Jerel

We've put 3 in a room before.  Its tight but doable. Only problem I can see is having any privacy for getting showered and dressed.  I would go first and wait at the bar for them to finish.

I'm sailing into Port Canaveral on December 11th (12-9) and was wondering if anyone would like to do a meet up?
If you live in the area it would be a good excuse to meet up and talk cruising over a drink or meal. I was thinking Grills or Fish Lips but am open to ideas.
So far it's my wife Jessica and I, Stephanie (AGSLC5) and her fiance Jeremy.
The more the merrier, we don't need to know each other to have a good time. 

I love the 3PM Nacho Bar frequently found in the Windjammer! 

I'm sailing into Port Canaveral on December 11th (12-9) and was wondering if anyone would like to do a meet up?
If you live in the area it would be a good excuse to meet up and talk cruising over a drink or meal. I was thinking Grills or Fish lips but am open to ideas.
So far it's my wife Jessica and I, Stephanie (AGSLC5) and her fiance Jeremy.
The more the merrier, we don't need to know each other to have a good time.

You know what this means Matt, we will be expecting a decision on the 2018 group cruise all that much sooner.

I'm sailing into Port Canaveral on December 11th (12-9) and was wondering if anyone would like to do a meet up?
If you live in the area it would be a good excuse to meet up and talk cruising over a drink or meal. I was thinking Grills or Fish Lips but am open to ideas.
So far it's my wife Jessica and I, Stephanie (AGSLC5) and her fiance Jeremy.
The more the merrier, we don't need to know each other to have a good time. 

I'm sailing into Port Canaveral on December 11th (12-9) and was wondering if anyone would like to do a meet up?
If you live in the area it would be a good excuse to meet up and talk cruising over a drink or meal. I was thinking Grills or Fish Lips but am open to ideas.
So far it's my wife Jessica and I, Stephanie (AGSLC5) and her fiance Jeremy.
The more the merrier, we don't need to know each other to have a good time. 

Jerel, I think you should also post this in the main part where people discuss things.. I think sometimes people forget to come down here and take a look..

That would be a hefty delay Kris, lol. Oh well, there is always group cruises.
But yes, I do need a "This is a Jerel" tshirt.

I'm sailing into Port Canaveral on December 11th (12-9) and was wondering if anyone would like to do a meet up?
If you live in the area it would be a good excuse to meet up and talk cruising over a drink or meal. I was thinking Grills or Fish lips but am open to ideas.
So far it's my wife Jessica and I, Stephanie (AGSLC5) and her fiance Jeremy.
The more the merrier, we don't need to know each other to have a good time.

Here's a list:
CRUISE SHIP MYSTERIES (YA) Deadline by Eric Weiner (YA) Mystery Cruise by Gertrude Chandler Warner A Clutch of Constables by Ngaio Marsh A First Class Murder by Elliot Roosevelt Birds of Passage Bernice Rubens (not quite a mystery but interesting) Birds of Prey by J.A. Jance Board Stiff by Tony Alexander Buzz Cut - James Hall Charlie Chan Carries On by Earl Derr Biggers Cooks Overboard - Joanne Pence Damned in Paradise - Max Allen Collins Dana Chambers' THE BLONDE DIED FIRST Death in a Deck Chair - K.K. Beck (1984) Death in the Middle Watch by Leo Bruce Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie Death Takes a Passage - Sue Henry Decked by Carol Higgins Clark Don’t Blame the Snake by Tony Fennelly Inspector's Holiday by Richard Lockridge Jane Heller: PRINCESS CHARMING Killed in Paradise - William DeAndrea Lori Avocato: DEEP SEA DEAD Maddy Hunter: HULA DONE IT Murder in Absence by Vincent Starrett Murder on "B" Deck by Vincent Starrett Murder on Deck - (ed.) Rosemary Herbert Murder Sails at Midnight - Marian Babson Nancy Fairbanks: BON BON VOYAGE Nancy J. Cohen: KILLER KNOTS  Night Train to Memphis - Elizabeth Peters No Honeymoon for Death - Mary Kruger Nobody Cared for Kate by Gene Thompson Risk by Dick Francis Several Deaths Later by Ed Gorman Shelley Freydont: HIGH SEAS MURDER Singing in the Shrouds - Ngaio Marsh Susan Sussman: CRUISING FOR MURDER The Angels Will Not Care - John Straley The Case of Sonia Wayward by Michael Innes The Cruise of a Deathtime - Marian Babson The Fennister Affair by Josephine Bell The Goddess Affair by Lillian O'Donnell  The Informant - James Grippando The Midas Murders - Margot Arnold The Patient in Cabin C by Mignon Eberhart The Trouble with Going Home- Camilla Crespi The Widow's Cruise by Nicholas Blake To Davy Jones Below by Carola Dunn  Too Much of Water - Bruce Hamilton Voyage into Violence by Frances and Richard Lockridge You Belong to Me - Mary Higgins Clark

I may be flogged for saying this but you need to go on the Queen Mary 2. Best library at sea.
 
 
https://youtu.be/Xj4oWfSBtlk

I have a story to tell. I just got back from a Panama Canal 14 day cruise, (not RCCL). I ate in the MDR with the same woman 5 different night, she was a solo cruiser like myself. She explained to me that flying was her greatest fear and she refused to do it, so every year she plans a 4 to 5 month cruise, (many different cruise lines, a few hotel stays), to not fly. She has done this for the past 5 years.
 
Her starting point was San Diego, we ended in Miami, from there she was spending a day or two in a hotel and then doing a 4 day RCCL cruise, hotel again, then a 7 day Allure cruise, getting off of Allure and doing a 15 day TA, I think on the Independence, this would take her through most of November. While in London she was doing a HAL cruise of the Mediterranean, 10 days I think, doing another HAL with Spain, Italy, etc. Until at the end of February, beginning of March, she would board a TA that would bring her to Vancouver or Seattle and then a cruise from Vancouver/Seattle to San Diego. On the Panama Canal cruise she had an interior, all other cruises were an ocean view or a balcony.
 
All of this so she doesn't have to fly. My first question, after her cruise itinerary, was "Isn't this expensive" and of course it is, but it is only once a year and she said you told me that you have 6 cruises booked for 2017, with another possibly being booked, (SNAP, she showed me). Next question, "Aren't you seeing a lot of the same ports" and of course she is, so she doesn't get off, she reads, she does needlework.
 
She explained to me she led a very frugal life, she was married, now a widow, had no children, and when her husband passed she sold her home in Denver and moved into the RV that she and her husband vacationed in, after moving the RV to her sister's farm, so no rent.
 
If you were able, would you do something like this? I am not afraid of flying, and to me, it is way too much trouble to set all of this up, just so you don't have to get on a plane, plus being on a ship for 4 months is just mind boggling to me.
 
Sorry to go on and on, but I found this to be so interesting. 
 
Candie

You know what this means Matt, we will be expecting a decision on the 2018 group cruise all that much sooner.

No repeats yet, although sooner or later I'll run out of ideas and have to.
Besides, if it works why change.

You know what this means Matt, we will be expecting a decision on the 2018 group cruise all that much sooner.

I just got off the phone with RC about moving some reservations around and the representative said "the remainder of 2018 will open in January if you want to wait to move this reservation that's only a couple of months"! Does this seem earlier than normal or does she not know what she's talking about? Either way my mind is racing with new possibilities that could await in a few short months. Here's hoping she's right ðŸ»

So, last night as Tyna and I are sitting around a bonfire up on the mountain, we're talking about how badly we want to get back to Bermuda .....soooo....
 
WE BOOKED IT AGAIN!!! -- While we were throwing logs on the fire - Hey, cell service works there too.
 
We're going back on Grandeur for their 5-night sailing to Bermuda next September.  Same itinerary, same cabin, same everything .... only $300 cheaper (go figure) ---- Oh, and to top it all off, we've been in touch with another couple that we met on board and it would appear they want to do the same thing....
 
Plus, we still have the Rhapsody cruise the following April....
 
So, as I see it, ZERO cruises for 7 years, then 3 cruises in 2 1/2 years.....I don't consider that to be a bad thing at all.
 
You folks are a bad influence, scratch that, a GOOD influence on us.
 
The questions I have for everyone is ....
 
Who has repeated a cruise, same itinerary, ship, etc. just because the first time was just that much fun, and why? -- And --- who have met folks on a cruise, only to keep in touch with them well after the cruise ended, and possibly cruise together again?
Also, who has traditions that they must adhere to as they board the ship or when they get on the ship?  For example, I will always wear my sovereign of the Seas T-Shirt as I board......
 
Mark

Thanks for all the info Donolog, I think I'll have to sit down and devise a better plan. Every payday I withdrawal some USD in cash for vacation savings, I know it's not the best plan but it works for me. My bank (CIBC) has tried to sell me on a USD credit card. I'll have to look back into it, the benifits of it seemed confusing to me at the time. The Rogers Mastercard linked in your article looked interesting too, I'll have to look into that one aswell.Thanks for the reminder there is better ways.

The CC almost certainly charges more than 3% to convert (probably in the 4% to 5% range). Most Canadian credit cards will charge their "buy rate" plus an additional 2.5%.
 
As I write this post, the Bloomberg market rate is 1.3156, so US$13 = CA$17.10, but that's just the spot rate, regardless of whom you're trading with, the "buy rate" will be more, and the "sell rate" will be less (the spread in between is how currency traders make money).
 
So right now, if RCCL was to convert the US$13 would be CA$17.49. If I went to my local Canadian bank, I would pay CA$17.53. If I charged it to my CAD visa it would probably come in about $17.69. The best rate would be from my local private currency exchange office which would charge $17.40
 
Of course it all gets tricky to track because exchange rates are always changing. It might take a couple of days before visa processes the transaction, and the rate might be higher or lower then.
 
Personally, I have my onboard charges charged in USD to a Canadian bank visa I have that is denominated in USD, which I'll later pay from a USD bank account.

I purchased art at onboard Park West Auctions twenty years ago, and again about twelve years ago. I usually go to the auctions on every cruise, but have only purchased those two times. Of the pieces I purchased, I eventually framed most of them, I've given some away, some are in storage, and some hang on the wall to this day and will likely be prized family heirlooms for years to come.
 
The auctions on my first cruise were my first purchases of original artwork. At the time, those purchases inspired me to learn more about collecting art, and over the years I have purchased other art through alternate means, although I wouldn't call myself an "art collector" and I have never sold any of my purchases.
 
I would compare the art auctions to the ice rinks onboard. If you're a serious skater, or you want to learn to ice skate, then I wouldn't go on a cruise for the ice skating. And while your cruise likely won't be any less complete if you don't go skating onboard, that doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't enjoy the novelty of skating on a ship, especially if you don't get the chance to go skating in your normal life.
 
Likewise, the onboard auctions likely aren't the best fit for serious, or aspiring art collectors (although if there are serious art collectors out there who disagree please chime in). That said, the auctions can be a fun experience to check out some art, witness or even participate in an auction, have some champagne, and maybe even pick up something to hang on your wall at home.
 
If you picked up a piece of art that you can afford and you'd like to see hanging on your wall at home, I wouldn't second-guess it by giving credence to online reviews -- just enjoy the art. I suspect the negative reviews you've read are from folks that had misguided expectations (possibly from the art auction staff) that the art was an investment that would be worth a lot more in the future (or now) and reality has since fallen short of those expectations. Maybe you could have spent less for something you like just as much at a local gallery, but if you're asking the question then you probably haven't done a lot of that, so take it for what it is, and enjoy what you have.
 
From my experience, here are a few pointers to avoid art auction disappointments:
only buy art that you like enough to hang on a wall in your home for the next ten or more years; don't buy something with the intent of selling it to make money -- if you're not already an educated art collector, a cruise probably isn't the place to start; similarly, don't buy something just because it's a good deal -- who cares if it's appraised at $1,000 and you can get it for $50 ... if it doesn't follow point #1 above, it's a bad deal; remember that in most cases you're going to be purchasing only the print, and you will have to pay to have it framed once you get home -- proper framing to preserve the art may cost hundreds of dollars; if you see art displayed that you're interested in purchasing, wait until the auction's VIP night on the cruise where they might have some big discounts; they might also have a silent auction (where you write in your bid on a sheet of paper), but if you're making a silent auction bid be sure to note if there's a minimum bid (those people writing in $1 bids on everything aren't actually that smart); if you think collecting art is something you'd like to get into, do some reading and research about it before (or after) going on the cruise and then decide how an onboard auction fits in with your ambitions.

Also make sure to check out the podcasts, link at top of screen. Great for the drive to work, or if your too lazy to research online it's nice to have the option of just listening.
I'm sure there is one about the Independence, if not there is many on the different aspects of cruising.

According to the Port Canaveral Instagram page, Port Canaveral was officially re-opened at 12:30 Eastern Time today! What a relief for the residents and employees that have been affected. Not to mention a favorite cruise port for many.

all in favor?????    motion passes

We did meet on Enchantment, however it was not at a singles event just random at the bar.  I was actually sitting alone at the R Bar and it just happen.  
 
As far as single events, I've seen them in the Cruise compass but never attend one.  They are not run by any of the crew members just a meet up place in the compass. 
 
I recommend going on a shorter sailing for solo as they tend to be more "fun"  I have done 7 day sailings solo are they are more family/couples based.  
 
Fingers crossed we sail tomorrow!  
 
Michael