evandbob

There are some "plantations" in SWFL, but they have different meanings for different groups.  One can look for the owners legacy, which would be much different than the workers (slaves) past.

Playing pickleball on a windy moving ship possibly after a few drinks can become a quick reason to find the infirmary.

While the gear is almost always provided, I've always brought along my own snorkel and mask to use.  I've seen some operators just swish snorkels thru some salt water to "sanitize" them.  Really?

I'd rather be safe breathing thru my own equipment and it's really not that much to pack, just the mask, mouthpiece and tube.

Enjoy!  Maybe bring an underwater camera?  We have great shots of shark feeding in Bora Bora.

I would recommend leaving the little ducky alone if it hums or vibrates.

We live in SWFL in Ft Myers, and generally have a week long Caribbean island resort or a cruise booked so we can get away from Florida in Jan or Feb.

Our area is still impacted from Hurricane Ian, so an island resort or cruise is preferable to staying "home".

The usual advice is to dress in layers, so easy to add or remove sweaters, jackets, sweats, etc.

Doesn't matter if you look like Michelin man or doughboy, as long as you can easily remove outer clothing layers to store in a small carry bag.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2022/09/12/viking-cruise-ship-collided-cargo-vessel/10359940002/

I googled "cruise ship and cargo ship colliding" and this was 1st entry of many........

locations, North Sea, Atlantic off Spain, Med. Sea

OP - google may be your friend

We've stayed on Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea in overwater bungalows twice, last time maybe 10 yrs ago, without the need for visas.

The Op didn't mention the Cook Islands, but no visa was required when we stayed there in 2016.

The OP seems to be a frequent cruiser, with 60 sailings so far.  Rather than insure each trip individually, the OP may be better suited to get an annual travel insurance policy.

There may be wider coverage options available for annual policies than individual ones. Getting a more personal policy at a much lower price seems to be a win-win.

Typical casino offer that we constantly turn down since we don't like interior rooms if we are both sailing.  I've done some casino interiors when cruising solo though.

Interestingly, we've sailed on about 12 free balcony casino offers from Celebrity during the COVID depression,  Carnival kept giving us the interior cabin offer and a weekend, 3 or 4 day OV freebie during the same time.

Booty is never free, there's always a price to pay.

LOL

Laundries are located next to Upper deck cabin # 6393, Empress deck cabin # 7345 and Verandah deck cabin # 8357.

Pretty much the same area on each Conquest class ship. (approx mid ship, starboard)

One of our unpleasant surprises in an E/B Atlantic crossing was the almost daily change of hours.  I think we changed 5 hours in 7 days, so when I was waking up and looking for breakfast, the ship was on its lunch schedule.

We had done a southern Atlantic crossing from Florida to Barcelona in the spring time, so we were able to use our comfortably warm balcony for most of the sea days.  There was indeed a full schedule of activities up on deck and about the ship if one was interested.  However, we relaxed, read, snoozed, etc. and were quite happy doing that the entire crossing.  We saved our energy for when we began stopping in ports.

Enjoy your journey, do what you feel is most comfortable for yourself !!

On 10/23/2023 at 12:03 PM, lenquixote66 said:

I never run out of things to say as anybody who posts on CC and has met me knows for a fact.I can converse on any subject except Quantum Physics.

Quantum physics underlies how atoms work, and so why chemistry and biology work as they do. You, me and the gatepost - at some level at least, we're all dancing to the quantum tune.

3 hours ago, Keksie said:

I now have a lifetime supply of plastic straws to take with me on trips.  No paper or candy for me.  I don't want to carry a reusable one and have to go wash it out and dry it each time either.  Plastic use once and then throw away.  

I understand wanting convenience, but this use once and throw away is exactly what the problem is with plastic items.  Carnival has been cited for using one and done plastics and is now prohibited from using them any more.  Too often these plastics wind up in the ocean, where they harm wildlife through ingesting them whole or as microplastic breakdowns.

There are large gyres of plastics just floating in the middle of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as proof of their damage to the environment.

We live in SW Florida, so FLL and Tampa are just 2 hr drives.  But we would never consider a 3 day cruise.  1st day boarding and unpacking, full day at sea or at a nearby port, then after that a day to disembark.  UGH!  Not for us.

There really isn't time to unwind and relax and it seems so rushed with just one full day on the ship.

I understand if others are okay with a short cruise like this, but we wouldn't enjoy it al all. 

Solo, I've stayed in interior, OV and balcony cabins and they were all fine.

As a couple, we mainly look at mid ship, mid deck balconies, sometimes a suite, but never an OV or interior.  We'll spend plenty of time on the balcony since we don't do the main pools. As a break, one of us will stay on the balcony while the other snoozes inside.

There's only individual preferences, no right or wrong here.

Carnival over 45 sailings

Celebrity around 15  (my fav and now go to)

NCL maybe 10

Princess 2

Disney, RCCL, MSC 1 each

None of them.  All these ships were scrapped for being too old, too small, too dated, too lacking, too inefficient.

I prefer their updated replacements.

38 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I do not use kindles or nooks .I have more than 1000 books in my house.

Good for you. (but not for me)

Bringing even 5 books in luggage is overkill packing.  I can have 1000 books on kindle and 1000s more in the cloud, so my reading options are optimal with minimal packing.

I've been the 1st on a ship and also on a different cruise the 1st off.  At the time it was fun.  Now meh.

The author would have to sign my kindle.  I haven't had an actual book in years.

We would have to book a small luxurious cruise line to have an "awesome" experience.  After 65 cruises on all the major cruise lines, we have become familiar with most offered amenities. Some might say jaded.

We haven't had an awesome experience sailing since maybe our 1st few times on a new cruise line, but we still totally enjoy cruising and have several booked into 2024.  We don't need the "Wow" to have a GREAT time.

There are recent improvements in clothing fabrics that can improve packing.  The same amount of thin insulates and upf repellants can take up half the space of bulky cotton or woolen articles.  These newer fabrics are generally more durable and easily washed as well.

Up to date vaccinations.  We just had our annual flu shot and COVID booster for our next cruise in 3 weeks.