Host Walt
-
Posts
5,075 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by Host Walt
-
-
This thread is closed. Without facts the discussion is based on unestablished conjecture. The process for boarding any animals onto a cruise ship is complex and requires a significant amount of advance paperwork.
-
3
-
-
Boy you tickled my jealous nerve. Congratulations and the best part is how much you enjoyed the upgrade and the cruise.
-
From your lips to God's ear!!!
We'd love a mate for the Surf but not having to shell out the money we'd love having a replacement for the Wind Song.
-
no exceptions are made to the drinking age on board. you can drink in most Caribbean ports.
I am surprised Carnival permits an exception to the minimum booking age for military, considering their policy is the most restrictive when it comes to that.. there must be someone 25 or older in the cabin if anyone under 21 is in it.
The cruise lines establish a minimum age to avoid dealing with the immaturity of folks under 25, but anyone voluntarily exposing themselves to making the ultimate sacrifice for our country have already established their suitability to be cruise passengers.
-
Back when we first caught the cruising bug (1980's forward) it has usually been the case on HAL and Princess that "open seating" was standard for the first day of sailing and for ports in Europe and the Caribbean with late scheduled departures. Sounds like that procedure has remained in place.
-
Question was asked and answered. This thread is closed.
-
Another great source for guides to many ports written from a cruisers perspective is here:
https://www.tomsportguides.com/
No ads, no fees, just great info.
-
Two very excellent Posts - thanks. We first came to HAL because HAL has a priest on board every one of its cruises, and we continue to cruise HAL because of this "perk". Thank you, HAL!
We were on HAL cruises with priests and in one case he was assigned to our table. He had a great sense of humor and, although he said blessing before he ate, it was to himself and he made no effort to get us all to join him.
He became a major part of our cruise two days before the end of the cruise when someone at our table passed away during the day and he handled the Last Rights privately. At dinner he led a prayer for the individual and handled the situation beautifully. Sad as it was he did a wonderful job dealing the situation.
-
Who's custom?
If you read the info, the specialty restaurant charge INCLUDES gratuity.
I will tip extra, if the service above and beyond.
The cruise lines I've been on present a bill at the end of a meal in a specialty restaurant and leave room for a gratuity after the total charge (fee and any beverages), so the cruise line kinda makes the tip a customary item.
-
First Time cruisers and even experienced cruisers can learn (or refresh their memories) by reading this Cruise Critic article:
-
Be careful. Michener's "Caribbean" is banned in many schools because it describes how some "Indian" tribes treated others For example the Carib "indians" were cannibals devouring the peaceful Arawaks on the basis that doing so permitted the Caribs to acquire the strength of the Arawaks.^^This! You say you’re cruising in October, right? If you’re from the US, and headed to the Caribbean, you can expand on any of the above suggestions and also bring in Christopher Columbus (Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day), etc. If your child is in high school, have them read Michener’s book, Caribbean.Many school boards have banned this book because it suggests that not all "indigenous" Americans were peace loving and welcoming.
-
...We have learned that using the MDR is the way to go. Everyone gets a hot meal if they want it - my sons love having hot cocoa brought to them .../quote]
Agree completely. And you aren't sitting in your room waiting for the breakfast arrive and just getting up and going to the DR is a great way to get your "light bulbs flickering"
BTW, if you want you can still call for a simple coffee service while the slower folks are still looking for their flip flops.
-
The answer to all your questions is yes. In docked ports the ship is really your hotel where you can come and go as you wish. You must be on board ahead of the deadline so you won't be left behind. At tender ports it's the same thing except you need to plan more carefully so you don't miss the last tender back to the ship.
-
There are tools out there but I don't believe we are allowed to share those per the rules of the board. Your favorite search engine will yield results. :)
Here's one:
-
Your post has been copied over to the Roll Call thread for your cruise.
Click here to find that thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2478280
-
Try this for last minute cruise deals:
-
I have read the guidelines. I have not violated "quite a few" of any of the rules. I have seen A LOT of people post their email addresses and tell people to contact them privately since there is no PM function here.
I am NOT a TA, I do NOT work for a TA .... I have NOTHING to do with a TA. So I am not advertising anything.
The operative portion of the posting guidelines follows:
"Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information."
-
As a veteran Windstar cruiser and a Canal traveler (2 times), I need to question the author's knowledge of the Windstar (the ship) and/or the Panama Canal when she says,
"In the winter of 2020, the Wind Surf will offer a 56-day Grand Caribbean Cruise visiting such ports as Philipsburg, St. Maartin; the British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Aruba and even a partial transit of the Panama Canal, which is entirely new for the Wind Star, a ship too big to make the entire passage." [emphasis added]
There is no question the idea of new itineraries and new ports of call is exciting so I'm looking forward to hearing more from Windstar..
-
Having done extensive travel in my career and having done a lot of speaking engagements, I frequently shipped printed materials to the hotel to simplify the process.I used to work for a chain hotel in a major tourist area. we did not accept packages for guests if they were not already in residence. as in we would refuse to accept anything addressed to anyone not currently staying. we had to get the okay to accept packages arriving the same day as the guest's reservation. Manager said it was because they were not willing to store anything overnight as we did not have a secure place to do so.we did not have bell services however. maybe a venue that does would be okay with doing so.
Most big chain hotels (Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn, etc.) will happily accept packages addressed to arriving guests and store them inn their bell stand storage room. Typically they will want you to have a confirmed reservation and be a member of their frequent guest program. I've also done the advance shipping method for cruise luggage to Ft. Lauderdale when sailing from there.
Some cruise lines (Princess, for example) also offer advance shipping of luggage directly to the ship. I haven't used that feature, but will definitely consider it on our next cruise out of Ft Lauderdale.
-
1
-
-
Questions about the removal of a large number of posts in this thread indicates a need to restate Cruise Critic posting guidelines regarding discussions about cruise travel agents.
Quoting from our guidelines:
Our Cruise Community is meant to be an exchange of advice and tips where cruisers can talk about their travels -- not a marketplace for advertising and selling services. There are thousands of cruise professionals online and if we didn't insist on a non-solicitation policy the cruise boards would be very quickly overrun with nothing but ads.
Cruise Critic defines advertising as an individual or company's attempt to generate business or other commercial enterprise, either directly or indirectly, by using our Cruise Board. Solicitation includes, but is not limited to, requests to be E-mailed, the posting of phone numbers for your business, constantly mentioning that you are in the travel business, and the referring to or posting of one's own Web site address.
There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in tone) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.
Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.
This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information.
It also means you cannot post links to travel agencies, no matter what the specific reason.
Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" rule without warning. Additional posts will result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.
-
Check out this Cruise Critic article. It should help.
-
Now back to the original question. Keep in mind two important characteristics of a Canal cruise.
#1 - The Canal transit usually has a narrator who describes most of the journey over the P. A. system. Many lines will not pipe the commentary into your cabin. Equally as important is that you will likely want to see everything as you transit the Canal which you can do only on an open deck.
#2 - The transit from the Caribbean to the Pacific is, believe it or not, a west to east trip so if you want sun on your side you'll need a starboard cabin.
Not pertinent to your question but another curious fact is that the Canal is, longitudinally, east of Miami Florida and is in the Eastern time zone.
-
Our favorite restaurant in Seattle is
Phone number (206) 632-0767 401 NE Northlake Way
Wallingford
Wonderful salmon fillets with your choice of wood smoking; cedar, alderwood. etc.
-
Wow you guys are getting great deals! I’m a teacher so taking a week off is not an option and just a personal preference but neither is an ocean view or inside
Just a suggestion about an inside cabin. With kids even an obstructed view cabin can be a major benefit over an inside. With an inside the boredom factor kicks in very quickly so your kids will want to escape to daylight two or three nanoseconds after arriving in your cabin. Even an obstructed view room will give them hours of entertainment (and daylight) for free. And obstructed view cabins are frequently priced at or slightly above inside cabins.
Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!
in Disabled Cruise Travel
Posted
SULLY (his name) also visited the Capitol Rotunda today and will be reassigned to the Walter Reed hospital. It was a tear jerker on TV, and will continue to be forever. What a great dog.