island lady

Ahhh...looking forward to more smooth sailing soon. Will be good to go small ship again this year. 🙂 Cheers, my friend...."Hi" to Kathy!

Decided to avoid the extra weight. For us, not worth packing the wine in checked bags. I do have the wine shippers as well, but don't use them any longer. Buying wine in the terminal in San Juan is not going to happen for me after last episode. Fast forward to current situation that has evolved for us : We get six drinks per person per day, plus 3 bottles of comped wine, and two beers sent to our cabin each week...more than enough for us. 😉 Needing any more than that...I will be checking to see where the local AA meeting is taking place when I get home. 😄 😄

Fine for young types like you...the DH and myself like to keep our suitcases a bit lighter. Old bodies don't lift things well. 😄

😄 I can almost get by on a two week cruise (B2B)...but will always send out the freebie "boil and fry" about mid week. Pretty much common for me to do the "Wednesday wash day". I only sent dry cleaning out (for heavier things that need pressing) twice on the month long Wonder we just disembarked from. Hand washing a few light things, smoosh in towels to wring out all excess moisture, then hang to dry over night helps out as well. Keeps me from overpacking. 😉 And yes...same as us. One regular suitcase each, and our carry on bags. We don't take less than two weeks at a time...and now even that seems short. 😮

Amazon. 🙂

Kenny and Jorge are great. Give them about 5 days before you board, they will contact you via email. Simple respond to that email. Enjoy your cruise. 🙂

At home? I have a new modern invention...a washer and dryer. 😄 My system...no drips on bed and floor. Roll in towels to almost dry, hang overnight...no dripping anywhere. Have you ever taken anything other than a four night cruise? 😉 I am on WC...you betcha I will be doing my own laundry on board. A mix of hand laundry, "boil and fry" and dry cleaning.

Just off Wonder 4 weeks. Yes, laundry required. A mix of "boil and fry", dry cleaning...and yes....magnetic hooks to dry hang washables over night. To each their own. I would rather not over pack...or run around as "Ms. Stinky". 😄 My laundry line second week.....I hand wash...roll tightly in towels, then hang to dry. No drips involved. 😉

I went from the SL to the DL on Wonder a couple of times, when the machine in the SL (which is just around the corner from our cabin) was on the fritz, or out of milk. There are two of them in the DL on Wonder. One seemed to be down all the time, the other never seemed to have milk in it, and always a line to get the coffee. Ughh...was just easier to go to Promenade Cafe than use the DL. Though the coffee in those big urns always taste burnt. And these are new machines on a new ship! 😮

Flying into San Juan presents a problem with bringing wine to the ship. I won't check it in my luggage, and can't take it in carry on bags.

LOL...hey...that's my job!! 😉 Indeed have had to do that several times, not to mention other various fixes. The worst one is the "no milk" in the machine for my Latte. Finally just picked up a couple of pints of milk from Park Cafe on Wonder to keep in the little fridge on hand for "just in case".

Embarkation port in San Juan yes...inside terminal. Port of call...most use the drug store across the street....but can't take on except on embarkation day. Buyer beware at wine store inside terminal in San Juan. I bought what should have been a nice bottle of wine to enjoy on the ship. Once opened, found it badly "corked" nasty stuff. On turn around day (being a B2B)...I brought the bottle back to the store. They would not refund or exchange....no refunds policy. Was out 48 bucks. Not happy. 😠

Me too....but will make up for it on our next cruise together! 🙂

Yup, happened to us too many times as well. 😕

We were on that TA, and the two legs prior. No slips used yet on that one yet. As far as total number, it was a combined total. Did not actually have separate for each. As long as we did not go over 12 total per day for the two of us...we were in the freebie zone. 😉

Now that was the one time we really enjoyed the DL this last year....two very like minded peeps who invited us in there to have drinks with them. 😉 Actually I think it was due to the very low C&A numbers on that cruise. Sheezz....we were cruiser #3 and then cruiser #2 on first and second leg...and being newbie Pinnies, that tells you a lot. 😉

Same thing here. Met a lot of like minded pax in a quiet, uncrowded atmosphere some years ago. Now....too many chair saving, "me first" types and very noisy. Uh...uh...nope not for us any longer. If we can't find a quiet lounge/bar...we just have our drinks on the balcony. Do like the lounges for my early morning coffee though! 🙂

The check in agent has never ever..ever once asked me to take the Covid card or passport out of the folder. When I have it flipped open, the passport is on picture page. I do slip the set sail pass out to hand to the agent with the pack. Who you callin' "cutesy by the way. 😄 When presenting to customs officer, we always take the passport out of the holder.....out and ready to hand to officer. This is not my first rodeo. 😉

Exactly this. 😉 ^

LOL...I am the one in line behind the family who's Daddy is trying to keep 3 of their fussy children in line, and Momma has another one in her arms, as he frustratingly thumbs through his phone to find their set sail pass info.

Please Google "Murphy's Law". 😉 I always print out the Set Sail pass as a back up. Actually faster than pulling out my phone, finding the page, juggling the thing with my carry on stuff.... Passport pack folder: Passport, Covid vax card, Set Sail pass (trimmed to a 1/3rd page). Hand pack over to agent, done in seconds...easy peasy.

Perfect attitude! 🥰 We always say..."as long as we wake up above sea level...we are doing fine". On a seven night cruise out of Tampa on Brilliance about 4 years ago, I broke my foot on the very first night. Bucky told me we could rent a car and go home when we reached first port Key West. I told him "Heck no! Where else can I rest, with no shopping/cooking/cleaning for the rest of the week?" Still enjoyed the rest of the cruise, just curtailed a bit enjoying the sea views from the eye level of a wheel chair. 😉

Two extra seats available in the DL, the Solarium, and the pool deck. We don't use any of them. 😉

Indeed used to love the DL. But just too crowded now. Heck...look how easy it is to make Diamond! 😮 I love...love the new voucher program. We simply "bar hop" around using our vouchers. Happy tisers in the DL? Eh...one thing that is easy to do on a cruise ship...find something to eat. 😉 Plus we have now opted for early traditional dining, since MTD has also become a real zoo, and don't need the snacks before early dinner. My how things change. But we do like this change. Got so tired of the politics and crowding in the DL...just not what it used to be. 😞