Another Lap Around the Pond- Live from the Caribbean Princess- May 28 to June 4, 2022

[azbirdmom]

Oh my goodness I am so sorry to hear about Jon. You are two of the very few people who have been masked too. It’s just not fair. I sure hope Jon recovers soon and that you escape it. Sending hugs and good wishes to you both. 

[TracieABD]

5 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Oh no. Welcome to the club that no one wants to join. And it’s not inevitable that you’ll test positive eventually. Just probable. 

Yep. I am actually treating it like I have it. That way I am super cautious not to infect anyone… if I do get it.

 

[TracieABD]

2 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

Oh my goodness I am so sorry to hear about Jon. You are two of the very few people who have been masked too. It’s just not fair. I sure hope Jon recovers soon and that you escape it. Sending hugs and good wishes to you both. 

Thank you, Julie. You just don’t know. This is our first foray… we have managed to stay healthy for the past 2 + years. Fingers crossed this is just a very mild case. 

 

I loved meeting you and spending time with you! I hope to see you soon!

 

[Coral]

Ohhh Tracie - I am so sorry. You were both in the small % of individuals who had not gotten yet..... I hope Jon's symptoms remain mild and you escape having it!

 

I have also avoided it but with everyone no longer wearing a mask - I am guessing my time will come soon also.

 

Wishing you both stay healthy and not have anything more than mild symptoms (and you hopefully continue to not have it) and future negative tests!

Edited June 3, 2022 by Coral

[TracieABD]

3 minutes ago, Coral said:

Ohhh Tracie - I am so sorry. You were both in the small % of individuals who had not gotten yet..... I hope Jon's symptoms remain mild and you escape having it!

 

I have also avoided it but with everyone no longer wearing a mask - I am guessing my time will come soon also.

 

Wishing you both stay healthy and not have anything more than mild symptoms (and you hopefully continue to not have it) and future negative tests!

Thank you so much, T. Fingers crossed you stay healthy. I am actually sort of surprised. And sort of not. I guess it our turn. Jon is moving around pretty well… just a little slower.

 

 

[kabmab]

I'm sorry to hear about your DH!  At least you're away from the "cabbage" smell.  My DH tested positive last Saturday shortly after we got home.  We had a four hour drive home where he sneezed repeatedly (he sneezes all the time from temperature changes so I didn't think COVID)) and shared a soda.  And big surprise I'm still negative although we've isolated from each other since home.  So i hope you don't catch, but if you do, hope all cases are mild. Tks for your blogging, nice to continue our journey remotely.  And once you're home give that sweet Iggy boy a pat from another IG lover!

[TracieABD]

3 minutes ago, kabmab said:

I'm sorry to hear about your DH!  At least you're away from the "cabbage" smell.  My DH tested positive last Saturday shortly after we got home.  We had a four hour drive home where he sneezed repeatedly (he sneezes all the time from temperature changes so I didn't think COVID)) and shared a soda.  And big surprise I'm still negative although we've isolated from each other since home.  So i hope you don't catch, but if you do, hope all cases are mild. Tks for your blogging, nice to continue our journey remotely.  And once you're home give that sweet Iggy boy a pat from another IG lover!

Thank you so much for your kindness d words.  I hope you remain negative and that your husband’s case is super mild.  I will keep you posted!

[Essiesmom]

On 5/31/2022 at 11:11 AM, TracieABD said:

Day 3- Evening

May 31, 2022

Still At Sea (Is there anywhere else to be?)

 

Cabbage Soup

 

Hi friends-

 

The balance of our second full day of the cruise was lovely. I attending the Meet and Greet, which was very well attended by both members and officers. The officers spent a great deal of time answering questions. Most of the questions centered around the opening of the Chef’s Table (and other like events) and COVID practices and policies. We then received our “payouts” from the slot pull. Since I was the only one who attended, I collected Jon’s too, but don’t tell him… Shhhhh. It is our little secret. 😉

 

It was formal night and we decided to eat really early, so we were getting ready before 5 pm. In an interior cabin, this requires a bit of choreography. But Jon can make anything fun and silly… so it always works out perfectly. We are “dresser-uppers” for formal night. I have some lovely dresses that I only really get a chance to use on cruises. Jon is game. Thank goodness!

 

We waited less than 5 minutes for a table for 2. Dinner was French onion soup, salad with goat cheese and beef tenderloin. All was delicious- especially the beef. We found that on our last cruise on the Regal, the beef in the MDR was actually better than the Crown Grille. Because it was formal night, my boyfriend, Love- Norman Love- made an appearance in the form of a citrus hazelnut bar. Yummmmmm. Is it terrible to admit that I am only here for the dessert?!?!?

 

We made our way down to the Explorer’s Lounge for round 2 of the comedian, Don Friese- but did not end up staying. The lounge was packed. So we headed off the the IC to drink a pot of tea and play cards- (I won!!!).

 

On our way back to the room, about an hour later, we chanced upon a trivia game- 70’s Music- in the Explorer’s Lounge. We joined a lovely couple from Florida. We were in the toppish teams with 36/40- but the winning team had 40/40. They won “headache in a bottle”. We stayed with our new friends for the comedian. He was again so funny. With an entirely new set. And fast on his feet. His improv was every bit as good as his practiced bits.

 

We decided to head to the cabin and take a little nap. There was supposed to be a historic meteor shower- making an appearance at 1 am that we did not want to miss. We could not settle down. We decided at 12:30 to imbibe in our 800th meal of the day at the IC. It was really deserted but this time.

 

We headed up to Deck 15 to see what we could see, but the lights of the ship were obscuring the view, so we climbed up to Deck 18… but to no avail. However, something really fun came of middle-of-the-night foray… I discovered there is a Skywalkers on the ship! For those of you who know- I honestly thought they were all gone… for those of you who don’t, Skywalkers was a “over sea” nightclub off the aft of the Grand class builds. You take a moving sidewalk to get to it. Most of them have been removed- as (I have heard) they impacted the aerodynamics of the ship- created a lot of drag- thus wasting fuel. The last time I was in a Skywalkers was on the Star in 2013. (That one has been removed). There are only two left- the Caribbean Princess and the Grand. How fun that was to show Jon another old school feature on the ship.

 

We finally made our way back to the room and fell asleep promptly. Another wonderful day at sea!

 

Now for the explanation of the title “Cabbage Soup”. It has to do with the on-again/ off-again smelly smell. Someone suggested that it smelled like cabbage… and with that I was totally able to reframe my thinking about it- so instead of standing bilge water- I am thinking of it as cabbage soup. (And still using Vick’s when it gets too strong).

 

I think that I will cut here.

 

Did anyone actually see the meteor shower????

 

Thank you for following along-

More later-

Tracie-Lynn

Just for the record, there were four Grand class ships with the shopping cart handle Skywalkers.  Only the first ship to have it, the Grand, had it removed because of the weight of the structure.  It is still present on Golden and Star, sailing now down under for P&O Australia, and the Caribbean.  EM

[cruzin4us]

oh darn it anyway.    I've been enjoying your "Live".....If you feel up to it, please keep us updated on how you are holding out.   Stupid covid

 

[MustangGT]

Tracie - so sorry your husband tested positive.  Hope his symptoms will remain mild and you avoid it!  Let us know how ship quarantine is handled and how it affects your disembarkation and travel back home.

It’s such a bummer that travel now comes with so many challenges.  We were lucky that I didn’t test positive until we got home from our recent river cruise.  My husband thought he was in the clear but tested positive 4 days after me.  After 50 years together it was bound to happen.

Take care! 🥰🥰

[Host CJSKIDS]

3 hours ago, TracieABD said:

Day 6

June 2, 2022

Day at Sea

 

How We Received an Upgrade- A Cautionary Tale

 

Hi friends-

 

Jon and I slept so late for us this morning. Jon finally went to forage for coffee around 10 am. We have been taking the stairs and wearing our masks a lot, but honestly, as the cruise has gone on, we forget some too.

 

After I drank my delicious caffeinated beverage- I went to find Jon in the Sanctuary. He was absolutely dragging… telling me that he couldn’t walk fast because of his flip flops. I convinced him to return to the cabin with me- and I tested him.

 

And that folks… is all she wrote. The second pink line only took a few minutes to appear. I tested me, and I was negative.

 

I know that there are some people who have blatantly stated they would not report to medical if they tested positive or felt poorly… we are just not those people… We called and lovely Caroline came to our room with her basket of swabs. She told us to wait in the room until she called with our PCR results

 

Exactly, 45 minutes later… the phone rang with he confirmation that Jon was positive and I am negative. She informed us that Jon would be moved to isolation forthwith. I had the choice of remaining in our cabin or going with him. Honestly, we vacillated between the two options, but in the end… we are a team. We are just to better together, so I packed up my gear too.

 

It took several hours for the team to come to move us, which was fine. We ordered a room service pizza and packed stuff. When they did finally come, the move was very fast.

 

So the upshot is we are now in a balcony room. It is lovely. Tonight is formal night for the healthy… So we called room service and they delivered a 5 course meal to us- apps (tofu ponzu and salmon), wedge salads, tomato bisque soup, and lobster for Jon- pumpkin crepes for me. They threw in dessert… Norman Love’s Pistachio Dome and cheese cake just to sweeten the deal. We were told it would take around an hour… and it took exactly one hour. We ate on our balcony while being serenaded by our upstairs neighbor’s reggae-ton. (Rolling my eyes here).

 

We are fine. Jon is sick… but it is not serious. I am waiting. There is very little hope that I will escape this. We are newlyweds. We are joined at the hip. And truth be told, there is no one in the whole world I would rather do this with.

 

I have always said, the best kind of problems you can have are the ones that you can throw some money at. As long as we both stay healthy… the rest will sort itself out.

 

I will keep you posted on how quarantine is going…

 

Anyone want to borrow one of our super duper KN95 masks?

 

Thanks for following along-

More later-

Tracie-Lynn

Oh Tracie, I’m so sorry to hear this. I had covid last week so while not on a ship, I totally understand the feelings. 
 

Thank you for being so responsible and reporting it. And you rock for going into quarantine when you didn’t have to. That’s love!

 

[Astro Flyer]

Tracie-Lynn…so sorry to learn that Jon tested positive but thankfully both of you had fun before the end of the cruise & hopefully you’ll stay healthy. 🤞 Thankfully it’s been a much better start to quarantine which has not been the same experience for some passengers.

 

 

[KKB]

Curious.

I realize this might not be your thing be would be appreciative if you or anyone else might pop in & see.

I notice that they show "TX Hold em players meet" at certain times in the casino.

In the past they have offered tournaments but list it as such--interestingly usually at those times.

Curious if it IS a tournament or just a dealer will be available for cash games (or is it an electronic table?)

Thank!

[TracieABD]

11 hours ago, cruzin4us said:

oh darn it anyway.    I've been enjoying your "Live".....If you feel up to it, please keep us updated on how you are holding out.   Stupid covid

 

Seriously.  Stupid Covid.  
 

Thank you.  I will update soon.  Not much to tell right now. 

[TracieABD]

11 hours ago, MustangGT said:

Tracie - so sorry your husband tested positive.  Hope his symptoms will remain mild and you avoid it!  Let us know how ship quarantine is handled and how it affects your disembarkation and travel back home.

It’s such a bummer that travel now comes with so many challenges.  We were lucky that I didn’t test positive until we got home from our recent river cruise.  My husband thought he was in the clear but tested positive 4 days after me.  After 50 years together it was bound to happen.

Take care! 🥰🥰

I am so sorry that happened to you.  They seem to be handling it well. I promise to update soon. 

[TracieABD]

10 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Oh Tracie, I’m so sorry to hear this. I had covid last week so while not on a ship, I totally understand the feelings. 
 

Thank you for being so responsible and reporting it. And you rock for going into quarantine when you didn’t have to. That’s love!

 

Jon is my person. I just do better when I am with my person. 
 

Without being totally judgy… I am worried when people don’t report.  They will never get it managed if people go on about their business when they know they have Covid.
 

I feel an obligation to protect the staff as much as we can. They have nowhere to go.   
 

PS. I got your other message.  Thank you so much.  We will def let you know.  ❤️

Edited June 3, 2022 by TracieABD

[GonzoWCS]

So sorry to hear this Tracie.  Dag nab it!

 

[srice]

Sorry to hear about Jon.  As we talked about before whatever decision you make is the right one. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

Tracie, I hope Jon is feeling better and you test negative this morning. Just to let you know that someone on another thread reported that Princess is not allowing them to rent a car and drive home from Seattle. Don’t know how that can even happen, and we know how inconsistent the rules are among the different ships, but wanted to give you a heads up. 
 

Hang in there. 

[TracieABD]

1 hour ago, GonzoWCS said:

So sorry to hear this Tracie.  Dag nab it. 

Edited June 3, 2022 by TracieABD

[TracieABD]

1 hour ago, srice said:

Sorry to hear about Jon.  As we talked about before whatever decision you make is the right one. 

It was so nice to see you again! Stay well and healthy!

[TracieABD]

41 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Tracie, I hope Jon is feeling better and you test negative this morning. Just to let you know that someone on another thread reported that Princess is not allowing them to rent a car and drive home from Seattle. Don’t know how that can even happen, and we know how inconsistent the rules are among the different ships, but wanted to give you a heads up. 
 

Hang in there. 

I saw that too.  Fingers crossed they let us drive home.  The plan it to be taken directly to the car rental, by Princess.  I will keep you posted. 

[TracieABD]

1 hour ago, GonzoWCS said:

So sorry to hear this Tracie.

 

Yup.  But that is the gamble these days.  We knew it going in. 

Edited June 3, 2022 by TracieABD

[richstowe]

Thank you for your reports . Sorry your partner got Covid . It does seem an extreme way of getting an upgrade . 😁

 

On 5/29/2022 at 2:48 PM, TracieABD said:

Honestly, getting a balcony was super smart. If I had my druthers….

 

On 5/29/2022 at 8:33 PM, TracieABD said:

Pretty much the lounger is the deal. If you book the whole cruise, it is $30 a day.  The real advantage is that it is outbid the fray. It is quieter (most times). The stewards bring food and drink ($3 delivery in some cases). But my most favorite part is afternoon tea! It is such a treat!

This is fascinating . Sanctuary with an inside cabin . We have always gone balcony , without the Sanctuary . Maybe worth investigating this option especially for cruises like Alaska where there is a huge premium for balcony .

On 5/31/2022 at 10:20 AM, azbirdmom said:

Ha!  Well I’m happy to report that we have gone an entire day now with a fully functioning. The parts they replaced along with other plumbing wizardry performed at 3 yesterday AM did the trick. Our cabin steward showed me one of the parts. I had no clue what I was looking at but it appeared to be ancient. 

3 AM ??? OMG . 😲

On 5/31/2022 at 7:35 PM, SASSYnLV said:

I was on Caribbean princess,  may 21 to 28.

On aloha, 243. I too had that horrendous stench numerous times in my cabin.  There was also an odor at the entry to the theater.  It's been that way for at least 3 weeks.

I notified the CEO of a major travel agency and he told me he would be contacting upper Princess management 

I hope upper management are listening and fixes will be made but I'm not confident . 

[jaxw17]

So sorry to hear this. It is a strange thing I know quite a few couples whose partner has not succumbed to it.

At least with the vaccines it is not usually the horror story it was.

The only plus is that it will build up his immunity even more.

I hope they look after you well.