mathbees

We sat at Playmakers sports bar last night watching the Chiefs game while eating and drinking and talking with many other people on board the Odyssey. All of us had masks off once we sat down and had food and drink in front of us.

@CHRIS WONG Do they at least have the full range of sizes (XXL, XXXL) for the shirts?

Cabin 8324, right next to the Royal Loft (which we also bid on and obviously didn't get). We bid about 15% above minimum on the CLS and the OLS. We bid minimum on the RLS (which was still way more than the other lofts and we really didn't *need* that much space... ). We also bid minimum on some of the other suites, but we really wanted a loft, especially since it took us from sky to star class.

We just got notified a few minutes ago of our bid being accepted for this Saturday's sailing on Odyssey OTS (GS -> GLS). Oh, the excitement is palpable in our house right now!

Oh, I misread that when I was scanning topics... I thought you said Velocity is addictive... For some reason my brain went straight to the bionic bar and thought maybe they renamed it... Alas, no, it's about running...

I was on a competitors ship once and there was a rumor of a dad/daughter missing the ship. The way the story went, the teenage daughter brought her teenage boyfriend and the two of them rented scooters in Cozumel. They wrecked the scooters and the rental place wouldn't allow both of them to leave. So the boyfriend left the girlfriend and came back to the ship to get the dad. Dad took the passports and went to get the daughter. By the time he'd cleared things up, the ship had sailed and they had to catch it at the next port. I can't confirm if it's true, but I've certainly heard enough of these to believe it. And, I've stood on the balcony many times watching people run down the pier to get on as ropes were being pulled up. I once witnessed a couple literally getting pulled across about 3 feet of open space between the pier and the ship as it pulled away. And I've seen a few couples expressing frustration that the ship was too far away for them to get aboard. There's an episode of Might Cruise Ships (on Hulu+, I think) that shows two passengers getting left behind. I think it was the Clipper Ship episode. Fun watch.

N95 under the mask... cheapo blue mask on top of the costume mask?

Oh, I hope you're right! But I did just check and her check-in is still 12:30. Of course, if we get the Star Class upgrade... I can just let the Genie take care of it.

So I was able to get an earlier check-in time than the original (1pm moved up to noon). However, I didn't realize it was doing it per person, so I moved my time, but not my wife's. By the time I realized, the only time available for her was 12:30. I put her in that slot and I figure we'll show up together and see what happens. Not sure why the app doesn't move everyone on the reservation together... Or maybe I screwed it up on my end... I do work in IT, after all...

Agreed. That's how I was able to do it before. However, that ability is no longer available. The only thing I can think of is that, because we are so close in, they've started assigning cabins (as evidenced by the other bids I put in that are now expired) and this one no longer has the button to modify or cancel.

I just logged in to mine, too, and it does seem like they've removed the ability to update the bid. Previously there was also a link below the bids to manage them and it's gone too. Instead I can't seem to get rid of the "This site uses cookies" popup at the bottom. Makes it look like maybe a browser issue, but I tried a different browser with the same results. I know the RoyalUp process says it can be modified up to 54 hours before sailing, which should be 10/2 for a 10/4 sailing ( @Kkmadden) or 10/7 for my 10/9 sailing. Maybe they stop it once they've started assigning bids?

Quick update: Wife ordered a new passport on August 27th, expedited service. Updated to "In Process" on September 1. The passport arrived today (9/29). We were worried with the updates to the system, but no problem... we don't leave for another week <whew!>.

Ooooh, I love this! I just checked my bids for 10/9, and everything is expired except for the Crown Loft. I'll take this as a good sign, at least for now...

I was just getting ready to post this. As it happens I have both an iPhone 12 (personal) and a Galaxy S-10 (work). In both cases, to use the wifi for messaging, the WIFI Calling has to be on. iPhone: Settings -> Phone -> Wi-Fi Calling Galaxy: Settings (gear) -> Connections -> Wi-Fi Calling

We have always chosen our own cabins. I think of it as a risk assessment. If you let them choose, you may end up in a less desirable cabin (poor visibility, noise, etc). On the other hand, some people get upgraded this way, as well. Personally, we prefer to consider all the factors, like location relative to elevators and activities we know we'll participate in and go from there. Yup, I even use online tools, like cruisemapper.com, to see what others have said about the cabin.

The website to check on the status, https://passportstatus.state.gov/, just posted this today:

I was checking on the status of my wife's passport (https://passportstatus.state.gov/) and saw that they added a message to their page. UGH!!

Well, then, I'll raise a glass and hope you get good news!!

I can't speak to your question, but I do believe you get the early boarding of the suite, if you are successful. I think the only suite benefit that doesn't come included is the extra C&A points. But, my excitement is piqued... Is this for your Oct 3rd cruise on Odyssey? If so, I'm very much looking forward to *maybe* getting some info soon on my bids for the Oct 9th... I'm glad they don't bump me down on the list the more often I check the status.

My experience exactly.

Oh, you like to live dangerously... We've had Global Entry for many years and many vacations (including some international travel). The first time we skipped an hour long line TSA (like Orlando, during peak travel) it paid for itself. And skipping a customs line is crazy awesome!!

I think that may depend on other factors, too. I have a 3/4 B2B planned in March, both of which stop at CocoCay. The Thrill Waterpark — Cabana And Full Day Pass is $999 for the 3-day and only $799 for the 4-day. The 3-day stops on Saturday and the 4-day on Tuesday. So maybe it is partially dependent on the day of the week? Or maybe there are two ships on Saturday and only one on Tuesday?

I may be biased, being ex-Navy, but I much prefer a longer cruise. The 3-day cruises just seem like a waste, to me at least. You spend one day getting used to the ship, one day fully enjoying it, then it's time to pack up and leave... Maybe if I lived near the port and could just jump on a 3-day cruise every now and then I'd feel differently. Now a 28-day cruise sounds like a spot in paradise... Following Super Mario's path... Oh, sign me up! We're doing a 3/4 B2B in March, in the same cabin. That feels much better than either the 3 or 4 by themselves.

I'll drink to that! (Photo by Surawitch Atsaradorn from Pexels, https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-pineapple-on-sand-1368043/)

Did you include a chart? I'm sure he'll say yes...