evandbob

Canadians will be in shorts in the Caribbean in January, but Floridians will be in overcoats. If the OP is talking of cruising this January, I believe the COVID forecast may be more significant than the weather outlook.

My Mom claimed she always won also, so when I took my parents to a casino, I watched how she played from a distance. She would load up the machine with 20's, cash out a ticket for say $500, show it to my Dad, and then maybe do the same for $300 or $250 later on. She would then buy her new washer/dryer machines, furniture or carpeting, and my Dad couldn't gripe about it since it was bought with lucky Mom's "winnings".

For a pre or post COVID cruise, all good suggestions. For a cruise during the pandemic, no way would I bring a family on board any ship. 2021 may be too early to sail safely, depends on vaccines and possible cures. Sorry, just being realistic.

I've won slot jackpots that required reporting those winnings to the IRS perhaps a dozen times over 50 plus cruises. But overall, I've lost more than I've won. Now how does saying that make me vulnerable?

We like to think of America as the leader of the free world, the best in technology, health care, education, manufacturing, and lifestyle. The virus numbers refute our assumptions. We lead the world in the number of cases and deaths, even as the posted numbers seem to miss unreported cases. How can "the best country" in so many categories be doing such a poor job with this virus? Even many third world countries that we Americans sometimes look down on are doing a better job of containment and recovery.

Our Florida gov promotes free choice instead of mask mandates, wants schools reopened and kids playing sports. Our troubles began when the state rushed to re-open the economy around Memorial Day. We went from 1,000 cases per day to over 10,000 in a flash. Now, even if you could cruise from Florida, you might face a quarantine when you return home afterwards. The irony is that everything our Fl Gov criticized about how NY had mishandled its initial virus response has occurred in FL since then and worse.

Perhaps a thread on wearing masks that have a logo of a competing cruise line?????☺️😉

It's certainly a possibility that we've been on our last cruise. Depending on how long the virus hangs around, whether community spread continues, if the cruise lines can wait out the suspension without going under. It's also a possibility that we find vaccines and cures that relegate the virus to the history books and we can safely travel again. However it plays out, we're glad we've been on over 50 cruises and have experienced land vacations in over 30 countries and numerous domestic locations.

Good to see that #9 is not licking his fingers like he used to do pre and post snap

Why not ask this on TA, and look up your specific hotel reviews there? {Yes, I've done many AI's, and at least 20 of them have been in Punta Cana, DR, which is so much nicer than some of the cruise ship ports like Amber Cove in the DR. You don't say where your air is from, so no way to tell if you have a decent price. And PC has strings of hotels from 2* to 4* to consider.}

I'll put them wherever my cabin steward indicates when I ask him this very question.

Your eggs/bacon example can be long term hazardous while not using a mask and socializing can be considered a short term hazard. Bacon/eggs/obesity/diabetes and heart disease can elevate to short term hazards if one contracts covid due to increased susceptibility caused by these factors. For the 160,000 Americans already killed by COVID, this is of little consolation. Our overall health in this country is frankly pathetic.

And come the fall, many restricted at home might be without any football to watch as COVID causes the sports season to collapse.

It'll take more than prayers to get Florida healthy.......all our troubles began when the officials rushed to "open the economy". We went from 1,000 cases per day to over 10,000 cases in a flash. Now we're down to 6,000 per day, still 600% over where we were on restrictions. Voters were clogging local city halls demanding no mask mandate as cases and deaths mounted. Utter insanity. Now cruisers from the Northeast states of NY, NJ & Conn can't take a cruise from FL unless they are willing to quarantine upon their return home.

Let me phrase the OP's question a little differently: Would I subject myself to a voluntary pleasurable activity like cruising if there was a chance it could be hazardous to my health? My answer is absolutely not! I don't mind wearing a mask and will do so in my Florida city for essential activities, no problem at all. But why alter that calculus by remaining in a potentially dangerous habitat for a week or more under conditions that I could not escape? Wearing a mask for shopping, doctors, and other essential activities is so different than wearing one on a cruise.