go.without.you

So we went to dinner at 6. The service was really slow. Our apps didn't arrive until 645. It's almost like they are missing an entire staff for our section. 

Table behind us is a couple with a 6ish year old. We hear gagging and then realize the kid vomited. One would think "that's my kid, let me clean it up. ". No..... parents of the year they are not. Mom takes out gagging kid and dad sits there telling several staff that his kid made a mess. It's all over the floor and the window. I'm getting whiffs of vomit before my main course.  I'm really trying to be positive here but so far it's really hard. 

Parents: if your kid makes a mess in public it is YOUR JOB to clean it up!!!!! I don't hate kids, I hate lazy parents.

It's almost 730 and I don't have my main entree and I smell vomit.

We FINALLY made it on board about 130.

Lunch in the Yacht Club dining room. 

I had the Caesar salad and the pasta with pistachio ice cream.

We ordered Sav Blanc wine and were told they were out!!!   Screeeecchhhh!!!! But they are getting more today. Ok......cruise can resume.

So we made it to the pier and it's kind of a hawt mess (to say the least). The ship arrived late this morning so everything has been delayed. 

They took us to the yacht club lounge at 1130 and all the seats were already taken. Also, there was no white tent for yacht club check in but our porter walked us to the area, so that was very nice of him.

So we waited outside for about 10 minutes then thru security to the packed lounge. There are a lot of people in the regular line and this reason alone was worth paying the YC fare.

The staff have apologized numerous times to the point that I really for sorry for them. This is beyond their control and they are handing things as best they can. They are bringing out extra chairs for the people that just keep coming. 

They just made an announcement about a delay on disembarkation causing a boarding delay. We are waiting for customs to allow boarding. 

The lounge has champagne, water, peanuts and juices that they are keeping stocked.

And we got wrist bands which I read they haven't had on past cruises due to a supply issue.

So, usually this time we'd be eating lunch and drinking wine but I'm not complaining because it's still better than a good day at work. 

90 minutes later we are still in the lounge. No new announcements just the same one over and over. 

So we made it to the pier and it's kind of a hawt mess (to say the least). The ship arrived late this morning so everything has been delayed. 

They took us to the yacht club lounge at 1130 and all the seats were already taken. Also, there was no white tent for yacht club check in but our porter walked us to the area, so that was very nice of him.

So we waited outside for about 10 minutes then thru security to the packed lounge. There are a lot of people in the regular line and this reason alone was worth paying the YC fare.

The staff have apologized numerous times to the point that I really for sorry for them. This is beyond their control and they are handing things as best they can. They are bringing out extra chairs for the people that just keep coming. 

They just made an announcement about a delay on disembarkation causing a boarding delay. We are waiting for customs to allow boarding. 

The lounge has champagne, water, peanuts and juices that they are keeping stocked.

And we got wrist bands which I read they haven't had on past cruises due to a supply issue.

So, usually this time we'd be eating lunch and drinking wine but I'm not complaining because it's still better than a good day at work. 

 It is a pretty day in Cocoa Beach, mid seventies. 

The hotel breakfast was very good. They had scrambled eggs, sausage, oatmeal, breads, bagels, fruit and yogurt. They also had a waffle machine but I wasn't going to stand there to wait for it. It was too "peopley".

We took a walk to the Ron Jon shop then had lunch at a bar at the marina.

Had dinner at a local bar then took a walk on the pier.

So I meant to post from the train but someone forgot to pack the charger and was down to 65% on my phone. It was me. I forgot the charger. 

The train ride was fine and almost on time. It was 90% full and boarding was very easy and for $30 round-trip it was worth it. I wasn't keen on driving into downtown Tampa but that's just because it's unknown territory. I took a sandwich and some wine on the train so I didn't visit the Cafe car but it was an option. 

My Uber driver was willing to wait for my late train and Janelle to come from the airport. Also Pink was holding a concert so traffic was a bit icky.

Made it to the hotel in Cocoa Beach. We're at the Best Western which is clean and includes breakfast.

Tomorrow we explore Cocoa Beach, nothing big planned. 

56 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

You must be on the Silver Star, as Silver Meteor doesn’t go into Tampa.  We rode the Silver Meteor to Tampa for a cruise,  it the portion from Orlando to Tampa was on an Ambus (Amtrak bus).  At that time there was nothing happening at the Tampa station which was rather grand.  We could not get a taxi to pick us up to go to our hotel.  We finally called the hotel and they sent a bus company they use as a shuttle,  very minimal fee.  This was in 2017.  I would do it again if I could be assured of transport.  I did sign up for Uber but have never used them.  EM

Yes the Silver Star.

1 minute ago, Morgsmom said:

@go.without.you are you arriving at the Winter Park or Orlando Amtrak station?

 

Orlando. 

I have long been a lurker but this is my first liveish review so bear with me. 

My friend Janelle and I sail on the Seashore Monday for 6 nights with stops to the private island, Costa Maya and Cozumel. The weather is clearing up after the past couple of wet days and the ship had to move their stops around this weekend due to weather conditions.

A little background, I have been a Celebrity loyalist for over 15 years with the last 6 or so cruises in the Retreat. I have reached Elite Plus status and I will probably never hit Zenith (the highest level) unless I hit the lottery. Their recent changes and price increases had me shopping around and after reading reviews from GenX and JamieLogical I was definitely down to try MSC.

This will be my 30th cruise with past cruises on NCL, Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity, Viking River and Uniworld so cruising is like my part time job now. (One that costs money instead of making it but oh well). At this point in my life I work to support my cruise addiction.  This will be Janelle's 3rd cruise since March 2022 on Edge and Nov 22 Reflection, both in Retreat.

I’m about a 3 hour drive away from Port Canaveral (plus traffic) and if you’ve ever driven around the Orlando area then you know it is not fun. Especially the week of Thanksgiving. Nope. Not doing it, so I decided to book Amtrak. Roundtrip from Tampa was only $30 and free parking at the train station so that's a win/win. The down side is the almost 1 hour Uber ride from Orlando to Port Canaveral but it still beats driving by myself in unfamiliar lands. Also, I used their move-up program and was awarded a roomette which includes a full dinner on the train.

Since the train arrives in Orlando after 7pm I decided to spend an extra night in Cocoa Beach giving me all of Sunday to bum around. Janelle is a flight attendant from Baltimore and will meet me at the train station. It will be a 1st visit to Cocoa Beach for both of us.

I use packing cubes in my luggage and after watching a video that Jamielogical posted I will be bundling some of my clothes to save space and wrinkles. I’ll let you know how that pans out. 

My liveish review will start tomorrow after I board the train.

Did you leave Port Canaveral? I'm boarding Seashore on Monday.

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

Fortunately it's impossible to get "locked out" unless your cabin companion deliberately turns the little white knob located near the top of the fixed part of the doors.

So don't piss off your roommate then, right? 

I've been trying to book the 3 night package for an April cruise and it's been "full" for 3 weeks. Today they replaced it with the unlimited package and it is also showing full. If that's the case why don't they remove the option? 

Thank you!!! I just saved $384 on my April cruise!!!

@cruisestitch Could it be Silhouette? I did that tour in December and that model ship looks familiar. Unless they have one of those in every engine room...

I've done this on several Celebrity ships and it's always interesting. They used to do this for free on a port day or depending on your status or suite you would get invited (also free). Sigh.

I did this last year on Silhouette (paid for it since I had a ton of OBC) and they showed us way more than I've ever seen of the ship before. We went to the laundry, engine room, the bridge, the trash area, thru the kitchen, the pantry and walk in refrigerators. They even let us hold the most expensive bottle of wine they had on board. It was like $800 or some ridiculous price.

I've never been given a gift on any of these except for the lanyard.

I did this on a Christmas sailing last year and it was one of the best excursions I've ever done. We had calm water that day so no one got sick (that I know of). They took us out to a small beach for about an hour and you could rent a beach lounger for $5, which I didn't think was bad at all. On the way back they have an open bar and they cook the meal on the back of the boat. The lobster was very large and the sides were good (I don't remember what they were but it was a really nice lunch). I would do that excursion again.

Trying to check in now and the camera option isn't working. UGH.

I mentioned that need to stop taking things away that we have already paid for like butlers. I also mentioned that I have cruises booked elsewhere and will continue to do so since the Retreat prices are insane.

Last time I used this I did not need a reservation. I went to the Spa entrance and said I wanted to use my free day pass and they gave me a key. You have access to the locker rooms and Persian Gardens (steam room, sauna, heated beds & the relaxation center).

I had the hardest time doing the photo. The system "automatically" takes your picture once it recognizes your face instead of you pushing a button. No lie it took me at least 75 tries. I kept getting "rotate your face", whatever that means.

I was finally able to get a photo by going to the website and on about the 19th try it worked. Of course my photo is of me looking very pissed off with a bit of a Karen face. I heard they retake it at the pier so I have that going for me.

11 hours ago, Live2Cruise4ever said:

We cruised on CC starting in 1996. It was fantastic. Food was awesome!!  I loved the cold fruit soups! 

Those were good. I always said it was just ice cream and sorbet that melted and they slapped the name "soup" on it.

My past experience is they stick to the regular scheduled menu for that day. I'm on Constellation this year and they are doing a special Christmas Eve dinner in Tuscan for an upcharge but nothing special for Christmas day.

I have a cruise booked next month on Seashore and the Costa Maya excursions have been missing all week. I put it down to their website having issues. Again.

My Christmas sailing posted this sale - check your sailing. By cancelling my current upgrade and booking the promotion I saved over $100!!