mom says

29 minutes ago, camella said:

we were forced to carry this while in a huge line for about 40 minutes!  Ridiculous.

Erm... it's right on the FAQs. If you want to bring it on board, you gave to hand carry it. You can't dump it with your checked luggage. 40 minutes in line -Next time bring a bungie cord.

You can check the FAQs, but basically you can bring on as much non alcoholic beverages that you can hand carry ON EMBARKATION  DAY. Feel free to include bottled water if you wish; but the tap water on board is perfectly drinkable, and you can get a glass of ice water at any bar or dining room, or from he dispensers in the buffet. You might want to bring a reusable  water bottle  instead of disposable bottles.

It's usually fairly quick on arrival in port. But you will want to be at YVR 3 hours before your flight, as you must preclear US Customs and Immigration before proceeding  through  Security.

Excellent choices Len. The Sun Yat-Sen garden is certainly unique (or close to it) outside of China. I saw something like it in Shanghai,  but the weather wasn't as favorable at the time. Bloedel is nice, but we have probably spent a lot more time in the Queen Elizabeth Park, which surrounds the Conservatory. There's a good reason why the QE park is a favored spot for wedding pictures. 

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

I have been to the gardens twice .They are absolutely beautiful.

Which ones?

I agree with the PP. While it is physically possible to take the ferry or fly to and from VANCOUVER  Island as a day trip, it is very expensive to do. And most of that very long day will be spent just getting there and back.

If you want to see beautiful gardens, then just visit the UBC Botanical gardens and the Nitobe Memorial Garden. Both in Vancouver.

Um, no thanks. 

We try to book our cabin  at least a year in advance. Overseas flights can wait til 6 months out. Flights to North American embarkations can wait til 3 months. Once the cabin is booked we research ports of call for excursion possibilities, booking as we find them.

If you are brand new to cruising, and going solo, I'd really recommend finding a cruise specialist TA who can help you understand the solo supplement charged by most lines, or can steer you to ships with solo cabins. They can also help you find a cruise within your budget with an itinerary you want.

And your company would be fine with this? I'd clear that with either your boss or HR first. 

Every state has its own requirements that can be found by a Web search.

You will enter Canada, so you will need a passport. Or a passport card. Or a NEXUS card.

Look to the luxury lines.

I believe you are hunting unicorns. Most cruise lines (aside from the frequent Cunard run from Southampton  to New York) only do their transatlantic cruises to reposition in the fall for the winter Caribbean season. You could certainly book your mother on one of those, and then the next sailing in the Caribbean (a back to back booking.) And then book yourself on that second cruise. You will have to research which lines have fly and sail packages. I believe P&O does to and from Barbados. You might find more info that is tailored to UK fly/sail packages on the UK cruising forum:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/543-uk-cruising/

The Carnival forum is here:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/133-carnival-cruise-lines/

The Princess cruises forum is here:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/119-princess-cruises/

59 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

According to OneEarth.Org it is

Other sources classify it as temperate, subtropical. 

I suggest asking your question on the NCL board if you are asking about ship excursions.

No idea about Norwegian  ships, but Churchill's cigar lounge will have cigarette smokers there as well.

Or at least it isn't ALWAYS the best type of vacation. It depends on what you want from your vacation. Cruising is Travel the lazy way. Relax. Make few decisions each day of any importance. Spend a few hours ashore and kid yourself that you have "seen" or experienced that place in any meaningful way. If that is all you want out of your vacation, then a cruise is likely your ideal vacation. We relegate cruises a ways down our preference list,  to those cruises sailing itineraries to various ports difficult to do by other means, or in lieu of a resort vacation if it's  cheaper.

7 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

I will blame this whole incident on the negligence of the gate agents and that this could have, should have been avoided.

How were the gate agents negligent? The woman had gate checked the bag. Meaning it had been tagged with the proper flight number and destination and sent to the aircraft.  You can't retrieve a bag that has already been checked. The flight delay was entirely the fault of the noncompliant passenger, which necessitated the aircraft's  return to the terminal and her removal, and that of her luggage from the hold. Need i point out that since her luggage was in the hold, it obviously hadn't been left at the original gate.

According to Google Images, there does appear to be a helipad on the bow of the Beyond. How any medivac is handled depends on many factors. Most important, the severity of the patient's condition.  Distance and time to sail to to port. Availability of Coast Guard ship or helicopter. Size and type of available helicopter.  Time of day. Sea conditions. Weather conditions. If by helicopter, final decision is the helicopter captain's. 

Welcome  to Cruise Critic.  Without knowing the type of excursions  you might find interesting or enjoyable,  how could anyone give meaningful  advice? I suggest looking at the relevant ports in the Ports of Call forum:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

Love it when an OP gives little details like what kind of plantation experience he's looking for, and in what part of the world.

Saw an awesome mixed fruit plantation near Goa from theConnie  a few years ago.

Also saw a sugar cane/rum plantation in Barbados from either Eclipse or Equinox. Can't remember which. 

No idea if any of those ships currently have those places on their itinerary. OP can easily find out by a quick web search.

If you want answers from someone who has done this EXACT excursion, then I suggest you ask (with full details given) on the Carnival forum.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/133-carnival-cruise-lines/

55 minutes ago, zitsky said:

How do I leave feedback now that I’m blind from staring at the sun?  This is all part of their plan to attract all those hip, edgy young people who will take up all the space in MY hot tub.

How can you leave feedback? Perhaps the same way you've managed to read and reply to these posts? Or get your grandkids to do it for you.

I had to go to the website to see what the fuss was about too. I thought perhaps the page was limited to just the video. But nope; I was able to scroll or click right past it. So I'm not sure why anyone would stay with it if it bothered them.