MacMadame

Are the ships smaller than the ones that would originally be there? Also, maybe there are more passengers per ship than usual due to the holidays (i.e., more kids)

Some (not all) smokers are convinced that no one can smell the smoke and everyone who says they are allergic to the smoke or it gives them a headache is lying. I've even had people say this to me -- that so-and-so isn't really allergic or that we're outside so no one can smell the smoke. These stories have me worried that one of those people will be in the balcony next to us on our "trip of a lifetime" cruise. 😞

I hear you on this. Princess too. Though my drone is considered a toy and not subject to all those regulations. But I am horrible at flying it and sure it would end up in the ocean so just as well. 🙂

It should be covered by the "Port Fees" we pay as part of the cruise price.

Yikes! I finally got Covid in Sept and the guidelines these days are much looser. I could have left the house after 5 days even though I still had symptoms! For the cameras, since they weren't attached to your balcony, weren't you afraid someone would steal them?

Oh, I meant where did you put them to capture the 3 different perspectives of the Panama Canal crossing.

Their tourist board has been advertising asking people to come to Maui, just not to Lahaina.

The canal transit is one day. I'm talking about all the other days after you get through. Port side is the best place for sunsets once you are through the canal and heading north.

Where did you put the cameras? I have been thinking about what direction I should aim my camera. Though I got laid off today so our trip may be off. 😢

Also, once you are through the canal, you should get some great sunsets on the port side.

90 days. I found out when I tried to transfer a booking at 93 days. 😞 Are they deluxe balconies? I see tons of balconies on my ship but they aren't deluxe.

Yes! I hope some cruise line does come up with a long cruise like this for a fair price.

My friends who booked said they had to pay 6 months in advance, not 3. I think once you do that deposit, you can then pay one month at a time as long as you maintain 6 months paid for. At least that's what they told me. And at least one person who was interviewed said they sold their house *at a loss*. SMH I really wanted to do this cruise, but I have a dog, 3 cats, and a job so it just didn't make sense. Looks like I dodged a bullet.

I never watch the news. I value my brain cells. 😉 I read the data when it comes out every month. Job creation has been better than expected every month recently and inflation is slowing. Other economic measures show us recovering better than other countries. Oh, and my 401k has grown dramatically in just the past 30 days. (Thank goodness as retirement is imminent.) TPTB just need to put a stop to all this price gouging that's masking all the good news.

GoPro would have to dramatically improve for me to consider it at this point. But in some areas, the DJI Action 4 and the Insta360 ACE are very competitive. I'd be interested in seeing what the Action 5 (I assume) will do. That's right around my birthday too!

I'm looking now and this new Insta360 ACE with the AI chip sounds super-interesting. I'm not sure when they come out with new models and my cruise isn't until over a year from now so I may wait until summer to decide. I'm also looking at the still cameras as a Christmas present to myself. My husband is probably thinking, "Why don't you use that drone I bought you last year before you buy new tech?" though. 🤣

I have been looking into these residential cruises with an eye to retirement. Much of the math that I see assumes you can rent your cabin out whenever you are not there but talk to any VRBO/AirBnB owner and they will tell you that this is not realistic. It also assumes you can sell the cabin when you no longer want it but will you? Given that they haven't sold out the ship, I would be surprised. If you do buy in, you have to think of it like buying an RV or a yacht. It's an expense and a depreciating asset that, if you use it a lot, might be worth it. But it's not an investment.

I think it is the sunk cost fallacy. Or maybe it's the frog boiling scenario. Or both! LOL I have friends who were to take this cruise and when they signed up, the company had a ship. It was months later that Life at Sea said that they couldn't use that ship and were buying a bigger one. At this point, you've put in months planning, maybe sold some stuff. Plus, Miray is an experienced cruise line who has bought ships before, so why wouldn't you trust them? My friends were a bit nervous but willing to continue at that point. I think, if it was me, I might have pulled out when most of the Life and Sea staff including the founders left to start another company. But my friends could afford to lose some money, weren't selling their house, and weren't quitting jobs to do this. So they stayed the course. And went to Turkey anyway when the delay was announced because they had non-refundable tickets. Honestly, if I had stayed in up to that point, I would have done the same. Anyway, my friends are planning a trip to another part of the world and will probably travel around on their own. After all, they set their life up to be gone for three years so that is probably what they will do just not on a cruise or at least not on this one. They are having an adventure, just not the one they planned and I'm happy for them. The ones I feel sorry for are the people who seriously disrupted their lives for this and are in a pickle. Yes, no one made them sell their businesses, quit their jobs, sell their homes at a loss, etc. But they still got screwed over IMO and it seems clear that the Miray people were feeding them some lines and not being straightforward with them.

This is probably why Princess requires us to have a passport in many situations where the countries you go to don't require it just to do excursions when the ship is in port.

Yes, but so is the room service fee. 😄 I was just pointing out that even if you don't have a package if you want to use room service a lot, you can do it without paying $5 every time.

OMG, people put their feet on the table?!?! That's gross.

Also, if you use the app, you aren't charged a room service fee even if you order via OceanNow in your stateroom. Also, all the disabled people I know have smart phones. 😉

All smartphones have the ability to enlarge the text. Which is helpful even if all you do is use your phones for actual phone calls.

What's a bear fleet? (Or even what is a beer fleet as I assume that's what you meant at first)?

I was thinking maybe somehow you are being charged for the Plus fare *and* the Plus drinks package but 2000 is more than the drinks package for 2 for 10 days so I am as mystified as anyone else.