LeeRB

On 8/22/2022 at 11:04 AM, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Things are changing again….

 

if you are vaccinated you no longer need testing for sailings of 9 nights or less.

 

 

Will have look into this a little more when I get the time.

On 8/18/2022 at 10:36 PM, rudeney said:

1!"Tip creep" is a real problem.   I'm not talking about traditional tipped positions like restaurant and bar servers, cruise ship crew, etc. but the almost endless line of people who have their hands out for a tip.  Fast food and counter service restaurants have "tip jars" or "tip buttons" on their pay pads.  What's next?  Will I have to tip my HOA representative?  My veterinarian?  The cashier at the Dollar General?  I've long been a proponent of tipping because I believe it puts the customer in charge of the service provider's compensation where it's the customer who is in the best position to evaluate performance.  But this expectation that every person who deals with the public "deserves" a tip is just ridiculous.  I think the pendulum will swing so far out that people will get "tip overload" and just stop tipping everyone.  

AMEN !

I have not been on a ship since March 7th 2020; but in the 34 cruises I have completed I think I have eaten breakfast in the MDR less than 10 times at most and that was early in my cruising. My wife and I concluded early on that the buffets of the three lines we sailed had a better selection and we could get the individual items we wanted, not what came as part of a menu item, for breakfast; or seconds on a given item easily if we wanted more.

First, I got off my last ship (Rhapsody OTS) March 7th 2020 which didn’t have a pub so I am not familiar with what the ships are currently carrying. Also, being normally a bourbon drinker, I don’t drink that much beer onboard a cruise ship; but there are those times when bourbon just doesn’t fit. In those cases I go for either Boddingtons Pub Ale or Newcastle Brown Ale (preferably Newcastle draft). It may be all in my head but, I think the Newcastle draft taste better than the bottled. Boddingtons has a capsule that generates a large, fine bubbled, head that requires the pint to be poured into a 20 oz. glass when the can is opened. I think I ran across Boddingtons on a Princess ship 7 or 8 years ago and was introduced to Newcastle Brown Ale in a bar in central Ohio by my son and one of his friends even farther back than that. While I was born and raised in Ohio, I am not a big fan of American beers. I guess being stationed in Germany for over 6 years in the 1970’s increased my appreciation of beers from other parts of the world. I think it was the Mariner OTS in Sep 2019 that I kept the bartenders in the pub confused by drinking in Newcastle draft some time, Boddingtons other times and Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon still other times.

 

My son makes his own beer, or at least he used to until the girls came along. He is tied up with daddy things these days. Him and his wife are both nurses, while they both work days now, but not necessarily the same days. One of the girls is almost 2 ½ and the other is 4 months. Before the girls came; he had modified a medium size chest freezer so the internal temperature could be adjusted from the outside to an exact degree and he kept his beer in it; it  holds three kegs and each keg was connected to a tap on the outside of the chest. Most of what he made was pretty good, but there were a couple things I didn’t care for. They were too heavy on the hops for my liking.

 

Rick

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

Do they still brew Miller Genuine Draft?  If so, has anybody seen or had it on a Royal Ship?  I used to love that stuff but it did give me a headache.  So, I left it a long time ago.  But, I'd like to get back on the horse it it's still being made and available.  When we go grocery shopping next I'll have to see if I can find some.  

I haven’t a clue the only beers I have bought in store in years has been Boddingtons, Newcastle, Guinness, Killian’s and a couple Mexican brands.

On 7/25/2022 at 12:44 PM, 2chiefs said:

Reading this thread made me nostalgic when growing up in Wisconsin so I put together some images of beers tht were very popular during that time. Most are still around but owned by different companies....

 

I may be telling my age, but I have drank 7 of those beers.

Rick

Sid I tried that Don Julio Anejo neat last night and it didn’t pass. The Tequila dragons made an appearance. I tried a second time with a very, very small dash of agave syrup and the dragon didn’t show up so it’s right on the border line. I have a friend down in the Florida panhandle, every few weeks we get together, I either go down there or she comes up for the weekend. She keeps saying she wants me to take her on a cruise and I keep telling her get a passport and we’ll go. She’s be a bit of a drinker at times, to be honest she can drink most of the guys I know under the table if she is drinking bourbon or rum; but she has a problem with tequila. Have you heard that Joe Nichols song from the early 2000’s that went to #1 ‘Tequila makes her clothes fall off’ if I didn’t know better I would swear it was written about her. I think I will save the Don Julio for her after all it does make a great Margarita. That will also keep her out of my bourbon.

 

I really enjoyed the ride and I picked a couple tips about a place I thought I knew. My next real cruise isn’t until next April.  

 

Have a safe flight home, I will ketch you the first part of December for the Celebration cruise.

Rick

35 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

It's nasty out, but I count 16 people in the two hot tubs, and another 5 in the pool.

 

 

I can remember back when I was maybe 11 or 12, my folks took me and my grandmother to the city to meet my cousins and their folks at the big pool (they were season ticket holders, we were their guests). After an hour or two it started raining and my grandmother came out on the covered area next to the pool and yelled me “can’t you see it’s raining; get out of the pool you’re gonna get wet”. Bless her heart; she was in her late 70’s at the time. If you are in the pool when the rain starts, you don’t need to get out unless it is thundering and on the last day of a cruise and you want that last dip; go for it.

8 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

From what it looks like, I think that the worst will be past Miami by morning. The weather here where we're at isn't great, but I haven't seen a single drop of rain all day, just clouds and wind...

It wasn’t the storm itself that kept us at sea, it was the security and safety checks that the Coast Guard and Port people had to complete after the storm to make sure the harbor was safe for ship traffic that took the 2 1/2 days and Mobile is a very small port compared to Miami.

4 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Okay, I think that I found where we are... 

 

 

 

That pattern looks awfully familiar. It bears a striking resemblance to one I saw on the Carnival Fantasy back in October 2017 when Hurricane Nate came up behind us out of nowhere on our return to Mobile. That 5 night cruise turned into a 7 night while we spent two extra days doing circles off Sarasota waiting for the port of Mobile to reopen. I hope you guys will be able to get into Miami Sunday morning.  

Good Luck

Rick

4 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

I can't even believe how great all of the food was here tonight. I mean, this is really more like fine dining than regular cruise ship type food... The great service on top of all that means that they're coming for the competing cruise lines' customers... There hasn't been a single thing that I've had all week that I would consider sun par. Not in The Galley, not in the main restaurants, or any of the quick dining type places. It's simply head out shoulders above anything on Carnival or NCL... 

That was what I was thinking; I didn’t know if it was your choices in food or a completely different kind of cruise ship menu. It kind of remind me what Carnival used to be like back around 2000 when I started cruising (I refer to Carnival because, 12 of my first 15 cruises were on Carnival). You didn’t know what would be on the menu from day to day or ship to ship. They did have some basic stuff for those that were not adventuress back then but nowhere like it was when COVID shut everything down in 2020. In 2019/ 2020 I already knew what dinner would be based on how long the cruise was and what day of the cruise it was; and depending which line you were sailing you had a pretty good Idea what dessert would be without looking at the menu. The food was getting boring. While not everything I saw was visually appealing to me on this thread, I have found over the years that there will be at least one night on a 7 night or longer cruise there will be nothing on the menu that I like, plus I have eaten things over the years that would probably gag others. I also realize that everyone has different tastes. It also appeared to show there was something for everyone’s taste. IMHO this appears to be a completely new approach to the food onboard a cruise ship and several notches up from the standard cruise fare among the major cruise lines, only time will tell if it goes down to the older lines standards or bring the major lines standards up.

 

Half or more of the stuff you had onboard this ship I have never heard of let alone seen before and I lived in Europe for 6 years, Hawaii for 3 and been to several counties including Australia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Switzerland, The Azores and Viet Nam. Good job Sid.

 

Rick

On 5/29/2022 at 3:34 PM, sid_9169 said:

Two parts tequila, one part orange liqueur, one part fresh squeezed lime juice, and a squirt of agave syrup...

Sid, I did some extra shopping yesterday when at the store and picked up a bottle of agave syrup and some limes; I also went by the liquor store to pick up a bottle of Don Julio Anejo. I can understand why they want $17.00 for one of those margaritas on the ship. A bottle of that stuff is $70 plus tax retail here in Alabama. Anyway, last evening after dinner I made one of those margaritas; I didn’t salt the glass rim but I always request a bare rim. It turned out to be pretty tasty. I think the agave syrup tamed the Tequila dragon. I also had a few more before bed. I haven’t tried it neat yet but it may be added to my list of beverages even with that price if it passes the neat test, but not for everyday drinking.

 

 

Rick

4 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Hopefully ten hours of sleep is enough to reinvigorate me for this rainy next to last day of the cruise... I'm still trying to figure out how going to Nassau is somehow better than Bimini weatherwise. Bimini is actually much closer to Miami, and would allow us to get back even more quickly if need be. Anyhoo, not my decision, and I guess that it's nothing but sea days from here on out. No more swimming in the beautiful blue ocean, or great conch salad. Either way, I'm going to try and make the best out of this rainy day here in board...

Probably has something with the projected track of the weather putting Nassau approximately 3 - 4 times farther away from it than Bimini. The ‘cone of doom’ shows it crossing Florida north of Miami between Melbourne and West Palm roughly centered over Port St Lucie.

29 minutes ago, 300dtc said:

Third floor of The Bull in your first picture is clothing optional!

I haven’t been to Key West since 2015 and forgot about that place up there, wasn’t it called “The Garden of Eden”?

13 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

Supposed to be Bimini on Saturday...

Not trying to scare any one; just a heads up here that it may get a little rough out there. This is what was in the NHC’s morning weather outlook says.

 

 

Tropical Weather Outlook

NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL

800 AM EDT Thu Jun 2 2022

 

 

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

 

1. Near the Yucatan Peninsula and Southeastern Gulf of Mexico:

A broad area of low pressure located over the northeastern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula continues to produce a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and Yucatan Peninsula.  Despite strong upper-level

winds, this system is likely to become a tropical depression or tropical storm while it moves slowly northeastward over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and southeastern Gulf of Mexico during the next day or two.  Interests in western Cuba, the Florida Keys,

and the Florida Peninsula should monitor the progress of this system, and tropical storm watches or warnings could be required for some of these areas later today.

 

Regardless of development, areas of heavy rainfall are likely across portions of the Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba during the next day or so, spreading across southern and central Florida and the Florida Keys Friday and Friday night, and the northwestern

Bahamas on Saturday.  These heavy rains could cause scattered to numerous flash floods across South Florida and the Florida Keys.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...high...80 percent.

* Formation chance through 5 days...high...80 percent.

 

 

There is also a second area they are looking at but it is out in the Atlantic north and east of the Bahamas.

Where is the ship headed after Key West? Asking because from what I am seeing on the NHC website, things might get a little interesting through the Keys up into Central Florida over the next 48 hours.

4 hours ago, purpleally said:

Botanist gin?  Another pic had Grey Goose and Tito’s.  No bourbon but what do you drink?

Well let’s see:

I don’t drink Gin, Vodka, or Yeager

 

 

Bourbon:

Blanton’s

Eagle Rare

Knob Creek

Michelone Reserve

Four Roses Private Selection - OESF

 

 

Irish:

Jamison

 

 

Rum:

Botany Bay Estate Reserve

Cruzan Estate Diamond

Admiral Rodney

Atlantico private cask

Myers (dark for mixing)

 

 

Scotch:

The Balvenie Single Malt Triple Cask 12yo

 

 

Tequila:

Gran Centenario Anejo

1800 Reposado (Margaritas)

                                 

Whiskey’s

Crown Royal

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel

 

Most with a couple ice cubes or chilled.

 

 

Rick

 

5 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

In case some of you don't know, today is a very special day for me, not because of the cruise, but for another reason... If you don't, then you'll have to go back and read some of my older reviews, so I don't have to make an entire paragraph over it... Anyhoo, today would be (SHOULD BE) the 55th birthday of a very dear friend of mine who died from breast cancer in 2014... She would have loved to join me on these types of adventures, but it's too late now... That's why I'm out here, spending money that I can't really afford, and drinking $17 margaritas that I also can't afford... She was one of those types of people that would go on vacation, even if she was three months behind on her car payment. And, that was before she learned that she had cancer. I was always the type who just didn't want to spend the money on those types of things. 

 

Fast forward to now, and even though it's too late for her to do these types of things, she's here with me right now in spirit, and in actuality sort of... On the beach... In the hot tub... At the roadside shacks where I like to eat... And, here on the ship with me right now... 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, D! <3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sid I think I understand your pain. Back in May 2012 I was looking at being retired by the end of July and my wife and I had a cruise booked for November 2012 and were looking at one in the April 2013 as well. During Christmas 2012 my wife started having pain in her ribs on her right side. We wrote it off as a muscle strain or pull from the girls. We were staying with our daughter and her family; she had twin toddler girls. They constantly wanted Granny to pick them up and usually at the same time; and it had to be Granny, no one else would do. The only exception seemed to be at mealtime; then it was a battle most of the time to get them in their highchairs. After we got back to Alabama she seemed to be getting worse and went to the doctor 3 times from mid-January through the 1st week of February. On her 3rd visit she was in so much pain that her doctor hospitalized her with a possible ongoing heart attack. After they ruled out a heart attack they did multiple tests, x-ray’s and scans including a biopsy when she had her annual mammogram; finally resulting in a diagnosis of Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer on February 27th 2013 (the same day her mammogram came back negative again). She was improving with the medication and treatments and her oncologist gave final approval for her taking the cruise planned for April 29th we went along with our daughter and 4 of her close friends. A few days after getting home she started going downhill and I lost my copilot of 41 years May 30, 2013.

 

Rick

 

4 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

If I weren't such an honest person, I could grab a couple of bottles.

 

 

 

 

I don’t see anything there that I would even consider drinking; I guess I have gotten too picky about what I drink over the years.

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

Still in search of the best margarita on board. This time at Extra Virgin... Don Julio Anejo...

 

 

Sid didn’t you say earlier in this thread that the last time you were on this ship the best Margarita on the ship was in an Italian place? I haven’t seen any mention of you being to the Italian place yet this time. Have you checked it out this cruise to see if they still have the best Margarita on board?

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

Just straight Don Julio Anejo...

 

 

Sid, I don’t know if you have had any of this or not but I have found Gran Centenario Anejo over an ice cube or two, or strait out of the fridge (chilled) is my go to, when I am in a Tequila mood. It doesn’t have near the bite that most Tequilas (including many of the Anejo Tequilas) have. I have found it in Florida and here in Alabama so it should be available in Georgia. It is in a tall fluted bottle with an angel blowing a long trumpet on the label. The bottle may also be in a very dark blue tubular container. Word of caution though, I have also seen a rum in Jacksonville, FL that is also called Gran Centenario; it was in a burgundy tube and may be ok for a rum & coke, but my preferred mixer is ice.

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

The app says 11:00 pm pajama party, but I don't think I'm going to make it. Plus, I don't have any pajamas... 

Don’t worry Sid; I don’t take P,J.’s on cruise’s either, heck I  haven’t worn those things for at least 60 years. Try a robe and with a pair of underwear under it if you If you really want to go.

I am glad you got past the blahs/funk you encountered on the Mardi Gras and haven’t given up reviewing your cruises. I hope your encounter with the sandflies on Roatan is completely behind you now also. My next cruise isn’t a until the Caribbean Princess in April 2023. Here is wishing you have a great cruise, I will be reading along with you.

 

Rick

6 hours ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

If you do not mind saying, what are the 5 things on your list?

This may be a little long but here are the 5 things that would have been and still are a deal breaker when this written back on September 24th 2020 and documents the instructions I gave my TA that handles my RCI cruises. It only mentions RCI because of an issue with Princess/Carnival Corp over a cruise and have not sailed with them since November 13, 2017 until now. I have recently booked a Princess cruise for Apr 2023 but FPD isn’t till Jan 5th so that is still open to change. I handle Princess and Carnival cruise myself it’s a long story and not worth going into on here.    

 

My booking requirements for future cruises

 

On the morning of September 23rd) I advised my TA to call RCI and cancel my Independence OTS cruise I have booked for February 2021 and I also wanted a refund; not a future cruise credit. I still have not received all of the refund for the Empress OTS cruise I canceled May 22nd (four months earlier at that point). They still owe me $324.51 on it and I am tired of being told ‘something went wrong’, ‘we don’t know what happened’, it was sent to the travel agency, it will be mailed to me or ‘it should be credited back to your credit card by no later than ….’ and it either doesn’t show up and we are told ‘it will be another 45 or more days before they can get the rest to me’ AGAIN. The last partial refund I received from the Empress cancellation was credited back to my credit card was on July 17th. The Independence was cancelled on September 23rd and I had a full refund by October 5th on for the Inde cruise.

 

I also told her to tell RCI, in September, I will not be booking another cruise until, at a minimum:

 

1)  The cruise lines have started sailing out of the US again.

                (Accomplished?)

 

2)  I have received the FULL REFUNDS for the Empress, Independence & Brilliance OTS cruises.

                (Accomplished, the last of the partial refunds was received on 05 Nov 2020 for the Empress OTS.)

 

3)  I am assured that I can leave the ship in a POC (and re-board) without having to be on a very restrictive/tightly controlled ships ‘bubble’ excursion, be restricted to the port area itself or be prevented from exploring independently;

                (Having been to many of the ports in the Caribbean multiple times, I have specific places I like to eat and shop; and local tour companies I do business with, which are just as good if not better (in my sole opinion) than what the ships offer; and in many cases are cheaper than the ships excursions. I am also not a fan of most of those high end places they want us to shop, have not been impressed by the few eateries they recommend that I have eaten at and am not fond of the majority of their ‘Private Islands’.) (ok for now) 

 

4) I must have an understanding of what the ‘new normal’ is; AND IT IS ACCEPTABLE  TO ME before I will book a cruise. I WILL NOT spend thousands of dollars, to take a ride on a big boat that stops in foreign ports, maybe, where everything I do, both on and off the ship, is choreographed by someone that works for the cruise line, with no exceptions permitted; (ok for now).

 

5) COVID-19 is under control and is no longer a MAJOR threat OR I have been vaccinated for it. 

                (I received my 1st Pfizer shot Feb 11 2021, 2nd Pfizer shot Mar 4th 2021; and a Pfizer booster Oct 18th 2021 and am now am eligible for a 2nd booster but have not received it yet) (ok for now).

 

 

* Modified 3-8-2021

   Updated 3-19-2022

   Updated again 4-9-2022 (My concerns about items 1 appears to be resolved and 3, 4  and 5 have been addressed for now; but FPD isn’t until  Jan 5th 2023. Things can change between now and then.         

 

 

My booking requirements for future cruises

 

On the morning of September 23rd 2020) I advised my TA to call RCI and cancel my Independence OTS cruise I have booked for February 2021 and I also wanted a refund; not a future cruise credit. I still have not received all of the refund for the Empress OTS cruise I canceled May 22nd (four months earlier at that point). They still owe me $324.51 on it and I am tired of being told ‘something went wrong’, ‘we don’t know what happened’, it was sent to the travel agency, it will be mailed to me or ‘it should be credited back to your credit card by no later than ….’ and it either doesn’t show up and we are told ‘it will be another 45 or more days before they can get the rest to me’ AGAIN. The last partial refund I received from the Empress cancellation was credited back to my credit card was on July 17th. The Independence was cancelled on September 23rd and I had a full refund by October 5th on for the Inde cruise.

 

I also told her to tell RCI, I will not be booking another cruise until, at a minimum:

 

1)  The cruise lines have started sailing out of the US again.

                (Accomplished?)

 

2)  I have received the FULL REFUNDS for the Empress, Independence & Brilliance OTS cruises.

                (Accomplished, the last of the partial refunds was received on 05 Nov 2020 for the Empress OTS.)

 

3)  I am assured that I can leave the ship in a POC (and re-board) without having to be on a very restrictive/tightly controlled ships excursion or restricted to the port area itself;.

                (Having been to many of the ports in the Caribbean multiple times, I have specific places I like to eat and shop; and local tour companies I do business with, which are just as good if not better (in my sole opinion) than what the ships offer; and in many cases are cheaper than the ships excursions. I am also not a fan of most of those high end places they want us to shop, have not been impressed by the few eateries they recommend that I have eaten at and am not fond of the majority of their ‘Private Islands’.) (ok for now) 

 

4) I must have an understanding of what the ‘new normal’ is; AND IT IS ACCEPTABLE  TO ME before I will book a cruise. I WILL NOT spend thousands of dollars, to take a ride on a big boat that stops in foreign ports, maybe, where everything I do, both on and off the ship, is choreographed by someone that works for the cruise line, with no exceptions permitted; (ok for now).

 

5) COVID-19 is under control and is no longer a MAJOR threat OR I have been vaccinated for it. 

                (I received my 1st Pfizer shot Feb 11 2021, 2nd Pfizer shot Mar 4th 2021; and a Pfizer booster Oct 18th 2021 and now am eligible for a 2nd booster but have not received it yet) (ok for now).

 

 

  Modified 3-8-2021

   Updated 3-19-2022

   Updated again 4-9-2022 (My concerns about items 1 appears to be resolved and 3, 4  and 5 have been addressed for now; but FPD isn’t until  Jan 5th 2023. Things can change between now and then.         

         

17 hours ago, jeh10641 said:

From what I hear from reliable sources, Lab Doctor on 17th St. in Ft. Lauderdale is a great test site. Near the port and Embassy Suites hotel. Walk in and walk out with the results in under 30 minutes.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I appreciate the info; I am hoping that I will not require one a year from now. I have decided to make it a 3 day drive each way to Fort Lauderdale and back to central Alabama. That’s more age related than anything else. I have done some initial checking and some of the large drugstore chains like CVS and Walgreens as well as the AFC urgent care chain are currently doing the COVID tests. If they are still requiring the tests 2 or 3 weeks before I sail, I plan on contacting them to 1) confirm they are still doing the testing and 2) schedule an appointment for the test (if I need one). I usually stay west of I-95 when I sail out of Fort Lauderdale.  Over the years I have found that I get more bang for my buck than east of I-95. I looked up Lab Doctor Fort Lauderdale online and got their contact info and address, just in case. I need to check with the other sources I mentioned above; I think I may be able to get the test free or at a reduced price with my insurance through one of them. I will still have the Lab Doctor as backup if the others are not doing the testing at that time. Lab Doctor is showing the COVID Antigen test at $49.00 with a 15 minute turnaround and the COVID RT-PCR test at $99.00 with an hour turnaround. It also said they do not take insurance and only do walk-ins, no appointments. While I understand the urgency of obtaining conformation of, or ruling out COVID; honestly by not taking any insurance plan and only taking walk-ins, it sounds a little on the shady side.

 

 

 

Rick