Pattycruise

Hallelujah! Back to normal this afternoon on all devices. Just a little glitch in the beginning…showed no cruises leaving out of Port Liberty in April and only one leaving in March. Eventually it all returned. Oh, well…now I can get back to obsessing about cruising. Good luck to everybody else. Was pretty rough there for awhile!🥴

Difference between locks? 
The new locks are wider than the old ones, 180 feet vs. 110 feet, and are deeper, too, at 60 feet vs. 42 feet.

If they all followed their check in times there would be no "insane" lines. 

Just show up and have a good time.
There is actually a bit of prep to have a good time, such as reading these boards!  Booking excursions ahead of time.  Knowing how to handle reservations onboard.
 

Yes!  They are truly entertaining and he is sincere in his answers.

A balcony is the best way to cruise.
While a balcony is nice, for the cost an interior or promenade room gets you the same cruise with access to all the same things. The saved money can be spent on anything.
Of course most of the people on cruise sites seem like money is no issue and they just do star suites every 3 months so that's what they'll keep saying. 

At Port Liberty, the only thing I had to show outside was my boarding pass with the arrival time. That’s all. Then we went inside the terminal, through security, and then we were directed to an available port agent. Only then did we have to show our passport, vaccine card and negative Covid test…along with the boarding pass.

Mr. Bean, probably.

Ah!  I was choosing Panama Canal as the destination
 

Cleared history on Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning no luck. After Pattycruise' post tried again and it's working.
 

Unknown what may have caused this delay…if it was just passengers arriving outside their assigned time, or a combination of issues.
I have seen huge backups at boarding due to the ship having to leave the pier for awhile to allow a late-arriving container ship to pass; or embarkation being delayed due to a surprise onboard inspection by US Health authorities; or a surprise safety inspection by the Coast Guard; or port computer malfunctions preventing check ins. Each of the things resulted in a domino effect causing long lines and delays. 
Maybe someone who was there can elaborate…

They are 7 day cruises in Spring 2024. I am booked for March. 

My neighbor (a Carnival cruiser) advised me to make sure I go to guest services and remove the tips because it makes the cruise too expensive. He also had some great ideas on sneaking alcohol onboard.
I smiled and added another reason why I prefer Royal.
 

Just show up and have a good time.
There is actually a bit of prep to have a good time, such as reading these boards!  Booking excursions ahead of time.  Knowing how to handle reservations onboard.
 

If they all followed their check in times there would be no "insane" lines. 

If they all followed their check in times there would be no "insane" lines. 

Yes!  They are truly entertaining and he is sincere in his answers.

We just got off of Celebrity Summit and had over 900 in non-refundable OBC.  Celebrity has the same wording for their use of OBC in the casino.  I was able to use the OBC for a couple of spins then cash out without anyone flinching.   There is no way to know what OBC was used once you print out your ticket.

I had done an email to MBayley yesterday, no response.  I dropped a note on his FB page today.  
 
 

In NY, very frustrating.....

Just show up and have a good time.
There is actually a bit of prep to have a good time, such as reading these boards!  Booking excursions ahead of time.  Knowing how to handle reservations onboard.
 

If they all followed their check in times there would be no "insane" lines. 

Focus on the  mention of "local pharmacies" and forget Quest.
Endless reports of good experiences at Walgreens and CVS for starters. My family of 8 used both yesterday and all had positive experiences... but fortunately negative results. 😀

There are 2 types of OBC  refundable and non refundable.  You can ask at guest services as to which kind you have on your room.

Nonrefundable OBC when pulled for play in the casino (ask casino host for instruction) will be in promotional chips or the slot play and the  machine will "know" the $ amount.  
It is easy to see when you are done with your promotional chips at the table.
For slot machines,
Don't forget to tap your seapass card on the machine you will play and the mechanism will turn green and say "Hi_____________".  You then withdraw your $ to the machine and the machine will record your play.
For  every $5 spent on a slot machine ($10 on video poker) you earn 1 point. So note how many points you start with and how much OBC you move into the machine so you will know when you are done with that freeplay and can cash out your winnings.   So for $50 nonrefundable OBC you would need to earn 10 points before you can cash out.
Note, you cannot change machines once you download the OBC promotional money.....because it will not allow you to cash out until you spend it.  So if it is a large amount of nonrefundable OBC you might want to transfer in smaller amounts if you are the type to change machines frequently.

Refundable OBC can be withdrawn through the machine (again, ask the casino host how, they have a small slip of paper with directions), there is no need to play that money, you transfer it to the machine, cash out and bring the slip to the cashier.

All C&A members of all levels get promotional freeplay on their seapass card (from $2-$8) that is nonrefundable.  It must be played by midnight of day 2 or you lose it.
 

"Don't go!  Everybody I have ever spoke with who went on a cruise got seasick."