SargassoPirate

For a while the CDC was tracking the so-called breakthrough transmissions, but the numbers of serious illnesses were so low - less than your chances of being struck by lightning - that they don't track those anymore. At least I can't find them on the CDC website.

Thank you. Feel free to use it. I've never been a fan of leather skin, so I avoid the Melanoma Deck as much as possible. On one ship - and I can't recall which one - there was a burger bar just outside the elevator lobby on that deck. The Caribbean band was so loud that the burger guy couldn't hear even a shouted order and I had to point to the menu. And people just laid there frying in the sun, slowly going deaf.

If it moves and shouldn't - duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should - WD40. I carry both in my travel tool kit along with a small Leatherman tool and some other items.

I've sailed HAL, RCI, Cunard, Princess, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Viking. They all offer me the opportunity to be on the sea and visit ports I may not otherwise get to. I sail for the itinerary, but after fifty some cruises my needs are relatively simple. A full promenade. Someplace to get some food. A wee dram or three in the evening with some acoustical string music. My don't needs are simple as well. I don't need over amplified production shows, over amplified Caribbean bands on the Melanoma Deck, or loud music in the loyalty lounge where conversation is impossible. Even a so-so cruise is better than a good day at the office.

I'm vaxxed and boosted and don't worry about the people around me on elevators, theaters, or elsewhere. I don't live in fear. BTW, where can one find the results of all of these cruise line tests? I would like to know the overall percentage number of positive tests and the number of positive tests for people who were not sick. Our local positivity rate is over 12 percent and there hasn't been a single case in the ICU for weeks. Covid is mutating into more easily spread but less lethal variants. That's what viruses do. The Spanish flu and the Russian flu are still circulating and if there was a test for them, somebody would be in a panic. Get vaxxed, get boosted, and get on wirh life.

Covid is mutating into more easily spread and less lethal variants. Remember when the focus was on flattening the curve and not overwhelming hospitals? Now the focus is on testing, testing, testing and to what end? Testing people who are not sick serves what propose if the majority of people are vaccinated and with today's therapuetics? Our local positivity rate is well over 12 percent, but there's been nobody in the ICU for weeks. The mask mandates on public transportation expired weeks ago and what were the consequences? People with underlying conditions should wear a mask to protect themselves. Personally, I think the cruise industry is so risk averse that they are afraid to let go of testing.

It's because those kettles are dangerous fire hazards in all but the UK and Australia markets.

My idea of rich is to now be in my 70s with good health and the resources to do whatever I want. My wants are modest. Regarding my world cruise, I shopped carefully with a spreadsheet and selected one with some ports I haven't been to yet and a nice mix of sea days to relax and enjoy the ship. Second consideration was the cost per day. Since I sometimes do three to four cruises a year, my WC will be the only cruise I do that year and will cost about the same per day as I usually spend cruising. Being of sound mind and body, I'm spending the kid's inheritance.

I pack the same amount of clothing for a 7-14 night cruise as longer cruises - and soon to be a128 night world cruise. Over the years I have perfected my cruise packing by keeping track of clothes and things I packed, but never used. That being said, most of my cruise wear items are quick dry travel clothes. I pack a little powdered laundry detergent, clothes pins, and some foldable plastic hangers. I can wash a few items in the evening and they are dry by morning. The only thing that I don't wash out in the cabin is a black sport coat that I wear on "formal" nights. On the world cruise I may have to send it out if "wear a day, air a day" doesn't work. One last thought, "formal" nights for me is a pair of black jeans, a colored T-shirt with matching pocket square, and a black sport coat. I've never received a citation from the "clothes police" or a second glance from the maître d.

I've been on just over fifty cruises and around forty with She Who Must Be Obeyed (SWMBO). When SWMBO cruises with me, a balcony is mandatory as it's her private sanctuary. That being said, when I cruise alone and have to pony up for the single supplement, I've always selected an Inside Luxury Suite. I did so first as a cost savings move, but as time goes on I've come to prefer an inside and always have my reservation marked "No Upgrades". With a balcony cabin, I might step out to check the weather in the morning and maybe watch the moon/stars in the evening before turning in. When I think about the cost of the time I'm actually on the balcony, it's hundreds of dollars compared to the cost of my inside - hundreds of dollars that I can use for another cruise perhaps. I use my Inside Luxury Suite for sleeping and as a changing room. The rest of the ship is the same for me to enjoy as somebody who sails in a balcony or a suite. Most of my waking hours I'm out and about on the ship, especially the shady side of the promenade where a comfortable lounger, a good book, and a travel mug of coffee is one of life's pleasures. Just some thoughts.

We have cancelled our scheduled cruises through the end of the year - 2020. We were slated to board the ill fated Ruby Princess in Australia on April 4 and missed that one by a hair. We were anticipating the cruise back home after several weeks on land, but barely made it out of Australia to the US on one of the few remaining flights between Sydney and the US. We are able to keep ourselves safe by practicing frequent hand washing and sanitizing - thus breaking the most prevalent method of Covid-19 transmission - hand to mouth/face. But, too many people don't wash their hands and too many travel logistics are beyond our control. We have cruises booked through early 2022, but do not plan to leave the US or step on a cruise ship until there is a widespread vaccine and treatment for Covid-19. How about you? When will you be willing to chance it?

As I approach 70 and am still an avid cruiser, there are certain things that I used to think were almost mandatory or things that I would obsess about prior to the cruise. I do still obsess about cabin location and whether there is a wrap-around promenade, but beyond that I'm pretty well satisfied by most any day on the ocean. I no longer feel the need to..... Be the first on or off the ship. As long as I get on before the ship sails, I'm good. Attend every production show. I find most of them annoyingly over amplified anyway. Use a lounger on the Melanoma Deck. I enjoy a lounger on the promenade much more. Get off the ship in every Caribbean port. Been there, and they all start to look alike anyway. Use ship excursions. Some of my best days have been walking around the port city and discovering a small coffee shop or cafe to enjoy. Beats marching to the tour guide's clock on a crowded excursion bus. Eat evening meals in the MDR. I find it much more relaxed to eat breakfast and lunch in the MDR, and then have a light evening meal in the buffet. Frees up a lot of m y time in the evening also. To a youngster, I probably sound like an old curmudgeon, but one of the beauties of cruising is that you are free to enjoy the cruise and the ship in your own way. How about you?