Honolulu Blue

$35 per night sounds about right for Celebrity's premium access. Basic should be less, though you'll get less use out of it. I'm on the Summit RIGHT NOW doing a run from Miami to Cozumel. I have basic Internet provided by Starlink. Here's my latest test: If you go without, you're not missing much, IMHO.

For a wild moment, I thought CC stood for Cruise Critic and I wondered about waving that card around to solve whatever problems I had. Then I saw the next post... And never mind. I'm just silly. 🤪

The question seems to be answered, but in summary there are four ways to find out what activities are on a specific sailing: * Join the roll call and ask * Ask on the general board for the cruise line * Look for threads from others on the same or a similar sailing; sometimes they post daily newsletters * Check on the app; Celebrity and Princess will load some activities early and they can be previewed In addition, on music charters, the charter company will make available a detailed schedule of it's events. I used to be much more interested in the specific events that were happening, but as I've gained experience, I find that a lot of the activities are similar from sailing to sailing - even across cruise lines. P.S. Yes, Carnival offers more than belly flops and line dancing.

Fair enough. I still don't agree. I've dined in many restaurants solo on my life and seen many others do the same. I don't apply the sadness label to them and I hope it's not applied to me. Because it's just not true.

I can think of a hundred things sadder without breaking a sweat. On my personal patheticness scale, either reading a book or seeing someone else do so barely rates. But it's interesting that you think so, and I'm sure you're not alone.

That's the M.O. of most of their CDs, I've found. I'm comforted to know this hasn't changed.

Let's see, where was I? Oh yes, describing my day in Key West. Be patient; this could take a while. After a good breakfast and some knocking around, I went out about 10:30. That was the time StarVista Live told us the shuttles would be starting. I didn't want to have to settle for a lawn seat, so part of the plan was to get out early. I followed the crowd and actually got on the first shuttle to the amphitheater. We got off and joined the (at that time short) line for us from the cruise ship to get in. This was about 10:45. Much of that time was spent listening to the others in line and their stories about this cruise, other cruises, and their lives beyond this experience. Half an hour later they let us in. I scoped out the seating situation. Half the seats were reserved for our group. The other half were for the locals that bought tickets. There were a few covered seats on the berm and some lawn space beyond that. I ignored them and headed to the main seating area. I actually got a nice spot in row 4. We had a DJ entertain us for about an hour until the main event. They actually premiered a new KC and the Sunshine Band single for us. I thought it was pretty good. KC and the Sunshine Band played for us for about an hour and 20 minutes. They played most of the songs you know them for. And yes, they played my favorite song from them, the relatively obscure "I Like to Do It". A lot of the stories and jokes KC told were familiar from my last experience with him at last year's UDC. P.S. I thought the dancer on the far right was a stunner. She didn't photograph well because she's such a lively dancer that I always got her out of position. They brought up George McCrae to sing his big hit (which KC wrote) "Rock Your Baby". Before I forget, I'd like to thank the lady next to me for sometimes dancing with me. She had decent moves and she had the good manners to not LOL at my attempts to shake my booty. No pictures of her, sorry. Like all good things, this concert came to an end. This really was a good show, worth all the extra hassle and energy I put into it. Did I mention that the sun was beaming down on me the whole time? Well, it was. It was only about 80 outside and there were occasional cooling breezes, but it was still an exhausting experience. There was a long line for the shuttles back, so I decided to walk back to the ship. I must have taken the scenic route, because it lasted longer than expected. Half an hour later I made it back to the cabin. I skipped out on the ex Chic ladies because I was so tired. I was sorry to do this, but I wanted to save myself. By sunset I was ready to mingle again. I had dinner in the OVC and again I had no issues finding things I liked. One of many nice things about the Cafe is there are lots of windows where you can see random things like this: I spent some time talking to a cruise buddy I had previously met in that KC and the Sunshine Band line. We split to go sit in separate sections but hooked up here. We discussed our musical plans for the night. They didn't match up, but I was able to point her in the right direction for what she wanted to do. After seeing her off, I killed some time before the Ashlie Amber concert in the Sky Lounge. I arrived 15 minutes early and quite literally hady choice of seats. I chose one in row 2. At show time the lounge was full - 300 or so Whitney Houston fans looking to be entertained. And I don't think any of us were disappointed. We'll, I was, kind of - "So Emotional", my favorite song from Whitney, was played early but got cut short. As for the rest, Ashlie showed a big voice and a diva-esque presence. I wouldn't be surprised if bigger things are in her future. She was another singer that went into the audience for a song, but she moved too fast for me to capture it. Sorry. Moving along, I went back to my refreshed room to plan out the next day and wait for my date with Cara Lee, who would be doing Cher in the Rendezvous Lounge. The Rendezvous Lounge turned out to be an open area with more distracting background noise than normal. I arrived 15 minutes early and again I had my choice of seats. I chose row 3 center. It took a while for the front row to fill. I'll tell that story a little later. I was greeted by a gentleman who had sat next to me at the Ashlie Amber show a couple of hours ago. He had seen Cara Lee twice before. That he was seeing her again seemed to be quite an endorsement. This was a different experience in that there was no band behind Cara here, just a backing music track. She did quite well. I was quite entertained. The most fun I had was when she picked a random guy out of the stands and had him play Sonny Bono on "I Got You Babe" I suppose "Gypsies Tramps and Thieves" is my favorite song from Cher. Cara played it and did a fine job with it. The front row did eventually fill and we got people dancing to some of Cher's greatest hits. After the show was over I went to sleep. My next post will cover the events of today. I've got some Earth Wind and Fire on mimd, among other things.

Jenni Fielding from Cruisemunmy.com did what I thought was almost impossible - compile a list of Carnival's all-time top 10 cruise directors. You can see the list at this link: https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/top-carnival-cruise-directors/ I thought it was well worth the time to read. It includes lots of details about each of the people picked. About the list itself, I trust that few veterans here are going to be surprised at her #1. Each of her picks I've heard of and they have their fan clubs here and elsewhere. But I've had the pleasure of sailing with 12 different CDs, and NONE of them made the list. I guess I'm sorry to miss them, if I don't happen to catch them sometime in the future.

This is a quick post to explain some things and try out some things. I'll go into much more detail in a few hours. I broke down and got the basic Internet plan for the rest of the cruise for $54. The good news is, as others have reported, Starlink is up and running. The bad news is that it's severely throttled: I had a great day in Key West, despite it mostly being about these guys: I skipped out on the ex Chic ladies by the pool in the afternoon, but I did keep my evening dates with Ashlie Amber... And Cara Lee All three concerts were wild and wonderful in their own ways. More about these and other stories soon. Stay tuned.

I had a hefty post on the Taylor Dayne concert all ready to go, but it was wiped out. My fault. Here are the highlights: * I thought she was good * She played my favorite song from her third * She went into the crowd to sing one of her songs * The concert was short - only 1:03 * Theater was close to full * Some left early - I don't know why * I saw the second concert in my cabin on the live feed * It was mostly the same Taylor, but... * She skipped a song! That made this second concert only 58 minutes. * I went to the OVC between shows * It was up to expectations - good selection, good quality My next post will cover the Key West experience - including the KC and the Sunshine Band concert. Meanwhile, here are some pictures.

Greetings from Key West! While I have 5g access, let me wrap up the rest of day 1. They gave me a free lanyard along with a bunch of other gifts: The second to last item is a mat - most useful for not sitting on the bare grass during the KC and the Sunshine Band concert. I'll discuss that more later. They did give us more written instructions on this concert. We don't have any reserved seats as a group. This surprised me. But with early access to the amphitheater just for us, it shouldn't be an issue for me to get a seat. And I do want one, because that mat is smelly. We left on time (4 PM) and arrived here on time (7 AM). We were cleared by 7:20. I barely felt anything midship on deck 2 in my interior cabin. Good job Captain Dimitri! I'll do the Taylor Dayne concerts in a separate post.

The top of page 4 is an excellent place to start my adventure. This will cover my pre cruise travel, the hotel, and boarding. Future posts will cover the rest. We had a nasty little ice storm in southern Michigan on Wednesday. I never lost power, though many other Michiganders weren't so lucky. Here's how bad things got at its peak on Thursday: We got a glancing blow here. This is what it looked like near where I live: Things were better by the time I left on Friday morning, but you can see why I wanted to get away. I had a Southwest flight (insert scary noises) to Miami through Nashville. Thankfully, all legs were eventless - though one of the gate agents at Metro noted that she was still without power. Nashville seemed like a nice smaller airport. I wouldn't mind stopping there again sometime. After arrival at MIA I searched for the hotel. Miami International Hotel was right inside the airport, which was the convenience I wanted on this trip. It was a bit of a hike from where we landed. Unlike last time I was here, there were only a couple of people in line and my wait at the desk was only a couple of minutes. They gave me my key and told me about the breakfast voucher my booking earned me. I'd have to pick it up at the desk the next morning. I'll tell you about that meal a little later. My room on the 5th floor was small by modern hotel standards with only a twin bed. I could lie in bed and almost change the channels on the TV with my feet. The bathroom was surprisingly roomy and well stocked with toiletries and towels. Overall I thought it was a good room and met my needs. It cost $190 for the night, which surprisingly was one of the lower rates I saw for the Miami area. The breakfast was at Air Margaritaville, which was across from the check in desk from the hotel. I had eggs, hash browns, bacon, toast, butter, and water. It was good, well worth what I paid for it (just the tip). Thanks guys. After cleaning up I left the hotel and took a Lyft to the port. I was a little worried that I didn't pick to the right terminal, but I picked exactly the right one. And the Summit was already there. Rideshares are expensive these days; I paid $36 for this one. Ouch. Also ouch was the considerable line I found myself in to enter the terminal. The COVID-19 test and vaccine checks were done outside by StarVista Live staff. My passport, ID, and boarding pass were checked at various places as I wound my way to the ship. I didn't have any particular issues, though again I wish I had printed out my boarding pass. After I got onboard I went to the casino for my brief briefing (I had watched the video back at the hotel). They checked me in. I hope it takes and I don't have to do this again. Then I dropped off my bags at the room. I briefly met my cabin steward who gave me some instructions. I hope he doesn't think too ill of me; I'm never at my best on embarkation day. By 11:30 I made it to my "secret" hiding place and started working on this post, among other things. This is the earliest I've ever been onboard any ship. I'm not even hungry yet. I'll eventually go feed myself at the trough. Next I'll cover the rest of day 1 and possibly a bit of day 2.

I'm on the road with limited tools, but I wanted to share this. The original post is on his page; you may have to scroll down to read it. TL,DR: February 17, 2024 Carnival Horizon from Miami 8 day Southern Caribbean (nice itinerary) Registration begins in August to be part of the group If you're booked on this already, congratulations. Or is it I'm sorry?

I haven't cruised Alaska, but I do have Medallion experience as I have been on Princess twice in the past 15 months. My Internet experience on both ships was pretty good, and I suspect I could have done the Zoom thing had I wanted to, but neither of those ships sailed full. Reports from here and elsewhere said that speeds and reliability went down the toilet everywhere right after I stopped sailing. YMMV. Also, speeds in Alaska have been a constant problem on all cruise lines, not just Princess. If I were you I'd think about using cell phone access while in Alaskan ports. There's a lot of unspoiled wilderness there, but there are probably several cell phone towers near the docks. The problem is you won't dock every day and you might need an international plan for Canadian ports. One last wild card is that Princess ships will eventually switch over to Starlink for their Internet. That service promises faster and more reliable access from what I've heard from ships that have it. I don't know when it will be active on your ship. I hope you get some more precise answers from others. Good luck on your cruise!

I'm on the road and The 80s Cruise released their tentative schedule. It was better than I expected. Most of the bands I'm interested in are having an interview session. This seems like fine opportunities for silly fanboy questions and autographs. We'll see. Speaking of Autograph, they're on the list of concerts I plan to attend. It's heavily weighted toward the first few days: Howard Jones, day 1 630-800, main theater Trial By Fire (heavy metal), day 2, 500-615, Star Lounge Cutting Crew, day 2, 930-1045, Studio B Morris Day and the Time, day 3, 630-800, main theater Autograph, day 4, 930-1045, Studio B Lou Gramm, day 7, 630-800, main theater

I've done some solo travel not involving cruises in various places in the world with a hotel stay. I haven't found meals to be much of a problem - the airport almost always has places to dine or things available to snack on. Often hotels will have restaurants on site or near their location. If not, the staff will give you their suggestions/recommendations/available options. Have fun with wherever your travels take you.

I'm on the fip side of this. I usually don't hurry to try to get on the ship. I have found that when I board late, there's less of a line and I can sail right through, unpack, and do the rest of the things that are necessary for me to enjoy my cruise. On disembarking... I pretty much agree with this, but I'll amplify things. I've always thought of disembarkation day on the ship as the morning after being with... someone who's not a keeper. You've had your fun, but now it's time to go. 🙂 I've felt some of this from the crew that I've interacted with on that day - they're nice and all, but they've got a lot to do, and the sooner I'm out of their way, the sooner they can get ready for their new best friend(s) for the week (or however long the cruise is).

I'd be even more shocked if she sets foot in the OVC for dinner. Solstice -> President’s Cruise: Captain’s Club | Celebrity Cruises

I'm slowly but surely checking off items on the to-do list for my upcoming trip. It starts tomorrow. I can barely believe it! Anyway, I needed a negative test and I got that done through eMed. It went as smoothly and swiftly as always. Of course I was NEGATIVE. I also printed out my boarding pass to get to Miami and did most of my packing.

This same basic question has been asked and stickied on several cruise line boards. The OP is a member of CC's staff and is legitimately gathering questions for a Q&A session that features all the CEOs of our favorite cruise lines. I remain hopeful that some of these Qs will be asked; I think they would make for interesting and informative answers. I have no public opinion on your other questions, but the remaining Ecstasy-class ships are Elation and Paradise. I'm pretty sure Mr. Weinstein would know them like his kids' birthdays.

You've gotten your answer about how Princess does things these days, but I need to note that NCL has gone back to the older way of doing muster drills fleetwide.

I just received an e-mail from the UDC. Hopefully it's the last. It's mostly filled with stuff like download the app and check in. I did all that weeks ago. Here's the juicy stuff: Tavares is another medical scratch. I'm sad to see them go; I was looking forward to seeing and hearing them live. They have been replaced with The Legenary Bluenotes. I'm sure they'll please some, but I'm passing on them. Nothing personal. Details have been released for the KC & the Sunshine Band concert in Key West. Here's a TL,DR: Shuttles start running to the amphitheater from the pier at 10:30. StarVista Live employees will help guide us. Doors open for us guests at 11:15 A local DJ is scheduled to spin the tunes at 12:20 The concert starts at 1 Shuttles start returning to the pier at 2:30 Amphitheater is about a mile away from where we dock and we're welcome to get there by other means Bags are limited and will be searched No professional cameras or lenses allowed No re-entry allowed One sealed bottle of water or a refillable bottle is allowed Seating is available for guests on the lawn (with beach mats provided onboard) or in the seats

I found the cruise on the Summit before the Rock & Romance sailing - a 5-day on March 9. It goes to Nassau (where, believe it or not, I have not been) and Cozumel. I'd need to spend a couple of days in PC, Orlando, or Miami to connect with TEC 24, but maybe it's something I want to do. I wonder how easy it would be to attach this as a B2B. It won't be as seamless since one will be a charter and the other won't be. Oh well, something to file in the back of my mind for now.

There's more onboard security personnel and the introduction of more drug sniffing dogs in terminals, according to several reports here and elsewhere.

I'm glad you like it. I always value your opinions. Maybe I'll pull the trigger, if everything goes right. 🙂