Having the LIBERTY of seeing RADIANCE on an ICON: Jan9th-31st, a S2S & B2B Adventure.

[Ampurp85]

Well it’s about that time!!!! 

TL:DR 

Let's get started with the into.  

These cruises are not what they were meant to be.  

It started like a gazillion years ago. My plan was to sail Celebrity Ascent with Allison proceeded by Icon. I was on the Feb 2 sailing that happened this year (this is how she fell in love and become the resident Celebrity expert), booked during black Friday of 2023. Well, Icon was excluded for like all the years from Prime, so I changed my Ascent to a Refection cruise. Of course, life continued to laugh at the plans I made. All the way until August of this year the plan included Celebrity Reflection, which sailed Jan 12-16th and went to PDCC/Key West; my brother was excited about that. 

I was holding out in hopes that Icon wouldn’t be excluded again from Prime, and I was super lucky. First because I had made a lot of points, my prime cert was going to drop a whole 2 days before my brothers. This meant I would have to wait until his dropped to book. I also saw that a lot of Icon sailings were excluded. Thanks to the blog, I learned that for some odd reason they all dropped early, and I was able to call in and get a B2B on Icon booked. But man was it a time.  

I was on hold for a while, I was able to get an interior plus, unfortunately they were all forward. It took over an hour just to get my certificate squared away (probably like 50+min on hold) and while trying to book my brother, I got disconnected. I was so sad. I called back and it said like a hour wait but disconnected after 32minutes . Then it said like a 2hr wait and I was connected at 77min. Since I knew what date and room I wanted, it was like 5min to book. I wanted the same room for both legs and oddly enough it was like $19 to upgrade on my brother’s cert. So, I think they are basing the value allotted based on the tier points you earn. I.e. a 10Kpt prime gets better categories/lower upgrade fees than a 2500pt prime.  

With Icon booked as a B2B and Celebrity Reflection leading the way, all I needed was a post/pre-cruise hotel to book. Since Icon is sailing from Miami, I decided to book the Holiday Inn Express Miami Airport Blue Lagoon Area because it said it is close enough to a Publix. I was excited because I was going to be cruising for 18 days in Jan. Tying with Jan 2025 S3S, but technically the longest vacation when you add in the extra hotel night.  

Both my mom and my BFF ‘s mom (hereby known as Ang) had been landlocked for a very long time. My mother since May 2024 and Ang since Oct 2022, the horror. My mom was supposed to come on the Jan 25th Indy cruise of my S3S, but her husband lost half of his foot, so she had to stay home. Neither would be able to sail more than 7N. Icon starts at like $1300pp and I know neither of them could afford that. So, she asked to be added to the room and invited Ang along. At the time, the offer for Celebrity included the 3rd and 4th guest free, so it was way cheaper to share a room than book two separate ones. Now funny enough I had played hard for my mother in May 2024, so she has been getting great casino offers. Better offers than my brother who has been prime for like 4 years straight. Ang also gets great offers, considering she has been on exactly 3 cruises with Royal and probably spent maybe $1500 in total.  

I am always checking CP and the Club Royale website. I might not be able to take advantage of all the cruises, but occasionally I luck up. I like to stack my cruises as much as possible and noticed that I had an offer for Liberty. I haven’t sailed Liberty, and she was last for my Freedom dance card. It was a three-night, sailing out of PE, so I wouldn’t actually miss out on work. Then I could just go to Reflection after disembarkation. My mother and Ang also had this offer and so I booked them a balcony GTY. When we sailed in Sept, I did earn some instant certs and was able to get my brother and I our own rooms for the Radiance sailing. They also each had an offer for a Radiance sailing and that made me think. 

I had to do the math. It was about $2300 (this includes the change fees, gratuity and taxes/fee) for 4 people to share a room in Concierge class on Celebrity. It was $824 total for the gratuities, taxes and port fees for Radiance, so even with the loss of my deposit I came out ahead. I chose to eat the deposit other than adding on change fees because at the time I had no plans to sail Celebrity until I made pinnacle on Royal or they merged the casino program. The new plan became a S2S from Liberty to Radiance (with mom and Ang sharing a room) and a B2B on Icon (just my brother and I).  

Amazingly enough when I combined my mothers and Ang offer for the Radiance sailing, they were able to get a deluxe/suite guarantee. I am sure they will be assigned a JS but it works out that everyone is getting double points for this sailing. I had earned myself a balcony on Oasis for Radiance and my brother an OV. The plan is to switch onboard as I have no use for a balcony and my brother does. The new plan will break my cruising record by sailing 21N and being on vacation for 22 days.  

I started getting RUB around Halloween for the first two sailings and the 4th of Nov for both Icon sailings. I had no plans to upgrade any of the rooms so I ignored them. With all the taxes fees and grats we are sailing 21 nights for about $1100pp, which is a win in my book. 

Itinerary:

Out of FLL/PE

Jan 9th-12th, Liberty 

Ports: Nassau, PDCC

Jan 12th-16th, Radiance 

Ports: Nassau, PDCC

Hotel stay:Holiday Inn Express Miami Airport Blue Lagoon

Out of Miami/POM

Jan 17th-24th, Icon

Ports: St. Maarten, St. Thomas, PDCC

Jan 24th-31st, Icon

Ports: Costa Maya, Roatan, Cozumel, PDCC

 

 

 

[asquared17]

23 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

My plan was to sail Celebrity Ascent with Allison proceeded by Icon. I was on the Feb 2 sailing that happened this year (this is how she fell in love and become the resident Celebrity expert), booked during black Friday of 2023.

i totally forgot you had booked this one, too!! we will sail together eventually

 

LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!

 

also — “celebrity expert” i’m cackling 

[Ampurp85]

29 days to go

Check in opened on Nov 25th for Liberty. I was able to secure the earliest time which was 11:30. On BF check-in opened for Radiance and again the earliest check-in time was 11:30. On Dec 3rd check-in opened for Icon and the earliest time was again.......11:30.When the 10th came around for the second leg I knew that 11:30 was going to be the earliest and so it was. I do have plans to be at the ports before 11am and so we will see what happens.

All of the shenanigans pretty much involve my mother. 

First the husband is the wrong vibe. . He wasn't following the doctors orders and was kicked out of several hospitals and rehabs. Causing undue stress on my mother who had to boycott taking care of him for a month in Oct. Without her taking care of him he got pneumonia and other health-related issue forcing him back into the hospital. Where he had a come-to-Jesus moment and decided to get right, including wanting a blessing from Jesus. She had also told him she was going on the Jan cruises and would stick him a nursing home if need be......Right now the plan is for a nurse to come during the day and for their friends to come in the evening. He had been in a wheelchair from Jan-Oct because he refused to do therapy. But after the boycott and hitting close to rock-bottom he now uses a walker to get around. 

My mother lives in a 55+ community in Arcadia FL, which is near Fort Myers airport. There are no direct flight to MIA or FLL and the least bad connecting flight was with a 6hr connection. It was actually more convenient, and cheaper, for her to fly to ORD and then to FLL/MIA. All of that was cuckoo bananas to me. There are also no Brightline trains that service her. There is a Greyhound bus that goes directly to FLL and Miami. It leaves once early in the morning(6am) and then once late at night(11pm). The stop is located like a 10min walk from her house. Neither my brother and I felt comfortable with her catching a bus that late, she would make it home around 2am as the ride is about 3hrs. She was adamant about taking the bus both ways and then was like she will get her husband to pay for an Uber/Lyft since he needs to be punished. To prebook it was $275

We decided we were going to rent a car and drive her home the day after the S2S cruises. So we decided on her taking the bus coming in the day before and then staying at a hotel because both the bus and shuttle go to the airport. She wanted to wing the return.  I wanted to lock in the best rate but my mother's train of thought was to ask Ang to fly in a day early and they drive down to the port. I know you guys are thinking the same thing....why isn't she driving????? Although my mother has driven in Chicago her entire life, she isn't comfortable driving places she doesn't know in Florida. This is sound logic. I was waiting for my last round of points to post, and for flight prices to go down, so I wasn't getting our tickets until late Oct. I have an AAdvantage card so I get checked backs for free on American. I would have liked to book Ang ticket on my card, so I gave my mother a deadline to let Ang know of the plans. Two weeks before Halloween my mother told her walking buddy about the cruise and the buddy said she was going to be in FLL that weekend, she would pick my mother up that Sat and bring her home. So now my mother asked me to buy her Greyhound ticket, purchased on Oct 22th. I told my mother to let Ang know. 

Now tickets are brought: $32 for a one-way greyhound and $22.40 for two round-trip flights with miles. Now I haven't seen my mother in 17 months but I talk to her pretty much every day. At least 2 times a week we have spoken about the cruise because she gets brand new with details. Ang is her good friend, they talk way more than Ang and I. I did get a call this week and she said despite them talking a few times since then, my mother never told her she decided to take the bus. She was wondering if a $595 r/t ticket was good. I felt so bad, like omg, she had been holding out and my mother never let her know. I did end up booking her a r/t flight for $415 with bags but she could have paid $320 if she had booked with us. 

 

[Ampurp85]

RUBs for Liberty

RUBs for Radiance

RUBs for Icon, same for both legs

 

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Wow, that’s a lot of RUB options.

[Ampurp85]

Odds/End/Black Friday.

We will go to the Royal beach club on the S2S and PDCC for all for sailings. None of the bundles make any sense when you are Prime, D+ and don't beach.

Earlier this year Chase Sapphire Reserve decided to become extra fancy. Changing the way you earn points and charging over $1k for an annual fee so I downgraded. It wouldn't go into effect until Oct but BF is in Nov.  I had a brain fart and decided to cancel all my CP purchase because I assumed I would get a new card number. I didn't want my refunds going to lala land. It was a moot point because I kept the same card number. But I will say that the first two iterations of the BF sales were abysmal. I was so upset about cancelling them because at first everything costed more. 

I had booked the UDP for the first leg of Icon for both of us during a random July sale where it was 50% off and about $306 with grats. I had also scored a sweet internet sale where a 4 device package was $110 on Liberty and $149 on Radiance. Internet on Icon stayed high. During the second wave of BF the UDP went to $259 with grats for the Jan 17th Icon sailing, this week it went "55% off" and $225. Also the internet for the S2S went to $106/$144 and I saved those few coins. When I cancelled I decided to do the UDP for just my brother again. I actually ended up booking the Giovanni's+1 for myself......and it for both of us on the second leg. It was only $55 and since I really only want Izumi and Giovanni's its a win.  Icon has a lot of new free options and almost everyone I have spoken to that has sailed her said anything more than a 3 night package is a waste. This considerably so because I am not a huge fan of Chops and will only eat at Hooked as a last resort. 

I will be using my prime discount and free D+ days for Icon because it works out to be about $20pp cheaper than buying a 2 device package with the sale. 

CP was wonky throughout the entirety of the BF sales. It would show one price and then you go to check out and another pops up. Also the price for you wasn't the price for everyone. Example being I was planning to book an embarkation day lunch on Liberty for Chop's, I prefer the lunch because the burger is so good, it was showing $13.99 for me. My brother whom I am sharing a room with was $14.99 and Ang and my mother $16.99. We are doing Sabor night one, I was planning to use the D+ BOGO but if the bf sale was good I was going to get it. Mine and my brother came up $20.99, but Ang and mom $26.99. The situation occurred on Radiance for Samba grill, with my brother's being $23.99 and the rest of us at $29.99. Apparently Royal is even using dynamic pricing for CP purchases like restaurants. 

Given that all the times are available for Liberty and Radiance, I am sure we will have no issue using a D+ BOGO. I will let my mother and Ang decide between Samba Grill and GT. We have 7:30 traditional dining for the S2S, although some documents say 7:45. We have MTD for the B2B and I reserved a couple of nights on the first sailing in anticipation of possibly having potato soup and baked Alaska.

It was a real struggle to do specialty lunches on our B3B of Oasis, so even though the prices are right, I was like I won't book any. I did have Pier 7 booked for the second leg of Icon but after sleeping on it for weeks I found the menu to be meh for me. So I may cancel it

I am taking the same luggage setup from the B3B with less clothes in order to accommodate the Christmas presents for my mother and her husband. Also we plan to wash at the hotel. So I am actually bringing about two weeks of clothes for 3wks of vacation. 

I am currently typing all of this because I have the flu. Funny enough I got sick right before our S3S this past Jan. I am glad it is beforehand, even if I do feel miserably.  If you would have said I would be laying under a heated blanket even 5 years ago I would have laughed in your face. I never use to get cold, I am inching more and more into vintage land.

 

 

 

[Ampurp85]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Wow, that’s a lot of RUB options.

I thought it was odd because I have way too many options. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Sorry to hear that you’re sick.  That just sucks !  At least you will now have natural immunity for later when it really counts.  

Sabor is still on Liberty ?  I was sure that they would get rid of Sabor at the very first opportunity.  I have always enjoyed that restaurant and I hope they keep it.

[JohnK6404]

Feel better!

[Ampurp85]

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Sorry to hear that you’re sick.  That just sucks !  At least you will now have natural immunity for later when it really counts.  

Sabor is still on Liberty ?  I was sure that they would get rid of Sabor at the very first opportunity.  I have always enjoyed that restaurant and I hope they keep it.

Once she goes into to get Amped March/April its being removed. I am excited for the guac and to try the bacon/jalapeno chicken things @OCSC Mike raves about. I forgot to try them on Allure. 

Yes to the natural immunity, I don't do meds(does Vapor Rub count???) so I am supplementing my way back to health. 

Also as an aside @WAYNO is on the second half of my Icon B2B celebrating his birthday. We are excited to see him and the wife. 

[OCSC Mike]

23 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

the bacon/jalapeno chicken things

They need to just put them on the Playmakers menu.

Feel better!

[MaryS]

I am so sorry you have the flu .  I love Vapor Rub.  I always use it when I'm sick.  Something about it just makes me feel better.  Hope you feel better soon so that you can enjoy the holidays.

[Southern Dan]

Drats, I’m on the Radiance sailing prior to yours.  Would love to meet some folks on here, one day I suppose.

I’ll be doing a live too but won’t start until much, much later than now.  Look forward to following along on your adventures!

[InmyElement]

16 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

Jan 9th-12th, Liberty

We’ll miss you by one day at PDCC…the cruise universe is rude like that   We’re there on Sat the 10th!

Loved the read, my dad’s third wife  was the wrong vibe also, so I feel your pain. Feel better soon   I’m basically showering in Vitamin C until we fly out on the 1st. Can’t wait for all the shenanigans!

16 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

With all the taxes fees and grats we are sailing 21 nights for about $1100pp, which is a win in my book. 

Will you be my TA??   Your my idol!

[SweetPea]

I'm just seeing your new blog now! And I'm here for it, but I will catch up when we're back on the 23rd!

[ScottD]

Wow, this is a pretty awesome little series of cruises.  Looking forward to 3 weeks and 3 ships worth of shenanigans- your brother should definitely enjoy all the food options on Icon!  Hope you're feeling better, at least you are getting it out of the way now! 

[InmyElement]

I hope your feeling better??  Snow on the ground, but countdown is on..

[lovetheplaya]

How did I miss this?! Are you feeling better? Also… so. Much. Planning! I love it so much!!! So excited for your month o’cruising blogs!

[Ampurp85]

I have had two nice saunas, so I am at about 70%. We had below zero days from this past Friday until today. None of that helped because I wasn't comfy under my heated throw but dealing with humans and their shenanigans.

The countdown is alive and pushing .....that same as my mother's husband.  

[AshleyDillo]

On 12/11/2025 at 2:50 PM, Ampurp85 said:

Jan 9th-12th, Liberty 

I'm on Utopia for this weekend. If the schedules are the same as the Liberty sailing that I just got off of, we end up sharing PDCC and Nassau with you!

If that's the case we should definitely try to meet up on the island or Nassau, though I'm booked for the new beach club on that day.

[asquared17]

1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said:

I'm on Utopia for this weekend. If the schedules are the same as the Liberty sailing that I just got off of, we end up sharing PDCC and Nassau with you!

If that's the case we should definitely try to meet up on the island or Nassau, though I'm booked for the new beach club on that day.

i’m so jealous rn

[Ampurp85]

2 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

I'm on Utopia for this weekend. If the schedules are the same as the Liberty sailing that I just got off of, we end up sharing PDCC and Nassau with you!

If that's the case we should definitely try to meet up on the island or Nassau, though I'm booked for the new beach club on that day.

Let me know. I almost booked the beach club at $100 but I just don't beach and I know my mom or Ang would get any value out of it.

[AshleyDillo]

8 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Let me know. I almost booked the beach club at $100 but I just don't beach and I know my mom or Ang would get any value out of it.

Will do. I only booked the beach club because @CHart did   I do want to try it once, so at least this will get it out of the way.

[CHart]

17 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Will do. I only booked the beach club because @CHart did   I do want to try it once, so at least this will get it out of the way.

I only booked it because @Matt did. I think I found our culprit!

[Ampurp85]

21 days to go.....

Unfortunately during my bout with the flu I got sinusitis as well . So I was feeling better for all of 10hrs and then it felt like my face tried to break up a fight at the buffet during a seafood extravaganza. I can tell I am heading into that vintage light because it takes longer and longer to bounce back.

I know I mentioned that for the S2S my mother and Ang have gty rooms. Neither have been assigned. I have done a decent number of GTYs and they all have been assigned no later than 30 days beforehand. This hasn't been the case for them. I still have no idea where their rooms are and I will need to print the luggage tags soon. Also Ang hasn't fully checked in for the cruise, so I keep getting notices. I told her as soon as check-in opened and I secured the times, to go in the app and add her passport and card. I have a feeling she will have to be in line and do it.

As I mentioned my mother is taking the Greyhound to FLL/Miami. The bus gets in around 9am, so she coming in the day before and staying at a Holiday Inn Express. The plan is to get the shuttle from MIA to the hotel and then take the shuttle back to the airport cruise day and meet us. This sounded like the best option but now we are a smidge worried. My mother is direction-ally challenged, then she gets frustrated and that raises her blood pressure and causes her brain to shutdown. It seems simple enough to us but we live in a realm of logic. Which is to say that now we are trying to work it so we actually fly down and meet her, so we don't have to worry about her getting lost and frustrated. The problem is work. My brother has a job site visit that Thursday morning and there is only one nonstop flight after noon. We have to fly together or else he will pay for his checked bags, so he is trying to see if he could move the visit up one day and we can make it work. 

Both my mother and Ang have decided that we will do GT on Radiance. None of us eat meat like that and just would rather have a more carefree option that won't result in nightmares. 

The luggage will be coming out right after Christmas. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

5 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Unfortunately during my bout with the flu I got sinusitis as well . 

Ugh.  What a double whammy !  . The good news is…your natural immunity will be waaay up so you will avoid the airborne gremlins that will be circulating onboard.  Feel better !  

[Ampurp85]

17 days to go.....

Well it was a bit of a Christmas miracle, just a tiny one. My brother was able to move his job site, well it was actually moved for him. Funny enough a couple of people are on vacation during Jan, who knew ,  and nobody will be there for him to survey with. It was reschedule on short notice for today. So I was able to reschedule our flights and book the last room at the Holiday Inn Express on 17th street in FLL. It was actually a boon but not one at the same time.

There were only 3 direct flight to FLL, only about 2hrs apart. I remember when there were at least 4-5 direct flights a day, now so many are connecting. We are booked on the first flight to FLL which is at 8am and gets there at noon. Ang couldn't change her flight (she is a nurse and couldn't get someone to cover her 12hr shift) so she still will be on the first flight out on the 9th. We had paid for the flights with miles; the flight from ORD to MIA was double what the flight ORD to FLL cost, so I basically got refunded the miles to cover another one-way flight. 

My mom's bus gets in at 9:30 to the Hollywood TriRail and she will just take the rail to the airport. My brother is making her a step-by-step guide on what she needs to do. Then we can all just go to the hotel. The only not so great thing was that they only had one room left, so the three of us will be sharing a confined space for awhile. I mean considering we were willing to share a tiny cabin amongst 4 adults on Celebrity for 4 nights, this shouldn't be so bad?.....Right? But it is our mom. She was super happy, because that is an extra day we get to spend together. My brother is like that is extra Publix subs . I will be happy to get out of Chicago's miz weather and be going on a cruise.  

[lovetheplaya]

3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

he was super happy, because that is an extra day we get to spend together. My brother is like that is extra Publix subs . I will be happy to get out of Chicago's miz weather and be going on a cruise.  

I'm glad things are working out!! 

[Ampurp85]

Oh and another funny update.

In my lifetime I have only gotten one jury summons, I was excited and probably in my very early twenties, I think I just turned 21. Unfortunately the accused for that one decided exiting was more beneficial and so I was excused. Haven't been summoned since.  I opened the mailbox yesterday and got a standby jury summons for the 15th of January. I laughed so hard and I had to tell my mother who thought it was the funniest thing ever. I shot them a quick email this morning with my plane confirmations and blacked out RCG invoices and a few hours later I was excused, with a rescheduling to come 11 weeks later. I am planning to cruise in April or May casino Gods bless me, so........

Another not so funny update is that neither of the S2S rooms have been assigned.  My mother nor Ang sweat the details but I would like to know where they will be on the ship. 

[InmyElement]

15 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

My brother is like that is extra Publix subs 

Yes.. I made 3–4 trips in 24 hours..last time in fll.

12 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

got a standby jury summons for the 15th of January. I laughed so hard

I love it...."come and get me"..lol

 

There have been a few episodes of panic when my cruise preparedness anxiety kicked in and I thought, I might actually have to fill out luggage tags by hand  The horror...the chaos 

Wishing speedy s2s arrivals..

[ScottD]

12 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

Oh and another funny update.

In my lifetime I have only gotten one jury summons, I was excited and probably in my very early twenties, I think I just turned 21. Unfortunately the accused for that one decided exiting was more beneficial and so I was excused. Haven't been summoned since.  I opened the mailbox yesterday and got a standby jury summons for the 15th of January. I laughed so hard and I had to tell my mother who thought it was the funniest thing ever. I shot them a quick email this morning with my plane confirmations and blacked out RCG invoices and a few hours later I was excused, with a rescheduling to come 11 weeks later. I am planning to cruise in April or May casino Gods bless me, so........

Another not so funny update is that neither of the S2S rooms have been assigned.  My mother nor Ang sweat the details but I would like to know where they will be on the ship. 

Lucky you (well, overall- not THIS time)- I think the rule is you are eligible every three years here in Philly... I'm pretty sure I get that summons every 3 years on the dot for the past 20 years, lol.  I have only had to serve an actual trial ONCE, but have gone to city hall and sat through the process at least 7 or 8 times now. The good thing is, we have a pretty popular (very touristy) spot called Reading Terminal market here and it's full of vendors with great food and snacks, and you get a discount when you have your juror badge on, so at least I get that every few years! 

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, ScottD said:

Reading Terminal market here and it's full of vendors with great food and snacks, and you get a discount when you have your juror badge on, so at least I get that every few years! 

Way to find the silver lining! 

[Southern Dan]

18 minutes ago, ScottD said:

The good thing is, we have a pretty popular (very touristy) spot called Reading Terminal market here and it's full of vendors with great food and snacks, and you get a discount when you have your juror badge on, so at least I get that every few years! 

Dinics Roast Pork Sandwich is always a must when I go to Philly.  Reading Terminal is great!

[ScottD]

1 hour ago, Southern Dan said:

Dinics Roast Pork Sandwich is always a must when I go to Philly.  Reading Terminal is great!

Yesss..one of the best!

[Ampurp85]

12 days to go.

Today the luggage is coming out. I have a full workweek of 8-5pm shifts this week so I really only have today and some of next weekend to fully get myself together. On the B3B Oasis sailing I took my larger checked bag and my tiniest carry-on. A good chuck of the stuff brought was either my brother's or not used. Plus, in all honesty the bigger checked bag has the worst wheels. So, I am trying to see if I can pack in just two carry-on sized luggage. Now if it was just my stuff going this wouldn't be an issue, but I have my mother's Christmas gifts to deal with.

Therefore, I will be trying to pack a bit more strategically since we have two hotel stays and 21 days of cruising to deal with. The plan is do laundry during our hotel stay before our B2B on Icon. Although we have access to a free bag of laundry each for being D+, we haven't had much luck because the clothes come back smelling horrible imho. I think because they wash everything in big, extremely hot washers with a more universal detergent, the smell just doesn't mesh well with our chemistry. They ruined my brother's linen pants and shorts when we were on Wonder. They were white and came back a dusty color neither of us could describe.

I have been checking CP constantly in hopes that I would catch a deal on Icon internet and so when I do, I check to see if the GTYs have been assigned. On Christmas Eve, Dec 24th, they assigned Ang and my mom's balcony gty for Liberty. Cabin #7384 which is a spacious OV balcony located aft and only one deck above our deck 6 aft balcony. Royal now does this thing when they assign GTYs by sending you not only a new set of guest documents, but a sheet that is a back-end copy of the booking. I got those documents on the 25th. On the 27th the Radiance GTY was assigned, and they were given JS #1084 on deck 10. On today I received the two documents indicating that the change went into effect. So, day 16 for Liberty and day 13 for Radiance, which is the record for the longest I have waited for a GTY to be assigned. Both sailings show that OV/balconies are sold out. 

We have FOUR visits to PDCC during this group of sailings. I am sure that I will only get off during the S2S with my mom and Ang. Having Icon to myself will be great . We also visit Nassau twice during the S2S. The beach club had gone as low as $109 for the Liberty sailing and as of today it is $250 with supposedly only 3 spots left . On Radiance it is 50% ($124.99) off for being a casino Royale Prime member. Nothing about the beach club appeals to me and the current reviews make it appear even more lackluster. 

So, we have been playing a game of Bezos vs Aldi Vs the Dollar Tree Vs Marshalls

I know you are like huh? Well, we cruise and then we think of things that will make the cruise more enjoyable. We then purchase said things usually through Amazon. However, we begin to find that almost everything we purchased from Bezos could be found elsewhere at a cheaper price. Now brings in the question of quality. So over the past few months we have come across a couple of items

First one was a collapsible container. We normally bring Ziploc bags for cookies and other stuff. But my brother likes to get rice and bread each night from the WJ as a snack. My mother and Ang are salad fiends. Those plates and bowls are cumbersome. So, we thought bring a collapsible container would be a win. I got this one from Bezos and individually they ranged around $12 on average

Amazon.com: Lunbengo Purple Collapsible Sandwich Container, Silicone Lunch Container Bento Box with Plastic Lid, Microwave Safe, Camping Bowl For Meal Prep, Travel and Hiking, 40oz/1200ML: Home & Kitchen

We found the same ones, albeit in only grey, green or pink, for $4.99 at Aldi's in this case they were the same quality. I decided to return the Bezo's ones and saved almost $30

Sometimes we are a bit scatterbrained and leave behind our pump soaps. Truthfully, we brought soap a couple of times and it got everywhere trying to move between cabins and so for the most part we end up using that little bar of soap Royal gives. Which sucks as a handwashing soap. This year I decided to buy pumps and transfer the hand soap into them. The fact that they are leakproof and have caps are a win....and under TSA regulations.

Amazon.com: 4 Pack Foam Pump Bottle, 60 ml/2 oz Mini Empty Bottle Travel Foaming Dispenser, Plastic Mousse Foam Dispenser Pump for Soap, Shower Gel, Shampoo, Facial Cleanser - Mix Colors : Beauty & Personal Care

Recently I came across some 1oz bottles at the Dollar Tree. I was able to split my Market Peach Bath & Body Works into 3 bottles so that we could each have a hand soap that doesn't hardly take up any room. In this instance I decided to keep both as they are all reuseable and I can take the 1oz bottles with me on the go.

I also got a new water bottle. I was less than a year old when I discovered you could bring ice to the airport. I did it for the first time this past Sept and it was a game changer. I originally ordered it through Bezos but not even a week later at Marshall I discovered a better looking purple one for $14.99

Amazon.com: Stanley IceFlow Fast Flow Water Bottle | Angled Spout Lid | Lightweight & Leakproof for Travel & Sports | Insulated Stainless Steel | BPA-Free : Sports & Outdoors

I also got other odds and ends that we mostly all bring on cruises. My brother plans to bring his snorkeling gear with him this time, and I am going to try the cup clip in the casino, so far it has been used to hold my nighttime drinks. 

 

[asquared17]

46 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

am going to try the cup clip in the casino,

i need pics of this!!!!

[InmyElement]

19 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

We have FOUR visits to PDCC during this group of sailings.

FOUR visits to Perfect Day at CocoCay?! I’d try everything..  I’ve even seen people go for a run…maybe I’d try that too. (I believe one of your cruise stops your brother went for a run?..was it PDCC?) Although by visit four, they’d probably have to roll me back to the ship 

19 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

So, we have been playing a game of Bezos vs Aldi Vs the Dollar Tree Vs Marshalls

I do the same..I'm the shopper, but at the last three she stays in the truck...

19 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

Now if it was just my stuff going this wouldn't be an issue, but I have my mother's Christmas gifts to deal with.

Oh your a Saint ....best wishes! I can't imagine trying to fit presents...I'd call in a favor for @asquared17's presidential trunks!  

[SweetPea]

I'm finally caught up, and as usual,  mom and hubby did not disappoint! I do hope he finds Jesus and gets right with his health! Good for your mom to stick to her guns!

Curious if you've tried Oregano Oil for health/immunity? I just bought some but haven't tried it yet. I need a plan of attack for our 19-night cruise. I hate to generalize, but 19-night cruises are typically full of full-fledged vintages who don't take hand washing seriously. Every long cruise with full of vintage+, I get sick. Regardless, I'm with @WAAAYTOOO, and feel your illness now will preclude you from getting sick when it matters!

We too have Chase Sapphire Reserve and were a bit disappointed in the changes, and I'm still trying to work my way around maximizing benefits. I like it for the insurance alone, but that can't be the only card who offers that. What did you downgrade to?

And when you said you were packing for 3 weeks with 2 weeks width of clothes, I beamed with pride for you and wondered how some of our beloved, chronic overpackers here would manage at the same time!

Also, those collapsible containers you have ... they are standard here in our house because I have limited storage in my kitchen and they are so easy to put away. One thing though ... the tops can get fussy after a bit and don't snap on correctly after a while. So we've thrown out a few and started over. We use them hard though.  And we've bought 2 of the same one at the same time more than once. Here's a fun fact, the lids aren't always interchangeable. So you have to keep track of which lid belongs to which container, even though they're the same color. It drove us nuts, so we resorted to only buying different colors to make it easier to match lids. YMMV! We could've just had bad luck!

[lovetheplaya]

22 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

We have FOUR visits to PDCC during this group of sailings.

THIS is a dream!! 

[Ampurp85]

@SweetPea I am slightly fancy so the Reserve had gotten too fancy for me. I just went down to the Preferred, it still has insurances and no foreign transaction fees. I have been mostly obsessed with Pyrex/Ello glass containers because they do it all. These collapsible containers just got on my radar. So I have taken them out for a spin and I LOVE them. 

So I like PDCC but not enough to visit 4 times during a short time period like that. Plus the casino is always open for PDCC