WAYNO

deleted...

...apparently, the answer was no.

Since opinions were asked...

I don't much care what anybody else wears.  On the first or last night, I have been seen dining in my travel clothes. 

I do also understand, many folks look forward to a truly dressy dining experience.  I will continue to respect that, and I will dress accordingly when I am able. 

My Wife  stays at Moody Gardens when cruising from Galveston. .  Apparently it's a destination in itself.

https://www.moodygardens.com/

It's interesting, we tried the tourist thing from Newark.  We found no shuttles.  Although we were in a very nice hotel within the airport perimeter, the staff offered no help whatsoever when searching for commuting options.  They told us to Google it ourselves.  Wasn't their job.

We ended up using Uber to get to the ship.   That was the one and only Uber experience ever for us, and that part went extremely well.  I don't even know the price, as my daughter, back home on the West coast, booked the ride and paid for it.  We tried the train into downtown NYC the day before.  Made it as far as Penn Station.  Being hopelessly lost, unwelcome, and the NYC culture as it is, we tucked tail and went back to the hotel.

NYC metro might be normal if that's all you knew, but for a West Coaster, it's a foreign planet. 

I would dearly like to try this NYC thing again, but only if I had a  tour guide. 

Good luck in your endeavors.  

However low the odds, we did get caught by Hurricane Dorian in August/September of 2019, aboard Anthem on a Northeast Coast and Maritime Canada cruise.  We sailed from Cape Liberty, and watched the weather channel all week. The skipper kept us updated and shared possible contingencies if we were impacted.   Ultimately, the storm was catching up to us the day before we were to return to Cape Liberty.  He raced to get around and past the storm, and we arrived in port the evening prior to our scheduled arrival to hide out the storm.  And to make it up to us, he gave us the tour of a lifetime up the Hudson River. 

My point is, these ships are huge, weather predicting and tracking is incredible, and they just do whatever it takes to let the cruise continue, even though the itinerary may change a little.  In spite of this storm, this was a wonderful cruise. 

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First of all, this is only my experience, and my opinion...

I have pretty severe arthritis.  I have some not-so-good days, and some better days.  I don't know when or why some days are so totally different than other days.   I don't use a wheelchair or scooter, but I have to be deliberate with every step I take.  On my last Navigator cruise, I asked for a cabin 'closer'  to an elevator, and explained the reason.  The rep put us in an accessible cabin.  When I attempted to argue out of it, he insisted and said that's exactly what accessible rooms are for. 

And once in the cabin, although I did not need the extra room, I surely appreciated the absence of thresholds to step over. 

I don't expect a lot, and my expectations should be easy to accomplish.

I am easily pleased with a Costco hot dog as Costco sells them from their snack bar.  Simple.  Always fresh and hot.  And a nice tender bun.  So good, I usually use no condiments.   Yum.  

But the hot dog stand on the ship just does not get this. 

And as far as a hotdog being smothered in vegetables?  And relish?  Gross.  That part I am glad the ship doesn't do.  And proof our tastes are all fortunately different.   

I treat my servers well.  Most of them treat me well.

That said, I appreciated the read here.  I have asked my servers, and most of them have responded that they do get something automatically from every drink served via the 18% added or with pre-paid gratuities.  But some folks on this forum have been adamant that the bar folks receive none of it. 

Either way, I continue to grease their palm, so to speak.

For the folks residing near a cruise port, a mini-cruise could work well.  For folks like me that it takes a 12-hour+  flight window plus a motel stay once I get to the cruise city, a mini-cruise would be a waste of travel resources.

That said, as I get multiple cruise offers in my mail box every week, the most recent ones have been for these abbreviated cruises.  Seems they are indeed trying to fill these rooms. 

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I empty the grounds all the time !  The only thing I've found that you cannot do is add milk to the milk container.  They usually lock up the milk, which is wise.

I never even considered this, but I am not opposed to doing so.

Next time, if necessary, I'll look into it. 

I have also found on multiple visits, these coffee machines to be out of service.  They are serviced or  repaired, only to break down again.

Apparently, very fragile and/or requiring high maintenance. 

My experience in the Crown Lounge(s). 

Their coffee machine is an automatic, per cup device.  By pushing buttons, you'll have choices of black coffees, regular or unleaded, and these machines have multiple choices of lattes, although not understanding lattes, I cannot tell the difference between any of the choices.

Bottom line, yes, if you want a reasonably hot decaf, they have it.   

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Oh yes I did listen to the radio many nights.  And in my car many days.  And I knew Bill Withers other songs very well.  I just don't know how this particular song got past me. 

As children of the fifties and sixties, my brain has a huge repertoire of music and artists.  And when I first read this thread, I wondered about the song.  I didn't know it, and I've never heard it.  My Wife has an even better memory of artists and music, and when I asked her, she also did not know the song.  So if the little washy-washy type folks are playing this song, either in the Windjammer or on the island, I wouldn't have known what it was. 

I think a pre-flight tour of the city would be wonderful.  We tried doing it on our own before our cruise, but became hopelessly lost in a culture that lends very little hospitality.  We gave up and went back to our hotel in Bayonne, even before we left the train tunnel at Penn Station.

I would love to see the city in a guided tour.

I have bid many times, both high and low, and the only  bid I've won, was a Balcony to a Spacious Balcony.

But I'm sure I'll keep trying.

Yes, Royal has that memo.  Cruises to and from Seattle pass strategically close to Victoria.  It's an easy stop. They do it every week during the Alaska cruise season.  For some, Victoria is the highlight of the cruise.  And Victoria is still in Canada.

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9 hours ago, Skippy67 said:

Since LA is my home port, I'm looking forward to future casino offers on Quantum. I still enjoy Navigator but variety would be nice.

Speaking of variety...

I like cruising from L.A. also.  It's an easy 2-hour flight within the same time zone.  It would be nice, with an extra ship, if they'd expand their offerings from L.A.  Our Mexican Riviera cruises are quite redundant.  There's another whole coast of Central and South America that could be opened up to Royal.  Even regular cruises, L.A. to San Francisco to Seattle.  In the old days, I cruised Royal from Seattle to Astoria, San Francisco, and Victoria, and back to Seattle.  It was a terrific trip.

I'll bite.  Pun intended.  What's a Chicago dog?

Uh oh. 

Thank you for the education.

I would think those folks may ask, "what's that old geezer wearing that shirt for", and I might just get a pass.  Or maybe the old Grammas might just think I'm hot. 

Please explain the "no pineapple" thing.  I've seen this reference elsewhere and I am lost.

I just bought a Hawaiian shirt with pineapples.  I hope wearing it isn't the cause of a faux pas.

2 hours ago, Neesa said:

@WAYNO and @smokeybandit so I did it, I am excited. I purchased both types of magnets pictured above AND made my own creation. Its not perfect but I want this door to be special.....below is my first magnet, created by Neesa!  Again, not beautiful but I may get better with time! The college had this mascot on card stock, woohoo here he is ! Thanks again for the push and confidence!

 

This will be very nice.  We so much enjoy and appreciate seeing all the door decorations as we walk down the hallways.

Thanks for helping make all this cruise stuff so much fun.

gettin closer...