Texaslady22

Happy Update: I ended up getting 3 job offers in the same week after nearly 6 months of unemployment! This was one of them, but I accepted a different position. I am so glad that things are finally looking up! 😍

Thanks everyone!

It's over!!! There were no audio or video issues. At one point my computer said no internet connection, but they could still see and hear me. The mirror made the perfect backlight and I'm glad I brought a dry erase marker to write notes. I was interviewed by a panel of 7, so I understand why they needed it to be today. Now I'm going to enjoy a fun little drink at the Golden Mermaid.

Okay! I've got 30 minutes until interview time. Just did a practice run on Zoom with a friend and she could see and hear me clearly. Here are my current speeds.

I am currently on the Jubilee. I got a call on Monday requesting a job interview for tomorrow; that is the only day they were willing to interview me. Therefore, I'll be trying to do a Zoom interview via Starlink tomorrow, our final sea day. The interview is at 10:30 am. I have no idea if this will work. To complicate matters, I have my laptop but no headset. No second monitor. They want a teaching demonstration! I'm working on my PowerPoint now. I've already talked to Guest Services and they said I can use their break room for the interview if I want but the conference rooms are full. Please, give me some tips, ideas, or good juju. I'm trying to decide whether to do it from my stateroom on Deck 4 or the break room behind guest services.

Advantages Access to the family harbor lounge, where you can get breakfast or snacks or drink or ice cream (Please know this lounge will be full of children) Disadvantages Most rooms in that hallway will be occupied by families with young children (which is an advantage or disadvantage depending on if you like children)

If you do the Steakhouse Selection menu for $23, is the broiled lobster tail larger than the lobster served with the surf & turf? Going on a 5 day and just realizing there's no free lobster.

We loved the spa area on the Luminosa. We were on Luminosa to Alaska, and we didn't have a balcony stateroom, so we spent hours and hours in the spa each day watching the beautiful scenery from the heated lounge chairs or that awesome thalassotherapy pool. In my opinion, it's one of the best spa suites I've ever been on.

I play slots and get some fantastic offers for discounted & free cruises. My dad is joining me on the next cruise. He's a craps player. How does one accumulate points for craps? What will he need to do?

I'm sailing in a spa stateroom with my parents. They wake up extremely early (like 4:30am) and want coffee. It looks like room service breakfast doesn't start until around 6am (a rather reasonable hour if you ask me). Will they be able to get a 5am cup of coffee somewhere nearby?

The Breeze says the smoking area is on Deck 11, Starboard side aft. However, from looking at the map, is it aft or is it more midship? Do I have the correct location circled? If so, it seems like a spa cabin would be close proximity to smoking, right? I'm traveling with my parents and this could make or break their trip. They've gotta be close to smoking and coffee. 🙂

My husband and I are celebrating our 20-year anniversary this summer! We're still raising kids, one of whom is medically fragile, and life is stressful. I really wanted to just get a hotel and relax for a week, but then we got an amazing deal on the Carnival Luminosa to Alaska and thought it would be better than some random hotel. We had free Southwest points, so the trip was extremely affordable. And we've never cruised anywhere but the Caribbean, so that's pretty cool. Here's the thing, though. I really don't want to zip line or hike and see waterfalls. I don't want to white water raft. I don't want adventure. I want to sleep in, have a few drinks, maybe play some slots, and relax. We loved the thermal suite on the Dream, so we've already purchased it. We want to hang in the relaxation room. We want to sit in silence and read a book. So here's my question. What if we don't plan excursions? Can we just hang out at the spa and look out the windows at the nearby scenery? Can we walk off the ship and eat at a restaurant at the port and then walk back on? One day, we might want to go have a real adventure in Alaska, but would we be terrible people if we just spend this trip at a more relaxed pace? Is this a terrible idea?

This is our first time in a Dream class ship. The Vista has lunch at a Mongolian restaurant or a pasta bar where you select what meat and sauce you want. I've looked at the Dream deck plans and can't find something similar. Is there such a thing? If so, where?

We're going to have 4 kids in the stateroom next (not connecting) to ours. 17, 16, 13, and 10 They're good kids and know the rules, curfew, etc, but this is our first time with them in a room "alone." What tips do you have to keep the stateroom organized and functional? I know the following from years of summer-camps and travel with them: A pop-up hamper so they have a designated place for dirty clothes Colored packing cubes and assign them each a shelf Hooks for lanyards Over the door shoe organizer with essentials Pockets we put over a bunk bed to store phones or tablets or whatever I'm open to other suggestions people have! One of the 4 is a real slob, so I'm trying to keep expectations clear with them.

Due to a weird turn of events, we're going to have 3 days in Galveston before our cruise. 3 teen boys 1 pre-teen girl We've never really used Galveston as anything except a cruise port. We spend one night and get on the ship. What would you recommend to kill a bunch of time the first weekend in March? Bonus if they're not expensive. 😉

I think we all know that Galveston can be a bit of a nightmare. Our strategy has always been to get the earliest boarding time and arrive to the port as early as we can, prepared for chaos and lines. This next cruise, though, I'd like to begin with as little chaos as possible. What if we chose the latest boarding time and go to the port later? Would that take away some of the chaos and lines? Just trying to start vacation on a different note. Open to idea!

UPDATE! I never got around to posting this update. As prepared as we were, we did not except this: My daughter broke her arm and hand in 3 places the DAY before we left for her cruise on her birthday. We had insurance and tried to talk her into canceling it, but she decided to go anyway and just "do what she could do." No swimming. No running around. No ropes course. She could hardly color or do crafts in kids club.... And we had the best cruise ever!! She played Bingo. We looked for cruise ducks. We saw movies in the Vista theater. She made tons of friends in the family harbor lounge and class, some she still talks to. We found two excursions that you could do with a broken arm. We went to the candy store. We got ice cream. It was great! So lesson learned from my daughter: The most important thing to pack for a cruise is a positive attitude.

I'm glad for the advanced notice. I'll be sure to add it for my next trip!

We're a Scout family, so our motto is Be Prepared. 🙂 We're a family of 5 - 2 late 30s adults and 3 kids, 15b, 12b, 10g. We'll be in a family harbor suite on the Vista in 2 weeks. I know there are a few things that could go wrong, like a family member getting COVID or the ship having propulsion issues. With that in mind, what items would be helpful to pack in case something goes wrong? So far, we've got: Playing cards Uno Nightlight/flashlight General medicines/first aid kit What else would you consider necessary to consider yourself "prepared"?