Caribbean Running Cruise - a scam?

It's been a while since I last added to my blog.  This one will be a rant but it needs to be put out there, imo.

It started back at the beginning of the month when I was tagged in a post on Facebook by a fellow Enid Running Club member asking about this fun-looking cruise in 2016 with Caribbean Running Cruise (CRC):  http://cimcruise.com/

How fun, indeed!  At the time, I knew I wouldn't be able to go because that's the time of year we normally take a weekend vacation with some friends of ours.  As it turns out, we're looking at a different vacation in April of 2016 so I went back to the Facebook post and took a closer look at it.  So many people had responded to that post expressing an interest in going (there were nearly a dozen) that I knew if we all went, it would be an absolute blast.  

OK, so I'm admittedly a cruise snob - I've been on a lot of cruises mostly on Celebrity.  I completely bypassed the cabins and went straight to the suite that was being offered - the junior suite.  I was stunned by the price for a "junior" suite, so I went and looked it up on the Royal Caribbean website.  

This running cruise is a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas leaving from Tampa and visiting Key West, Belize City, Costa Maya, and Cozumel from January 30th - February 6th, 2016 and must be booked through CRC's agent:  "The Cruise & Vacation Authority".  The CRC participation fee is $295 per person - I thought that was reasonable.  Here's what I didn't think was reasonable....a comparison of CRC's cabin offerings and what Royal Caribbean actually charges.

Caribbean Running Cruise prices:

 Royal Caribbean prices as of 15 February 2015:

So here's how it breaks down:

                      CRC                                     RC                         Difference

inside            $743 pp                                $574 pp                     $169

outside          $1117 pp                              $640 pp                     $477

balcony         $1651 pp                              $1121 pp                   $530

jr suite           $2453 pp                              $1530 pp                   $923

Here's my reply back to my ERC friends on Facebook:

Looks like my plans at the end of January may be changing so I went back and looked into this a bit more because it sounds like SO much fun....but.... I'm disappointed to see that you have to book only through their specified agency AND pay a race participation fee of $295 per person. I don't have a problem with the participation fee, but if you were to book the same cabins directly through Royal Caribbean (rather than their booking agency), the junior suite would be almost $1000 less per person and even the deluxe inside cabin would be $200 less per person. For what they're charging for the junior suite - you can get into a grand suite (and still save about $500 per person) and get all the suite benefits too. There are no suite benefits for a junior suite. Boy, I think that might be a deal breaker for me knowing how much extra they're charging that goes to the agency....bummer.

7 hrs · Like · 1

I took it a step further and went also to CRC's Facebook page which mentioned a "discount" for groups.  Here's what I commented:

I also received an inbox message on Facebook from someone named Jenny Hadfield from CRC:

So there were a few other comments on their Facebook page (someone named John Bingham commented and I replied to him)  but those have been deleted as well and I have been banned from their page (can no longer comment or reply).  Ms Hadfield has also blocked me on Facebook.

Interesting, huh?  All for pointing out a little discrepancy in their cabin pricing.  Their excuse was pretty lame:  "added value" and that I had found Royal Caribbean's "sale" prices (even though it doesn't say that anywhere on RC's website).  I really do wish that this cruise was legit - it would have really been a fun thing for our running club to do.

Blast From the Past - 40th Birthday Dinner at Bar Charlie

I really am trying to clean out my email inbox but the task is just a little too daunting.  As I was going back through some old emails trying to figure out why I still had them, I came across an email from 2009 that I had saved.  I'd forgotten that the most memorable (and most expensive and longest duration) meal we have EVER had was captured by a very nice staff member who took the time to grant my request for a copy of the menu that we enjoyed.  It was August 31, 2009 and we had reservations at Bar Charlie at the Palazzo in Las Vegas.  I remember being very excited about our first-ever Omakase experience and it did not disappoint.  It took us 5 hours to eat our way through 15 courses that included beverage pairing.  Our courses were paired with champagne, wine, cocktails, AND sake.  The only menu we have ever come across, so far, to pair a meal with cocktails and sake.

Here's what we had that evening:

An Evening in Bar Charlie  

Monday, August 31, 2009  

Japanese Tai, Black Grapes & Celery  

~NV Prosecco di Valdobbiadene "Rustico" Nino Franco~  

 

Iwashi, Watermelom & Kitagawa Yuzu  

~Plymouth Gin, Yellow VEP, Lemon Verbena, Lemon Coriander Bitters~  

 

Spanish Blue Fin Tuna, Umeboshi & Seawater  

~ The Cat's Meow Cocktail ~  

 

Heirloom Tomato with Cucumber & Avacado  

~2008 Sauvignon Blanc "Te Muna Road" Craggy Range, Martinborough, New Zealand~  

 

Spanish Blue Fin Tuna Tartare, Hijiki Seaweed & Daikon  

~ 2007 Rias Baixas, Albarino, Martin Codax ~  

 

Tasmanian Ocean Trout,Fennel & Pearled Barley  

~2007 Carl Von Schubert Riesling "Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg" Mosel, Germany ~  

 

Japanese Big Fin Squid, Lemon & Kanzuri Carrots  

~NV Champagne Chareles de Casonove "Premier Cru" Brut Rose, France ~  

 

Diver Sea Scallop, Bloomsdale Spinach & Japanese Turnip  

~ Masumi "Arabashiri-First Run" Nama Junmai Ginjo Gen-shu, Miyasaka Shuzo, Nagano-ken ~  

 

Maine Lobster, Beets & Tokyo Scallions  

~2006 Pinot Noir , Drew "Fog Eater" Anderson Valley California~  

 

Hamachi Belly, Green Curry & Braised Red Cabbage  

~2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chappellet "Signature" Napa Valley, California~  

 

Braised Miyazaki-gyu Strip Loin, Asian Pear & Plum  

~ 2006 Priorat "Les Terraces" Alvaro Palacios,  Spain ~  

 

Japanese Green Tea Sponge Cake, Caramelized Peaches & Plum Sorbet  

~ 2006 Riesling Beerenauslese "Wehlener Sonnenuhr"  Hauth Kerpen, Mosel, Germany ~  

 

Basil Semifreddo, Strawberries & Olive Oil Ice Cream  

~2003 Tokaji-Aszú "5 Puttonyos" Royal Tokaji Wine Company, Hungary~  

 

Dark Chocolate, Banana & Roasted Hazelnut  

~1979 Montilla-Moriles "PX Gran Reserva" Bodegas Toro Albalá, Spain~  

 

 
I don't remember exactly what the meal cost but it was worth every penny.  We were so so so sad to hear that Bar Charlie closed its doors not long after we had dined there.  Now to go and hunt down the pictures from that wonderful evening...

Move for a Shot@Life

Sometimes I think I've got myself spread a little thin - work, family, hobbies, serving on a few non-profit Boards (and president of a few), and, most recently, being appointed to a Federal Advisory Committee.  So I'm all about multi-tasking and killing numerous birds with one stone, if possible (figuratively speaking, of course, because I AM a pediatrician after all).

I've always been a staunch vaccine supporter in my 18 years of private pediatric practice.  Last year at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition, I attended a training session to become an AAP advocate for Shot@Life:

"The American Academy of Pediatrics is a founding partner in the Shot@Life campaign. As an active partner, the Academy spreads the message that all kids deserve a shot at life and offers resources to help pediatricians educate patients, parents, and the community on the importance of international vaccine access."

Not much later, I happened to catch an email calling for applications for a mini-grant from the AAP for a Shot@Life project.  Hmmmm.....I thought to myself.  I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the email to see a relatively short application.  The wheels started turning.

The grant was for residents, members or chapters to support events that benefit global vaccine advocacy and the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign.  Not only was I a trained Shot@Life advocate but also a member of AAP national as well as current President of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (OKAAP).  To top it off, I'm also the current President of the Enid Running Club (ERC).  The idea really didn't take long to sprout.....a running/walking event that would give me the chance to fulfill the ERC's mission (to promote a healthier lifestyle through running and walking...), gather people together to advocate for Shot@Life and explain why global vaccinations are so important, and utilize the resources of the OKAAP, the ERC, and my job as a Pediatrician.

Wow, how many birds is that??

Probably the toughest part of the project was choosing the date.  Like I said, I'm spread a little thin at times.  As luck would have it, I was free the weekend of Mother's Day.  What a fabulous fit for a global vaccine advocacy project centered around mothers!  My project was to be called "Move For a Shot@Life" and it would be a 1 mile, 5K and 10K race.

Through the OKAAP - I had an executive director, Kim Estes, to help with planning as well as the OKAAP newsletter to spread the word.

Through my job as a Pediatrician, I had access to our medical office building which was the perfect venue for my project - registration was in the building lobby, restrooms were available, and the race would start out in the parking lot.

Through my connection with the ERC, I had equipment to borrow for the event:  tables, chairs, a PA system, the ERC flag and mats that would mark the start/finish of the race, traffic cones to mark turn around points, a TV and stand to show the participants videos about Shot@Life.  I had many ERC members who were available to help out on race day and participate in the event itself, a base of runners/walkers in the ERC Facebook Group and Page that I could advertise my event to, and access to online registration.

Because I was receiving a grant, I wanted to be able to make this event free to anyone who wanted to participate.  This was a novelty in Enid - a FREE running/walking event?  It was the first of its kind and I was forever grateful not to have to go to businesses or people asking for sponsorships or donations.  I did partner with several businesses in town including both hospitals and our local Rotary Club and scored free advertising, a gift basket to give away, a donation (from Rotary - even though I didn't ask for one), and several other gifts to give away.  I even had a few ERC members who are business owners step up and volunteer gifts to give away.

As if a free running/walking event wasn't enough, I further enticed participation by using some of the grant money to purchase gift cards - all from locally owned businesses, gave away t-shirts purchased from Shot@Life, and had water and snacks purchased for after the race.



On race day, the Saturday before Mother's Day, the weather was perfect - sunny with minimal wind.

We had 107 people registered to participate and 58 showed up to run/walk 1 mile, 5K, or 10K.

Before the race started, everyone gathered outside and I gave them statistics regarding global immunizations and 3 videos were shown (Motherhood is Universal, Amanda Peet Joins the Fight to Champion Vaccines with Shot@Life, and Sophie Blackall and Olive draw their week in India).

 The race started at 8:30 am.

Participants walked/ran as far as they wanted.  The 1 mile, 5 km, and 10 km turnarounds were marked with signs and ERC traffic cones.

 

 

 

Following the race, we held drawings and gave away about 30 prizes that were either donated or purchased.  The event was very well received and went off without a hitch.

Probably the thing that I will remember most from this event is the generosity of the people of Enid.  I mentioned some of the unsolicited donations above but I was astounded that even though online registration was free, participants were given the opportunity to donate online ($5, $10, $15, or $20) and on race day.  In the end, the event actually raised a total of $535 for Shot@Life.

Bernice Yu (October 3, 1942 - March 3, 2014)

It's taken me a few weeks to gather up my thoughts.  The first week was spent trying to reconcile that Mom was gone so quickly, arrangements were made according to her wishes....and there was that initial guilt with all the "shoulda, woulda, and couldas".

Things spiraled downhill pretty fast after that with my sister, Rae, but I'm done with all the negative things that have happened - I'm ready to move on with the positives.

The strangest paradox to consider is that a child who is raised "right" or "well" gets to a point where they don't "need" their mom anymore.  Even though I have my own family, career, and am self-sufficient (I was clearly raised "well", Mom), I still wish that Mom had lived closer and that she hadn't been consumed with taking care of my sister for the last 12 years - but that wasn't anybody's fault in particular.

Mom paid - all by herself - for me to attend medical school.  I graduated with no debt.  Even though she spent the last dozen years taking care of my little sister, she was still dedicated to taking care of all her grandchildrens' educational needs too.  With Mom's help, my kids will also be able to attend college pretty much anywhere they want and graduate debt-free.

Mom loved to shop and was fanatical about buying presents way early (birthdays and Christmas) and any time we would visit, we would always be taking home presents for the next year.  She labeled each one specifying who it was for and which special occasion it was meant to be opened on.  It wasn't unusual for us to find the odd present in the closet labeled for a birthday that was months ago or opening a few presents in 2013 that were actually labeled "2012".

Mom was a very shrewd business woman even though she never gave herself credit for that, typically citing a language barrier.  She was very knowledgeable about properties, rentals, and tax law and that's what made it possible for her to fund all of her education plans for her kids and her grand kids.  She just wasn't happy unless she was making someone else happy - that's the essence of my Mom and what I'll always remember and learn from.

I wish that we had more time together but Mom was crushed when Dee died.  She had nobody left to take care of because she had raised her remaining 2 daughters so well.  I've been thinking about that a lot - particularly in the last week.  I refused to say goodbye when we scattered her ashes in the ocean this week.  She knows how much I loved and appreciated her - there aren't any words that can adequately express that.  I'm in the habit of putting my thoughts down so I can get them organized and remember them later so I'm putting this on my blog.  It's never a goodbye for me - it'll always just be a "see you later" to both my Mom and my sister, Dee.

Bernice L Yu (1942-2014)
Dee H Cataline (1972 - 2013)

Celebrity Summit - Thanksgiving Cruise - Penthouse Suite – #6147

All in all, I think our decision to stay in the Summit's Penthouse Suite, #6147, was a bad one. Now, all of our cruises with the kids would need to be in the PS – we simply wouldn't be happy anywhere else on the ship now that we've stayed there. Our next cruise on the Summit will be in August 2014 but it will just be Seth and I without the kids – definitely not a reason to get the PS again but the lowest class we were willing to go to was the Celebrity Suite – so we booked 7138 and 7140 (adjoining suites) for that cruise with our friends, Wade and Charlie.

 

As soon as we walked into the suite and saw the beautiful star tile work on the floor in the entryway (which was huge) – we knew we were home. To the right was the dining room with a table large enough to seat 8 people. The amount of storage space was unbelievable. There was also a desk at the end of the dining room which had a couple of outlets – it was a good thing that I had brought along a power strip. Neither bathroom had outlets – the only other set of outlets to be found were at the vanity in the master – and there were only 2. The baby grand piano was a very nice touch but we really didn't use it a lot – even turned down to the lowest setting, it was a little too loud. The piano's auto player is ancient – using floppy discs that are stored in the piano bench. Each floppy disc had a limited repertoire – probably a half dozen songs and that was it. 

 

It took us almost to the end of the cruise to figure out the small buttons located in various places on the wall in the dining room, entryway, and in our master bedroom. 4 small buttons the size of the my fingertip were lined up vertically and were simply numbered “1-4”. 2 additional small buttons next to them with arrows going up and down. In short, button 1 turned on the lights to bright, 2 and 3 dimmed the lights successively, and 4 turned them off. We could never get the arrow buttons to really work. There's a small delay between pushing the button and the lights responding.

The adjoining living room was a good size which also seated about 6 people comfortably and there was a flat screen tv to watch. The sofa pulled open to a double sized bed which wouldn't be big enough for both kids so we asked our room steward to bring in a roll away bed for Rhys to sleep on which worked out ok. It was a little weird for them because they didn't have a dresser to put their things in and the closets that they used (as well as the bathroom) was on the other side of the entryway.

The living room opened out onto the veranda which was enormous and wrapped around from the master bedroom side all the way around to the other side of the living room. There were 4 lounge chairs, the hot tub, a round table with 8 chairs, and 2 cushioned chairs with foot rests and a couple of small tables. No exercise bike although when we first boarded – we saw them outside our suite in the passageway between the 2 sides of the ship. The kids figured out the hot tub very quickly and were in it first off.

 When you stand at the backside of the ship and look back and up, you can see all of the verandas from the other suites and there were oftentimes people standing outside on their veranda and could see onto our veranda although the loungers and chairs were all under an overhang and were more private. We occasionally had things dropped onto our veranda from above – fruit peel, spilled drinks, etc.

On the left side of the entry way was a small hallway with 2 closets, a door to the extra bathroom, a door to the pantry, and a door to the master bedroom. The extra bathroom did have a shower. The pantry had a full sized refrigerator stocked with soda, wine, small bottles of liquor, and our 2 full-sized bottles of complimentary liquor – vodka and Dewar Scotch. We never opened the Scotch and the guys drank about half the bottle of Vodka. Towards the end of the cruise, Wade and Charlie brought over their bottle of champagne and our butler changed it out to a bottle of Pinot Noir which we brought home.

The master bedroom had a king sized bed. I had read conflicting reports online about the bed with some reporting a king and others reporting a queen. We definitely prefer a king sized bed and this one was very comfortable. We turned the A/C up as soon as we walked in and it was comfortably cool the duration of our trip. The bed was flanked on both sides with dressers that had a bunch of cabinets and drawers. The flat screen tv in front of the bed also had some cabinets and there was a large closet right next to the entry door.

The door leading to the bathroom first led into a dressing room with a 2^nd closet, a smaller 3^rd closet that just had a dresser and the programmable safe, and a vanity table. The mirrors on either side of the vanity opened like a medicine cabinet and there were more drawers on either side of the vanity. I actually had trouble remembering which drawer I put which things in – there were so many and I think half of the drawers went unused. The configuration of that 3^rd closet was a little weird – the door going into the dressing room was heavy and you couldn't pull the drawers in that closet open without shutting the other door.

The bathroom was gorgeous – 2 sinks with, yes, more drawers, glass countertop, glass enclosed shower, large hot tub and another smaller flat screen tv over the tub. The windows opened out to the rear of the ship and the shades were controlled with buttons on the wall. There was a toilet in a separate room and even a towel warmer on the wall. Our bathroom was stocked with Bulgari products.

Our butler was Peter Fernandes from India. I had read a lot of differing opinions about what a butler's role was and whether we needed one or not. Peter was very soft spoken and polite. He never hesitated to do anything that we asked him to do. I had written down a few things for him in an introductory letter – just a few of our preferences, a little bit about our family and who we were traveling with including our itinerary for the week since we didn't book any of our excursions through Celebrity.

I think Peter did a fine job. I had read where other butlers were insightful regarding things on the ship or in port – we didn't encounter that. I'm not dissatisfied with Peter but he wasn't stellar. He did offer to help Seth unpack and hung things up for him in the closet as Seth unpacked. I had already gotten my things hung up and unpacked before Seth got his suitcase. All but one morning, we ordered breakfast in our suite and twice we invited Charlie and Wade over for breakfast. Any time we invited them over for a meal, we tipped Peter extra in cash because I did feel that was above what his “job description” was.

On the evening following our first excursion in St Croix when we were supposed to dine in the MDR (and it was a formal night) – we were tired, sunburned, and didn't feel like going to the MDR. I went to the MDR and canceled our select dining time and got a copy of the menu. The woman at the MDR was very appreciative that I had stopped by and when she found out that we were in the PS – she immediately got me a copy of the dinner menu to take back to the suite. We wrote down our order and I called Peter, he came over to our suite and I gave him our list and I had expected for him to just drop our dinner off but he came in, set our dining room table for 6 and served our dinner course by course. That alone was what made having a butler worthwhile for us...that ability to order in, have friends over, and be seated at the dining room table being served. We tipped Peter pretty well (I think we gave him $60 that evening).

I called Peter just one other time and that was to let him know that we needed one more disembarkation luggage tag. We did ask him to swap out a bottle of champagne for some wine instead, sent a couple of jackets and shirts to be pressed, sent 2 bags of laundry to be washed, and asked him to restock the refrigerator with coke, diet coke, and diet sprite. He did remember some of our preferences each day – we always got cappuccino in the mornings with breakfast, he figured out that we liked shrimp and salmon and brought us extra, and realized that Amina and I like to drink tea so on the days that we weren't in the suite when he came by for 4 pm canapes, he left a selection for us on the dining room table as well as a cup of hot water and a tea bag. When we had first embarked, I asked him about fixing our beverage package (we got the classic package instead of the premium one that we had upgraded to). He wasn't really able to help us out with that and I went to guest services to get that one sorted.

On the afternoons that we had some free time before dinner, I spent a lot of that time out on the veranda. In the penthouse suite, I really felt like I could just hang out. In other cabins, it was always so confining feeling – like tripping over each other - that I would take my laptop with me and to a secluded area on another deck to sit and work on my blog or read something. The kids could hang out in the living room watching tv, while Seth lay in bed watching tv, and I could be out on the veranda. I loved that.

There were other perks staying in the PS. You're classified as VIP status which is different than Captain's Club Elite status. Even though we were still CC Select tier, we got the Elite perks including use of the private lounge (which we didn't ever take the time to use), invites to exclusive events (which we didn't have time to make), coupons for free drinks (excluding martini bar, specialty restaurants, and the MDR and only to be used between 5-7 pm – the kids used them), and 2 sets of coupons for other Elite perks like laundry service (30 items), pressing (2 items), free internet (90 minutes), etc. As VIP/suite members, there was a separate entrance when reboarding the ship but we didn't see anyone use it because the line was pretty short at the times we returned. The one time that the line was really long was in St Thomas and they didn't have the special VIP/suite entrance set up.

In Normandie – the penthouse suite guests have a specific area that they seat you at – right in the middle of the dining room in front of the gorgeous wood paneling. We ate at that table 3 times. I do have to admit that it just FELT cool to tell someone our room number whenever they asked – I think the entire ship's staff knew which suite it was. :-) We loved the penthouse suite and would do it again in a heartbeat.