SeaHunt

Did you see the guy with the Michigan flag standing on his balcony conducting it LOL 😄 I bet he has a great cruise, he certainly has the right attitude for it!

Yay! Another great (Formerly Known as) Cheapo Dad trip report! I'm catching up and want to say thanks so much for letting us sail along with your family again. 😁 Re the "blue runners" - I'm thinking these are the same as on the beach where I live (up the coast), and are actually for wheelchair/ADA access, though those in your picture look like they need a little help getting straightened up and cleaned off: https://www.hollywoodcra.org/176/ADA-Access-Program

Uh yeah, I truly apologize and am so sorry to have brought that here. 🫣 I'm 68 and am so not "in the loop" (do they still say that?), and when I read all the comments about them and this cruise I had to go see what was out there. That was literally the first thing I saw, and was just surprised at the categories they chose to list to watch for on the cruise. Big oops. I'll put myself in posting jail now. 😉

UWC Bingo per an influencer 😉 This one marked in red shows the ones they've experienced so far (noticed they changed top line "weather mishaps" now to "staff dates passenger"):

Now that's what I call an emotional support dog LOL! 😁 (I'm really enjoying your report, big thanks for doing it!)

I think a relative of his made it to the islands:

Reminds me of 2017 when a tornado spun off Hurricane Irma hit the Port Canaveral Park 'N Cruise area (many Carnival Magic and RCI Oasis of the Seas cruisers vehicles): "Among the many businesses destroyed by Hurricane Irma was one of the most popular cruise parking lots in Port Canaveral. The Park ‘N Cruise lot, used by thousands of tourists each year, was hit hard by the storm as she made her way across Florida. In a Facebook post, the lot reported that before the hurricane, their staff “continuously prepped our facility for the worst case scenario, which was a predicted direct hit.” The post went on to explain that the staff periodically visited to lot to “assess the performance of our facility as well as the condition of” the cars customers had left in their care. As of 9 p.m. that night, the staff reported that there were no problems. Cruise Parking Lot Hit By Tornado However, upon returning the next morning, it was discovered that the lot had been struck by a tornado, several of which were reported in conjunction with the hurricane. “The force of this tornado,” they reported, “resulted in the complete loss of our Park ‘N Cruise home. Additionally, the majority of our customer’s vehicles received some level of damage,” including several which the post categorized as “a complete loss.” As the Park ‘N Cruise’s Facebook page explained, “This feeling of complete loss is only equaled by our feeling of helplessness in our ability to prevent ANY damage to our customer’s vehicles. Regardless, of the fact that our business and facility is a complete loss, our families remained safe throughout the storm…and for that we are thankful beyond measure.” Immediately, the company’s Facebook page was flooded with messages from longtime customers expressing their sympathies for the owner and hopes that they would be able to get the business up-and-running again quickly. Meanwhile, Park ‘N Cruise was working hard to help customers returning to the port. “Customers currently on Carnival Magic or the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas can text their valet ticket # to 866-***-****, for an update on your vehicle’s condition,” said another Facebook post. “We will text back as soon as possible… please keep in mind we are without power and water and communication is spotty at best, but we will respond.” https://cruiseradio.net/cruise-parking-lot-destroyed-storm/

I've posted before that I used to get terrible motion sickness, but now always go with natural "MotionEaze". (When you get that sick and find something that really works for you, you have to sing it's praises 🎶). It's used on the fishing charters down here, so tourists don't "feed the fish" 🤢 I buy mine from Amazon, but have seen in Walmart and West Marine stores too. I've also seen it in the gift shops on various cruises BUT it's very expensive onboard. Kind of like Pringles LOL. A drop behind each ear and you're good to go, and since it works in 5 minutes, you can wait until you are sure you're going to need something so you're not dosing unnecessarily. It's OK for kids too. And I've also had good results with it from vertigo, including the after the cruise feeling like you're still on the ship (mal de debarquement syndrome). https://motioneaze.com/

Check around the 37:02 mark - looks like a little "Galveston Bay Dolphin" was also escorting her in 😊

Here she comes 😊

Was watching Pilot No. 5 get tossed around leading a freighter out a few minutes ago and could almost feel the "motion of the ocean" 🤪

Good evening @island lady So do you feel totally settled in now? I find that as soon as we unpack and find a place for everything I am done and our stateroom is "home". My DH takes a little longer to unwind 😉 Also speaking for DH, another question from him is what people are doing for RX prescriptions for the entire cruise? I know our plan will pre-fill for vacations, but don't know about that many days! You can see the difference between the two of us - I'd be more worried about having enough clothes and he's all about logistics lol. Thanks again for taking the time to post your experiences and letting us follow you on this wonderful trip (and answering our questions). I bet most will be following all the way until you leave the ship! 😊

Some of the local weather forecasters down here (FL) are advising people to "secure holiday trim" this weekend - makes you imagine all the Santa inflatables lifting up and flying through the sky lol 🎅

@island lady It looks like your "Holy Cow" rain is headed for us this weekend - cruisers leaving from FL ports this weekend might watch the weather: Tom Terry WFTV Orlando says: "A strong low will form in the Gulf of Mexico and move over Florida from late Saturday through early Sunday, bringing tropical storm-like conditions to Florida. “This likely won’t be tropical in nature,” he said. But we can expect to see 2 to 5 inches of rain, wind gusts in excess of 40 to 50 mph, coastal erosion and flooding, and wave run-up. A few tornadoes are also possible."

So my plan is now trying to get my DH enthused about doing something like this in the future, and of course his practical mind already has a question I can't answer - what do you do about medical insurance if the coverage you have now doesn't include international providers? We are familiar with insurance info for "normal/long length" cruises (usually buy ours from Deanna at the Trip Insurance Store) but nothing like something for 274 days. I mentioned that maybe most purchase something like GeoBlue (that does includes worldwide coverage)? What about medical evacuation coverage? Do you include with GeoBlue or buy something like MedJet for that? I am really unsure of what people actually choose. Any specifics would be appreciated, and all info will go toward my work-on-my-husband campaign 😄

@island lady Bon Voyage! Have a fabulous time! Just so exciting - I will cruise vicariously right along throughout the entire journey via everyone's comments. It will be an education for sure! It looks like you will have fellow cruisers with some interesting stories. I have read two different articles about people purchasing cabins to live full time on Storylines new MV Narrative and both mentioned they had booked the UWC cruise in the meantime: One couple from New Smyrna: "Moving aboard the MV Narrative will not be a massive adjustment for the couple, with the pair scarcely on land. Where are they now? They just boarded a nine-month 'cruise around the world' with Royal Caribbean." https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-12813421/Meet-couple-whove-200-cruises-love-life-high-seas-theyre-selling-house-Florida-paying-1-7million-LIVE-cruise-ship.html Another FL couple from Port Salerno: "A couple all too familiar with cruise ship life are John and Melody Hennessee, retirees from Port Salerno, Florida. When they saw a Facebook post about the MV Narrative in early 2022, they had already signed up for a 279-day world cruise with Royal Caribbean." https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11728177/Couples-reveal-theyve-spent-millions-dollars-live-Storylines-cruise-ship-MV-Narrative.html So two couples who will be going from UWC to full time cruising! 😉 Maybe they will share their stories onboard...

Well maybe a lot jealous 😉

Ohhh yeah, I remember that one, and had to go dig this picture up for those who might have missed it (it was posted on a 2019 CC thread about "Wear Your Best") - her Husband made it for her 😉 (I chose not to post the rear view, but it's as you can imagine LOL)

At 7:50pm she's still on Port Tampa cam, but maybe there's a little more action on the bridge now (or an officer is pacing back and forth lol): https://www.porttampawebcam.com/

Thanks for doing this review and have a wonderful cruise! I caught a screen grab of the Symphony leaving on the port cam tonight. She's a beauty:

Symphony has moved out: And over on the Miami cam - I never knew Virgin (Valiant Lady) lit the sides with "❤️❤️ MIAMI ❤️❤️" while departing:

I've never understood how watching a departure on a webcam can bring the same excitement as being onboard...but somehow it still does! At least for me! 😄

https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/