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klc317

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Everything posted by klc317

  1. Part of my job is to go into nearby casinos and work on their currency sorting equipment in the vaults and count rooms. At the ones around here they are open but about half the slot machines are off to encourage social distancing and the tables are also only at a half capacity. Everyone gets a temp check and has to wear a mask (I don't think many keep them on long)
  2. I like to check in on the Marine Traffic website and see where all the cruise ships are during this time while no cruises are going on. I wonder what the criteria is for where they go and where they sit? I know they have to come back into port to re supply and re fuel and they do have to move after a certain time of just sitting adrift or at anchor to operate some functions on the ship. One thing Ive noticed is that Empress and Majesty have been sitting around in the English Channel for a couple weeks. I thought they might have sent them to return crew members home from that area but its been quite awhile that they've been sitting there which seems unusual for those two.
  3. I like it for breakfast. And if we have a late departure from a port and miss our MDR time we went to WJ to get something for dinner. We discovered the MDR option for breakfast a couple cruises ago and like that too. It’ll definitely be a change but as some have mentioned the craziness at certain times in WJ with people eating in line and then touching the spoons and I’ve seen on a handful of occasions a person licking their fingers and then handling the utensils. That kinda turns your stomach but some folks just don’t understand common sense or courtesy and I get it. but, considering the circumstances we are all in now it’s a new world. They will come up with a workable plan to handle it.
  4. That’s cool! we were a little apprehensive last October of trying empress for the first time but we had a great time and the crew was top notch.
  5. I like using FLL, you can actually see the tops of the cruise ships in the distance from the airline terminal. Its very convenient and close. You'll notice that when you board the ship you'll see all the planes taking off very low above you. We almost always use FLL even for cruises out of Miami. In our case its almost always much cheaper for us than actually flying to Miami and its a short trip on a shuttle bus, uber, driving, whatever you use to get to Port of Miami. Us for instance when we have a cruise out of Miami we fly in the day before, rent a car for the day, and drive down the A1A along the coast in between fort lauderdale and Miami. Theres lots of cool things to see and beaches you can check out. Very interesting area with lots of money, expensive cars, fancy hotels/resorts, beautiful homes, etc. Then we will find a place to stay the night, drop off the rental at the airport in Miami the next morning, and take the free rental car company shuttle bus to the port to board the ship. Renting a car just for that period of time is very affordable and also gives you a place to store and lock your luggage for the day while you are exploring. If you like seeing some huge fancy yachts and boats Haulover Inlet is a nice place to hang out for a bit and its along the way. Its constantly busy with a ton of boat traffic coming in and out and its often very wavy and its fun watching the boats maneuver through the tides and waves. Its right next to a big park and theres even a dog beach right next to it. Always fun to see the dogs playing fetch and swimming out to retrieve their tennis balls and things.
  6. We couldn't get a complete refund on our airfare for our cancelled Apr. 4th cruise. They airline was not very accommodating until both our flights were cancelled anyway as well. Now we have up to 6 months credit to rebook something and use clear until the end of 2021. Not sure what and when we will be able to travel again but I'm sure we will have a better idea in 6 months. Just going to let things ride for awhile.
  7. I don't know...they are physically there when you look at the webcams.... https://www.portmiamiwebcam.com
  8. I kinda wonder if that means with passengers or not. Ive been watching the marine traffic and notice them all just hanging around adrift then come back into ports like Miami, Tamps, Ft Lauderdale, and Orlando for a day or so. I assume its to refuel or take on supplies. This whole thing is terrible for the industry but seeing where and when the ships end up daily is interesting to watch. I did read that they have to move every so often to run certain systems on the ship so they seem to not sit still long.
  9. You can also look up the Pztv port cameras, like Port of Miami for instance and go the the marine traffic box at the bottom of the screen, zoom out and in as needed. When you hover over the ships it shows their name, speed, etc.
  10. Theres level IV in reality and then theres level IV according to the media. Its more like Level XXXIV double secret maximus deluxe. But yes, in all honesty, for the crew members going home I sure feel for them. Hope they stay safe and healthy and I wish them the best of luck. I just recently discovered Chris' videos/VLOGs and really enjoy them. He does a great job of giving us insight into their lives.
  11. We’ve gone quite often during hurricane season. Never had an issue. Although in the Caribbean you can expect to see more cloudy days and rain off and on during that time of year. Not enough to be a show stopper. The prices are often much more reasonable.
  12. I found this interesting. Crew member on Oasis doing a daily vlog over the next 30 while the ship has no guests. On day 3 now. https://youtu.be/EKglMRaUNds
  13. We were affected as well by the unfortunate events occurring with the Corona virus. Was booked on Rhapsody on April 4th. We were holding out on cancelling just to see what new unfolded but wasn't looking good so now its official. But, is what it is and I appreciate the sacrifice that RC decided to take. I really feel bad for the financial hit all the cruise industry is taking on this. I was curious as to where they are going to dock/anchor all these ships. I would imagine Carnival will be following soon with a 30 day or similar suspension. Thats going to be a huge number of ships to do something with in the meantime. Wonder how that works?
  14. This is also our dilemma. We are riding it out until a couple days prior to our April 4th sailing. We really want to go but as with many we simply cannot miss work for 2 weeks after for a possible quarantine situation onboard the ship if one single person gets sick. It’s a hard decision to make but we will continue to wait and see how things are going
  15. We are booked on Rhapsody April 4th. We are going to ride this out until maybe a week ahead of time then we have to decide. I think the entire situation is blown all out of proportion by the fear mongering media. We are not concerned with getting sick but am concerned about some idiot getting a simple runny nose, running to the ships medical, and somehow getting the entire ship quarantined for 2 weeks. That would be kind of detrimental to both our jobs. I really feel bad for the cruise industry right now. If all else fails we are already booked to fly to Florida for the cruise.....we can adjust our airfare and still hang out in Florida for a few days.
  16. We just got our room assignment today for a GTY booking on Rhapsody for April 4th sailing. 30 days out. Last year we did a GTY booking and our assignment didn’t come until about 4 days before the sailing
  17. We are also going the week just prior to Easter. April 4th. We actually got a room assignment today, 30 days out on our guaranteed booking. Myself, the wife, and our 7 year old daughter who is excited to go to Roatan and see/hold the sloths and Daniel Johnson’s hangout excursion....her favorite animal. We have only cruised out of Tampa once before but found it much more laid back and less chaotic than say Miami. Going under the Skyway bridge is interesting, it’s a tight fit or at least it appears that way. As for the ship we generally choose the middle or smaller size ships due to the cost being more manageable for us and we always have a great time. We have not been on Rhapsody yet but have been on Enchantment, Majesty, Empress, etc, smaller ships, quite a few times in the past. We are looking forward to it!
  18. We went on Empress for the first time in October. Just the wife and I, I'm 42 she's 37. My biggest observation was there was never any lines or crowds. You can easily get a seat in the Windjammer for breakfast and even on sea days we found ourselves asking "where is everyone?" It was very refreshing. I mean when theres events or things happening on the pool deck (like belly flop contest) there is a crowd but not overwhelming. You definitely get to know the crew members like the bartenders and wait staff and come across the same other cruise passengers often and it was nice to make friends. Theres not alot going on during sea days so I'm not sure its a good kid friendly cruise, they might get bored but we loved it. Very relaxing and stress free. I liked the smoke free casino area. One of the highlights was we stopped at Coco Cay, it was our first time back there since the renovations and Empress was the only ship there that day so it was great, wide open spaces and no big crowds in the pool on the island.
  19. We are on 2 or 2 plus our young daughter when we go so I’m not sure about 17. We have done the late flight home before. We usually rent a car and go exploring. There’s all kinds of stuff to see and do along the coastline on A1A up through Hollywood area. Beaches, beautiful fancy big buildings, homes, and towers, there’s Haulover inlet next to a big park and dog beach where you can watch the huge expensive yachts come and go, we found an out of the way small aquarium and sea turtle sanctuary, there’s plenty of places to eat and explore. Also if you rent a car from the airport you can use their free shuttle from the port, go get your car, and bring it back later in the day and walk right in to the terminal. The rental car also gives you a place to keep luggage for the day without having to drag it around.
  20. Our daughter is a little younger (she's now 7) but we've been taking her since she was 4. She LOVES adventure ocean. We take her there after dinner most nights for a couple hours. They do crafts, play games, watch movies, do plays, all kinds of fun stuff and the best part is when we walk around the ship she will run across other kids she's made friends with and they talk and say hi. The staff on every ship we've been on in AO is great. We obviously don't drop her off all day because we want to share time and do things with her during the day but it is nice to have a couple hours in the evening to do some adult activities and know she's having fun doing her thing there with other kids. I think its a great thing.
  21. We like to rent a car and go ride up the A1A through Hollywood and check out all the huge beautiful buildings and houses along the way. Lots of things like exotic cars running around...alot of money in that area for sure! We came across a small aquarium/sea turtle sanctuary on one of the side roads by the beach. There's Haulover inlet where you can hang out and watch all the big yachts and speedboats come and go which is also right by a big beach and some parks. Theres a dog beach there as and its fun to watch all the dogs playing in the ocean if you're into that. After a week we miss our dogs back home so thats fun for us. We have a retired greyhound at home and met a couple on the beach there that had two running around on the beach so we made some friends and chatted for awhile. We have also noticed along the beach you'll sometimes find roped off areas where sea turtles have come up and laid their eggs. Theres some nice little restaurants and bars along the endless beaches as well to check out. Having the rental car for the day also provides a place to store your luggage so you don't have to drag it around wherever you go for the day. Usually a rental car for the day will be about $50 or so and also includes a free ride from the port to the airport to pick it up when you get off the ship. We usually fly into Ft Lauderdale for Miami cruises because its cheaper and this is also a good reason for the rental car.
  22. We have not gotten any better deal on next cruise onboard than we could on our own. But then again we usually cruise on a budget and don't mess with suites and balconies.
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