mathbees

8 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Make sure you look real well for them

Oh, did I misread this while scanning unread content... I thought it said "Make sure you look real good in them..."

I was afraid you were going to say there are "robe police" wandering the ship and they were going to make me go back and change...

If you've got that much OBC on a future cruise that visits CocoCay, might be time to splurge on a Cabana!!

We did covid checks in December due to an illness in the house (we were all negative, phew!). I did find the CLIA in very small print at the bottom of our form. It took me a while. I know it isn't on that form you put up, but I'm wondering if there is another form in that packet that maybe has it? Like a letterhead or something? 

Also, that looks like the cover letter that others have mentioned gets turned away at the pier. See 

12 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

#notgonnastopcruising

Ah, the cruisers version: No Debarkment Syndrome.

38 minutes ago, GregD said:

I’m sure if we need to tweak that he would. 

In my experience with them, the Genies check in on you multiple times and always confirm everything multiple times, so changes are not a problem. 

13 minutes ago, Pattycruise said:

I can't imagine if everyone did this

15 minutes ago, Pattycruise said:

She said having a classroom full of kids giving a coffee mug was nice, but

It would look like this. 

Yes, my wife and I do put together a "care package" that includes mostly consumable stuff. We have found that scented bags/fresheners (Scentsy products are great!) for their lockers are especially appreciated since the crew areas can get a little rank at times and it is something they don't think about ahead of time. Hand gels/creams, lip balm, etc. are awesome and easy to bring in our carry-ons. Unisex socks is a great idea, too. And we usually tuck a gift card in there. Starbucks cards can be useful on a ship with one (crew has to pay for the SB habits, too.). The bottom line is that they don't have a lot of space (so we avoid t-shirts, hats, etc.), but anything they can use (or trade or share with other crew members) are usually welcome.

I do occasionally bring chocolates from home (Colorado, so Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory or one of our local chocolatiers). But this can get challenging sometimes. If flying, don't put chocolates in your checked bag as it can sit in the heat on the tarmac. If you have a large quantity in your carry on, well, let's just say that TSA might take notice. While solid chocolate is supposed to be ok, filled chocolates can be confiscated if you get the wrong agent - they can be considered a gel, I guess. I know people on a cruise in 2003 that had a few pounds confiscated, but maybe they aren't so bad about it now. I have successfully brought 2 pounds through with only a quick inspection by TSA. Smaller quantities usually don't have issues.

5 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

The first document took a while to write up. 

This assumes that you didn't delete that first document, because you couldn't imagine a world where a second opportunity for a Genie could come up. D'oh! 

Hmm.. I wonder if it's in my email history.

15 minutes ago, LCinPDX said:

I call that a win for sure!

Double win... discount AND OBC!!

Sorry about the dimensions on that video. I thought it would be smaller...

1 hour ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

Are they hard to get on and off the cup?

The two straps, top and bottom, use velcro, so very easy and fairly secure once they are on tight. I wouldn't trust them 100% of the time, but for casual usage and walking around they are not bad. 

Here's a video showing the straps going on. Notice that a decent tug doesn't remove the handles.

We use these handles with the added benefit that each person has their own color. Although I might check out those holders @CrimsonCruiser mentioned.

You will not regret the Genie or the ATS, although, you may find yourself spoiled for life. I can say we were...

Saw him on Odyssey in October. Definitely worth finding him in the passageways.

I'll be honest... I've run numbers on this (full-time passenger, not crew - I did my six years in the Navy, don't want to be crew). I'd say we (me and my wife) ran the numbers, but I think it was more me running numbers and her tolerating me on this.

I personally would love to retire to a life of cruising, at least part of the year (maybe a cruise or two per month?). I looked seriously about the announced world cruise and would absolutely LOVE the opportunity. Yes, I've even thought about how I could turn my experiences in teaching into a remote (or onboard) opportunity to cover the expenses. Maybe they'll start doing this as a regular thing and I can look at one as I get closer to retirement.

As far as becoming mundane and losing its appeal, well, I had a job for a few years that flew me around the world, about 150,000 miles per year, and I can honestly say I was as giddy as a school kid each and every time I boarded the plane. And I've been cruising commercially since 1999 (got out of the Navy in 1992). And I still get the thrill and goosebumps every time I cross the gang plank onto the ship, so I don't know, I think I've got the sea in my veins.

9 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Are they made from snozzberries?

Better than blueberry... https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/6ed771dc-206d-49a8-9dcb-ae1faae674e0

Although I do feel that shape when they roll me off the ship...

We are sailing on the Indy of the Seas on Mar 14 (Pi day...). I was looking to see if we could get pie somewhere on board and saw that the Cafe Promenade has "creamy Willy Wonka pies." Can anyone tell me what these are? They sound interesting.

1 hour ago, YellowBrickRoad said:

I notice the price is also cheaper if we purchase individually

I definitely hope you're correct, but make sure you are comparing comparable plans. I just checked my upcoming cruise and the layout of the plans can be misleading. There are two Surf + Stream packages, then two Surf only and then two more Surf + Stream packages and finally two more Surf only. I had to be diligent to compare them properly.

Surf + Stream 2 Devices is about $4 cheaper than getting two S+S 1 Device. 

1 hour ago, Swar said:

I just received upgrades on a 13 and 20 March B2B

Did they put you in the same cabin for both?  

I have RoyalUp bids in on a 1BR to a 2BR suite for 11 and 14 Mar on a B2B. I considered not putting in the bid because I'd rather not have to switch cabins. But there are three of us (all adults) so having a 2BR will be more comfortable.

5 hours ago, Edmund said:

But from people who have, most of them favour Royal.

Count me in that group. I did six Carnival cruises before trying Royal (got up to their Gold status). I had a lot of fun on their ships, but I do feel more "at home" on Royal. I'm not saying I would never cruise them again, but given a choice, it's Royal. 

I do look at the Celebrity Edge and may try that ship, but I don't think that quite counts as a second choice after RC.

No letters in common between diet and gangway...

Besides I consume a lot of fruit onboard (pineapple concentrate, strawberry concentrate, coconut creme,...)

For our October cruise on the Odyssey, we put in a slightly above minimum RU bid on a Grand Suite to a Star class Loft Suite and got it. We were notified about 5 days out from the cruise and truly enjoyed the upgrade.

Originally we were supposed to be on an 8-day on the Independence out of Miami, but they shifted us to Odyssey out of Fort Lauderdale, kept us in the same Grand Suite category, but at the Indy price.  All said, this was the lowest price we will ever see a star class suite...

Wow, I hadn't even considered the "stepping off the ship" aspect...

My wife and I scheduled a 3/4 night B2B in March. We're currently at 46 points and we booked into a Grand Suite (lift and shifted in 2020 and again in 2021). We will get the double points, so if I'd done my math correctly (46 + 12 = 58, after the 3 night), we should move from Platinum to Emerald in between the B2Bs. Probably not a lot of gained benefits, except the lapel pin, but worth noting. I had it in my head that we would make Emerald at the end of the second cruise. RC sees it as two cruises, but it'll feel like one 7-night cruise to me...

17 hours ago, Eggbert said:

We live in Canada so travel to port is expensive.

No way to squeeze in a 2 or 3 night prior to your longer cruise, S2S style?

I understand RC not giving the next level during the cruise, but you'll barely be settled into your cabin on the first night to get that 1 point... They should make an exception when you move up a level on the first night of a 7-day or longer cruise... lol.

19 hours ago, fishernrex said:

Upgrade accepted to the Grand Loft Suite!! 

Just wrapping up our cruise on Odyssey after enjoying our RoyalUp to a grand loft. Gotta say this was thrilling beyond belief. We truly enjoyed every aspect and the suite was awesome. I got many a good nap on the balcony this week. Enjoy and congrats!!

23 hours ago, KLA said:

the charge from royal and the confirmation email come through very close together

I’ll confirm that. I saw the notification from my card about the charge and about 10 minutes later the confirmation email from RoyalUp.

This happened on Tuesday before our Saturday sail. Since we went from Grand Suite to Grand Loft, I think we were one of the first dominoes because the other people in the Facebook for the cruise started reporting successful bids shortly after us, with the latest confirmation, that I know of happening, the morning of the sail.