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UkuleleCruiser

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  1. Like
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from DocLC in Luggage   
    Thanks everyone for your help. Based on all your input, I did my research. I wound up buying a brand new Rockland set of 3 suitcases on shopgoodwill. With shipping, it was fifty bucks. They aren't the top of the line, but they have all the features we want. And at that price, if they only last a few cruises, we are golden. 
  2. Like
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from WAAAYTOOO in Luggage   
    Thanks everyone for your help. Based on all your input, I did my research. I wound up buying a brand new Rockland set of 3 suitcases on shopgoodwill. With shipping, it was fifty bucks. They aren't the top of the line, but they have all the features we want. And at that price, if they only last a few cruises, we are golden. 
  3. Like
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from RestingBird in Luggage   
    Thanks everyone for your help. Based on all your input, I did my research. I wound up buying a brand new Rockland set of 3 suitcases on shopgoodwill. With shipping, it was fifty bucks. They aren't the top of the line, but they have all the features we want. And at that price, if they only last a few cruises, we are golden. 
  4. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to twangster in Caribbean Cruises   
    I think 9 is an awkward length.  It requires a 9/5 cycle to sync opposed to 8/6 which I imagine is easier to sell.   Six is just one less than 7 so virtually the same in some guest's eye while 8 is one more than 7 and can be pulled off for guests consuming just one week of PTO.  Five days from FL has limited port options.   Six days can go just that much further to make itineraries more attractive.  
    They know very well what works (and sells) so I'm betting it's to maximize sales.  
  5. Like
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from mom2mybugs in Does ship fatigue happen?   
    My cruise in February will be...2nd? My second cruise on Liberty, and the ports are all ports I have been to, as well. Not that excited about the ship. In this situation, I always go first to negatives about the ship because I've done it before. However, that's not really the experience I will have: I am sure I will love the ship. No ship is perfect, so this cruise just isn't our first date. As far as the ports, we are exploring excursions that are new for us. This should put a whole different feel to the port days. So, yeah: Ship Fatigue is a real thing. But it's not that big a deal. I sum it up with a slightly off color joke: Pizza is like sex. When it's good, it's really good. And when it's bad......It's still pretty good!
  6. Like
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from RestingBird in Gastro outbreak on Ovation   
    Wash your hands, people!
  7. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to DunkelBierJay in Rescue at Sea   
    On a day when there is more news about the breakout of sickness on Independence, there is almost no coverage of Royal Caribbean International's Celebrity Summit rescue of six people who were stranded on a sail boat for over a month and had run out of food. It happened on December 16, and I saw it on Captain Kate McCue's (@captainkatemccue) awesome Instagram account just now. I wanted to call it out for the awesome news that it is.
  8. Haha
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from RestingBird in Loyal to Royal   
    I'll drink to that! Wait a minute: That would be extra. Unless we were at an art auction. I'll drink to that at an art auction!
  9. Like
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from murphmatic in Loyal to Royal   
    That's true. We are booked on a free at sea cruise, and the money we are paying is making it clear nothing is free. I don't know that "free" is the reasoning. "Taken care of" is more like it. I don't mind specialty restaurant charges: It's the all you can drink costs on Royal. In order to make them worthwhile, I'd be drinking all day and all night and probably be carted out on a stretcher. However, the individual drink costs are reasonable on Royal, so we just buy as we go. Another unnamable cruise line used to have a wine package where you could get a bottle of wine each day. That worked great. Anyway, the free-at-sea package will save us a little bit, but it's not a knock on Royal: Just different. And really this comment I am replying to is just about the idea that you are getting something for free, which you are not. Last I checked, all of the cruise companies are for-profit busiensses.
  10. Haha
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from twangster in Loyal to Royal   
    I'll drink to that! Wait a minute: That would be extra. Unless we were at an art auction. I'll drink to that at an art auction!
  11. Like
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from Boston Babe in Loyal to Royal   
    I haven't read everyone else posts yet. Flame me if you want, but I am not specifically loyal. I am happy to try other lines, and experience other ports. For instance, we are planning a river cruise. We also have a cruise next year on a ship I won't name. Now, the majority of my cruises are on RC. And i will probably hit diamond with RC before I hit whatever the nameless ship line's equivalent gets hit. That will probably hold my attention. I mean, you can teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry, gut give a man a free drink and he'll never get off your boat! 
  12. Like
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from Lovetocruise2002 in Loyal to Royal   
    I haven't read everyone else posts yet. Flame me if you want, but I am not specifically loyal. I am happy to try other lines, and experience other ports. For instance, we are planning a river cruise. We also have a cruise next year on a ship I won't name. Now, the majority of my cruises are on RC. And i will probably hit diamond with RC before I hit whatever the nameless ship line's equivalent gets hit. That will probably hold my attention. I mean, you can teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry, gut give a man a free drink and he'll never get off your boat! 
  13. Haha
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from Lovetocruise2002 in Loyal to Royal   
    This particular cruise line worries me because supposedly they are not ukulele friendly. Can you imagine?
  14. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to Sailor_to_Cruiser in Loyal to Royal   
    When their logo is part of your logo (avatar).
  15. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to twangster in Loyal to Royal   
    Most cruise lines do have upcharges now.  For example on Carnival's last investor call they stated their greatest source of new revenue is from on board upcharges.  
    I have a different perspective on 'nickel & dime'.  As cruise lines have introduced new concepts such as specialty dining or Voom internet there remain guests that don't want or need it.  On my current 19 night B2B I'm quite happy with MDR food for the last 2 weeks.  To make specialty dining free they have to increase base fares, nothing is 'free'.  Why should I pay higher base fares for others who want specialty dining?   Why should people who don't want to be connected pay more so I get 'free' internet?   
    You can cruise and have an awesome experience on RCI without buying anything extra.  There are people who want more and people who don't.  
    At least RCI hasn't created a totally chaotic boarding process then created a paid program to avoid it like another line has.  
     
  16. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to Lovetocruise2002 in Loyal to Royal   
    That's what happened with us. Big family cruise.  All the kiddies wanted the ship with Dumbo on the back. 
  17. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to Sweety in Loyal to Royal   
    You know you're loyal when you use words like cheating.
     
  18. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to murphmatic in Loyal to Royal   
    I’ll be cheating on RCL in March with NCL. So I’ll see what you’re talking about. This will be my first non-RCL cruise. 
    Unfortunately I’ll be cheating again in 2019; will be on Carnival out of Long Beach for a family thing. Everyone lives in So. California except me. 
  19. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to Sweety in Loyal to Royal   
    When the new deployments dropped, you studied it as you are going to take a final exam.
  20. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to Rede411 in Loyal to Royal   
    When I refer to NCL's steakhouse as "Chop's" instead of "Cagney's...then they correct me and I reply "Like it Matters"  (haha)
     
  21. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to Wilson in Loyal to Royal   
    Our first ship was on Norwegian. Our second was on Carnival. Our third-twentieth, and four more booked, on Royal. Obviously #LoyalToRoyal
  22. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to rjac in Loyal to Royal   
    I did not know there were other cruise lines! 
  23. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to Lovetocruise2002 in Loyal to Royal   
    Thought I would start this thread for fun.  We just got off a ship that I won't name (would not want @twangster to accuse me of blasphemy again ?) and I found myself missing RC desperately. So here goes...
    You know that you are loyal to Royal when:
    1. You catch yourself constantly referring to the buffet on the unnamed non RC ship as Windjammer. 
    2. Every ship you see in the distance looks like an Oasis class ship to you.
    3. You stare longingly at every RC ship that you are docked next to and wish you were on it instead. Then you snap pics of it for @Matt's Friday photos even though you are not sailing RC.
    4. You catch yourself comparing every single little thing to RC and thinking RC does it better.  Then you start promoting RC to the rest of your sailing party and some crew members. ?
    5. You find yourself wanting your sailing to end so you can quickly get on to your next RC cruise! March can't come soon enough!
     
    How about the rest of you who love RC? How did you know? 
  24. Haha
    UkuleleCruiser got a reaction from betatke1480 in Luggage   
    I am very interested in this. I love they store inside each other. But mostly I love that they are pretty inexpensive. Now if only they were decorated with seashells, light houses, and flying fish....
  25. Like
    UkuleleCruiser reacted to JLMoran in Recommended carry bag for while on land   
    Thanks, @UkuleleCruiser! Not sure that this one will work for me, mainly because of the lack of compartments. Since I'll be bringing the water shoes and likely putting them into the bag while still at least a little wet/damp after use, I want to be sure there's a separate compartment to keep the residual water away from whatever electronics and such I have in there. But I've added it to my "cruise prep" list on Amazon so I don't forget about this option, since it's otherwise kind of ideal. Might grab one for the kids or my wife to use if they want.
    That's actually a bit larger and deeper than I'm looking for. I know I should probably buy something a little bigger than what I think I'll need for the gear I listed above, but that's sized for a 17" laptop and (having owned one of those back in the day) I know that's going to be huge. Sorry, I feel a bit like I'm being Goldilocks here, trying to find the pack that's "just right". 
    Based on @twangster's comment about being prepared for rain, I dug around on LL Bean and Amazon and found this Osprey Daylite Plus and size-matched rain cover. Added those into my "Cruise Prep" list as well. Size is closer to what I'm looking for, and I'm hoping I can remove the laptop sleeve since I don't need it. Also one of the less-expensive options I've found, although I wish the rain cover was just included up front. Osprey has another backpack named the "FlapJack" which is listed as water resistant, but multiple commenters there said it wouldn't hold up in a heavier rain; that one was $110 by itself, while the Daylite Plus and cover are $80 total, so seemed like the better way to go.
    Definitely will still watch here for other suggestions, I'm just saving ideas for now.
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