Rare WhaleTailFlCruiser Posted August 19, 2021 #1 Share Posted August 19, 2021 This post was recognized by CC Help Jenn! "Thanks for generously sharing your time at sea with everyone at Cruise Critic" WhaleTailFlCruiser was awarded the badge '"Live from...."' I wasn't sure if or when I would start this with the testing requirement slightly putting a damper on my normal excitement for this cruising because of the stress of not knowing. Well Boys and Girls, I got tested today and Drumroll please, NEGATIVE....... Time to get amped up finally going on a cruise after 18+ Months and Now I can't wait to get aboard. My live probably will be a bit Rumbly and I will be doing picture overload. I suppose I should say a bit about myself, Most of my Cruising experiences have been Carnival and continue to be Carnival but I have sailed Royal Twice and have two NCL Cruises booked and a MSC Cruise booked in October (Because $500 for a balcony seven day cruise is just absurd to pass up.) I tend to sail solo, Or with my girlfriend whenever she can get off which has only been a few times. I live north of Tampa Florida I am a Paramedic and I am a very avid Lightning, Bucs. Rays and Gators Fan having season tickets to the Gators. I am 31 but I still love carnival although I may age and move onto other lines it hasn't happened yet. Two Days, Fourteen hours and ten minutes to go though and I am pumped. 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinMama2003 Posted August 19, 2021 #2 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Oh this sounds like its gonna be a fun review! Safe travels this weekend. Cheers 🍹 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNJCruisers Posted August 19, 2021 #3 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Congrats on the negative test. Fortune Teller Bar looks awesome if you happen to imbibe. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare KmomChicago Posted August 19, 2021 #4 Share Posted August 19, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, SNJCruisers said: Congrats on the negative test. Fortune Teller Bar looks awesome if you happen to imbibe. Looking forward to following along! Fortune Teller and Alchemy attract a lot of attention. Brass Magnolia is steps away from Fortune Teller, has live music and is underutilized by comparison, so far. Exciting! Edited August 19, 2021 by KmomChicago 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jamman54 Posted August 19, 2021 #5 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Looking forward to seeing your take on the Mardi Gras. Enjoy your cruises. We will be doing a B2B on her in April. 😎 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank12 Posted August 19, 2021 #6 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Enjoy your cruises! And Go Gators! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knights on the Beach Posted August 19, 2021 #7 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Yay, congratulations - I can't wait to follow along on your adventures! Good timing with your cruise dates, you won't miss any games - very happy you didn't say you're a bulls fan. 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunkey1 Posted August 19, 2021 #8 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Looking forward to the review - we sail on her in October. Go Gators!!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNcruising02 Posted August 19, 2021 #9 Share Posted August 19, 2021 A B2B on the Mardi Gras will be amazing! I hope you have a wonderful time and am looking forward to your posts. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WhaleTailFlCruiser Posted August 19, 2021 Author #10 Share Posted August 19, 2021 So I have looked at the forecast for the stops on my first leg and it is rain some more rain and a lot of rain 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunkey1 Posted August 19, 2021 #11 Share Posted August 19, 2021 1 hour ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said: So I have looked at the forecast for the stops on my first leg and it is rain some more rain and a lot of rain That's the risk of booking during hurricane season. On the plus side, you have a great big, beautiful ship and TONS of food options to keep you busy! 😜 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WhaleTailFlCruiser Posted August 19, 2021 Author #12 Share Posted August 19, 2021 I am wondering if I will have access to my cabin on the turnaround day on the 28th? Space X is launching a Rocket about 330am so If I wake up early enough was gonna go watch that and then deal with all the other stuff but I might require a nap later in the day lol. Also I have my Trusty Gators Tumblr ready to go for the trip, On my New Years eve Cruise on the Legend I lost one of them :/. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WhaleTailFlCruiser Posted August 20, 2021 Author #13 Share Posted August 20, 2021 Packed for the most part took my dog over to my girlfriends place, Printed out all of my documents. Under twenty-four hours to go. Forgot to mention that I will be in a lowly interior for this B2B. lol Too much to do on this ship for me to splurge for something more whilst being solo. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WhaleTailFlCruiser Posted August 20, 2021 Author #14 Share Posted August 20, 2021 https://www.portnassauwebcam.com/ Stalking the ship as well 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNJCruisers Posted August 20, 2021 #15 Share Posted August 20, 2021 37 minutes ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said: Packed for the most part took my dog over to my girlfriends place, Printed out all of my documents. Under twenty-four hours to go. Forgot to mention that I will be in a lowly interior for this B2B. lol Too much to do on this ship for me to splurge for something more whilst being solo. Why is the GF not joining you since all it would cost are the taxes since you're paying a solo rate? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNcruising02 Posted August 20, 2021 #16 Share Posted August 20, 2021 On 8/19/2021 at 11:11 AM, WhaleTailFlCruiser said: So I have looked at the forecast for the stops on my first leg and it is rain some more rain and a lot of rain I've done the same thing for cruises and then the weather turned out to be great. I have found that the ships tend to sail into good weather. The port weather will be whatever it will be though. I hope the weather changes for the better for your trip. Forecasts often change. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WhaleTailFlCruiser Posted August 20, 2021 Author #17 Share Posted August 20, 2021 1 minute ago, SNJCruisers said: Why is the GF not joining you since all it would cost are the taxes since you're paying a solo rate? She is a Nurse and can't get off currently due to the Insane Covid Surge she tried but then her hospital said no because they are already short staffed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNcruising02 Posted August 20, 2021 #18 Share Posted August 20, 2021 19 hours ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said: I am wondering if I will have access to my cabin on the turnaround day on the 28th? Space X is launching a Rocket about 330am so If I wake up early enough was gonna go watch that and then deal with all the other stuff but I might require a nap later in the day lol. Also I have my Trusty Gators Tumblr ready to go for the trip, On my New Years eve Cruise on the Legend I lost one of them :/. We saw a launch on our first cruise out of Port Canaveral. We weren't expecting it, so it was a nice surprise. I would definitely wake up for a 3:30 am launch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNJCruisers Posted August 20, 2021 #19 Share Posted August 20, 2021 1 minute ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said: She is a Nurse and can't get off currently due to the Insane Covid Surge she tried but then her hospital said no because they are already short staffed. That's a shame. Thank her for her service. You'll just have to live vicariously for two weeks like she was there with you. Gonna be tough with all of the different lunch decisions on a daily basis. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WhaleTailFlCruiser Posted August 20, 2021 Author #20 Share Posted August 20, 2021 And she is on her way home!!!!!!! 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WhaleTailFlCruiser Posted August 21, 2021 Author #21 Share Posted August 21, 2021 I really dislike not being able to be packed completely the night before a trip because I still have to have my deodorant out my cologne out and obviously my sleeping clothes ext. I really should just pack lighter and have Carnival do laundry for me but I have heard those horror stories. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayfo Posted August 21, 2021 #22 Share Posted August 21, 2021 I’ll be watching along closely 👀 I especially want to hear about crowds and if there’s a lot of curmudgeons on board. After waiting all this time to finally cruise, I don’t know if I want to be stuck at sea listening to their entitled tantrums. Especially if they’re rotten to the poor crew members 🙁 Safe travels!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare KmomChicago Posted August 21, 2021 #23 Share Posted August 21, 2021 (edited) Hope you got a good night's rest, @WhaleTailFlCruiser. Drive safely to port. 9 hours ago, Jayfo said: I’ll be watching along closely 👀 I especially want to hear about crowds and if there’s a lot of curmudgeons on board. After waiting all this time to finally cruise, I don’t know if I want to be stuck at sea listening to their entitled tantrums. Especially if they’re rotten to the poor crew members 🙁 Safe travels!!! We were on the second sailing, August 7, which was the first to mandate masks from embarkation, and people were mostly cheerful and nice to the crew. The vast majority of people who are cruising now are well aware of the full situation, just glad to finally get a cruise vacation again, patient with what are obviously some new protocols, and comprehend the risk of breakthrough infections which we'd all prefer to avoid for us, for the crew, and for the ship and industry at large. You still get exactly the same as always, a few people who don't really choose to like anything or who always prefer to explain why new and improved, or bigger-is-better should actually be interpreted as gone to the dogs because of all the much better cruises they used to take back in the day. As for crowds, if you want to avoid them on Mardi Gras, I recommend sailing right now, in this upcoming fall season. Prices always have dropped to the bottom of the barrel starting after Labor Day and through the 2nd week of November because of low demand. Add that to hesitancy, and this might be one's only chance to experience this ship at something well under 2/3 capacity. May never happen again and I am very grateful we got to experience it. Even at that, there are some areas and events that got busy *(i.e. a few, but certainly not all, of the many Punchliner shows). Love and Marriage show was pretty full last sea day afternoon but no one was turned away, and that was in the main forward theatre. Of course the Lido pool gets busy but there are alternative pools if this happens. Still at max capacity I am sure they will all get crowded at times and people will grumble. Edited August 21, 2021 by KmomChicago 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbri Posted August 21, 2021 #24 Share Posted August 21, 2021 Looking forward to your review. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WhaleTailFlCruiser Posted August 21, 2021 Author #25 Share Posted August 21, 2021 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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