My Odyssey into Fat Pants: The Final Frontier. 11 nights. Star Class. NJ weather in January. Every girl’s dream. (1/5 – 1/16/25)

[Curt From Canada]

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

I'm crying.

You're right, though. I have NO idea how i would explain that one. I probably wouldn't and resort to my usual. That's:

Step 1: Stare like I'm thinking. 

Step 2: Give up and shrug my shoulders. 

Step 3: Hand him a beer.

Step 4: Run to the restroom in the hopes he'll forget what he just asked me when i return.

The issue here though, is that i would have to hide the flowers so that wouldn't play out each time he eyed the flowers again .... 

In the middle of night, I'd catch him Googling "cruise + Curt from Canada."

Which would lead to Step 5: Divorce.

 

 

Little does Batman know, but this is what he is missing :

Curt from Canada

[SweetPea]

That's a lovely Pic! 

If i showed you a pic of my dining room table, flowers would be oddly absent. What you WOULD see is a copious pile of mail i should really tend to at some point ...

[Ampurp85]

So, a lot of your personality makes sense. I definitely think you will survive this transition without killing each other. There was a period where me and my company were going through it and for about a year, I worked part-time and also managed a 24hr breakfast spot. I was the overnight manager, and it was a mess. I would work 10-6 there and start 7-2:30 at my company. But the kicker is how working third shift affects your body and brain. No wonder Batman couldn't remember underwear. 

Also, the SS Genie really makes the star class product cheap. I have to admit that Quantum class is my least favorite. Odyssey was my first one and the experience was very lackluster, sailing Quantum to Alaska didn't do the class any favors. For a somewhat large ship, there is a huge lack of activities available. I mean I guess if you love live music and pubs, you will be okay. But the shows in 270 are weird and not plentiful. However, this class seem to have cornered the market on storage. 

[OCSC Mike]

37 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

If i showed you a pic of my dining room table, flowers would be oddly absent. What you WOULD see is a copious pile of mail i should really tend to at some point ...

If I showed you a pic of my... oh wait, we don't even have a dining room table b/c we knew we'd never use it, lol. Our "dining room" is a pool table room... and we don't use that table either but it sounded like a good idea at the time.

[Lovetocruise2002]

6 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

If I showed you a pic of my... oh wait, we don't even have a dining room table b/c we knew we'd never use it, lol. Our "dining room" is a pool table room... and we don't use that table either but it sounded like a good idea at the time.

Lol! We have no dining room table either. My piano is there in place of it. 

[SweetPea]

I wish i weren't annoyed by this, but i am. And i hate myself for it. 

Day 4 in the CK has been stuck on nothing but the kids menu since menus were finally loaded. (Same for Day11).

[OCSC Mike]

15 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

I wish i weren't annoyed by this, but i am. And i hate myself for it.

Don't hate yourself, that stuff drives me nuts too. Fortunately since we do very repetitive itineraries, I can easily get the info from current cruises. I know yours is different being 11N though. Hopefully it populates before you board.

[Debstr66]

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

If i showed you a pic of my dining room table,

Unfortunately (or maybe not...) my dining room table became my dual-monitor workstation since I work from home full time since Covid.  I wish I could retire like @SweetPea Congrats to you and Batman!!  

[SweetPea]

59 minutes ago, Debstr66 said:

Unfortunately (or maybe not...) my dining room table became my dual-monitor workstation since I work from home full time since Covid.  I wish I could retire like @SweetPea Congrats to you and Batman!!  

I'm the one who's jealous! If we still had any flexibility, we'd still be working. My company is one who sent us back to the office full time ... without enough parking or seating. Their solution was to put in conference tables to accommodate extra bodies. So you may or may not be seated next to teammates and there is zero privacy. It's a free for all. My team requires 3-4 monitors, depending on size, so we get our own room. Pre-Covid we had 40 seats. Then corporate real estate downsized our bldg while we were WFH during lockdown. After they sent us back, they gave our whole team 10 seats, claiming we work shifts. Well, between 2:30 to 3:30 everyday, there are 17 people for 10 seats. Like i said, we're leaving due to that type of insanity (among other things!).

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

I wish i weren't annoyed by this, but i am. And i hate myself for it. 

Day 4 in the CK has been stuck on nothing but the kids menu since menus were finally loaded. (Same for Day11).

The exact same thing happened on AD on our Christmas/NY B2B.  It was like that for Christmas and NYE.  I guess it was due (for us) to the fact that there was a special holiday meal in place of whatever their standard meal was for that day of the cruise.  I didn’t know what the menu was going to be until we got to the table that night !

But that explanation makes no sense in your case b/c you don’t have any holiday meals in your lineup. Do you ?

[SweetPea]

9 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

that explanation makes no sense in your case b/c you don’t have any holiday meals in your lineup. Do you ?

Negative!

I can tell the menu repeats after 7 nights, which is why i guess the kid menu is on both days 4 and 11.

[Sweety]

Congratulations on your early retirement. I am looking forward to my retirement June 2026. I will sub sometimes. I can’t wait to follow along.

[LandstromCruise]

22 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I love that none of the husbands know anything about anything. Not what ship they are sailing, what city they flew in, the friends you may or may not be talking about. I am glad I haven't remarried; one dumb husband was enough for me......which is to not to say I don't miss him dearly as a friend. 

Hey sometimes it’s the wife. I do all the planning and blogging and while she does know about the blog, she usually has no clue where or when we are going. 

[SweetPea]

Probably a good call with it being NJ and January and all ....

 

[asquared17]

good lord. 

….……

……

….

…i want it noted that i’m otherwise biting my tongue right now

[Jax]

What a MESS with the SS genie. Glad Raphael arranged a call and you are now communicating with him.  

[Curt From Canada]

OK … this is getting concerning. 16 hours since @SweetPea’s last post. 
 

How long can someone avoid going to their washroom?

Curt from Canada 

[Pooch]

Sorry I’m late to the retirement party!  @SweetPea congratulations on your retirement and I’m so sorry about the circumstances.  I was “pushed” out of a job I held for almost 25 years.  Even though I knew going was a better option than remaining in the S#%t show that was coming, it still hurt.  I wasn’t close to retirement at the time so I was lucky to find a good second act.  Retired now but I go in a few weeks at a time to help during busy times.  Keeps me in the loop & covers my yearly property taxes (it’s a municipal tax office).  Anyway, I am happy to come along and live the Star life vicariously through you!  Safe travels!!

[SweetPea]

2 hours ago, Curt From Canada said:

OK … this is getting concerning. 16 hours since @SweetPea’s last post. 
 

How long can someone avoid going to their washroom?

Curt from Canada 

Don't worry ... my pedicure is coming up soon! Batman will not be anywhere near there, though i would argue he needs one worse than me ...

 

But last night, we celebrated with a drink after turning in our laptops, work phones, badges, blah.

[SweetPea]

So if you recall, we got the cleaning notification yesterday. 

Today, we just got this. 

 

I have a note into our car service to see if they can pick us up about 15 minutes earlier so we're not the last on the ship. 

This is a new service I'm using. Our usual one thought they could get away with charging Royal pricing ($700 R/T and our house is 56 miles or so from the port). Batman is convinced that you get what you pay for and this new service is going to pick us up in a 1997 Ford Fiesta.

 

Stay tuned. 

[OCSC Mike]

11 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

Batman is convinced that you get what you pay for and this new service is going to pick us up in a 1997 Ford Fiesta.

[asquared17]

36 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

This is a new service I'm using.

i am going to message you… we like ours but idk how pricing will compare for you. 

 

at the risk of giving myself further anxiety…. are you packed?????

[Lovetocruise2002]

57 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

This is a new service I'm using. Our usual one thought they could get away with charging Royal pricing ($700 R/T and our house is 56 miles or so from the port). Batman is convinced that you get what you pay for and this new service is going to pick us up in a 1997 Ford Fiesta.

I am curious why you don't just drive yourselves to the port? Is parking bad at Cape Liberty?

[Pooch]

OMG you guys are so out of my price range!  Cannot fathom paying $700 for transportation to & from the port.  Uber?  Horse & buggy??  Scooter??!!  Heck I’ll take the 1997 Ford Fiesta!

[Ampurp85]

$700 r/t seems like a price gouge because of the inclement weather. I am sure an Uber/Lyft black would be better priced, probably more than half that.

[Yesiamthere6]

Congrats on retirement!  My hubby retired the end of December. I suggested we split household duties, or he finds a part time job.  That motivated him to secure an awesome part time job, that will require us traveling to different places. The job starts in February.  Since he is not working right now, and I had a stomach bug, I sent him grocery shopping before the big storm is due to hit. I gave him a list and told him how the grocery store was laid out. The man has an aerospace engineering degree from West Point, so he is not bat ass stupid.  He faced time me as soon as he entered the store.  Seriously!  Drove me nuts, with questions like:  I don’t see the tomato sauce, while pointing the camera at the tomato sauce.  I’m like hubby, look at all the men shopping, you look as smart as they do!    I know hubby is playing a game with me….act stupid and I’ll never have him shop again. My motto is: Paycheck or grocery shopping, his choice!
 

[SweetPea]

A question for the ladies. I'd include the gents on this one (i don't judge), but this doesn't really apply to you as much. 

I borrow Batman's Facebook and make him join cruise meet pages. I made the mistake of posting as him once.  Once.  Anyway, that's not the point. 

My point is ... what is the cutoff date to be considered "cruise" nails?  I raised eyebrows at a post 10 days ago from a woman who excitedly announced her cruise manicure was done! It's good I'm not allowed to post, because i wanted to say ... you realize that manicure will be 3 weeks old by the end of the cruise? 

Is that just me? My nails are always done, but when i know I've got a cruise coming up, my appointment is set for the day before we leave months in advance. Embarking a ship with an 11-day-old manicure for an 11-night cruise is like cooking up your hamburgers the day before your cookout and reheating them in the microwave. But that's just me. 

 

34 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

at the risk of giving myself further anxiety…. are you packed?????

I'd take a pic of Batman in his bathrobe sorting vitamins, bedhead and all, but sometimes that's a little much, even for me.

Whatever, it's keeping him occupied while i blog so ... 

We are pretty much done. I think.  I hope. 

On a side note, Batman pulled out a suitcase we haven't used in a while and found 2 unopened boxes of Bonine that expired in 2020.

21 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I am curious why you don't just drive yourselves to the port? Is parking bad at Cape Liberty?

Honestly, it's just convenience.  And we don't want to deal with me waiting for luggage while Batman gets the car, etc. That can be a cluster.

Plus, in this case, the new service I'm using is charging $280 R/T + tip. Parking would be $330. Hence, Batman's skepticism!

 

19 minutes ago, Pooch said:

OMG you guys are so out of my price range!  Cannot fathom paying $700 for transportation to & from the port.  Uber?  Horse & buggy??  Scooter??!!  Heck I’ll take the 1997 Ford Fiesta!

Hey, $700 was extortionate, even for us! I wish Uber or Lyft worked in my neck of the woods. I've tried several times, and never find drivers! 

 

8 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

$700 r/t seems like a price gouge because of the inclement weather.

Sadly that was the quote i got 2 months ago!

[Pooch]

I am a very lucky woman.  My husband does pretty much all the housework.  I cook, shop for groceries, pay the bills & plan the trips ( he never knows where or when.  His job is just to show up!). I’ve had women offer good money for him and occasionally considered the offers

[Lovetocruise2002]

17 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

My point is ... what is the cutoff date to be considered "cruise" nails?

Definitely one or two days prior to travel date. 3 weeks? Imagine the re-growth space between the cuticle and polish? No thanks. 

[SweetPea]

43 minutes ago, Yesiamthere6 said:

My motto is: Paycheck or grocery shopping, his choice!

Fair enough! 

Batman is fine enough shopping. However, if i send him on his own and i need something specific, i need to be at home and on standby for the exact reasons you mentioned. One time i wasn't available in the amount of time he deemed acceptable and instead of one jar of something i needed, i got 6 jars of varying varities he felt were "close."

32 minutes ago, Pooch said:

am a very lucky woman.  My husband does pretty much all the housework

You are very, very lucky indeed!!!

[WAAAYTOOO]

Re: manicure….definitely no more than 3 days prior to boarding. Nails are usually the very last thing I do prior to departure.

[asquared17]

1 hour ago, Yesiamthere6 said:

I gave him a list and told him how the grocery store was laid out. The man has an aerospace engineering degree from West Point, so he is not bat ass stupid.  He faced time me as soon as he entered the store.

i fear this is what they refer to as “weaponized incompetence” — which is no shade to your hubby, merely just stating that we see through his attempts to get out of this next time!!!!!

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

Embarking a ship with an 11-day-old manicure for an 11-night cruise is like cooking up your hamburgers the day before your cookout and reheating them in the microwave. But that's just me. 

wow this visual is….. horrible. thank you and remind me never to come to your cookouts.

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

I'd take a pic of Batman in his bathrobe sorting vitamins, bedhead and all, but sometimes that's a little much, even for me.

batman and i both thank you for this

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

We are pretty much done. I think.  I hope. 

…i pray. 

 

but, perhaps most importantly…. HAVE YOU CONFIRMED THERE ARE PLENTIFUL UNDIES IN THE LUGGAGE???????

[SweetPea]

I do not have a visual on the undies. However, he assures me they are packed. I'm taking him at his word. 

I was more concerned about his hairbrush. Last cruise (Norwegian), he forgot his and kept stealing mine. I'm not dealing with that being in a Loft  ...

[Pooch]

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

I do not have a visual on the undies. However, he assures me they are packed. I'm taking him at his word. 

I was more concerned about his hairbrush. Last cruise (Norwegian), he forgot his and kept stealing mine. I'm not dealing with that being in a Loft  ...

See, lucky again.  Hubby just about shaves his head!  And I would never trust him to pack.  I have often wished for a “garanimals” for men brand.  Ok, ok I’m old!  I cringe at the outfits he puts together.  Just put your clothes on the dining room table & I will fix & pack it all.  When the grands were young I would put a complete outfit in a ziplock bag.  Take out any bag you want and put it all on your body.  Hubby needs the same type of guidance.

[SweetPea]

1 minute ago, Pooch said:

garanimals

Yes!

 

Have you also had to mutter, "Well, since you're asking, I'd prefer you not wear sweats on to the ship ...."

[SMOKEY0202]

I get mani and pedi day before leaving for cruise.

Can you imagine what those nails will look like by end of cruise getting them done so early.

Should we ask if Batman wrapping suitcases with pending weather conditions.

 

 

[SMOKEY0202]

I just came back from a cruise and someone showed up minus suitcases.  Handed Porter trash bags with luggage tags on them.  Seriously you pay to cruise but can't have proper travel needs.  I wasn't on the whale tail either.  A premium line.

[Kelseylovestocruise]

5 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Definitely one or two days prior to travel date. 3 weeks? Imagine the re-growth space between the cuticle and polish? No thanks. 

My thoughts are as close as I can get prior to flying out (as I have to travel from Canada) it’s normally the Thursday, fly to Toronto Friday after work then from Toronto to wherever in Florida on the Saturday morning. Even this normally makes it 11 days old by the time I’m home.

[Pooch]

I can typically go 3 weeks between fills.  If it’s gonna be longer or I’m gonna be fussier about it, I get a French manicure, doesn’t show regrowth as fast.  @SweetPea have a wonderful trip.  Be safe!

[SweetPea]

Thank you to those of you who weighed in on the cruise nails debate. I thought i was being petty. I get haircuts 10 days before but never nails. Ever. 

I've given up on hiding ducks. Not for me, but i do appreciate the spirit. 

 

I bought these to randomly stick on doors as i walk past. 

 

If your room is between 8324 and the Pub ... your chances of getting one go up exponentially.