Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

 

LaLa posted that they're OK.

Take my email. If you have trouble I live near the port and can come and grt you. Even if a late hour ..but check out brightline train. Really nice. 

[brillohead]

22 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

I hope there will be a Bella 02 thread once the cruise starts so that we who are in "dry dock" can revel in all of the shenanigans!

 

@Sea Dog @brillohead Greg, Debbi and anyone else????

 

 

 

21 hours ago, Husky1987 said:

I'm sure there will be LOTS of contributors to that thread!!

 

21 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Yes I am planning on starting it but hoping everyone will contribute.

 

17 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

I’ll pitch in for sure 😎

 

That thread is going to be a party in itself!  

What happens on Wonder won't be staying on Wonder!!!

[Sea Dog]

2 minutes ago, brillohead said:

That thread is going to be a party in itself!  

I will miss dearly the posts from John and Andrew but we will try our best.

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I've heard if I didnt spend what i added to my machine, transferred from my cabin account, they put a block for this and next cruise.

 

Nope.  

I don't like to carry a lot of cash with me, so I use the slot machines as my free ATM on board.  I'll pull out a few hundred dollars plus my freebie $8 in the casino, gamble until I've used up my $8 in freebies, then cash out the rest.  

The year after COVID I took 26 cruises and I did this on the majority of them -- never had any kind of block on my account.  

Now, if you're taking out $500 every single day and not playing any of it at all, then they might get snippy about it.  But that's not what we're doing, so we're safe.

[HBE4]

Glad to see all the Florida folks are safe & sound. I spent most of my morning calling & texting people I know that were in harms way & all are good.

 

Great night last night for NY sports teams.  NY Rangers opened up the hockey season in style, a 6-0 win over Pittsburgh (apologies  to @h20skibum) & both Yankees & Mets won (apologies  to @Sea Dog and long-lost @Jimbo). While I'm a NY Yankee fan first, I'm a NY fan second so I'll cheer on the Mets except when they play the Yankees. 🙂.

 

I recorded both the Ranger & Yankee game and stayed up to 2 am to watch them.  I'll be at the Rangers home opener this Saturday night. 👍

Edited October 10 by HBE4

[George C]

Extremely happy with Yankees win , still waiting to hear from brother in Ft Myer and cousin in Saratoga. My signed Mickey Mantle cover

 

[HBE4]

15 hours ago, NHProud said:

 I think , you made a good decision to resume cruising.  Have fun with a great group of people.

 

Thank you.

 

While I have 2 more cruises booked & 2 more "possible", I still find it difficult to plan by myself so I procrastinate, procrastinate and then procrastinate some more until the last minute. Case in point, Bella 2. Other than booking it & recently buying the beverage package, I haven't given it much thought when it comes to excursions, dining, shows, traveling to and from, etc... I'll probably just "wing it" like I did last cruise, other than planing how to get to PC & back.

 

[BonTexasNY]

43 minutes ago, brillohead said:

 

 

 

 

That thread is going to be a party in itself!  

What happens on Wonder won't be staying on Wonder!!!

The Schooner Bar will be packed nightly!! I mean PACKED like this!

 

[BonTexasNY]

6 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Thank you.

 

While I have 2 more cruises booked & 2 more "possible", I still find it difficult to plan by myself so I procrastinate, procrastinate and then procrastinate some more until the last minute. Case in point, Bella 2. Other than booking it & recently buying the beverage package, I haven't given it much thought when it comes to excursions, dining, shows, traveling to and from, etc... I'll probably just "wing it" like I did last cruise, other than planing how to get to PC & back.

 

For me, some of the best times were had with no advance planning. I wish the same for you.

[Sunshine3601]

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Wow, if you know where I am very close across that river I'm looking at. I almost wish I could go check on my car. Next time I'm getting the email of the girl next door. Shes on the board and I asked her to make sure they did t leave notices on my door, but it didnt cross my  ind to worry about the hurricane and tornado touching so close. I say girl... I'd guess she  might be in her 50s. To me young. I'm on 3 more weeks. .. well I learned something for next time, get her email. It's hard trying not to worry when I wake up and first thing I see is cocoa beach super cuts it says tornado. I got 2 more "groups" I'll be gone about a month may europe and the Panama canal next oct. I'm waiting for next cruise to open I guess I'm adding a 3rd alaska leg I added the coastal and then it's so easy to say I'll already be in Montreal. Fly in a week sooner. The group rate stinks, more than booking direct, and the price just goes up every day. But no extra hotel and travel expenses and it's a nice itinerary.  I thought it was almost 9 am, my tablet is on florida time. My phone switched and my watch. I'm very torn, but that's where I'm heading now. Icy straits and some good stops. Did it once on carnival miracle and loved alaska .. a lot. I love anything  nature.

 

Ok thanks so much for the info. Saved me trying to google. You are awesome.

Good to hear from you Jane.   I was occasionally checking Harmony (and other ships) location on cruisemapper and it looked like the ship was doing circles since the storm had stalled or slowed down.  

 

Enjoy your cruise and hope the remainder of your cruise(s) on Harmony are uneventful and you have beautiful weather. 😊

 

 

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

 

Nope.  

I don't like to carry a lot of cash with me, so I use the slot machines as my free ATM on board.  I'll pull out a few hundred dollars plus my freebie $8 in the casino, gamble until I've used up my $8 in freebies, then cash out the rest.  

The year after COVID I took 26 cruises and I did this on the majority of them -- never had any kind of block on my account.  

Now, if you're taking out $500 every single day and not playing any of it at all, then they might get snippy about it.  But that's not what we're doing, so we're safe.

That's the most I ever transferred. Just read on cc about getting your account locked up. I admit I'm a naive beginner gambling. The machine showed credits. What are credits I have no idea. And lower right would say I won 10 or 15 etc.. lower left would double it, if it said I won 10 lower left said I won 20 cents. I went back as that seems like a lucky machine and asked the guy playing it how do I know how much money I have in the machine. He pushed the credit button and cash pops up but doesnt stay. So after I put in $100 I hoped credits would make some sense. Like 681 credits now showed. I didnt know then push on credits and ot showed dollars and it made me  nervous no idea how much each bet was or how much money I had on the machine. I won a lot and 3 free games so figured not bad, and so I finally pushed the cash out button. Until I did that I have no idea what the machine was doing except it was kinda lucky. So if I got nervous and didnt play the whole $100.. that's why.

 

Need a class from lioness. Nothing on that machine seemed to relate. So what do total credits mean, how many spins or something? It was not points, those showed lower where you sign in. Those points roll up so slow hahahaha. I'll never get to a free cruise. Machine had 2 cents lighted up. But 2 cents is never a 2 cents bet either. I'm just doing a little for fun. 

 

On adventure I know I hit the big payout, lol it said so. ..then went cold. Wasnt winning anything so I quit after 6 to 10 more spins and still had $48 free money on a 60 cents a spin machine. That machine said what you bet. The one downstairs no idea.

[Luckynana]

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

I'm "thinking aloud" here instead of Bella2's roll call, since I suppose there are more people with experience of flying into Port Canaveral.

 

My first thought about booking a very long flight from Israel to Florida was to book the only direct flight as of now, to Miami. I feared passing through NY in the middle of the winter.

 

When checking options of arriving from Miami to PC, it seems a very expensive and time consuming drag...

 

I found good options through NY, which will allow me to leave the same day at the cruise's end, instead of traveling back to Miami from PC, with an additional night spent in Miami.

 

I figure that if I'll fly in 3 days before the cruise, it will leave me enough "buffer" to make the cruise, should there be weather related cancellations in NY.

 

Any "flaws" in the plan? Well, apart from the ongoing "situation" home....

This sounds pretty solid to me, but I don't fly often, Dani!

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

 

I read all passengers will be getting a one day refund plus port refunds for the 2 ports missed which isn't bad since the cruise line cannot be at fault for Mother Nature and her wrath.

 

The ship missed the ports so they did not have to pay out the fees that were collected for those ports. They better refund them to the passengers. It doesn't matter what the reason was for missing them.

[mo&fran]

2 hours ago, Arzeena said:

@mo&fran
Sorry Francis, I forgot to mention you. I knew I was forgetting someone!
Hope you are doing OK after the storm? Are you on your B2B cruise? Be safe.

Storm passed to the north of me. HOA reports no damage, save for some limbs down.  Doorbell camera shows a normal view, and confirms electric is on.

Will be on Freedom the rest of October. At Falmouth today, very smooth seas.

 

[Luckynana]

 

I heard from Graham aka Schooner, that he and Nikki are fine, just no electric.  Crystal (singinalot )is fine too.  I have been in contact with my several relatives who live all over the State, same message.  All good, all safe, no electric. One of my cousins just has a broken window and screen.   I can only assume that my Condo is okay, since it looks like Naples didn't sustain much from what I can see on tv, and our friends who live about a mile or so from us are with electric.

 

I hope all of our Dani friends are all safe.  John and Lala are also good.😉  

[Luckynana]

Just now, Luckynana said:

 

I heard from Graham aka Schooner, that he and Nikki are fine, just no electric.  Crystal (singinalot )is fine too.  I have been in contact with my several relatives who live all over the State, same message.  All good, all safe, no electric. One of my cousins just has a broken window and screen.   I can only assume that my Condo is okay, since it looks like Naples didn't sustain much from what I can see on tv, and our friends who live about a mile or so from us are with electric.

 

I hope all of our Dani friends are all safe.  John and Lala are also good.😉  

Our friends in Naples are without electric, not with electric, as I meant to type without electric.🙅‍♀️

[h20skibum]

It seems like we have had so much going on this week, that I barely have time to keep up with things here.  I will read and react, then it is time to leave for one reason or another.  

 

So maybe a few updates from this week.  I will work back from last night.  

 

Since it was Wednesday, we did our Wednesday night thing of packing food, for kids to take home on the weekend, for those with food insecurity.  We are now up to packing 166 bags with enough food for their weekend.  I believe I mentioned that this is something our church sponsors for our school district.  We were surprised with an anonymous donation of 10k this week to be used for this program.  Very generous.  

 

As for us, we were able to enjoy a nice nature walk to see some of the leaves starting to change color.  Freeze warning tonight, so colors will be nicer in the next couple weeks.  

 

 

[dani negreanu]

2 hours ago, mo&fran said:

One option for Miami is the Brightline high speed rail line that has hourly service between Miami and Orlando. Doesn't stop close to the port, but plenty of transportation options from the Orlando airport.

 

Thanks, Francis, and glad that you're OK.

 

Indeed, Brightline was mentioned to me by Jane @firefly333 and Arzeena @Arzeena. I've checked it again, and found out that even the most expensive ticket, starting at 119$ one way, it not refundable (i.e., a Brightline voucher is issued, but it's no use to me).

 

If there were normal times for us, I would have taken the chance. I'm taking the chance with the cruise fare, and I'm splurging for fully refundable air tickets.

 

 

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Take my email. If you have trouble I live near the port and can come and grt you. Even if a late hour ..but check out brightline train. Really nice. 

 

Thanks you Jane, and very much appreciate your kind offer. I'll be in touch much closer to the cruise. fingers crossed...

[HBE4]

3 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

I'm "thinking aloud" here instead of Bella2's roll call, since I suppose there are more people with experience of flying into Port Canaveral.

 

My first thought about booking a very long flight from Israel to Florida was to book the only direct flight as of now, to Miami. I feared passing through NY in the middle of the winter.

 

When checking options of arriving from Miami to PC, it seems a very expensive and time consuming drag...

 

I found good options through NY, which will allow me to leave the same day at the cruise's end, instead of traveling back to Miami from PC, with an additional night spent in Miami.

 

I figure that if I'll fly in 3 days before the cruise, it will leave me enough "buffer" to make the cruise, should there be weather related cancellations in NY.

 

Any "flaws" in the plan? Well, apart from the ongoing "situation" home....

 

If you are flying to New York, will you be switching to a different plane?

 

Most of the weather-related delays I've experienced have not been because of bad weather in New York but somewhere else in the country that prevented my plane getting to New York from wherever it was originating.  And those delays are usually from just a few hours to maybe 12 hours maximum.

 

Winter weather is unpredictable but the last 2 winters have been "mild" by my standards. I think maybe 1 "big" storm (10+ inches of snow) each winter that shuts down the airport for a few hours but can cause very long delays and 2-3 smaller storms of 2-4 inches of snow that cause delays at the airports for few hours.  I live about 50 miles north of the 3 major NYC airports so I always get more snow than my fellow city folks. If fact, I'm bummed that I can't use my new snow blower more often. 😉

 

Having said all that, I usually fly in the day before a cruise. For Bella, I might fly in 2 days early. You should be fine with a 3 day buffer. (fingers-crossed for good luck).

[grapau27]

On 10/9/2024 at 5:25 PM, Ozark_Kid said:

Her name is Halo.  She came from a family of 11 kids. She is a Golden Doodle. Finnley's dog, Millie, gets along well with her.  Millie is a Standard Poodle 🐩 

Hi John.

Pauline and I send you our prayers 🙏 and good wishes for the future.

Graham.

[bobmacliberty]

Dani - How about flying through Amsterdam and then taking a direct flight from there to Orlando? You could even spend a couple of days in Amsterdam to break up the trip. 😁

[NHProud]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

Thank you.

 

While I have 2 more cruises booked & 2 more "possible", I still find it difficult to plan by myself so I procrastinate, procrastinate and then procrastinate some more until the last minute. Case in point, Bella 2. Other than booking it & recently buying the beverage package, I haven't given it much thought when it comes to excursions, dining, shows, traveling to and from, etc... I'll probably just "wing it" like I did last cruise, other than planing how to get to PC & back.

 

That’s understandable and a whole new adjustment for you to be planning for one . I would book the must do activities and restaurants beforehand, obviously .  It’s your vacation , do as much or as little as you please .  I tend to not overbook .  I’m pretty sure you’ll find something to do with somebody on here.  
 

 

 

[grapau27]

Good evening.

I hope everyone is safe and well after Hurricane Milton.

This time last year we were staying in a hotel in Lake Buena vista Orlando Florida.

We went out for dinner tonight.

 

 

Edited October 10 by grapau27

[dani negreanu]

10 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Dani - How about flying through Amsterdam and then taking a direct flight from there to Orlando? You could even spend a couple of days in Amsterdam to break up the trip. 😁

 

Thanks, Bob.

 

That was my first thought when the kids relocated to Amsterdam - "killing" 2 birds for the price of one -- seeing the grands and "bypassing" JFK.

 

Sadly, KLM's rates are outrageous, the scheduled hours not the best, and this company is always among the first to cancel their flights to Israel and the last to resume them....

 

'm kind of angry with them, though I understand the crew's fears.

 

Besides, I've been accumulating points to use with our national airline and save some monies. The flight to Orlando will also bump me in the airline status, no small feat.

[George C]

Good news my brother had very minor damage a inch of water in a sunken living room and small amount of water in other rooms, this is compared to 3 feet of water a couple of years ago.

 

My local library had a book same bought 4 Lucas Davenport and 2 Virgil Flowers paperbacks, one Jack Reacher and one hardcover Ken Follett for a cost of 9 dollars.