Freedom to be 39!! A B3B 5/13/24-5/24/24

[Ampurp85]

It is time for the shenanigans!!!!

It seems like I haven't been on a cruise in forever, but it's actually been like 90ish days .

These 11 days of cruising are actually 3 shorties combined. It is a 4n, then a 3N, and then another 4N. They are all casino comps in some capacity. The first two are monthlies, which are random offers the casino sends out either through mail or email. The last one was earned on Wonder. I only paid taxes, fees and gratuities for them. Which amounted to a whopping total of $595.05 for all 3, making it only $54/N. I have OBC on some and Freeplay on all. 

Itinerary: Nassau and PDCC X3, I never get off in Nassau and PDCC is a casino day. 

People: myself, brother and mother x2, myself and my brother x1

Flights: SWA and AA

Extras: Chocolate birthday cake $25.99

My brother's birthday is on April 27th and mine is May 21st. I ordered the cake for the 3n to split the difference. My 39th birthday, hence the title name , is on the second day of the last 4N cruise, and we will be in PDCC. This is the first time ever that I will be on a cruise for my birthday. Normally its work or Vegas. I mean truthfully, I don't really celebrate it, but I do acknowledge it. It is also the first time I will be sailing in May, my normal window is September through April, excluding March and Easter sailings. So, I am thankful it won't be too hot but warm enough from Chicago to not have bulky outerwear. 

[Ampurp85]

27 days to go.......

Since I made my brother prime, he gets a nice number of monthlies. Usually, they match with mine but of lesser value. Most of my offers are OVs and my brothers are interiors or "1 complimentary guest." It works out the same for us moneywise, but gets us double point, so we booked 2 sperate rooms for the first two sailings as the upgrade option is just OV when you combine. I hate OV so I will often just take the interiors, in this case the first two sailings are GTY. I normally prefer an aft cabin and to pick my own, but I also like a cheap sailing. I really spend minimal time in my room, so location takes a backseat to savings. My brother was excited about his first B2B and then he decided it would be nice to bring our mother along. She of course is sharing a room with him . But she didn't have enough vacation time to do all three, so she will just join us for the first two. We are gifting this as her Mother's Day present.

For the first cruise, check-in opened on the 28th of March I believe. The earliest slot was 11am, which wasn't a big deal because we are flying in the day of......first flight out as usual. I never recommend this, but I have insurance and live in hub city, meaning there are usually 3-4 flights after mine that will get me there. Which brings me to a side rant: there used to be more flights. I remember when there were flights between 8pm-10pm that went to Mia, MCO and FLL. Now the last flight is often around 6:45 to 7pm, which is not ideal when flying with my mother who has church until at least 3pm and requires another couple of hours to be ready. So 5am flights are what I have to deal with, and the sucky part is my preferred airline makes those the most expensive flights. So even though I complain and say I hope to never fly them again, I am often stuck with SWA...... and their crappy boarding procedure . 

I don't know if 10/10:30 opened up, I didn't bother to check. We will be on the ship for 11 days so I can care less about getting an earlier time. Plus, there are no reservations required for Freedom class entertainment.  My brother brought his own snorkeling gear, the price for snorkeling all day at PDCC is like $50 on sale now . No ecursions are planned.

I used the barcode trick as soon as I checked in and I was able to see our room assignments. For the first leg we are on deck 3 in rooms #3253 and 3251. On the second leg we are on Deck 2 in rooms #2567 and 2569. I chose my own room for the last leg with deck 9 and room #9391. I was happy that the rooms were assigned so close to each other. We have traditional dining for all three legs at 8:30.........which will probably be 8 in most cases. Since the reservations are linked, they should sit us together at a smaller table, if we are assigned to an 8-top I will request a different table. My brother doesn't want people judging him as he eats all his meals. 

I will not be pre-purchasing anything. I get 2 free days as D+ and then can use my prime discount on the remainder. I will also be using my BOGO. There will be the B2B'rs lunch so I will take advantage of that to avoid the WJ. Plus, we will do embarkation day lunch at Playmakers. 

I plan to prepack each leg in its own packing cube. I am also bringing a ton of casino-friendly snacks as I have a 2025 S2S2S or B2B2B to plan. I am following @AshleyDillo advice and bring specific clothes for the casino, so the rest don't get smoky. 

[asquared17]

HERE WE GOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

My brother doesn't want people judging him as he eats all his meals.

I get that… although the MDR is the one place I don’t actually eat a lot. I wouldn’t want to sit with randos anyway.

Looking forward to his eating exploits & obviously your shenanigans!

[SweetPea]

Yeah! My bday is in May also and I've been on a ship several times for it. I cruising in May. I don't recall ever having any bad weather and it's not Africa Hot yet. Can't wait to follow along, and I'm so glad ... for me and the rest of your loyal readership ... that mom is coming again!  Yippee!!!!!

[JohnK6404]

Wishing you and your brother an early Happy Birthday!!!   

Have an awesome time!!!!!!

[Sweety]

This B3B is why I booked one in 2025. Living in Chicago the airfare is getting expensive. I am trying to make Prime, since I have four more cruises this year.

[ScottD]

Awww yeah... my favorite adventures... @Ampurp85, Mom and brother! 

[AshleyDillo]

@Ampurp85 curious if you're seeing the really low price for the OTW Beach Club cabana on your May 20 sailing. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

15 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

It is time for the shenanigans!!!!

Oh boy...Here we go! lol

And Happy Birthday!!

[Ampurp85]

31 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

@Ampurp85 curious if you're seeing the really low price for the OTW Beach Club cabana on your May 20 sailing. 

Well, that's weird.... these are my prices. The pass for Hideaway beach club was $17.99 yesterday and its $22.99 today. 

[Ampurp85]

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. Also happy birthday @SweetPea. 

I am hopeful that the weather will be great, my mother is really looking forward to this because she and my brother have never been on Freedom. 

[Sweety]

Happy Born day, Well wishes and Joyful Birthright to your brother and you.

 

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Happy Birthday, Alicia !!!!

[Neesa]

Happy Birthday!! Can't wait for your birthday trip

[Cactus527]

YAY! Happy early birthday to you and your brother! And I get what he's saying about his eating habits - he should be able to do what he wants, when he wants, without people staring at the bottomless pit that he is. Kudos to him for making every morsel count. 

I got 11am for Freedom as well in March, but they started letting people on at 10:30am. The boarding area was accessible at 10am, if that makes any difference for you. 

Deck 2! I'm curious what your thoughts are going to be about being down there. I've often considered doing a room down there, but my TA said don't, it's got weird vibrations/sounds that turn most people off to being down there.

SWA for the win! I too agree - why are they doing such weird things with their schedules lately? I had a trip booked to Cincinnati (business) in September and have to be there by 5pm that day, and they just resorted all the flights so that I'd arrive after 8pm. No thanks, I'll go with another airline, I guess. You would think they'd put more flights IN Chicago instead of not, but whatever. Didn't they say they were going to start doing red eyes at some point soon? WHERE IS THAT, SOUTHWEST?!?!??! WE'RE ALL WAITING. Sorry you have a 5am flight. 

Now I'm hungry for birthday cake... 

[Ampurp85]

@Cactus527I have never done deck 2, but it is only for 3 nights so I will hopefully not have too many problems. I did deck 3 on Harmony once and I enjoyed being so close to the casino but hated that the MTD line often stretched to my room. 

It is also not just SWA but UA and AA in Chicago. There used to be a lot of later flights and also, a lot of direct flights. I can find later flights, but they seem to want to connect only and even flying in a day or two before, I don't want to connect flights......that's a lot of hassle. 

[Ampurp85]

21 days to go.......

Work has been stressful all around and the weather in Chicago has been bipolar. Sat and Sunday were like 30 degrees and today on Monday it was 65 and sunny. 

My documents were right on time for the first cruise but a full day late for the 3n and a day early for the last cruise. Royal IT strikes again. The luggage tags for the first two cruises are still GTY. Last time they updated around 10 days before I cruised to say the actual room number. So, I will wait until later and print them out. 

I believe I saw in another post that a few blog members and Matt will be on the May 20th-24th Freedom cruise. 

When I booked the cruises, it was just my brother and I going, each with or own room. But my mother turned Emerald after our Mariner cruise and now she is obsessed with making it to Diamond so she can relax in the lounge. Yes, not the drink vouchers or internet discount......but lounge access is her goal . She was upset that she couldn't go on Wonder, I had booked her, but she allowed her bf to talk her out of going. During that Mariner cruise I offered to help make her prime to get offers, she said she was going to be land traveling with her bf and don't bother. In March when she found out we would be doing these cruises she was sad, her bf had cancelled 2/2 of their land vacations. So, my brother was like, we can add her to my room, and she can come with us. She was so happy to be going. 

As usual she is brand new. I feel like she gets amnesia every time we travel, and I have to hear the same questions.  This is her sixth RCG cruise and she texted me about luggage limits. Somehow her logic was that shorter cruises only allowed weekender bags and/or carry-ons . I just told her to pack as she would normally. Last week she fell at work and thankfully she is okay, but her front left tooth got chipped slightly. The dentist rounded it out and it is barely noticeable, but she was afraid she might have been toothless for the cruise, she is so dramatic. 

I did my pre-cruise shopping: which involves going to Kohl's, Marshall's, TJ Maxx and Walmart for any essentials, and giving Bezos his offering. After reading about wearing red (I hardly ever wear it) to ensure some casino luck, one of my casino outfits is a newly acquired red shorts and a red shirt. I am currently making my packing list and the plan is to pack a separate cube, with special casino outfit to contain the smoke, in each cube. I figured I will need about four cubes since I always carry an extra not in my checked bag. 

 

[Sweety]

Don't forget to add purple. I will be doing the same three cruises next June. Have fun. Can't wait to hear all about your cruises.

[asquared17]

10 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

he is obsessed with making it to Diamond so she can relax in the lounge. Yes, not the drink vouchers or internet discount......but lounge access is her goal 

somehow i feel like this is very on brand for her...

 

10 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

As usual she is brand new. I feel like she gets amnesia every time we travel, and I have to hear the same questions.  This is her sixth RCG cruise and she texted me about luggage limits. Somehow her logic was that shorter cruises only allowed weekender bags and/or carry-ons

OMG. imagine if this were true, though???? i could literally never go on a shortie cruise

 

10 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I did my pre-cruise shopping: which involves going to Kohl's, Marshall's, TJ Maxx and Walmart for any essentials, and giving Bezos his offering

bezos really out here getting the most from us all!!!

[Cactus527]

How fun that you're going to be on a cruise with some other RCB people and Matt! Hope you get to hang out (if that's your thing).

Your brother is a much kinder person than me. Good on him.

My guarantee rooms were literally assigned immediately after my TA booked them. It was kind of mind boggling because I see so many situations like yours where the room isn't assigned yet. Here's hoping you find out sooner rather than later.

 

[Ampurp85]

36 minutes ago, Cactus527 said:

How fun that you're going to be on a cruise with some other RCB people and Matt! Hope you get to hang out (if that's your thing).

Your brother is a much kinder person than me. Good on him.

My guarantee rooms were literally assigned immediately after my TA booked them. It was kind of mind boggling because I see so many situations like yours where the room isn't assigned yet. Here's hoping you find out sooner rather than later.

 

I have found out, thanks to the barcode trick, but they haven't been officially assigned yet. 

My brother is indeed kind for sharing a room with her . I always ask if she wants to go and try to make the arrangements for her to have her own room and she tells me no, she has plans. They never work out. 

[melmar02]

I love that your mom is going to be able to join you guys! Hopefully it's not nearly as stressful without the multitude of vintages this time.

[AshleyDillo]

19 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I believe I saw in another post that a few blog members and Matt will be on the May 20th-24th Freedom cruise.

If I was able, I would totally book this just to force the introduction! 

[SMOKEY0202]

What about news today with Southwest cutting flights and pulling out from some airports 

[Ampurp85]

11 hours ago, SMOKEY0202 said:

What about news today with Southwest cutting flights and pulling out from some airports 

That doesn't affect me as ORD/MDW aren't included in that announcement. I saw that AA and SWA posted losses and will change their service a bit. However, the news of less hiring and such could affect the service at airports. 

[Ampurp85]

14 days to go......

The luggage tag and my setsail pass updated at 17 days to display the cabin numbers on my first GTY. Since I used the barcode trick at check-in, I already knew the cabins. 

I have a Chase sapphire reserve card. Usually I spend on cruises: paying them off, gambling, etc. then I use the points earned to book my hotels and flights. Some airlines are now only allowing you to earn status if you book directly through them, cough, cough AA. Which sucks because if you book through Chase travel they give you 50% extra. I booked the flights for this cruise through the portal. For my mom, I booked her a nonstop flight home from MIA that left at 6:30. Last week I got an email that, that flight was cancelled, and they rebooked her on a connecting 7:30 flight from FLL that got in after midnight. I was pretty upset because my mother is not the well-traveled woman, she tells her friends she is. Her "brand newness" comes out hard when she has connecting flights and/or have to travel after midnight. Usually with SWA and well most airlines, if they change your flight, you have the option to select another without any fees or cost online. I had to call the travel department of Chase instead. She lucked up, sort of, there was a direct flight from Mia at 8:30pm. She doesn't care about waiting at the airport because she has audiobooks and tablet games to farm. As a nice gesture the rep gave her SWA "business select, " which will give her a nice seat selection and alcoholic drinks. 

I am sorry if the pictures are too big.

So here are a couple of the offerings I made to Bezos:

Amazon.com | riemot Luggage Travel Cup Holder Free Hand Drink Carrier - Hold Two Coffee Mugs - Fits Roll on Suitcase Handles - Gifts for Flight Attendants Travelers Accessories Grey | Travel Accessories

 

I always have preflight drinks and struggle with finding somewhere to put them, some airports don't have the cup holders. This was recommended to me by a coworker who must have their kombucha and coffee. Plus, it keeps me from having to constantly remove my backpack to access my water bottle. 

Amazon.com: Portable fan Battery Operated Fan USB Desk fan Camping Fan for Tents,Battery Operated portable Fan Personal Fan battery powered fan camping portable fan Outdoor fan Rechargeable Fan with Hanging : Home & Kitchen

 

Every couple of years I update my travel fan. We did a glamping trip last year and a mutual vintage had this fan. It has an adjustable night light and blows out amazing air. Since I am staying in interiors, that light comes in handy. It is also small enough to fit in a backpack or purse without being cumbersome. 

Amazon.com: Greatever G2 Full Face Snorkel Mask with Latest Dry Top System,Foldable 180 Degree Panoramic View Snorkeling Mask with Camera Mount,Safe Breathing,Anti-Leak&Anti-Fog : Sports & Outdoors

 

That is the snorkel mask my brother brought. We hit PDCC 3x on this cruise, so it will have paid for itself. 

Amazon.com: Poesie Laundry Detergent Sheets Fresh Scent 160 Sheets Clear Plastic-Free Hypoallergenic Liquid Less Sheets for Home Dorm Travel Camping & Hand Washing Clean No Waste : Health & Household

 

 

 

Since these cruises are shorties, there won't be any D+ laundry perks, so I am bringing a couple of the laundry detergent sheets. They take up no space and I can wash a few things out and hang them in the shower if need be. 

I don't think I have mentioned this before, but not only do I cut my brother's hair, I do mine as well. So, I will be packing sometime later this week, as next week will be too busy for me. There are fur babies to be dropped off, Mother's Days to be celebrated and of course work. Although these cruises can't come fast enough . 

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Let us know how your brother likes the full face snorkel.  I’ve tried to use them a couple of times but it always ends up hurting my neck b/c of the strange angle that I end up holding my head.  Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

[Ampurp85]

Slight long-winded story.

I canceled the celebration cake. I am not really a cake person. I was getting the cake for my brother's birthday mainly. He and my mother can eat cake and sweet things like crazy. I am not actually huge on sweets. I eat more sweet things when I cruise than in real life. But my brother can eat a whole cake almost every day. During the pandemic, he or I was making him a cake every other day .

Since I don't normally cruise during his and my birthday "season " I had forgotten about his birthday shenanigans.

For over a decade I have been getting him his favorite cake from a local bakery, it's a double tiered tres Leche. It usually takes him 2 days to finish. Then my mother gets him a traditional sheet birthday cake. His best friend gets him a fruit tart. Now for a couple of years as a mechanical engineer he has been working from home. But prior to that he always got a birthday cake from his compay. Last year his company went back into the office, though it was now a communal one. He also started doing freelance with two other firms. On Monday's he commutes to meet with all three.

Which is a long way of saying between Saturday and today he got 5 full sheetcakes. This is on top of the fruit tart and tres Leche cake. My BFF is into the instasnaps and whatnot, so he got him the viral McDonald's sheetcake . I came home to a refrigerator filled with so much cake. I'm talking cake. Which will last him well into next week. So much cake that my mother took the equivalent of half a sheetcake home, and that will last her until next week. My brother hits the gym 3-4 times a week to afford that type of lifestyle

My brother does love him some cake but he needs variety and it would take him at least a month to want basic chocolate or vanilla cake. So he was like I doubt I will want to eat half a cake on a cruise. This is also compounded by the fact that because my mother has worked for a local supermarket chain, 42yrs, she gets all the holiday sweets and candy for next to nothing. We are currently sitting on a treasure trove of Easter candy. A ton of which I will give to the crew. Don't worry none of it is expired, it's just wrapped in pastel colors.

 

[Sweety]

Love hearing stories about your family 

[ScottD]

My son and I got those snorkel masks for our two PDCC trips last year- he loved it. He hated the mouth piece on a regular snorkel mask, but these things had him face down in the water for hours in PDCC and Cozumel last year! 

[Sweety]

6 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

Slight long-winded story.

I canceled the celebration cake. I am not really a cake person. I was getting the cake for my brother's birthday mainly. He and my mother can eat cake and sweet things like crazy. I am not actually huge on sweets. I eat more sweet things when I cruise than in real life. But my brother can eat a whole cake almost every day. During the pandemic, he or I was making him a cake every other day .

Since I don't normally cruise during his and my birthday "season " I had forgotten about his birthday shenanigans.

For over a decade I have been getting him his favorite cake from a local bakery, it's a double tiered tres Leche. It usually takes him 2 days to finish. Then my mother gets him a traditional sheet birthday cake. His best friend gets him a fruit tart. Now for a couple of years as a mechanical engineer he has been working from home. But prior to that he always got a birthday cake from his compay. Last year his company went back into the office, though it was now a communal one. He also started doing freelance with two other firms. On Monday's he commutes to meet with all three.

Which is a long way of saying between Saturday and today he got 5 full sheetcakes. This is on top of the fruit tart and tres Leche cake. My BFF is into the instasnaps and whatnot, so he got him the viral McDonald's sheetcake . I came home to a refrigerator filled with so much cake. I'm talking cake. Which will last him well into next week. So much cake that my mother took the equivalent of half a sheetcake home, and that will last her until next week. My brother hits the gym 3-4 times a week to afford that type of lifestyle

My brother does love him some cake but he needs variety and it would take him at least a month to want basic chocolate or vanilla cake. So he was like I doubt I will want to eat half a cake on a cruise. This is also compounded by the fact that because my mother has worked for a local supermarket chain, 42yrs, she gets all the holiday sweets and candy for next to nothing. We are currently sitting on a treasure trove of Easter candy. A ton of which I will give to the crew. Don't worry none of it is expired, it's just wrapped in pastel colors.

 

Just brought the washer sheets.