MJSailors

@palaemon There is a review of the Venezia posted here by @Jamman54 Maybe you have read it. There are good photos and insights about the ship in his review. Do you plan to post about the Carnival cruise you have chosen? It would be interesting to read about that cruise experience from someone who has cruised with various lines. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Looking at the photos of the interior,I would say that Icon is some ship ! Design looks futuristic with some touches of Deco design ie- the sign for the Pearl Cafe. @FromSea2ShiningSea That is a lovely cabin. Do you have an easy chair and a sofa? The views will be fantastic! @Ozark_Kid Post photos when you have time and some jokes too ! MJ🙎🏻‍♀️

Wishing all the CC posters going on the Icon today a very Bon Voyage! Looking forward to reading about your experiences if you have time in your vacation schedule. @Ozark_Kid John-Keep posting those Dad jokes! Wishing you and Sharon a memorable and enjoyable cruise! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@MisterOJ2 While you have taken many Carnival cruises to the Caribbean, I might suggest that you consider a Princess cruise to the British Isles. Princess has been doing such cruises for quite some time. They offer various itineraries to different ports. You could consider choosing a particular cruise depending on ports to be visited. For example, many Princess cruises offer the port of Liverpool. Many passengers may want to get to this port because of their interest in the Beatles or history connected to the Titanic. Other itineraries offer the opportunity to view the Royal Tattoo in Scotland. I am not certain how long Carnival has offered the British Isles cruises or their experience in offering ports/excursions. Since both Carnival and Princess are under the Carnival Corp company, you may get a loyalty level match on Princess with the loyalty level you have on Carnival. Whichever cruise line you choose, I think you realize that the British Isles cruise will be quite different than a Caribbean cruise. Happy travels! MJ

I have just returned home from a brunch at a diner with friends from HS. I have been in constant touch with one all through college up till now. The other one reached out this past Christmas after almost 40 years of just connecting with an occasional Christmas card. It was as if we left each other yesterday! The conversation flowed, reliving memories of school days and weddings to catching up with our present lives. We plan to arrange for an overnight hotel stay in the Spring with, possibly, two more HS friends. Old friends are the best as we share so much of our early lives with each other. As we get older, there are fewer people who remember us in our youth. My friend reaching out was a true blessing! Hoping everyone is having a pleasant day-feeling safe and loved! MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Dani-So very pleased for you and your husband that you were able to visit with your “boys” and daughter in law. The look on your face in the photo says it all. ❤️ Hoping there will be many more of your family get togethers in the future. Shalom MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Very glad the Lions won today! Go Bills! Well, they are a MY team! 😊 MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Happy anniversary, Lenny and Toby! 💐 ❤️ ❤️ 🥂 MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@Relaxinginthesun FYI Mini suites on Princess are a larger cabin and balcony. They are not part of the Suite category/perks. When you check the Princess web site for cabin categories, you will see what I mean. There is an excellent review on this thread now posted by @Bimmer09. He was on the Ruby Princess over the Christmas holiday, in a suite. His photos of the accommodations will give you an idea of what a suite may look like. We are long time customers of Princess -pre Covid days. The ships are beautifully decorated and maintained. They may not have the modern look of Celebrity ships that have been “modernized” by Hoppen. We consider them to be comfortable and welcoming in their design. You will not find water slides, rock walls and other “entertainments” that you would find on a RCCL ship.Another reason we prefer Princess with Celebrity as a close second. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@Tree_skier As a native New Yorker - NYC that is-I have a few suggestions re:your planned itinerary for your Fall trip. I hope my input is helpful. I would check the weather forecast and take a trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on the better of the two days,then plan ahead accordingly. The Staten Island Ferry will take you past both sites for a nominal fee and the ferry can be an experience itself. Or,you could book a tour that brings you to both sites’ grounds. The cost is considerably more, but you will see more of course. You could do a walk in Central Park,visit St Pat’s and have lunch in midtown in a few hours. Lunch could be at Rock Center Cafe situated on the rink at Rockefeller Center ( love the leather chairs there if they still have them) or in Grand Central Station either at Junior’s- famous for cheesecake and deli or the landmark Oyster Bar Restaurant. This could be done on the day that you don’t go to the State of Liberty. Be mindful of sunset at the Empire State Building. You may want to do that before going to dinner depending on the time of sunset,of course. You could combine Time’s Square with dinner and a show being that you will be going through TS on the way to the theater. Carmine’s is in the Theater District. They serve family style with full platters of Italian specialties. I would also recommend Sardi’s. The bar upstairs is a bit less crowded and more comfortable. Bartenders know what they are doing. Waiters will realize that you probably want to make the show curtain,so service should be very efficient. I would make dinner reservations ahead of time and purchase theater tickets ahead also. For a midtown hotel, I would suggest the Warwick. It is a stately hotel that has been in business for decades. Across the street is the Hilton. It is a massive hotel. Both hotels are on Sixth Ave within walking distance of Central Park, Rockefeller Center ,Theater District and St’Pats. I think @GeorgeC favors the Michaelangelo,so you could check that out also. The Fitzpatrick is a very good hotel also,but it is near Grand Central and Third Ave. Good service,but a bit out of the way for your purposes. Wherever you choose to stay, I would suggest checking in with the Concierge. They can guide you about tours and transportation. I always like to make contact with the Concierge desk whenever we visit a different area/city to establish a connection with someone in the area. Now,a safety tip. You probably know this but,walk with confidence and a purpose. Check and know your route before you set out walking or taking a cab/ Uber etc. Try to keep a quick pace. Hoping you enjoy a safe and healthy visit to NYC. MJ🙎🏻‍♀️

@bobmacliberty I enjoyed the photos of your visit to Central Park. My DH and I enjoyed many walks through the park during all four seasons. Spring and Fall are especially beautiful there. We have enjoyed dinners and lunches at both Tavern on the Green and The Boathouse. When my Godaughter and her sister visited NYC for the first time as children, they insisted on finding the statue if Baltic in the park.After quite a trick,we found it! I think it was in the area of the Dairy building. We always enjoyed watching the remote controlled boats there and ice skaters in the Winter. I am glad that you included CP on your itinerary. Unfortunately, my DH and I have not been to the City since Nov 2019. Dealing with Covid and hearing reports of the general decline of Manhattan- as you witnessed in Grand Central- has prevented us from making visits there. Maybe we will make a return visit someday. MJ🙎🏻‍♀️

@pstone1 Beautiful photos! MJ🙎🏻‍♀️

@budgirl What @Hogladyrider said. Looks like Meghan and her DH are having a good time in San Juan ! MJ

@HBE4 Thanks for the info! Once a week trim seems like a good idea. He will check out the brands. Rechargeable is the way to go, I think. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

@h20skibum Thank you for the info! I use a Wahl hair trimmer for giving DH buzz cuts. They make good products. He can go to their web site to check the trimmers out. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Just a question for the gentlemen on this board who have beards. Do you trim your beard at home with a beard trimmer or go to a barber for regular trims? Asking for a friend.- my DH. He had it trimmed once so far and is thinking about getting a trimmer to take care of his beard by himself. Thanks for any advice. MJ🙎🏻‍♀️

@Sea Dog My two cents- You look younger without the mustache,however,it does compliment your name of SeaDog. As long as you and your wife like the ‘stash,that’s all that matters. My DH has had a mustache for years. It goes with his face,or maybe I am used to it for all these years. Recently,he decided to grow a beard !!! I think it makes him look much older as it is all white. Hoping he decides to shave it off one of these days. @Keksie It looks like the kitchen reno will open up the area to the living room. Looks good. I am always interested in renovations and decorating done to people’s homes. Hope the work continues to go as planned and that you are pleased with the final results. @lenquixote66 Glad that you finally got a Mickey Mouse tee shirt ! My DH has worn a gold Mickey Mouse watch for years. Mickey is very subtle on the watch face,a small image near the numeral 6. It is a prized possession for him. Reminds him to be young at heart ! As for the Playoff Games so far- Chiefs had a tough game -weather wise. Playing in those temps showed their tenacity. Glad the Packers won- a young team coming together with Love playing great.. Also glad for the Lions’ win - always cheer for the underdog. It was their first Playoff Game win in decades. Hoping the Bills hold on to their lead tonight. Another freezing cold game,but it’s January in Buffalo. It will be interesting who wins the Bucs’ Eagles’game later tonight. It seems that football and the weather are giving a lot of people something to talk about! Stay safe and warm everyone! MJ🙎🏻‍♀️

Not at the Red Frog with the others so it seems. MJ

Where’s Sid? MJ

So,let me understand this. b2b passengers who have been on a Noro infested ship are going to be bused to a local Mall to return to the ship after noon. I understand that the ship needs to have a deep cleaning/sanitation and passengers must leave the ship,but doesn’t that put those passengers into a general population that could be infected by those who have been exposed to Noro on the ship? This is how viruses get out of hand. I would think that there would be a better plan to accommodate the returning passengers while the ship is being cleaned. Perhaps put them in part of the terminal or a lounge on the ship that could be cleaned once passengers were allowed to return to their cabins. Another thought- I became ill on a Summit cruise this past June. I thought it was either food poisoning or Noro virus. After we returned home, I still did not feel well and took a Covid test. It was positive. Our family Doctor told me that intestinal upset is a symptom of Covid. Perhaps this doesn’t matter really,because both Noro and Covid are nasty viruses. MJ

Just a thought-with Rover being onboard,will that encourage passengers to bring the family dog on a cruise? I am not referring to service dogs, but pets. MJ🙎🏻‍♀️

My question is - why ? MJ

@Jimbo You are indeed a fortunate man to have good health. My grandson was diagnosed with Diabetes 1 at age seven. My DH has anxiety and the medication he takes improves both of our lives. I have been taking Asthma medication since my early forties. I think most of the responses here to your post has caused you to realize that medication is not an age issue, but,perhaps a quality of life issue. Now, back to @island lady and her posts about her cruise. MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Hello Norris- I was pleased to find your present GSJ. ( Since I have read many of your cruise reviews, I know what the letters GSJ stand for on CC!). I will frequently check here for more of your postings. The photos of the Ruby bring back fond memories of the Crown as I think they are sister ships. We enjoyed two cruises on the Crown when she was brand new. I agree that those Promenade decks are the best for connecting to the ocean and taking invigorating walks. it is a pity that those decks are not an element of the newer designed ships. Hoping that you feel better each day. Wishing you and Carol many good days in 2024 ! MJ🙎🏻‍♀️

@mo&fran There are some You Tube videos of people on the WC. One is by a retired couple- I think they go by Life Phase 2 (or something like that). If you search RCL World Cruise on You Tube , their site should come up. As I have noted before @island lady is doing a great job of keeping CC readers up to date on the WC and their experiences. Maybe,among the “new” passengers that boarded the ship recently, someone may be posting on CC as well. MJ🙎🏻‍♀️