Dat Cruisin Couple

On 5/3/2021 at 4:38 PM, TheOldBear said:

In addition to the Canon G series, you may want to consider

• Panasonic LX100 Mark II / Leica D-Lux 7
• Panasonic TS200 / Leica C Lux
• Fujifilm X100V
• Sony ZV1
• Sony RX100

Most of these are based on 'one inch' sensors - the Fuji has a larger sensor, and a unique hybrid viewfinder.

 

For a compact interchangeable lens option, one of the smaller micro 4/3 bodies [OMD EM10 series; Pen-F] plus travel zoom [14-150] and a prime [17 f/1.8] might be a nice option.

 

One upvote for ZV-1. I have had one for a year and the pictures and video are great. Also check out the ZV-E10 with interchangeable lens.

8 minutes ago, kearney said:

I have been thinking about this... Those of us on CC have been aware of virtually every change as they have happened... most of which we have likely learned here. If you go to the Royal website..the health protocol link is not highlighted that well and you have to go through a few clicks to find the information. I know, as a former marketing person, that you don't want to have negatives on the front page... but it would be helpful if it was more prominent (vs almost hidden in smaller font at the top). Also, the emails I have received from RCL have been confusing..eg the one I must have received 4 times telling me I needed to register for my PCR test in Nassau... buried in small type to ignore if vaccinated.  So while I agree that these people should have known... I can see how it could have been overlooked if they were going by press releases that talked about allowing non-vaccinated on...missing other stories about how Seattle sailings required vaccination.  But this one of the risks traveling right now. Everything is in flux and even if you think you know the rules...better to check again before you head out.

 

 

I agree that it is possible to miss it on the RCCL site, but...

the news story mentions they had a travel agent. The TA didn't know. the TA NEEDS TO KNOW.

The news is also all over FB and even if they aren't on CC, they are other locations that the information is shared.

There seems to be an unspoken confirmation bias that the people in question heard somewhere that they could sail unvaxxed. That fit their accepted beliefs and they didn't look any further or ignored any information that didn't agree with what they already believed.

4 minutes ago, MAGSMFC said:

Does anyone have a menu of the cocktails that are available on the Anthem as trying to work out whether it is worth purchasing a drinks package.  We are diamond plus.

 

Many thanks

If you can imagine the drink, they can make it. Each bar on board will have a separate list of themed drinks, but not limited to what can be made.

2 minutes ago, dianajo67 said:

They actually only need a room for 4, but it must have separate beds for the teen kids (boy and girl).  We do not want a double sofa bed only and it’s impossible to tell in the rooms that support up to 4.  The chart is vague on the * meaning and says it could have a Pullman or sofa bed.  You’d figure the rooms that say they support 5 would have to have a Pullman in addition.

 

also trying to keep them reasonably close to my and my parents cabins.

Radiance of the Seas

To the OP, they probably won't hold the reservation and no one with reservations was able to board before their checkin time, so that is doubtful.  Like others have said, you might get lucky and be able to walk in. If it was me, I would cancel.

6 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

Well.. it is August, and although I am vaccinated and will test at anyone request, I do not plan on getting off the Odyssey next week in either Curacao or Aruba... because it is too hot! I'll wait for my December cruise for that. Also, I cannot be bothered by something so trivial as wearing a face mask. I have been doing it for 17 months, and it has no actual affect on my enjoyment of anything. 

Good attitude!

4 minutes ago, JessyCruises said:

How is the surf and stream on a transatlantic?  Specifically thinking of Oasis and Quantum class. I am wondering if it would be possible to telecommute and take calls and meetings through Teams. I don’t have an issue doing it from Caribbean but I am was not sure if the service might be different in the middle of the Atlantic.

 

thanks!

Jess

i would guess fine for voice only. Not sure about adding video and do you have to go through a VPN? Both will add to lag and load of the signal. 

3 hours ago, dltaeg said:

Can anyone please explain the testing programme for unvaccinated people. I've read the information issued by RC but being from the UK I'm guessing things work differently in the US. 

We are travelling in Feb from Florida with an unvaccinated 12 year old (he's not eligible here in the UK for the vaccine) and a 8 and 11 year old. I know my younger two won't need testing but what about my 12 year old. 

How many tests will he need, where would he go for a test not being a US citizen, how many days before sailing will he need to be tested. We are desperate to get back to sailing but I feel with our eldest being unvaccinated and us being from the UK it might not be possible.e tested. We are desperate to get back to sailing but I feel with our eldest being unvaccinated and us being from the UK it might not be possible.

there are no specifics listed for cruises that far out.

But if the cruise was happening in August then everyone in your party would need to be tested prior to boarding. If the itinerary was eastern Caribbean with a stop in St Thomas then every one 12 and older would need to be fully vaccinated with a brand approved by the US CDC. If the vaccines you have were not on the CDC's approved list, you would all be considered unvaccinated and have to have several other tests from embarkation to disembarkation at your expense. BIG BUT - this is only for cruises out of Florida for August 2021 and does not apply to your cruise.  

11 hours ago, nelblu said:

Meant, we drove and brought the scooter with us.🤪

That would be dangerous on the Jersey Turnpike! 🙂

15 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

 

The cases on Adventure last week quickly made the news because a USA Today reporter was on board. Otherwise it may have stayed quiet.

Well, the woman who had the screaming hissy fit on Freedom got flown home along with the woman sharing the cabin a few weeks ago. 

Both Royal and Celebrity have announced the positives and some details(without giving away PII and PMI). I guess they want to get ahead of the rumors unlike Carnival that wants to hope rumors don't start.

I know the youtubers Griff and Alyssa pretty much flaunt the drone rules on their videos. When Cococay opened they had lots of drone shots, even joked about how they fooled the security people on the island.

So the rules have been in place for a while.

1 minute ago, Diamond Dandy said:

Setting aside for the moment all the concerns about pre-sale testing for everybody.

 

We just received our cruise documents for our 8/29 Allure cruise.  I actually read through the cruise contract. I was surprised that the lawyers found it necessary to include a new section dealing with drones!  Basically you can bring them on board but cannot use them on board.  You cannot use them in the port area. Use on shore is governed by local regulations.  Still, I wonder what was behind this addition.

 

Have drones been a problem on the ships? I have heard nothing on the subject. Interested in hearing any related stories.

Not sure if the wording changed, but there was a drone paragraph in our Dec 2019 contract.

34 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Wrong, the medical staff on a cruise ship are under the direct management of a licensed physician. The medical treatment of a passenger by a licensed physician is indeed bound by HIPAA.

No information identifying the person who tested positive was given out. no violation.

The captain went on the shipwide PA and announced that someone tested positive. Starts at 53 seconds in.

1 hour ago, soremekun said:

Thanks.  I wonder if face masks, sunglasses and hats can throw a wrench into the facial recognition algorithm.

 

I don't know the exact s/w they use, but typical high speed systems build a model of the person's face based on skin contrast. SO masks, sunglasses and the like don't directly affect the accuracy. There is a bias based on skin color however.

The computing power needed to directly match your SetSail picture to video of you and hundreds of others moving around in realtime "probably" isn't practical on a ship at sea. So, people are tracked with low fidelity unless they need to trace YOU and then they will pull the video and look.

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

HIPPA Violation...

54 minutes ago, orville99 said:

RCL is using Tracelet bracelets on every passenger

It's enhanced video, https://thepointsguy.com/news/cruise-ship-contact-tracing/

Protocols haven't been announced, so tough to say.

You have to attest if you have travelled internationally in the two weeks prior to boarding. If you say yes, they do a quick test on the spot(takes 15-20 minutes). Several vloggers in FL who are hopping from ship to ship now are running into these delays.

11 hours ago, soremekun said:

How is contract tracing performed on this ship?

Facial recognition, cameras and software that can track your face as you move from camera to camera.

We are doing a B2B in December on Harmony. Couldn't get what we wanted in the same cabin so we opted for CP on the first leg and a Suite directly across the hall for the second. Hopefully this gives us the same attendant and they can take care of things.

On 7/24/2021 at 11:53 AM, ONECRUISER said:

Kool! Yes, she started doing these Royal Vid's over yr ago pre-CV, also has other's posted covering her travels going back even longer 

They are even doing stories about her! https://www.insider.com/ice-skater-royal-caribbean-cruises-what-life-is-like-2021-7

Looks like the behind the scenes, crew area video has been taken down. :sad trombone:

must be some rule. 😞

2 hours ago, ace2542 said:

Is it possible that the CDC as a result of this appeal - especially if they lose - bring in 100% vaccinated sailing requirement? As in it doesn't sail unless 100% or vaccinated not that a person can't board if not vaccinated? Or perhaps revoke the VSP and in words of Chengpk 75 watch the cruise industry dissolve into chaos. Or introduce mask requirements forever even in the cabins and in sleep requiring hidden CCTV to be installed to ensure compliance. And maybe also introduce guidelines that 1 positive case of Covid or Flu even means the cruise is cancelled and the ship returns to port and that all  passengers must be tested every day whilst onboard no exceptions?. Any one of these would destroy the industry.

 

I am asking a question not making a statement.

Also, I believe the CDC still can say what countries people can fly into the US from. 

"Ok, you can sail, but foreign crew can't join the ship."

I still think the cruiselines are going to play nice with the CDC because they realize they have work with the CDC long after all this is over because of all the things you list. 

Not much. Basically you are not required to row. 🙂

It is the start of the CAS, everyone has it after their first sailing.

12 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

 

Do you ever have any problems with putting a battery in it and if you don't use it for a couple of days the battery will be dead when you go to use it? That's what's happening to mine all the time and it's annoying. Sometimes I forget to charge it right before I go to use it (charged it days before) and then it's useless to me when I go out. 

 

I bought a waterproof case and the filters and hoping to be able to use it with any new GoPro that I buy because I haven't even got to use them yet. Do you know if they are all interchangeable and the same size?

I just checked. I haven't charged the extra batteries in at least a month and they were all about 50% charged when I plugged them in. So they should lose very little charge after a couple of days, but I also make sure not to leave them always charging.

I know that cases and filters are interchangeable between my Gopro Black 5 and Black 7. I want to say they changed the battery and case dimensions on the 8 and 9, but not 100% sure. So check for compatibility before getting the newer ones. The mounts for all of them are always 100% compatible. 

On 7/19/2021 at 6:57 PM, mitsugirly said:

I have a GoPro 7 White and I have to say it has been a nightmare since day one. I bought it on a whim during a "Black Friday" even though I was not even considering one at the time. 

 

I've had multiple problems with it not coming on, not connecting to my computer, battery dying in a short period of time and battery dying if you charge it and don't use it right away.

 

I would really like to get another one...one that I can make video's while on my vacations. We do scuba dive (Discover Scuba down to 40') so I imagine there wouldn't be a problem with any of them because they are waterproof down that deep right?

 

I remember years ago people saying that some GoPro's are better than others because they had removable batteries or something like that? I think the discussion was because you would be able to have back up batteries when out. 

 

Give me your thoughts and suggestions please. I would appreciate it. I'm just so over the one that I have. 

I don't have any experience with the GoPro Whites, but I have a 7 Black and 5 Black and have no problems. Both have interchangeable batteries and each battery lasts 50-60 minutes run time. I have a multicharger and 3 extra batteries, so we always have fresh batteries.

Without any special casing, the GoPros are waterproof to 33'. They do sell housing that can get you down to 131'. 

One of our favorite uses is get a suction mount for the camera and film a timelapse/hyperlapse of driving or sailaway. Always a cool thing to do.

The newer models have more addons that make better for vlogging and talking into the camera, but if you are just looking to film what is going on around you, the older ones will do just fine and since you aren't getting the latest & greatest they are usually $100+ less to buy them.