HBE4

19 minutes ago, F27TW said:

I don't think it's about ridiculing at all, really  .. its all just part of the fun.  What i've seen is people up on deck whooping and cheering them on as they run toward the gangway and then the claps, etc. when they make it on. 

 

I only ever saw someone denied once .. and it was more because he was wasted drunk and combative and was screaming and throwing his fists at the ship gangway/security staff in Cozumel last April. .  People did cheer when they yanked up the gangway and left him behind .. being carted off by the Mexican police .. which he deserved. 

Agreed, when it's good-nature cheering & clapping congratulations, it's fun. I've given a friendly wave to those on nearby balconies when boarding with 10-15 minutes to spare.  Speaking from only my experience, it seemed there were a few annoyed people who were cheering in a divisive manner, judging from their expressions.

15 hours ago, SRF said:

 

There is a BIG difference between no sympathy and enjoyment.

 

Get real

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Read the posts that she was responding to. People have posted about their enjoyment of watching pier runners right up to grabbing a drink and settling in to watch the show.

1 hour ago, ATG said:

There’s a big difference between watching the laggers run down the pier when you can see the gangway still out and laughing when someone actually misses the ship.  I’ve chuckled at pier runners who can easily get back onboard.  They usually just are panicking, maybe they’ll try to be earlier next time. I could never laugh at someone missing the ship, especially a family with children.

I like to maximize my port time so I'm usually one of the last people to get on board but I've always made it in time without impacting sail away.  I can remember on more than a few occasions, I'd be walking down the pier 20-25 minutes before all aboard time & seeing a long line at the gangway. Hating long lines, I'd stop and finish sipping my drink & take a few photo's. From the ship, I could hear people yelling "Run, Hurry".  Knowing that it was a 4-5 minute walk maximum, I ignored them. Heck, I could craw on my hands and knees, stop to eat a sandwich and still make it back in plenty time.  Next thing I see is a bunch of red-faced, out of breath not-in-the-best-shape people half jogging/half running back to the ship, only to wait 10-15 minutes in the heat on a long line to get back on ship.

There was absolutely NO need for those people to run. As I mentioned some were out of shape or a bit too old to run. What would happen if one of those people had a heat stroke or heart attack from over exertion?? Those that encouraged them seem to get enjoyment out of this & I suspect  some of the holier-than-thou posting on this thread would do the same. I took my time sauntering back to the ship much to the disappointment of those urging me to run. Still made it back with plenty of time to spare.

Some people like to get back on ship 3 hours before sail away "just to be safe". That's fine but it doesn't make you a better passenger.

2 hours ago, F27TW said:

 

A worse nightmare is the ship sinking.   At night.  

2 hours ago, TexanSailor said:

And you are holding third class tickets…..

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

And the water is cold...

2 hours ago, F27TW said:

 

And the ship is lying on its side. 😳

And your name is Jack Dawson*

* - "Titanic movie reference.

20 minutes ago, soremekun said:

That's awesome. I need to cut some vowels out of "soremekun" so I can fit it on a license plate.

I had a sore mekun once. It's no joke. Hope it improves soon.😉

3 hours ago, DaniDanielle said:

Happy fourth anniversary to us.   Once again thank you Dani for a safe and happy place for us all to come!❤️

Dang, I forgot to buy everyone a card.  I guess one of these will need to do.

Sailing from Galveston, the cruise lines are subject to TABC (Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission) rules until they reach International waters, which limit them to serving only alcohol  purchased from a Texas distributor. It's a tax thing. Royal offers a limited menu & then switches over once they reach International waters. I've actually watched the bartenders bring out a bigger selection and remove some of the Texas-only bottles, such as Shiner Beer.

Apparently Carnival makes it easy on their bartenders & just doesn't offer drinks while in Texas waters.

Having said all that, not sure if Virginia works the same way.

@Engineroom Snipe

Last minute scrambling can definitely be stressful for all parties involved. Hopefully all that stress melts away the second you step on the ship.

For some reason, I thought the North American Homeports forum had a separate sub-forum for each departure port but i was wrong. They are lumped by coast, with the exception of Florida.  Here is the link to East Coast Departures, I'm sure if you create a thread regarding parking/shuttle info in Norfolk, you'll get some replies, either from people that live there or Carnival cruisers, many who are in the same situation as you. Best of luck! 

EDIT: Duh, forgot the link

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/317-east-coast-departures/

2 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

How would it be so difficult to send new secure parking space instructions with the coordination of the City of Norfolk?

I get what you're saying and do not disagree with you.  It is possible that since Royal has not used Norfolk in a few years, they may not have the most up-to-date info available at their fingertips.  

Try the Departure Ports forums section of CC.  Lots of valuable information there & resources to ask. I found it most helpful when trying to find parking when sailing out of Galveston.  Hopefully the Norfolk folks are just as helpful.

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

Like the Priceline model of cruises. Put in a bid for a nonspecific mid-Atlantic debark location and take what you get.

Royal will probably take it one step further & not specify the ship either.  "Put in a bid for a nonspecific mid-Atlantic debark location and you'll be guaranteed a 3 star, classic premium cruise ship with a gty stateroom. "

1 hour ago, clochette said:

One more reason I am not a gambler I loose every bet, I would certainly have bet that Vision would sail out of Cape Liberty/Bayonne as Royal has all of the infrastructure in place there.

I'm pretty sure everyone would have lost that bet too as it seemed like the obvious choice. 

1 hour ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

I might be losing my house on one bet here and I would have lost my vacation house on this one.

I think the biggest difference was the fuel savings first and time second.

Good point, I didn't even think of fuel savings. I just assumed that since Norfolk dusted off their cruise terminal so quickly for Carnival that Royal just tagged along rather than trying to get Cape Liberty opened mid-week.  And perhaps shipping traffic? I read somewhere that even thought the Port of NY/NJ is maxed out, they are going to try to take on some the cargo traffic from Baltimore to alleviate the supply chain issues.  Just total guess on my part, I have zero knowledge of harbor management.

58 minutes ago, TPKeller said:

 

I sailed from Norfolk on Empress in 2007 and Grandeur in 2009.  Two of my favorite cruises.

While we're talking about Royal Caribbean and Norfolk, a couple years ago I worked up this to-scale mock-up image of what an Oasis class ship would look like docked at the Norfolk Cruise Terminal.  Wouldn't that be a hoot!?  😄

 

Theron

Amazing how skinny & small the battleship Wisconsin looks compared to Oasis.  

2 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

@FromSea2ShiningSea pretty sure I speak for everyone that we don’t mind how long your posts are.  Your photos are stunning.

 

100% agree. Particularly like the aquarium pictures.

2 hours ago, DaniDanielle said:

The kid did it again! This was a school project.

Beautifully written and so heart-felt.

2 hours ago, DaniDanielle said:

RJ is 13, a really good kid.

 

Very mature for his age. No doubt it's with the help of his grandmother too! 🙂

Hope your daughter is healing just as well too.

2 hours ago, Rewind said:

I'm crossing my fingers that they will reimburse a hotel night for after the cruise.  Now just need to find out what to do in Norfolk.

1 hour ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Fine print, offering up to $200 for change of plans to include mileage.

I will present receipts for my motel from the night before since I do not want to wake up at 4am in the morning to arrive at noon, too exhausting and too many variables.

If I'm reading the email correctly, the up to $200 is for travel expenses (flights, bus, train, or mileage).

No mention of overnight accommodations.  You may want to reach out to your TA or Royal for clarification.

46 minutes ago, mo&fran said:

We are so lucky to have cheng here.

Agreed. Very knowledge, first hand knowledge, without being a know-it-all, Doesn't BS if he's unsure of all the facts.

The VLOG guys has a lot of industry knowledge as well - certainly more than me - but seems to stretch it out a bit. He acts as if he's onsite & has examined all the damage, the ship, etc already,

7 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

I don't think you are taking into account the sight line.

 

I did. I wrote "And perhaps their viewing angle, it was hard to notice that a ship had slowly drifted off course."

Maybe you meant to quote someone else?

40 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

You're changing the topic.  

No, you posted that kindness should be shown to those that made it back to the ship on time. I'm just merely asking you if that includes to those that take enjoyment in the misfortune of others.  The topic being that we shouldn't feel sorry for those that miss the ship, not matter the  circumstances.

It's understood that people are responsible for their own actions and no, the ship should not have to wait. It's still okay to feel bad for those that missed the ship.  Just my opinion, yours may be different.

13 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I would think lights going and off a few times like they did, would have made me watch and say what in the heck is that ship doing................then you are darn sure I would be watching it, even if I was eating a sandwich.

If they were engrossed in conversation or looking down on their phones catching up on texts/social media, it'd be easy to miss. And perhaps their viewing angle, it was hard to notice that a ship had slowly drifted off course.

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Unkindness to the stragglers /stragglers doing right or wrong isn't my point at all.  I'm saying that if the argument is KINDNESS, you have to be kind to the people who made it back as well.  They clearly did the right thing, and they deserve their vacation to move on without delay. 

Do we have to be KIND to the people that apparently take glee in the misfortune of others?

17 minutes ago, CuseJeff44 said:

Is it at all surprising that Carnival so quickly announced a pivot to an otherwise dormant port while RC has their own port of call in Bayonne and a ship out there and still hasn't? I know there are logistics to work out but surprised they havent announced a tentative plan yet

Carnival had to act faster as their ship is returning this weekend. Royal has the "luxury" of taking a few extra days to work on several contingency plans. Probably waiting for the bean counters to figure out which one has the least financial impact. 

Also, outside chance, but maybe by next week there might be a realistic timeline as to when the shipping channel will be open and if restricted to one-way traffic.  That could also impact whatever temporary plans Royal has for Vision.

26 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Sounds like they're relying on some assumptions by a travel agent.
 

She even got the name of the Carnival ship wrong, saying it was the Pride, not the Legend, that was still at sea. The Pride isn't schedule until mid-April.

Probably just lumping all cruise lines together with fact checking.

On 3/24/2024 at 5:21 PM, rrraydon said:

I returned from my first solo cruise this past Friday. I sailed MSC Magnifica. It was also my first time sailing MSC. 
 

I had such a great time…so relaxing! It was a great ship too. I did a live review on this site. 
 

My next solo is on Liberty of the Seas next month, on the 22nd. I can’t wait!!

I just finished reading and enjoying your review of MSC Magnifica. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

Will you be doing a review of your Liberty sailing?  I'm contemplating doing my first solo cruise. Not necessarily on Liberty but she is a sentimental favorite of mine as she was both my first cruise as well as my last cruise. Just curious to see her thru the eyes of a solo cruiser.

6 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Our entire province has been given a PA Day for grade and high school students. Only a small sliver of our province is in the zone of greatest eclipse viewing zone but they all get it. Meanwhile they could be at home, while their parents are at work, and stare at the sun. Makes on sense to me.  Maybe as I get older I’ll understand it better. 😉

I remember being in elementary school & class project was to build a eclipse viewer using an old shoe box and tin foil.

Despite my viewer looking exactly like everyone else's, the only thing I ever saw was the inside of a box.  Operator error, I guess.😒

Still, it was a thrill to  be outside instead of inside a classroom.

5 hours ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

Wish I have a picture of the steepness of the stepping stones and of the climb but at this point about half way up,

Funny things about taking a picture of a steep hiking trail, it never appears anywhere near as steep as it is in real life.

Same with ski slopes. After skiing down what feels like a cliff, turn around to take a picture & it looks like a gentle incline in the picture.

Fantastic pictures as always.

5 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

DS1 asked his dad for a hanger.

 

He got two.... (I prefer the first one 😉)

 

 

 

 

The "kid" is happy 😎

I prefer the first one. Clean and elegant. Second one does have a "crazy & funky" appeal. Definitely a conversation starter. 🙂