Geezer Of The Seas

Our November '22 trip on Jewel was likely PC at its worst. A Thanksgiving week trip, 5 ships in port. As part of the 'no hurry to board' crowd, we weren't disappointed. Our embarkation window was 1230. Traffic on SR 401 to CT 5 looked like the traffic for an Apollo launch; backed up for probably a half mile. Seems a lot of shuttle buses arrive around that time as well. Didn't even attempt to find parking anywhere in the garage except the roof; snagged one of the 15 or 20 that remained. April '23 on Wonder, only one other ship in port in the back. The nightmare at the terminal was just the sheer number of bodies and vehicles. Dropped my wife and the bags and proceeded to the parking facility within the port we had a reservation for. Spread towels across the dashboard and steering wheel, prayed for no hailstorm while we were gone and boarded the bus back to the terminal. Worked well for us.

At the risk of being tarred and feathered, I'll mention on our April trip on Wonder (a junior suite) we found both the Lavazza machine and a tea kettle in the cabin.....with a selection of tea bags. I'll leave now to outrun the pitchforks.

Port Canaveral is like a mini Disney World and its effect on the infrastructure. Playing a game of catch up. With larger ships home porting there, they're standing in the bottom of a deep hole. The port solely existed (in the beginning) as a means to get rocket hardware to the Cape. It's straining now between the cruise and cargo business.

Our very first trip on a ship (Mariner Feb'22) in no way prepared us for reality. Plenty of parking at CT 1, there were only 1800 passengers on the ship. November '22 on Jewel at CT 5? Reality! We're not of the 'gotta get there early' crowd. Hell, we live in Seminole County and last 2 trips stayed in hotels in Port Canaveral the night before departure because I despise the thought of driving on SR 528 the 'day of' that much. Next trip is Rhapsody Thanksgiving weekend from Ft. Lauderdale. Taking Brightline the day before and staying overnight at Crowne Plaza....................provided damn Brightline is operating by then.

And it still won't be enough. The plan also includes a new terminal which apparently is going to spell the end of the marina on the west end, south side of the basin. A shame they can't acquire some of the air force station land on the north side including the Trident sub basin. There's currently a pitched battle between the port authority and the locals over replacement of the drawbridge spans on SR 401. The port wants 65' highrise spans. NASA contractors, environmentalists and FDOT are saying no. Cost, environmental impact, and NASA contractors are complaining a 65 foot clearance is inadequate for barges hauling rocket assemblies from the ocean, through the barge canal and into the Intracoastal to get to KSC. Last big thing I can recall going through there was Shuttle external fuel tanks. As far as parking, after first 2 experiences with official port parking, we used PortParking.com's lot at the south end of Columbia Rd this past April. A 3 block walk from CT 1. They have shuttles, 425 parking spaces. Downside, they're all open, but the lot is secure and video monitored..........and cheaper than PC official parking. Finally, a helluva lot easier getting in and out than that zoo at either CT 1 or 5 garage faciliites or overflow lots. Will handle passengers from every line but The Rat.

True enough. It is after all, the Internet & social media.

Interesting you mention this. There was an article on Cruise Hive posted within the last 7 days in which Carnival's brand ambassador responded to a rumor/claim made on social media that Carnival does exactly what you are wondering about. His posted response was an empahatic NO!

OTOH, the bottle of wine we kept in it didn't curdle. I've got my priorities straight.........

I can confirm the 'cooler' in a cabin on Wonder can make a pint of cottage cheese out of a pint of milk within 48 hours. Drink your milk!

Thanks for the info. That preexisting condition waiver is as elusive as the tooth fairy. Skimmed policy documents from multiple insurance companies. So many hoops to jump through it's virtually impossible to qualify; like nailing jello to the wall. Most companies I checked that offer it and/or cancel for any reason riders require policy purchase within 20 days of the initial booking payment. Thanks again for the assistance.

Canceled a January '24 5 day on Mariner. No rebook. Deposit forfeited (good news such as it is) the reservation was booked on a reduced deposit promotion so it wasn't as much as it could have been...........not that we can toss $$ out the window. Decided to wait til later in the year and placed a reservation on "Brand HAL" to check out a small ship experience. PS: Anyone have recommendations on where to shop for a single trip insurance plan? Most important consideration is preexisting condition coverage and better medical and evacuation coverage than the weak plan offered by HAL.

If they aren't considering it then why was the question posed? Obviously to gauge customer response. The 25% that replied they might consider another cruise line was the dagger in the idea. But, not to worry, a whole vista of charges in waiting...................

GIVE ME PIZZA OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!! Seemed like it was time for something noble............

Think of how much Royal could command for those deluxe shipping container cabanas........

Curious about the methodology used to select survey recipients. My wife and I both received it, veterans of a whopping 3 cruises. What was their rationale? Booking history? Accommodations booked? Onboard spending? Personal demographic (old people)? Recent trip? Inquiring minds..............

Raising holy hell certainly can't hurt. Look at the folks that had the repositioning cruise that was supposed to go to Hawaii accomplished; apparently got the executive suite's attention. Cancelation and refund offer that wasn't previously on the table when the itinerary change was announced. That's significant................and appropriate.

Pickleball Clinic. New name for the ship's medical facility? Hospital ER's and urgent care clinics are doing gangbusters business related to pickleball.

Lure Shaq away from Carnival, replace Sorrento's with a Big Chicken, keep it an included venue like Carnival. Problem solved. BTW, for the Orlando area folks, a Big Chicken will be opening on East Michigan Street in the fall. How I wish that was Seminole County.............

A. Back to oars and sails? B. Gotta be cheaper than the 'from now on' surcharge Duke Energy Florida is charging customers for decommissioning the Crystal River Nuclear Plant that THEIR predecessor company rendered inoperative and too expensive to repair.

Completed the survey. Looks like they're mining for additional shipboard $$$. Last trip was in a junior suite so that must have determined what questions you're to see. Where I could comment, suggested junior suite be given a couple of meaningful benefits; certainly I don't expect top tier stuff, but suite boarding access (denied that at Port Canaveral for Wonder, overzealous contract sheepherder) but maybe limited Concierge services or couple days access to Suite Lounge would be nice. Hope I wasn't too hard on RC when I commented supermarket frozen pizza was about equal to Sorrento's, again saying I wouldn't expect Giovanni caliber pizza, but they can do better.

Can only speak of 150 Central Park on Wonder, but it was probably the nicest fine dining experience we ever enjoyed on land or sea. The food and service were impeccable and incredible. And the ever present ship photographer shot a very nice photo of us at our table. At least they went easy on the advertising on the print compared to the gaudy prints we bought on Jewel last November. Chops on Mariner and Jewel were both enjoyable, but I have to say 150 Central Park definitely elevates the game on Oasis ships.

Ah, the virtues of late arrival. Last trip on Wonder from Port Canaveral, got onboard around 1 pm. After a circus with my Set Sail Pass not verifying I completed the E-Muster (5x as a matter of fact, was still getting notices right up til 330 after being assured I was properly checked in) we took one look at the elevator zoo and took the stairs to Deck 9 where we propped up a bulkhead. Watched multiple people try to enter the cabin corridor; the doors were locked. People banging on them. After about 10 minutes of watching stupid human tricks, the announcement was made all cabins were ready for occupancy.............. at precisely 1:30pm. And no way in hell I would drag big a** bags around, and for a fact the scanners at Port Canaveral can't take anything larger than a backpack, carryon bag and the tubs for small personal items. And on this particular trip, our big bags were outside the cabin when we got to the door. Bravo, Wonder and shore crews! Reverse was also true for disembarkation. Set the bags out night before, no problems.

Nothing free at KSC and definitely no self tours by car. With a 1pm arrival time at Port Canaveral, you wouldn't have enough time to really experience the KSC Visitor Center, as they close at 5pm. A shame because there really is a lot of history you can view up close. Have to agree with others about Disney Springs area, the traffic will make you drink to excess............and that's before you reboard the ship.

There's some small benefits for the lower end of the pecking order, but generally our CVS Pharmacy Extra Care Card has better perks..............

Without question, the finest Parkerhouse Roll on the planet. Our tenderloin for 2 meal was other worldly, but that roll. We were all but on our knees groveling to our waiter for say, whatever rolls they had remaining in the kitchen!