MonDreamr1

National Institute of Health Director?

I haven't heard Fauci so thanks.

 

you're welcome

He isn't the total NIH director, but is the director of the institute that covers infectious diseases, which is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

Francis Collins is the overall director -- he has been on some, but I haven't seen him as much as Fauci talking about the actual outbreak. He has been on more about science budget cuts and not being farther along in having a vaccine for Ebola due to research budget cuts. He is leaving the infectious disease part to Fauci and the CDC people -- which is pretty normal for everything. The main director deals with politics and the institute directors deal with things related to their fields.

NIH is much more a research organization than a health services/outbreak containment center - that is for the CDC. They do have some things they do in the clinical center, but that tends to be research based clinical trials. The research does set guidelines for things. CDC are the ones that are supposed to be managing the disease aspect.

Has anyone heard from the NIH since this all started? I just realized I not heard any comments from them.

 

How about Surgeon General?

 

Fauci has been all over the news for NIH. (Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Lushniak as acting SG, not so much if at all. I don't recall seeing him on anything.

We did the flight rt from Rome. Took the train to Venice after spending a few days in Rome. Split our Venice time per/post cruise. Train to Florence. Then hit Pisa on the last day on or way back too Rome the night before our flight home.

Only thing with the train don't count anything to close time wise. We ended up going back top Florence and down to Rome when there were several issues with our train from Pisa to Rome. The train coming into Pisa was delayed north of us. Even when it got to Pisa they weren't sure how long it would talk to get to Rome due to an incident on The tracks south of Pisa. The train station staff were very helpful in getting us re routed we knew to have a back up plan. my college roommate lived there for a few years post, she said things get delayed and to know our options if we were on a set schedule

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As long as it is the Nov 1st Explorer trip :)

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MonDreamr1

 

 

 

I hope you read this, I keep forgetting which thread I see things on and didn't see you on the roll call for this cruise (although I'm sure you are sailing with us).

 

 

 

I did call Independent Driver today and he quoted $45 for 2 people.

 

He said if I could get more than 5 people it would be $12 each. The van holds up to 10 people.

 

Not sure if you've made your arrangements yet, but since we are at the same hotel, would you like to get together on this shuttle?

I'm on the roll call but haven't been very active. We haven't settled arrangements just yet. I was waiting on a few quotes. There are 4. So that would hit the 5.

We would be interested. Still have the concern about the number of bags.

Email is mondreamr1 Gmail

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It is still possible for a private car to drop off bags without having to pay parking?

Along this line. Is there any change on pick up at the end of the cruise?

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I am on your cruise. The normal rate for cruise transfers at Country Inns is $35 round trip. Folks have posted that they paid half price for a one way trip.

 

What are you paying for your rooms and does it include 14 days free parking? Did you book directly with the hotel or through one of the park/sleep companies? I'm seeing Country Inns for $173.49 tax included for 10/31 through buyreservations.com with 14 days parking and $10/day over that.

 

If you are 4 people with lots of luggage, I would call Independent driver - 888-816-0973 to see what they can do for you. The normal rate they charge is about $45 plus tip for 4 people and you can pick the time you want to go to Cape Liberty.

Thank you! Sounds like the guy I spoke with was the correct answer for the price. I'd tried a quick search on the roll call, but it wasn't working too well on my tablet.

We are had booked our room back in June, just the room. We are flying into Newark from DC and then from Orlando to DC when we finish up. We used hotels.com it was $152 with tax - base $126. That price has gone down a bit - as I looked yesterday on their website.

This came up because the inlaws are currently looking. Straight from their website it was $118+ tax for the advance purchase room without parking when I looked yesterday. The cruise transfer package was $209 plus tax.

Thank you for the ID number - I'll give them a call on Monday and see how much things are going to be--- Our luggage problem is stupid. Inlaws have 2 carry ons and 4 check in sided bags plus I don't even know. I know they are on SW home.

I know we are going to end up with 2 carry on bags, a dive gear bag, and a checked bag between us. At this point I'll just pay for ship laundry vs dragging stuff around. (On the way home we have the rental minivan already booked at the port to get back to Orlando)

Following this too --

We are trying to figure this out too for our Nov Explorer trip. We've received two different price quotes for the shuttle. I tend to believe the guy I spoke with vs the to person to whom my BIL spoke.

I was told it was $35 plustax $2.4(5?) per couple one way. BIL was told $35 plus tax per person. Now the guy I spoke with I asked multiple different ways and got the same answer. I first inquired about the Stay and Cruise package - it listed round trip transfers (the difference between the room and the package makes $35 pp round trip sound correct and $35 per couple one way sound correct with the pricing)

We were both told we could just set things up when we got there - they didn't do the reservations a head of time without the package. If I didn't need transport both way to NOT book the package.

I've been looking at private car transfers instead. There is an overpacking problem in our group of 4, so I'm not even sure if there is a limit on baggage on the transfer -- is another thing to to put on DH's list (we were making him call back again for another answer to see which one it matched). The quotes I've been getting for 4 people sedan were about $65 plus tip and tax (tolls?) and $95 plus the same for a suburban so all the bags would fit.

Normally next to each other with DH on my left. At least until we figure out if our tablemates know the location of their OWN bread plate :p

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Total weight a week after I get home is normally lower than the day I left for holiday. The day I get home (this is for any type of travel) it is normally up, but my feet and ankles swell to the point my shoes barely fit flying. It takes a few days for the water weight to stabilize. The trips we pick are normally pretty port intensive and DH likes to get as much in as possible to pick his land trips later. ;or we are diving.

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Not commenting on the cruise review

The GS cruise trips. This isn't a new thing. Mine went in the late 90s on RCCL. Older sisters of our troop had gone several years prior on Carnival. My sister's troop went 4 years after mine. The girls all had a great time. I know there were some issues the adults dealt with (my mom went on my sister's trip) On the trip as a teen we didn't notice or know about until after we got home. There used to be a badge you could fulfill most of on the trip. They've changed so much I have no clue what it would currently fall under -finding the old one would involve a scary trip into my mother's attic.

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OP is obviously planning on lots of drinking and sex, enjoy yourself! Bring powdered Gatorade.

 

 

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Agree on the powdered.

I just toss the individual packets in our travel med bag (for any trip)

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If you are leaving out of Baltimore check the lane closures before you leave. They are starting a two year construction project shortly. They are supposed to be putting detour info up on the electronic sign boards. Not sure how much of a mess it is going to cause

http://www.mpa.maryland.gov/forms/content/i-95-road-construction

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-03-14/news/bs-md-95-project-20140314_1_mdta-lane-closures-construction-project

"In early May, lanes of southbound I-95 will shift to the right after concrete barriers are installed.

For about three months this summer, the ramp from southbound Interstate 395 coming out of the city will be reduced to one lane. The ramp will be reopened at full capacity before school begins again in August, the MdTA said.

At various times during the project, other ramps will be subject to closures lasting between one and two weeks. Those are the ramps connecting McComas Street to I-95, Washington Boulevard to southbound I-95; Route 295 to northbound I-95; northbound I-95 to Hanover Street; Hanover Street to southbound I-95; and northbound I-95 to Key Highway.

Other ramps will be subject to part-time closures, including the ramps connecting southbound I-95 to northbound I-395; southbound I-395 to northbound I-95; southbound I-95 to southbound Route 295; Russell Street to southbound I-95; northbound I-95 to Russell Street; and southbound I-95 to Caton Avenue.

Portable and overhead electronic signs will be used to share detour information, the MdTA said."

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Normally have more to be annoyed with team members than wrong answers by the cruise line staff. I've come across wrong answers even in the commercial games.

I still have to giggle over this one.

Q:Which car logo features the Southern Cross?

CLA: Subaru

Subaru's logo is the Pleiades, not the Southern Cross.

I've never felt the 1L were too big. We drink a lot of water. I guess this is another point in DH's direction. The large bottles fit just fine in my purse, along with many other things. :p He complains is too large, until he needs something.

IMO it isn't overly large, it still passes the allowed in most museums(that allow bags) test

Skyroll garment bag system, garment bag that wraps around a carry on bag. There is one that is a garment bag that has a shoe holder

We wait until we are on board to send things for dry cleaning vs sending this out right before the trip. No worries about how to get wrinkles out.

Wonderful birthday present!

We've done Radiance (and other Radiance class) and a few of the Vision class ships, but not Rhapsody. (Not on an Australia trip yet) While we LOVE the Radiance class ships. They are so pretty and open. Both lack the over the top activities on the bigger ships - no ice skating, zip lines, flow rider, and the like. The Vision class are smaller, as are the rooms. We've been on them for pretty port intensive cruises that we were off the ship for the majority of the day with very few sea days. The differences between those two aren't as great as between those two and Voyager/Freedom/Oasis.

We picked Rhapsody for our Australia trip next year - the itinerary was better. We are doing the Tasmania trip and Australia as a land based trip after, as none of the other itineraries hit everything we wanted to do on this trip. For a trip of that length I would pick the one with the ports you want to see the most. That is what everyone is going to remember more than the ship. Either one you pick you will have a great trip.

(We've done both in our mid 20s, and had a lot of fun)

On the larger ships I'm fine. On the dive boats or rough seas (the trip out to Bermuda a few times) I need the patch, it only seems to mess with my vision for electronic text - I can't read my ereader/phone/ipad after several days. I thought the seabands worked until our first dive trip. Had them on for the cruise part, felt fine, but the water was calm. Got on the dive boat. Not so much. We'll leave it to I fed the fish for the dive boat part.

After that trip DH was hesitant to keep our scheduled Galapagos trip - but my doc said to try the patch - it worked great. I can't deal with the OTC pills - they knock me out. Tried Bonnie for the Bermuda crossing for our Honeymoon - I slept for a lot of the sea days. Post chemo I've found the combo of script pills and patches that work well for me for everything for me. If I've only done a pill or nothing and start to feel queasy - I have ginger candy that I can just suck on that at least keeps my mind off the issue long enough to get something down.

Regular ship stuff -- ginger pills and green apples can help. The ginger pills don't have too may side effects - still check with your doctor.

Dry cleaning I have no issues with - we send formal clothing out the day we get on the ship if it needs to be done (usually DH's suit(s)) No point in cleaning them and having them wrinkle in the suitcase on the trip there. Even on other lines where we don't get the perk - dry cleaning is usually pretty close to the local cleaner (minus Zips).

The regular laundry - DH's undershirts, undergarments, socks, go without issue. They usually write on the tag - the socks have been pinned together a few times. My stuff going out it varies by where we are - I'll send white cotton tunic blouses out - they get them whiter than I do at home. T-shirts - my dive shirts go out. Other items it depends on what they are made out of. Shorts I haven't had a problem with, but they aren't tight to start.

Ours on RCCL is next Nov, got it too.

I'm not sure if the rental place has these, but for lesser mobility issues they make a hybrid wheelchair/walker (google Transport Wheelchair Chair Rollator Walker / rolling walker- I don't think it will let me post a link)

My grandmother and aunt used them mainly as walkers - but if they got tired it was easy enough for them to be transported or just sit somewhere until they were ready to go again. My dad was a below the knee amputee along with having RA. Some days he was fine, but if he had to walk longer distances and it was a bad RA day - no go. He'd use it as a walker, but it was also kept in the car (took up less space) for when he needed a wheelchair and the distance was too far for him to walk.

OP here...just returned today.

 

The Dockyard Wi-Fi was very spotty, and quite frankly, frustrating to use. First of all, you couldn't buy the 3 day deal at the kiosk. You had to do it online with a credit card. Then, the signal was only strong if you were sitting outside the kiosk, with your back pressed up against the building.

 

Some of the time, we were able to get the signal while seated on the benches outside the kiosk, or under the gazebo. Also, some of the time we could pick up the signal from the outdoor promenade deck of the Summit, and other times, we couldn't.

 

My daughter bought the package using her iPad. When she went to log on the 2nd day, she got a message that her subscription had expired. So, she had to switch over to her iPhone, where she could log in without issue, but was more limited with her apps on the phone vs the pad.

We bought the TBI wifi - "wifi zone by TBi" , not the Dockyard wifi. There seems to be at least two different ones. The TBi is 3 day card from the gift shop right before the Froyo place. We are currently on Grandeur, I haven't had any issues with it. It does work better on deck 5 on whichever side is closest to port. The buildings in front say they are TBI wifi zones. The signal is a bit weaker on the pool deck. The wifi labelled Dockyard wifi sometimes shows up and sometime I can't see it. You do need to allow it time for the login screen to come up, after the initial activation, it comes up as a blank page that says success in the corner, just click done.

We booked elsewhere for our dive after some sketchy communication from SS in 2011.

RCCL does contract with SC. The weekend 3 night Enchantment gets in around noon. (The 4 day one gets in around 7 am - they go to CocoCay the first day) It was only the group of us from Enchantment on a boat for a 2 tank afternoon dive. They had other boats going out about the time we got there, one of those was the shark dive. The shuttle over had a snorkel group from somewhere else (the beach towels were green/white striped, vs the blue RCCL ones)

The shuttle back is a whole mix of cruise and hotel passengers. You just get on the next one going back. Ours on Saturday had Sheraton, cruiseship, and Atlantis people.