spleenstomper

it’s too much caffeine for me at night 

Thanks, everyone. I’m not getting any worse. So that is good. I’m trying to sleep and rest so I can recover. We haven’t cancelled yet but it’s not looking good. I think by Sunday we will know how it’s going to go. 
 

I’m still having occasional pain from the gut issues, but I find an (legal) edible helps with that. I’m also sore again from the coughing. Going back to bed….

I think if we have to cancel, I might look into renting a beach house somewhere. But IDK.

38 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

?  How do you get domestic violence from Disney World entitled guests?  I have also never smell weed on WDW property.  

I witnessed it: DV at all start sports hotel on grounds 

27 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

I think the worst places for entitled guests are airports and Disney World.  

Disney world for me= weed smell and domestic violence. Not related to each other. And I’d rather take the weed smell. 

2 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

No, I absolutely think that is the case. I have noticed it, too.  Seems to have gotten so much worse after Covid.

I think repeated bouts of Covid have damaged some people’s brains. Not excusing them, but yeah it’s noticeable 

6 hours ago, Tapi said:

I do agree with you that other mainstream cruise lines have experienced poorly behaved guests, but I believe that the key difference is that, on Carnival, it has become more prevalent; a byproduct of the “fun” atmosphere that they promote. To make things worse, it gets magnified by social media. 

 

I’m one of the “lucky ones” who did get to witness a fight during a Carnival cruise. It was a full on brawl in the middle of the atrium on the Sensation. It was BAD. 20-30 people got in it, with fists and glasses flying everywhere, We had to run for cover. Never have I ever witnessed something like that on a cruise before or after. 

 

I have a dear friend who, for years, was a die hard Carnival fan. He video messaged me from his last Carnival cruise a few months ago, showing the out of control behavior unfolding in real time. He concluded by saying that he can no longer in good conscience continue sailing on Carnival or recommend it to others. That to me was sobering. 
 

I’ve been sailing other cruise lines for the last few years and none of my upcoming cruises (in my signature) are on Carnival either. I’m getting older. I’ve been cruising on lines like Holland America and Celebrity 😱 . Not as lively as Carnival, but they have become more appealing to me. Carnival continues to have a very special place in my heart though. I think that they still provide a solid product, specially with their newest and latest ships. But they need to keep working on cleaning up their image and suppressing poor behavior. 

I like HAL. It’s so calm and quiet. Lol 

Oh, I don’t like yogurt but this is good yogurt, 10/10 recommend for taste and texture. 
 

Things went really sideways with my gut today but luckily all of the rapid tests came back negative tonight, so that is a hurdle cleared. I’m off antibiotics and prednisone now. Pushing/sipping fluids and electrolytes and probiotics. 
 

I just emailed DH the trip insurance document so he can read through all 61 pages in case we cancel. I cancelled my hair appointment tomorrow and pushed it to Tuesday just in case. 
 

This is a mess; I am a mess.

Dh doesn’t want to go now if I don’t go. Things are very much up in the air including wondering if I can board in Quebec City, which would give me more days as a buffer…

going to bed…..

if you are reading this and don’t have trip insurance, go buy it now 

I’m holding my own today, but still coughing up debris (which is good). I feel ok but tired. DH was asking about trip insurance last night. 
 

Me:

45 minutes ago, sciencewonk said:

Hey, I'm a retired cancer researcher.  I love to hear about the gut biome! 🤣

I found my people! 

12 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Omnicef is notorious for red loose poops. I did not prescribe it unless I had nothing else to use. 

Yeah, I stopped the Omnicef and it’s lessening now. I don’t think it’s C diff but (DH is on call again today and not home) I did text DH and tell him to bring me home a collection cup just in case. 
 

The pulmonologist doesn’t know about my gut history and I forgot to tell him and I guess DH forgot too. The time I had C diff I had the first campylobacter at the same dang time. Nightmare. 
 

I am not eating and focusing on hydrating and electrolytes. I feel weak and tired today. 
 

I am hoping I can still pull this off. Lol. Dream big. 
 

I feel like I am nearly over the pneumonia.  Everything is much better in that area. 
 

Thanks. 

3 minutes ago, albingirl said:

Since you are married to a surgeon, I am assuming you know the risks of traveling while recovering from pneumonia.  I'm confused about the gathering of opinions as to what you should do.  I would stay home, if I were you, which I am not.  I would want zero risk of getting sicker and landing in a foreign hospital.  But, whatever you decide, I wish you the best, of course.

I was hoping for recovered status by the flight but I agree with you that it’s not looking good for me at the moment. I’m sad about it. 

Thank you both. 
 

bennybear, that must have been a terrible flight!
 

Now I’m wondering if I can meet the ship at one of the ports? 🫠
 

I’m watching my vacation slip away 

Oh and I spoke the micro biome disruption into existence. Having a bad day, and have to ditch the Omnicef (plus hives!!!! 🥵 )

@diogenes65 oh thanks, I don’t really drink so it’s not worth us to get the package. I’m not opposed to drinking: just not my thing. 
 

ETA: oh I get it: juice covered? Maybe. I’m a water drinker usually. Still, it’s not a bad suggestion and maybe we should think about it. But with so many ports, I can get my fix on land. 

1 hour ago, diogenes65 said:

Are they covered by HIA?

I don’t know what that is, sorry. 
 

@yourworldwithbill I am very glad to hear that. I think this week will tell me a lot more. 
 

off to bed. Good night everyone 

Dang it, I overshared lol. It’s too late to edit. I’m sure you all don’t want to hear about gut biome 🤪

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

I really hope you can go. I appreciated reading about your thought processes and great attitude about your spouse having a much-needed vacation regardless. A lot of positives could happen in two weeks - fingers crossed for you!
 

I caught Covid at the end of March just a few days before a Caribbean cruise with HAL and was feeling somewhat better soon but we decided to cancel. No testing required and no flights involved - but I certainly could have still been contagious and didn’t want to spread it. As it was, I was relieved my husband didn’t get it from me.

I figure it’s only fair. When I saw the Alaska prices in September (and I had just gotten back from a mother son Seattle trip) I looked at him and said, “I am required to go for this price” lol, and he was cool with it. 
 

He is so overdue for a vacation. This isn’t a luxury at this point: it’s necessary. His hands and wrists and back need a break. He physically needs 12 days off. Mentally too. 
 

I would surely be disappointed, yes, but such is life. He could go scope it out and make the next one even better. Plus, so many people I see have done this itinerary several times at different months. It’s like Alaska in that way.

@caribbeanChris that is a shame. But I do understand the relief that your other half didn’t catch it. DH has been sleeping in the guest room for probably 2 weeks now. He is too busy to get sick.

@YourWorldWithBill it was every bit as delicious as described but I think I overdid it on probiotics today lol. 
 

I’m feeling so much better today, but we will just have to see how the week goes. I have had C-diff once and campylobacter twice (hospitalized once, GI doc has no idea if I’m just extra susceptible) in my life so I have to balance gut biome during this and that can be tricky sometimes. It would be just like me to get through the pneumonia but end up sick with this, but I’m not borrowing trouble. 
 

Hopefully in 2 weeks, I’ll be standing on the balcony taking in the St. Lawrence seaway. 

11 minutes ago, teaach02 said:

We were on the Splendor going to the Mexican riviera in 2009 out of Long Beach, CA. We headed to Mexico and the WHO declared a Swine Flu emergency. Carnival cancelled all ports in Mexico following the WHO warning. We had to go to Mexico to drop off an injured person and fulfill The Jones Act requirement. People were very upset there would be no ports and there were reports of people getting upset at the main desk. I think Carnival was serving free drinks at dinner and we recouped the port charges. I didn't witness unruly people but I think it made the nightly news. We returned to Long Beach as some people wanted to get off and end their cruise. We went on to San Francisco and docked in a very dilapidated area. It was pouring rain and we stayed there over night. I was ok bc the cruise contract doesn't guarantee ports. I just enjoyed the cruise and disembarked in Long Beach on the original cruise end date. That was my only experience with unhappy rowdy cruisers on my 9 Carnival cruises. It was understandable but Carnival was following their safety protocols.

I remember once a cruise line was supposed to go from maybe Boston or NYC to Bahamas but hurricane so they went to cold Canada with everyone in shorts lol

26 minutes ago, icft said:

Same boat for us. Driving an hour to the terminal and hopping on the ship is just so easy. Unfortunately NCL only sails out of New Orleans or Galveston December through March or April. We have been sailing about once a month between September and March or April so moving to NCL we will have to cut down on the number of cruises. Also, the NCL itineraries out of New Orleans have no variety so we will be doing Galveston a lot. But NCL does have some nice longer cruises out of Galveston that we are looking forward to. So fewer but longer cruises. 

 

But it is kind of our last shot at cruising. Driving to Galveston is about as complicated as we are willing to get since we don't want vacations that are a lot of work. If NCL doesn't give us the cruising experience we once had with Carnival then we will just cross cruising off our list of activities.

This month will be my 3rd cruise (if I go, Currently have pneumonia) where I traveled to the ship. But then you have to get there 2 nights before because of possible travel issues. So it makes a longer vacation which is hard for DH to accommodate and there are added hotels in expensive areas etc.

We might just trailer our boat to Pensacola beach houses for vacations. We have done that twice and it’s been great.

We don’t want to drive to Galveston. Not fundamentally opposed to it… just no desire to do it 

We booked Ollie’s 

DH and I have discussed moving from Carnival. It’s the drunks for me. I don’t care about the marijuana smell but the loud boorish drunks are enough for me. (Though my January cruise had no pot smell and the drug dogs sniffed everyone on the way in). 
 

The issue for us is going out of Nola is just too easy, and Carnival has the most cruises and itineraries from there. 

12 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We feel that it be in your best interest  to get your doctors clearance  whether to take the cruise  .If he says not to then have him write a letter to that effect so  you can use the letter for reimbursement from your insurance carrier .  So we wish you well & God's speed to complete healing

Thank you, that is a good idea. I would need something in writing for my portion of airfare for insurance if DH ends up going without me. 
 

I’m definitely going to do whatever my pulmonologist says. Btw, he is really excited to learn about this itinerary as he and his wife are looking for a cruise to take. 

Since I’m running on steroids, I just made a super healthy Greek salad with yogurt dressing, liquid aminos, fresh vegetables and marinated artichokes and olives (probiotics!). I’m also making progress on the spirometer. 

6 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

spleenstomper - I hope you will be better soon so you can go on the cruise.

I wish you all the best.

Thanks. I’m sitting here doing my incentive spirometer to exercise my lungs. 

Oh and interesting tid bit (did I say this already?) I’m craving citrus like a mad woman… literally cannot get enough. lemonade, OJ, mandarins, oranges etc, limeade, etc