Almost Time

[deliver42]

Dave, be careful. Very heavy rain in Fl and coming to Miami later today.

[sidari]

Nice and sunny so far.

[sidari]

Sat in the waiting area no mention yet of a boarding time.

[citizenfrank]

Won't be long!

First drink??????

[sidari]

On this cruise they have decided to take power strips of people, the port security were unable to give a reason so once onboard we asked Guest services who are saying it is because they have not been tested.

Tomorrow at 10 am is the cc meeting so hopefully I will get to ask the Captain to see what his response is as to their reasoning behind it.

The power adapter has been on the last 7 MSC cruises with no issues! 

[hamrag]

2 hours ago, sidari said:

On this cruise they have decided to take power strips of people, the port security were unable to give a reason so once onboard we asked Guest services who are saying it is because they have not been tested.

Tomorrow at 10 am is the cc meeting so hopefully I will get to ask the Captain to see what his response is as to their reasoning behind it.

The power adapter has been on the last 7 MSC cruises with no issues! 

 

To be fair, if I took one of those into the office under health & safety guidelines I would not be allowed to use it for the same reason. It does not seem unreasonable to me, and given they were accepted previously they have obviously tightened up in that regard. There may also be concerns over UK voltage v's USA and potentially overloading by using a power strip. My FIL was an electrician and would not allow my wife or any of her family to use power strips in their home. For that reason, she remains uncomfortable with them, although we have one in use in our home!

[ssmea03]

3 hours ago, sidari said:

On this cruise they have decided to take power strips of people, the port security were unable to give a reason so once onboard we asked Guest services who are saying it is because they have not been tested.

Tomorrow at 10 am is the cc meeting so hopefully I will get to ask the Captain to see what his response is as to their reasoning behind it.

The power adapter has been on the last 7 MSC cruises with no issues! 

Are they just removing them from non North American passengers? Any power bar with the stickers on the screen shot has been tested to the standards that would apply in Miami.

[sidari]

Seems to be every one that they have managed to find, there is a post on cc by a former ships engineer explaining why some like ours are safe while others with surge protectors are not due to the ships floating ground. It does not help when it appears each ship is doing their own thing! It appears that there is no standard practice and can also depend on which way the wind is blowing as to which week you can use one.

So far no issues with the Deluxe drink package.

[ssmea03]

1 minute ago, sidari said:

Seems to be every one that they have managed to find, there is a post on cc by a former ships engineer explaining why some like ours are safe while others with surge protectors are not due to the ships floating ground. It does not help when it appears each ship is doing their own thing! It appears that there is no standard practice and can also depend on which way the wind is blowing as to which week you can use one.

So far no issues with the Deluxe drink package.

Yes, you can't have a surge protector. Did they remove it from your case or hand luggage or simply ask you to hand it over? 

[sidari]

Our does not have a surge protector, it was in a bag that had already been through the scanner and was passed back to us when they tried to send all those people back the other side of the scanners that had already gone through because the booking in hall was not ready, they then put the bag through again which is when they asked us to remove it.

The Dress code posted outside the Dining rooms saysno shorts at any time!

Tonight is Elegant night, be interesting to see if they follow their own rules.

[Becks28]

10 hours ago, sidari said:

On this cruise they have decided to take power strips of people, the port security were unable to give a reason so once onboard we asked Guest services who are saying it is because they have not been tested.

Tomorrow at 10 am is the cc meeting so hopefully I will get to ask the Captain to see what his response is as to their reasoning behind it.

The power adapter has been on the last 7 MSC cruises with no issues! 

 

Dave we brought one and a plug adapter with 3 outlets and an extension cord. Do you need one?

[sidari]

Beck's 28 ... Are you using one ? If you have a spare one we could use it would be helpful.

[42go]

On 12/17/2018 at 12:35 PM, Lagigi56 said:

Enjoy ! If you can find out for the Classic package as well it would be a plus for all of us. Happy sailing! 🛳

Just returned from Divina with Classic package. It includes cocktails up to $10, non-premium spirits, wine by the glass up to $9.00, beer up to $6.50, smoothies, sodas, fruit juice, premium mineral water, coffee such espresso.

 

Also, sometimes bartender will give you higher priced items if you ask. Or, maybe they weren't sure about what is included - but we did get a higher priced wine once in a while and my husband was served a premium tequila. Bar staff were friendly and lots of fun. 

[Lagigi56]

Thank you very much for clarifying the whole saga with the drink package, getting ready only 19 days to go !  Glad that we upgraded to classic 🍹

[SeaShark]

Would love to see Kids MDR menus if you have a chance! Thanks.

[Uzzell20]

On 12/17/2018 at 12:23 PM, Beamafar said:

Hope you have a great trip, Dave.  I'll be interested in hearing exactly what's included in the Deluxe package.

We were on seaside this past week and everything that was described in the package was giving without any problems!

[sidari]

After a chat with the Captain this morning at the CC meeting we received our power strip back this evening.

So far the MDR food has been good and hot where it should be hot and cold where it should be cold, the CD Jerome is fresh from RCI and appears to be doing a great job so far.

 

[sidari]

Hi Beck's ... Thanks for the offer, we have managed to get ours back.

[sidari]

Dining room dress code on Divina, speaking to a member of staff on why it is not enforced the answer was that it is because someone making a complaint is not likely to say they were refused for wearing shorts but that the staff member was being rude to them ! The staff member would be sent home if that kind of complaint was received.

[Dr. Cocktail]

28 minutes ago, sidari said:

Dining room dress code on Divina, speaking to a member of staff on why it is not enforced the answer was that it is because someone making a complaint is not likely to say they were refused for wearing shorts but that the staff member was being rude to them ! The staff member would be sent home if that kind of complaint was received.

 

 

Thanks for taking the time for the updates.

 

I just shook my head reading your above post - it brought to mind I had a discussion with a senior officer on Equinox about 7(!) years ago regarding Celebrity's complete non-enforcement of chair hogging rules.

 

He calmly and truthfully told me it was far easier dealing with polite and rational persons like myself  (who had close to 250 nights onboard ....) who were upset by the situation than the chair hoggers themselves who went totally ballistic. 

 

I fully blame my parents for my pathological need to follow the rules, be polite and write thank you notes!!!

 

 

Edited December 23, 2018 by Dr. Cocktail

[sidari]

A little help with package codes and what they refer to.

[sidari]

Top 18 prices for non Aurea guests who want to get away from the crowds.

[ssmea03]

9 hours ago, sidari said:

A little help with package codes and what they refer to.

Just to be clear is take away ice cream, gelato?

[sidari]

So far this week the show's have been A tribute to Queen, The Mask, Frank Sinatra and tonight Xmas Eve they chose Opera for those who like it, I think the Theatre may be a little sparse tonight, shows are at 7 and 9 pm.

[sidari]

Just now, ssmea03 said:

Just to be clear is take away ice cream, gelato?

Not tried any Gelato yet but they do have ice cream machines on Deck 14 near the covered pool entrance.