famof4togo

8 minutes ago, jsjjkelly said:

Forgive my ignorance in all this, but we got the free government covid tests.  Can we use those to test?  Or even like take them in the terminal with us and test there while someone watches?  I'm hoping this testing thing drops by our June cruise.  It's truly my only worry about this trip.

No you can not since those tests are not proctored they would not be able to verify who took it or when it was taken etc.  The terminal is not set up for proctored tests either.  I too can't wait for the testing requirement to drop but I do not foresee that before June.

I get that!  But we should all manage our expectations properly...for example I sail on the Miracle next week...I know its old, I know it's been around, I know it doesn't have all the bells and whistles so I am not expecting such.  I will not be shocked by wear and tear or some rust that is what I expect on a 20 year old vessel.  

Maybe we could share some pics of our door decor of past trips to give others' ideas...I myself don't have a crafty bone in my body so I leave that to the pinterest/craft room folks who are much better at it them me...but I enjoy seeing them all the same.

1 minute ago, Retiredmedic said:

Not so much a beauty in the eye of the beholder, but rather standards. Some people have high standards for most everything in life, some have no standards. Uncle Sam decided I need to spend the first 8 years of my adult life "camping". Some in my units never spent a day in field yet whined about the barracks, while I spent more time in the field than I did the barracks I thought the barracks was the grandest thing after spending 4 weeks sleeping under pancho.

I agree....I have very high standards when it comes to cleanliness and safety...in fact I've managed to go my entire 42 years without ever staying in a motel and have no intention of ever doing so...even at a 5 star resort I'm fanatical and wipe down surfaces, don't touch bedspreads etc...BUT I couldn't care less if the sink is pink or blue or if the picture on the wall is tasteful or tacky....so I think we are talking about two different things on this thread.

Not speaking from personal experience but when asked previously on this forum it was advised that you could NOT bring non-alcoholic beer on ship with you.  

NO mistake...John Wayne any day over LAX....so much less of a headache....10 miles is worth it in ease....good choice.  Enjoy!

No

55 minutes ago, LHARTWICK said:

Is it wrong that as an adult I still want to do this???  I'm a kid at heart for sure! They look so precious, and it would be a neat souvenir. I've never outgrown my love for stuffed animals! I will also have a good amount of OBC to use this next time.  I've never paid that much attention to it in the Fun Times, but can you do this only during specified times or is it open any time the Fun Shops are open?

Yes only certain days at certain times and it will be listed in the Fun Times.

We use these off Amazon and had no issues.

16 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

That's funny. That's the way my wife is. The only time she asks where is the cruise going is when somebody in work asks her. Otherwise she says you take of everything and lmk when we are leaving.😛

I like it this way, "only one cook in the kitchen" as they say....he is so easy going, he doesn't pack for himself or care what excursions we do...he knows I have it covered....now if the car is broke or the sink is clogged, I leave that to him 100% too so it goes both ways LOL....

So FINALLY, our cruise is coming up next week, so I am getting all my ducks in a row...

We are taking the proctored BinaxNOW tests at home.  Do I need to schedule an appt with the proctor or can I just call at the time I would like to test?  Also, do we have to sit there live with the proctor while the test processes (15 Minutes?) or how does that work?  Any other helpful tips I need is appreciated!!! TIA

8 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

They put Priority on the luggage tags and Suite Guest on the boarding pass so the surprise probably won't make until you get to the cabin, but I'd keep it under my hat for as long as I could.

If he's like my husband....he still wouldn't even notice lol...my hubby is just the "tell me what time we leave" kind of man and doesn't give it much thought beyond that...LOL

So I must be hungry to take such an interest LOL...but are you suppose to dip the mushrooms in the broth or eat separate as a soup?  Strange....

2 minutes ago, jerseygirlinAZ said:

Just off the Radiance this morning and have to say that the steakhouse was one of the best meals I had on the ship.  I ordered the stuffed mushrooms, which were to die for.  I also received a delicious vegetable pasta.  I had the onion rings as a side because who doesn't like onion rings, lol?  A pic of the mushrooms is added, but it looks like my pasta pic didn't save on my phone.  (Boo!)  We also had dinner at the Italian restaurant, which was great.  Was not at all impressed with the main dining room.

Those do look yummy!  So, excuse my ignorance but what is that in the bowel to the side? TIA

Thanks for the review and so glad you had a good time!!!  We sail on the Miracle next Thursday and can't wait!  

I had similar issues last week (as did others in our group)...none of us were able to complete on our tablets/laptops...but we were all able to complete from the HUB app on our phones...I can't explain that logic but that was the case LOL.

13 minutes ago, lovestocruise19 said:

 Reunited and it feels so good! My last cruise was in December 2019. I just got off the Magic last weekend. What a long road it has been to get back to cruising. While this cruise didn't go exactly as planned, it was just what we needed to remind us how much we love cruising. 

 

Getting to the ship was super stressful. I was going with my parents, sister, brother-in-law and nieces. Family Cruise 2.0! Or so we thought. Last family cruise I was living in Florida so I didn't need to worry about weather. I moved back to NH in 2021 and Mother Nature decided to be an issue. Super long story short, my parents, hubby and I decided to change flights to Thursday instead of Friday and to an entirely different airline and airport to get ahead of a winter storm. Cost more, but nothing was going to prevent us from getting to our ship! My sister and her family weren't so lucky. They changed their flight to Thursday as well, but Spirit (boo, hiss!) cancelled their flight (nothing to do with weather, so I'm thinking staffing issues). They then changed their flight back to their original Friday flight and that got cancelled so they booked a flight out of a different airport and that one wasn't going to make a connection in DC, so they had to give up hope of making it to the ship in time. My sister said that was a hard phone call to make. I remember crying after she called. A bright spot is that a couple days later they planned a last minute trip to Universal. In all honesty, my nieces probably enjoyed that more than the cruise. Our cruise didn't have a lot of children on it.

 

Oh, and to touch on COVID testing: We did the at home proctored test. After not being able to connect to the sound at first, having my name show up in a different way and practically hyperventilating since I had an earlier flight to catch, the second time was the charm and it went very smoothly and I got my negative result. 

 

This smile tells it all!

Those nails are so fun!

10 minutes ago, Cinnamon2 said:

Also would like to know answer - we are traveling as a group of 8 and I don't think one bottle of wine would even cover our table.  Seems logical that we should get 1 bottle for 2 people.  I asked this same question here a few months ago and the answer was only 1 bottle per table but that does not make sense.  Perhaps someone who has cruised recently has the answer???

I believe it to be a bottle per booking...so if you guys are (4) bookings of two people each then 4 bottles...if you guys are (2) bookings of 4 people each then 2 bottles etc...

1 minute ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said:

Q&A with John was packed funny and awesome. 
 

Now making my way over to sea day brunch, Depression is setting in with this being the last day. 

Quick question...what time does Sea Day Brunch end?  TIA and have a great last day!!!

Dang your boat seems to be full of interesting characters...those are my favorite trips!  Feel better.

17 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Didn't envision you as a Slipknot fan....LOL

20 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

They might well have been sniffing for food, particularly fruit.  EM

Yes individual dogs can only sniff for one specific thing...so drugs, bombs, food etc...but not all 3.

They will do away with mandatory testing first and we don't even have a projected date for that...so it'll be a while before they do away with the vaccine requirement.  Now I can see testing going away within the year IMO.

11 minutes ago, waytoodeep03 said:

 

 

I get this

However 1 day out of a 7 day the parents should be able able to enjoy one another. Do things that they did when they were dating before the kids. 

 

Every couple with kids should be able to understand this.

 

Camp carnival is not boarding but its sole purpose is to watch the kids while parents can enjoy each other for a while. 

 

Carnival just makes it impossible to do this with excursions. That is all I am saying 

I agree its about balance....family time, alone time, couple time...you need a balance...now personally I have never and would never leave my kid on ship and go on an excursion but I don't feel bad in the slightest to take a night to ourselves without the kid etc.....I love vacationing with my kid, I miss him when I vacation without him but that doesn't mean Mom and Dad don't need a bit of alone time too.

27 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Anyone know about the west coast Mexican ports? (Panorama/Radiance/Miracle)

I've been told masks are still being required indoors while in port.