klc317

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) 

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) 

Those ships did return crew to Southampton, so it makes sense they'd hang out there, instead of coming all the way back across the Atlantic.  Empress isn't due to show up in Miami until late October, so my "guess" is that she'll stay there to bring fresh crew back to the Caribbean once sailing resumes.  Royal is planning on putting some ships into a cold storage type of thing, and I expect it would take time to make those arrangements, so that would happen in Europe, I'd expect.  All guesses but makes sense to me. 

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.

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.    

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.    

Now we're back to traditional cruise topics!  Someone will be along shortly to post that they had no problem at all making a flight at 8:00.  ?

Do you expect anything less from CNN?

Level 4 advisory (not ban) means the US advises Americans to return home and not travel internationally because the US govt may be unable to assist in bringing you back. It has nothing to do with the spread of coronavirus (that was covered under level 3), and yes, you are still legally allowed to travel internationally.

That's @CHRIS WONG, and he's a regular poster here!  All of his Vlogs are interesting, but I agree that these ones have been particularly so!  You can find links to a bunch of his other stuff directly on YouTube or via this thread:
 

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?   

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?   

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?   

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?   

I work in the hospital industry and have been engulfed in coronavirus preparedness for the past 2 weeks. As long as you're healthy I personally would go. In the US alone this season the Flu has hospitalized 350,000 and is blamed for 20,000 deaths. The flu is much more prevalent than Coronavirus and no one is cancelling anything because of it. 

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.   

Failing to plan is planning to fail....and I never fail at having a good time.  ?

We (My wife and I, as well as my brother, his wife, my mom and stepdad) will be the ones trying to sterilize our insides via alcohol by the pool....while the kids are in Adventure Ocean. 

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

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!

We are also going that week....only 30 days to go

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!

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!

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.

We've noticed the same on smaller ships like Empress, Majesty, etc.   You seem to run into the same people all over and its a completely different experience than on the huge ships.   Its fun to chat with other people when you see them more often.   And inevitably you will run into to someone who lives nearby your hometown.....never fails!