JLMoran

100% agree. I saw the headline and my first thought was that my 2022 Med cruise in August is now a solid lock.

Hi Modemer, welcome to the forums! There’s still a fair bit of uncertainty about when cruising will get back to normal. My personal opinion is that December should be safe, but the CDC / NIH / other government organization could decide to keep throwing wrenches into the works. So keep that in mind when booking anything for this year. Quantum class is great. I’ve sailed Anthem of the Seas twice, and the class has a lot going for it. If iFly is a must-have, Quantum class is your only option as it’s exclusive to that class. Quantum class also has bumper cars, trapeze classes, an augmented reality game in the Two70 Lounge area, pool tables in the Music Hall space, and a few other activities unique to the class. In addition, I believe that Quantum class typically has more ocean view balcony cabins than Oasis class; @twangster and/or @Lovetocruise2002 can confirm. Oasis splits its balcony cabins between ocean view and boardwalk / Central Park view balconies, and charges a premium for the ocean view ones. So if budget is a factor, Quantum class will likely be a bit friendlier to your wallet and budget. (although Odyssey will be charging a premium as she’s the newest Quantum class ship) I haven’t sailed Oasis class, I personally feel they’re much too large and too “inward facing” (not as big a connection to the ocean as other classes). But they do have a heck of a lot to do on board that kids and teens will enjoy, and many here will tell you it’s a great class of ship to start with.

Welcome aboard, Scott!

Just back from post-op visit #2. Everything is continuing to heal wonderfully, and I’m down down to minimal bandaging (mainly to protect the graft site on the back of my calf. Still a bit swollen in spots, but I’m seeing the finish line. ? Best part was this exchange: Doc: “Go ahead. Say it.” Me: “Say what?” Doc: “Why the hell didn’t you just do this the first time around?!?” And what other bit of great news. I can finally shower again! Everyone downwind of me is quite relieved, despite my best efforts over the last couple weeks. ?

Welcome, Oliver! Let me introduce you to @twangster, our resident landscape and cruising photographer. ?

Just watched this show. Very informative and no sense of the show taking a tone against the impacted industries. The only reference to cruising I saw was the overall section on reduced underwater noise as both cruising and overall marine traffic was severely curtailed. This was one of the earlier segments, and showed how the elimination of cruise traffic / propeller noise in Alaska allowed breeding whales there to communicate over longer distances with their calves, and safely leave the calves behind while they go hunt with other mothers. And while it makes the usual statements about change being needed, it’s a request for only modest changes. Going back to Alaska, the example was given of simply asking ships to move more slowly and be grouped, so there is less-constant noise. Its clear that changes will help, the problem is how to effect them in these spaces that are so highly tourism-dependent in a way that is acceptable to the local population and government. If Alaska only has a 6-month tourism window, peaking in the middle four, a reduction in total tourists allowed will probably never get through. But can they put in policies that, for example, say all ships must arrive between 5-7 AM and leave between 9-11 PM; and that they cannot go faster than 5 knots (or whatever is realistic and keeps the noise down)? That would at least maximize the noise-free time for the wildlife to do its normal feeding and other activity. No easy answers, I’m sure. But if changes can be made they’ll likely benefit everyone, including the tourism industry as wildlife recovers.

Ok, I know I have been posting a fair number of things here about my kids. I thank everyone who has put up with this while I’ve been getting through my surgeries and the in-between times that were, frankly, pretty rough for me. These posts have been as much of a coping mechanism and means of contact during this time and my overall “house arrest” period since late 2019, as they have been my genuine desire to say how proud I am of both of my daughters. With that said, here is what will probably be the last such post from me for a good while. My older daughter performed her Junior recital the weekend before my surgery. My family and I were fully vaccinated, so we all attended (we were three out of like 20 people total) and my daughter asked me to record it. Nothing fancy, I wanted to be able to sit back and enjoy the show. I have never felt so emotional at a performance. She blew us all away with how much her singing and performing skills have grown over the last three years, and how much her confidence in herself and those skills have grown. If you don’t have the full 36 minutes to spare, just watch the last 10 minutes or so where she sings “Poor Wand’ring One” and “Girl in 14G”. I was grinning ear to ear and getting chills when she sang these. Thanks again. It means more than you know to be able to share this.

Nothing new here, really. But I just have to comment on how amazing modern surgery and pain relief have become. For context: Somewhere in the early 80s, when I was in middle school, I had to get bunion repair done. I woke from surgery screaming in pain and had to get a shot of whatever that time’s pain med of choice was right in my keister. Which knocked me right back out. In 2011 and 2014, I had bone fusion surgeries. I got a nerve block that let me wake up with zero pain, but desperately needed the morphine drip for 24 hours and was on strong pain meds round the clock for about three weeks, and not fully off them for a good few months. This surgery, I was given a set of local anesthetic injections that I was told would last about 3 days. I’m on day 5 post-op and I STILL DON’T NEED ANY PAIN MEDS, apart from one when I go to bed so I can sleep comfortably. And I’m sleeping for 7 to 9 hours at a pop. I still get occasional stings from the donor site, or a suture that had a little too much pressure on it. But they go away within seconds and I’m not even bothered by it all that much. I fully realize that skin-level work like I just had is almost certainly a heck of a lot less painful than having an entire set of bones broken and nailed together. But to not need anything at all except to sleep, and that one dose lasting for a normal night and then some, is mind-blowing to me. I’ve always feared surgery because it has always meant a nightmare of pain afterward. The advances that have happened in the 40+ years of surgeries that I can remember are just... miraculous.

@melmar02, you’ve mentioned a fire pit “repair” a couple of times now, but I don’t remember you mentioning damage during / after initial construction. What did I miss from earlier?

That stonework looks really nice! And it’s great they’re using real stone instead of chicken wire with stucco / fake stone face overlay. Guessing it’ll last longer than the rest of the house. ?

Saw the doctor today for dressing change and to confirm everything looked good. He said it looked perfect! ? Color of the flap is exactly what it should be, the skin graft is taking properly, and he had even been able to simply stitch the larger “paddle” section closed instead of having to graft that as well. I have a big lump where the graft is located, and he warned me not let that area get any pressure put on it; if it does that can badly impair circulation and cause me problems. So I’m being careful when propping it up on pillows, and going to make sure to baby it for the whole week. Next follow up in about a week. I’m certain that as long as I take good care of it, this really will fix everything and I’ll be right as rain again.

@JeffB, how do Pfizer et al continue to measure effectiveness past 6-9 months, when initial antibody production has faded? Are they simply measuring levels of infection, serious disease, and deaths in vaccinated population vs unvaccinated? Or are there tests that can detect the presence of memory T cells and/or memory B cells that can conclusively show the same kind of long-term immunity we get from, say, a measles / mumps / rubella shot?

Hey all! Doc said the surgery went great, no problems at all. I’ve got one heck of a sore throat from being intubated for anesthesia for 2+ hours, and I’m only just now getting off my usual post-surgery nausea (or maybe not so much; sat up to help with doing the breathing exercise that helps clear the anesthesia and felt another wave hit me ?). But foot is decently comfortable with meds; and doc said he wants to see me tomorrow to change the dressing and do an initial evaluation.

@Matt, for the love of God man!! Get that groan response icon in place already!! ???

St. Kitts also has a dolphin excursion, which my family and I did. Was a bucket-list item for my wife, so damn the expense and full speed ahead! ? I believe all of the dolphin encounter / swim-with places are run by a single parent company / organization; there certainly doesn't seem to be any noticeable difference in pricing or packages to be found, which implies someone is coordinating that across the islands that offer it. I'm not normally one to recommend online reviews, but if you have multiple places to choose from then it might be worth it. Don't look for comments about the cost; check for reviews that mention whether the caretakers seem to genuinely care about the dolphins, whether the dolphins looked OK / in good health, etc.

When is your final payment date? Per the quoted info from @twangster earlier, you won't see the $12 per night pricing until you have past final payment and are within the final 90-ish days before sail date.

Putting on my hazmat suit. This thread is turning into a pun fallout zone.

They've already made clear they won't be doing any such thing. The sailings on offer out of Bermuda and Nassau (and St. Maarten for Celebrity) already allow children under 18; they just need a negative Covid test prior to boarding. If that's the policy now, I highly doubt they'd change it when actual sailings out of US ports finally resume. I think even the CDC protocols couldn't force them to make that kind of change; but you can bet that if they somehow did, Royal would put that blame squarely on the CDC and make it very clear that it's not their choice and you can look at the cruises already on offer to see how they want kids on board.

Finally heard back from the surgeon. Seems my results got misplaced or something, and they only found them today. Test came back good, as expected, so I'm all clear for the flap procedure. And he spent a good bit of time answering my questions that I came up with based on what I'd read about it, so I'm feeling a lot less nervous now about what to expect and overall prospects. Surgery is on Monday, at 11:30 AM. Glad I won't be up at the crack of dawn, but I'll be up VERY late Sunday night to make sure I have a good meal before my fasting window begins. Hmm.... if it's right at midnight, is that still second dinner or is it first breakfast? I've gotta keep the proper Hobbit meal order after all. ?

Which of course will take months, and will be appealed over and over again. Does anyone really think that any legal course would be completed by July? If the HHS / CDC decides to dig in their heels, I'm sure they can drag it out with any and every procedural roadblock available until the CSO is set to expire anyway.

I was heavily tempted to book Constellation in Europe for my 2022 Med sailing, but X is going against the pattern of pretty much every other cruise line in the Med and sticking to exactly one itinerary per ship, rather than a rotating itinerary that cycles a ship through two or three embarkation ports and a larger set of destination ports. Between that and the fact the ships don't do longer than a 10-night itinerary (and mainly 7-night), it wasn't worth it to book. I'd have had to do a S2S with another ship and find some way to line up the dates right. I find it bizarre that X doesn't make the same types of cyclic itineraries available like Princess and HAL. Royal and MSC I kind of get; they're massively mass-market / lower budget, and in the case of MSC you can literally get on or off at any port along the way and then change ships for a different leg. But X is up-market and competes directly with Princess and HAL; imo, they should be trying to match those lines in appealing to travelers who want to see a LOT of the Mediterranean and go on longer sailings through a couple of home ports, that add up to a B2B or even B2B2B, while also satisfying people with more-limited time and/or budget who can only do one of the legs in the rotation.

NCL can declare they will start sailings from US ports in July all they want. No way I'm booking one without certainty it would actually sail and not simply be blockaded from leaving by the USCG, by nothing more than them refusing to sign the required paperwork.

Long as it doesn't turn out to be a lemon. Oh, sorry. I got this thread and the Corny Jokes one mixed up. ?