Eaglelover

Serenade sailing 7/11/21 DBP was $40 last week. Snagged it!! It was even cheaper than the $45  I paid on the cancelled June 2020 trip.

Agreed, (we're doing the 9 night Vancouver - return) but even though we don't drink a lot, a  glass of wine with a meal, select coffee and juice and water and I'm happy to not pay the full $!  I"m even going to try some of those craft breweries... not save it up for the ship!?
 

Pizza and a beer ( No Corona from now on lol ) 

The line was about 5 minutes long.  It's sort of the riding the Ultimate Abyss.  First time riders get a quick orientation session, next time should be faster.  

A new fake feature is the Royal Transporter.  I dropped by just in time to see some new guests arriving from another ship.

? :CBS/Paramount
Pricing:
For $79.95* (plus 18% gratuity) you can be transported to another ship.  For a discounted rate of $39.95* (plus 18% gratuity) they will transport you to a random ship they choose.  Finally a heavily discounted rate is offered at $19.95* (plus 18% gratuity) but it will transport you to a different cruise line.  This is a one way trip as the Royal Transporter is only available on Royal Caribbean ships.   
* Crown And Anchor Society discounts apply.  Gold 10% off.  Platinum 15% off.  Emerald 20% off.  Diamond and Diamond Plus 30% off.  Pinnacle who have been cranky get a free transport to another ship, otherwise Pinnacle get a 50% discount.
I packed my bags and used some of my OBC for the $39.95 transport.  I'm not sure where I'll be on day two, but at least I'll be on a Royal Caribbean ship.  

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 ?

Renewing discussion on travel credit cards.
Looking to ditch my BOFA RCG credit card. I'm finding that I could be getting better perks with others. I've read some of the exchanges on these boards about travel credit cards. I am interested in hearing how booking travel with either the Chase Sapphire or the Chase Sapphire Reserve works. Do you feel you get a good exchange for points to travel? Is it still possible to book a cruise with MEI using redeemed bonus points? Do I reserve flights through the Chase website or any airline website? Which card do you use and why did you select it over the other? 
If you use another travel card, would love to hear about it. We fly out of Saint Louis and Springfield, MO
NOTE: I pay our credit card bills in total every month. No point in rewards if their suck'n you dry with interest fees.
 

Team Windjammer here too! When sailing with friends it's a great meeting spot. Also, there is a man with a beer cart who wants to be my friend. 

Brilliance of the Seas May 21, we got DBP for $46. Reduced from $61 a few weeks ago.  Just need to keep checking every so often, and keep up with the boards.?

My March 21 rhapsody sailing has had the DBP go from $61 to $46 every three weeks almost like clockwork.  $61 off sale, couple weeks later $46 on sale.  This has been going on for several months.  I am in no hurry to give RCCL more of my money until I have more concrete information that we will actually sail.

When we sailed on Radiance last summer (Alaska) the DBP I believe was around $43/pp/pd. That was a great price, however, you may not drink as much (alcohol anyway) as you would on a non-Alaskan sailing (if that is what you're doing). Alaska is very port intensive. Just some thoughts.

Sounds like an awesome price.  I keep hoping it goes down for my 9 night on Explorer of the Seas ($57/day).  Not a bad deal, but there are three non-private island port days, and I worry about drink fatigue....I would jump on it though if it was that cheap for my sailing!

That's a great price unless of course they bring back that intern!  ?

OK, so not technically something I ATE, but rather drank. It was a 'drink of the day' special and when it arrived it was bright green, and it tasted like grass. Like you know that smell when someone is cutting their lawn? That's how it tasted. ?

Nope, it's still over $70 per day on my sailings.  Good to grab that - it's rare!

Black Friday sales have been good in the past to get great deals on Cruise Planner items, but who knows what this year will bring.

Whoa, whoa, whoa ....sushi IS real dinner!!!!

You are definitely killing it right now! 

I was called crazy when I got in at $24, $9, and $11 back in March.  Who's crazy now?!
*Still me but not because of this stock purchase at least*

That is exactly why I invested in RCL. Because I believe in the company and its practices. However, I have no faith in their IT department, lol.

I am also inexperienced in the stock market.  But I always believed the industry would return and recover and I really believed in RC as a company.  My only regret is not buying the amount RC shares that I originally planned.  When I first considered buying  I only was going to buy RC as they are our brand of choice.   But I decided ended up buying and Carnival and Norwegian which kinda takes the sting away from not investing as much in RC as originally planned.  
I also realize anything can still happen  but I believe the industry getting nearer to sailing again than maybe most do.  Might have something to do with our Aug. 3rd sailing on Independence! Lol

I am neither a very good stock market follower nor a long-time "cruiser", but having read this blog in preparation for the Alaska trip that didn't happen (it will next spring), I decided to put some cash into what I determined to be a solid market.  Y'all seemed to show me that there are a real loyal, dedicated group of folks who do cruise..  Having mentioned it to my banker son and my other son who spends his time following Army camps, they didn't heed my recommendation very well.  As of today, I look like a genius (my banker son even said he didn't know I was that savvy).  I just wanted to say thanks for the confidence and the advice.  Even if for some reason the whole ship thing sinks, I will still be able to say I've  made a lot of money at RCL!  Oh, and I'll pay the tax on money that I didn't have before. ?  - Meanwhile, I get some onboard credit!

I am neither a very good stock market follower nor a long-time "cruiser", but having read this blog in preparation for the Alaska trip that didn't happen (it will next spring), I decided to put some cash into what I determined to be a solid market.  Y'all seemed to show me that there are a real loyal, dedicated group of folks who do cruise..  Having mentioned it to my banker son and my other son who spends his time following Army camps, they didn't heed my recommendation very well.  As of today, I look like a genius (my banker son even said he didn't know I was that savvy).  I just wanted to say thanks for the confidence and the advice.  Even if for some reason the whole ship thing sinks, I will still be able to say I've  made a lot of money at RCL!  Oh, and I'll pay the tax on money that I didn't have before. ?  - Meanwhile, I get some onboard credit!

I am neither a very good stock market follower nor a long-time "cruiser", but having read this blog in preparation for the Alaska trip that didn't happen (it will next spring), I decided to put some cash into what I determined to be a solid market.  Y'all seemed to show me that there are a real loyal, dedicated group of folks who do cruise..  Having mentioned it to my banker son and my other son who spends his time following Army camps, they didn't heed my recommendation very well.  As of today, I look like a genius (my banker son even said he didn't know I was that savvy).  I just wanted to say thanks for the confidence and the advice.  Even if for some reason the whole ship thing sinks, I will still be able to say I've  made a lot of money at RCL!  Oh, and I'll pay the tax on money that I didn't have before. ?  - Meanwhile, I get some onboard credit!

I am neither a very good stock market follower nor a long-time "cruiser", but having read this blog in preparation for the Alaska trip that didn't happen (it will next spring), I decided to put some cash into what I determined to be a solid market.  Y'all seemed to show me that there are a real loyal, dedicated group of folks who do cruise..  Having mentioned it to my banker son and my other son who spends his time following Army camps, they didn't heed my recommendation very well.  As of today, I look like a genius (my banker son even said he didn't know I was that savvy).  I just wanted to say thanks for the confidence and the advice.  Even if for some reason the whole ship thing sinks, I will still be able to say I've  made a lot of money at RCL!  Oh, and I'll pay the tax on money that I didn't have before. ?  - Meanwhile, I get some onboard credit!