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On 5/16/2023 at 2:04 PM, sargemrs said:

I'm sure!  It'll be beautiful when we get on in August!!  Can't wait!!

I think the big trees won't be replaced until the Allure leaves Galveston for Florida. Those trees need to be lifted over the top of the ship using a big crane - probably with a 250 foot boom (maybe higher). To try to do something like that during a standard turnaround day is virtually impossible, not to mention very risky from a safety perspective. It takes too long per tree and the safety hazards of 6000 passengers getting off, another 6000 getting on, and all of the staff trying to get things done that day are very high. In addition the cost of the crane would be much less if you only have to rig and derig it once. I'm sure someone has it worked out by now. They just haven't let us know.

2 minutes ago, Houstoncruiser2007 said:

Wow!  What a difference!.  Thanks for sending.  I'm not sure why they are not replanting the dead trees. That makes no sense as it's one of the selling features of the ship.

 

The trees have to be lifted by a crane over the top of the ship. From a safety perspective, there's not enough time to do that during a normal turnaround day with 6000 people disembarking and another 6000 people embarking. My guess is they will wait until the Allure moves to Florida and either bring new trees in as she leaves or when she arrives in Florida. My guess is that they would do it just before she leaves Galveston to give the landscaping crew time to set all the trees in place properly before she has 6000 more people on the ship.

Go to the Solarium Bistro - it's a mini WindJammer up front on Deck 15, but much quieter, particularly on Embarkation Day. Children can eat in the Solarium Bistro, but are not permitted in the Solarium.

4 hours ago, binro01 said:

Yikes!!! I will need to check into this! Thanks!

This does appear to be your hotel. Damage was caused by either a transformer or a lightning strike. The Galveston County "The Daily News" says more details will be available on Monday. Here's a screenshot from "The Daily News" (with credits) showing damage. 

Pick a port day - have a couple of people go order several whole pizzas from Sorrentos, someone else head to Park Cafe and pick up several different sandwiches and salads, have someone else get more food from Cafe Promenade and have everyone meet at one of pools where you can all get together at the same time. PARTY!!!  Cost - $0  If you don't like this, maybe it will help you think of a better way to celebrate. And tell her CONGRATULATIONS from everyone at Cruise Critic. 😀

Try  cruisedig.com/ports

@brillohead aka Saint Brillohead aka Guardian Angel Debbi...  Under the category of "you can't make this stuff up"...

It would not surprise me if those two women were at Guest Services this morning complaining very loudly with a screwdriver (not from Maintenance, Lowe's or Home Depot) in one hand and a cell phone in the other, which they want to turn in because it's not theirs. They were still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, stains and all, and smelled like they had been in the gutter on Bourbon Street in New Orleans for 24 hours at Mardi Gras. First, they want to know why the ship is still spinning around in one place. It hadn't done that since... yesterday.

Yes, they are complaining that they went to Maya Chan and only had one or two drinks (they didn't mention the 15 drinks they had before they left the ship). They know they almost missed the ship; they had to wait for this unknown 3rd woman because Maya Chan said they had to share a taxi with her. They don't know how much this other woman had to drink, but it had to be way too much. This third woman took one of their cell phones and stuffed it in the taxi cushions as a prank so they would have to look for it and miss the ship.

They wanted to talk to the Captain, in person. They wanted to promise the Captain it wouldn't happen a 3rd time. Then, the Captain, against his better judgement, decided to dock in Cozumel as scheduled - on the good chance they might not make it back to the ship in time today. "Ahhh" he was dreaming, "such a peaceful journey north through the Gulf it would be."

Poof! And just that quick, "The Quest" became yesterday's news... lol.

Note: Poetic license taken...

Debbi - Start your Allure Novella now!!!

34 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Y'all... I am officially NEVER doing another Live Thread again.  Y'ALL ARE BAD JUJU!!!!  THIS STUFF NEVER HAPPENS TO ME!!!

Had another wonderful day at Maya Chan.  At 8:00am, I met some first-timers at the Schooner Bar to show them the way to the meet-up spot, and we were off.  Arrived, got hugs, pet Rodas the black Lab, got my massage appointment made, everything was wonderful in Casita Six as always. The day progressed exactly as it always does at Maya Chan.

 

Then I went to go pee around 3:00, in preparation for my 3:30 taxi time.  And as I'm entering the dining/bar area, I meet two over-beveraged women -- we'll call them Drunk1 and Drunk2.  "YOU'RE DEBBI!  WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW YOU BACK TO THE SHIP!  JULIE SAID SO!"  Turns out these women were also taking the last taxi back to Allure.  In the half hour from when I met them until when we climbed into the cab, they had two more tequila shots and two more drinks EACH ... and they were nowhere near sober to begin with.

So Drunk2 got in the front seat of the cab, ignoring my instructions to get into the back seat, so I sat in the back with Drunk1.  Drunk2 (who I later found out was also under the influence of "edibles" and Valium!) spent most of the ride asking the driver annoying questions, and he didn't speak a lot of English, and she THOUGHT she could speak some Spanish, but she really couldn't. 

For example, she tried asking him where he was from, and he replied "Veracruz" only she thought that he was saying he was from a cruise ship.  So she asked him where his mother was from (or rather, she TRIED to ask him where his mother was from.... it came out something like, "Donde esto mothero" and the poor cabbie glanced at me in the rearview mirror as if to say, "W T F????" and I said "madre" and he said his mother was from Veracruz as well. Which Drunk2 interpreted as, "Oh, so you inherited the cruise..."  You cannot make this crap up! 

 

In the meantime, Drunk1 kept talking about how we were going to miss the ship, blah blah blah, and I pointed to the ship and said, "We still have 45 minutes until all-aboard, we're just fine.  The cab will get us to the port at 4:00, and then you'll have 30 minutes to walk to the ship.  You'll be fine."  I think I've blocked out whatever Drunk2 was talking about at this point.  Let's just say it was 30 minutes of my life that I will never get back.  I did recommend to Drunk1 that she tip the cabbie VERY well for having to put up with Drunk2 next to him for the whole drive.  

So, the cabbie drops us off at the inner security gate and we walk across the parking area and are just approaching the first vendor, when Drunk1 says, "Where's my phone?"  Just kill me now, please!!!!  The cab is LONG gone, of course.  She also had to pee really badly, as in doing the peepee dance.  So I sent her forward and told her to pee and come back, while I go about attempting to retrieve the phone. It's probably at least 4:05 at this point, and all-aboard is 4:30.  I have never in my life come even CLOSE to being a pier-runner.... until today.

So I look up Maya Chan's website and find a number in Mexico and a number in the USA.  I tried the MX number first, but didn't get an answer and didn't see the point in leaving a voicemail.  So I called the US number and a woman answered, "Maya Chan."  

Brillo: Is this Jane?
Jane: Yes...
Brillo: So, I just left Maya Chan half an hour ago, and Julie put me in a cab with two drunk girls, and one of them just realized that she left her phone in the cab, so we need to try to find out which cab and get him to come back and all-aboard is in 25 minutes, so time is of the essence here.
Jane: OK, let me give Julie a call!  
Brillo: Thanks, let me know what you find out!

In the meantime, Drunk2 is trying to use "find my iPhone" to locate her friend's phone, and I hear her talking to someone on the phone and telling them all kinds of incorrect stuff ("we were at Costa Maya Beach," etc.) and I asked who she was talking to, and she said it was the cab driver, he found the phone, and I said to give me the phone because she was too drunk for this conversation, and the other person hung up.  So then Drunk2 keeps going off about how rude it was of him to hang up. 

I keep questioning her and she said that HE called HER... which I knew didn't make any sense because if the cabbie found the phone, he wouldn't know who to call.  Turns out that when you're drunk and trying to use "find my iPhone" you instead end up googling a scam website and giving them your phone number, and when the ONLY sober person is trying to tell you that you did that, you don't believe them.  *sigh*

So it's been about ten minutes and I haven't seen Drunk1 return from the bathrooms, and I don't want to go look for her because I am still hoping that the Fates will shine down on us and we can get her phone back. It's 4:15, and I text Jane to see if they've had any luck finding the cabbie. She texts back that they're searching the vehicle now.  Drunk2 keeps wandering off and I have to sit her in a chair with a "Sit/Stay" command.  At 4:18, another text from Jane to go outside the port gate, because the cabbie won't be able to come inside, and the taxi cab number is 216.  Hallelujah!

Now I have to wrangle Drunk2 back out of the parking area, through the first security gate, and down the road to the exterior security gate.  I had made the mistake of telling Drunk2 that the cab number was 216, and she went staggering up to the guard that controls the gate across the road and makes some drunken attempt to tell him what's going on, using more of her version of Spanish.  He points her over to the guardhouse in the center boulevard, and she's off again, telling that poor guard, "Dos Uno Six" like the guy has ANY idea what any of that means.  She keeps trying to talk in "Spanish" and I'm pretty much beyond fed up at this point and tell her, "JUST SPEAK ENGLISH, or better yet, just shut up and let the sober person do the talking!"  

I explained to the guard that Taxi 216 is going to be bringing a phone that another drunk girl left in his car, and a couple minutes later up came our poor driver, who probably sobbed when they told him he had to go back to the drunk girl again!  Drunk2 goes running up to the car and launches herself into the backseat, while the cabbie got out and handed me the phone (and I handed him another cash tip and thanked him profusely).  Now I have to convince Drunk2 to GET OUT OF THE CAR BECAUSE I ALREADY HAVE THE PHONE, which took a lot longer to get through her skull than it should have, and now we can head back into port and try to locate Drunk1.

When I say we are the only people in the port area at that time, I mean it.  It was kinda spooky.... just vendors and us.  We walk by the bathrooms but nobody is there, and Drunk2 is yelling Drunk1's name over and over.  I told her that Drunk1 is probably back on the ship, but Drunk2 kept insisting that she was going to get left in port because she didn't have her phone and SeaPass.  No matter how many times I kept telling her that they BOTH had lanyards for their SeaPass, her friend didn't need her phone to get onto the ship, it just didn't sink in.  

I wrangled Drunk2 all the way through the port, and she kept wanting to stop and "take a little rest".  All-aboard was a minute ago, you're half my age and half my weight -- keep walking!!!!  Past the pool and dolphins, around the massage hut, and now she's talking about how she's going to message Drunk1's husband to tell him that she lost her.  ABSOLUTELY NOT -- hand me that phone -- you are WAY too drunk to be messaging anyone, and she's probably on the ship already!

 

We go past the silver store, into the liquor store, take a left, no you CANNOT stop to rest, keep going, show the guard your SeaPass -- he's not going to scan it, just show him the front of it -- now keep walking down the pier, yes, I know it's a long pier, no you can't stop to rest.  We're halfway down the pier when my phone rings from WhatsApp....

"Mom, are you okay?  Royal just called me....."

My son is listed as my Emergency Contact on my check-in paperwork.  I tell him I'm on the pier now and I'm fine, hold on, now they're calling me....

Guest Services called me finally... I explained that I was currently on the pier, and that I had, "Hey Drunk2, what's your last name?" I was drunk-wrangling Drunk2 LastName down the pier at the moment, and could they please check that "Hey Drunk2, what's Drunk1's last name?" could they confirm that Drunk1 LastName was on board already.  I hear him typing away on his keyboard, and he confirmed that Drunk1 was on the ship, and I told him that we were almost on board too.  

Lots of cheers and jeers from the people watching the not-running pier runners as we came up the pier.  (Of COURSE this had to happen at the port with the longest pier in the history of piers!!!)  A security guard approached and asked what our room numbers were, "Hey Drunk1, what room are you in?" and he wrote it on his latex glove and radioed it in.  

Finally climbed up the gangway, and the Captain is there giving a scolding, "try to do better tomorrow, yada yada yada" and I told him that I have NEVER done this and I DON'T EVEN KNOW THIS GIRL!!!!  We go through security/x-ray and there stands Drunk1 waiting for us, and she tells me that she lost her purse and wallet (which also had her passport!) when she was in the bathroom. 

 

She didn't yet realize that I had managed to retrieve the phone, so she was ecstatic when I handed it to her.  Then she asked the security person if they had a lost-and-found, and they pulled out a box and lo and behold, her purse/wallet/passport and her sunglasses were there -- she had left them on the conveyor when she went through the x-ray machine.  It also looked like she had GONE SHOPPING after she went to the bathroom, and that's why she didn't come back to us.  

I wrangled them both up the escalator and questioned them on their room number.  They were in the front of the ship, and we were at the front elevators, so I took them up to their floor and dropped them off, and I was SO GLAD to see the backside of them!!!!

Now I'm off to dinner, and I might treat myself to an extra dessert after all of this!






 

OMG Debbi... I'm laughing so hard, I'm crying... sorry! Sounds like Drunk1 or was it Drunk2 could have used a foley... and @seadog could provide the other foley... sound effects, that is. If I was on the ship, I would buy you a double shot of your favorite adult beverage.... too funny.

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

I’ve done Foley before since I am also a sound designer. Don’t do as much now since you can find just about anything. What sound are you looking for?

I'm not looking for any particular sound. I just thought you could add the appropriate sound effects into the video you're going to put together. Silent films are so 1920ish. 🤣

4 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

@brillohead I have downloaded your pictures and 10 of videos that John has uploaded. He says there are about 48 more videos. What are you wanting me to do? Is there something you envision? Do you want me to use all the videos or just choose the best footage. Are you thinking a video slideshow type with music and transitions? 

@Sea Dog Since you are the consummate videographer, are you also a Foley artist? Just trying to add to your workload... 😁

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

I have two skin tones -- white and red.  There is nothing in-between, unless you count the freckles.  If I get to the red stage, it ends up peeling and healing and I'm ghost-colored again.

You may have described yourself, but you also described my mom. She was a freckly, curly redhead. Her skin was pasty; she never had a tan. Fifteen minutes in the sun and she was burned. Ouch! 

20 minutes ago, brillohead said:

As a pale-skinned redhead, I just cover up completely.  I wear swim leggings that go all the way to my ankles, and I've advanced from "rashguard" swimshirts to now using "fishing shirts" which have longer sleeves with a thumbhole to provide coverage to the back of the hands, plus they include a hood so the back of my neck and my ears are protected as well. 

I wash them out in the bathroom sink, roll them in a towel and walk on it, then hang them up to dry overnight using magnetic hooks on the ceiling to suspend the hangers.  

And I've never had a problem just plopping my bag on the sand in the public part of the beach down by the Grand Roatan -- nobody has messed with my stuff.  I'm assuming the locals know that tourism is their only income and they don't put up with people stealing from tourists' bags, as a bad reputation would kill their business. 

I recently had a skin cancer removed from my arm, so I'm looking to cover up this year. Specifically I'm concerned about my neck, ears, and the back of my hands because I like to snorkel for long periods of time (but not 5 hours!). I'll be looking to buy a hooded rash guard with thumbholes. I've already got swim leggings to my ankles. A big thanks for the advice.  Just a thought... if I get a white hooded rash guard and white leggings, I'm ready for White Night! Either that or doing my best "Casper, the Friendly Ghost" impersonation... for those who are old enough to remember Casper.

45 minutes ago, jbrinkm said:

 

You're not asking me, but I have suggestions 😂 I have a few long-sleeved rashguards with UPF protection that I use whenever I'm going to be in bright sun & water for a while (I also have UPF swim leggings). I'm very fair skinned and burn very easily, so sunscreen would just not cut it for me. I don't worry as much about my face because my head is pointed down into the water (although I will do one layer of reef friendly sunscreen before leaving the ship AND a UPF hat so I'm protected getting to and from my snorkeling destination. The rashguards I have are cute (from Coolibar usually) and match a swim skirt or whatever bathing suit I'm wearing. 

 

ALSO, we were recommended this product years ago and just bought our second one last year (once both of our teens got phones) and really love using it for trips where we'll be in the water: 

https://a.co/bAp8A3f (SAFEGO Portable Indoor/Outdoor Lock Box Safe with Key and Combination Access). It is not perfectly safe as I'm sure someone could clip the cable and take off with the whole thing, and you need to be able to attach it to something, but if you just need a deterrent rather than leaving stuff on a chair or on the ground, this works great!

 

Thanks for the info. With what my wife brings, I'd need a lock box the size of a small trunk 🤣

3 hours ago, brillohead said:

 

It is!  I literally spent five hour snorkeling there last week. 

It's so funny, it seems like each week a different species of fish is the designated welcome wagon -- that week, it was the Sergeant Major fish (the striped ones in the second video).  They would come up to me and hang out, literally six inches away.  And it wasn't always this group -- I'd go to a different part of the reef, and the same type of fish would kinda swarm me.

@brillohead Since you said you don't get a day pass from one of the resorts and you're by yourself, where do you put your stuff, ie. towel, Seapass, $$$, etc.,  while you're snorkeling for 5 hours? Also, how do you protect yourself from sunburn for that long?

My wife attracts the tropical fish too. But then she's feeding them saltwater fish food in the shallows. Always draws a crowd... 🤣 ... of fish, that is.

4 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

And here is the Hola hoop skater.  I have enjoyed the ring performance before but the one doing the ring in October was off. 

 

If I tried that, you would find me in Medical waiting for a welder and a pipefitter to cut the hoops off of me before the doctor could treat me for all my broken bones.... 🤣 I sure hope he's an orthopedist....

7 hours ago, brillohead said:

With a post like that, I think YOU are the Creative Writer... 

I thought it was so funny, I had warned my MDR neighbors about the inappropriate nature of The Quest, and neither of them are prudes (both have military experience, plus one worked healthcare for a while) and they said that by the end they were getting uncomfortable!  LOL  

Hopefully this week's show will live up to the hype.

I am a retired engineer... most definitely not a creative writer, but thanks.

I do love a great laugh... even better when it's to the point of making me cry. I normally like to find the humor in a situation and not make fun of someone, but in this case I might have to make an exception.

Hopefully this week's show lives up to the hype... and even more than that when we cruise in May. Since we're not on a B2B or B3B, I'll definitely set an alarm so I do not sleep through The Quest. That could ruin my cruise! 🤣

1 hour ago, Ozark_Kid said:

If she doesn't leave out the details it could send her in jail.  Which reminds me, I haven’t posted the Monopoly pics yet.  It was an improved performance. 

@Ozark_KidHmmm... The Quest is held while at sea, so who would have jurisdiction for such a "crime"? I will say that @brillohead Deb has never said what she's been reading on her Kindle - perhaps last week's review of The Quest? Or perhaps she's writing a steamy novel about The Quest. That would make her musings posted here professional - particularly if she asked us to review them and give her feedback on her "draft." That would make a great legal defense. She also could write off her cruise expenses as "business expenses." She said she slept through last week's show, but do we really know that she did? Hey, if you're doing a B3B, it pays to be creative to reduce your overall costs and generate some publicity and intrigue about a previously unannounced upcoming novel. Who knows? She might even give us signed copies of her new novel. 🤣

On 1/28/2023 at 12:43 PM, brillohead said:

 

I'm going to have to do some catching up next week, too -- I'm going to set an alarm so I don't fall asleep reading and miss The Quest!  The young couple that sits next to me at dinner attended (this is their first Royal cruise) and they were a bit shocked at how inappropriate it got, even though I warned them!  (They're not prudes, either -- just not used to that kind of behavior in public!)  They said they couldn't believe how much they laughed!  
 

Don't forget to set your alarm this week. I'm not familiar with The Quest, so I'm interested in hearing all the lurid tales from this week. Don't leave out any details... 🤣

@Ozark_Kid and @brillohead - The 2 for 1 review was great!  Loved it. I enjoyed the great pictures and those of your feet 🤣.  The review makes it a little easier waiting until May for our 50th anniversary cruise on the Allure. We are splurging for a GS. We considered a CLS, but at our age, stairs are not friendly. Have a safe and uneventful trip home, John. Sorry to tell you, but your free drinks have sailed.... Deb, hopefully you won't have to share your new cabin with the Pins for too long. Keep posting this week!

cruisedig.com is showing Freedom and Oasis on 7/25/23.

Thoroughly enjoyed your review. Thanks for posting it along with the pics. I know this took a significant amount of time. I hope your home survived the frigid weather as well.

I suggest you contact RC via https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs That provides a form for you to fill out. The website says you will get a personal response within 48 hours. If not, then you are directed to email them at special_needs@rccl.com or call them at 866.592.7225. I don't think you'll have any problems with your pump since it is a medical necessity. I used the website for my CPAP machine (they probably have a few hundred of those on every Oasis class sailing). Good luck, but don't worry.

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

have seen tables of 20 set up at Giovannis and tables of at least 10 in Chops.

If an Italian restaurant can't easily set up a table for 10 or more, it's not a true Italian restaurant! 🤣

I am so sorry to learn of your wife's passing. Please accept my sincere condolences and know that you and Jan are in my prayers. I am glad that you and Jan were able to take your recent cruise together. Those memories will endure and help sustain you....

I think the only "negatives" are that with the one user/4 devices package, all four of you would use the same username and password. That's not a problem by itself. But if one of the group decides to log in a second device and 4 devices are already logged in, then one of the logged in devices will get bumped off. If you can manage this, then always buy one user, multiple devices. It is definitely cheaper.