mom says

There is no way that I know of to guarantee you won't have an itinerary change. Ports are scrapped for multitudes of reasons. Hurricane season in the Caribbean just adds to that uncertainty. If you need to guarantee that you will arrive at any given place, then fly there. Now, you can minimize the risk of an itinerary change, by booking a cruise last minute- within a couple of weeks of sailing. Of course those cruises could be sold out or have little choice left in cabins, and could be expensive. Or not.

They probably get just as excited as when someone gives them a fridge magnet or left over Halloween candy instead of a tip. And I'm sure they are going to spend several times the worth of that plastic duck to mail it home to their kids. My bet is that housekeeping has put a bounty on those little dust collecters, and the crew are happy to turn them in for cash or credit in the crew store

Agree with BirdTravels. You specifically selected a PrivaSea cabin. It is designated as such on the deck plans. And you apparently didn't see, or ignored the disclaimer on the cabin description pages that "Stateroom images, square footage, and configurations are representative only. Actual accommodations may vary." You told the TA to book this cabin. He is not a mind reader and had no way of knowing that you hadn't bothered to read the symbols on the deck plans or find out what a PrivaSea cabin was. You are looking for someone to blame, but in this case you need a mirror.

Maybe read the terms before booking something. It is clearly spelled out : lunch only on sea days.

Did you book a guarantee balcony, or a specific cabin/category?

Warning: nit pick alert. Since when is Hawaii to Vancouver a transpacific cruise? Sydney to LA is a transpacific. Tokyo to Vancouver is a transpacific. Hawaii to Vancouver is only 1/3 of a transpacific. It's just a Pacific cruise. Nit pick alert ended.

If you go online and Google Carnival Vista vs Mardi Gras, you will find a plethora of comparisons and opinions. It's easy to go down a rabbit hole looking at ship sizes, amenities, and cabin types. And another rabbit hole when weighing the pros and cons of different itineraries. For a first time cruiser, I would usually recommend talking with a cruise specialist travel agent who can fine tune your needs, wants and budget. I prefer to prioritize itinerary, and the amount of time in each port. But others prioritize the ship and its amenities. Without investigating any further, my guess is that the larger, newer Mardi Gras, with its extra day, would likely come out on top. As for flights- they usually come out about 11 months in advance. You can look on Google Flights for next April to get a rough idea. Then next year you can monitor prices for a few weeks to get an idea of current prices before actually booking your flights. Be sure to arrive in Orlando AT LEAST 1 day before embarkation to avoid problems with flight delays or lost luggage. Re gratuities- it's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. We always prepay, and then we can forget about it. Or you can opt to have the daily charge added to your on board account and pay at the end of the cruise. It will be charged to the credit card that you leave on file with them.

AFAIK, Cunard is the only mainstream large cruiseline with enforced formal nights in the MDRs. Amongst the premium and luxury lines, only a very few have formal nights. Seaborne may have some formal nights, as does Silversea.

That can only be possible if you are there on one of the days that has a matinee. Because the evening plays get out far too late to catch a flight. BTW, where do you plan to store your overnight luggage while you are in London? Where you can retrieve it in time for the trip to the airport for your check in 3 hours before departure? Nonstop evening flights aren't as plentiful as you seem to think.

You must want to see that play really badly, considering the hoops you will have to jump through. You MUST get advance Authorization from the cruise line so that they can adjust their manifest and arrange Immigration at your UK port. Plus pay the admin fee. Then of course there's the expense of meals and hotel in London. Add in the cost of the Eurostar to Brussels and the connecting train to Zeebrugge. BTW, it's likely much faster to take the train than to fly. You only need to be at St Pancras 90 min before the train leaves, vs 3 hours before a flight. It's 2 hours to Brussels ( there is also a 1 hour time change), then 1.5+ hours to Zeebrugge (which you would need to take even if you flew).

That has not been our experience. While we rarely have to make a complaint, when we do, we do it on board and to the responsible supervisor (Maitre d', housekeeper, etc). If poor or inappropriate service isn't brought to their attention, how can it be corrected and in your case, how can the sommelier learn the proper response to a situation such as yours?

I dont think your fear is well founded. There is a (small) segment of society who behave like snobs, just as there are those who are deliberately uncouth. Both are rude,and lacking in good manners, and both exist just about everywhere, regardless of the cost of their accommodations.

How would that work, exactly, with licenses from all different states, not to mention countries? And why would they need a scanner for a DL, when the DOB is right there on the license?

As long as it is a legal drug in the US, and was obtained by prescription, is properly labeled, and is in a quantity sufficient for personal use, then there is no need to declare. If it is a narcotic/controlled substance, it should be in the original container. Note that Marijuana products, while legal in many states, is not legal federally, and Customs goes by federal law.

It's possible that a dive excursion may have been offered at first, and once capacity was reached, was removed from the excursion list. Or the excursion provider and the cruise line parted ways. In any event, it looks like you need to book your own dive, directly with a local provider. Contact them by email and discuss your specific needs. You will need to allow ample time to disembark the ship and get to the dive shop or boat. And to also allow ample time to return to the ship well before the All Aboard time.

I would eliminate Celebrity and the smaller MSC ships. Celebrity doesn't do water slides and amusement park like activities. And you won't see a lot of other children on longer cruises outside of school holidays. Carnival sounds like it would meet your child's needs. But if neither of you have cruised before, I would suggest first taking a shorter cruise from somewhere close to home. See if you actually like cruising before splashing out on the expense of flying to Europe for a longer cruise. Maybe a 4 or 5 day out of Cape Canaveral.

Having always had a preference for itinerary over brand, I've never quite understood the single minded desire to climb the loyalty ladder. So in that light, I have to agree with joydivision. Every passenger should feel " special". Why the need to feel more special than anyone else on board? Now if they were to do away with the free Gelatos or lattes and instead offer a loyalty ladder consisting of cruise rate discounts, I might be inclined to care.

I dont remember ever seeing umbrellas on any decks on Cruise lines we've sailed on either. Shady areas due to overhanging decks, yes. But even those are time of day dependant.

Livorno to Florence (and back) is easy by train. There are some direct trains. Others will have a change in Pisa. The Santa Maria Novella (SMN) station in Florence is a few blocks, easy walking distance to the historic center. And there is a plethora of places to see and things to do that could occupy your entire available time. A good guidebook, plus advance reservations for the major sites, means there is little need for guided tours, unless you need the reassurance of a local guide. I would strongly recommend against driving to Florence due to the difficulty in avoiding the ZTLs in the city. If you want a scenic drive in the Tuscan countryside, be aware that ZTLs exist in the towns and villages as well. You may end up with very expensive souvenirs (traffic fines) arriving by mail a month or 2 later. And if you decide to rent a car, you will need to get an International Driver's Permit at your local AAA office before leaving home.

Thanks BOB

Bonine is a brand name for generic Meclizine. Same drug, but more expensive- you pay for the name. NOT illegal in Canada, just not available for sale. You can buy the generic stuff cheaply at any Walmart pharmacy in the US. Don't know why Costco would require a Rx for something that is allowed OTC, by the FDA.

How about a TLDR version?

No idea, and I never book anything through a 3rd party site if I can help it. But (just a WAG) does the 3rd party offer include extras like OBC, drink/WIFI packages, transfers or pre/post cruise hotels? As the PP suggested, you need to dig deeper into exactly what each is including in the listed prices.

You can stay out as long as you want. Just be back before the All Aboard time the next day.

Obviously you thought wrong. Why would a ship wait for their excursion guests to be dropped off at a port entrance, and then leave before they reboarded? Every ship has a manned excursion department.They don't just send people off and then forget about them. Part of their job is to know when excursions have returned. What is late? Any time after the all aboard time which is published in the daily newsletter and is posted prominently at the gangway as you exit the ship. If a late return is likely to happen, they stay in contact with the provider, and provide the necessary information to the bridge. The ship will wait as long as possible,but depending on other circumstances, can and will leave a ship excursion behind if they can no longer extend their stay. In that case, the cruise line would be responsible for getting those guests to the next port to meet up with the ship. Guests who were left beh8nd, but were not on a ship excursion? They're on there own.