Ampurp85 Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 As usual my first introduction is TLDR This is my fourth annual S2S+ and as usual there are a mixture of ships. Another bit of news is that I think the group cruises with the vintages is dead. My mother and her former friend have fallen out and no longer speak over her marrying her husband. So, neither party wants to go anywhere with each other. My bff only wants to do the LGBT+ cruises and his mom is still too sick to travel. So, it looks like it might just be me and my brother, with an occasional appearance from my mother, from here on out. When it came to planning, I thought this was going to be easy peasy, lemon squeezy. I personally feel like these cruises had the least shenanigans involved but that says a lot about my shenanigans . Having done many side-to-sideâs I was originally trying to do a port-to-port and line-to-line. My original plan was Carnival, Conquest-Icon- Celebrity Ascent. I was actually on the same cruise as @asquared17, it was going to be amazing . That plan was to use my annual casino comp on Icon, and I had won a carnival cruise through a casino program. Well, turns out the dates were wrong for the carnival cruise, and it wasnât booked for Jan but July . It is a good thing I checked. The free cruise had to be booked/taken within six months, and I couldnât go so I took the lesser cash prize instead. So, it was back to the drawing board. I wanted to sail all of Oasis class, this was before Utopia was released, and Symphony was my last ship needed for the bingo card. Recently, like in October of this year, my job went through a restructuring. Which is to say I used to be able to take vacation anytime I wanted from mid-September to mid-February minus December. I primarily work from home and so taking three weeks to cruise wouldnât be an issue. I always get the internet and if something needed to be handled, I could. This will change starting in 2025, meaning I will be relegated to five weeks of vacation, which gets translated into two and a half weeks twice a year, between August and January. The new plan became Symphony, Icon and some other 4 or 5 nights sailing I would win on my birthday cruise on Freedom in May 2024. The big wrench came when the casino decided to exclude Icon from the list of acceptable cruises despite the ship being over a year old. Thankfully I had booked refundable deposits for all my cruises in the event things needed to be changed. It was supposed to be me, my brother and mother on all three cruises. This was before she behaved the way she did on the B2B2B on Freedom in May and before she got married. In April when the annual certs were released my brother, and I talked over the options. Nothing really worked with the Celebrity Ascent sailing, so I emailed my TA and asked her to push it to 2026 on Reflection. I thought it was better to start out with a smaller class anyway. We decided to book a room with each one of our certs and then upgrade them. I used his cert to book Symphony. Since I sail around the same time in Jan, I knew this cruise took place during Yeshiva week. What I was not expecting was the prices. At the time of booking, they wanted over $2k to upgrade to a balcony, not even an OV, a basic neighborhood balcony, and $4k for a JS GTY. I thought that was a lot and we decided to periodically check back. I accepted an interior GTY because it came with freeplay. Neither price went lower and in fact the suite prices increased to $5k. I also wanted to note this was on top of the $598 we had already paid for the port taxes, fees and gratuities. I decided I would just wait for the RUBs and maybe upgrade that way. After settling on Symphony, I found it hard to find another ship that left within a respectable timeframe (not a lot of nights spent in a hotel) but then I thought about how Ascent was leaving out of PE, so I extended my search there. Which allowed me to settle on Oasis. So, I used my annual cert for Oasis and did the same interior GTY. Originally it was the same high cost for balcony and suite upgrades but a couple of months later around Labor Day they had a sale, and I was able to upgrade to a WS GTY for under $2k. I knew we would end up with a JS, even though it was a suite guarantee, but it wasnât a bad price about $2300 in total. Getting a 6n oasis class sailing in a JS for that price was a steal! I needed at least 15 days of cruising or else I feel like I wasted a flight. So, when I sailed from my birthday the plan was to add a 4/5 night. I was able to earn an instant reward for Independence and she sailed out of Miami. The best thing is that there are no hotel stays between the cruises. I depart Symphony on the 19th and board Oasis the same day. I depart Oasis on the 25th and board Indy the same day. I just must go from one port to another, which is part of my bucket list. We decided our mother was only going on the Indy cruise. Cruises all finalized; I was now deciding what I wanted for the cruises. We had a decent MDR experience on Freedom in May and a pretty bad one on Quantum in September. I know with 18 days of straight cruising I would need to do something to break up the monotony of the food. However, I find that with the UDP I am forcing myself to dine at places I donât normally like and/or eat certain things to make it worth it. So, I decided against it for these cruises. My thoughts were solidified when in June, Royal had a lunch sale, and I was able to get a bunch of lunches at 40% off. I was waiting for the BF sale to book any excursions. BF sale came and the lunches were much cheaper and so were some dinners. At this point I had booked the suite GTY for Oasis, giving me access to CK for dinner and sailed Quantum, so my excursion list had dwindled. I did good, so I thought, and waited until day two of the BF sale, which had started early in November. I was able to save another 20% off the lunches and add a few dinners, making it worth cancelling. I was having issues booking anything for Indy, it would not let me finalize the cart. Eventually I was able to book something through the app. However, Royalsâ IT was not to be fooled, and I saw while checking if the orders went through that I had a balance due for Symphony and OasisâŚâŚworse my Oasis sailing had reverted to the interior GTY. After a 58min hold on with Casino Royale the rep helped me to make the payments, which would result in another refund to ensure my bookings werenât cancelled. Despite me calling Casino Royale directly I was transferred to the regular department, which could take payments but couldnât assist in the issue with the booking. So back on hold where they told me my booking was right, and they would send me a new invoice because the backend hadnât updated the website. The new invoice shows ZI GTY and not the upgrade I paid for. I then called Casino Royale direct again but still got sent to Royalâs regular customer service. And then transferred back to Casino Royale where they assigned my JS on the spot for the trouble and sent a correct invoice with the room number. The whole ordeal was about two hours, had it not been a casino comp this is where a TA is worth their weight. As stated, my mother got married and was supposed to be on the Indy sailing. In early Dec her husband started feeling unwell. He has an old army wound in his foot that will heal but not completely. He is a stubborn old mule and refuses many offers of surgery. The foot got an infection, and now he is in the hospital. He is at the point that he will need multiple surgeries and at least will lose a toe and at worst the foot. They have already told her the best scenario is he is released the day before Christmas since the first two surgeries went well. But he will be required to come back to the hospital every day for the next eight weeks. My brother and I had collectively come to the decision she should not go as soon as he was admitted to the hospital. That cruise had only taxes, gratuities, and port fees paid so I will be able to get everything back. So now it is just my brother and I enjoying 18 days of cruising across three different ships and two ports. Since Indy was an instant award, the rooms had already been assigned. The JS for Oasis was assigned on Nov 18th and it was nice knowing I had two out of three rooms known. I figured I would be assigned a room around check-in for Symphony and that opened on Nov 28th, which was Thanksgiving. I checked in and was able to secure a 10:30am check-in. However, there was no room assigned. Six days later I checked in for Oasis and got a 11:30am check-in, I literally watched the check-in spot go from âcheck-in is closedâ to âclick nowâ and that was the earliest time. On Dec 11th I checked in for Indy and 11am was the earliest time. Oddly enough on Dec 13th I received an email sayingâ these are the documents you requestedâ and they had assigned my interior GTY. This is the first time I received notice of a GTY being assigned. I used to be AA Platinum and after the pandemic I started flying less and was gold. But the last couple of years I have only taken maybe 3-5 flights and not all of them with AA so I lost my status. I now look for Main cabin extra or plus since it features a decent seat selection, and 1 checked bag. Because we had changed our flights for the Alaskan cruise in September by adding a stop to NOLA, we had travel credits. I ended up booking our flights for this vacation in two separate blocks. We had planned to fly in the day before and I booked a night at the Fairfield Inn, we stayed here last year. But with my mother no longer coming, my brother requested we fly out the day of. With no need to rush to be aboard, other than making the most of the vacation, I agreed, and we are booked on the first 5am flight out to Miami. I would prefer not to fly in and out of MIA, but oh well. CravingaCruise, Traveler, Lovetocruise2002 and 10 others 13 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted December 20, 2024 Author Report Posted December 20, 2024 Important bits I guess...... Ship: Symphony Jan 12-19 Ports: PDCC, San Juan PR, Philipsburg, St. Maarten In all honesty I am unsure if we will be calling to these ports since the pier in PR cannot handle larger ships. I have yet to get an itinerary change, but I didn't book anything on the off chance that we would have to cancel and rebook. The plan was to try Hideaway, but it never went below $53pp on either sailing and I don't think it is worth it at that price. Ship: Oasis Jan 19-25 Ports: PDCC, Falmouth Jamaica, Labadee Haiti For this sailing I didn't care what ports we were visiting, so I made no plans whatsoever. I loathe Labadee and have no plans to get off. Ship: Indy Jan 25-30 Ports: Cozumel Mexico and George Town Grand Cayman I have never been to the Grand Cayman, so I am excited to see what is offered and we booked a Lucha Libre, Tacos & Margaritas tour for Cozumel. Rooms: On Symphony we were assigned interior room #9509 which is a forward-facing interior. I actually thought this was a pretty decent room, while I am not a fan of being forward on a ship and prefer aft. I found the location to be pretty good all things considered. I am not far from an elevator, and I am on a decent enough floor that I could walk in either way. On Oasis we were assigned JS #7244 which is mid-ship and in a desired location. This is my brother's first JS. He stayed in the 2br GS with a lot of people and didn't have access to the tub. So, he is most excited for the tub . On Indy we are in interior rooms #8357 and 8355. I chose these rooms because I feel like deck 8 aft is my sweet spot on smaller classes. I am usually less than 5 flights between all the important places. This is my brother first time having his own room on any cruise. Dinning/Shows: I booked MTD for Symphony, we have a standing 7:45pm reservation across the board. We have Jamie's booked for embarkation lunch. Then Hooked and Chop's as lunches on sea days 6 and 3 respectfully. I booked Izumi for dinner the first night because I really dislike the "Welcome Aboard" menu. I plan to do a Playmaker/JR a la carte lunch or dinner and/or maybe use our D+ BOGO on night two. I have Hiro booked day 2 at 10:30, Hairspray day 3 at 6:45, 1977 day 4 at 7pm, adult comedy day 5 at 10, and Flight......dare to dream day 6 at 10:30. I have MTD for Oasis, but I did not book any dinners. I plan to use my brother to get all our CK ressies. I booked GT for embarkation lunch and Izumi's for lunch on sea day 3. Oasis has Portside BBQ and we plan to do a lunch there......or dinner if we cannot get CK all nights. I did not book cats. I have One Sky for day 2 at 10:45, Frozen in time for day at 7:30, Aqua80 day 4 at 10:30, and adult comedy day 6 at 10:45. I booked Chop's for embarkation lunch and GT for sea day 2 lunch on Indy. We booked traditional dining because this sailing had the 3 times of 5:30, 7:30, and 8:30. We have 7:30 and I am planning to send an email requestion a table for two since my mother is no longer on the reservation. Indy has no shows that require booking and plus I believe the shows they have are Grease, which imho is garbage.  OCSC Mike, MaryS, Robert M and 9 others 12 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted December 20, 2024 Author Report Posted December 20, 2024 RUBs Weirdly enough the RUBs for Symphony really never existed. Or they are glitching. Because the link never popped up and I could enter the reservation number to get it to pop up on certain occasions. At like 50 days RUBs came out for Oasis and I thought they were high considering what someone might have paid for a JS. This is the minimum bid for some star class suites This is the minimum bid for Sky class But there are no suites available if you search the cruise. I do have the option to RUB on Indy, but I am happy with the rooms I selected and there is no need because we each have a room to ourselves, right next to each other.   Cactus527, Robert M, Lovetocruise2002 and 7 others 7 3 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted December 20, 2024 Author Report Posted December 20, 2024 Day 23 I am actually pretty far behind for me, when it comes to these cruises. I am still blessing Bezos with funds, just pulled the luggage from storage to air out, and just got to working on my packing/travel list. With the holidays and my mother, I probably won't get all my packages and prep done until after the new year. Then packing will be able to begin in earnest. With 18 days of cruising, I might need an extra bag...or two . Something really weird happened in CP. I normally use my 2 free D+ days of internet and then my prime discount to get 30% of the onboard internet price. This means that when it comes to the BF internet sale, I am always better off waiting and getting it onboard. Last week someone on the blog posted that the internet was cheaper than the BF sale. I noticed it was indeed cheaper because it was based off of an onboard price of $22.99, so I booked the 2-device package for Oasis and Symphony. I figured I could just cancel it onboard if the savings don't work out. It was about $30 cheaper than my original plan. Today there is a sale, but the internet is not included, and the price has gone back up to be around $28/day. I also noticed for the first time my sales say Casino Royale discounts, usually it says diamond and above.   Sweety, Cactus527, SweetPea and 2 others 5 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 Nice line-up ! We will be disembarking OA when you get on !!! So sorry to hear about your mother's husband. I hope he is doing well. Did he actually lose his foot ? Sweety, asquared17 and Ampurp85 2 1 Quote
SweetPea Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 4 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: My mother and her former friend have fallen out and no longer speak over her marrying her husband. For clarification (because i am completely invested in this but sometimes get confused) ... is mom's BFF upset because your mom got married and she doesn't like your mom's husband? Or, did your mom marry the man that was once her BFF's husband?  4 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: I needed at least 15 days of cruising or else I feel like I wasted a flight. Amen.  4 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: We decided our mother was only going on the Indy cruise. Sounds like a good call. For you. Not necessarily for your loyal readers.  4 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: However, Royalsâ IT was not to be fooled, and I saw while checking if the orders went through that I had a balance due for Symphony and OasisâŚâŚworse my Oasis sailing had reverted to the interior GTY. Honestly, what in the Sweet Hello is up with Black Friday that just confuses Royal IT to that extent? Black Friday is their full moon or something. They should be embarrassed at this point, but they just seem to double down.  4 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: So now it is just my brother and I enjoying 18 days of cruising across three different ships and two ports. Well, now i feel bad. I do hope mom's hubby is OK. Selfishly, i will miss her appearance in your blog.  3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: I did not book cats Imagine my surprise  Re: RUBs. I get that suites are sold out, but I'm trying to understand the starting bid price discrepancy between the Owner's Panoramic and the Grand Panoramic.... they're the same room, with one minor difference (i think just in the closet?), that doesn't equate to a $2015 starting bid difference. Make that make sense. ScottD, Sweety, Cactus527 and 2 others 5 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 Looking forward to your long blog helping get me through some more of my painfully long dry dock (while making me jealous at the same time of course). Especially looking forward to some Sea Class food porn (I know you're doing a fair bit of specialty lunches, but that's fine too, especially Giovanni's and PM since those are two of our three specialties of choice as you know). No judgment but the live blog forum has become a tad Star Class heavy and I need more content for the poors that I can better relate to, lol. I feel like I haven't seen WJ or CL pics in months. Congrats in advance on the bingo card! Symphony is and will continue to be my missing space. ScottD, lovetheplaya, Cactus527 and 4 others 4 3 Quote
asquared17 Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 1 hour ago, SweetPea said: what in the Sweet Hello i donât know why this made me laugh so much but it did 4 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: I am still blessing Bezos with funds i, too, am blessing bezos with funds and need it to stop!! 1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said: No judgment but the live blog forum has become a tad Star Class heavy and I need more content for the poors that I can better relate to, lol. mike i swear i will get you the full gamut of non-suite food options when we get on ascent in february!!!! (well maybe not the full gamut, but for sure a better selection than CK-only ) Sweety, Ampurp85, Cactus527 and 1 other 2 1 1 Quote
asquared17 Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said: Symphony is and will continue to be my missing space. this is heartbreaking  Ampurp85 and OCSC Mike 2 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 24 minutes ago, asquared17 said: mike i swear i will get you the full gamut of non-suite food options when we get on ascent in february!!!! (well maybe not the full gamut, but for sure a better selection than CK-only ) Sure... eat the commoner food on Celebrity... upon which I have zero plans to sail in the immediate future, lol. Maybe you'll tempt me... PC does have one whole Celebrity ship now. Ampurp85, Sweety, Cactus527 and 3 others 1 4 1 Quote
SMOKEY0202 Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 Looks like exciting venture to happen and enjoy since it will be a new ball game for future cruising with job restructuring.  Least you can enjoy yourself without having any shenanigans since vintages aren't going nor your mother. You and your brother can fully indulge and enjoy. Ampurp85 1 Quote
SMOKEY0202 Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 Shenanigans at FLL, fight at gate because person argued over boarding by zones.... Tis the season of holiday travel Ampurp85, MaryS, Cactus527 and 2 others 1 4 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted December 20, 2024 Author Report Posted December 20, 2024 My mother's husband had another surgery yesterday about opening veins to get his blood flowing. They had to cut some things, but it looks like he won't be losing the foot or toe. He is getting a PICC line placed in on Saturday and if he is fine for 48hrs they will allow him to be released to home. This also will include a cast on his foot. I am happy that things have worked out so far . We are praying for continued good news. My mother's bff is mad because she had made plans of them living as old spinsters together. She was mad my mother didn't bring her with her to elope and she is mad my mother won't allow her to post anything on social media to make everything about her (the bff).....which is what she has done for most of their 40+ year friendship. The straw was my mother was a tenant of hers and she kept all the equity my mother had put into the home out of spite. It has been some shenanigans between them this past couple of months......including a group chat that went haywire. SweetPea, WAAAYTOOO, Lovetocruise2002 and 4 others 2 5 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted December 20, 2024 Author Report Posted December 20, 2024 There will be WJ pics, MDR pics and all sorts of food porn for @OCSC Mike and those like him. We are also planning to eat some lunches in port. I have never been on Symphony, so I need to document if they have that embarkation day fancy WJ lunch I have been hearing about. Ya'll know my brother can eat and he is prepared to take it next level this time he said . WAAAYTOOO, Cactus527, Baked Alaska and 6 others 6 1 2 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 7 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: he is prepared to take it next level this time he said Over 19 days??? He's already next level, lol. I'd love to do longer than 7N someday but I'm stuffed by the last day. SweetPea, Cactus527 and Ampurp85 3 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 11 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I have never been on Symphony I guess I didn't realize that. I do really like SY...especially the beautiful Solarium. The shows are good (except for Hairspray). The casino didn't love us on our recent trip but I don't blame the ship. GatorCruiser, asquared17, Sweety and 2 others 2 1 2 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted December 20, 2024 Author Report Posted December 20, 2024 3 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: I guess I didn't realize that. I do really like SY...especially the beautiful Solarium. The shows are good (except for Hairspray). The casino didn't love us on our recent trip but I don't blame the ship. Yes, Symphony is my last Oasis, I have decided Utopia isn't a regular Oasis class and not count her . I am hoping the casino on any ship is good to me. I realized recently that I have never gotten a handpay on any Royal ship, a few bucks shy yes but no real big win. WAAAYTOOO, asquared17 and OCSC Mike 2 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 13 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I have decided Utopia isn't a regular Oasis class and not count her CHEATER! Ampurp85 and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote
SMOKEY0202 Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 Well why in world would airport put 5 flights of luggage on 1 carousel when there are 9 carousels or at least have someone pull bags off and stack them orderly fashion. My God if only had gotten picture of how bags piled up going around and around as more came off then a bag flipped coming up shoot causing a slingshot attack on another bag that looked like a Beverly Hillbillies bag held together by string and tape that came open in this fiasco and there went carousel to complete malfunction. Believe me that bag had run its life that is for sure and should have been retired at least 20 years ago. A lady next to me goes oh my wonder whose is that bag and then chuckled. Had to wait for employee to come and climb down shoot to clear up the bag wreck of now jammed bags. There you go Delta more than 20 minute wait so some sky miles will be coming Now back to regular programming Ampurp85, WAAAYTOOO, MaryS and 1 other 4 Quote
SweetPea Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 6 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: No judgment but the live blog forum has become a tad Star Class heavy No worries. I won't blog mine in January OCSC Mike, JustMeJoe, MaryS and 1 other 4 Quote
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 7 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: No judgment but the live blog forum has become a tad Star Class heavy and I need more content for the poors that I can better relate to, lol. I feel like I haven't seen WJ or CL pics in months. Fake news! I just checked and the last star class blog was in October, not counting the one @Jax is currently doing, and the one I just started. lol 9 minutes ago, SweetPea said: No worries. I won't blog mine in January No! I love your blogs! GregD, SweetPea, OCSC Mike and 2 others 5 Quote
SweetPea Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 I love that @Lovetocruise2002 is not only a moderator but a Community Note contributer as well. Lovetocruise2002, WAAAYTOOO, OCSC Mike and 2 others 5 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 16 minutes ago, SweetPea said: I won't blog mine in January Wanna bet? As an aside, I just tried to talk my wife into a cheap last minute 5N on Voyager for next month (it leaves on a Monday she has off) but it's not gonna happen. MaryS, WAAAYTOOO, SweetPea and 2 others 5 Quote
SweetPea Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 It's hard for me to be excited for anything other than Q or O Class, but i still mourn your loss. OCSC Mike 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 2 minutes ago, SweetPea said: It's hard for me to be excited for anything other than Q or O Class, but i still mourn your loss. We've done almost nothing but Oasis class for a very long time but if it's cheap and it gets me an extra cruise and a visit to CocoCay (and possibly Paradise Beach b/c it goes to Cozumel)... I'll survive. On a positive note, I was told to keep an eye out for a certain week in February when she also has that Monday off but it works better for her. No last minute FEB deals yet though so I'll be checking. Ampurp85 and SweetPea 2 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted December 20, 2024 Author Report Posted December 20, 2024 Well, I knew it was going to happen, but I was holding out for better ports. Looks like we will have the same itinerary on Symphony as Oasis I am so glad the casino is open for Labadee. I got this email along with my cruise documents for Oasis. WAAAYTOOO, Cactus527, Sweety and 4 others 2 4 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted December 20, 2024 Report Posted December 20, 2024 12 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:  I have never been to the Grand Cayman, so I am excited to see what is offered We went there on our honeymoon. The waters are SO beautiful. We did the stingray sandbar excursion, though in retrospect that was probably one of the dumbest excursions we could have chosen (" Don't pick your feet up and walk, slide it along the bottom so that way you don't step on a stingray" and this was all pre Steve Irwin's death). It was cool at the time though. 5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: My mother's bff is mad because she had made plans of them living as old spinsters together. LMAO this is currently happening between one of my BFFs and her sister. BFF is seriously dating, and sister is raging that BFF is abandoning her (they live together). Just...stop. 5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: Ya'll know my brother can eat and he is prepared to take it next level this time he said . HE IS THE FOOD KING ALL HAIL THE KING WAAAYTOOO, dr martini, Ampurp85 and 2 others 4 1 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 Utopia wonât exist to me until it comes off shorties. @WAAAYTOOO agreed. Hairspray is hot garbage. We left early. Symphony is an awesome ship. She was my first Royal cruise. anywho , look forward to following your @Ampurp85 live blog. InmyElement, SweetPea and Ampurp85 3 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 9 hours ago, GatorCruiser said: Utopia wonât exist to me until it comes off shorties. Let's see if I can change your mind when you see my live blogs of her this summer. Joking aside, some very specific pros and cons to doing 3/4 B2B's that will make them either desirable or not at all depending on personal preferences. They fit our routine extremely well but obviously wouldn't for others. asquared17 and Ampurp85 2 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted December 22, 2024 Author Report Posted December 22, 2024 The main reason Utopia doesn't fit my traditional Oasis class bingo card is because of the shorties/party vibe they advertise. So, I consider it like a free space (in the bingo card analogy), not really needed but still awesome to have. I will get around to sailing her eventually. But considering Port Canaveral isn't the most cost-effective port for me, neither is Utopia pricing, it is hard to justify. asquared17, WAAAYTOOO, SweetPea and 2 others 5 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 49 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: Let's see if I can change your mind when you see my live blogs of her this summer. Joking aside, some very specific pros and cons to doing 3/4 B2B's that will make them either desirable or not at all depending on personal preferences. They fit our routine extremely well but obviously wouldn't for others. Utopia looks awesome. Would love to hit up pesky parrot. But, cannot justify the travel for a shortie or a B2B to undesirable ports. I welcome your pics from her though. Ampurp85 and OCSC Mike 2 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 1 minute ago, GatorCruiser said: B2B to undesirable ports Yep, that's one of the biggies I had in mind. You know we're content staying on the ship and doing PDCC... so PDCC x2 is desirable to us but sounds awful to you... which is totally understandable. Hoppy2BHere and GatorCruiser 2 Quote
AshleyDillo Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 On 12/20/2024 at 9:46 AM, OCSC Mike said: No judgment but the live blog forum has become a tad Star Class heavy and I need more content for the poors that I can better relate to, lol. I feel like I haven't seen WJ or CL pics in months. Well now I feel bad not live blogging my solo Christmas cruise. Solo = poor class for me...although I got a great deal on this cruise and have an aft balcony I won't use asquared17 and Ampurp85 2 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 1 minute ago, AshleyDillo said: Well now I feel bad not live blogging my solo Christmas cruise. Solo = poor class for me...although I got a great deal on this cruise and have an aft balcony I won't use So blog it... problem solved! DDaley 1 Quote
AshleyDillo Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said: So blog it... problem solved! I've done nothing of note so far other than lock my SeaPass in my cabin the first time I left it. I didn't make it to the Diamond Lounge til after breakfast was gone. I made a new friend from the "other" messageboard site who wouldn't tell me what her screen name is. I only ordered soup and salad for lunch today so I'm not doing you proud. I was late to top tier and only got one free drink. I am slacking..or resting for my cruise next week with the group... either could be an excuse. Ampurp85, OCSC Mike and MaryS 3 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted December 22, 2024 Author Report Posted December 22, 2024 21 days to go The last of my Bezos offerings are expected to be delivered between today and tomorrow. I think postal service has been a mess all over the world. I ordered my mother and her husband's gifts way back around the 17th of Nov and they are finally expected to be delivered no later than Tues Dec 24th. This has been frustrating because I still need to wrap and send them to Florida. Originally, I was just going to bring them with me on the cruise and she take them home. In the spirit of @asquared17 here are a couple of the new offerings.  Face Towels I am pretty sure none of you know this, but I am not a "girly" woman. I don't wear makeup, jewelry, perfume, or high heels. I am very strict about my face care: water washing twice a day, every other day and Cetaphil every other day. It is how I have managed to stay looking young . Which is to say I normally bring my own microfiber towels for face washing. That is cumbersome. Last year I discovered these, and they are a game changer. I actual cut them in squares because they are quite large, and the box will last longer. Compression Travel Bags My brother has sworn by compression bags since he went to Japan in 2016. During our Alaskan cruise I used one of his for the first time and fell in love. Imho they are better than packing cubes. You need strength or a vacuum, but you can save a ton of space. I was able to fit 4 days' worth of clothes in one of his bags, so I ordered my own. I should be able to section of the cruises with this bundle. Water Shoes My brother has water shoes, and he was telling me these are better to use for PDCC than constantly having to clean my Croc sandals. I knew we would be visiting at least twice and definitely in future travels, so I opted for a pair. Cup Clip We ordered the cup clip in new black. My brother says this will allow us to free up space at the dinner tables as well as insure nothing affects my gambling. Polish I have had issues with many polishes ruining my toenails. Regular polishes have chemicals that can cause the nails to get fungal infections because of this and lack of breathing. I discover this polish through a coworker's wife who toenail had actually fell off due to bad spa visits. It is pretty expensive, but your nails actually look better unlike when other polishes have been removed. Quercetin I was recommended this by my friend Alison, and I have to say they are a game changer. I take a few other vitamins and supplements, but I realized these are better for when it comes to cruising and flying. I prefer everything in gummy or powder form. I got these Travel Pouches to add to these Leakproof Pouches I brought a few years ago. I really love them. They have never leaked and last a long time. I decided i wanted some different sizes this time around. I also got these TSA Pouches to hold liquids not in those pouches. Yeti Can Koozi I like to get me sodas in the casino or with my vouchers to take to dinner and sometimes I get them before a show or something. This will keep them colder and reduce the need for ice later on. Now on to I guess more sober news..... My mother's husband had to have surgery again and all the toes are gone. He will have to stay in the hospital until Feb at the earliest if everything goes according to plan. He will need special shoes and a cane. My mother will prepare Christmas dinner and bring it to the hospital, and we will do a video call when he is up to it. I am thankful she has made some friends, so she has support out there. MaryS, SweetPea, Lovetocruise2002 and 3 others 3 3 Quote
asquared17 Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 i'm struggling not to laugh because this really is more sober news, but the way you so smoohtly went from a bezos shopping list to to the reveal about the toe casualty has me DYING. .... why am i this way???? Â also YES for the cup clip and the quercetin!!!!! making me PROUD!!!! Ampurp85, SweetPea and InmyElement 2 1 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said: Well now I feel bad not live blogging my solo Christmas cruise. Solo = poor class for me...although I got a great deal on this cruise and have an aft balcony I won't use Are you on AD ?  I thought I saw your name on one of the âlistsâ.  If so, letâs meet up ! JustMeJoe 1 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 22, 2024 Report Posted December 22, 2024 Ugh, @Ampurp85. Â So very sorry to hear that your motherâs husband had to have surgery again and the outcome was so unfortunate. Â Prayers for them. YAY on Quercetin ! Â We both take it daily and I highly recommend that you add Zinc to your regimen. Â Zinc opens the cells and allows the Quercetin to do its job. asquared17, Ampurp85 and InmyElement 1 2 Quote
AshleyDillo Posted December 23, 2024 Report Posted December 23, 2024 35 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Are you on AD ? Â I thought I saw your name on one of the âlistsâ. Â If so, letâs meet up ! I am! I have been unsuccessfully trying to avoid the casino and will likely end up there again later. Glad to meet up wherever! 2 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: I am pretty sure none of you know this, but I am not a "girly" woman. I knew this! Ampurp85 1 Quote
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