BecciBoo

27 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

What does Kmom like? Have you figured it out yet?

 

Logic

Trivia

Winning trivia contests 

My teenager and the “foster” adult (18) we welcomed into our family last year.

Pandas / Panda Diplomacy 

Kindness

Gratitude

Baklava

Coffee

Don't forget cruising and the Ocean!

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

There should be a remote for the virtual screen.

Correct.  We helped Beta test Navigator when they tested these screens out back in 2014, we met the implementation team too.  Since we've had this type cabin 3 times, recently on Voyager last month.  We really liked them.  Interesting to note the cameras they use are in real time from both sides of the ship and I think I remember a wake shot sometimes too and it also records sounds.  On Navi the view was of the pier and you could see the steves loading luggage and hear it just like you were standing on a balcony.  It was so cool and it put me right to sleep on my bed in the cabin for a few.😴

I'm in!  Bon Voyage ya'll!

10 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Yes I miss the 3 of them but they always forgive me pretty quickly. ❤️❤️

You wouldn't believe it but we set up a couple of cameras to check on our one cat at home during the cruise.  She is a feral cat and the love of our lives.  When we first adopted her and went on a cruise she was almost dead when we returned,  Vet said she was depressed and stopped eating and drinking .  So we make sure to observe her now, plus my brother sees her every day.  We love our fir babies!

38 minutes ago, JaneRetired said:

3. Honey comes from clover, a plant. Pistachios or walnuts come from trees and are high in protein and healthy fats. The nuts, honey, and phyllo pastry used to make baklava provide a rich source of essential nutrients, including protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Additionally, baklava may help to improve heart health, boost energy levels, aid digestion, help with weight loss and brain function ( that part from google). Also one piece is very yummy!

Poppycock count as flowers?😉

I second Firefly, Carnivals app is crazy good, but not enough to choose them over RCL.  Too many other things I don't like.  

4 hours ago, sdear said:

How easy would that train be with two large suitcases and a carry on?  ( two people lol )  

It was OK with us about the same, Todd handled 1 large and carry on, I moved the other large, but I was younger then!😆  We loved the train. Before we went I watched a You Tube that showed the entire thing from Airport to downtown, I sorta memorized it and we had no trouble at all except the self serve tickets were not very user friendly but my Techi hubs got it.

13 hours ago, MandyMooToo said:

We paid $1271.76

Keep checking the price so you can cancel rebook it if lower!

We start out day 1 using all 5 but it dwindles down to a trickle or none by 7th day. We are cruise closet drinkers only.  We may have a few glasses of wine at home very seldom.  Only for cocktails, we do our lattes etc in the Diamond lounge.  I only have 2 a day if that.  My go to is their tea. And we usually take a 12 can pk of A&W sugar free Root Beer.  We would never pay for a pkg.  We've done it Celebrity because the agent offered some kind of deal, just a couple cruises.  It's nice to be able to waste something you don't care for and get another too...but that amount would go a long way toward another booking...so no can do. Whatever floats your boat.

BTW I got that off an agent's Youtube cruise review, advertised on boarding day for the inaugural, today's quote on my Sept. sailing is $1021.86...much better but still no good to us.  But my DD and hubs are considering it.  That's about 36 drinks per person for 7 days or 5+drinks a day on  $14 drinks.  Thank God for vouchers.  And I never use them all especially toward the end of the cruise.

3 hours ago, EbayCruiser said:

My upcoming cruise on Utopia has gone down 6 times since I booked a couple of months ago.  I just call RC and they give me the new price.  

Not on my Icon sailing....sniff 😭

Current cruisers experience....have they put this on sale lately? $1424.85 is insane!  Anybody?

Looking at another Alaska, our first one way back in 2013 on Radiance, we snagged an aft Sunset Balcony for under $2K, same ship same itin next August $3500...boing!😲

33 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

a purpose-driven life

Great book.

Settling back for a great review...I've been pricing Quantum class to Alaska for Sept. '25.  We did Radiance one time and Celebrity Solstice the second. About ready to go again!  Thanks for the review!

I am a bit squeamish if I have a scab, scratch or wound, cut my finger etc.  I wouldn't get in with those.

8 minutes ago, orville99 said:

"OBC" they were going to give me for booking with them was the same OBC that the cruise line was going to give me for booking direct.

That's exactly why we quit the agencies.  It used to be way better to transfer the booking and get all their perks, but early on they quit including such things as special dinners and paid gratuity, then you just saw what you just described.  Done!  I have booked our own for at least the last 15 yrs.  I don't blame them, they never made much money...I know cuz I worked with one for a while, bust!

39 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

. I've been to A and C, not bonaire

Just the opposite here, never been to the others but Bonaire has excellent shore diving/snorkeling.  We enjoyed our dive trip, it's a dessert island though, plenty of cacti, brambles, donkeys and flamingos.

20 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I am sure all pools/hot tubs aren’t bad, but they never look appealing to me 

A lot of folks call them petri dishes LOL.  But I know the water is recirculated many times during the day and cleaned and replaced at night, this is better than most backyard pools.  That is why the nets are on the pools in the early morning, they have been busy cleaning.  AND, its highly chlorinated.  I don't mind getting in any of them but I always take a deck shower and shower fully back at the cabin.  If you wanna get serious about germs, know that there are more on your toothbrush which is not chlorinated or sterilized and that the dirtiest place in any home is the kitchen sink. Think about that for a sec.  Any doorknob has more! That's what your epidermis if for! 🤗

We were enthused about trying Carnival Jubilee after our first and only Carni DID NOT GO WELL!  And there were many things we loved but mostly things we did not love...their cafeteria Marketplace is a joke.  We'd go to get breakfast and it wasn't the "bacon day" so no bacon to be had!  WHAT!!!!!!!!! and very little variety, Windjammer has 50 times the choices.  And after hearing about the pizza forever, I tried twice to eat it, cardboard with melted cheese on it...ish.  The service in MDR was way subpar, we were not even given a menu when seated!  WHAT!!  I figure they were counting on your making your choices from their app (which is very functional). And no white linen on the tables...anywhere!  Just little things but important to us.

So we have decided we stick with the 2 RCI lines from now on, we'll just set aside more $$.

15 hours ago, LilBlackDress said:

I wish the daily gratuity was added into this 

Can't be, it's not mandatory.  Not starting yet another debate, I like the freedom to hand my servers their own tip, I don't like pools where people I never see get a part of it.  Originally, tipping was for exceptional service not mediocre service.

12 hours ago, Katems75 said:

Also, any chance the ships will be decorated for Christmas if we sail November 15 or 16, THROUGH Thanksgiving week??

They will erect the Christmas tree that week, we've done 3 Thanksgiving cruises and we always watch them put it up.

And I'd choose Oasis class.  We loved Odyssey but prefer the layout of Oasis class...hope to do Utopia, but pricing is so high for a shorty!  We did Liberty 6 times already so you know we like the class but I'm lured by all the variety Oasis class offers.

We loved Symphony just because of the drone ice show...spectacular!

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

loyal to royal

For us it's not a matter of being loyal, they just tick all our boxes.  Lately after Icon pricing though, it's been a little expensive, but after doing Jubilee we are convinced RCI suits us just fine. Love Celebrity too, but cannot cruise them too often.  Now looking at a cheap short cruise for Sept. "25 and every time I do a mockup it ends up on the qte page way more than when I picked it, hundreds more, can't understand that when it starts out at $300 or $400 each and ends up $3000+ on the last page...have you noticed that??

14 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

One of the things we enjoy the most about cruising is the balcony.  Sitting on it sipping a glass of wine in the evening before dinner, or before retiring for the evening the IV just doesn't have the same or equal feel at all. 

I agree but we don't mind doing an interior some cruises as well, like the cozy feel of our cocoon and like virtual balcony too so we can see the water.  It's ok because we save a lot of money and tend to do them in between the bigger cruises or on shorties like the Vger we just did.  Icon coming up is an inside accessible and I'm looking forward to seeing it...will post pics.  Our Ascent cruises are both balconies in the aft so looking forward to the sipping and waking!!!!😁