RadioRay

Well, that thumbnail doesn't show much. Let me try it this way:

 

Just wanted to share this. Current position of my favorite, Majesty. She just left Miami. What I like about this shot is that the data for her current position was picked up by the AIS receiver (1399) on my condo balcony in Pompano Beach. Kinda cool that a device of mine is sending data about ship positions to users all over the world. Not hard to get started. No license required. Marinetraffic.com is a cool web site to track your favorites. If you live near the water, and you don't see a station near you, consider getting a station of your own.

 

Sorry if this is a repeat, but I didn't see it when I searched this thread. This shows cracks, missing railing and lights.

The generally accepted way to walk or run around the ship is counterclockwise. On some ships there are arrows posted to guide passengers.

 

However English passengers are requested to walk or run anticlockwise ;) One of the interesting differences between the same language.

My son uses a lanyard for his seapass card, you can get them for $1-$2 at party city.

 

I do the same. The Guest Relations desk will gladly punch a hole in it for you. The Seapass is waterproof, so I even wear it in the hot tub.

A good tip to help you remember when you took some of the pictures... when you get back to the cabin, take a picture of the TV while it's on the cruise status channel. The one that shows the date, time and current position. Later you'll see these as you page through all the pictures and you'll have a better idea of when and where you were when you took them.

 

This channel was broken on the Majesty but I hope they fix it for my next cruise.

 

Ray

Key West seems to want us out of there very early. 14:30 for the Majesty. I guess the ships block their view. If you know KW, they don't even wake up before 15:00. Sunset is the start of their days. We leave from KW way too early and Nassau way too late. They should be swapped... but I realize that could cause Customs issues.

 

I would pass totally and get a drink on board. At least RCL seems to want my money.

 

My total expenditures in KW this year: $3.

 

Ray

 

 

Where is the best place in Key West close to the pier to get a nice drink after an excursion before getting back onboard?

Not really a secret since the Majesty Captain told us what was going on... but I guess from time to time they lose an anchor. As we were leaving Cococay, I saw divers working off a RIHB 100 yards or so off the stern. Two mooring ropes were laying on the surface, then went down where they were working. Over the next few hours the hoists were working hard to bring up the stern anchor they had lost the week before. We were a little late in leaving there but I think they did get it. As the weigh-ward (sorry) anchor got closer we couldn't see it from deck 7 any more.

 

This was on 12/09/10 on the Majesty. He said they lost it the week before. I'm assuming that there's some sort of break-away joint in the chain. I wonder how fast they can drop another one if they do break it.

 

When they dropped the forward port anchor on my cruise, it sounded like they did it 4 times. Anyone know why they have to do it multiple times? Forward port was all rusty and well used, Forward starboard was neat and well painted.

My get-away from the cruise: Every night, after dinner, I take a long slow walk around the ship on the lowest open deck. Usually deck 4 I think. Same location as most muster stations. To me it's the only place where you feel like you're out at sea. Dimmer lighting, no kids, no loud music... it's how I imagine the old ocean liners were. You can hear the waves hitting the hull and smell the spray. Maybe even feel the spray if it's rough. Some nights you can even see stars. Light pollution prevents you from seeing many stars on the upper decks.

 

On some ships you can follow exterior stairs to little used levels. Don't violate the 'crew only' signs but go everywhere else you can reach. Some wonderful views aft, and on some ships, you can get below the bridge. To preserve their night vision, this is usually a dark location also. Unfortunately, on some older ships, this dark open deck is crew-only for the ropes and anchors. If there's a strong headwind, the forward deck may be closed.

 

Another secret... there are cameras everywhere out on these decks. Bad place to get too romantic.

 

There's usually one water fountain, usually near the basketball court. Nice place to get some water without having to beg or tip someone.

 

Still hungry after your main course in the MDR? Ask for another. They're happy to do it.

 

Bring a case of bottled water or your favorite bottled drink as checked baggage. Pick it up dirt cheap at grocery store in your embarkation city. Throw a luggage tag on it, drop it off at the curb, and it will show up in your cabin. Just don't sneak anything else in one of the inside bottles.

 

That's about it I guess. Good topic.

Good news: Free upgrade
Bad news: To reduce costs, all cabins will now employ [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_racking"]hot racking[/URL]. Customers with the highest cruise credits get first choice of night or day.

This Sunday, for the first time, I'm going to try to get on board with a case of Florida drinking water. Why? Last cruise I felt like maybe I was retaining water, something I've never felt before. It was as if my legs felt fat and heavy. My theory is that the desalination plants on board don't take out ALL of the salt from the water. I've heard from others that this is the cause so I don't think I'm alone with this.

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284

 

"If your kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to accumulate in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases."

 

I guess I'm about to find out if staying healthy while on board is permitted by bringing my own water, or will I be forced to buy their water to stay healthy. As you can guess, I'm not at all happy with their published ban on soft drinks. As I got off the last cruise I saw cases of water along with the baggage for the pax that were leaving, so I think they'll let mine on. I'm thinking it's one of the many cards they can play, but don't.

 

Has anyone had the ship water tested? I'm not at all in any way suggesting the ship water is unsafe. Just high is sodium. High enough to cause an affect after a few days. I would be interested to hear if it makes a difference to switch to bottled water. And yes, I know that all of the beverages served on board are mostly ship's water. That includes coffee, tea, lemonade, OJ, soda, basically anything that doesn't come on board in a bottle. I drink mostly water.

 

Are there any tricks, or OTC drugs that help when you're retaining water? I'm male so kinda I'm new to this area :D

 

Thanks