obnurse

We are considering a one night pre-cruise stay at Staybridge Suites Ft Lauderdale Airport West. Does anyone know if it’s walkable to restaurants, drugstore or anything else? We wouldn’t have a car. Thank you! Appreciate the great info! 

I LOVE seeing crews all over the place enjoying themselves. Great thought that it’s better for the cruise lines and the crew to have them stay on board. I hope they each have a great time relaxing! 

This thread puts tears in my eyes. Something really nice out of something so serious. How nice for the crew! I just love this story! 

in doing some research, that just may not be true. They think the first man who died from Grand Princess was on board in February 

Don’t lose hope, everyone. Maybe this week is what they need to reset and get clean and back on the sea! As far as I know (probably useless) there was no sick crew on our 3-1 sailing, so maybe you’ll be good to go. 😎

Why Princess? Just disembarked Regal after we were not allowed to go into port due to two crew who needed to be tested for Coronavirus. Princess ALLOWED these crew to board our ship after transferring from Grand! That was just a bad bad decision. It’s not because it’s a mature demographic, as someone suggested. It’s not just bad luck, it’s not anything but a bad decision. Passengers would not have been allowed to board under the same circumstances. 

We were on Regal that disembarked yesterday 3-9. Indeed, they do move staff around. We were told, by the captain, that this is very common practice. They often do that to fill in for contracts that have ended and before another starts. Surely, this was a really bad decision to transfer crew from a ship with so many sick people on board. The captain said that the crew joined our ship without symptoms and were beyond the standard incubation time. The CDC thought otherwise.  So so much of this chaos would have been avoided if they had used common sense. We, as passengers would not have been allowed to board under the same circumstances in which these crew boarded. 
 

I make a major effort to keep my skin covered, wearing a long sleeve shirt and a wetsuit (mostly to keep me warm in the ocean) which covers the majority. I’m going to put reef-safe sunscreen on my neck and cover my head. That way, my skin is safe and so is the ocean.  The less sun screen (even reef safe) that goes into the ocean, the better. 

We ALWAYS fly in at least one day early, and recommend to anyone else to do the same. DooDoo happens. It really does. It's not worth your resort sailing away without you. 

Thank you! I appreciate your thoughts

Karen

Oh, yes! medallion. Regal Princess 2-29-20

We have 250 free internet minutes each, my DH and I.  After we use our 500 minutes, if we want to add on additional minutes what does it cost? We got a email today saying that they’re offering a unlimited package for $60 for the week. But, I’m not sure what it would cost if we add it on after our minutes are used up. My guess is $10 a day. Can anyone answer this? Thanks!

Karen

The one thing predictable about flu/other viruses, is that they are unpredictable. One may get mildly ill while another seriously ill.

Am I AFRAID of Coronavirus? No. Am I CONCERNED about Coronavirus? Absolutely. I'm also concerned about influenza, Noro and anything else that can be spread when large numbers of people from all over the world gather. We will take the necessary precautions to do our best to stay uncontaminated. I had H1N1 influenza and I was scary sick. I lost of month of work and had pneumonia.  I can certainly see why it kills vulnerable population. The flu is not a "cold." Patients become very ill very quickly with high fevers and respiratory compromise.  I appreciate the public service announcement!  Be mindful of washing your hands, keep them away from your face, use the restroom in your own cabin whenever possible. Please don't enter the eating venues without cleaning your hands! Remember, the dirtiest place on the ship are elevator buttons, stair rails, etc. If you leave your cabin with clean hands and then touch the elevator button.....you're hands are dirty! The health you're protecting is yours and that of everyone else. 

Thank you all for your ideas. May I just kindly reiterate that, for her, water is not all the same. I’m well aware of the water on board ships. I’ve cruised many many times. She has significant health issues and she lives with a lot of restrictions. Since she had never cruised before, I want to help her in any way I can to ensure she feels good on her vacation. 

It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to discuss this on such a forum, especially because it involves someone else. She drinks mostly water and rarely anything else. She is restricted to water that has nothing added, including minerals. Thank you for everyone who responded. She’s going to have to carry on her water, unfortunately. 

Although I’m a frequent Princess cruiser, I don’t have the answer to this question  What brand is the bottled water on board? Does the brand vary?  One of us in our group has some health problems and can only drink certain brands of bottled water. She will be unable to drink the r.o. tap water.  Thanks! 
 

Karen

I agree with Helen! Yes, note your special occasion on your reservation, but don't count on it to be done. Talk to them when you meet them the first dinner. They'll ask you when you want it. Don't be afraid to confirm again that it's been done. They tend to drop the ball on this stuff, in my experience. Since it's your dd's 21st, it's important that it be celebrated.  I would even talk to someone early on the day you want the cake. I'm sure those are made up ahead, so you just have to ask. 

I would hate to miss any of those islands by staying on board the ship. Each offers its own uniqueness. Yes the ship is fun when it's not crowded (FOS one of our personal favorite ships) but you can play in a pool anywhere around home. You can always choose beautiful beaches if you want to watch costs, or combine an island tour (think open air truck style) combined with a beach stop. I wouldn't even be able to say which place to skep! I've been to every one of them and liked them all! 

The demographic does change a little bit, depending on the time of year. The best time to see more kids is during school break times on a 7 days (or less) cruise. Otherwise, you'll definitely see more couples and a older demographic. If they're close and like to be together it may work out just fine, but you won't find the "funship" activities as much. Movies Under The Stars is fun, though!

My only complaint with Celebrity is that the evening fun ends way too early. If you're not at the martini bar, in the casino or in the dance club, there is absolutely nothing to do after the 2nd theater production. We find ourselves going back to our cabins because of nothing better to do. Our recent Princess cruise (multiple cruises on both lines) we found to have a lot more variety of evening entertainment, including a piano bar, movies under the stars, and more live musical entertainment. Additionally, the buffet on Regal Princess was the best we've encountered ever on any ship. JMHO

Generally yes, luggage arrives before dinner; but not always. Many people use first dinner and last dinner as a “dress down” night, but most likely you will have your luggage before dinner. 

We bring lots of games with us. We take them out of the boxes and pack the instructions along with the game in a ziplock bag. We find special places on board the ship where we have a bar, are outside but in the shade, and have a good view. Especially nice if the weather is inclement. We really enjoy!  

 I would graciously ask them to make your reservation now (pre-cruise) and accommodate your group of 9 by pushing two tables together.  Be nice, but don't take no for an answer. They won't want to lose that 9 person upcharge.  Get confirmation in writing from them.  This is done all the time in dining establishments and you are paying a premium to dine there. It really shouldn't be a problem. That way, you won't have to worry about when you board. Since you have a larger group, I would confirm your reservation with them soon after you board. Enjoy! 

It takes 1 token for the washer and one token for the dryer. Each token is $3. Just washed this week on Regal Princess.