MichaelCMTX

Following this one as we are on Brilliance for 'ween in New England next year.

Thanks to both @TheInnocentAge and @captainannoyed! for "True Life Adventures" from the Royal Suite.  Our closest brush was doing the Hawaii-to-Vancouver on Radiance, the couple in the RS was at the same MDR table - we were all in that same neighborhood of Deck 10.  The couple in the RS was there for an anniversary - later on we discovered they'd also hit a seven-figure jackpot in Vegas earlier that year - nice!! As a group we shared drinks in the RS with them a few times - I at least can pick out the old "When you say Bud" jingle on the piano, so it was played. It turned out we were all in suites but not with that high of status. The Concierge really didn't pay us much heed with the number of Pinnacles aboard, but it brought our group closer to where we'd all book Specialty Dining the same night together. Good times.  

A number of us suggested this was the endgame of the name change.

Not too concerned as we're D+ 100 days from today.

On 6/1/2024 at 2:26 PM, George C said:

We like the higher end hotels 

Moody Gardens huge , with a couple of restaurants including a good steak 

San Luis another large resort with great steak restaurant and a piano bar

Hilton 

We'd also stayed at Moody Gardens a couple times, they did a "park for your cruise" promotion.  Only downside there was getting a room very, very far off into the hinterlands.  

Stayed at Springhill Suites last time.  Good enough, big room with a good rate but access a little difficult.  The Target is a short drive, but coming back not as easy.  

2 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Actually lots of other states have airport stores with gifts dedicated to that state. 

 

Seeing as she hadn’t seen one in her airport experiences in North Carolina, Florida, Nevada, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona, Massachusetts, Utah, Nebraska, Colorado or Washington but yet has seen such stores in Houston, multiple terminals at DFW and practically every local mall that still has a bit of a pulse, I can understand how she’s come to her conclusion.

To be 1000% clear, we're not talking about a magazine and candy concession that sells some magnets and T-shirts. It's a "STATE NAME store" thing. 

The Heinz Store at PIT was pretty clearly exactly that.

My only hope out of this one is it doesn't affect the MGM partnership - in these days of paying for parking, having free valet at any MGM property on the Vegas strip makes me feel like I've just gotten away with something!!

On 5/7/2024 at 4:08 PM, Charles4515 said:

In Texas both US and Texas flags are everywhere. 

DW - who is a Texas native - noted "just how many other states do you have a store dedicated to that state's gifts and stuff when you're in the airport?"

Then I showed her a photo I took of the Heinz store they had in Pittsburgh airport. 😃  I've lived here nearly 40 years now and still, totally, do not get it.

Ya know, we complain about the TV quality on board but on board was where I discovered "Impractical Jokers" so you never know when what you might consider to be a diamond in the rough gets uncovered.

Based on when we traveled for a while, every Spring is incomplete without "los Screen Actors Geeld awards." 

20 hours ago, mo&fran said:

well, she is 15 years old, guess it's time.

A good point.  All about perspective. Our first RC trip was on the Voyager in 2011 - ship was 12 years old. 

We've done 5 round trips from Galveston (a 6th happening in September) as well as a repositioning departure. If we weren't driving from Fort Worth and relying on our own car it's unlikely we'd sail from there.  

If you're expecting the experience of flying into Ft. Lauderdale or Miami - not happening.  

We live in Fort Worth and several times have done the "day of" drive.  For the love of all that is holy, though : START EARLY.  If we see sunlight before we hit I-45 we're behind schedule.  This still leaves us a chance at a restroom break at Buc-ee's in Madisonville and lunch right about when we hit the Woodlands.

Essentially, first thing once we get to G-Town is we unload the big luggage with the porter and still have a couple hours cushion (even more if there was fog and the ship's arrival was delayed).

Point being, you don't have to be on that ship soon as boarding starts.  You will almost always have time. 

On 3/22/2024 at 12:21 PM, Colorado Buffalo said:

https://www.enterprise.com/en/car-rental-locations/us/tx/galveston-0618.html?mcid=yext:245709

 

Website says they are open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays.

I called and confirmed as well.

They have a shuttle that goes every 30 min to port but employee on phone mentioned 

it all depends on staffing and that wait times could be 45+ min.

From personal experience, absolutely nothing stopping anyone from dropping your luggage with the porter and then taking the car back to Enterprise.  Makes that shuttle ride a lot less troublesome (and you take up a good deal less space).

The only thing that keeps cropping up (mainly in Diamond Lounge discussions) is a new tier between D+ and P - but that and a soda package will buy @nolegirl01 a Coke.

We just decided at the start we could only take a few days off each year-- still being far away from retirement-- bit the bullet, opened the wallet and went with suites.  Double points.

We spoke to other veteran cruisers about the long-since gone promotions during the slower months for double points.  Was how many of them got to Pinnacle.  Of course, you always need to be able to take advantage of opportunities so post-pandemic when they DID do a double points promo we did 13 nights in a GS on a repositioning cruise and scored 52 points to take us from the entryway to D to the doorstep of D+, but that's not at all an everyday thing. Only time in 15 years of sailing we'd seen it.

Welcome to the club - and happy sailing

On 4/6/2024 at 6:13 AM, Harrisonkid said:

Just a reminder to wash hands pre, during and past cruise ...we want everyone safe and healthy 

Our first trip post-COVID was on Adventure and it was the first sighting of the actual sinks and soap in the Windjammer entrance. That was a good idea. 

anxiously awaiting for some vodka snob to start ranting about "Kettle one."  

Too bad.  On our 2013 Hawaii cruise it was one of our tables couple's anniversary so we all went that night to Rita's. As we're from Texas we frequently approach unfamiliar Mexican with skepticism but it was a pleasant surprise.  Was also introduced to a twist on the usual procedure and went salt, tequila shot and an orange slice - and it worked a lot better - but on top of everything else from the Concierge Lounge I knew that 3rd shot had to be my last.  

I will miss Rita's - good times.  

4 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Calm down; I’m just starting the facts, I never said you could t find what you are describing. All I said was a travel policy that continues primary medical coverage upon return to your country of residence is very rare-that’s a fact. 

The word "unicorn" comes to mind.

There's seeing a comment and thinking "this person doesn't know what they're talking about" , and there's  making sure to imply it for all the Forum to see.

The current policy of choice from Travel Guard covers 1) Benefits ONLY for an injury or sickness that occurs on your trip and 2) only expenses within 365 days of that injury or sickness. Not unreasonable, and does the job. 

If you've been the one who has to help your loved one recover from an injury that snapped their humerus bone just below the joint into a bunch of trail-mix sized pieces AND dealt with all the paperwork, payment, insurance and lawyer aspects of it - you gain a little too much perspective on what you expect of the insurance and what the fine print says. From Cruise #1 my folks literally said "you're fools if you don't get the insurance" but more lessons were to be learned.  Painfully.

Go cheap on insurance and it'll bite you.  Be an Allstate driver and get rear-ended by an Allstate driver.  Been there.
 

On 2/23/2024 at 8:50 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

If you have found a policy that continues to offer primary medical  benefits once back in the states then you have found a unicorn. 

I do not get why the need is so impossible to grasp.  

If you receive an injury or illness, it pays for treatment of that illness or injury without running out the clock when your cruise was supposed to end.  The point of buying insurance is greatly reduced if they have to evacuate you to a foreign land someplace on Day 6 and then the insurer leaves you hanging after day 7.  Everyone assuming "your major medical kicks in after that", you realize your major medical will also have your deductible and copays and whatnot. After what happened, happened; we had the pleasure of running up a few grand in expenses that would've been 100% covered if, all treatment had occurred prior to Day 7.

I wouldn't call a "unicorn hunt" but more like finding the car you want with the features you want.  Just have your T/A earn that commission and do a little more research - and our T/A was definitely grateful to get some real-world education on what happens when insurance doesn't. 

 

2 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

This is absolutely normal, you were home and your primary medical coverage takes over at that point, no travel policy would have covered the shoulder surgery

Not true, the policy our T/A gets now will cover treatment and recovery of an injury sustained during the trip.  Literally, we'd have had $100K coverage if they'd flown her off the ship and performed the repair prior to the end of the policy term. 

Our now-former T/A sure had a "wow" moment when she found out about this.

My $0.02 is make sure you check carefully on your insurance.  Allianz has been mentioned, and we had a policy with them on a cruise where DW fell and ended up needing a shoulder replacement.  Coverage on the policy ended the day the trip ended; but you can't exactly roll into the ER on your first day back and magically miraculously get a shoulder replaced - so they covered the return-day ER visit - nothing more, no Ortho doctor, consultations, imaging, surgery, hospital, etc.

Not to bad-mouth Allianz completely as they may have policies that offer better coverage for an injury sustained during the dates on the cruise - but get your T/A to do the research and make sure you don't have to wade through additional pain and suffering caused by the pain and suffering.

I know it's ages ago since my parents have retired from the cruise pursuit, but once my Dad "tried to have a heart attack" the week before departure (what can I say - his radar for knowing "this ain't right" had him in a hospital bed maybe three or four times before things get truly dicey - probably why he still walks the Earth).  Their insurance covered everything.  

18 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

But look at the big picture for many loyal cruisers. You get a $200 credit for each cruise plus dividends and 6.5% increases. This could appear to be quite nice. Three cruises a year and dividends on the minimum stock shares to qualify for a discount gets you about $1000.

 

Haven't seen a dividend since 2020, my RC win isn't OBC but rather all the shares I sold just before things took a dive in early 2022 - in conjunction with buying most of them back when the price was in the $40s and $50s.  

On 11/17/2023 at 12:24 PM, The Fun Researcher said:

Yeah, if you like Western Caribbean cruises, Galveston is great.  Even then, it's repeat, repeat, repeat...

 

It's unfortunate, but comes with being so far into the gulf.  Florida owns the Eastern and Southern itineraries.

It's a little weirder now.  Adding an Oasis-class ship essentially means no tender ports, but also not many tender ports for the non-Oasis G-Town ships.  DW loves GC but wasn't happening on Voyager or Mariner.  

Not sure where you're originating from @GJustice, we drive from Dallas and decided to try the Serenade out of New Orleans a few years back.  It was the only way for us to get to Key West and Coco Cay without a plane ride or an overnight drive - thought it was 8 hours on the road vs 3.  RC's sailing from NoLA again so it might be worth a look.

9 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

My experience 3 weeks on harmony when the keep out diamonds in effect. The pinnacles grabbed at least 2/3 of the chairs and dragged them into a huge circle. 2 pinnacle couples sat at a regular table where you first come in, the rest sat in a circle. It was clear D+ arent invited to the circle of chairs. Never saw this before, but I'm used to pinnacles being in the suite lounge. If this is how they act no surprise they were thrown out.

We've been in suites from the start and in the concierge or suite lounge ever since.  I wouldn't say this is always how it happens, but I have seen it happen.  Suite people... not welcome.

2 hours ago, actuarian said:

Now that the Diamond Lounge has become the Crown Lounge, how long before RCCL adds a new tier to Crown & Anchor? They have already given us the name; "Crown" or maybe "Crown Club". Perhaps Crown Club will be for members with 350 points or maybe even 500 points. Then the Crown Lounge will be only for Crown Club and Pinnacle Club members.

Would not be shocked to see this. It's a LONG way from D+ to Pinnacle.

What I often wonder about, and I'm sure folks here have some numbers, I know a great many Pins we've met have been... let's euphemistically say "folks my parents age"... (I am at the middle ground of my 50s) and I know at their age they've long since hung up their sea pass lanyards. Getting to the ship alone is just too much hassle.

And I know we spoke to many Pins who remembered with enthusiasm RC's long-ago since-ended double-points for December sailings.  Many saying that specifically was what got them to Pinnacle.

Is there enough of a flow of new Pins to replace those no longer cruising (Or, sadly, walking the Earth in general)?  

8 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

We are transplanted Arkansans now, but we've done Voyager many times after she arrived in Galveston, lately we are able to do  a couple cruises a year but mostly flying to Florida for O class these days, we sometimes drive down to Galveston and do shorties, last Sept. we did Allure for the 3rd time, but I'm really excited for Icon in September...

When we started, DW was working "on production" so she don't work she don't get paid, so it was one a year.  Now she gets more PTO than me and has a 7-on / 7-off schedule, so it's my lack of vacation holding us back. But we'd also rather do one in a suite than a bunch in a smaller cabin.

Mariner is going to take us to D+, and we're eagerly awaiting the NE/Canada sailings for 2025.