Geezer Of The Seas

Every cruise we've taken, packed in our carryon is a 3 ring notebook containing: Copy of the ticket contract Copy of our Set Sail Passes Copy of the travel insurance policy Copy of add on/excursion purchases Yeah, there's electronic copies of all this stuff, but an anal retentive Geezer am I.

I read the Barron's column. The Disney 'captive experience ' vacation has been incrementally increasing in cost for years; Covid lockdown made it worse; as bad as it was for cruise lines? Debatable. Perhaps Disney Experiences (as the theme park division is now called) has discovered there's a ceiling for what visitors are willing to pay. Similarly, the cruise lines are digging out from a mountain of debt and pricing from fares to add ons is 'a strike while the iron is hot ' strategy that will also find its limit. How many first timers will be 'one and done', even with short duration cruises. A cruise is a more time constrained and regimented experience than a land vacation. We're not newbies, but not experienced cruisers either. We seek quality over quantity when we book a cruise and love the ship experience. That said, our last 2 and upcoming cruises are yielding less add on spending and escalating cost is why.

A postscript: An act of the legislature, signed into law by the governor, and the Canaveral Port Authority could be dissolved and replaced with a board of appointees......just like Reedy Creek (Disney).

SpaceX & Blue Origin at a minimum are probably in this fracas as well as the governor's mansion & Space Florida, which is heavily involved with commercialization of launch facilities at both KSC & CSSS. SpaceX is already heavily invested with KSC pad renovations at LC 38/39, although the recent public environmental impact hearings regarding licensing to fly the Starship stack weren't exactly a lovefest. Oh yeah SpaceX recovery vessels were recently 'evicted' from the cargo pier-Terminal 8 site to be. As the saying goes, stay tuned.

Weird. First ever cruise in '22, it was paper copy slid under the door. Last 3 cruises, e-mailed and received on disembarkation anytime between 10am (weren't even home yet) and 1pm.

Weird. First ever cruise in '22, it was paper copy slid under the door. Last 3 cruises, e-mailed and received on disembarkation anytime between 10am (weren't even home yet) and 1pm.

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2024/08/06/florida-officials-warn-port-canaveral-over-changes-for-cruise-ships/ This could get interesting quickly.....................

Not to rain on your parade, but....................

Thank you @AshleyDillo. I downloaded the Lyft app and just for an estimate the app was immediately asking for more personal info than I cared to share. Based on your estimate, sounds like the rideshare roundtrip will be less than airport parking of any type. We cruise in November so I'll take a peek a week or so before departure date.

I guess Royal upcharges for that 'new ship smell' since Wonder had only been in service a little over a year when we sailed her. But the tour we did on Jewel was absolutely fascinating and really gave us an appreciation for how hard the crew works, especially the 'back of the house' folks you never see.

Would have gladly forwarded to you what we got here in western Seminole County yesterday. About 45 minutes of can't see across the street rain and continuous cloud to ground lightning. Ate dinner by flickering lights, shut the AC and electronics off and wondered: Will the building be struck, or will the power go off and stay off? Everything is underground in our neighborhood, but there is a Duke Energy substation a few blocks away, that judging by our power's behavior was taking a beating from the heavens above. Started late spring and early summer rather dry, but boy it's been summer days in Florida since mid July........

Indeed. Very short distance. Our first cruise ever on Mariner, we left PDCC and were hauling the mail because of a serious medical emergency onboard. The captain in his onboard message stated it would be better to proceed to Nassau directly to get the passenger to medical care vs an at sea medevac. Left PDCC at 5, arrived Nassau shortly before 9. Left port and orbited New Providence Island overnight til scheduled docking time the next morning.

Obvious early symptoms of Flowrider Withdrawal Syndrome..................

Did the tour on Jewel 2 years ago. Believe it was a sea day on the return leg of the itinerary (8 days). Limited to 16 people, 2hr 45 minutes advertised, went almost 3 1/2. A shade under $300, for two. 2 groups total for the event. Fast forward to April 2023. Offered on Wonder, return leg sea day, 7 day itinerary. $248......EACH! We passed.

TV Weather: Hysteria+Dramatic Presentation=Clicks/Eyeballs/Ad Revenue to the 10th. power. It's not about "keeping us safe", the favorite mantra of TV Weather Weenies everywhere. But is increasingly becoming comic relief entertainment. NHC & local NWS websites are my friends...............

Local TV weather presenters down here are now in full pants on fire hysteria mode. Which in the past has often translated to the more they hyperventilate, the less likely anything will happen. Get back to me when there is a bona-fide system to report and can the fever dream 'we're all gonna die in hours' theatrics. Geez.....

The reason Boars Head recalled their deli meats?

Preparing to sail from Port Everglades in early November on the 'Old PPL Line'. Taking the train from MCO to Ft. Lauderdale (was supposed to do this on Rhapsody last year, story for another day). For the Metro Orlando Crowd: Any sense of cost from Longwood to MCO Terminal C (Brightline Station) for either rideshare (distance approximately 32 miles one way)? Earned a $10 Uber voucher from Brightline reservation. I have used Uber exactly 1 time on a 10 mile trip to Sanford on I-4 and frankly had the crap scared out of me by the driver's driving. Mears Black Car is not an option, they quoted $192 (Mears now lists Uber Black along with their contract drivers, so it's potluck). 2 Geezers, 3 bags is all we're talking here. If this works out cheaper than even the airport open air lots........ (forget Terminal C garage, I should be able to buy the entire thing for $24/day).

For 2 upcoming and 1 past cruise, I beat the bushes on Squaremouth for coverage that: A. Covers pre-existing conditions B. The medical coverage is PRIMARY, with an immediate payment provision (I'm sure there's more than a couple hoops to jump through for that). We have Original Medicare, a supplement, & Part D Rx plan but through mind numbing study concluded purchasing what we did is our best hedge against financial ruin.....and should eliminate the passing of the buck game insurance carriers love to play. The aforementioned policy bells and whistles added considerable cost to the policies, but the coverage is far superior to cruise line plans. Fingers crossed we continue to bat a thousand on not needing the coverage......

No world traveler am I, but a quick Google, and yes it appears the European Union VAT was applied to your purchase. Wow...........

I noticed the Cruishive story mentioned Carnival's plan is contingent on obtaining favorable financing for the new ships. I recall reading Carnival was the most leveraged of the 3 major cruise lines. Their shareholder equity is quite diluted. Where does a company go for a favorable loan? Traditional lender? Private equity? On the street? The new ship class needs a name. Carnival Sardines?

Almost thin enough to put in a hoagie roll to make a cheesesteak without chopping it up. I have learned to ask for medium rare. Pretty good and not shoe leather.

Pizza for breakfast? Not since the Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill days of my youth. And the pizza was refugee slices from the night before.

Buy the All Access tour on the ship you're sailing. If it's still a part of the tour, you're taken through the ship stores and an officer shows/explains the operation including the multiple refrigeration areas for provisions requiring refrigeration. You could ask or maybe see the boxes and boxes of burgers in their precooked state.....among other things.

Disembarkation goes like lightning on Royal ships of any size in PC. We don't self disembark and last 2 trips we were at our car and on SR 528 homeward bound to metro Orlando by 815 to 830 am. We're using an in port parking facility (not operated by the port) that makes it a breeze getting out of Dodge, and cheaper than the garages to boot.