Cruising misconceptions?

Good strategy.

I thought that having sex on a cruise ship would result in a pregnancy, turns out is was a missed conception.:p

Lol!

We agree. The only benefit we found in having a balcony is the ability to go into a separate space at night so one of us can read while the other is sleeping.

 

But the inside cabin is, to us, not acceptable because on most of the newer ships the inside cabins have less square feet than the smallest ocean view, and besides we like the natural light so we know if it's night or day when we wake up.

 

Our preference these days is an obstructed ocean view cabin which is usually not much more expensive than an inside and, if the cruise line chooses to upgrade us, there are a large number of unobstructed ocean views available.

Yes, we've learnt that this is the way to go, too... we were once upgraded from an inside to obstructed outside, and never looked back!

Yes, we've learnt that this is the way to go, too... we were once upgraded from an inside to obstructed outside, and never looked back!

I know some people who have been upgraded to an Aft cabin and now they are always looking back.:p

Here's one that I here a lot from US citizens- you need a passport to cruise. They are very surprised to find out that in some instances you don't.

How FAST the cruise goes by! We've been on land-based vacation and by the last day, we were ready to go home. That's NEVER happened on a cruise. When I see the day of the week on the floor in the elevators, I cringe because I'm not ready for it to go by that fast.

Here's one that I here a lot from US citizens- you need a passport to cruise. They are very surprised to find out that in some instances you don't.

Yes, I have seen people at international airports with the same issues.

We ain't OZ. You have to have a passport if you leave the country and reenter. If you go on a few cruises you may get away without one but I would not risk it. If you had been aboard Grand and the door gave way in Mexico, you'd need it to get through the airport in Mexico to get home to the US. You can go to the Carribean without one but not to Canada from US.

We ain't OZ. You have to have a passport if you leave the country and reenter. If you go on a few cruises you may get away without one but I would not risk it. If you had been aboard Grand and the door gave way in Mexico, you'd need it to get through the airport in Mexico to get home to the US. You can go to the Carribean without one but not to Canada from US.

Unless it is a domestic cruise (Coastal cruise only), a passport is always required for sailings in Australia.

We ain't OZ. You have to have a passport if you leave the country and reenter. If you go on a few cruises you may get away without one but I would not risk it. If you had been aboard Grand and the door gave way in Mexico, you'd need it to get through the airport in Mexico to get home to the US. You can go to the Carribean without one but not to Canada from US.

You can cruise on a closed loop cruise to Canada without a passport. You can cross the border without a passport too if you have the passport card or (if you live in one of the few states that issue them, as I do) an Enhanced Drivers License. As I said, many misconceptions when it comes to a US citizen needing a passport.

I wasn't sure about going anywhere from OZ but for some reason thought you had reciprocity with NZ. AS far as Canada is concerned a passport card is a copy of a passport. An EDL has all your information on a chip, just like a passport only more info. (Do you know what all it contains?) Who can track it? How long before some moron figures out how to break the code and gets all your info?http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/member_files/081/20090707/

I still use a passport because I travel all over and I don't like EDLs because they contain a radio chip which IMHO can track you 24-7. In the coming robotic society we are going toward it will be a tattle tale if you speed, go somewhere and do anything wrong and you can already track your kids via telephone and tell how fast they drive etc. By getting EDLs you give permission to be tracked which is exactly what these Governments are wanting.

I wasn't sure about going anywhere from OZ but for some reason thought you had reciprocity with NZ. AS far as Canada is concerned a passport card is a copy of a passport. An EDL has all your information on a chip, just like a passport only more info. (Do you know what all it contains?) Who can track it? How long before some moron figures out how to break the code and gets all your info?http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/member_files/081/20090707/

I still use a passport because I travel all over and I don't like EDLs because they contain a radio chip which IMHO can track you 24-7. In the coming robotic society we are going toward it will be a tattle tale if you speed, go somewhere and do anything wrong and you can already track your kids via telephone and tell how fast they drive etc. By getting EDLs you give permission to be tracked which is exactly what these Governments are wanting.

More misconceptions;). A passport card is not a copy of a passport, it is a stand alone document that can be issued without a passport being issued, although it does verify the travelers identity and citizenship in one document. All three documents contain RIFD chips that have a link to a secure database that has your information and keeping them in the provided security sleeve prevents them from being read (and the range for reading them is extremely limited to begin with). https://www.dhs.gov/enhanced-drivers-licenses-what-are-they

Having a passport in order to travel all over is a great reason to have one, but not everyone has that ability and for them there are alternatives should they choose to use them.

Misconceptions I've had:

That I would get seasick. I can get car sick and thought I would surely be sick on a ship. But, I'm always proactive and have only had a minor problem once.

That I would get restless and bored. Possible, I guess. But, rare. If all else fails I go stare at the ocean. I could that for hours. So hypnotic and entertaining.

That cruises were soooo expensive. Depends. To me the biggest thing that adds expense to the basic price is airfare. I've started working on that now for our cruise next October.

That cruises were cheap. Uh.....again depends. I think more to the point is that with a less expensive cabin a cruise can be cost-effective in regards to lodging, meals and entertainment.

That I wouldn't fit in. That I would be surrounded with people who are so much more (fill in the blank) than I am. Is my insecurity showing? Wow, was I ever wrong. There are so many different kinds of people on a ship and I have found the vast majority of them to be friendly and easy going and down to earth.

I wasn't sure about going anywhere from OZ but for some reason thought you had reciprocity with NZ. AS far as Canada is concerned a passport card is a copy of a passport. An EDL has all your information on a chip, just like a passport only more info. (Do you know what all it contains?) Who can track it? How long before some moron figures out how to break the code and gets all your info?http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/member_files/081/20090707/

I still use a passport because I travel all over and I don't like EDLs because they contain a radio chip which IMHO can track you 24-7. In the coming robotic society we are going toward it will be a tattle tale if you speed, go somewhere and do anything wrong and you can already track your kids via telephone and tell how fast they drive etc. By getting EDLs you give permission to be tracked which is exactly what these Governments are wanting.

While a lot of things are reciprocal between NZ and Australia, and a while a tourist Visa is not required, passports are still required to get into each country.

Misconceptions I've had:

 

That I would get seasick. I can get car sick and thought I would surely be sick on a ship. But, I'm always proactive and have only had a minor problem once.

 

That I would get restless and bored. Possible, I guess. But, rare. If all else fails I go stare at the ocean. I could that for hours. So hypnotic and entertaining.

 

That cruises were soooo expensive. Depends. To me the biggest thing that adds expense to the basic price is airfare. I've started working on that now for our cruise next October.

 

That cruises were cheap. Uh.....again depends. I think more to the point is that with a less expensive cabin a cruise can be cost-effective in regards to lodging, meals and entertainment.

 

That I wouldn't fit in. That I would be surrounded with people who are so much more (fill in the blank) than I am. Is my insecurity showing? Wow, was I ever wrong. There are so many different kinds of people on a ship and I have found the vast majority of them to be friendly and easy going and down to earth.

Good post, a nice summary of quite a few misconceptions.:D

Can't argue but wouldn't travel without a passport. I know people do it but someday it will catch some off guard. So if I can afford to cruise and can't afford a $130 passport, should I cruise or buy groceries? I am not sure why anyone would travel to CN or MX without a passport. If something happened you cannot fly back to the US. Say you have a heart attack and need Critical Care Ambulance, it;'s along ride fro Yukon territories to Pittsburgh or Vermont etc. It is not smart planning. If you get critically ill on a ship they may evacuate you immediately. Do you then walk home? medical care is not that good in old Mexico and I don't want to be hospitalized there.

Can't argue but wouldn't travel without a passport. I know people do it but someday it will catch some off guard. So if I can afford to cruise and can't afford a $130 passport, should I cruise or buy groceries? I am not sure why anyone would travel to CN or MX without a passport. If something happened you cannot fly back to the US. Say you have a heart attack and need Critical Care Ambulance, it;'s along ride fro Yukon territories to Pittsburgh or Vermont etc. It is not smart planning. If you get critically ill on a ship they may evacuate you immediately. Do you then walk home? medical care is not that good in old Mexico and I don't want to be hospitalized there.

LOL, Canada is 8 miles from my house and frankly if I was worried about not being able to receive quality medical care wherever I was traveling I wouldn't travel there in the first place (another misconception is that medical care in another country is sub-standard). You make a stronger argument for having good travel insurance than for having a passport. Personally I don't like to buy things that I don't need if I don't have to, particularly if they come with an expiration date and if I'm not likely to use it before it expires and affordability plays little in that equation.

I mentioned travel insurance or could you just read my mind. You are full of it to your ears. Italy has some of the worst medical care in the free world. My father in law lives there. He went to the hospital on Friday night, on Monday someone showed up and asked him if he needed help. By then his Gallbladder had nearly burst. After surgery he wasn't sewn up properly, developed a hernia and had to fly to Philadelphia and have emergency surgery to keep it from bursting. After 2 months he is finally gaining enough strength to go back to Italy. I've traveled to 23 foreign countries and wouldn't go to a hospital in over half. These include Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Italy, and Mexico right off top. So you don't need one.

We thought meals in the MDR would be super fancy, so on our first cruise we ate every meal in the Lido buffet area.

Second cruise, we ventured into the dining room and now that's our favorite part of the day! You can be as fancy or not-fancy as you like...we've seen all the choices on the clothing spectrum, I think. I tell first-timers to dress as if heading for a summer wedding or church service.