This Could Be Financially Dangerious If.........

[Mikew0805]

6 hours ago, Ret MP said:

We have applied for and been accepted for residency into the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, MS.  We are #1 on the waitlist for a couple's apartment.  What does that have to do with Royal Caribbean?  Well, that puts us 6 1/2 hours away from the Port Of Galveston and 8 1/2 hours away from the Port of Canaveral, and an easy peasy road system to get to both.  So, if Royal Caribbean comes to its senses and makes its cruise fares reasonable again, we'll be cruising frequently again.  BUT, we have double trouble, being almost in the middle of two cruise ports AND being in the middle of several casinos in the Gulfport/Biloxi area.  Man, I'm in trouble.  

 

Just in case you are wondering, NO, I wouldn't consider cruising out of New Orleans or Tampa.  It would be perfect if RCCL started cruising Quantum and/or Oasis class ships out of Mobile, though.  But, I know that ain't gonna happen.

 

 

That's too bad about Tampa. I love sailing out of here, and IMO nothing beats a Radiance Class ship. 

 

6 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Very spoiled indeed. I wish that stupid bridge in Tampa didn't prevent Voyager class and above from sailing out of there. I'm just not a fan of anything smaller. 1st world problem, of course. I'll continue to appreciate my hour drive to PC.

Yes, while I love Radiance & Vision class, I would enjoy that bridge tore down to get a Voyager class in here. I do not care about people spending an extra hour on their commute as long as I have more choices in cruise ships from Tampa. 🤣 

[shipgeeks]

5 hours ago, orville99 said:

We prefer ships that have an outdoor promenade that goes around the ship over ones that don’t. 

Same here!  And I assumed that was what was meant by Promenade.  (Can you tell I'm a Vision Class fan?)

[Ret MP]

7 hours ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

I guess as your in the middle of two big ports for me it would depend on the itinerary and maybe the ship. Not a bad problem to have but good to go either left or right ( figure of speach i have no idea) 👍

I'm not that picky about itineraries, except I'm not a fan of CocoCay and Cuzomel.  Cruises from the eastern coast of the U.S. that go to the Caribbean, go to CocoCay (the majority anyway) and those out of Galveston go to Cozumel, again, the majority (I believe. I didn't proof that).  So, it's "six of one, half dozen of another".  I'll just stay on the ship at both and drink my bottle(s) of wine or beer or both!

 

[shipgeeks]

We sail from Baltimore regularly, with a 12-night Carib itinerary: 3 sea days (Promenade Deck!), five islands (no CC nor Coz!), three sea days.  Love it.

Best wishes on the pending new home!

 

[OCSC Mike]

19 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

I'm not a fan of CocoCay

 

Blasphemy! 🤣

 

I'm not even a beach guy but the food (and being able to use vouchers there) does it for me.

[Ret MP]

12 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Blasphemy! 🤣

 

I'm not even a beach guy but the food (and being able to use vouchers there) does it for me.

<My experience> - I waited in line for a long time for the crispy fried chicken sandwich and it was average at best.  The same sandwich that the administrator/owner of another Royal Caribbean social media blog raved about. 

 

But, I have read many folks do believe that the food is great on CocoCay.  I may just have had a one-off sandwich.  

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

<My experience> - I waited in line for a long time for the crispy fried chicken sandwich and it was average at best.  The same sandwich that the administrator/owner of another Royal Caribbean social media blog raved about. 

 

But, I have read many folks do believe that the food is great on CocoCay.  I may just have had a one-off sandwich.  

 

I think you did, and I've never found the line that bad at all. I really enjoy that sandwich and the funnel cake from Snack Shack.

 

Also a big fan of the taco bar at Chill Grill/Skipper's Grill... which has lots of other stuff like a few hot sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, salads, fruit, desserts... Wife's favorite dessert hack there is to take a plastic drink cup to the soft serve machine and then add chocolate chip cookies to the vanilla soft serve.

 

Not trying to convince you to like CocoCay, of course, just mentioning some stuff in case you ever want to give it another shot.

Edited August 15, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[Ret MP]

2 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Not trying to convince you to like CocoCay, of course, just mentioning some stuff in case you ever want to give it another shot.

No, I understand.  This is a discussion board. Some forget that. 
 

My experience was that the island was overcrowded, the Indy and an Oasis Class <if memory serves me> at once, both full to capacity

 

Oh, I almost forgot, this is totally my fault, I ordered a Funnel Cake,  but, after the long line, I was a bit frustrated and left right after they handed me the sandwiches and forgot the cake.  So, I never got to taste the Funnel Cake and I usually love those things.  

[OCSC Mike]

32 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

So, I never got to taste the Funnel Cake and I usually love those things.

 

NOOOOOOO! 😭

 

Sometime in the past year they actually started making smaller funnel cakes. We were told it both prevents waste and it allows them to fry up 6 at a time instead of 2 to help move the lines along. They also came out crispier that way. Made sense to us, you can always order more.

 

Now I am ordering you to return to a Snack Shack, lol.

 

32 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

My experience was that the island was overcrowded, the Indy and an Oasis Class <if memory serves me> at once, both full to capacity

 

I will admit I've been a bit lucky. My last 4 trips there have either been Indy/Freedom or Wonder by itself. That said, hopefully the opening of the adult-only beach helps alleviate some of the congestion for when more people are there (which will be more and more common going forward).

 

Edited August 15, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[Psycho and Barb]

58 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

<My experience> - I waited in line for a long time for the crispy fried chicken sandwich and it was average at best.

The chicken wings are also very good at Captain Jacks

[LobsterStalker]

3 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

NOOOOOOO! 😭

 

Sometime in the past year they actually started making smaller funnel cakes. We were told it both prevents waste and it allows them to fry up 6 at a time instead of 2 to help move the lines along. They also came out crispier that way. Made sense to us, you can always order more.

 

Now I am ordering you to return to a Snack Shack, lol.

 

 

I will admit I've been a bit lucky. My last 4 trips there have either been Indy/Freedom or Wonder by itself. That said, hopefully the opening of the adult-only beach helps alleviate some of the congestion for when more people are there (which will be more and more common going forward).

 

If I had the flexibility to plan it that way , I would try to book where only one ship is there . I have yet to experience only 1 ship . I have two stops in October . 

First will have Freedom/Grandeur.... Not too bad , but 

Second has Harmony/Freedom... That one will be a zoo !

Overcrowding is my only small complaint , LOVE the island , probably my favorite stop ,but with Celebrity now calling there as well , there will be much fewer 1 ship stops in the future .Hopefully they continue to develop and maximize more space .

 

Cheers

[OCSC Mike]

10 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

If I had the flexibility to plan it that way , I would try to book where only one ship is there . I have yet to experience only 1 ship . I have two stops in October . 

First will have Freedom/Grandeur.... Not too bad , but 

Second has Harmony/Freedom... That one will be a zoo !

Overcrowding is my only small complaint , LOVE the island , probably my favorite stop ,but with Celebrity now calling there as well , there will be much fewer 1 ship stops in the future .Hopefully they continue to develop and maximize more space .

 

Cheers

 

I hear ya. Freedom/Grandeur won't be a problem at least. Indy/Freedom wasn't bad and I did that 3 times last year.

 

Dumb luck on my part that Wonder usually goes on Monday after departing Sunday and is alone and I only sail from PC out of convenience so I'm just going on Wonder for a while (also love the ship).  A Celebrity ship is joining her some Mondays but more dumb luck as it's avoiding my weeks.

 

My 4th Wonder cruise booked (March 2025) breaks the trend though. CocoCay is day 7, which I already don't love, and we get there 2 hours after Indy which isn't great because we always camp out at one specific spot. Somehow we'll survive though. I'm sure we'll check out the adult-only beach along the way and maybe we'll wind up there on that March 2025 cruise. It's spring break so could be extra quiet since families will presumably be with their kids.

[LobsterStalker]

5 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

I hear ya. Freedom/Grandeur won't be a problem at least. Indy/Freedom wasn't bad and I did that 3 times last year.

 

Dumb luck on my part that Wonder usually goes on Monday after departing Sunday and is alone and I only sail from PC out of convenience so I'm just going on Wonder for a while (also love the ship).  A Celebrity ship is joining her some Mondays but more dumb luck as it's avoiding my weeks.

 

My 4th Wonder cruise booked (March 2025) breaks the trend though. CocoCay is day 7, which I already don't love, and we get there 2 hours after Indy which isn't great because we always camp out at one specific spot. Somehow we'll survive though. I'm sure we'll check out the adult-only beach along the way and maybe we'll wind up there on that March 2025 cruise. It's spring break so could be extra quiet since families will presumably be with their kids.

Thx, I had forgotten that part ! Harmony also arrives 2 hrs after Freedom ... Dang it 

It will still be much enjoyed regardless

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, LobsterStalker said:

Thx, I had forgotten that part ! Harmony also arrives 2 hrs after Freedom ... Dang it 

It will still be much enjoyed regardless

 

Sorry to remind you, lol. But yeah, that's my attitude. Never had a bad cruise. Some are just better than others.

 

CocoCay wasn't quite as fun the day the heavens opened around 2pm and we huddled in Chill Grill for shelter. At least it was towards the end of the day there and it turned into a gentle rain for the walk back to the ship.

[ReneeFLL]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

... Wife's favorite dessert hack there is to take a plastic drink cup to the soft serve machine and then add chocolate chip cookies to the vanilla soft serve...

I haven’t done it in a long time, but I used to get the soft serve and add a shot of Baileys. Yum. Now I just need to forget that I remembered it since I’m leaving tomorrow for 29 days on a b2b. 😁

[OCSC Mike]

10 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

I haven’t done it in a long time, but I used to get the soft serve and add a shot of Baileys. Yum. Now I just need to forget that I remembered it since I’m leaving tomorrow for 29 days on a b2b. 😁

 

Someone gave me some hack involving soft serve, ice, and a shot of espresso from the DL/SL machine to make a frozen coffee that apparently Dunkin serves. I never tried it but adding Bailey's could only make it better. 😁

[Ret MP]

2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Now I am ordering you to return to a Snack Shack, lol.

 

LOL, I may, but only because there is something else on the itinerary that I really want to do and I'll stay on the ship.  CocoCay left a bad taste in my mouth <every pun intended>  LOL

[ramja96]

On 8/14/2023 at 10:29 AM, Ret MP said:

So, if Royal Caribbean comes to its senses and makes its cruise fares reasonable again, we'll be cruising frequently again.

You are probably safe, I fear. As long as they continue to fill ships to capacity, prices will only go one direction.⏫

[Ret MP]

6 minutes ago, ramja96 said:

You are probably safe, I fear. As long as they continue to fill ships to capacity, prices will only go one direction.⏫

Unfortunately, you are probably right.  Damnit!

[Bamagirl_gina]

On 8/14/2023 at 9:29 AM, Ret MP said:

We have applied for and been accepted for residency into the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, MS.  We are #1 on the waitlist for a couple's apartment.  What does that have to do with Royal Caribbean?  Well, that puts us 6 1/2 hours away from the Port Of Galveston and 8 1/2 hours away from the Port of Canaveral, and an easy peasy road system to get to both.  So, if Royal Caribbean comes to its senses and makes its cruise fares reasonable again, we'll be cruising frequently again.  BUT, we have double trouble, being almost in the middle of two cruise ports AND being in the middle of several casinos in the Gulfport/Biloxi area.  Man, I'm in trouble.  

 

Just in case you are wondering, NO, I wouldn't consider cruising out of New Orleans or Tampa.  It would be perfect if RCCL started cruising Quantum and/or Oasis class ships out of Mobile, though.  But, I know that ain't gonna happen.

 

 

Curious to know why you wouldn't consider cruising out of NOLA or Tampa. We've gone out of NOLA many times and going out of Tampa in December for the first time. What about Tampa should we be concerned about?

[Another_Critic]

9 minutes ago, Bamagirl_gina said:

Curious to know why you wouldn't consider cruising out of NOLA or Tampa. We've gone out of NOLA many times and going out of Tampa in December for the first time. What about Tampa should we be concerned about?

He has mentioned multiple times in this thread that he only wants to sail on Quantum class or Oasis class.  Neither NOLA or Tampa sail those classes (they won't fit into Tampa).

[Ret MP]

1 hour ago, Bamagirl_gina said:

Curious to know why you wouldn't consider cruising out of NOLA or Tampa. We've gone out of NOLA many times and going out of Tampa in December for the first time. What about Tampa should we be concerned about?

The #1 main reason, neither offers Oasis or Quantum Class ships.  No other reason for Tampa but there are other reasons for NOLA but I can't discuss those here.  

[Ret MP]

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

He has mentioned multiple times in this thread that he only wants to sail on Quantum class or Oasis class.  Neither NOLA or Tampa sail those classes (they won't fit into Tampa).

I read this after I answered @Bamagirl_gina.  You're 100% right-on.  

[Engineroom Snipe]

On 8/14/2023 at 10:29 AM, Ret MP said:

We have applied for and been accepted for residency into the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, MS.  We are #1 on the waitlist for a couple's apartment.  What does that have to do with Royal Caribbean?  Well, that puts us 6 1/2 hours away from the Port Of Galveston and 8 1/2 hours away from the Port of Canaveral, and an easy peasy road system to get to both.  So, if Royal Caribbean comes to its senses and makes its cruise fares reasonable again, we'll be cruising frequently again.  BUT, we have double trouble, being almost in the middle of two cruise ports AND being in the middle of several casinos in the Gulfport/Biloxi area.  Man, I'm in trouble.  

 

Just in case you are wondering, NO, I wouldn't consider cruising out of New Orleans or Tampa.  It would be perfect if RCCL started cruising Quantum and/or Oasis class ships out of Mobile, though.  But, I know that ain't gonna happen.

 

 

 

First, congrats on putting yourself in such a difficult position that you need to work-out all of your wonderful options.

 

😀

[LeeW]

19 hours ago, Bamagirl_gina said:

Curious to know why you wouldn't consider cruising out of NOLA or Tampa. We've gone out of NOLA many times and going out of Tampa in December for the first time. What about Tampa should we be concerned about?

 

In addition to no big ships, Tampa has a fair problem with fog.  Depends on time of year, of course.  Pier is within walking distance of a couple of hotels, including Embassy.