so ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

I do not have a certain answer for you but I will cite the rule that has always applied to combining certs….and that rule is that the offer codes must be the same for them to be eligible to be combined.  So my first instinct is to say “no””, your annual cannot be combine with an instant reward b/c the offer codes will be different.  But having said that, the truth is, I have never asked that question.  I’m thinking “no” but who knows ?

That’s exactly where I am right now !  I have to stay out of the sun and the loungers are not for me so I am in a nice comfy couch with cushions next to the bar.  I actually loathe toes in the sand so I’m happy to be missing out on that.   Agree that I’m not pleased with the loud music but my butt and back are thanking me for choosing this spot !  😂😂🤭   Dan abandoned me and found a lounger in the sun.
This place is much bigger than it looks from the ship.  The bar is huge !  So far the only disappointment (for Dan, not me) is that it doesn’t appear that there’s any real ocean access for snorkeling.  Maybe there is and we just haven’t found it yet.
We are here with Wonder and nowhere near capacity.  Maybe that will change later.  It’s a bit breezy but that will probably turn into a blessing as the day goes on.

We haven’t played the Buffalos but have been playing the Dancing Drums on the non-smoking side and some pigs game.  I’m done with the non-smoking Dancing Drums.  I will go back to the smoking side, unfortunately.
I am looking forward to meeting you as well.

Paid off my cruise today. Mason Jar here I come. Woohoo.

That was our conclusion, even when we could get $19.99pp. But we also don't care about kids being around (they always are since we sail during school breaks), love the standard included food, and my wife wouldn't even try the new offerings at Hideaway anyway so for us that $40 (plus tax) is better spent on a specialty meal (or pocketed).
Your $40pp plus tax pays for most of a specialty meal, even a nicer one (or a full one at BOGO). Everyone values things differently though. That was just how our decision went.

That’s exactly where I am right now !  I have to stay out of the sun and the loungers are not for me so I am in a nice comfy couch with cushions next to the bar.  I actually loathe toes in the sand so I’m happy to be missing out on that.   Agree that I’m not pleased with the loud music but my butt and back are thanking me for choosing this spot !  😂😂🤭   Dan abandoned me and found a lounger in the sun.
This place is much bigger than it looks from the ship.  The bar is huge !  So far the only disappointment (for Dan, not me) is that it doesn’t appear that there’s any real ocean access for snorkeling.  Maybe there is and we just haven’t found it yet.
We are here with Wonder and nowhere near capacity.  Maybe that will change later.  It’s a bit breezy but that will probably turn into a blessing as the day goes on.

A less than stellar skate is still better than no skate at all. And knowing that you are visually impaired, if I had watched it I would likely have been amazed. Can only imagine how much you've fine-tuned your motion senses and balance to be able to do that.
I've never been able to skate, thanks to being born with two club feet and surgeries that straightened them out but left me with zero calf muscles or ankle strength. (and degenerative arthritis in both ankles) Kudos to you, and congratulations!
You know what that means. You're that much closer to Cruise Day! 😄

Just wanted to add this here in case anyone else found themselves on this thread. You asked about the annual renewal not being received yet. I'm guessing by now you've seen the list on the CR offer page but here's a notice in regards to the annual renewal rewards:
Hope this helps someone! 🙂

That’s exactly where I am right now !  I have to stay out of the sun and the loungers are not for me so I am in a nice comfy couch with cushions next to the bar.  I actually loathe toes in the sand so I’m happy to be missing out on that.   Agree that I’m not pleased with the loud music but my butt and back are thanking me for choosing this spot !  😂😂🤭   Dan abandoned me and found a lounger in the sun.
This place is much bigger than it looks from the ship.  The bar is huge !  So far the only disappointment (for Dan, not me) is that it doesn’t appear that there’s any real ocean access for snorkeling.  Maybe there is and we just haven’t found it yet.
We are here with Wonder and nowhere near capacity.  Maybe that will change later.  It’s a bit breezy but that will probably turn into a blessing as the day goes on.

Moving on to leg #2.  Explorer 5 night 4-14-24 thru 4-19-24
Turnaround was uneventful.  We met in the Star Lounge at 9:15 and the B2B parade started a bit after 10:00.  It seemed like we were a bit behind schedule but not significantly.  I’m guessing there were 30-40 B2B’ers.  Frankly, I expected more.  We had a very short walk through CBP and then right back on the ship.  There was a tasty B2B lunch at 11:30.
Upon our return to the ship we made our BOGO reservations and visited the mustard (sic) station.  That was it.
Interesting cruise passenger make-up dynamic between this cruise and the last….very predictable.  Many more young families on this shorter cruise.  Not nearly so many scooters…but more strollers.  Not sure which is worse !
Bad start in the casino.  I should have stayed in the room.  😂😵‍💫. At least I had the good sense to cut it off and go home.
Dinner at Izumi tonite.  Yum.  Chops tomorrow and then MDR the rest of the nights.
We went to the ice show.  We always enjoy those even if we’ve seen the show before.
When we came back to the room after turnaround, but before going to the B2B lunch, I called and booked our 2 instant comps from last cruise.  While my original plan was to use the cash value of my cert ($300) to upgrade Dans, we changed our mind and instead booked a 5 night Enchantment cruise (1-27-25) from the short list of comp cruises on my cert.  We have never been on Enchantment and we decided that if we were EVER going to book EN, this probably the only chance as we always look past EN to choose a newer/bigger ship. So we booked it.  Dans cert went for a 10 night EX southern Caribbean (3-20-25).
Tomorrow is PDCC which is usually a stay-on-the-ship-day but we will be going to Hideaway Beach.  I had no intention of ever visiting Hideaway b/c I thought it was so slimy the way they originally  announced that Hideaway would be adults-only and complimentary and then decided to charge for it.  But I got it for $19.99 PP so we will see what it’s like. I’m not one that enjoys laying about in a lounger (it kills my back) so not sure what we’ll do, but I will give it a try.

Moving on to leg #2.  Explorer 5 night 4-14-24 thru 4-19-24
Turnaround was uneventful.  We met in the Star Lounge at 9:15 and the B2B parade started a bit after 10:00.  It seemed like we were a bit behind schedule but not significantly.  I’m guessing there were 30-40 B2B’ers.  Frankly, I expected more.  We had a very short walk through CBP and then right back on the ship.  There was a tasty B2B lunch at 11:30.
Upon our return to the ship we made our BOGO reservations and visited the mustard (sic) station.  That was it.
Interesting cruise passenger make-up dynamic between this cruise and the last….very predictable.  Many more young families on this shorter cruise.  Not nearly so many scooters…but more strollers.  Not sure which is worse !
Bad start in the casino.  I should have stayed in the room.  😂😵‍💫. At least I had the good sense to cut it off and go home.
Dinner at Izumi tonite.  Yum.  Chops tomorrow and then MDR the rest of the nights.
We went to the ice show.  We always enjoy those even if we’ve seen the show before.
When we came back to the room after turnaround, but before going to the B2B lunch, I called and booked our 2 instant comps from last cruise.  While my original plan was to use the cash value of my cert ($300) to upgrade Dans, we changed our mind and instead booked a 5 night Enchantment cruise (1-27-25) from the short list of comp cruises on my cert.  We have never been on Enchantment and we decided that if we were EVER going to book EN, this probably the only chance as we always look past EN to choose a newer/bigger ship. So we booked it.  Dans cert went for a 10 night EX southern Caribbean (3-20-25).
Tomorrow is PDCC which is usually a stay-on-the-ship-day but we will be going to Hideaway Beach.  I had no intention of ever visiting Hideaway b/c I thought it was so slimy the way they originally  announced that Hideaway would be adults-only and complimentary and then decided to charge for it.  But I got it for $19.99 PP so we will see what it’s like. I’m not one that enjoys laying about in a lounger (it kills my back) so not sure what we’ll do, but I will give it a try.