BrentD

I don't drink coffee, but my wife survives on it. She said the coffee from the Java Café in the atrium was excellent (Lavazza coffee), but didn't care for the buffet coffee. Seeing this thread now, I assume she must have tried the non-ground coffee from the buffet and not the freshly ground stuff. I'm sure she would've loved for me to have seen this before our trip!

To add to that (just off the Jade, too)... There's the 110V shaver outlet above the bathroom sink, still a 110V outlet at the vanity/mirror outside the bathroom, then what appear to be TWO new 110V outlets on the TV area (I presume this end of the furniture was all new since it would've had to be reconfigured for a flat screen TV). There's also a USB port (maybe two? can't recall) directly next to those outlets, and each of the two bedside lights has a USB port in it as well. So, lots of power options.

I want to say there was a European plug in the mirrored vanity as well, but I never looked that close at it. There was definitely a space for it next to the vanity light switch, but whether it was outfitted to be working or not, I don't know.

We enjoyed the new movies when getting ready for bed, getting ready to go, waiting for someone to finish their shower, etc. Never watched one from start to finish, but picked up enough of a few of them to get the idea that we might want to rent at home. The good thing about the TV Shows channel is there are no commercials, but that's also the bad thing, because they still start shows on the hour and half hour. So you wind up with around 10 minutes of nothing before every hour and half hour and just a silent screen of what show is coming up next. The news channels all show the same thing 24/7, so they were useless. Sports channel was always soccer, like someone said, and maybe a couple hours of tennis one day. I did notice that in the whiskey bar area they were showing other sports now and then, like some NBA games.

On a side note, the iconcierge app needs some work. It would be a lot more useful if you could tag an activity you are interested in and then get push notifications when they are beginning soon. It has the potential to replace the dailies as a way to plan you day.

Absolutely! SO much potential with that app, yet it falls so short in many areas. It also seems to organize your account charges in random ways, as each time I'd get on the app and check, that day's charges would be in a different order. It wasn't til the next day that the previous day's charges would settle into order. We just got off the Jade on Sunday, and the "Things to Do" part of the app was wrong for the entire trip. Granted, the schedule doesn't really change from cruise to cruise for the same itinerary as far as WHAT is happening, but when it comes to WHOM, that's a different story. The comedians and individual entertainers (like guitar guys, piano guys, etc) were all wrong on the app compared to who was actually on board that week.

Another major frustration was not being able to see your reservations in the app. I reserved restaurants months ago, yet I either had to call and ask when they were or dig out my paper documents showing when they were if I wanted to know.

new chairs now in Bliss Lounge

they are still replacing many things on the ship

 

 

on the right side there are still some old ones

I guess they will be gone today in the evening, when we return to the ship ;-)

 

 

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On our cruise last week, Mirsad mentioned that most of the new furniture was coming once the ship gets over to Europe since most of it is made in Italy. So it was mostly the old furniture still on the ship last week. That was quite clear in a few places more than others. Spinnakers looked like it was missing half the chairs and tables around the sides (last day jackpot bingo and cruise raffle was a nightmare with the lack of seating -- should've been in the theater).

Never was on the pre-drydock Jade, but unless you looked close, most of the old stuff on it still looked pretty good to me. Theater seating definitely hasn't been replaced, but not sure if it's supposed to be or not. I most certainly prefer the "couch" or "booth" style seating in ship theaters vs. the folding seats on the Jade. Felt like we had to get up every 2 minutes to let someone else get by.

As long as he doesn't play Stairway...

You probably know this, but for anyone else encountering this thread... The $9.95 per device fee is only for the messaging and calling capabilities of the app while on board. You can use the app's other features like deck maps, booking entertainment and dining, etc. for free without paying the fee.

Pilots are FREE! Well they are actually included in the toll, however there is a little list of "other" charges that is not included in the toll. Some of the major ones... $35000 for the transit reservation, $30000 daylight guarantee, $12000 for tugs (even if not used), $4800 for each cable used from the mules and a similar amount for the Canal's seamen that come aboard to handle the cables in the locks and the list goes on. Those are the big ticket items tho.

$2.5 billion in private financing was used to build the new one (not counting gov't financing). They're expected to pay all of it back with interest in about 8 years. That's $285+ million per year they can afford to pay off with those fees. Of course that's not even counting paying all the workers, maintenance/upkeep, and utilities used to run the things that still get covered as well. :eek::eek::eek:

It won't. Given the $20 per berth additional charge, plus the Canal's guidelines on which ships will use the new locks, any ship that fits in the old locks will continue to use the old locks.

It's only $10 more per berth according to the new rates published last year. But given the 2200 cabins in Bliss, that's an additional $22,000 just to go through these things as best I can tell. That's over $300,000 just to float through these things! And I'm not sure that even includes the fees for tugs, pilots, etc. Wow...

Most threads like this would be in full flame war by now, either because the OP disappears and everyone swarms in to crucify them in absentia, or because the OP takes the bait and feels the need to fight back. In this case the OP is here calmly answering follow-up questions and providing updates.

And this, friends, is just one of the many reasons why the OP has successful businesses and can spend a million on cruises in a few years.

We really liked the sideways cabin. It had been a while since we had an inside. There can be sort of a traffic jam as the bathroom door, closet, drawers and desk are all in basically the same location, so you have to plan a bit, but it did seem more spacious and private in other ways and one person was not forced to climb over the corner of the bed as happens sometimes in the regular insides. One way to make it seem even more spacious is to make sure it is only for two people (if you are only two people) as you can bump your head or shoulder on the folded up drop down bed in the cabins for more than two if the beds are pushed together. We were on deck 9 and, I believe, all of those were only for 2 people. I, too, had hoped to upgrade for cheap, but it was not to be. We were ok with the cabin both in space and in location. It was a great value. Sleeping was good!

 

The next to last night of the cruise, a guy staying across the hall asked "Do you have enough room in there?" I invited him in to see the cabin (yes, it was big enough to invite someone else in, LOL) and he said it seemed more spacious than his balcony cabin. I am not sure if that was true, but clearly he was reconsidering his balcony for next time.

Thanks! It's just my wife and I, and we're also on deck 9 (9623 to be exact), so glad to know we booked the right inside without having to worry about bumping heads on the fold down bunks. I've read plenty of reviews on the sideways cabins, but I always like to hear new ones for some other perspective I might not have gotten from the others...and nobody had mentioned the fold down beds yet! So thanks for that! I know the upgrades don't always work out, so I never book in something I wouldn't be okay with keeping just in case it doesn't happen. Ultimately I'd love to get in a balcony or mini suite cabin, but we'll be just fine where we're at if it comes down to it. I've heard many folks say the sideways cabins felt more spacious than a standard, so that's why I figured we'd try one this time.

Thanks for the review, drvalo! How was the sideways inside cabin? We currently have one booked because it was dirt cheap for one of the first few cruises after Jade's dry dock, but I tend to book low and try to upgrade as the cruise gets closer and prices drop. I'm curious to hear as many sideways cabin opinions as I can get.

As many times as I've sailed to St. Thomas, I have never heard of Paradise Point! I would love to go there. Is it an easy commute from the ship? :)

It's right across the street from your Havensight pier...at least the tram that goes up the mountain to PP is. Used to be a ferris wheel up there, too, if you've ever seen it. It's no longer there now, though.

Not sure where you are, but some Walmart stores have clinics in them now, which typically run $40-50 for a regular visit where they could prescribe any necessary meds. CVS pharmacies also have Minute Clinics in many of them, which have similar pricing structures for a visit.

Hi! I do not have insurance and have had some issues that required augmentin in the past which required about $200 out of pocket to get. I was wondering if anyone knows of a reputable place to get this in Cozumel? I know many people go there to get antibiotics that we pay a fortune to get here. I'm hoping to hear of a trusted place. Thanks!

I don't know what your prescription specifies, but a typical Amoxicillin (Augmentin) scrip of 20 pills at 875mg is less than $50 everywhere, and less than $20 a few places if you use goodrx.com and their discounts that are available. When I had insurance that had crappy prescription benefits, I used the GoodRx app exclusively to get better pricing than my insurance offered. I know I sound like an ad for them, but I promise I don't work for them!

I don't suppose you have any info on what's being done in dry dock? Sailing the Pearl in July.

Nothing more than anyone else here really. To quote the Cruise Critic page on upcoming dry docks, "Public areas, including restaurants and lounges, will be redecorated. Staterooms will get a modernization."

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=521

I saw this in another thread: "You can rent a dune buggy from HTL Rentals - talk to Moises. "

Looked them up and it's $66 a day with insurance. http://htlrentals.com/index.html

My vote is for Pearl also. Not only is it a better itinerary, but it will be post drydock and the ship will be updated throughout.

 

Tracy

Jade will be post drydock, too. It goes in the month after the Pearl. Both will be newly refurbished ships in April.

Good idea....!

 

Not sure why I didn't think of that!

Keep in mind Jade is going to dry dock for most of March 2017, so if you're cruising after that it may very well be a new system they aren't using now.

Glad to hear you had a good experience with Blue Kay. Thanks for your report. :)

lol I loved all of the "Blue Kay" signs in your photos that had clearly had the tops and bottoms of the B's of the former "Bay" scraped off. Cost saving measures for the new owners, I guess! Could've been Blue Ray, Blue Hay, or Blue Pay if they wanted. :D:p

Anybody know if they have Diet Mountain Dew? I'm a full octane Dew drinker, but the wife likes the diet.

I guess I'm not understanding the concept of banquet seating versus floor seating vs. premium seating.

 

Can someone please elaborate on the differences. I want to book the Illusionarium show and would like some more information before doing so.

 

Thanks,

 

Melanie

There are not 3 types of seating. There is banquet and there is premium/upgraded seating. Banquet seating, as has been described above, is made up of large, half circle booths that line the outer edge of the theater. The theater itself is basically a large half circle. The stage is a circle in the middle. Around the edge of the stage are tables that come from the edge of the stage out lengthewise, as in the short side of the table is at the edge of the stage. Behind those there are 2 or 3 rows of tables that are oriented the opposite way (long sides facing the stage). Behind those is some open space for audience and cast members to travel, and then the banquet seating. Above the last row of floor tables are screens that show what's currently projected on the dome. There really are no bad seats. The banquet booths might be 50 feet from the stage if even that.

Just FYI in case anybody wonders about other options for transport FROM the port... I wound up taking a taxi back to my car parked at the Element Hotel near the MIA airport. I didn't want to wait outside in the humidity for a shuttle to have enough riders crammed in to go back, and didn't know about Lyft. Last I had read, Uber wasn't allowed to operate in Florida yet due to some outdated laws (along with Lyft, I now read), but apparently that's changed now. Anyway, taxi was clean, fairly new and cost right at $25. Would've been the same-ish rate to go to MIA instead. Shuttle guy told me $15 and I'd have to wait a bit to ride with him. Worth the $10 premium to me for the private and much faster ride. I was back to my car and on the road by 8:45 am.

Assuming that the security employees were not law enforcement officers, I would have told them it was none of their business. If they want to get DEA or local law involved, that's up to them but in the meantime as they are not your doctor, they have no legal right to ask you what the medication is for. Not sure but that may even be a HIPAA violation.

 

It's the same thing with the TSA at the airport. If you take a bottle of water through security because you have a medical condition, they cannot ask you what the condition is. Well, I suppose they can ask but they are not supposed to and you have no obligation to answer. Their job is simply to test the bottle and as long as it passes give it back to you and send you on your way.

There is no HIPAA violation for asking you what it's for or what condition you have. HIPAA disallows anyone from sharing your personally identifiable health information, but doesn't prevent anyone from asking. It's your personal choice whether or not you share the info with them, though.

However, HIPAA also has exceptions where medical institutions CAN disclose your personal health information as it pertains to law enforcement.

Okay - but paying $5 to share a van cab with others to the airport and then a $10 cab ride from MIA is still cheaper than a solo $25-30 cab ride from POM to your hotel.

 

Public transport from downtown Miami (you'll need a $10-12 cab ride to get there from the port) will still only take you to the MIA airport.

 

I do not understand the hotel restrictions - you may be confusing pick up at MIA (lots of hotels do this) with pick up at POM (almost no hotel offers this). Does the hotel shuttle driver picking up at MIA check to see if you parked at the hotel? :confused: Woud he refuse to transport you or charge you for the ride? :confused:

You're absolutely right about pricing for going to the airport and then a cab back to the hotel, I'm just trying to avoid the hassle of switching vehicles. I'll likely just take a cab since no shuttle company I've spoken with can either accommodate just one passenger from POM to my hotel or can't do a Miami to Miami route.

As for the hotel... The cruise package they offer gives you EITHER a shuttle from MIA to hotel *and* a shuttle from hotel to POM...OR parking for 7 days at the hotel *and* shuttle from hotel to POM. The hotel does not operate the shuttle. It is contracted out to Sunshine Tours or something like that to take hotel guests to the POM. I contacted the shuttle company and they will not take a paying solo passenger back to the hotel when the cruise returns.

Anyway, may possibly be a non-issue now as two others in my roll call in the same hotel have decided to drive down instead of fly, so we may be able to share a shuttle.