2chiefs

4 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

The great debate.....but really, does it matter that much?  My phone, is my newspaper, my map, my info desk, sends me a beep when a show will start, that I asked it to, gets me awake when I take a nap.  It's my personal assistant in one little package.  Not to mention, my camera and video recorder. What's for dinner?  Oh, look, I don't have to walk to the dining room to see the menu on the wall.  What about in port, and I'm looking for a place, or want to see local restaurants?  

 

Being disconnected from work, does not mean you need to be disconnected from life.  Phones are a tool, to be used to simplify life.

Disconnected from life? Of course. And there's the social aspect of it:

1 hour ago, Janet524 said:

I lock my phone up in the safe the minute I get to my cabin and don't take it out until the morning of disembarkation.  I've managed just fine with reservations, etc.  Ask my cabin attendant to provide a paper copy of the Cruise Compass, and if necessary, check the display screens near elevators on each deck for any other info I may need.  One of the things I've always loved about cruising was being completely out of touch with the real world.  I don't even want to watch any news.  It's all bad anyway - don't need that downer!

That's exactly how we handled our cruises! The phone is locked up for the duration. I guess we'll see how it is with the phones now. Perhaps look at them once a day and put them back in the safe....

3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

No paper cruise compasses?!?  😱

 

Isn't highlighting the next day's events with an old fashioned highlighter one of every cruiser's favorite nightly activities?

 

Jeez I must be getting old.

It was my favorite nightly activity (before going out for food, drinks and socialization)!!!

On 4/20/2022 at 7:49 PM, time4u2go said:

We did it in college. Except it didn't last for days. 😉

The "lasted for days" remark was referring to the hangover!!! 🙂 

4 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Allure has also been spared... for now.

True! But it still doesn't have the great view of the Viking crown area affords. On our last Alaska trip it was so nice to hang out in the DL for the views!!

(Agree with your "for now" assessment) 🙂

4 hours ago, island lady said:

<<<SNIP>>>

We spent our Happy Hour in the VCL on EX...love sitting at the circle bar with that sweeping view, especially nice at sail away.  🙂  Boarding Mariner on the 7th, which will be our go to HH spot again.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too bad all DL's are slowly being relocated to the "bilge". Only good ones left are all the Serenade class, all the Freedom Class and only 3 of the Voyager Class: Mariner, Adventure and Explorer.

4 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Yup...sad to see all that liquor being poured on the counter when the Bionic bartender misses the glass.

I wonder if they had a collection bucket underneath there somewhere...that would make for a nice drink. 😁

In college it was called a "Whop-A-Toolie". Everyone brought a bottle of something and poured it into a bucket. Always tasted good and lasted for days....

8 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

As a solo traveller I like going to the DL. I've met so many interesting and fun people there! Notice I did not say LMPs - (like minded people if you must know LOL!!)

We will still frequent the DL if others do as well. We enjoy meeting people there too. Even when we cruise Celebrity, we go to the nightly loyalty event even though we have unlimited drinks. We've met a lot of nice friends over the years.

On 4/14/2022 at 10:53 AM, Cigar King said:

That's my understanding.  I have seen people post that they did receive them though so you can hope.

Funny thing is that we received double points one time when we weren't supposed to. Someone must have caught the error later and about two months later they were deducted...

Lobster aboard in the MDR is over-rated in my opinion.

Will we ever see the $18 drink package again! LOL

On 4/5/2022 at 9:19 PM, DJLDRUMS said:

Just got off the Symphony then the Jewel 4/3/22, when we read about a liquor shortage they aren't kidding. Both ships had no Crown Royal for starters, then the Symphony that wasn't even at half capacity ran out of Bud Light, leaving only Miller light and Coors light. We had to improvise whenever possible !

Lite beer? Who cares? Might as well drink water.

Some people call it "Sex on the beach" (F'ing near water)

9 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

This is such a minor thing. You've had 30 days to get your travel authorization.  All that should be left is to upload the test results. You still have time to do that. And you will likely be able to do so at the pier if necessary. More than likely though the site will be available again soon. 

And it is not just a revenue stream. There is one hospital, with very limited resources. It is a crowed tourist port with people arriving from all over the globe. They are attempting to protect their residents, their economy and visitors. There is a cost associated with the processing. Who do you think should pay that?  Did you ever travel and have to pay for a visa? Now that is strictly a revenue stream, but I don't see many complaints about that. You chose to travel at this time. You took the risk of there being additional steps being required. Really, quit your belly aching. you have had ample time to have cancelled and shifted to another cruise.

Really? That's what Cruise Critic is for. Don't be so mean.

🙂 

12 hours ago, Cigar King said:

This may be true more often than not, but, in my case it's not.  I generally don't do much more than my free play.  This last cruise I think I spent 20 bucks there, and I did that on my wife's card.  

Still free!

22 hours ago, d9704011 said:

There are plenty of Commonwealth countries that don't permit same-sex marriages.

Maybe if governments would get out of the marriage business completely (leave it to the respective religions) and treat everyone as individuals then everything would be much simpler. Tax codes would certainly be easier and divorce courts would be a thing of the past.

1 hour ago, DukeASUGirl said:

 But only if included. Seriously, when I'm on vacation, I want something I can't get within a 2-minute drive at home. Johnny Rockets (okay, more like a 10-minute drive for that one) and Five Guys are all over the place on land, so why would I pay a cover charge to get them on a cruise ship when there's already so much included food, or upcharges for specialty restaurants unique to the ship?

Johnny Rockets with the 50's decor on land doesn't have staff dancing to 70's music do they?

15 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

To increase interest, they can replace it with a cat house.  😉

Yes!!!   Tastes like chicken!!

Title of this thread begins with: "Bit of fun"

3 pages of responses within 24 hours = mission accomplished.

Since Royal is no longer going to St Petersburg....

If booked, I was wondering how Royal was handling the bookings? Are they simply modifying the itinerary or are they offering some sort of offer for re-booking a different cruise?

21 hours ago, nelblu said:

I'll risk the fare difference benefit compared to losing deposit of $100pp.

I agree. The refundable fares are quite high and the $100 pp risk is minimal for us. We always book on board. If we lose a deposit here and there, we still make out in the long with the lower fares.

22 hours ago, Cigar King said:

On Curacao here's a little outdoor cafe in the center of town.  Relaxing place to enjoy an Amstel Bright with a little ice in it.

Years ago I once got in trouble in Cozumel drinking "free" tequila shots while Sallie shopped. It was a rough night back on the ship.

On 2/18/2022 at 7:30 PM, TheHawk1 said:

I just received an RC email today extolling all the wonderful things to do in Labadee and couldn't believe it.  I thought for sure it was closed for good. It was never that great a stop in that past. Can't imagine what it's like now after a hurricane, a presidential execution, kidnapping of foreign nationals and Covid.  This would be the last place I would want to spend a day at port.

 

How'd I do on that negativity thing?

We love Labadee.

A bunch of people leave the ship and then we can really enjoy the onboard experience. Lunch and then beer in the hot tub in the Solarium. 🙂 

I'm confused. Is it grey or gray? 

I went to the doctor's office yesterday and there was a sign that masks were required. 3 of the 6 front office people were unmasked.

I guess everyone is getting over it.