Freedom to be a Diamond Plus Queen!!!! FR 4/17/23-4/21/23

[CanHardlyWait]

Also, you have a beautiful smile. I feel comfortable saying many of us would love to see more selfies on your trips.

And PS. I now have the exact same portable fan for my trip, that's in your cabin pic. Based on your advice. Thanks!

[VACruiser]

@Ampurp85 I'm still waiting for pictures of the two busty Latina's. I jest, I jest...OK maybe not, but I always enjoy your cruises and blogs. You are always entertaining with a tell-all writing style. My first thoughts when I see your blog starting is what will she get into this cruise and what will she see and write.

May be you should you should start writing a book on all your funny anecdotes of cruising. Call it Single and Cruising with a Nice Face.

[Xaa]

1 hour ago, VACruiser said:

May be you should you should start writing a book on all your funny anecdotes of cruising. Call it Single and Cruising with a Nice Face.

I would buy it!

[Ampurp85]

Thank you all for the well wishes.

Day three.....Sea day

I slept late all the way until 8am. I knew brunch was being served in the MDR and planned my 10am dining time around the soup. Royal does two baked potato soups. One is called baked potato and the other is smoked. I love the baked and loathe the smoke. The menu they have listed, and gave me, has baked on it. This gets creamy potato, bacon, sour cream and chives. That smoked potato has chorizo, weird oils, and garlic pieces. I ordered my two bowls and that stupid smoked potato soup was delivered. I was so disappointed, I felt like a kid who's birthday was cancelled. I settled for a chicken Ceasar salad sans dressing and I  am still sad.

They had sat a table up in front of the MTD room where brunch is served. It had coffee tea and various pastries. I got a plain and chocolate crossiant which helped get me full. Also the dining room was surprisingly full. I was done with my meal in less than 30min.

I have the ice show at 1pm and nothing much planned for the day. Well other than a trip yo guest services.

 

[asquared17]

NOTHING is worse than being catfished by food.

[FireFishII]

19 hours ago, asquared17 said:

oh i am going to GO OFF 

FIRST OF ALL, S H E HAS A NAME. 

secondly, WHAT THE FRESH HECKFIRE????

third — how do you constantly get found by swingers?! and i am not saying this in a place of casting stones at anyone’s life choices, just — hOW?! 

i think it’s because you have a kind and warm spirit and people are just drawn to you. 

this doesn’t make that behavior okay though. those dudes should be counting their blessings that this fiery italian hurricane is not on the sailing with you because it would not end well for them!!

I will hold your beer. And when you get tired, you can hold my beer.  

[FireFishII]

18 hours ago, asquared17 said:

okay, that’s IT!! we need to cruise together!!

i have no poker face. i am friendly - so friendly - until there is some overstepping. then, there is no mistaking that an overstep has occurred my defense mechanism in that situation varies but i like to be Aggressively Pleasant until i can make a break for it. 

I will be your momma bear three-some.  I have a poker face and when I get mad, I can do the momma stare.  My 6'5" military officer son has even back down from it.  But on average, I don't say anything.  But once I let go, I really let go. 

First touch - ok accident.  Second touch - reply with "Please don't touch me".  Third touch - SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS: "Don't touch me!" Then sit back and watch the casino staff come running up.  LOL!  Ok, maybe I won't scream but that momma bear look will definitely come out. 

I would also go back to guest service and let them know you don't want your room 'refreshed' but CLEANED!  There is only so much a guest should put up with. The only problem with going back to guest service with a complaint, is you will be missing out on the relaxation. 

I agree about the hand washing - just do it!! Or keep out of public areas.

I agree about the itty bitty shrimp. I wonder if they could have made your pasta without onions or could let you know when they will be making your like of potato soup.  Great job for branching out and finding a new favorite dessert.  

[melmar02]

Out of curiosity, what's your favorite machine in the casino? I usually just amble around until I can find one that has lots of bonus-y type things (must entertain me!), but that strategy doesn't always work in my favor. 

[Ampurp85]

Sea day.

I thought it was going to be a calm sea day but shenanigans galore. I will say firstly the ice show was pretty good. It wasn't too crowded because it was three shows this sailing and at 1pm everyone was on deck being super loose. I was in the DL reading on the outdoor part and I could see the Latin beauties dancing with the husband. I don't take photos of people without their consent but I will say it was a lot. Thong bikinis. I saw the wife in the casino, maybe she decided to ignore him the rest of the cruise.

My cabin was finally cleaned properly but again, I haven't seen my room steward. Since I only had fruit and a salad around 10,  I got ELF around 3. The line was ridiculous and you want to guess how many of those people washed their hands? I took the steps to deck 5 and enjoyed my food at Cafe promenade. It was empty when I arrived and 10min in, its like a zoo. Probably because the sales are happening.  Prices seem to have increased.

But back to shenanigans. A daughter tried to use her mom's prime to get a drink. Bartender said no and she called him a stupid N word. Then had the audacity to say to me she sorry, she never does things like that. I was like it wouldn't have come out so easily if you didn't. I left. I played until I got 3000pt which cost me $2300. I effectively made prime for next year and earned a balcony on the 4night Allure sailing I wanted plus $250 in freeplay. I also have earned another up to 7 night cruise. Considering all that plus the savings of not having to fly, I did amazing. 

Other shenanigans. I sat next to a guy who was playing and another guy came up and said "you MF, you pushed my wife, I'm gonna F you up!" The guy looked confused and then the wife ran up and said it was the guy at the same machine other side. Well that guy walked to the other side and I don't know what happened but me and the guy had a good laugh.

The father and son came over, they normally sail Carnival. I listened to them talk and figured the son might be on the spectrum or just trash. They have interiors and the son complained nobody wanted to go back to his room. The dad was like "mom has been pulling premio " I am spelling that like he said it. The fact that you have conversations like that in public.......straight tomfoolery.

Last shenanigan.....this lady didn't know or notice the cameras and tried to scam. She said the machine froze and didn't spit out her ticket,  it was actually the lady who just played next to her money, and called over the attendant. He said he would check the cameras and she said oh I'm asking for friend I will get her and ran out. I was embarrassed for her.

I went back to the room to freshen up and found a bottle of pinot noir from the casino in my room. I have never earned more than 1500pt on a cruise, so I wonder if this is standard. I'm gonna make sangria with it for these next two night because I only brought a carry-on.

[Ampurp85]

@melmar02 Okay I took photos of the machines I normally play. There are two missing because people were at them. That's dancing drums and for some reason I an blanking on the name as I'm not in the casino.

[She Sails Away]

Enjoying your blog! That’s awful about the soup. I totally get that vacation-food love/disappointment. Wow, you are killing it in the casino! 

[WAAAYTOOO]

So glad you’re killin’ it in the casino !  Keep it up !

[asquared17]

man, the casino tales are just another kind of story…

[FireFishII]

We need to hang out in casinos more often for these stories. LOL!

[FireFishII]

3 hours ago, melmar02 said:

Out of curiosity, what's your favorite machine in the casino? I usually just amble around until I can find one that has lots of bonus-y type things (must entertain me!), but that strategy doesn't always work in my favor. 

@melmar02 - there was a long discussion on how to play slot machines to get the best bang for your buck. I can't remember everything but one thing I do remember is to stay away from any machine that has to pay royalties - like Wheel of Fortune.  

[SweetPea]

I'm a vintage trying to understand "pulling premio." 

 

Getting to Prime?

[Ampurp85]

45 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

I'm a vintage trying to understand "pulling premio." 

 

Getting to Prime?

Apparently this means premium booty. Like good looking or quality .

[Ampurp85]

Day 3 continues

I came back to room to charge my phone. Since it's pretty much the only technology I have, it's been draining fast. My portable charger is a massive brick, I keep it in a backpack but not my small vacation one. That one holds a few water bottles, my kindle, and maybe some snacks. After the charge I met Linda in the DL. All three days it has been dead. Maybe there aren't a lot of diamond members on this sailing but the most amount of people has been 8, including myself and Linda. For the second time they had my fruity pebbles rice krispies treats. The wind was high and cool so we only stayed outside for a few. Then we went to the comedy show,  I left after 5min and just walked around deck 5 on the outside.

I headed to dinner, it was French night, my least favorite. I spoke again to the couple at my table and they are alive. We had a short chat. They put their wine in a hydroflask water bottle to bring to dinner. I informed them as long as the dining room doesn't have to open it, they could have brought the bottle.

Dinner was meh. I got the beef tenderloin, chocolate cappuccino cake and the cream puffs. No apps or second entree because the menu was meh. The tenderloin was very good and my food was hot. The cake was bitter and dry, so one bite and done. The almond cream puffs tasted of cream, that'sit,  I ate one and was over it. Dinner for me took about 40min and that's because I was reading as I ate.

So I got a glass of half OJ and half grapefruit juice from the casino and a Sprite. I poured some of the wine into all of that and made sangria. I had went to the WJ for fruit, I took a few pictures of French night in the WJ, but got sidetracked by the new kids section. The kids section has chicken nuggets, spaghetti, and mac and cheese. I saw adults digging their hands in the nuggets. I brought that sangria to dinner and it was delicious . Tomorrow is a taste of Italy, it will be perfect for my chicken parm.

I popped in to the various Music and shows but without someone to provide commentary with, they don't appeal to me. So back to the casino it was. As I stated I gave myself a budget and I have been playing with the same $60 for fun for two days. I play small amounts and then cash out when I double or get down to $60. I left a little after 11pm. I  actually got a few slices from Sorrento's.... they were hot and that's all I will say. Surprisingly my room was touched again, so maybe on shorter sailings or smaller ships they still come twice.

I found a duck but no tag was on it. I took a picture and hid it again in the casino. When I left it was wall to wall people at the tables, I could barely leave without fondling and getting fondled.

[Ampurp85]

Day 4 Nassau....

I had a very late start. I woke up 8:30 and left my room at 9:30. My certificate was there so I went to NextCruise and booked my free cruise. $167 with taxes and gratuities for an OV balcony. The casino has to approve the certificate code so my receipt list a balance and doesn't have the freeplay. It also list the NextCruise OBC, I wonder if it will drop off like it does when you apply the annual prime credit ? Either way I can deduct $1100, before I factor in flights, from the amount I spent to earn this.

I walked around the empty ship, since it's a ton of new cruisers and families, more people got off than normal. Liberty is parked next to us and she looks particularly full as if nobody got off. This Playmakers has skee ball but no arcade games. There are slot machines on the outside but they are the more expensive ones.

Prime members get free play at Atlantis and I was tempted to take the water taxi there but I was hungry so I went to WJ for breakfast, it was a madhouse. Lots of people have excursions after 11, so they are fueling up.  I will probably play some trivia in Schooner's and finish a book. I am doing once upon a time at 9:45. I saw a version of this on Indy or Nav I believe, it was pretty good. I earned $68 from my playing and will use that up tonight after the show.

[melmar02]

That duck you found looks like I feel this morning.   I've been yelling at the kids to fold their laundry for days so I can get them packed. I finally had it this morning and said if you're not packed by 2pm today, you're not cruising. That got their butts in gear.

[FireFishII]

30 minutes ago, melmar02 said:

That duck you found looks like I feel this morning.   I've been yelling at the kids to fold their laundry for days so I can get them packed. I finally had it this morning and said if you're not packed by 2pm today, you're not cruising. That got their butts in gear.

Good for you.  Too many parents would just break down in and the work.  

[Ampurp85]

Day 4 continues.....

According to guest services there are like 800 children aboard, which is more than a third of the guest. I did laser tag and had a ball. I was the second worst with 560pts, the first on our team of 4 had close to 5000. Last place was a tiny 7 y/o with zero points, we told her she had 4000. I then read for a bit but after seeing @WAAAYTOOO post decided to call about my annual tier cruise. I was on hold for THREE HOURS AND FORTY MINUTES. I  bolded that because it was absurd. I had my Bluetooth buds in so I read in the DL and then eventually went back to my room for two-hours before I finally got through. I started it so I committed. I have to say internet in Freedom has been amazeballs. On Grandeur and Oasis I couldn't make wifi calls. I have talked to some vintage and my brother each day. Plus photos and post load with ease.

Today is the last day and no sight of room attendant but envelope for gratuity was on my bed. I will tip but I have no plans to be as generous as I normally am. My dining staff has been amazing so I will be taking care of them. I'm hoping to make it to the Hush! Party but I think life is catching up to me....or that long hold time drained me. I think I will hit the casino to spend my freeplay, dinner and call it a night.  That's if shenanigans don't pull me in.....

 

[She Sails Away]

Such wonderful pictures. I feel like I'm there! And holy cow… That is a long time to be on hold. But what a score! Which ship will that be on? 
very creative on the sangria.

[Ampurp85]

@She Sails Away Wonder for Jan 2024. Got a VB which is actually my favorite category,  the virtual balcony is perfect. $560 with taxes, fees, gratuities and upgrade for two people. Savings of over $1700, so the call was worth it as prices increased after I booked.

[CanHardlyWait]

I can't believe it's almost over. LOL. And I'm only reading this trip, not even there. LOL.

[Ampurp85]

Okay slight shenanigans. I went to the DL for snacks after that long phone hold. Haley is the DL concierge, she asked a black lady to see her card to check for status, everyone else who come in she never asked. The black lady was pissed because she had been accessing the lounge all week with her card. She made a huge stink about it and Haley cried. I enjoyed my fruity pebbles rice krispies and me and Linda shook our heads. I don't know if Haley was in the wrong or not because I wasn't there when she asked to see the card but I do know that lady didn't have to be that extra. They had a sign that said hushpuppies but they were corn fritters, still tasty, just call a spade a spade.

I left the DL a little after six. I passed by GS on my and the line was to the dining room, crazy . I played my earned freeplay and then watched others. I noticed that people who smoke will just go in the casino and walk around to get their fix. Nobody enforces the no smoking section,  so beware when you are at Schooners or Playmakers on a Freedom class ship. The line to cash out was ridiculous and tons of people were trying to figure out their certifications. There was a drunk guy saying tonight was everyone's last chance to "get it in." The vintage lady next to me asked me what I thought he meant. She assumed something casino related but I knew he was talking pineapple....upside down pineapple . Linda said at crazy quest people were trying to see who was with it. I laughed because frequent cruisers know when to stay away from certain people .

The couple who shared my table were upset to be sat there.  They requested a table for two so they could be romantic. Fine by me. I had the aracini and chicken parm. It was miles......I mean hundreds of miles better than when I had it on Grandeur. The aracini tasted similar to Jamie's but with a slightly spicy sauce. The chicken parm is a huge portion, I couldn't finish it. The lemon tart had too much meringue and not nearly enough lemon curd. But it was tasty, you just need to push the meringue off. Also I had never had the rolls with the seeds, they are super delish!!!

After dinner I went to the once upon a time show. I made it to rapunzel and got tired.  I stopped in the casino to get ingredients for my homemade janky sangria. Then I started packing, which was easy because unlike @asquared17 I only have a carry-on . I plan to try to go to bed early, we will see.

[asquared17]

17 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

There was a drunk guy saying tonight was everyone's last chance to "get it in." The vintage lady next to me asked me what I thought he meant

oh dear god. 

18 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Also I had never had the rolls with the seeds, they are super delish!!!

they ARE!!! i think these are J’s favorite actually. 

19 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Then I started packing, which was easy because unlike @asquared17 I only have a carry-on .

WOW. YOU REALLY CAME FOR ME.  

just kidding, i know how extra i am and i love you anyway

i hope you have a peaceful final night and easy disembarkation tomorrow

[WAAAYTOOO]

The rolls with the seeds are my fave, too.

[melmar02]

We love the rolls with seeds too - they are always the first to disappear from our little bread basket.

[Ampurp85]

Sadly it is disembarkment day!!!!

So I forgot to post that the app displays your table and dining time as soon as you board. But also it now has a disembarkment countdown. It was smooth, I was off the ship in like 2mins from my deck 3 stateroom. Since I was going to FLL, I did the earlier time in hopes a shuttle would be available. There was tons to Miami airport but none to FLL. The rates were very high $99+ on Lyft and Uber. I did a quick refresh and scored a $53 one. The lady next to me is taking the $10 bus and then some other shuttle to FLL. I will look into this for next time. Since it is so early, hardly anyone is out here but the naughty table is full. Lots of irons and steamers, I have never packed an iron in my life so I am shocked 🫨.

I decided no breakfast but I regret that as I am starving,  I guess I will get something at the airport. Terminal wifi is strong and extends to the ride share area. I do have some final thoughts and observations, I will post them as soon as all this travel hubbub is over.

[CanHardlyWait]

17 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Sadly it is disembarkment day!!!!

So I forgot to post that the app displays your table and dining time as soon as you board. But also it now has a disembarkment countdown. It was smooth, I was off the ship in like 2mins from my deck 3 stateroom. Since I was going to FLL, I did the earlier time in hopes a shuttle would be available. There was tons to Miami airport but none to FLL. The rates were very high $99+ on Lyft and Uber. I did a quick refresh and scored a $53 one. The lady next to me is taking the $10 bus and then some other shuttle to FLL. I will look into this for next time. Since it is so early, hardly anyone is out here but the naughty table is full. Lots of irons and steamers, I have never packed an iron in my life so I am shocked 🫨.

I decided no breakfast but I regret that as I am starving,  I guess I will get something at the airport. Terminal wifi is strong and extends to the ride share area. I do have some final thoughts and observations, I will post them as soon as all this travel hubbub is over.

Thanks for the table app info!

[Neesa]

Safe travels. I enjoyed your blog as always. I looked forward to your thoughts as well as pictures. As someone who just walks through the casino you had me wanting to go in and at least try my luck with my free play. Anxiously waiting on your next adventure!

[asquared17]

i like this disembarkation countdown setup now.

hopefully your trip to the FLL airport is smooth. its like a 30 min ride, right? it's been so long for me that i'm blanking on it.

WELCOME TO DIAMOND PLUS, BABYYYYYYY!!!!

i'm so excited you made it!! i'm looking forward to when i hit it after december. can't wait for your new adventures as D+ now.

[FireFishII]

Thank you for bringing us along. I loved your blog and pictures.  Congrats on D+.

[SweetPea]

14 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

The couple who shared my table were upset to be sat there.  They requested a table for two so they could be romantic. Fine by me. I had the aracini and chicken parm.

This made me .

Just moving on without the drama!

[Ampurp85]

So I have free wifi for flights on Delta, United and American with T-Mobile. It's not as snappy but I can post and reply on the blog.

Let me tell you........ my Lyft driver Adrienne was super sweet by boy did she have problems. l ordered it at 7:30 and it was late. Firstly, the passenger before me had been escorted off of Royal  and to jail on Monday. She was apparently bipolar and had an episode. She refused to exit the vehicle so I could get in until the driver came to a particular area. I had to walk. Then poor Adrienne was confused. I said United at FLL and she first merge into terminal J then got confused about where to exit. So I'm now 20min behind and the app is asking if things are okay. Then we finally get on the tunnel. The time said 45min, I am assuming because of traffic, and it was a lot. I don't know why she didn't notice the time but she took me to MIA and I told her before she got off, I'm going to FLL. We then had to go through the arrivals part to get off. Then she needed gas. There was a crazy homeless man screaming at his lungs all the curse words and knocking on windows for change. The app checked in again to see if I was okay. We finally got on the way to FLL and it started pouring so we had to pull over. I made it to FLL at 9:30 but I had gotten in my Lyft at 8:06.

Then poor Adrienne, who was from Ireland, told me her ills. She beat breast cancer in 2018. Then in December last year she fell and all the skin came off the bones. Then she got covid, then a bacterial infection and finally rhinovirus, I know I'm not spelling that correctly.  But yes she finally got a clean bill of health in March. It was a lot and I was glad to be at the airport.  The line to check bags was insane, so I was happy to go through precheck and on to my terminal. I got 2 bagels and waited to board my flight.

[CanHardlyWait]

17 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

So I have free wifi for flights on Delta, United and American with T-Mobile. It's not as snappy but I can post and reply on the blog.

Let me tell you........ my Lyft driver Adrienne was super sweet by boy did she have problems. l ordered it at 7:30 and it was late. Firstly, the passenger before me had been escorted off of Royal  and to jail on Monday. She was apparently bipolar and had an episode. She refused to exit the vehicle so I could get in until the driver came to a particular area. I had to walk. Then poor Adrienne was confused. I said United at FLL and she first merge into terminal J then got confused about where to exit. So I'm now 20min behind and the app is asking if things are okay. Then we finally get on the tunnel. The time said 45min, I am assuming because of traffic, and it was a lot. I don't know why she didn't notice the time but she took me to MIA and I told her before she got off, I'm going to FLL. We then had to go through the arrivals part to get off. Then she needed gas. There was a crazy homeless man screaming at his lungs all the curse words and knocking on windows for change. The app checked in again to see if I was okay. We finally got on the way to FLL and it started pouring so we had to pull over. I made it to FLL at 9:30 but I had gotten in my Lyft at 8:06.

Then poor Adrienne, who was from Ireland, told me her ills. She beat breast cancer in 2018. Then in December last year she fell and all the skin came off the bones. Then she got covid, then a bacterial infection and finally rhinovirus, I know I'm not spelling that correctly.  But yes she finally got a clean bill of health in March. It was a lot and I was glad to be at the airport.  The line to check bags was insane, so I was happy to go through precheck and on to my terminal. I got 2 bagels and waited to board my flight.

The exact same thing happened to me today. LOL.

[Ampurp85]

There was only a taco and burger place, hence the bagels. But everyone else were eating the burgers and tacos and had to use the bathroom. Meaning I was asked to watch a lot of bags. But there was a couple seated in front of me whom were on the same cruise. They asked me a lot of questions, they were from Wisconsin. It was there second cruise and they had told the two guys in front of them the tricks they learned. When they found out I had been on a lot, it became question central.  It made the time breeze past and before you knew it, it was boarding time. Since after Jan 2022 I haven't flown anything but Southwest, so I forgot about regular airline boarding tomfoolery. By that I mean people who line up even though they are in the last or next to last boarding group. It's like people at the cruise terminal with a 1pm time blocking the 10/11 am line. I was group 2, right after first class, and I literally had to ask people in line what number they were and many were 3,4, and 5. Worse was again the looked mad when I asked them to move. I thought about getting United wifi as it's $8 but I checked my t-mobile and it was free. I'm glad I didn't because the wifi is acting up. At least when it goes out I didn't pay.

[jbrinkm]

8 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

So I forgot to post that the app displays your table and dining time as soon as you board. But also it now has a disembarkment countdown.

I forgot to mention this also in my trip report! However, Allure was moving faster than expected and the app didn't reflect real-time conditions - it just did the count down to our group's originally scheduled time. There were screens in the various waiting areas that were showing actual luggage readiness. As soon as your group's luggage was available, you could get the line to exit the ship. 

[She Sails Away]

My goodness---that was some trip to the airport! YIKES.

 

Thanks for bringing us along! So fun. Great pictures! I'm already looking forward to your Wonder blog next year. I've never been on that one.

 

I forgot about that Once Upon A Time show.....I couldn't stand it. I left. I think somewhere around Rapunzel, too!

 

You make this Casino thing sound so easy. When I tried all that on Enchantment, (first time in a Casino) I was overwhelmed!