Geezer Of The Seas

Even with a DIY reservation cancellation booked through Royal's website and canceled by phone, I was given a cancellation "code" by the CSR representative, but was told there would be no e-mail confirmation of the canceled reservation. Still a headscratcher to me. I booked and canceled 2 reservations with NCL before final payment was due. Received e-mails in both instances, one reservation was NRD the other was refundable. The mysterious ways of Royal Carribean........

We're giving Holland America a try in early November '24. Nieuw Amsterdam, 7 days from Port Everglades. 4 port calls (if 2 Carnival private facilities count as ports). But, in a Signature Suite cabin (we passed on the all included fare). $4500 & change out the door. We bought 3rd party travel insurance that predictably was better than HAL's plan.

Just casually looking at bookings for Port Canaveral in 2025, I see Utopia of the Seas prominently featured. If Utopia is homeported in PC, Wonder to Galveston seems sensible.

How can this possibly be???? A column on this very blog suggested WJ bacon and scrambled eggs were to be avoided. FWIW breakfast at Windjammer was far better in our experience on any ship we sailed vs the 'American' breakfasts we ordered from room service. Love me some of those simple, unassuming unglazed cinnamon rolls..........

Dessert Tip: Kids Dessert Bar. Look for the chocolate/chocolate/white chocolate chip cookies. I think I ate my weight in those things last April. Why they were only at the kiddie Dessert Bar I don't know but thank God I'm shameless.......

2 years ago on our first visit to Nassau, the Essential Nassau bus excursion we took passed through a portion of the Over the Hill neighborhood, our driver/guide remarked the area is"not somewhere you want to be". My interest piqued, we sat and had lunch with him at the Watley distillery. He explained New Providence (like GBI) has an increasingly serious problem with Hatian, Jamaican, & local gangs fueled primarily by the drug trade and turf wars and law enforcement is largely ineffective in dealing with it. Dunno, sounds like Metro Orlando........

Yes, CNA. Happened to us, same ship, same itinerary last November. Arrived at the MDR at 530 (time we requested when booking), the host checked his terminal, nothing. Asks for our cabin #, enters it and the display indicates My Time. The host said there was nothing he could do. Told us he would try to seat us at 6:45 and he created a 6:45 reservation for the balance of the cruise. Disappointing and for whatever good it may have done, we mentioned it in the post cruise survey.

Only if your aim is off, which is a distinct possibility after several drinks!

Dunno, but I simply want to strangle the H & R Block 'mascot'. I get it's tax preparation time, but geez where do you go to escape it? Besides, I'm a satisfied Turbo Tax user of many years............

Got a nephew who just got his gold wings with the aforementioned airline after almost 17 years. Graduated from Univ. of North Dakota, went to work out of school with one of the late Northwest's commuter lines puddle jumping all over the Midwest. Delta acquired NWA, he made it to the big leagues in the right seat, survived the pandemic layoffs. Right seat time in the intervening years until last September when he got the left seat. "Drives" 757's, 767's, A320-321 and when he's not doing his day job he's flying C-130's in his Air National Guard unit. I'm glad he persevered.

Watched the documentary about the Max on Netflix last year. The program may have been produced to evoke a reaction, but one thing an interview with an engineer pointed out that is indisputable, the basic airframe from which every iteration of the 737 that's been built since the 737-100 was introduced is now 60 years old. The point being you can only smear so much lipstick on a pig before it's time for blank slate or a new pig.

Have to agree, especially with a breed that has an affinity for water. Capt Kate. McCue (Celebrity Beyond)& Bug Naked OTOH........

Boeing really seems to have lost their way in aircraft and aerospace. The plane issues have gotten plenty of press, but the return to the moon is years behind and billions over budget. Boeing's Starliner capsule won't be flying anytime soon with a crew because the ablatative heat shield................well, abalated more than the engineers anticipated. There's also an issue with the parachute system and the life support system. Other than that....................

Pool Deck maybe? Stumbled into a Monday night game last November on Mariner's pool deck. The pools were closed so practically no one there.......but the bar was open! Grabbed a drink, parked my carcass in the 'leper colony', fired up a cigar and enjoyed the game. Most enjoyable time...........

I was one of the covid cases. 3 weeks before our cruise last November. Tested negative 48 hours before departure. Had the original 3 shots in 2021, nothing since. My doctor, though receiving the new/improved booster was not concerned when I refused it. He confided the data he had been reviewing (and not Interweb BS) shows the efficacy of the boosters is almost as dismal as this season's flu vaccines. Had I continued to test positive, no way in hell was I climbing aboard a ship.

Been a tough season for cooties. Between us and our daughter and her family of 5, 6 cases of strep, 3 Covid, and we just took our 17 month old (was very premature) granddaughter to her doctor 3 days ago. She was given a PCR test that returned positive for Metapneumovirus, RSV & Parainfluenza. She's a fighter, now returning to her healthy and 'make papa drink' normal self.

We did a studio session on our first cruise. Stupid expensive, but worth every penny, Ordered a nice canvas of Mrs. Geezer and myself all cleaned up and pretty that hangs over the fireplace. And there wasn't an Olan Mills in the immediate area, so......................

An educated guess. Passenger load (double occupancy) on Mardi Gras is 5200, 6500 max. That's Oasis Class number on a ship that's 50K gross tons/ 60 ft. or so shorter. The ship must have been packed to the rafters on the sailing.

It's the Internet, and one can do wonderous things with a computer these days. There was a recent story on CNN or Fox News website about the Tic Tac craze on the world cruise. The one video snippet I could watch on the website (don't do any of the social media sites) looked suspiciously................contrived, shall we say? Can't even remember who the 'influencer' was, though they seemed more under the influence. Clicks+Ads=$$$$.

We were docked in a David (Mariner) Goliath (Wonder) scenario last November at Cozumel. Now, Wonder is "just another ship". The real highlight was at departure. As Wonder pulled away from the pier a woman on a balcony on Wonder apparently had a Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday in New Orleans moment.........................and no one was tossing beads.

Icon's lifeboat?

"Scammed" on the ship, "scammed" in a port. Happens in any high traffic tourist area anywhere in the world I suspect. Customs & Border Protection occasionally does sweeps of the International Drive area in Orlando, seizing counterfeit merchandise (or stolen). On a ship, if there's an urgency to move merchandise, I discovered quite by accident, if you say 'NO' enough times and prepare to walk, a considerable discount may happen.

On Wonder last April, the crew member staffing The Doghouse asked me if I'd like to apply the 50% discount to the can of Corona I ordered with my dog. May not be everyone's experience but I'm glad the crew notices because I generally don't give it a thought.

Anything can happen, but we've done dining packages (not UDP) on 3 ships and have never been charged for a meal included in the dining package; only for alcohol if ordered with dinner since we had no alcohol package. That said, we've always been asked by the waiter when ordering wine if we would like to apply the discount to the wine purchase associated with C & A benefits (that we without exception forget about). In our experience, the wait staff and bartenders have been very good reminding us if we haven't used the benefit. For reassurance, always review your Sea Pass account activity daily. A trip to Guest Services will take care of your concern should it occur.

The engine control room looks like a giant video game, monitors and consoles. But the crew on watch had one monitor displaying World Cup Matches of to the side. Fascinating stuff and the chief engineer on watch suffered gladly through all my questions and I had a bunch. Tours run about 3 hrs by the way.